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The next morning, Riley and Stiles got up early, bags packed and tickets printed. As Stiles packed the car, Riley went about readying Aayla. Since they'd woken up early, the young girl was understandably tired as her mother got her dressed.

"I'm tired," she complained as she rubbed her eyes.

Riley nodded as she buttoned up the girl's jacket, "I know, sweetheart. You can sleep on the plane, okay?"

"Okay, mumma," she yawned. 

The woman tied Aayla's shoes before standing up and picking the girl up. As she carried her through the house the young girl fell back asleep against her shoulder, clenching her shirt in her hand. 

Riley checked that everything was locked up before grabbing her bag and heading out the front door. Locking it behind her, she walked over to the car where Stiles was waiting.

"Hey. You girls ready to go?" he asked as he closed the boot of the car, walking over and putting a hand on the arm holding their daughter.

Riley nodded with a smile, whispering, "Let's do it."

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Riley had slept most of the flight to California, holding Aayla tightly in her arms. By the time they landed, it was almost midday. They ended up calling a cab, figuring that they would just rent a car while they were home.

They knew that the Jeep would be floating around somewhere. Stiles had left it when they had gone to Washington and they both knew that it was holding on by a very thin thread. Riley had heard that Derek had taken it to his auto shop. For all they knew, it was parts by now.

Driving into Beacon Hills felt strange. They hadn't been back in a while, and every time always felt so different. 

She felt like they had a memory locked into every single corner and it made it hard to visit sometimes. She couldn't help but miss the simplicity of their life before Scott was bitten. But most of all, Riley missed seeing her mum. 

Even though they had gone through so much pain to get to where they were, Riley wouldn't change the outcome. She got to marry the love of her life and together they'd created a family of their own. 

"Is it just me, or is it always so weird coming back here?" the woman mumbled as she stared at the houses blurring past.

Stiles chuckled lightly, "Yeah, I guess so."

Riley looked across at her husband who was sitting on the other side of Aayla's booster seat. Something seemed different about him. She wasn't sure what it was that had him unfocused - she could only imagine that it was being home and the thought of seeing Allison.

That had her shaken, so that had to be what it was.

Getting their rental car and heading to the Stilinski home, they saw that the Sheriff wasn't even home. Not wanting to leave Aayla alone, they had no choice but to bring her along.

When they had arrived back in Beacon Hills Stiles had texted Scott to find out where he was. Riley had felt her blood run cold when he'd told them. It still felt cold when they pulled up beside two other cars belonging to Scott and Lydia. 

Oak Creek had been torn down since they have been there last. Grass and trees had grown over its bones, making the horrible place seem lively.

Noticing that she wasn't making any attempt to move, Stiles reached across to hold her hand. "Hey, you sure you wanna do this? You can just go back to my dad's with Aayla if you like?"

Taking a deep breath, Riley shook her head. "No, no, I'm fine. I just. . . needed a moment."

Removing her belt, she opened the door and got out of the car. She went to the back, unbuckling her daughter and lifting her from the booster seat. She smiled down at her daughter, not wanting her to pick up on the anxiety she was feeling being back at the remains of the Oak Creek internment camp.

She couldn't even verbalise everything going through her mind. When they were here last she had been under the influence of the Nogitsune. She had almost killed Stiles and her friends. Allison had been killed.

Looking out across the location, she saw Lydia hugging Scott. They must have just gotten here, too.

With Aayla on her hip and Stiles by her side, the two walked out towards Lydia and Scott. Scott, with his advanced hearing, heard their footsteps before they were even close.

The boy turned to them, a sad smile on his face. As soon as they were in front of him, Scott threw his arms around Stiles. He held his best friend close, patting a hand on his back as he embraced him.

They spoke quietly to each other, saying their hellos and that they had missed each other. Riley and Stiles didn't get down to Beacon Hills as much as they would've liked anymore, and Scott didn't exactly make his way to Washington all that often either.

When they parted Stiles took Aayla from Riley so that the woman could have her turn to greet their oldest friend. Riley felt tears in her eyes as she held him close.

"Hey, Scotty," she said softly.

She felt his arms tighten around her at that moment, "Hey, Ri. I missed you guys. And Aayla, too."

