11|the only choice
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Riley was back on her feet at that moment but what she heard nearly made her pass out. The smirk on Void's face was sickening - he knew that he was winning and there wasn't a lot that Riley could do to beat him.
"What?" Riley said almost in a whisper, not sure what else she could say.
"You heard me," he sneered with a grin. "You come with me and Stiles lives. But, you'll never see Aayla grow up. You won't know if she's dead or alive. Or, you get to take your daughter home. . . right after you kill the man you say you love."
"No," she said immediately, shaking her head. "No. I'm not doing that."
Void held the knife back to Eli's throat, "You don't really have much of a choice."
"Stop it. Stop this," Scott demanded. "I told you, you can have me. Allison kills me, I die in her arms, the same way that she died in mine. That's the move that wins the game, isn't it?"
Void snarled with Stiles' face, "I've already won."
"You lose! Until I'm off the board! And I'm still standing. And I'm still the Alpha," Scott argued, trying to get the Nogitsune to let him save everyone.
Riley felt sick watching him. He was always ready to sacrifice himself, willing to fall on his blade so that his friends would survive. Riley admired him for it, but it was also quite a bad habit.
"I've grown bored of you, Scott," Void sighed. "You want to save everyone? All of the other players? Then step aside."
At this, Scott was confused. He took a few steps closer, brows pinched. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, it's not your turn. So, step aside," he simplified, before turning to Riley. "My dear Sylph, are you really going to let everyone that you love die, just because you can't make a simple decision?"
Riley looked over to Scott before turning to her daughter. What was she supposed to do? On one hand, she went with Void and lost her humanity just like she had all of those years ago. However, if she did that, she would not only be a monster but she would never see her daughter again. Never even know if she's still alive.
Her other option wasn't much better. Yes, she could walk away with her daughter but to do so she had to kill Stiles. Stiles; the one person in her life who had been constant. The man that she loved with her entire heart.
She couldn't kill him. But she also couldn't lose her daughter.
"No. I can't. I won't. No." Riley shook her head again, "You can't make me do that. Either of those things."
"I'm not making you do anything, you have a choice," he reminded her. "You choose one of those two and everyone goes free, or do nothing and I kill all of them right now. Hell, technically that's three options. I must be feeling really generous."
The way he laughed made her skin crawl. Her gut feeling had been right - they never should have come back to Beacon Hills. Riley couldn't speak, all she could do was shake her head again.
The Nogitsune's expression seemed to harden at her reaction. He thought that this would be over by now, but he had clearly forgotten just how stubborn the woman was. It didn't matter, though, he knew that she would choose eventually and then finally, he would win.
"You have to make a choice, little sylph. Or I make the choice for you," he warned. "Take my hand, take the knife, or stand and watch while I kill them all. Including your daughter."
"I won't go with you," Riley spat. She had promised herself long ago that she wouldn't become that again. It had taken so long for her to forgive herself and if she went back on that now, she knew she couldn't come back from it again. "And-"
"Alright," Void nodded, jaw clenched in anger. Sure, he had wanted her to come along but that wasn't the be-all end-all for him. No matter her choice, he was going to win.
"You don't want to come with me? Fine. That option is officially off the table. So, that leaves you with two. Either you kill Stiles, or I kill them all."
Riley stumbled backwards a few steps, turning to Scott with wide eyes. Somehow, she had actually managed to make the situation worse. Scott's face seemed just as surprised as Riley's, this conversation not going the way he thought it would either.
"You can't do this," Scott said, interrupting. "This isn't how it's supposed to end."
Void turned and looked at Scott, looking thoroughly pissed off. "I'm sorry to disappoint, Scott, but you and Allison are not the main characters this time. You may have been star-crossed lovers but Stiles and Riley? What they have is pure. It has been tested and trialled by fire and darkness. This is the sacrifice that wins the game. Your death would be nothing more than an unnecessary bonus."
