“I’ve got some duct tape if you wanna fix that bag of yours,” Stiles offered, reaching into his bag and wiggling a roll in the air. “This stuff works wonders, you know. Here,” he said, talking a few steps towards the man as he ripped a strip of tape off. “It’ll hold, trust me.”
A small smile tugged at Thomas’ lips, “Carry that around everywhere with you, do you?” The man then offered him a strip of it, and he murmured, “One sec.” He was still trying to gather up everything. He didn’t have much. It was mostly clothes, the odd half-whittled carving, his Evie-approved first aid kit, a handful of burner phones. Nothing he couldn’t live without or buy again. Still, he didn’t want to lose any of it if he didn’t have to. Once it was all in a pile, he took the tape and started piecing the bag back together, saying, “Thanks, I appreciate it.”
Stiles sucked air in between his teeth, “Yeah, my jeep carries it’s fair share of problems that duct tape fixes pretty well. She’s delicate.” He took a few steps toward the man, getting a glimpse of the contents of the bag. He ripped another piece for the man, holding it out between them. “Geez, you’ve got quite a few burners in there. You runnin’ from something?” His question was followed with a few nervous chuckles, as he looked at the other man’s face.
“Oh I will,” he drawled, unlocking the door and holding it open for his friend. “After you, m’dear,” He said, following her inside and to the kitchen. Pulling a box of pizza rolls from the freezer, he dumped them haphazardly onto a plate. “See, these are better in the oven, but in a pinch? Microwave’ll do,” he grinned, sliding the plate into the microwave. “Are you hungry, El? I bought some fruit for you!”
Ella rolled her eyes, but said ‘thank you’ as she walked into the house. Ella was slightly amused by his drunken movements though made sure all the pizza rolls made it on the plate. “Microwave seems safer considering your condition.” She said dryly though slightly amused until her spoke again. Confusion filled her voice, “You bought me some fruit? What do you mean you bought me some fruit?” There was slight suspicion in her tone as she looked at the drunken boy before her and folded her arms in front of her chest.
Matt poked a stiff finger on the buttons and pressed start, watching for a moment as the plate spun in circles, a laugh escaping his lips. “Yes! Fruit!” he exclaimed, his attention being brought away from the spinning plate and back to reality. “Bananas and clementines for the counter, and grapes and berries for the fridge! I didn’t know which you likes best, so I boughtabunch,” Matt grinned, clearly proud of himself and his shopping abilities for things outside of freezer meals. “For you!”
Scott blinked and his eyes were back to their usual brown hue. “Oh, uh. They aren’t. Private property, I mean.” He sniffled, discreetly smelling the air. Was She the being he smelled in the woods? He stepped a little closer, and the smell also got stronger. It was her. “You’re different, aren’t you?” He asked, taking a few more steps forward. “’Cause I’m different too. I can help.”
Unlike his glowing red eyes, there were no outward signs of Reagan’s mutation. Nothing about her that screamed MUTANT. So how this man knew that she was one was beyond her. Still, she played it safe, shrugging, “Different how? And if these woods aren’t private property, then I’ve got a place to sleep for the night along with a barely-stale bag of cheese puffs for dinner. What more could I ask for?”
“Let’s just say I know you’re more than what meets the eye. These woods aren’t safe. Not for you, not for me, not for anyone. There are hunters. They hunt those that aren’t fully human,” he said, allowing his eyes to glow red once more.
“My name’s Scott. I know you have no reason, but If you choose to trust me, I have somewhere you can sleep for the night, no questions asked.” He said an internal prayer that she would trust him, even in the smallest amount so he could keep her safe from the hunters that raked through these woods at night.
His heart swelled, knowing he was saving lives, even if it was just with a little sprig. “I have more at home, I can get you enough to plant some of your own. It can be pretty hard to come by.” Readjusting his legs, he untangled them from under him and stuck them out in front of him, leaning back on his arms. “I’d choose anything over allowing innocents to suffer and die,” Tom agreed, nodding his head.
