Waiting is a torturous pastime. The anxiety, the unpredictable outcome makes time tick by painfully slow. There's no relief in distracting oneself with other activities because no matter what you preoccupy yourself with your mind will inevitably wander to the source of distress.
She sits on the arm of the couch, her arms crossed and her gaze focused on a dent in the floor. It's a very small dent, but it still managed to catch her attention. She wonders how it got there. Did it emerge from moving around furniture? Did someone drop something heavy? Is harping on a meaningless blemish on the floor the beginning of insanity? Maybe.
He just had to go and play hero. He just had to see to it that nothing happened to Hayden. A lot of good that did the both of them. And now everyone is losing their minds trying to find them, or even worse, waiting for them to be found.
She begged him to stay, pulling on the sleeve of his shirt in the most childish way. But she didn't care. She wanted him there, with her, in the worst way. "But she's your friend." He had said. "Let Scott handle this. He's experienced." "You don't gain experience by sitting on the sidelines." The memory of him gently pulling her hand off him and kissing her forehead as he whispered an apologetic, "I'm sorry, I have to do this," rings clear in her mind. She watched him disappear down the dim school hallway into the boys locker room without moving or making a sound.
Martyrdom seems to come with the territory, but she can't help but be selfish with Liam. All the loss that has occurred in and around the pack had made her rather reluctant to enter a relationship. With people getting offed left and right, developing an attachment does nothing but make it hurt worse. But his unyielding persistence and sparkling blue eyes had managed to win her over. He could still break her heart, but oh what a beautiful heartbreak it would be. And it is so hard to resist beautiful things.
The sound of a car door slamming shut makes her and Lydia both jump up. The two girls run to the kitchen, their hearts pounding and their lips mouthing something like a prayer. The kitchen door swings open and the waiting is over.
The let out an audible sigh of relief as Theo, Liam, and Hayden stumble through the threshold. They're all okay. Theo looks annoyingly pristine for just executing a rescue mission single-handedly, Hayden has seen better days but she doesn't appear to be in critical condition, and Liam, Liam is okay. Any injuries he may have sustained had healed, meaning he hadn't suffered anything severe. He is here and he is okay.
Without warning she quickly exits the kitchen and makes a beeline for the staircase, jogging up the stairs two at a time. She stops when she reaches Scott's bedroom door, letting her back hit the wall next to it. Her chest is racked with sobs as she brings a hand up to her mouth in a futile attempt to keep it all inside. She begins to slide down the wall when a pair of arms wrap around her, the pair of them descending down together.
"He's alright," Lydia coos softly. "They're all alright."
She leans her head on Lydia's shoulder, allowing her friend to support her weight as the tears keep coming. She wants to respond to Lydia's soothing words, but every time she opens her mouth all that comes out is a suffocated choking noise. At this point she knows there's nothing she can do to stop the physiological response to this sort of trauma, so she waits a moment before trying to speak again.
"Liam wanted to come after you, but I wouldn't let him. I told him it was imperative that I talk to you first," Lydia informs, running her fingers through the girl's hair comfortingly. "I think he's going crazy down there waiting to see you."
"Good," her voice is distorted by the lump in her throat. "Now he has an idea of what it feels like."
"I know it's hard, having to sit back and do nothing but wait while the person you love is out their risking their life because it's the right thing to do, but you don't want him to suffer like you do," Lydia frowns, feeling sympathy for her situation. None of them ever asked for this, and it's beginning to take a toll on all of them. They can only bend so much before the break.
"I don't wan't him to suffer," she sniffles, "But I am so tired of this. I am so sick of crying because I don't know if he's going to come back. And if he does come back I don't know what condition it will be in. So many loved ones have died already. I can't loose him, too. God and it just feels like a thousand needles in my skin every time this happens. It hurts so bad and I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel because after one war is won there's always the next one waiting to ruin everything."
"I want to tell you that it's going to get better, but I don't know that it will. All I know that is that we have to cherish these small victories and appreciate each other in the moment because nothing is guaranteed. But you have to admit, those moments when things are calm and he's holding you, playing with your hair, whispering really lame but sweet things in your ear while you drift asleep makes it worth it, don't they?" Lydia consoles, a small smile forming on her lips.
"Yeah," she laughs lightly, brushing away tears, "I guess they do."
The sobbing has stopped and her chest has ceased the violent heaving motions. Silent tears still escape her tired eyes, but it's an improvement. She has gotten comfortable propped up against Lydia, her arm wrapped around her friend's. She could almost fall asleep like this, but the creaking sound of someone coming up the stairs startles both of the girls, causing them to scramble to their feet.
"I thought I told you to wait downstairs!" Lydia huffs as a very worried Liam comes into view.
"I know, but I was worried and you were taking too long," Liam whines, wringing his hands together anxiously.
"Not so much fun, is it?" she makes a lame attempt to wipe her face of the tears that slick her skin.
Lydia nudges her, mouthing a 'be nice' before making her way down the stairs to check on Theo and Hayden to give them some privacy.
