Secrets in the Hunt (Book 2)

More Than Okay

I open my eyes, wincing as I move my shoulder. I look around the room, trying to figure out where I am, when it hits me. I'm back at the Argent's house. I don't want to be here. I can't be here. I jump up and rush over to the closet, digging through it until I spot my emergency bag. I smile in relief and grab it, heading over to the window. I glance down at the ground. This drop is gonna hurt like a bitch. Just as I start to open the window, a voice stops me.
      "Where do you think you're going?" Dean asks, and I sigh before turning to look at him.
      "I can't stay here Dean." I say simply, and he frowns.
      "What do you mean you can't stay here, Tori? We're here. We're back and you haven't even talked to us yet." Dean says, something in his face that I can't quite place.
      "Did you know?" I ask, the question burning as it escapes my mouth. My lip trembles as I wait for his answer. His head drops and so does my stomach. I take a step back, shaking my head at him.
      "Tor-" He tries to say but I cut him off.
      "How long, Dean? How long have you known that we were living with my freaking mother? What else have you been keeping from me? What else do you and Sam lie about?" I ask, practically yelling even though my voice shakes.
      "I've known she was familiar since the beginning. But Tori, I was a kid when she lived with us. I didn't remember her, and she changed and-" Dean stops, frowning at me. "I found out she was your mother right before Gerard got here. Chris told me because he thought Gerard might use it against us." A sob builds up in my chest, but I choke it back. I can't. I can't cry anymore. Holy shit. I can't breathe. Oh my god.
     "They all knew." I whisper, my hands shaking again.
      "Tori, breathe." Dean says, but I can't. The calm and ease I usually feel with my brothers is gone. I don't want to be here. I don't want to be near any of them.
      "I have to go." I say, grabbing my bag and storming out of the room.
      "Victoria, you cannot leave this house." Dean yells, storming after me. I take the stairs two at a time, only stopping when I get to the front door. I throw it open and turn around, glaring at my brother.
      "Oh yeah? Watch me." I say, walking out and slamming the door shut behind me. I start to run, knowing chances are good that one or both of my brothers will follow. I keep running until I have to stop, the lack of breath making me light headed. I look around as I try to think of where to go. I can't go to Lydia, she wouldn't understand. Scott would probably not be a great idea either. Especially since he's in a fight with Allison and she's already dealing with enough. I don't want to bother Stiles again, but the thought of spending the night alone at a gas station makes me shiver. To Stiles' house I go. Hopefully he doesn't get too mad about me showing up this late. Or is it early? Considering the fact I have no clue where my phone is, it could be either. All I know is it's dark outside. My thoughts race as I finish walking to Stiles' house. This is such a bad idea. But I really don't wanna be alone. I stare at the front door for a minute before I take in a deep breath and knock. I cross my arms as I wait nervously for someone to open the door. The door opens and Mr. Stilinski just stands there looking at me.
      "Hey, Mr. Stilinski, um, I'm not exactly sure how late it is and I'm super sorry for just showing up-" I ramble, trying to apologize, but I'm cut off by him pulling me into a hug. I instantly freeze, too shocked to hug him back. He pulls back after a second and pulls me inside before shutting the door.
      "Sorry kid. Last I heard, you passed out and Stiles couldn't get you to respond. I was worried about you." He says with a small smile. I feel the tears sting my eyes as I try to blink them away.
      "Oh, um, that's okay. Just not super used to hugs, I guess." I say awkwardly.
      "How's your shoulder?" He asks and I blink, suddenly remembering my injury. Apparently I was too focused on getting the hell away from the Argent's house.
      "Doesn't hurt too bad. I guess my brother's or the hospital gave me pain meds." I guess, knowing that the hospital part is a lie. Stilinski nods, before glancing at the stairs.
      "Now I'm gonna step out on a limb and guess you're here for Stiles. He's in his room." He says. I nod and take the stairs two at a time, stopping and knocking on Stiles' door.
      "What do you want dad." Stiles huffs as he flings the door open.
      "When did I become your dad?" I ask with a smirk. His eyes widen and he instantly wraps me in a hug. Guess it's hug Tori day.
      "I thought you were dead." He says softly, his voice shaking. I wrap my arms around him, relishing how safe and normal I feel.
      "Can't get rid of me that easily." I reply, smiling when I feel him laugh. He pulls back and glances down at me, frowning.
      "Not that I'm not happy to see you or anything, but why are you here?" Stiles asks, glancing between my face and the duffle in my hand.
      "I'm a bit of a runaway." I tease, but he still just frowns. I glance around the room, not ready to talk about everything that's happened in the last 24 hours. My eyes widen when I spot my phone on his desk. "Is that my phone?" I ask.
     "I brought it here from the sheriff's station. Figured you'd rather get it from me than some deputy." Stiles says, rubbing the back of his neck. I grab it and turn it back on, frowning at all of the voicemails from Allison. I set it down and look back at Stiles.
      "Can I stay here?" I ask, suddenly worried that he'll say no.
      "Like, in my room here?" He asks, eyes wide, and I nod.
      "If your dad is okay with it. I just can't go back to the Argent's tonight and I really don't want to sleep outside of some gas station." I say.
      "I'm sure it'll be fine. I'll go talk to him, just, make yourself comfortable." Stiles says, waving his arms around as he gestures around the room. I just smile and nod, waiting until he walks out to pick my phone back up. I let out a shaky breath before going to the voicemails and turning it on speaker so that I can put my hair up and pace while I listen to them.
      "Hey Tori, it's Allison. Where'd you go? Lydia said that you said that you'd come look at dresses with us, but you just kinda disappeared. Call me back."
     "Hey Tori, it's Allison. Are you coming back before the party? My mom said that she wanted to talk to us about something. Call me back."
