Reckless Encounters [Sterek&Scisaac]

Chapter Seventeen: Homecoming

A/N: Hi guys! Finally getting around to this one, sorry it's taking me so long but it's pretty lengthy! Please let me know what you think.

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Chapter Seventeen: Homecoming

"Cora!" Erica called as she stomped, purposefully, through the forest. "Not cute anymore! Would you come back here now?"

She had been wandering around for nearly an hour now and Cora had almost completely disappeared.

"I'm going back to the loft!" she huffed, throwing her arms up in the air. "When you're done playing games, I'll see you."

She started heading back, the light slowly fading from the sky.

As she made it to the loft a scent hit her, one she hadn't smelt in a long while. She walked into the main living area and looked around.

"Hello?" she called.

"Erica," she grinned as she saw him walking over from the kitchen.

"Boyd!" she squealed, running up to him and launching herself into his arms. "I can't believe you're back! I can't believe you didn't tell me you were on your way back!"

"I told you I was coming home soon," he said.

"I didn't think you meant this soon!" she said, squeezing him harder. "What the hell?"

She finally let him go and took a step back to look at him.

"What are you, growing a beard now?" she said.

He rolled his eyes a little.

"Just been on the road a few days," he said.

"So this is it? You're really just... back now?" she said and he nodded. "I thought you weren't going to stop until you found her."

He shrugged, taking a step back to sit on one of the stools by the bench.

"You can only look so long before you figure out that maybe that person isn't lost, they just...don't want to be found," he said.

"Well... until you found out what happened to her then," Erica said.

"Maybe she doesn't want me to know that either," he said.

"And if something terrible happened?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"I really don't think it did," he said.

"Well, whatever happened, I'm so glad you're back," she said, throwing herself into his arms again.

"Me too," he said softly. "It's weirdly empty around here."

Erica rolled her eyes and pulled away.

"Believe me, it's far from," she said. "Which reminds me, I don't have a lot of time, I have a date."

"With this guy from the coffee place?" he said with a grin. "You want me to give him the older brother talk?"

"Please," she drawled. "If he hurts me then I'll kick his ass myself."

"Thought you might say that."

"You can crash here if you like, Derek probably won't be back until tomorrow though," she said. "And Cora's taken residence of the spare."

"I almost forgot she was here," he said.

"Yeah well, who knows where she is right now," Erica grumbled. "She has a habit of disappearing."