CHAPTER TEN » GOODBYES
"There's always hope."

☽

"How the hell are you still here?"

"Nice to see you too," Theo responded sarcastically, grimacing as he straightened up properly. "You know about Liam, right?"

"Yeah, he's gone into the hunt," I replied, glancing up at him. "I think."

"Yeah, I saw him earlier," he said, eyes scanning our surroundings. "Where's Hermione Granger?"

I shot him a look. "If you mean Venus, then I'm not sure. She got out of the elevator to save your ass."

"Yeah, she did," he stated, wincing slightly, likely from injury, as he moved. "But I lost her."

"How long ago?" I questioned, looking back towards the hospital. If I could find Vee and we could connect our powers, she might be able to perform the spell we needed.

"I'm not gonna let you go back in there," he stated firmly.

I snapped my head back round to look at him, raising my eyebrows. "I didn't ask for your approval."

"I doubt she made it out, Bex."

I rolled my eyes, scoffing. "If you managed to make it out then I'm pretty sure she has."

"Ouch," he said, narrowing his eyes as he mockingly placed his hand on his chest.

"Sorry," I said, tilting my head to the side. "Guess that would have hurt your heart if you had one."

"You know, I risked my ass to help you guys," he said curtly, stepping closer. "The least you could do is be a bit grateful."

"I don't owe you any gratitude," I retorted back, moving to sidestep him. "Now if you'll excuse me–"

"You're not going back in there."

"Dude–"

"I know you think you can save everyone, just like your brother," he started. "But you can't, Becca. You have to focus on what's important."

"You realise Vee is the key to this?" I asked, shaking my head at him as my eyes narrowed into a glare. "Let me put this into simpler terms so that your tiny little brain can understand," I paused, taking a step closer. "Venus is the only way that we're going to have a shot at stopping the Wild Hunt. If she gets taken, we're fucked. There will be no more Beacon Hills. You get that, right?"

"She can manipulate the elements," he said after a short pause, realisation seeming to dawn on him. "Not many can do that."

"Exactly," I replied. "So you wanna help, Theo? Then we need to stop Venus from getting taken."

"I'll go back to where I last saw her," he said. "But you stay here."

"No, I'm coming with you," I argued, but he shook his head dismissively, about to say something until I gasped involuntarily, cutting him off.

A flash of something I couldn't make out took control of my mind all of a sudden. I winced, squeezing my eyes shut in an effort to create a clearer picture.

In my mind, the hospital corridors wobbled, the floor swaying. There were bright lights flashing at the end of the corridor every so often. Then a green puff of smoke, leaving the hospital in an eerily empty silence.

"Shit," I breathed out, my hand on my pounding head. Venus was still in there, but not for long.

"What did you see?" Theo questioned, studying me cautiously.

"She's still there," I said, already brushing past him. "We have to get to her before they do."

Surprisingly, Theo followed me without hesitation, not even bothering to argue about me going in there. A few times, I found my vision blurring, which made it difficult to try and figure out which way I was going. The hospital corridors always looked the same to me, but for some reason I felt that I knew the way this time.

"Left," Theo stated, causing me to make an abrupt turn. "I've got her scent."

I pushed harder as the two of us ran as fast as we could down the corridor. Through the window above the double doors, I could see a figure holding a book close in front of them. But before we could reach the doors, there was a blinding flash of light, causing us to both come to a sudden halt.

My eyes stung, and I found myself momentarily blinded, stumbling backwards into a wall.

"You good?"

I blinked rapidly, nodding my head. Theo had become a shadowy blur of a figure, but I followed him through the doors, the noise of us crashing through not even startling Venus.

I heard her whispering words I couldn't make out under her breath, her hands outstretched as she muttered her spell. I began to regain my normal vision again, enough to see Theo glance at me warily.

An unsettling feeling overcame me, resting in the pit of my stomach. My eyelids fluttered shut, and I found myself concentrating on the sounds. Heavy footsteps.

"They're here," I said, looking back at Theo. "What do we do?"

