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As the morning rays of daylight came through the windows of the Sheriff's office the three adults grew concerned. They hadn't heard from their friends in hours so they were yet to know whether or not the woods had been a success. 

Riley lay on a couch with Aayla, running her fingers through her daughter's hair absentmindedly, eyes closed. She was unable to sleep after seeing the Nogitsune in her head, so she feigned rest as she lay with the young girl. Isaac was in the corner asleep in an armchair while Stiles was on his phone making calls - the FBI still had questions regarding him up and leaving in the middle of an investigation, apparently. 

Riley, on the other hand, had just asked a friend to cover her shifts. She would have to answer some of their queries when she got back, no doubt, but that was a problem for another day.

Rolling over in her mother's arms, Aayla woke up. She yawned heavily and stretched her small arms, looking at her surroundings. Thankfully, Eli had gotten her into the hamper quite fast so Aayla hadn't seen anything. The young girl just thought that last night had been a strange game, not understanding what had actually occurred. 

Her stomach grumbled as she wiggled out of her mother's arms. "Mum, I'm hungry," she frowned.

Riley sat up and looked around. In their rush, she had forgotten to grab the bag that had Aayla's snacks and drinks. "Dammit," she mumbled to herself before looking down at her daughter. "I don't have any food right now, sweetheart."

"But mum, I'm hungry," she repeated, eyes beginning to well up.

"I know," Riley sympathised, thinking things through quickly.
I'll have to go get your bag, we left it at Uncle Derek's. Can you wait until I get back?"

Aayla sniffled, nodding sadly, "Okay."

Finally off the phone, Stiles had gotten back in time to hear the end of the conversation. "Are we leaving?"

"No," Riley responded. "You and Isaac are going to stay here with Aayla, and I'm going to drive over to Derek's, get her bag and come right back."

"Riley-"

"We're not arguing over this," she said, cutting him off. "I'm not taking her away from the station until Charlotte gets here. You're her father and Isaac is a werewolf, I know that you will both protect her."

Stiles's frown deepened, shaking his head, "I don't like this, Ri. At all."

"Either do I," she agreed. "But she's hungry and this situation is already confusing enough for her. I won't be more than thirty minutes. Do not leave the station."

The man went over and wrapped her in a tight embrace, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "Please be careful."

"I always am," Riley responded. "Look after our little girl."

When she pulled away he nodded - he knew that there wasn't going to be any convincing her to stay. Aayla needed something and Riley wasn't going to just sit by, she would move heaven and Earth for that girl.

Walking over to the chairs in the corner, she gave Isaac's foot a firm kick. The boy woke with a start, sitting up straight. "I'm awake, I'm awake," he said quickly.

"Good," Riley nodded. "I'm going to Derek's to get Aayla's things. I need you to help Stiles hold the fort and protect her."

Isaac stood up, nodding without question. "Yeah, of course, Ri. With my life."

She stepped forward to hug him, thanking him in the process. Riley already hated that she had to leave but she definitely would have been more apprehensive if she wasn't leaving her child with Stiles and Isaac.

Grabbing the keys and her phone she left before she had the chance to second-guess her decision. She made sure to tell the men to lock the door behind her. Sure it was glass and something could just break it to get in but at least the sound of shattering glass would give them a headstart or time to prepare.

Getting in the car she connected her phone to the Bluetooth before starting the engine. As she drove she started to make calls. She tried Malia and then Parrish, neither of them answering. She then tried Lydia, three times but was continually sent to voicemail.

Swearing under her breath as she pulled into Derek's driveway, she went to call her sister only to see that she had texted her telling her that she was about to get on her plane. Locking her phone, Riley shoved it in her pocket as she got out of the car.

Rushing inside she began to search the house. She knew that she had left it here somewhere. Heading into the living room she almost had a heart attack when someone jumped out and grabbed her by the throat.

She would've been frightened, had she not known who it was.
"Theo - a pleasure as always," she choked out. "Mind letting me go?"

