┌─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───┐
chapter twenty-two!
REBIRTH
└─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───┘

( the overlooked, pt. iii )

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THE LAST SACRIFICE hadn't meant guardians as in law enforcement. When Jennifer had taken the Sheriff, they'd all assumed that she would move on to two deputies at the station. However, when Scott had run to the roof only to find his mother missing and Jennifer gone, they'd realized what it really meant.

Guardians. Parents. Deucalion had given the hint when he'd spoken to her about her mother, but it had been too late. And now Scott has joined forces with him to take the Darach down.

Vera supposes she can't blame him. Deucalion had set the situation up perfectly, giving Scott no choice but to use him to find Melissa. Vera had known it was odd when he'd let her go as a "gesture of goodwill." Sure enough, he'd had an ulterior motive— he'd known Jennifer would never target Melissa when he was around, so he let her be captured.

Every time she thinks she can't possibly despise Deucalion any more, he proves her wrong.

Now, Vera races through the suburbs on her motorcycle, the howling wind whistling past her as weaves in and out of traffic. The storm is still ravaging the town. Halfway home, she starts to regret declining Stiles' offer to drive her in his Jeep. She's soaked to the bone once again, shivering, and at risk of sliding off of her motorbike due to the slick seat.

There isn't a vehicle in her driveway, but Vera feels a pang anyway. If Deucalion had been speaking the truth and her mother is home, she'd wanted to surprise her, so she'd parked in the garage. The girl quickly parks her motorcycle, cuts the engine, and secures its cover on it before bounding up the front steps and phasing inside of her house, door be damned.

The house is dark, the only source of light being a candle on the coffee table in front of the sofa. She blinks to adjust her eyes to the lack of lighting. There's a figure on the couch, but the hair is too short to be her mother's, and the shoulders are definitely broader, and—

Vera slips on the wet tile and crashes to the floor when she realizes that Dominic Shire is sitting on her couch.

The sound of her shriek and the thump of her body causes a pair of footsteps to rush in from the kitchen. Her mother's worried voice calls out, "Vera? Díos mio, ¿te lastimaste?"

Vera groans, lying flat against the tile as an ache bursts from her tailbone and head. Hades trots over and rubs his face against her cheek in greeting.

"Am I dead?" she asks in lieu of responding to her mother's question. "Because he's supposed to be dead, and I don't want you to be dead, but with the way this town's going—"

Her mother sighs, reaching down and grabbing Vera by the arms to lift her to her feet. Even though she's dripping water all over the place, she still squeezes her daughter in a quick hug before wrapping her in a towel and handing her a mug of something warm. The scent of cinnamon wafts into Vera's nose. It must be chocolate con leche espeso, or the creamy, spiced hot cocoa that her mom loves to make to warm her up.

Ana García Díaz is a fairly intimidating woman by appearance. She has brown skin and dark eyes that always seem to be calculating something, her black hair constantly at its best. Now, it's softly curled and tucked behind one ear as she firmly wraps Vera in the warm towel, her lips pressed into a worried line. She smells like cinnamon thanks to the drink she'd just prepared.

Vera's mother places both hands on her daughter's shoulders and guides her to the sofa, where she pushes her to sit beside Dominic. Vera perches on the edge of the cushion and gives her friend a quick glance. He's... fine. Her mom turns on the lights now that the surprise had been ruined by her injury, and now Vera can get a good look at his face. It's unblemished injury-wise, his pale skin smooth and without any sign of a burn. He's dressed in a vaguely familiar Rolling Stones t-shirt and black-and-white striped pajama pants.

The first thing she says to her undead best friend is, "Are you wearing my dad's clothes?"

"Yeah, I feel weird about it, too," he replies, glancing down as Hades jumps into his lap and nudges his own mug of hot cocoa so it comes dangerously close to spilling.

