Running with the Wolves

liam dunbar// part 3

"I'm ok." Veronica says as soon as we reach them. 

I guess we all had worried expressions on our faces.

"How hard was that last hit you took?" Lydia asks Stiles.

"It was a pretty hard knock, but I've had worse." Stiles responds.

Deaton turns to Veronica. "You felt Stiles pain on a greater scale." 

She nods.

Stiles walks over to her. "I knew I shouldn't  have played. Are you sure you're ok?"

"I'm fine." she reassures him. "And I'm glad we did this. I learned a lot. And I finally have some sort of control over this. Thanks again Deaton."

"No problem. I'll see you all soon." he says with a nod and begins to walk towards his car.

Veronica quickly recaps what happened to her to Scott, Stiles and me. She tells us about what she learned and how she began to control things; like how she feels pain, how she pushes it away and how she's learning to block it.

After that we all start heading home.

I hug and kiss Veronica goodbye and walk back towards the field where my parents are looking for me.

"There you are!" my mom says.

"Great game!" my dad adds.

I thank them for coming and we start walking towards the car.

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dunbar residence

I just got out of the shower and I'm chaining into a t-shirt and some shorts, getting ready for bed, when my phone rings.

It's Veronica.

"Hey, Veron-"

"Liam. Where are you?"

Somethings wrong. I can hear it in her voice.

"Home. Why? Are you ok?" 

"Not really, no. Can you come over, please?"

"I'm on my way, right now, ok?"

"Ok." she says and we hang up.

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stilinski residence

I'm climbing up to Veronica's  window. I ran here. I really need to get a car.

The window is open and I climb inside.

I find Veronica on the floor with her head between her hands. She's crying.

I rush over to her.

"What's wrong?" I ask her.

"I can't-I don't know what happened."

"What do you mean?"

"The pain, I'm trying to make it go away but I can't." she says taking in sharp breaths.

I have to do something, I have to help her. I take her hand in mine and begin to take her pain. I've learned how to do this from Scott. 

She pulls her hand away.

"What are you doing?" she asks.

"Taking your pain, I want to help."

"No, this is my pain to carry." she says in between her ragged breathing.

"Veronica, let me he-"

"No!" she says firmly. "I have to do this. I don't want you or anyone else to have to feel this pain, this is my pain. Just, just don't leave, ok?"

I nod. I don't know what to do, I don't know how to help. I just hold her in my arms as she holds on to me.

"Veronica, what if-what if it has something to do with your breathing?"

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"Like, for us, to control the shifts we have to keep our heart rate under control. What if for you, it's your breathing."

"Yes, Deaton had me exhale as a way to release the pain, but it's not working anymore." she says.

Her pain is getting worse.

"What if it's not just exhaling, but slowing your breathing, instead of your heart rate?"

"I guess that could work." she says and turns to face me.

She begins to slow her breathing but every now and then she's interrupted by waves of pain. She winces and clutches her sides in pain.

She closes her eyes, completely determined on getting rid of this pain. She focuses on her breathing.

Finally, her breathing begins to slow.

She opens her eyes slowly once her breathing goes back to normal. I can see the fear in her eyes for a second, the fear that the pain will come rushing back at any moment, but it doesn't.

"It's gone. It's finally gone." she says through a smile.

After seeing her in so much pain, it's such a relief to see her smile.

I tuck her hair behind her ear. "You did it." I tell her.

"Thanks Liam." she says and I gently kiss her.

We're still sitting on the floor, my back resting on her bed. She turns around and leans into me, her back is against my chest and her head rests on my shoulder.

We stay like this for a while, in complete silence. Just content in being in each others company.

She falls asleep in my arms. She must be completely exhausted.

I get up slowly and carry her to her bed.

As I'm about to leave she reaches out her hand and grabs my arm.

"Stay with me." she says.

And so I do.