Scott's expression saddened as he turned to Riley. That was it; there was nothing that he could do to fix this. He was going to kill the Nogitsune, but while it held Stiles, Aayla and Eli hostage, there was nothing he could do but watch. Scott didn't know what to do and he definitely didn't know what to tell his friend that would convince her otherwise.
"Riley," Scott called out to her. "You don't have to do this."
She knew that he was trying to help but he barely sounded convinced himself. They both knew that he was wrong. Turning away from Scott she started to walk towards Void. "I don't have much of a choice. I can't just stand by and watch my friends and my family die, Scottie."
"Riley-"
"Don't tell me that you wouldn't be doing the same if you were in my position?" she asked, cutting him off.
Scott fell silent, watching as she walked up the steps. From her new vantage point, Riley was now able to see the rest of Void's prisoners now. A gasp escaped her when she saw just how many of their friends and family he had taken - Derek, Noah, Liam, Hikari, Kira, Mason, Doctor Deaton, and somehow he had gotten his hands on Charlotte.
"Char," she whimpered, seeing her sister tied to one of the columns. "How. . . what are you doing here?"
"Hey, Ri," the woman tried to smile. "I'm sorry. He got me when I went to the Sheriff's house."
"Where's Iris?"
"Not here yet as far as I know. She was going to come tomorrow," she claimed.
"Good," she nodded. Her eye flickered between Noah and the blade, the woman swallowing heavily. The Sheriff had yet to take his eyes away from the girl, watching her carefully. Riley could feel his eyes on her before she finally looked directly at him. "I don't know what to do. Noah, I'm sorry. Aayla. . . I'm just. . . I'm-"
"You don't have to say anything, sweetheart, and you definitely don't have to apologise," he assured her. "You're saving everyone but most importantly, you're saving Aayla. This is what Stiles would want."
The sylph swallowed heavily, tears in her eyes, "Stiles would want to watch our daughter grow up."
"I know," the man agreed softly. "But if he was in your position, what would you want him to do?"
Kill me, she thought to herself, in a heartbeat. She would never forgive herself if she was the reason all of her friends died, or if he had to become Void again. However, she also knew that he wouldn't kill her. It was at that exact second that Riley realised just how similar she and Stiles were - Void was right, after all.
She knew because she had finally made her choice and she knew that if Stiles was in her position, he would do the exact same. Because what they would want the other to do, is not what they would actually do.
Wiping her tears, Riley looked at Void, "You want me to make a choice? Fine. But first, let Eli go."
Void grinned deviously as he realised that he had won, before nodding. He then proceeded to push the young boy down the stairs, Eli grunting as he hit each step hard. The monster then held the blade out to Riley.
Her eyes slid down to the blade before going back up to the eyes of the monster staring at her. The eyes of her husband. Instead of taking the blade, she turned around and dropped to her knees beside the cage holding her daughter.
"Mum," the young girl sobbed, reaching an arm through the bars. She looked so scared and confused and it was breaking the woman's heart.
Riley reached back through the bars to hold her daughter, hugging her as best she could. "Shh, shh, it's okay. It's going to be okay," she said gently, trying not to cry. She knew that if she didn't hold it together, it would just scare the young girl even more. "I need you to do something for me, okay?"
"I want to go home," she sniffled, trying to get to her mother past the bars, her cheeks pressing against the metal as she tried to squeeze herself between them.
"I know. I know. We're going home soon, I promise," she said, pursing her lips. Gently, she held her daughter back so that she wouldn't hurt herself trying to escape. "I just need you to do this little thing for me okay? Close your eyes."
The little girl began to cry, confused by what was going on. Riley just smiled at her, trying to be comforting as she reached through the bars and ran her thumbs over the eyes of the young girl, getting her to close them. "Keep them closed and don't open until Auntie Char says, okay?"
"I don't want to," the little girl sobbed. "I want to go home."
