Heal You (Part II)

Hello My Old Heart

Emma
I sighed, my shoulders slumping as I watched Stiles. He stood in front of his board, ripping down the pieces of paper, throwing out the red string. The mystery was solved, and taken care of. It was time to start over. "You okay? You're quiet" Stiles spoke, glancing over at me. 

"I guess I'm just still not used to you with long hair" I teased, a smile working its away onto his face as he chuckled, throwing the paper in his hands away as he moved to the book shelf. He grabbed something off of it, sitting down next to me. 

"Look" he smiled, placing the picture frame in my hands. I smiled, staring down at the six of us. Jackson was rolling his eyes, his arm slung over Lydia's shoulder who smiled brightly at the camera. Allison was next to her, head leaning against Scott's chest. He grinned at the camera, so happy and full of love. Stiles and I sat at their feet, our heads thrown back in laughter at something we had said. His hair was still short, our faces so full of youth. "You're crying" Stiles commented, wiping away the tear that had run down my cheek. 

"I want to go back to that" I sniffled, leaning into Stiles as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "I want to go back to when I first came here. I want us all to be human, and I want us all to be happy. I want us to all be alive" I whispered, my thumb running over Allison's face. 

"I know. Life would be simpler that way, huh?" Stiles sighed, his voice so much deeper, and so much softer than usual. I noticed it in his movements too. He has changed, darkened if you will. He's slower in movement, less spastic as if some of the life had been drained from him.

"I want us all to be safe. To live a long, normal life" I told him, staring down at the picture of people who I barely recognized. 

"Hey, that's still in the cards" Stiles reminded me. "In fact, this afternoon we're all meeting at Scott's house for a little get together. To celebrate surviving" 

"Except all of us didn't" I sighed, Stiles nodding in agreement. "I just, I feel like it's never going to end" I muttered, pressing my hand to my face. 

"It's okay, Em. We'll get through it. Together" he promised, pressing a kiss against my forehead. I nodded, taking a deep breath in as I rose to my feet. 

"I think I'm going to go for a walk" I breathed, looking at the sun that shone through the windows. Stiles stood up, nodding slowly. 

"You want me to come with you?" he asked, glancing at the board. "The cleaning up can wait"

"No, no it's okay. You should finish up. I just wanna get some thinking done" I told him, offering a small smile of reassurance. "I'll meet you at Scott's, okay?" 

"Yeah, sure. I love you" Stiles pressed a kiss against my lips, my heart fluttering as it felt a little lighter. 

"I love you too" I pulled away, pressing a kiss against his nose before leaving, walking out the front door after saying goodbye to Sheriff. I hadn't really realized it, but he had become like a father to me, considering I didn't have one. 

+

It was a half an hour later when I found myself in the woods, strolling quietly through. I closed my eyes, letting the setting sun soak into my skin. It felt good to stop for a moment and breathe, and really feel the sun again. 

"Emma" I whipped around, a breath of relief escaping me. 

"Cas, hi, you scared me" I breathed, a smile coming over my face. Cas grinned, shrugging his shoulders awkwardly. "What's up?" I asked, locking arms with him as I continued walking, forcing him to walk with me. 

"I uh just wanted to congratulate you" he muttered, looking down at our arms as if confused by the human interaction. I just smiled at him, blinking as I prompted him to continue with his sentence. "Oh on, uh, defeating the nogitsune. It could've gotten very out of hand, so I wanted to thank you"