Vera stays silent for a moment as her mother sits on the small loveseat adjacent to the sofa she and Dominic are on. Mai's expression is unreadable— it's her business face, meaning Vera won't get any answers from just looking at her.

Finally, she explodes, waving her hands around so dramatically that some of the cocoa spills over her mug and drips onto Dominic's arm.

"What — what — what...the...hell? What is going on? How is he alive? Did he teleport to your business trip? Why are you so calm, Mai? Why are you home? You always tell me when you're gonna be back! Do the Shires know about this? Are they on their way back? Because I know they're visiting your Grandma Lilith, Dominic, and she was literally going to fight them if they didn't have your funeral within the week after postponing it for so long."

Dom wipes away the hot cocoa she'd spilled on him before Hades can lick it, handling her outburst with care. "I know this is a shock—"

Vera huffs a sarcastic laugh. "Oh, you have no idea what kind of day I've had today. I think I'm going to just keel over and die from shock. Frankly, I have no idea how I'm even still alive."

"Are you done?" he asks with a raise of his brow. Vera inhales deeply and then nods, forcing herself to keep her mouth shut so he can talk. "Well, if it's any consolation, I have no idea what the hell is going on, either."

Vera shoots him an incredulous look. She'd been hoping he'd have answers, not more questions for her to come up with.

"I got home and found him on the porch," Mai explains, crossing her legs. "Of course, I called the station, but they said the Sheriff isn't responding to his radio, so I told his mother, and yes, they are on their way home, but with the storm, it could take a while."

The girl sniffles and then cringes. "Why do I still smell smoke?"

Her mother rolls her eyes. "Oh, you should have seen him earlier! So much soot. Trailed all over the house."

"I've taken three showers," Dom adds somewhat defensively, sniffing his underarm as if searching for more traces of smoke. The action is so boyish that it eases Vera's chaotic mind a little bit. "And, FYI, I'm not calm. Not at all. Internally, I'm freaking out. I just opened my eyes and was in a dark, completely-burned shed. Nobody was home and the doors were locked, so I waited for you to get home."

Vera sets the mug onto the coffee table to prevent another spill. She raises her hands and tangles her fingers into her soaked hair, lightly tugging at the strands to regain some sort of feeling other than immense shock.

Then, slowly, she leans onto Dominic's shoulder, half-hugging him because she's still wrapped in the towel. It doesn't feel real. Not even when he puts his mug down to hug her back, Hades jumping from his lap to her mother's in discontent at his movement. She feels like she hit her head really hard at the hospital and is now in a coma-dream.

"It's going to be okay, mija," Mai tells her gently.

No. No, everything is far from okay. It's the furthest thing from okay, but Vera doesn't want to reveal to her mother that she isn't happy to see her. For once, she wishes she could have stayed on her trip for a little bit longer.

"Wait," Vera says, sitting up straight again when realization hits her. She looks at Dominic. "So Jennifer didn't sacrifice you?"

Dom's brow creases. "Who's Jennifer?"

"Sacrifice?" her mother questions. Her expression becomes stern, voice hardening. "Vera, ¿qué pasa? No me mientas."

Shit. How does she explain everything in a way that won't make both of them freak out? Scratch that, she doesn't think there is a way for her to catch them up without causing a panic. Because any normal person would be having a full-on meltdown right now; Vera is only so desensitized because it hasn't fully sunken in yet.

"Okay," she sighs, preparing for the worst reactions possible. "Deucalion is back, only this time, he has an entire pack of Alphas with him." Mai stiffens, her expression dropping at the information. And that is only the beginning. "The Alphas kidnapped Erica and Boyd in March and locked them in a bank vault lined with Mountain Ash. Erica... she got mauled. But they somehow found Cora and put her in there, and then we rescued them, but there were these other creepy murders happening around town..."

Vera explains only the skeletal details, not going in-depth about Cora almost killing her on accident or how badly Jennifer's smudge stick had affected her, mostly because she doesn't want her mother to pass out. When she finishes, Dominic's mouth is hanging open in a gape.