"How many?" He questioned, as I immediately tried to focus my attention on them again. My heart hammered against my chest, my anxieties making it harder to concentrate.

"I don't know," I replied, panicked, glancing back towards Venus. "We'll have to hold them off. You go one end I'll go the other."

"No," I heard Venus state unexpectedly, the sharpness of her tone startling me slightly. "I need you here, Becca."

Theo looked back at me, nodding in approval. "Your powers can interlink. If you're gonna save everyone, she'll need them."

I turned to face him. "You got this?"

A smirk tugged at his lips. "I got it."

I watched as he left through the doors we'd come from, before turning to Vee, cautiously stepping towards her. "How do we do this?"

"Hold out your hand," she instructed. I obliged, allowing her to reach for my hand with a tight grip. "Focus on memories. Thoughts. Feelings. Anything that will bring out your emotions."

"And then what?"

She breathed in heavily, turning and facing the doors. I felt my pulse quickening, aware that we were beginning to run out of time. "Just close your eyes."

~

A faint voice echoed in my mind, bouncing around, but barely breaking through.

A darkness engulfed me, and I fought desperately for some light.

My eyelids felt heavy as I tried to peel them open, only for them to flutter shut again the moment they did.

"Becca?" The voice repeated, a deep voice, laced with confusion and slight concern. There was a hand on my shoulder, someone's warm breath tickling against my face. "Becca?"

I let my eyes burst open, taking a few moments to adjust to my surroundings. Theo Raeken was situated in front of me, his eyes scanning my face. I glanced to the side, noticing that the corridor was empty.

Jolting slightly, I pushed myself further against the wall, my eyes darting around frantically. A horrible feeling settled in me, and it panicked me slightly.

It felt like there was nothing left.

"What happened?" I fired the question immediately, trying to pull myself up. My body ached, my bones feeling as if they'd been shattered. "Theo, what happened? Where's Vee?"

"I don't know," he replied with a shake of his head, the lack of an answer irritating me. "I managed to hold them off, but when I came back you were passed out and Venus was gone. I thought you might remember something."

I touched a sticky spot underneath my nose, pulling my finger away to find it coated with dark, red blood. "She told me to hold her hand. To close my eyes..." I trailed off, desperately trying to think beyond that moment. But everything was blank. "That's all– that's everything I remember."

"She was taken by the Wild Hunt."

"Then it's over," I said defeatedly, feeling emotion wavering within my voice. "There's nothing we can do."

"Yeah, there is," he said, his eyes meeting mine. "We can have faith in Scott, Lydia and Malia."

"And what if that doesn't work?" I shot back, a harsh edge to my voice. I found that my eyes had begun to sting with warm tears, and struggled to fight them back. "Because, lets face it, there's a slim possibility of it working."

"There's always hope."

Theo's words struck a chord in me; something that had been deep rooted inside of me.

In my mind, I saw Allison Argent's bright smile lighting up the world around us. I saw the secret woodland area, hidden by the winding roots of trees and tangled branches. The rocky path, which eventually led to something beautiful.

I saw Liam Dunbar's bright blue eyes, shining stunningly underneath the warm glow of the sun. I watched as I ran alongside him, the two of us plunging deep into the bottom of a lake, breaking through with gasps for air, feeling as if we barely made it to the surface.

I saw Brett Talbot with a mysterious smirk painted on his lips, sat on a grey rock with a gentle look in his eyes. I heard him telling me that love hurts. I heard him telling me that no matter what, he was always going to be there for me.

I saw Malia, somebody who proved that you're always going to grow to love and care about the people around you. I saw Kira, a kind hearted soul, who loved fiercely. I saw the strawberry blonde genius Lydia Martin, who's heart had inevitably bonded with mine. I saw Mason Hewitt, the breath of fresh air, with a heart filled with dedication.

I saw my family. Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski, the ones who always somehow managed to get me into more trouble than they managed to keep me from. I saw my mom, someone who wanted to give us the world, when really she was the one who deserved it.

