It's Just a Pull

XXXVIII

"Fuck," you whisper, standing over Hayden as she lays on Deaton's exam table.

"I've done everything I can," he tells you. "I'm not sure that it's enough."

"Hayden, I'm so sorry," you whisper. "I should've gotten here sooner."

"Not your fault. Theo's... Theo."

You begin casting healing spells, hoping you're not too late. After about twenty minutes of this, Deaton pulls you aside. "We've stabilized the injury as much as we can. Maybe if you'd gotten here earlier we could've done more, but..."

"I'm not letting her die again on my watch."

"I've called Scott. He and Liam are on the way."

"I'm not going to stop trying."

"I know," Deaton says, and tries to placate you with a strained smile.

A few minutes pass in a spellwork induced haze, but you look up when the door opens again.

Liam looks at you hopefully from behind Scott, but there are tears in your eyes and you give him a minute shake of your head.

"Hayden," Deaton starts. "We've managed to stabilize the injury. But, considering you're a chimera, I don't know how, or if, you'll heal."

"We can still take you to the hospital," Scott offers, and Hayden looks up at you with scared eyes.

"I already died there once."

You stop your spells to take one of her hands in both of yours. "I'm sorry," you whisper, low enough that both Scott and Liam have to strain to hear you. "I'm so sorry."

"It's your choice," Liam pipes up, and he stands on Hayden's other side, mirroring your position.

"I know," Hayden nods, and Scott's eyes glow red.

---

"I think it's time we had a talk," Scott says, coming up behind you and sitting on the bleacher next to you.

"Probably."

"I don't want to be your enemy," he continues. "But you can't keep hiding things from me."

"I don't want to be your enemy either, Scott. But I don't think we're ever going to be friends."

"I'm not going to go away if you ignore me."

"I know that. I also know that Stiles and I were ever going to have anything, I have to get along with you."

"Then why can't we get along?"

"Succubi aren't pack animals. We're solitary. Us and our mates against the world."

"That's not how we do things here," Scott says, trying to be gentle.

"I know," you turn to look at him. "But I can't be part of your pack again. I think... I think it was part of what was killing me."

"So now what?"

"I feel better. Not great, but better."

"That's good. And I'm sorry I didn't realize that you weren't okay."

"You had a lot on your mind."

"You were part of the pack. I'm the Alpha; it's my responsibility to make sure the pack is okay. And I failed you in that."

"I'm still an ally, Scott. We can disagree and not be enemies."

"I'd rather have you in the pack."

You sigh, leaning back against the fencing behind the bleachers, tipping your head back to look at the sky. "I have my own agenda. And there are some things that Theo was right about."

"Theo was wrong about a lot of things."

"He understood me a lot more than I'd have liked him to. Speaking of Theo, what happened to him?"

"His sister pulled him beneath the ground and we haven't seen him since. I don't think we'll be seeing him again."

"Is it wrong that I feel bad for him?"

"I feel bad for him too."

"He wasn't a good person, but he was a kid."

"I know. I wish we could have done more, but we can't now."

"So..."

"So..."

"Something big is coming, Scott. Something bad."

Scott looks at you, concerned. "How do you know?"

"I can feel it in the air. There's a charge. Something's coming."

"What do we do about it?"

"I don't know. But I still haven't paid for bringing you back, and I'm terrified of what that means."

"We'll get through it. Everything, everything's going to be fine."

"Scott... I'm scared."

"We'll get through it. All of us together."

You don't have the same amount of faith as he does, but you nod and change the subject. "How's Lydia?"

"She's better. Stiles is with her."

"I know."

"I'm not going to let you get sick again. I promise."

"You can't police his feelings, Scott."

"He likes you, he's just... He's been in love with Lydia forever. But he likes you. And he said he chose you. Just... give him time?"

"I'll try, Scott." But in the back of your head, you're wondering if Liam's -and Theo's- idea is as bad as you'd initially dismissed it as.