┌─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───┐
chapter forty-three!
DON'T WAIT
└─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───┘

( the divine move, pt. iii )

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

IN REALITY, IT'S only a few seconds, but it feels like they stretch into years before Stiles's eyelids start to flutter. When they finally open, he blinks a few times before focusing on the figures looming over him. He registers Dominic's hand on his cheek in confusion, flickering over each of their concerned faces before realization finally dawns on him.

"Oh God, I fainted, didn't I?" he questions.

"Yeah, and you nearly gave us a heart attack," Vera says, swatting him on the arm.

"It's Stiles," Dom replies. He gently brushes a few stray strands away from the boy's forehead. "You know he has to be dramatic."

He's clearly using humor to hide how worried he'd been. Once Stiles had hit the floor, Dom's knees had practically buckled underneath him, finally giving way and causing him to land beside him. His fingers are still shaking as he continues fixing Stiles's hair just to have something to do.

"We're alive," Stiles says, not even bothering to argue with Dominic about his dramatic nature. "Are we all alive?"

He sounds suspicious. Vera can't blame him. First, it was Peter and Kate. Then Matt and Jackson, only for the latter to come back to life as a werewolf. Not to mention the countless others they've lost along the way— Erica, Boyd, Derek for a few days, and Allison. The fact that they all entered the school and will walk out relatively unscathed is a miracle.

Scott's relieved smile fades for a moment at the memory of Allison. Then he nods, his voice soft when he replies, "Yeah. We're okay."

Lydia's head turns toward the exit. Vera's stomach drops as the strawberry blonde stares with her brows creased, sensing the one thing none of them can: death.

"Don't tell me we spoke too soon," Dominic mumbles in dismay.

"Who is it?" Sebastian asks. He doesn't sound perplexed about her abilities, though that is no surprise— Vera wouldn't be surprised if he knew all their secrets. The only waver in his voice is one of concern. He's worried about Kai, who has yet to return from her frantic exit toward the Oni.

But Lydia doesn't answer. She can't. She moves as if on autopilot, sprinting toward the doors, and the others have to help Stiles to his feet. He seems better already now that the Nogitsune is no longer draining the life out of him. He doesn't stumble when he walks anymore.

As the rest of the group follows Lydia out of the school, Vera briefly considers stopping in place. She doesn't know if she can handle this. Already, the possibilities are racing through her mind. Derek? Kai? Deaton? Argent? The questions make her stomach turn into knots, a wave of nausea nearly making her double over. Stopping here would offer her a few moments of peace. She wouldn't have to confront whatever is waiting outside.

She tucks herself into Isaac's side, finding solace in the warmth of his coat. He is gentle yet firm in guiding her after the others. Her feet move begrudgingly, but she knows that staying inside won't make this tragedy any less real. It will only delay the inevitable.

The cool wind makes her shudder when they exit the school. Her friends are already gathered near the steps leading to an alcove, and in the shadows smothering the cement-ceilinged area, Vera can just barely make out the image of Aiden's body lying in front of his sobbing twin. Chris Argent, Kai, and a third figure stand adjacent to them.

Vera can't deny the surprise she feels. The twins had... come to help? She never would have expected them to risk their lives to protect anyone but themselves, yet Aiden had given his life to fight the Oni.

Part of her had turned the twins into monsters in her mind because it made it easier to hate them. Although she's witnessed firsthand how a person can change, she'd ignored the good aspects of the former Alphas. All she had focused on was Erica, Boyd, and the threats they'd made against her and Derek. But as she watches Ethan's entire body wrack with the force of his despair, a piece of her empathizes with his grief. Right now, he looks like a boy mourning his brother. Vera knows the agony of losing a family member all too well.

Sebastian runs down the steps and toward Kai. The third figure also turns toward him, and Vera hears him say their name, but she can't make out what it is from so far away. The mystery third person is holding knives in both hands. Their figure reveals they're female, but Vera has absolutely no clue who it could be until Sebastian guides her and Kai back toward the others.

Vera's eyes scan the platform boots, black fishnet tights, pink skirt, and white shirt from the bottom up before she lands on the scowling face of Cam Vang, the senior that one of Kai's notes to Scott had smelled like. Her brown hair is tousled from a fight, her knives glinting before she lifts her skirt and slides them into holsters strapped to her thighs. She's arguing with Sebastian as they approach.

"— always cleaning up your messes," she jabs, her deep voice like venom. She sounds pissed, but Sebastian's arms are around both her and Kai, so Vera really has no idea what kind of dynamic she's witnessing here.

