Risk it all < C. Argent

12 {Sweeten Your Chances}

"Here we are. Home sweet home." Melissa said out loud as the mother daughter duo walked into the front door, Melissa clutching onto Sawyers bag from the hospital.

"Thanks mom." Sawyer told her mother and Melissa smiled. "You're welcome baby. The doctor-" "The cute one?" Sawyer asked cutting off her mother which only got an eye roll cast her way. "The doctor said you could still have spells of fatigue and muscle weakness, so I'll make a deal with you. You go upstairs to your room, get settled in ,and I make you something to eat."

"Counter offer. I sit down in the kitchen while you make something to eat so neither of us are alone." Sawyer said, her eyes instinctively flicking to the second floor. "Bunny?" "I'm scared." Sawyer whispered to her mom honestly. "It'll be okay, baby. We just have to communicate more, and if something is bothering you, tell me." Melissa said and Sawyer sighed. "Sometimes it's not that easy."

"Then tell me how I can help." Melissa tried and Sawyer smiled. "By just being there. I know that I've disappointed you, and that I'm probably not the greatest influence on Scott, but maybe I need to spend some more time with him."

Melissa's eyes found the floor as tears clouded her vision. "Mom?" "You're not a disappointment baby. You were given those pills by some doctor that didn't know what he was doing. This isn't your fault Bun. It was never your fault." Melissa told her and Sawyers eyes filled with tears at the words she needed to hear. Melissa pulled her daughter into a hug, the two just standing in each other's embrace for what some may consider too long, but it was what the pair needed.

"Maybe some time with your brother will help." "Help keep him out of trouble." Sawyer chuckled and Melissa laughed. "It's Stiles you have to watch out for." Melissa told her and Sawyer nodded, a smile on her face.

"So what sounds good?" Melissa asked and Sawyer placed her finger on her chin as if thinking. "Grilled ham and cheese?" "Grilled ham and cheese it is." Melissa said as she went off to the kitchen, Sawyer following right behind.

******

"Mom?" Scott asked as he came through the front door, tired from school and his shift at the veterinary clinic. "She's not here." Sawyer said coming around the corner. "Sawyer?" Scott asked, not realizing she was back home. "You're out of the hospital." Scott said and Sawyer smiled. "No shit." "When did you get out?" "I broke out." She told him with a straight face. "What!" Scott shouted, his eyes wide. " I'm kidding. I got out while you were in school. Talking about that dreaded place, what all happened today?" Sawyer asked.

"I got pulled into a group date." "A group date? How did you get suckered into that?" Sawyer asked, trying to hide her smile as she saw Scott was upset about it. "Lydia Martin inserted herself." "Then tell her to get her ass out of your plans." Sawyer said with a shrug.

"We didn't have any plans, not yet anyway." Scott said sadly and Sawyer sighed. "I'm going to go off a hunch and say Allison agreed to this. Let me give you some advice little bro. Make her regret that she agreed with her friend. Make sure that you make her night the best it can be, and allow her to see that you can bring some that that her friends can't."

"How?" Scott asked. "Ask her if she'd like to grab food before. Or allow yourself to be a little venerable, tell her how you feel, Scott. Do something that makes it just about the two of you, even if it's just for a little bit."  Sawyer told him.

"How are you so good at this?" Scott asked her. "Because I'm a girl." She told him and he smiled.

"You need a ride?" "I'm gonna see if I can get the car from mom." Scott said as he started to walk back towards the door. "Wait!" Sawyer said as she ran back into the kitchen. "What?" "Take this to her." Sawyer said as she boxed up some of the chicken and rice she had made. "It will sweeten your chances." Sawyer said and Scott nodded, thanking her.

"Let me know what she says." Sawyer told him as he headed out the door with the meal wrapped in a grocery bag.

Going back into the kitchen, Sawyer served herself some of the chicken and rice, letting her thoughts wonder.

Derek told her that he would be back to see her, yet she was out of the hospital, and no sign of him. Worried, she picked up her phone finding his contact and pressing call.

"Sully?" Derek asked as soon as he picked up. "The one and only. Hey, when was the last time you had real food?" She asked. "Uh-" "I'm talking neither take out or gas station food." Sawyer said. "Not in a while. Why?" "I made some chicken and rice. It's even got the almonds you like. Come over and get some." She told him.

"You're out of the hospital?" "Yeah broke out this morning." She told him and she heard his humorous scoff through the phone. "I'll be there in a bit." Derek told her before hanging up.

Time seemed to slip away from Sawyer as she got lost in her thoughts, that was until a knock at the back door caught her attention. Glancing at the clock she realized basically an hour had passed.

Rushing to it, she found Derek. Opening the door she looking at him with a teasing smile. "Don't-" "Oh no, it's a bad burglar!" Sawyer said aloud and Derek shook his head, his own small smile coming to his face.

"What am I gonna do with you?" He asked her. "Keep me around. You would be lost without me Der." She told him, turning her back on him as she headed to the stove to serve him up a bowl of the dish.

"Doesn't Melissa have a rule about eating at the table?" Derek asked as he followed her up the stairs to her room, the bowl of hot food sat in his hands with a potholder underneath. "For Scott and Stiles she does. Plates and cups get left in his room and become their own ecosystem. They don't in mine." Sawyer said opening her door and pulling out her desk chair for the Hale to sit.

"Why did you really want me over here Sully?" Derek asked her and Sawyer sighed. "I don't like being alone. It allows me to think too much." She told him and he frowned. "I'm scared Derek. I don't want to be like this forever." "You won't. I'll find a way to fix this." He told her as he pulled her into a hug.

"Scott came by to see me. I figured you'd like to know." Derek told her. "What? Why?" "He thinks he hurt that bus driver. You know the one you had a dream about. He think he was the one who did it."

"But it wasn't. It was the alpha. You told him that right?" Sawyer asked and Derek had a sheepish look on his face. "No, I sent him to look for his own answers." "Derek!" "He wouldn't have listened to me anyway. Hell, he barely listens to you. If he doesn't want to listen to reason, he's gonna have to learn it the hard way, Sully." The Hale man told her.

"What about me?" "You?" "If he goes, trying to find the truth, and gets hurt. I get hurt too. What about me?" "I'll be here. You won't have to go through that alone." He told her and she sighed. "Don't keep promises you can't keep." "I want to keep this one." He told her, and she waved him off.

"I want to be the old Sawyer again. Without the withdrawal and the fear, but it's the cards I was dealt. You have too much on your plate, Derek. You're not going to be able to. I love that you try though." Sawyer said as she held his hand, Derek wrapping his larger one around hers, a look in his eyes that Sawyer didn't seem to notice. "I have to, Sully." He told her as his eyes looked into hers and she sighed as she broke his intense gaze. "Okay. I believe you." She said as the two seemed to lapse into a comfortable silence.