"We missed you, too," Riley smiled as she took a step away, sniffling lightly. Walking around the boy as he went to Stiles and Aayla, she went over to Lydia. "Long time, no see," she claimed as she embraced the strawberry blonde.

Lydia had already been crying, her cheeks wet as she held her friend. "I know. I've hated not seeing you every day."

"Tell me about it," Riley laughed. 

Once they had all said their hellos, Riley noticed that Aayla was fussing in Stiles's arms. Walking over, she asked the man what was wrong.

Stiles shrugged, bopping the young girl up and down gently to try and settle her, "I think she's still tired."

"Yeah, I guess so," she responded, taking her daughter back. Aayla stopped tearing up moments after she was back in her mother's arms.

Riley should've taken more notice of this but her attention was shifted as Scott looked at them all. "Thank you, guys, for coming so fast."

Staring down at the ground where they were standing, Lydia sniffled. It was where Allison had been killed.
"Do you really think all this is true? Allison being stuck? Unable to cross over?"

"I don't know."

Riley could see the look on Scott's face. He seemed so lost. Like he was unsure of what he wanted. Of course, he wanted it to be true but he'd given himself permission to believe in things like this before and it hadn't always worked out.

His eyes squinted as he looked up from the ground to his friends, "But if being here and doing this thing actually helps her, and no one else gets hurt, I'm up for trying."

Stiles looked to Riley, his eyes conveying question. He was repeating the question they'd been asking themselves the previous night. Was this safe? Were they willing to stay?

Riley still wasn't sure but she didn't want to abandon Scott. So, even though she was still unsure, she nodded her head.
"Let's do it. For Allison."

Lydia opened a document pouch she'd brought with her, pulling out a stack of paper. From a glimpse, Riley could just see paper covered in scratchy handwriting that she could recognise as Lydia's handwriting when she goes Banshee. 

"We need a handful of earth from the ground where Allison died," the strawberry blonde told them.

Taking a steady breath, the True Alpha nodded. "Okay," he said softly. Walking over he knelt above the dirt, running his fingers over the ground. 

Stiles put his arm around his wife as they watched him, both of them feeling heartbroken at the thought of what he'd gone through that night. Neither of them wanted to imagine what it would be like to lose the other. 

Finding the right spot, Scott began to drive his fist into the ground. Eventually, he was able to break through the layers of concrete, getting to the earth below. 

Scooping up a handful of dirt, he poured it into a handkerchief. Folding it closed so that none could escape, he placed it carefully into his pocket. 

Standing back up, he turned to Lydia, "What's next?"

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If it weren't for her child sitting in front of her, Riley could've felt like she was a teenager again. She was sitting on the rug in the living room of the McCall house, rolling a ball back and forth with her daughter. 

Aayla was enjoying herself, laughing each time Riley rolled the ball to her. The woman was glad that it was an activity that she could participate in without really thinking. She felt so distracted ever since they'd gotten home.

She knew that she couldn't allow herself to lose focus, though. They didn't know the full extent of what was happening here and she refused to let anything happen to her daughter.

Stiles and Scott were talking in the kitchen quietly. She could've heard what they were talking about if she had wanted but she chose to let them have their moment. They were probably just catching up anyway.

Lydia, on the other hand, was sitting at the kitchen table going through her papers again. No matter how many times she went through them, she couldn't figure out what it all meant. She saw the word Bardo and could feel what the word meant but she wasn't sure what else to make of it.

The door opened not much later, Chris Argent walking in with a large case. Rolling the ball to her daughter one more time, Riley stood up and approached the man.

"Hey, Mr Argent," she smiled softly, hugging the man.

He seemed tired both physically and mentally but hugged her back anyway. "I feel like you can call me Chris by now, Riley," the man chuckled. 

Riley laughed quietly as she pulled back, "It's good to see you again, Chris."

The man grinned, his eyes shifting to the girl on the rug. "And who is this adorable little girl?" he smiled as he knelt beside the girl.

It had been a long time since Chris Argent had been in Beacon Hills and whenever he did make his way there, Riley and Stiles had never been there. Since the couple avoided putting their daughter on social media because of the risk of hunters, Mr Argent had never met her.

Riley had thought about sending photos but she wanted to introduce the girl in person to the man. She wanted that personal touch that she knew Allison would've loved.

The woman went to be beside him, holding her daughter's small hand. "This is Aayla," she introduced the young girl with a soft smile. "Aalya Allison Stilinski."