"Yes, thank you, Cam," Sebastian says patiently. He's clearly used to this. Then he nudges Kai. "Go on. Tell them."

Kai sighs, fighting the desire to fade into the background. She fidgets with the enormous sword still loosely gripped in one hand. She raises it, laying it flat across both her palms, allowing them to look at the impeccable silver blade.

"The sword," she says. "I took it out of my dreams."

— ✯✯✯ —

Normally, there's a sense of relief after everything is over. At the end of a long battle, there's usually time to rest and regroup, or a brief sense of hope that flickers in the darkness of the things they had lost. But it doesn't feel like that now. If anything, Vera feels worse than ever before, even when she was lying in a hospital bed near death with Derek's bite the only thing keeping her alive.

No, now she can't help but wonder how things could possibly get any worse.

First is Allison's funeral, which she, her friends, and their families attend. Vera goes through the motions as if in a trance. She tosses a handful of dirt over the casket and wonders how long it will take for her to forget the sound of Allison's laugh.

Next is a conversation she didn't see coming.

She tries to fight her mother on it at first. Her initial reaction is anger, and she raises her voice at Mai, toeing the line between outrage and rudeness that has Mai's mouth settling into a grim line. Then she cries. Desperation replaces the acid in her tone, but her pleading falls on deaf ears. She knows her mother. They're so much alike. When they make up their minds, nothing can stop them.

So as she sits with Isaac that evening, watching the sunset from the field full of dry grass, she feels despondent. This is their first real date and she can't bring herself to be excited. Instead, it feels like everything is already slipping through her fingers and she's trying to catch ghosts.

They sit on a blanket and have more wrapped around them to ward off the chill. Even so, Vera is still cold, and she leans into Isaac, wondering if that will make him feel more real. The song of cicadas serenades them as the bright orange ball dips over the horizon and spreads purple throughout the sky. It should be breathtaking. They should be laughing and joking, jibing at each other as they always do. But there's a heaviness that neither of them knows how to address.

Finally, she can't stand it anymore. "We have to talk at some point."

She feels more than hears Isaac's sigh. "Can't we just ignore it for a bit longer?"

"Isaac."

"Fine."

Vera straightens up, pushing her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose with her good hand, and adjusts her position so she faces him. Isaac turns as well. He alternates between picking at the blanket beneath them and looking at her.

It's obvious they both have something to say. The hardest part is deciding who will speak first. She's about to suggest a round of rock, paper, scissors, but Isaac says, "Guess I'll just rip the bandage off."

Vera's gut tightens. She steels herself for whatever he's going to say, practically holding her breath as he struggles to work out the words.

"Argent... told me about this... internship in France," he says, practically mumbling. "Or, like, school... whatever. And I've been... considering it. But I don't want to leave you."

This. This is how things get worse.

Vera tries to breathe through the sharp pain that just pierced her ribs. "France?"

He nods. Now he's not looking at her. "He's going to move. Said he needs to leave for a while. The apartment feels too empty."

Fuck. Vera blinks away tears, staring at the grass, trying to remind herself that Argent had said his daughter's demise wasn't her fault. But it's so hard to believe when he's suffering like this. Not to mention the loneliness she'll experience once he's gone. Over the past few months, he's felt like a father figure to her.

"You're gonna live with his family?" Vera questions. "His werewolf hunter family?"

He shakes his head. "No. Well, yes. They're not hunters anymore. It's part of why he's moving. He doesn't even want to be around all the weapons and stuff anymore. There's a group of Argents that are just... normal."

How many more times does she have to say goodbye? Will she ever get used to the feeling?

"It's just... you and Scott, you're the only ones keeping me here," Isaac continues, taking her hands in his. "And we keep having run-ins with the cops, and they've never looked at me the same since I was brought in after my dad died. I feel like I'm walking on eggshells. The face of my brother is haunting me with that Deputy. I just need a break."

The stupid thing about hearts is that they never listen to your brain. Vera is trying to remind herself that it wouldn't matter if Isaac left tomorrow or six months from now or next year, they'd still have to part ways. But her chest still aches with the crushing weight of her sorrow. Hearts never are a fan of logic. The feelings always win.

"I'm moving away, too," she says, momentarily releasing Isaac's hands to wipe away a tear rolling down her cheek. "My abuela, she — she's really sick, and my family needs help. My mom's heading there next week and is bringing most of our stuff there. I get to finish the school year, but in June..."