"Miss Blake is the Darach?" he repeats.

"Yeah, and she's a stone-cold bitch," Vera confirms bitterly. "She has Mrs. McCall. Which is why, Mai, you have to leave."

"No," her mother protests.

"There is a homicidal dark Druid running around Beacon Hills, looking for parents to sacrifice. Please go. I... I cannot let her take you."

"I'm the adult here, and in this house, we don't run from things."

Vera resists the urge to roll her eyes, knowing it would earn her a smack. Jesus, is this what it's like dealing with her? She does get her stubbornness from her mom, but this is the first time she's actually understood how difficult it can be to deal with.

"Sometimes running is okay if you're in danger of being murdered!" she exclaims.

"Okay, then you are coming with me," her mother says.

"What?" Vera blinks.. "No, I can't—"

"Exactly."

Dominic picks up his hot cocoa and resumes drinking it. "I feel like I shouldn't be listening to this, so I'm just gonna..."

His slurping fills the otherwise quiet room.

Vera takes her phone out of her pocket and wipes the water droplets from her screen. She has dozens of texts from Stiles, mostly asking if she can get ahold of Scott, who isn't answering his phone. She doesn't open those messages. Instead, she goes directly to her contacts and presses Scott's number, raising the device to her ear.

He picks up, just as she knew he would. "Hello?"

"Put him on the phone," she says shortly.

There's a rustling. Then, the melodic voice of Deucalion drifts through the speaker, his tone pleased and making her wish she could punch him through the phone. "I figured you would be calling."

"For the record, you are an asshole, I hate your guts, and I hope you die an excruciatingly painful death, but you are a smart son of a bitch. God, I want to rip your throat out."

"You can stall by insulting me, but I know you want to ask me something."

Vera's mother gives her a warning glare. Dominic leans back into the sofa, staring into his nearly-empty mug like he can find the will to live swimming inside of it.

"I'm requesting your protection," Vera says with her eyes locked on Mai. "My mother is human. Ethan told me you don't have any reason to mess with anyone not supernatural because you can't take their power. Also, I know you won't hurt her for the same reason you didn't hurt Mrs. McCall— do it, and Derek will never join your pack." She takes a deep breath. "Jennifer won't come near her if she has the protection of the Alphas."

"A favor," Deucalion muses with an intrigued hum. Bullshit— he'd known she'd call about this. He'd wanted it this way. She hopes she isn't playing right into his hands, but she's out of other ideas.

She scowls. "I think you owe me after killing my dad and two of my pack members."

There are a few beats of silence on the other end. Then, the Demon Wolf finally responds. "Very well. I will have Kali watch over your mother. But I will say... I think she has an unexpected soft spot for Jennifer. We'll have to see how that turns out."

The line goes dead. Vera drops the phone back into her lap.

"What have you done?" her mother demands, teeth gritted together like she's fighting to stay calm. Her wide eyes are even larger with thinly-veiled rage.

"I'm keeping you safe," Vera fires back.

"Hey, Vee, you gonna drink this?" Dom asks, leaning forward to take Vera's forgotten mug. "No? Kay, thanks."

"You are putting my life in the hands of the man who killed my husband."

"Because you won't leave! What else am I supposed to do? Find your body? I've found a lot of those recently, and trust me, it's getting really old!"

Vera shoots to her feet, sprinting out of the living room and up the stairs before her mother can retaliate with either words or some object being thrown. She doesn't stop until she reaches her room. The door slams behind her, leaving her in her dark bedroom, still dripping water onto the carpet. Irritated, confused, and still unsure of whatever the hell is happening, Vera chucks the towel onto the floor and angrily peels off her wet clothing. She quickly changes into a comfortable crewneck and plaid pajama pants to warm herself up.