The man apologised quickly, releasing her and patting his jacket down. He looked tired, his supernatural healing not hiding the bags under his eyes or his dishevelled hair.

"What are you doing here? Liam never mentioned you coming."

"Liam also didn't mention being gone this long," Theo said bitterly. "Where is he? I've been trying to track his scent but I can't really get a proper read."

Riley bit the inside of her cheek, knowing that her answer wasn't about to ease his stress. "He's been taken."

The werewolf's eyes widened somewhat, taking a step closer. "What?"

Riley then proceeded to tell him everything that she knew. Theo hadn't been around during the time when the Nogitsune was wreaking havoc on their lives but he knew the basics. This made Riley's job somewhat easier, the woman not overly fond of having to rehash the entire story. 

"If they're all missing we have to do something," was his first response.

"Do you really think that we were just going to leave everyone to fend for themselves?" Riley asked, almost offended. "Of course, we're going to do something."

Theo looked around before focusing back on her, "Then what are you doing here?"

"I need Aayla's things. She's hungry."

As she went back to searching for the bag, Theo had to stop himself from audibly scoffing. "You brought Aayla here? Are you serious?"

Riley's shoulders went stiff as she turned to him. "She is my daughter. Yes, I brought her here. If you have anything to say about that, I'd suggest that you keep that to yourself."

She knew that Theo had a point - after all, she hadn't wanted to bring her in the first place. She wasn't about to throw Stiles under the bus, though. 

"Alright," he mouthed to himself before he went into the kitchen. When he returned, he held up the bag that she had been searching for. "Can we go now?"

"Thank you," she said through a heavy sigh of relief. 

The two walked out of the house and went over to the car, Theo tossing the bag into the back seat as he got in. Just as Riley was about to start the car, her phone began to ring. Reading the name quickly, she answered the phone and put it on speaker.

"Lydia? Please tell me you're alive," Riley said as soon as the call began.

"I'm sorry we didn't call sooner," the woman answered. "I was talking to Jordan."

"Well, at least now I know why he wasn't answering," Riley said, relieved. "So? Did you guys find anything in the woods?"

"Yes, actually," Lydia responded, sounding frustrated. "I think that the accelerant used to start these fires might be the same one used to start a fire over twenty years ago."

"Twenty years ago?" Riley repeated quietly in thought. "Twenty years ago, as in the fire that burned down the Hale house?"

"Exactly. And that's not all."

"No, I didn't think that it would be," the woman sighed.

"The person who came up with this formula is supposed to be dead," Lydia told her, leaving her to maul over that offering of information.

Riley began to think, sifting through her memories of their investigation all of those years ago. Kate had been the one to set the fire, but she hadn't been the one who came up with the formula. No, that had been someone that they had met before Kate, someone who had never liked them.

"'Supposed to be dead' is starting to be a relative concept here," Riley heard Jackson say in the background.

He wasn't wrong, considering they all really thought that this person was dead. "Are you seriously telling me that you think Adrian Harris, our old chemistry teacher, is alive and hunting us down with the help of the Nogitsune and Allison?" Riley asked in a mouthful.

Lydia sighed, "From what I can gather? Yeah."

"This is insane," the woman mumbled as she started the engine and began to drive. "Where are you headed?"

"The lacrosse stadium. The big game is on. We think that's where he is going to strike next."

Riley nodded, glancing briefly at Theo. "All right. I've got Theo with me. So, I'm going to go to the sheriff's station and then he's going to go and meet you guys at the stadium."

The strawberry blonde was a bit confused by where Theo came from as Jackson asked 'who the fuck is Theo?' but she didn't argue. Instead, she agreed and said she would keep them updated before hanging up the phone.

"You're not coming with me?" the man asked once they were on their own.

Riley shook her head, "I can't. Not yet. I'll take one of the cars at the station and meet you guys there as soon as Charlotte gets here and has Aayla."

Theo didn't bother suggesting otherwise, knowing that the only way he'd get her to the stadium before Charlotte arrived was kicking and screaming. So instead, he agreed to her idea. "Alright. Be careful, though."

