With my sword in hand, I walk towards the exit of the tomb.

Before I fully step out of the lip of the cave, I turn back to face the woman. She stands at the bottom of the path, watching me. Her figure is almost swallowed by the shadows around her but she's still visible enough for me to make out her face.

She had given me an old scabbard from one of the many weapons that had been collected here over the years. One of the rooms in the tomb was filled with various blades, swords, and even bows. I appreciated her gift and told her as much as I tied the worn leather strap across my chest, thankful to have something to house my sword for the journey back to Beacon Hills.

The woman gives me a slow nod as I stare back at her. I return it before looking out of the tomb, finding my pack still waiting up ahead.

Kira's leaning against the SUV with Scott, the two of them in the middle of a light conversation. Malia is sitting in the passenger seat of the car with the door open, her body slumped against the seat lazily. Stiles is pacing back and forth in front of the car, while Liam stands near him, staring into the mouth of the cave.

The shadows blind me from him, but when I emerge, I watch as his smile upon my return drops into amazement at what's in my hands. 

The sun reflects across the metal of my sword, seemingly creating a halo around the blade. It catches the attention of the others as the light bounces off in various directions. Stiles stops pacing when he catches sight of me. His eyes widen like Liam's, and Kira and Scott stop their conversation mid-sentence as I move toward them. 

Malia stays in the car, watching all of us in confusion. I never told her about my family's sword. It wasn't anything personal, I just couldn't bring myself to speak of it so freely all the time. 

"Is that...?" Scott trails off in pure disbelief.

I raise the blade for them to see, the movement casting shards of light across their bodies.

"My sword." I smile. "Chris found it. I don't know how, but he did."

Scott and Stiles exchange broad smiles. They knew how long I'd searched for it. Our journey together began because of the very blade in my hands and my desire to reclaim it and all it was meant to stand for. I never thought I'd see it again, yet here it was. 

"Not bad, Argent," Stiles laughs.

I admire the weapon with slightly teary eyes, unable to help it as I think of every other person in my family that had the privilege of carrying it.

"Jac, are you okay?" Kira asks softly. 

"Yeah, totally," I say, my voice cracking. 

The others laugh, not used to seeing me in such an emotional state. I join them fondly, aware of how ridiculous I probably sounded. 

My gaze falls to the gun that I left on the ground as we stand here. It stares up at me expectantly, waiting for me to hold it as preciously as I hold my sword. I could feel almost a yearning in my chest to do so, as if I'm craving the protection I always believed came with a bullet. I suppress it as much as I can and step over the gun. 

I couldn't find it in myself to wield it and my sword at the same time. It felt like a disgrace to my family's memory to revert to my old habits when I have a real second chance within my grasp. 

"Jac...?" Scott says my name, his voice thick with confusion. 

The others mirror his attitude, unsure of why I had yet to pick up my firearm. I don't explain myself, rather simply open the backdoor to the SUV and offer them an easy smile. 

"It's time to go home," I announce. 

They're all surprised, but none of them argue and move to pile into the car. Kira and Scott take their same seats, so Liam and I now sit together as Malia has claimed Stiles' side. We drive toward where Parrish was parked and Stiles honks, alerting the deputy that we were ready to head back to town.

Parrish begins to drive, leading us in the direction of the border.

I look out of the window as we leave the tomb behind, finding the keeper standing at the edge of the invisible mountain ash border once again, her piercing gaze following us as we venture farther away. She was directly across from where I had left my gun, but the weapon was nowhere to be found now. Only cracked dirt and grains of sand remained in its place. 

I turn away from the window, laughing quietly to myself. 

From the corner of my eyes, I can see Liam watching me. There isn't much I can say to him with the others around, but I also can't bear silence between us. 

"Do you wanna see it?" I ask, gesturing to the sword. 

A wide smile overtakes his face as he nods. I carefully pass the blade to him, letting the hilt rest in his lap. His fingers gently dance across the surface of it as he caresses the forged metal, treating it as delicately as he treats me.

"It's beautiful," he says. The two of us share a lingering gaze until Malia abruptly interrupts it. 

"Why does your family have a sword?" she asks. 

She's turned around in her seat, a frown on her face as she's clearly not happy with being uninformed. Stiles casts an amused glance my way through the rearview mirror, fond of his girlfriend's straightforwardness.