“I’m not one to share about myself, but I feel it’s needed in this instance,” he started, his eyes darting away from Cara’s as he nervously bit the inside of his cheek. “The reason I didn’t run or call the police is ‘cause, well. I was afraid of what might happen to me. I didn’t know what you were capable of, and, well, the last time I tried getting the upper hand, it put me in the hospital,” he explained, leaving out details like who, why, and when. “Let’s just say I’ve learned my lesson.” He was still traumatized by the events of his childhood, and he didn’t often speak of it. There was a metallic taste in his mouth as he had drawn blood. He clenched his jaw as he looked back at Cara. “I learned to not fight back.”
“As soon as you leave, I have to disappear,” Cara quietly replied. “This location has been compromised, and it’s not safe for me to stick around – not for me, and not for you or Lilah for that matter. Besides… Don’t really have anywhere to plant it. I’ll have to see if I can find a another hunter that supplies it.” A beat passed before she nodded back, “Me, too.”
As Cara listened to what Tom said about learning his lesson previously, about learning not to fight back… She was devastated. Tears sprang up into her eyes, and she dropped her head down against the sleeping bag, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Tom. I shouldn’t have put you in this position, I just didn’t know what to do, I…” She trailed off, taking a second before continuing, “…If it was just about me, about my life,… It wouldn’t matter, you know? I don’t matter. But… I need to be there for people like Lilah, I need to stop as many demons and other supernatural creatures as I can until… Until I finally can’t. But I really am sorry. And for the record…” She very slowly and very tentatively reached out to touch his hand, “…You should never stop fighting.”
Tom nodded at her statement, understanding that she had a process for things, and that was okay. “Gotcha, yeah. That makes sense.” As he saw tears come to her eyes, his hand moved to cover hers, and he hoped that it was a welcome touch on her end. “Hey. It’s okay. You did what you needed to do. You saved Lilah, and you needed to save yourself. I forgive you for what you did, and frankly, I’m glad you did what you did. ‘Cause without you, I think our world would be a much worse off place,” his words caught in his own throat as his emotions came to the surface.
“I won’t stop fighting, but I’ve learned to choose my battles,” Tom stated, pulling his hand back into his lap. “For what it’s worth, you matter a whole hell of a lot. You matter so, so, so much, Cara. I’m sure you’ve been through hell with all the supernatural creatures that you’ve encountered, but you need to know that you matter.”
“I just got, uh, distracted,” Matt laughed as he dragged the mop across the floor. His heart fluttered at the flirty nickname. After things were cleaned up and the blush faded from his face, he grabbed clean equipment and stood in front of Ella. “What’ll it be? I’ll give you a show,” he said with a wink, twirling a mixing spoon around his fingers.
“You seem to get distracted a lot.” She teased, wrinkling her nose, as he wiped the floor. Ella laughed softly and gave a mock clap at his little maneuver with the spoon, “And here I thought I already got one- always aiming to show off I see.” She tilt her head slightly with a smirk on her slips, “Surprise me.” She offered an impish smile a moment later though with her stomach growled a bit. “And after I am going to get the food I came here to get to go with whatever marvelous cocktail you give me.”
“Do I?” Matt asked with a grin, cocking his head to the side. “Me? A show off? Never,” he smiled, tossing some ice in the air before catching it in the shaker. He really wasn’t one to show off, but when it came to Ella, he’d do anything to make her smile and laugh. He pulled a few bottles off the shelf, eyeballing the amounts as he poured them from a distance. Grabbing one of the juice blend, he tossed it from hand to hand, not spilling a drop as he did so. “What were you thinking for food? I can put your order into the kitchen. Food from the bar always gets out quicker,” he asked, shaking the drink shaker vigorously with one hand while he pulled a clean glass from under the bar.
you feel disconnected from the world around you. you can see everything, everyone can see you, but you’re not really there. no one can really communicate with you, can they? you’re isolated, even when you’re around people you’re alone.
you want desperately to be close to someone, but you’re afraid of what will happen if you shatter your glass prison. you don’t want to let someone in, you don’t want to leave, and it’s a constant battle of your own will. it’s easier to be alone, where no one can hurt you…. isn’t it?
Cisco backup 