And then the warmth disappeared, leaving me with an icy chill as my mind was instantly cast back deep into to the woods. I closed my eyes, allowing a clearer picture. It was the place where everything began, but it was also the place where things were going to end tonight.

"Where to?" Theo asked as soon as I opened my eyes, knowing that I'd seen something. I blinked rapidly, trying to completely bring myself back into reality.

"The woods," I answered. "We're going to finish it."

~

"Unbelievable. Even in the face of insurmountable odds," I heard Mr Douglas say. I placed my hand against the rough bark of the tree we were hidden behind. Theo pushed a finger to his lips and I nodded, knowing it was best to wait for the right time to reveal ourselves. "I don't know if it's suicide or stupidity."

"Maybe both," my brother replied. "Either way, I'm getting to that diverter."

"You of all people, Scott, should know what happens to a lone wolf."

"He's not alone!" Theo shouted, bursting out from behind the tree without warning. Slightly flustered, I followed suit, unable to fight back a smile when my eyes connected with Scott's.

"He's got a pack," I stated.

"And Theo's not in it," I heard Malia say, surprising me. I was so focused on Scott that I hadn't even sensed her coming. "But I am."

"I'm not," Peter Hale spoke up, moving to stand beside Malia. "In the pack, but," he paused. "No one likes a Nazi."

I lunged forwards as gunshots from the Wild Hunt immediately rang out. Along with the others, I ducked, twisting my body to dodge the bullets. I set my sights on a Rider, rushing forwards and flying at it with a kick, knocking it back.

Roughly, my hands were grabbed from behind. On instinct, I threw my head back, connecting it with the chin of the Ghost Rider. The grip lessened and I spun back around, throwing punch after punch. The Rider fell down and I turned around, ready to go for the next one when I found myself slammed against a tree, the air getting knocked out of me.

I gasped for breath, the Ghost Rider's hand instantly reaching for my throat. Squeezing. Tightening the grip. Squeezing harder.

Suddenly, the pressure was released, the Ghost Rider becoming tore away from me. "That's my sister!" Scott growled through gritted teeth, sending the Rider flying in the other direction with a loud roar.

I let out a breath of relief, giving Scott a gentle nod to assure that I was okay. The fighting resumed, kicks, punches, everything, being thrown about all over the place. I was holding back a Ghost Rider, my arms beginning to ache again from the amount of muscle I'd used today. From the corner of my eye, I spotted another figure approaching and gritted my teeth, realising I was stuck.

Within seconds, my head harshly hit the ground. I struggled to pull myself up again, spots clouding my, now blurred, vision. Heart pounding, I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the impact. But it never came.

When I reopened my eyes again, Malia was fighting two of the Wild Hunt, seeming to knock both of them down with ease. Without waiting another second, she slid the whip straight from their hands.

In the distance, a train horn bellowed, the sound ringing in my ears. Glancing around, I suddenly realised that Scott was nowhere near the diverter.

Desperately, I cast my eyes back to Malia again, who threw the whip towards my brother. The train sped closer towards us, and Scott cracked the whip, wrapping it around the diverter and yanking it down.

The light from the train was blinding and I had to squint as it hurtled down the tracks, eventually heading the other way. The sound of it's horn faded in the distance, a quietness overtaking us all. I panted heavily, trying to regain my breath again as I watched Scott edge closer to Mr Douglas.

Malia rushed forwards, stopping a few meters away. "You missed your train."

Scott looked up to the sky, a loud roar erupting from him, sending shudders through me.

Malia jogged to my side, holding her hand out. I took it and she pulled me up. I winced a little as pain jolted through me, the feeling then fading after a few moments.

We joined Scott, Theo and Peter as we came to a stop in front of the Wild Hunt, whose numbers were still extortionately high.

Thunder rumbled in the overcast sky, lighting strikes coming in flashes. The Ghost Rider's had their guns pointed at us, and I glanced at my brother fearfully, my hope faltering. Had we stopped it? Or not?