"It's kind of a long story," I say guiltily, not sure if I'd exactly be able to make the history of my family interesting enough for her while also not wanting to crawl out of my own skin at the same time. Not all wounds heal overnight.

"I can tell it?" Liam interjects. 

He waits for my answer with a patient expression as if what he's offering is the most casual thing in the world. I can't do much else but nod, unable to help my speechless reaction. Liam's pleased with my approval and focuses on Malia, the coyote eager to listen.

"Jac's ancestors were knights of the first Kingdom of Hunters," Liam began. 

Malia listens to him like a child at storytime, making Stiles glance between her and the road adoringly. Kira listens to Liam, too, while resting her head on Scott's shoulder. Her eyes droop but she makes the effort to stay awake. The Alpha himself watches the interaction between his pack members with contentment after a long night of strife. 

As we drive, Liam continues to recount the same story I told him as if he'd heard it a thousand times over. He hadn't, though. He only heard it once yet familiarized himself with it completely. 

I thought the history of my family would die with me as I was all that was left of them, but I was wrong. Their story would continue to live through my pack, and the boy I cared for. 

---

Parrish separated from us when we crossed the border. 

He had to take Peter back to Beacon Hills immediately, a cushy cell waiting for him at Eichen House. I was sure the orderlies there were eagerly awaiting his arrival. We would soon follow but first, we had to grab my bike and Stiles' Jeep from the warehouse. 

Scott agreed to drive the Jeep while Stiles would return Parrish's SUV to the station. He had to go there anyway, needing to grovel for his father's forgiveness. 

"There she is," Stiles breathes out as we finally pull into the warehouse. His gaze is fixed on his Jeep, staring lovingly at the pile of rust and duct tape. 

I roll my eyes at him, though it's hardly spiteful. 

Everyone except for Malia and Stiles climbs out of the SUV. I head over to my bike while Scott and Malia go toward the Jeep, Stiles tossing his keys at his best friend. 

"If she gets so much as even one scratch..." Stiles trails warningly. 

Kira glances back at the dozens of dents and nicks in the light blue metal of Stiles' trusty ride, then looks back at him. 

"You're kidding, right?" she deadpans. 

"Just take care of her," Stiles says with an offended eye twitch. He looks to Liam after, the Beta standing in the middle of the gathering. 

"And where are we taking you, booster seat?" 

Liam glares at him tiredly, not fond of the nickname used. Before he can respond with any type of retort, I speak up. 

"I'll take him home," I say as I straddle my bike and start it up, feigning nonchalance. 

"You sure?" Scott asks, watching me from the driver's seat of the Jeep. He's hesitant about Liam and I being alone, so I put on a show with a shrug and casual attitude. 

"He's on my way to the motel, I have to start packing," I say, referring to my new living situation. "Plus, you and Kira need to shower."

Scott glances at the kitsune who was still covered in blood and grime, and then at his own form. He still wore the rags Kate covered him in as she turned him into a Berserker and reeked of death. He couldn't argue that a shower was long overdue. 

"Be safe," he says to Liam and I, earning silent nods in exchange. 

Scott and Kira exit the warehouse first, with Malia and Stiles not too far behind. Liam comes over to my bike when they leave, standing with his hands at his side awkwardly. I slide forward on my seat, an unspoken opening. He slides into place behind me but doesn't grab a hold of me yet. 

"Is it okay if I...?" he questions awkwardly. It's reminiscent of the first time I packed him on my bike, and I hate the idea that he thinks his actions need to be that of a stranger again. 

I reach behind me and grab his hands, pulling his arms around my waist completely. His chest presses itself against my back, and his breath fans my neck. I turn my head to the side, our faces inches apart as I speak to him. 

"Hold on to me, okay?" I whisper. 

He nods in return, his grip tightening around me. 

I graze my thumb across the surface of his skin before letting go to slip on my helmet. The two of us pull out of the warehouse afterward, journeying back to Beacon Hills.

His warmth spreads across my body the farther we go. It's a soothing sensation during the lengthy ride, and I wish that having his arms around me was a moment that would never end, but it has to when we eventually reach town. 

Our surroundings become increasingly familiar as we enter Liam's neighborhood, a signal of our inevitable parting. I stop on the curb in front of his house and expect him to get off right away, but he remains with me. I switch off my bike because of it, saving his neighbors from hearing my engine for longer than necessary this early in the day. 