Her stomach burns at the memory of how angry she'd been. How could Mai rip her from her friends like this, knowing she has so many things tying her to Beacon Hills? Why can't she graduate with them? Why does she have to finish high school in a different country? But as she'd laid in her bed, sobbing with Hades curled into her side, she'd realized that she wouldn't forgive herself if Abuela died and she wasn't there. Mai rarely asks for help. This time, Vera can tell that she needs the support to deal with Abuela's illness.

"I think you should go. It's a great opportunity for you." She sniffles, wiping her eyes again, huffing a sardonic laugh. "God, we spent so much time hating each other when we could've had this longer."

Isaac pulls her into his lap. "At least it happened."

Vera nods, then places her hand on the side of his face and angles his head down for a kiss. It's bittersweet. Maybe if they were two normal humans in this town, they could go out on dates and experience the world oblivious to the supernatural. But they'd both been yanked into this life. They have to deal with the cards they'd been given.

Their kisses at her house and the black light party had been fast and frantic, spurred on by fits of passion they tried to expel through wandering hands and lost breaths. This time it's the opposite. Each one is slow and lingering, both Isaac and Vera savoring the moment because they have such little time left. Her fingers wind into the curls at the crown of his head. She pulls him impossibly closer, wanting to memorize his features, almost like she's trying to press their atoms together.

Ultimately she pushes him too far over, causing him to topple backward. Vera lands on top of him so hard that her glasses fall off and smack him in the face. Isaac scrunches his nose at the impact. They both laugh at the blunder, a sound that eases the tension between them. It takes a weight off of Vera's chest when she genuinely smiles for the first time in days. He slides her glasses back on for her and pulls her right back down to his mouth again.

Vera explores the skin of his neck and delights at how responsive he is. It's like he's a puddle in her hands, and has to stop herself before things get carried away. She does not want to wind up with ticks from this field, so she will keep her clothes on, thank you.

Cuddled together on their backs with the indigo sky above them, Vera says, "Promise that you won't wait?"

"Hmm?" Isaac asks.

"Like... if you find a pretty girl in France or something... don't put off living your life. I wouldn't want you to hold yourself back."

"And if you find a pretty girl in the Dominican Republic or something, you should definitely not hold back for me," Isaac half-jokes.

"I'll tell the pretty Dominican girls all about my blanquito back home," she assures him, patting him on the shoulder.

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Of course. You'll always be special to me, Lahey."

"Hey." Isaac shifts so he's on his side and facing her. "You know that this isn't goodbye forever, right? I'm not gonna be in France for the rest of my life, and you... you'll probably be back here at some point. Plus, we have cell phones and emails. We'll still talk and stuff."

Vera wonders if she detects a hint of pleading in his tone, like she's made him unsure and he wants her to confirm that they're still going to keep in contact. She finds it easier to look at the sky when she answers, "Of course. You're not getting rid of me that easily. I live for getting under your skin."

"Good," he says, sounding pleased, and kisses her cheek.

She tries to tell herself that this is not the end, it's merely the beginning of a new chapter in her life. She's experienced loss before. Each time, the grief was so powerful she thought it might kill her. But she's also always made it out alive, and this is no exception.

Vera is definitely not letting Isaac go for good. They always have a way of coming back to each other.

THE END.

BOOK 2 IS NOW UP! CHECK OUT "METANOIA" ON MY PROFILE.

_________

a/n:

I DID IT Y'ALL I FINALLY DID IT!!! thank you to everyone who voted on my poll that i should update this book first. it gave me the push i needed to actually do it, and seeing how many of you wanted this update gave me lots of motivation :')

before i get into the sappy parts, i just wanted to say that i made isaac leave because i have way too much going on for the sequel to be able to fit him in nicely with the events of season 4. i have like 7 new characters. s4 is only 12 episodes so there was no way i was going to be able to keep isaac around without making the season a cluttered mess. also homeboy is whipped so of course they're going to stay in contact <3

okay, now i can move on to the sappy parts.

to everyone who stuck around, thank you so much for doing so. i truly can't say it enough. i know this book took me way longer to finish than i anticipated and i apologize for that. i struggled so much with motivation to finish the season, partially because i didn't want to say goodbye to isaac. lmao. (and before you point out that i could've chosen to keep him in beacon hills, please read the above paragraph again.) 

did any of you expect the part about vera moving? i've been steadily building up to it for a while. i honestly expected more people to be concerned LMAO

friendly reminder that i have bonus chapters incoming for scenes from seasons 1 and 2 (but mostly 2). the book will be marked as complete because the main part is finished, but there will still be a few more extras. the first one is up now!

i will send an announcement to my followers when the sequel is published, so stay tuned for that as well. it'll be within the next day or so :)

hasta la vista! 

— kristyn

( word count: 2.9k )