Slowly, however, they began to lower their weapons, placing them back in their pouches before starting to head in the opposite direction. I was confused, and Mr Douglas seemed to be too.

"Where are you going? Stop! Zuruckkommen! Come back and kill them. Tote sie!"

"Call your army back," Theo began tauntingly. "Or don't they listen to you?"

"I am your leader! Ich bin dein Anfuhrer! Obey me! Gehorcht mir!" The Ghost Riders suddenly came to a simultaneous pause, turning to face Mr Douglas, whose voice deepened with a dark intent. "Kill them. All of them. Tote sie. Tote sie."

I swallowed thickly, stepping back slightly as they began to head back in our direction. We hadn't done it. We'd lost.

Yet, to my bemusement, the riders suddenly began to crowd around Mr Douglas instead.

"Riders don't bow," Peter spoke up. "They have no leader."

Lightning flashed and thunder crackled in the air as Mr Douglas lifted his hands, looking at them in horror. He dropped to his knees, his face twisting into something straight out of a horror movie. His eye socket's darkened, and black veins ran all over his face, covering his mouth. He twisted into the form of a Ghost Rider, letting out a pained yell before all of them disappeared into thin air, leaving just the five of us alone, a silence which only amplified our heavy breaths.

"Now what?"

~

"Okay!" Stiles exclaimed, a little too excitedly, slamming down the hood of his jeep. Knowing how old that thing was, I was surprised it didn't just break apart. "So, Liam, since you're the new Alpha–"

"I'm not an Alpha," Liam immediately dismissed, shooting me a brief sideways glance. I shifted uncomfortably on my feet, recalling the kiss we shared. My lips tingled.

"Right, but, you know, Alpha-in-training–" Stiles tried to correct, only for Liam to interject again.

"Well, I'd have to kill an Alpha–"

"Liam," he started again, an exasperated look on his face. "Since you're taking over, you should know that Becca is always right. Always. But the most important thing you can remember is that Mason is always gonna be the one who's there to save your ass all the time."

"Well, not all the time," Scott dismissed, earning a look from Stiles. Mason and Liam looked at each other with amused smiles written on their faces.

"Most of the time though," Stiles began to grin. "Which is why..." he trailed off, reaching into the trunk of the jeep and rifling through, eventually pulling out his trusty baseball bat. "I think you're gonna need this."

"Uh, I don't play baseball."

"Right, neither do I. It's–" he cut off, holding it out to Mason as I stifled a laugh. "It's not the point."

"Okay," Mason said unsurely, taking the bat in his hands. I looked up at him, chuckling at his expression as he glanced my way. "Thanks."

Liam gave the two a small wave before him and Mason began to shuffle away. I watched after them for a while until my gaze dropped to the ground, my heart feeling heavy all of a sudden.

"Love you guys!" Stiles called out, before turning back to Scott and I. "Right," he sighed reaching in to the back of the jeep again, holding out some duct tape. "I leave you both with this." Scott took it in his hands, staring down at it as Stiles reached to shut the trunk. "You know, hurt her and I'll kill you."

"You sure you won't need it?" Scott double checked, referring to the jeep Stiles was leaving in our care.

"It's okay," he dismissed. "Lydia's gonna drive me down to D.C. She wants to help me move into my dorm, so..." he trailed off and I smiled at the mention of Lydia, and the fact that the two of them had finally gotten together. Finally. "You know she's starting MIT as a Junior? How do you even do that?"

"I–" Scott cut off, unable to find the words himself. "She's a genius."

"Real question is how'd you get into UC Davis?" Stiles joked, causing both Scott and I to chuckle.

"How did you get into George Washington?"

"I don't know," Stiles replied. "Uh, your dad. The, uh, big FBI pops made a call to the little pre-FBI program."

"Pre-FBI," Scott breathed out, almost in disbelief, as if this was all settling in. "Well, I guess we're not the same kids running around the woods looking for a body," he said, as I watched the two of them seem to simultaneously come to their realisations that they were really going separate ways.