She watches Lydia disappear out of sight before returning her attention back to Liam. He looks worse than he did when he arrived at Scott's. His forehead is creased in distress, his mouth set in a worrisome frown. He looks exhausted and maybe even a little fragile.
"Can I...?" he makes a gesture that translates to something like 'come closer'.
She nods in consent, giving him the green light to approach her.
He all but runs over to her, catching her in a tight embrace. She wraps her arms around his neck, a fresh phase of tears making an appearance. He squeezes her tight, pressing her body as close to his as humanely possible. And even that isn't close enough.
"Shhh, Shhh," he coos, pressing his mouth to the side of her head right above her ear. "I'm right here."
"For how long?" she snivels, tightening her grip on him, afraid if she loosens up just the tiniest bit he'll slip away.
"For as long as you need me to be. I promise that no matter what happens I will always be right here."
"You don't know that," she frowns. What happens to him isn't within his control. Sometimes life has different plans.
"Yes I do," he declares.
"No you don't," she laughs a little at his stubbornness.
"Shhh, yes I do. I am the master of my fate," he grins, referencing the poem they discussed in english class the other day.
"Whatever, captain," she smiles, easing up on the death grip she has him in.
He pulls away just enough to be able to see her face, and what he sees almost makes him want to cry. Her eyes are an irritated hue of red and are beginning to puff up. The tears glossing her face makes her cheeks look exceptionally shiny. She looks so tired, so defeated by her own emotions and he feels so guilty about it because he's the reason she's like this.
"You are so much stronger than you know," he whispers, pressing his lips to her forehead. "You'e the best thing that's ever happened to me," he kisses her nose. "I truly believe I'm a better person because of you," he kisses her left cheek where the tears sit still. "I need you," he moves to her right cheek, pressing a soft kiss over the tears there as well. "I love you," he reaches her lips, tasting salty tears there, too. Her wet and cold lips contrast his dry and warm ones as they slide together.
He can feel her heart rate fall into a steady rhythm as she relaxes into him. It's the best feeling in the world that his presence has that affect on her, and hers on him. He slips his tongue between her parted lips, needing to feel more of her. She follows suit, the motion between the two is smooth and graceful, familiar and soothing.
Lydia was right. The constant waiting around and wondering what would become of Liam was the cruelest kind of torture and in the moment it was enough to want to make her want to give up on everything. But the moment he returns, the moment he looks at her, touches her, kisses her, the moment she hears his voice she knows that she can't let him go because he is home for her. He is where she feels safe.
The ever-so-familiar sound of a door opening causes them to disconnect and listen for the source responsible for the interruption. Sure enough they hear Scott's voice followed by Malia, Mason, and Stiles. Everyone has survived the night.
They wordlessly agree to join the pack in the living room, running down the stairs hand in hand. The sight that greats them is an odd one. Hayden is asleep on the couch, wrapped burrito style in a blanket. Meanwhile, Theo is taking turns hugging everyone while Scott watches with a blank despondency.
She disconnects herself from Liam to console the Alpha. Nobody can be perfect, not even Scott McCall.
"Theo did a good thing today," she says, approaching Scott. "But he's not you. And he never will be."
Scott slips his arm around her shoulders for her to curl into his side, a comforting gesture for the both of them. "Thank you. I needed to hear that."
"I know how that is," she smiles softly, squeezing Scott's side before slipping out from under his arm.
"You and Liam should stay here tonight. The whole pack is, just to keep an eye on one another after everything that's happened," Scott scratches the back of his neck, his eyes wandering to watch how everyone is responding to Theo's heroics.
"Pack sleepover, sounds like fun," she grins, nodding in affirmation that they will be staying.
Scott offers a ghost of a smile in return. It's clear that he's going to need time to recover from this mess.
**
It's 2 in the morning and everyone has crashed in the sleeping area they've claimed. She and Liam called dibs on the second couch in the living room. After spending so much time getting acquainted with the cement floor of the Dread Doctor's laboratory Liam refused to sleep anywhere that wasn't cushioned. Nobody dared to challenge him on that, so the couch is their's.
Liam is lying on his back with her on his chest. Her back is pressed against the back of the couch with her head in the crook of Liam's neck. He has his arms wrapped around her, content with being able to hear her heartbeat in the otherwise silent room.
He slips his hands underneath her tank top to rub the skin of her back. The sensation of his calloused fingers running up and down her spine gives her shivers. She kisses the side of his neck in response, sucking and biting on the skin gently. A breathy sigh leaves his lips. After the hell he's endured this feels like pure ecstasy.
"Sometimes I wish I could just melt into you," she mumbles sleepily.
"Why's that?" he inquires, continuing the motion of rubbing the length of her back.
"Because you're the only place I feel safe," she admits.
"I like that I'm your safe place," he grins, twisting his neck to kiss her temple sweetly.
She wiggles in an attempt to burrow into him, making them both laugh quietly. "You always will be."
