YOUTH || Liam Dunbar [1]

TWENTY SEVEN

Katherine brought her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees, her teary brown eyes focused on the man she'd killed as Satomi's pack came out of hiding.

She didn't move from the mans pool of blood as Scott and Kira emerged from somewhere out of her line of sight.

She didn't move when Kira asked if everything was over, and Scott told her it was.

She didn't even move when Derek crouched down in front of her, his eyes filled with worry.

She just stared blankly at the corpse of the man she had killed, and held back her tears.

"Were you hurt, Katherine."

After a long moment, she looked up at Derek, her bottom lip trembling.

"I had to do it," she choked out, her entire body tensing. "He was going to shoot Scott and I — I had to do it."

Scott and Chris immediately came over and hovered around her before Scott pulled her into his chest and set his chin on her forehead.

"What did you have to do, KitKat," Chris asked gently, giving her back a light rub.

Katherine inhaled sharply and buried her face into Scott's shoulder, finally allowing her tears to fall. Her hands gripped the front of his shirt tightly as he rocked her back and forth. Katherine let out another sob and squeezed her eyes shut. "I had to do it," she whimpered. "I had to kill him."

•••

"There's someone on the phone for Kat," her Dad called as he slowly pushed Katherine's door open. It wasn't late; only about 8:30 at night. But she felt absolutely drained.

Katherine didn't even lift her head off of Stiles' shoulder when her dad spoke. She simply kept her eyes glued to the two visible walls of crazy she'd made.

They weren't worth anything, now. They'd ended the dead pool.

Meredith — the only other banshee they knew of in the Beacon Hills area — turned out to be the Benefactor. No one else was going to die.

Not in the near future, anyway.

Stiles took the phone from their Dad's hand and passed it to her. He'd already helped Katherine brush her teeth, and Lydia had helped her into her pajamas. She was wearing the pull-over hoodie she'd been given from Isaac, a comfortable pair of sweatpants, and her hair was tied back into a messy bun.

"Hey."

Katherine almost smiled at the sound of Liam's voice. She would've if she didn't feel so terrible about killing the hunter.

She'd killed someone.

It still hadn't completely sunk in yet.

"Hey," she whispered back, curling further into Stiles' side. "What's up?"

"Err, Scott texted me and said you needed someone, and Mason is over, and we were wondering if you want to come hang out with us."

Katherine let out a tired sigh and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so," she mumbled. "I look awful and I won't be good company," she warned him quietly, shifting around in her bed.

She heard Mason scoff in the background. "Yeah right, as if you could ever look terrible in his eyes."

There was a faint scuffling, and quiet swearing. Katherine felt her lips twitch at the corners. "The offer still stands," Liam commented after a moment. She could almost see him shrug his shoulders and smile awkwardly into the phone.

"I guess I'll be over in fifteen."

"Good." She could almost see Liam smiling. "I'll see you in a few, then."

•••

Stiles walked her up to the house, carrying her on his back since she'd refused to put her shoes on. He knocked on the front door then set her on the ground, squinting at her like he always did when she annoyed him.

"It doesn't feel like I'm carrying a feather anymore," he grumbled unhappily.

Katherine scoffed. "Duh, I've got more emotional baggage now. Of course I've gotten heavier."

The front door opened revealing Doctor Geyer. He offered her a smile and opened it further. "I'm assuming you're here for Mason and Liam?" He mused.

"Yeah," Katherine mumbled weakly. She absentmindedly wiped her eyes, like she'd been doing all night, and let out a small sigh.

"Call me when you need a ride home," Stiles breathed. He wrapped his arms around her, then flicked her forehead.

"What the hell was that for?" Katherine grumbled, running the spot he'd hit.

After handing her the pair of UGGs he'd grabbed for her, Stiles shot her a lazy grin and he walked back to the jeep. "That's for making me carry you."

"Alright asshole," she muttered. Then her eyes widened when she realized Doctor Geyer was still standing there. "Sorry," she grimaced sheepishly.

Doctor Geyer just smiled as she dropped her shoes next to the front door. "They're just upstairs in Liam's room; last door on your right."

"Thanks," Katherine mumbled.

When she reached his room, she hesitated.

The door was open, but are you supposed to knock when going into someone's room?

"Kat?" Liam called.

Werewolf hearing.

Right.

"Err, yeah" Katherine grimaced. She shuffled into his room and waved lightly at Mason. The two were staring at the TV Liam had on his desk with gaming controllers in there hands. "Hey."

"Hola," Mason grinned. "I'm glad you didn't dress up for us or anything," he snorted.

Katherine glanced down at the penguin slippers she'd worn in from the car and simply shrugged. "What can I say?" She breathed, smoothing down the front of her black sweater. "I'm classy as shit."

"Hell yeah you are," Mason grinned. "Now get your ass in here."

Katherine let out a small sigh and walked further into the room as they continued with their game, sitting in the empty space between them.

Liam wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a light squeeze. She leaned into his side and watched as Mason lost epically, and let out a quiet giggle.

"Come on, man!" Mason groaned.

"You're doing it wrong," Katherine snorted. She laid her head on Liam's shoulder and looped her arms around his right one.

"How is he doing it wrong?" Liam asked, a brow raised As he looked down at her in amusement.

"Give it here," Katherine muttered, loosening her grasp on Liam's arm. She snatched the controller from Mason's hands and held them in her own, blowing baby hairs away from her face. "Get your ass into gear, Liam."

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Mason asked skeptically, raising a brow at her as Liam started the game.

"I grew up with Stiles, dude," Katherine scoffed quietly, rolling her eyes and blowing baby hairs from her face. "Of course I know what I'm doing."