To this, Riley chuckled. "I'm pretty sure where you're going is more dangerous, but thanks. You be careful, too."

When they reached the station they both got out of the car. Riley grabbed Aayla's bag before handing the keys over to Theo. The man accepted the keys, his eyes flitting to the cruisers, "So, I can't take one of those ones?"

"Definitely not," she answered. "The Sheriff is still alive and would kill us both if I let you take one of his cars."

"Fine," he mumbled as he got into the driver's seat. "See you soon."

Riley watched him drive away momentarily before putting the bag over her shoulder and heading back inside the station. It was fairly quiet as she walked in, which definitely had her on edge.

"Stiles?" she called out, trying not to be too loud just in case. "Isaac?"

It wasn't until she walked into the office that she started to realise why they hadn't responded. Isaac was on the floor with blood dripping from his temple and a needle sticking out of her back that she could only assume had been filled with wolfsbane.

"Isaac!" she gasped, running over to him. She dropped by his side, touching his head gingerly. Riley turned around intending to call for her husband, only for the words to die on her tongue.

"Finally, you're back," her husband said as he walked into the office holding a sleeping Aayla on his hip.

Riley got to her feet cautiously, watching each movement. "Stiles. . . what happened here?"

 "Shh. We wouldn't want to wake her up now, would we?" Stiles asked, a smugness to him that was uncharacteristic but not unfamiliar. 

The woman began to draw power from the air around her as she looked him over. She was out of practice but if it came down to it, she wasn't not going to try.
"Of course not," she answered. "Here, give her to me. I have her food."

Stiles looked at her, his head tilting to the side. "C'mon, Riley."

Riley felt her teeth grit tightly, "You're not Stiles."

He smiled as he met her gaze, "Haven't been for a while, little Sylph."

The woman felt sick to her stomach at his words like the air itself was being drawn from her lungs. This couldn't be happening right now; not again. Regret began to course through her veins, knowing that she had been having an off feeling about the way Stiles had been acting since they arrived in Beacon Hills. She should have trusted her instinct sooner.

Pulling herself together, Riley began to circulate the air in the room. Seeing her eyes begin to glow, the Nogitsune chuckled.
"Really?"

"Give me my daughter," she demanded.

"We both know that you're not strong enough," he smirked. "And even if you could, you won't."

"And why's that?"

He ran a finger down the side of the young girl's face, her mother shuddering at the sight.
"You hurt me, you hurt Stiles, and you wouldn't kill her father in front of her; she'd never forgive you. Besides, if you do try to kill me, I'll gut her right in front of you."

Tears burning in the backs of her eyes, Riley glared at the creature. "Why are you doing this? What do you want?"

"I already told you," he sighed as he walked over to stand in front of her. "You all took everything from me. I've just come to get it back."

"Aayla isn't a part of this."

"Sure, she is," the Nogitsune smirked. "After all, if you and Stiles here hadn't managed to get away, she wouldn't have been born. Well, she might've, but she wouldn't have been this. . . pure."

"Please," the woman pleaded, her thoughts a jumbled mess. "Please, I'll give you anything. Just let her go."

He reached out, placing a hand beneath her chin, "I know you will. But right now she's worth more to me than either of you. Don't follow me," he instructed as he stepped past her.

As he began to walk away, Riley's anger got the better of her. The woman screamed, her ability bursting from her and shattering every window in the Sheriff's station. "If you don't let her go, I will hunt you down and destroy you like we should have the first time."

"I'm glad to see you've still got that fire," he chuckled, glancing down at Aayla as she began to wake up. "I should go and get her somewhere safe. I'll see you soon, little Sylph."

Riley felt her whole world begin to crumble as she was forced to watch them walk away. He had the two most important people in her life and she could do nothing to stop him.

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(A/N)

So, this story is obviously going to be shorter than the normal parts I wrote for the series, given that I only have 40 minutes left of the movie to write. I am trying to switch things up a bit, though, so I hope you like what I've done with it so far.

Merry Christmas x