"No, we're not," Stiles said, glancing down. I felt a lump form in my throat, knowing that this was the final time I was going to see Stiles or Scott at this school. And all of a sudden, I felt slightly empty.

"You know, you can keep the Jeep," I said as I watched Stiles fumble with the keys.

"No, I... I want you to have it," he said, glancing up at me, a grin blossoming on his lips. "You know, it being kind of your first car and all."

Scott then looked down at the keys already in his hand, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion. "Stiles. These aren't the keys to the Jeep."

"Well, that's one to your house, another to your room, uh, that's the master key to the school, Animal Clinic, key to the Sheriff's station," he listed off. "Just figured you should have all the copies I secretly made. So...yeah," he trailed off, as I wondered whether all of that was illegal. "They still need us."

"They'll always need us," Scott said, also glancing in the direction Stiles was staring into.

"And, you know, I-I need you. You know that."

There was a pause, and I felt hot tears prick in my eyes as I watched the two of them silently. My brother turned his head, glancing at his bests friend. "I need you too."

"I'm gonna miss you." Stiles let out a heavy sigh, holding eye contact with Scott. "No, really, I need you though, uh... I lost my license in the Hunt. So you have to drive."

I let out a watery laugh as Scott also chuckled. "Your dad is the Sheriff. I'm sure he'll let it slide."

The three of us all shared a laugh until Stiles glanced over at me, the three of us all quietening down again.

"Make good decisions, Bex," he told me, causing a smile to pull at my lips at his comment. "I'm gonna miss you."

I bit my lip, doing my best not to let my emotions get the best of me. As soon as Stiles pulled me into a tight hug, one that lasted a long time, tears began to roll down my cheeks. I wrapped my arms around him, wishing this wasn't a goodbye, never wanting to let go.

Stiles stepped back first, looking over at Scott with a wide grin. "Group hug."

I laughed along with the two of them as I found myself in their arms. Sure, I was going to see both my brother and Stiles again. It wasn't a goodbye forever. But it was an end to a chapter that we'd been living, and it conjured up many emotions. It was a beautiful, heartfelt moment that I'd never forget.

"I love you guys," I mumbled, holding them both tightly. "I love you so much."

It was going to be strange without Scott and Stiles around school. In fact, it was going to be strange without them in Beacon Hills full stop. I almost felt like I'd be alone here, and that thought terrified me. But then, I'm not alone, and I never will be. I've got Brett, Venus, I've got Mason, Corey. And in some peculiar way, I've got Liam and Hayden.

The three of us pulled away, and I heard sniffs from the two boys, making me smile slightly. "Come on, lets not get too emotional. You've still got graduation and actually, you know, leaving to go."

They both laughed at my comment as I wiped under my eyes, watching as Stiles fished the jeep keys out of his pocket, turning them over in his hand.

"You drive," Scott told him, and I smiled as the boys both raced to their usual sides of the jeep. "You coming?"

I shook my head, watching as the two of them paused, one foot in the jeep, the other still on the ground. Stiles raised his eyebrows at me. "One last drive?"

"Nah," I declined, giving the two of them reassuring smiles. I knew this moment was one they should both share together, without me. "Go have fun."

They both shared a look before nodding, climbing back inside the jeep. I stood back, watching with watery eyes as the engine started up and they pulled out of the parking spot, leaving me with just their smiles. I stayed where I was, silent, gentle tears falling down my face as I kept my gaze on the jeep, until it was no longer in my sights.

One thing was for sure, I loved my brothers more than anything.

❥

A/N

And that's 6A done.

This was a pretty long chapter, which is why it took so long to update (sorry about that)

Theo and Bex are an interesting duo, and admittedly were pretty fun to write together. Hopefully I'll be able to explore that more for next season.

The next half of the book is definitely going to have more of a focus on Becca and Liam now, which I'm sure a lot of you have been waiting for.

I think 6B airs at the end of this month, but I'll probably wait until most of the season has aired before updating as I wanna figure out the plot.

So, until then 😊