She ends up sitting on her floor with the lights off, knees pulled up to her chest, and arms wrapped around them. Everything feels so wrong. Before, she'd assumed that Dominic had been the missing piece on the puzzle, but even his unexpected return isn't helping. Will things ever feel alright again? With how much chaos has happened since January, she isn't so sure.

The door creaks open. Vera turns her head to see Dominic walking inside, his body reduced to a silhouette thanks to the lighting in the hallway flooding into her dark bedroom. She squints against it until he shuts the door again. Then he sits beside her, puffing his lips out in a sigh.

Though he's only in a t-shirt, his bare arm radiates so much heat that she finds herself cuddling closer to him out of instinct to soak up his warmth. When he gives her a questioning look, she mumbles while rolling up her sleeves, "You're really warm."

"Must've been all that hot cocoa I chugged," he replies, patting his abdomen. "Now my stomach hurts."

"Sorry for leaving you with my mom," she says. "I knew I was gonna be in trouble for the last thing I said."

"Yeah," Dom sighs, "that was awkward."

They sit like that in silence for a few minutes, listening to the rain thundering on the roof and slamming against the windows. The occasional flash of lightning illuminates the room in a burst of white light. Neither of them reacts. For a white, they stay lost in their own world, Vera's still-wet hair steadily soaking through the sleeve of her father's t-shirt.

"So, you really don't remember anything?" Vera asks tentatively. "About the fire?"

"No," Dom answers. "I mean, yeah, kinda, but I have no idea what happened. I just... dropped a match, tripped over the leg of the table, knocked over the volcano, hit my head, and... woke up in ashes."

It doesn't make sense. It's too coincidental. Had someone removed him from the fire before it engulfed the shed? No, they said there hadn't been any footprints leading away from it. And her mother had said he'd been covered in soot. But no lung damage from smoke inhalation? How hadn't the firefighters found him in the shed?

"Is..." he continues, voice thick, "is Grayson okay? You know how he is with guilt. He stepped on a dog's paw once and cried for two days. I can't... I can't imagine what he'd felt..."

Vera sits up and faces Dominic. When lightning flashes into the room, she catches a brief glimpse of the tears rolling down his cheeks. His green eyes make the redness in them more prominent. That single second of visibility breaks Vera's heart, making her reach over to wipe a tear from his cheek.

She decides to slightly dodge the question by saying, "I'm sure he'll be much better now that you're okay."

"Vera," he whispers so quietly she can barely hear him over the pounding rain. "What happened to me?"

Vera wishes she could give him an answer. She wishes she could have a solution to any of their problems. But all she can do now is provide comfort for her best friend, pressing her lips into a line against the lump forming in her own throat.

One of Dominic's tears rolls over her thumb and trails down her wrist. Her skin slightly tingles, and by the next flash of lightning, part of the scar from Isaac's claws is gone.

________

a/n:

okay, so i KNOWW this chapter is short, but consider this: DOMINIC IS BACK! i wanted to get this up and out there so the next episode could be in its own chapter. i felt like this was a decent place to leave off for ~*suspense*~ and because shorter chapters allow me to update faster!!

i literally neglected my homework to write this chapter and now i'm gonna have a LOT to catch up on over the weekend, but it just be like that sometimes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

what do you think of vera's mom so far?? i'm curious to hear your thoughts!! if you don't have any opinions on her yet, what do you think about vera asking deucalion to protect her mom? do you think he'll live up to his promise?

just so you know, ana uses a lot of spanish because, as vera mentioned earlier in the story, she and her mother speak it around the house, so when she's addressing vera, she will often choose to speak spanish. it's also vera's first language! just thought i would clear that up. as always, if i made a mistake in the spanish, please let me know so i can correct it!

also... that last line.... hmmmmm.....

—kristyn

TRANSLATIONS:

Díos mio, ¿te lastimaste?: My God, are you hurt?

Mija: My daughter; often used as a term of affection

¿Qué pasa? No me mientas: What's wrong? Don't lie to me.

( word count: 3.1k )