      "Hey Tori, it's Allison. Did you get a ride to the party? I know parties aren't your thing, but we should be there for Lydia. Call me back if you need me to come pick you up."
      "Tori, it's me. I-I really need someone. I-I just don't know what I'm supposed to d-do. I can't believe she's g-gone."
      "Tori did you know my mom is your mom too? Is that why you ran off earlier? Tori please call me back."
      "Victoria Mary Winchester, you can't just run off like that. Get back to the house. Now."
      "Sam told me my last message was a little rough. Get back to the house now please."
      "Tor, you're not answering Dean or Allison. We're just worried. Come back to the Argent's."
      "Tori, Derek bit mom. That's why she killed herself. Call me back now."
      "Tori, Allison is in charge of the Argents now. We need to decide if we're going to stay or leave. Call me or Sam, now."
      "Tori, get home now. We're going on a hunt to avenge mom. No questions asked."
      "Tori, you may not be an Argent, but she was your mom too. You have to help with this." After the last voicemail plays, I don't even bother to check my texts, knowing it would be the same. My hands shake as I hang up on the voicemail thing, cursing under my breath when I glance at the door and notice Stiles standing there.
      "How much did you hear?" I ask, my voice shakier than I'd like.
      "Enough." He says, walking in and shutting the door. "My dad said you could stay. He even said I didn't have to sleep on the couch since last time you stayed you had such a bad nightmare. And he said something about the sheriff's station being traumatic and-"
      "Why aren't you saying anything about Allison's mom?" I blurt out.
      "Because you look like you're hurting. And you never really like to talk about emotions, so I wasn't gonna make you. Cause then I figured you'd run again and I'd rather know you're not about to get murdered by the kanima for sleeping on a bench outside of some gas station." Stiles says, and I break. The tears come before I can stop them and a sob rips out of my chest and I feel like I'm falling apart. Everything from yesterday and the past couple of weeks breaks through and I'm falling. I don't fall all the way to the ground. Not alone anyway. Stiles rushes over and grabs me, easing my fall to the ground. I attach myself to him, sobbing on his chest. We stay like that for almost ten minutes. And even though I still feel like I'm falling apart, I can breathe a little easier and the sobs stop. The only tears falling, small ones. Nothing like the dam that broke a few minutes ago.
       "I always knew she didn't want me." I whisper, and Stiles jolts back from me, still holding onto my arms, but now situated so that he can see my face.
       "What?" He asks quietly. I clear my throat, ignoring the burn from crying.
       "My mom. I always knew she didn't want me. She left the hospital the day I was born. But I always-" I stop, trying to keep my lip from trembling. "My dad always made me think that they were in love. That he didn't understand why she would just leave. But she never loved him."
       "How-" Stiles starts, and I laugh bitterly.
       "She told me. She told me everything. How she only had a relationship with my dad because she was mad at Chris and wanted information about the supernatural world. She told me that when she found out that she was pregnant, she was going to have an abortion. She already had Allison and was ready to go back to her. But my brother found the pregnancy test and showed my dad. And so she was stuck with my dad. I guess she thought if she left a baby with him, he wouldn't try to find her and ruin the life she already had. I was a preemie, you know. I was in the NICU and she left, without knowing if I would live. And in our entire conversation, she never referred to the baby, to me, as her daughter. Only 'the child'. And she only told me because she was going to kill herself." The tears come again as I finish talking, but they're not as strong this time. I'm tired. I'm so, so tired. I'm tired of being strong and always fighting. I'm tired of not being able to live a normal life and I'm tired of watching people die.
      "You didn't have to tell me." Stiles says, after a few minutes, his hand rubbing small circles on my back.
      "I had to tell someone. And you're kind of the person I trust most here. My brothers lied to me, Allison has her own problems. You treat me like Tori. Not like a hunter." I say, glancing at his lips. I want to kiss him, to escape and feel something else. Anything but sadness. I start to lean in, but he pulls back. I frown.
       "Sorry, uh, you're really upset. And exhausted. And I wouldn't feel right if I kissed you right now. Not like that." Stiles says, frowning and looking very upset with himself that he just said that. I manage a small smile and kiss his cheek quickly.
       "Thank you." I say, and he nods.
       "Of course, Tori. I'm gonna go change in the bathroom so we can get some sleep, okay?" He says, and I nod. He grabs the clothes that were sitting on his bed before going across the hall to the bathroom. I shut the door and take my shoes off, quickly changing into a pair of sweats from my duffle and a t- shirt. Stiles walks back in, raising an eyebrow when he sees that I changed.
      "What? I'm not gonna sleep in jeans." I say, and he just shakes his head with a grin. He flips the light off and crawls into the bed, and I crawl in next. Both of us facing away from each other. Not touching. This is weird.
       "Goodnight Tori." He says quietly.
       "Will you hold me?" I ask, my voice so soft I'm not even sure he heard me. Until I feel the bed shift and arms wrap around me.
       "Is this okay?" He asks and I smile, loving the way it feels to be held by Stiles.
       "It's more than okay." I say, and for the first time in awhile, I feel more than okay.
***
Guess who is back with another chapter! Sorry it took a little longer this time guys. I was seriously struggling. But here we are! I'm so excited that Tori and Stiles are finally almost to the relationship stage. Like, I knew that it was going to take awhile. But we're almost at the end of season two and ugh. I love them so much. Tori never really lets anyone see her vulnerable, so it's a big deal that she chose Stiles to have a breakdown in front of. It just shows how much she trusts him. Anyway, this was just a cute chapter and Tori needed to be able to tell someone everything (because we all know she's not going to say anything to Morrell). Hopefully another chapter tomorrow, but no promises as I have a bunch of research homework to do. I still plan on finishing this book by July though! As always, please comment and vote!