"I know, sweetheart. I know. I love you," she told the girl, leaning forward to kiss her forehead between the bars as she closed her eyes once more. "I love you so much. You're going to be okay. Just keep your eyes closed."
Grabbing her daughter's hands, she had her cover her tear-soaked eyes also, just to be sure. Once she believed that she wasn't looking, Riley stood up. Slowly, she walked over to Void who was still holding out the blade.
"Won't this kill you, too?" she asked as she took the blade from his hands.
He scoffed, "I'm sure that's what you hope, but no. Stiles is still in here. I'll leave once you've completed the task at hand. It shouldn't be hard to find a new host."
Stiles is still in here.
Riley stared down at the knife in her hands, turning it slowly and watching as the light of the moon hit the blade. Her idea was seemingly beginning to have some more merit to it. She wasn't sure whether or not it was a good idea, but it was an idea nonetheless.
She gave Allison the briefest of nods, signalling her to be ready. Allison didn't know what she was supposed to be preparing for but she nodded anyway, one hand tightening around her bow and the other ready to grab an arrow from her quiver.
Riley finally looked back at Void, raising the knife slowly. This was it.
Void smirked victoriously, "The game is mine."
"Don't be so sure," Riley warned.
Void gave her a confused look but Riley didn't waste time allowing him to figure out what she was up to or the time to stop her. Instead, she turned the blade and with force, drove it into her own stomach.
Void watched her, unamused as he growled, "What do you think you're doing?"
"A divine move. I hope," she answered. She then reached up and put a hand on his face, talking past him, "Stiles, I know that you're in there. You are the strongest person I know and right now, I need you to force him out."
The demon's face twisted at her response, sneering as he snatched her hand away from Stiles' face, "Really? You're putting all of your hope in this weak excuse for a human?"
"He's so much stronger than you give him credit for," Riley corrected. Her voice changed as she directed her words to her husband. "You told me what it was like last time, so I know you can see me. I just need to knock you out of that haze you're in."
Scott took a step closer, calling out to her, "Riley, what-"
"We need to snap him out of it." she interrupted. "I'll be fine. I'll heal."
That was what she hoped, at least. This wasn't exactly her most well-thought-out plan but to avoid killing her husband, it was the best she could come up with.
"Don't you be so sure, my little sylph," Void smirked as he gave her a once over, assessing her condition. "You don't think that I predicted this? I've been playing this game a lot longer than you - than all of you. I've been in Stiles' head and in yours. I know you better than you know yourself. That blade that you think you're making some sort of saviour's gesture with? That is made of pure iron."
Riley's eyes dropped down to the blade that was still protruding from her body, processing what he had just said. She thought that it had hurt more than usual, but hadn't really stopped to think why, too distracted by everything that was going on.
Void took a step closer, putting a hand on the hilt of the blade, "'Whilst sylph are strong creatures with the ability to use the air around them to heal, they are not invincible. Born from earth, the natural elemental opposite of air, iron has the ability to mortally wound any shape of fae.'"
He had recited a section from what she had read all those years ago while researching. Void had clearly done some research of his own while he had been in her head.
The creature twisted the blade, causing the woman to cry out in pain, her knees starting to falter. "Stiles, please," she pleaded, reaching a bloody hand up to his cheek.
"Oh, don't worry, he's watching every single second of this. I'm making sure of that," he grinned, briefly turning to Scott. "This is a worthy sacrifice. A sacrifice built to end the game. I win."
He turned back to the woman, not releasing the blade. Riley stared into his eyes, trying not to focus on the malicious smile - just his eyes. Stiles' eyes. If she was going to die here, at least they would be the last thing she saw.
Riley tried to remove the blade so she could start healing but the Nogitsune wouldn't let her. She looked into his eyes, pleading, "Please, Stiles."
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(A/N)
Ooooooo, who's going to survive and who's going to die in my version?
I told you guys I was changing the movie storyline.
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