Home (Sciles AU)

Chapter 37

Scott POV

Time starts to pass by quickly after that. Several days go by, James has his trial, Stiles and I deliver our statements and tell the courts what happened to us, Dad presented the transcript of the conversation that Stiles and I had on the phone and then James' verdict is delivered. He will be in prison for 15 years, but he can receive bail after 10, if he's lucky. I kind of hoped that he would be in prison for longer, but at least James also got a restraining order that will last the rest of his lifetime, meaning that he can't go near Stiles or Claudia ever again, unless he wants the police chasing him down and potentially going back to prison, so I guess that's good.

Stiles' bruises did show up the day after I found him and Claudia at James' house, all of them dark and ugly shades of purple. It hurts me to look at them, still unable to believe that someone could do something so cruel to my Stiles. Every time I gaze over at Stiles' bruised face, without saying anything, I pull him in for a tight hug, not letting go for ages, despite Stiles' laughs and protests telling me that he's fine. Eventually though, he gives in and hugs me back, whispering 'thank you' as he rests his head on my shoulder. I close my eyes as a few tears slowly drip down my face. I still hate the fact that James did this to him, but at least he won't be able to hurt Stiles ever again now. It was long overdue for James to go to prison. Every time I pull out of the hug, I press light kisses to Stiles' bruises littering across his handsome face, as you would usually do for a child, hoping to to kiss the injuries better.

Stiles' back looked really bad when I saw it, even after Mom had done her thing. I almost burst into tears again once I saw the welts and the wounds that look like they had been bleeding a lot. Stiles assured me that it was okay and that it's not going to get infected or anything, thanks to my mom. That doesn't make me any less upset though as I gaze down at the very painful looking injuries. The images of the wounds still haunt my mind, even after Mom had wrapped Stiles' torso in bandages, to help the wounds heal without getting infected. She tells Stiles that the bandages should be changed about once a day or every two days, suggesting that I should help him with it. Of course, I agree, even if I was feeling a little distraught at the time, my eyes blurring with tears a little bit. Seeing how upset I was, Stiles walked up to me, gave me a quick peck on the lips and then pulls me into a hug, burying his face into my shoulder, telling me that it'll be fine and that he loves me. Obviously I tell him that I love him back as I hug him protectively in return.

Anyway, back to the point of James. Everyone was so relieved when he got the prison sentence, though I was not the only one wanting for him to receive a bigger punishment. Malia still wishes she could drag him down into hell, which still makes me laugh a little bit. It was so satisfying for the Sheriff and Jordan to walk off with James, sending him back into one of the jail cells at the station, where he will be collected by someone else to take him to the county prison. The grumpy and annoyed look on James' face was definitely satisfying and it finally felt like we had won. I feel safer and more relaxed it knowing that James can't hurt anyone again.

Time continues to go by quickly and soon, a couple of months have gone by since James has been sent off to prison and we couldn't be happier. It's great to see Stiles and Claudia so relaxed and living without fear. Claudia is back to her happy, cheerful and bubbly self again, both her and Jason causing Stiles and I trouble, but we don't mind. It's what kids do. Besides, I know that Stiles and I were way worse than Jason and Claudia at their age.

Stiles and Claudia don't have to look over their shoulder anymore, afraid that James might come back to hurt them. I promise them both that I'll never ever let him touch them again, once he does get out of prison, whenever that may be. I would do my best to not let Stiles and Claudia out of my sight, so James can't sneak up on them without my knowledge. Okay, that sounds a little creepy, but really, I'm just trying to protect the people that I love.