Hearing her name made Chris immediately look up from the girl. Riley could see his eyes tearing up, a smile reaching his lips.
"Really?"

Riley nodded, turning to her daughter, "Aayla, this is your Uncle Chris."

The young girl was always nervous about meeting new people, especially with how cautious her parents were. This didn't change at that moment, Aayla clinging to her mother's arm.

"It's lovely to meet you, Aalya," the man said to the young girl. He then turned to Riley, unable to hide the glint in his eyes. "She's beautiful."

Riley turned to her daughter, holding her close. "Thank you. I know," she agreed, kissing the girl on the head.

"We have some work to do," he stated, wiping his eye quickly as he carried the case into the kitchen.

The woman followed his lead, carrying Aayla with her. Lydia joined them all at the table, watching as Chris rest the case down, and opened it.

Riley's stomach dropped as she saw what was locked within. It was a katana but not just any katana. It was the one that had killed Allison.

They all stared at it momentarily before Lydia spoke up, "Anybody mind if we close this thing?"

Mr Argent nodded, quick to close the case and clip it shut. Putting it down, he turned back to them all, avoiding eye contact. "Does your, uh, mum know that you're here?"

Scott didn't answer for a moment, narrowing his brows at the man, "Does she know that you're here?"

"No," he answered. "And I kind of want to keep it that way."

"Yeah, me too."

"All right," Mr Agent said, wanting to change the subject. "Lydia, we've got the earth where she died, the weapon that took her life. According to you, that's steps one and two. What is next?"

Lyda brought out the sheets of paper once again, laying them out on the table. "I was, uh, hoping you could help me figure that out. I mean, to be honest, I'm a little out of practice with all of this."

Scott gave her a confused look, straightening up. "You still scream like a banshee, right?"

"Not quite like I used to. It's just like a muscle. You stop using it, and it atrophies."

Chris crossed his arms, curious, "Why did you stop using your power?"

"Maybe because every time she does, someone dies," a voice sighed.

They all turned to see Jackson entering the room. He went directly to the fridge, opened it and rummaged for something to catch his eye.

Scott looked at the man, turning to all of his friends. "Why is Jackson here?" When no one answered, he turned directly to the man in question. "What are you doing?"

Jackson lowered the slice of pizza he'd taken a bite of from his mouth, pointing at Scott. "Well, firstly, Jackson prefers not to be talked about like he's not in the room."

"But he'll talk in third-person?" Riley countered.

"Yes, he will," he smiled. "Second, well, Lydia called, begging me to help, as usual. And I said, okay, so long as she promised never to tell Ethan, because I promised Ethan that I would never come back to this nightmare hellscape of a town."

"Thank you," Lydia whispered harshly, Jackson knowing full well that there was a better way of approaching the situation.

"Oh, I love these games," Jackson claimed as he looked at Lydia's drawings and writing, putting the pizza down.

"Of course, you'd treat this like a game," Stiles muttered.

Jackson smirked, "Wow, not even a proper witty comment, Stilinski? I honestly expected more."

When the man reached for the sheets of paper, Chris was quick to grab him by the wrist to force him to stop. "This isn't a game," he said harshly.

"I have claws that drop paralytic venom, and a tail that'll snap your neck. So take your hand off of me, old man," Jackson threatened as he ripped his wrist from Argent's grip.

Everyone watched as Jackson gathered all of the paper and the plate of pizza, taking them all to the floor. He began to arrange the sheets, slowly piecing together a very strange puzzle. 

He knelt, piecing together the sheets rather quickly. Riley couldn't help but admit that she was impressed by how fast he was finding the answer behind Lydia's scribblings. 

After a few more minutes he stood up and took a step back. Before them, he had created an image out of the paper puzzle pieces. It was a tree stump and roots and right in the centre was the word BARDO. Jackson shrugged as he looked at it, "It's a tree."

He didn't understand, though. It wasn't just a tree.
"It's a Sacred Grove," Lydia said quietly.

"That's the Nemeton," Riley corrected.

As the others all shared haunted looks, Jackson just seemed confused.
"Well, it looks like a tree."

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(A/N)

Hope you guys liked the chapter! These won't be coming out as fast as my other stories but I will be completing this story because I do love being able to write Riley and Stiles again

See you all next time x