I remove my helmet as time passes, hearing nothing but Liam's breathing and early morning wind. His hands are flat on my waist, and his fingers gently trace random shapes into my clothing as we stay seated. 

"I'm sorry," I say after some time, knowing that apology was the minimum of what I owed him.

"Anything else?" he asks, throwing me off slightly. His voice is expectant, waiting for me to say something particular, but I'm not sure of what. 

"I don't know what you want me to say," I confess my confusion. 

Liam sighs, finally sliding off the bike. The absence of him makes me feel colder than it should.

His lips are in a straight line as he stares at me. "That's what you don't get, Jac. It's not about what I want. I already told you how I feel. I'm not the one pulling away, you are. This is about what you want."

I avert my eyes from him shamefully. 

"Be honest with me like you were the other night," he says, asking me to be as bold as I was in the locker room. I'm not sure how to tell him I'm too much of a coward for that. It was easy for me to be confident in a fight, but facing the truth of my own desires wasn't so easily conquered. 

He reaches out, his hand resting beneath the space of my chin, not fully touching me. He uses the ghost of his touch to raise my head and force my eyes to return to his. 

"Please, Jac. Tell me what you want," he pleads. 

The idea of him begging makes my fear seem fleeting. For him, I could gather some semblance of true bravery, even if only for a brief moment. 

"You," I say. "Only you."

His melancholy expression brightens, and he takes another step closer. 

"Good. 'Cause I want you, too," he breathes out gratefully, as if I've given him an unimaginable gift. 

I shake my head, forcing myself to look away from him again. His smile; his happiness, compromised me too much. 

"What about Scott?" I ask. 

Scott wasn't only important to me, he was important to Liam now, too. That was his Alpha, and there was a bond between them that I could never understand as a human. Breaking that connection between them would be like a real wound that would bring real pain.

"Scott's not my type," Liam retorts. 

I let out a reluctant laugh as I glance back at him, doing my best to wear a stern scowl. 

"You know what I mean," I say seriously, and he nods in understanding. My promise to Scott meant something. It may have been a lie, but that didn't change the fact that I couldn't just throw it in his face. 

"I already told you, I don't care if he knows or if he doesn't," Liam repeats his words from yesterday.

"What does that mean?" I ask tiredly, still unsure of his intentions. 

Liam closes the distance between us, placing his hand against my cheek. It's a soft touch, one that's ready to be retracted if I refuse him, but I don't. Liam takes that as his permission and fully takes my face into his gentle hand. 

"It means all I care about is you," he says as he brushes strands of my hair out of my eyes, allowing me to see him perfectly. 

"No one would have to know about us, not at first. It can just be about us and what we are, not anyone else." Liam continues, taking me by surprise.

I pull away from him slightly, stunned at his suggestion. 

"Liam, do you even understand what you're saying?" I stare at him incredulously. "We'd have to lie to everyone. Our friends, our family," I argue. 

We couldn't just play pretend for a week or two and then tell everyone the truth about us. It would take time to build a case against Scott's doubts. He would need to be fully convinced that his worries were for nothing, and that required at least a few months of secrecy. What Liam was suggesting bordered on betrayal...

He reaches for me again, this time with both hands. He keeps my face within his grasp and doesn't allow me to turn away from him again. 

"I almost lost you once, I can't do that again," he says shakily, his blue eyes glazing over. "I don't care if it means lying to anyone because I know it'll be worth it." 

It's an idea I should reject. It might ruin everything between us and Scott, and leave a friendship I hold so dear to my heart in shambles. I should, yet I don't, because the idea of Liam and I able to finally be together brought me more bliss than I ever thought possible.

"Whatever you want, I'll do it. Just tell me," Liam whispers, his voice heavy with dread as he wonders whether or not I'll agree. 

Scott's words ring through my head, trying to intimidate me. We can't challenge fate. If we try, we're inciting death. He warned me not to interfere with whatever plans the universe had written for me, as it would end in my demise. It should have brought me an immense amount of terror, to be faced with such a thing, but it doesn't.

I had seen death before, and I know now that there is nothing to fear in it. What is truly terrifying, is dying without ever living. 

I sit up, stretching to close the gap between Liam and I. I take in his lips with my own for a selfish kiss as my answer. He smiles against me, then returns the action fiercely. 

This kiss isn't like our first, it's not desperate or rushed. We know we have time now, because even if we don't know what will come after this, we'll face it together.

~

||| A/N |||

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