From Ashes ✗ Stiles Stilinski - Chapter 19: Chapter 19

The punch landed.
Maddie's balled fist hurt a bit, although she of course would be the first to openly admit that it felt right. It was a good hurt that she knew, with full comprehension, had been worth it as it was clear that the vampire was in much more pain than she was. She smirked and gave the creature a sharp knee to the gut before spinning around and releasing her hand axe from her grasp. The slayer didn't bother to watch it spin gracefully through the air and into the back of another vampire's skull – a vampire that had been barreling towards Allison a second before. As the monster slumped to the ground momentarily, Maddie whirled back around, sliding a stake out of her sleeve with ease and gripping it tightly as she plunged it into the chest of the demon before her. Sweat dripped down her brow and the petite brunette ran her free hand through her hair to keep it from sticking to her face. Her quick, heavy footfalls took her away from the area and in the direction of the others as the vampire now behind her crumbled to a pile of ash in the tall grass.
The monster in front of Allison – which had previously been on the ground – started to stand, the axe still lodged in the back of his shaved head. Fear overtook Allison's wide eyes as her frayed nerves held her in place. She fumbled quite a bit to grab a sleek, wooden arrow – gifts courtesy of Madeline – from her quiver, nearly dropping it as her panic rose in her chest. She drew her bow as the large vampire moved closer with a sadistic grin on his face, his fangs poking through menacingly. Its ridged brow shadowed its sickly yellow eyes that were narrowed on the youngest Argent and glinting dangerously in the moonlight. It chuckled and did not slow down.
Before the vampire reached her though, it was tackled to the ground. A roar bellowed from Scott as he delivered blow after blow to the monster's face.
"It's dead already! Kill it!" Maddie shouted as she found herself fighting another vampire from a distance.
Scott hesitated at the order and the brief pause caused the vampire to push him off roughly, sending him painfully into a nearby tree back first. The creature kipped up and shook off whatever effect the blows had on him before returning his attention to Allison. That second was just long enough though, as in that instant, the pale demon felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down to see the arrow had found its target and swiftly looked up again. His eyes were blazing but as he attempted to run toward Allison his body had already begun to turn to ash.
Allison caught her breath in relief for a moment as Scott, slightly dazed, looked on in astonishment. The Argent took a second to gather her thoughts before she found the axe half buried in the small hill of what was formerly a vampire. She quickly grabbed it and looked around for its owner. In the distance, the slayer had found herself fending off two vampires with abnormally massive frames.
"Maddie!" Allison yelled, throwing the axe in the direction of the girl as hard as she could.
The hand axe fell short though, landing in the grass only a foot away. Maddie felt herself begin to panic and got sloppier with each blow. Kicks and punches flew around in a flurry, both coming from her and connecting with her with no let up.
It was then something absolutely horrifying happened. One of the vampires had eased off of its attacks but with good reason: there was something on his back.
No. Not something.
Someone.
In what could only be a failed attempt at a chokehold, Stiles hung on for dear life to the neck of the vampire who was now whipping his torso wildly to get the boy off of him. Stiles, on the other hand, was flailing around like a rag doll left and right, shouting something that sounded a bit like, "Yeah, you're not so tou-ahhh!!!"
Both Madeline and the other vampire took a moment to gape at the scene but it didn't last very long as the slayer used the distraction – she had assumed that was what it was – to leap to the ground and grab her axe. In one swift motion, she spun on her heel and sliced the distracted vampire's head clean off. It took a lot of force and Maddie spun just a bit too much because of it but that was the least of her worries now.
Stiles had finally been thrown to the ground, wincing in pain as he laid there. Both Scott and Maddie were rushing toward the last vampire at full speed, the werewolf leaping to shoulder check the demon in the face and the slayer aiming for its legs from behind. The both hit at once, taking the creature off of its feet immediately. Scott rolled on the ground and faced them as he stood again while Maddie, instead of doing the same, took the brief moment to bury her stake in the monster's chest with a final sigh.
There was a few seconds when the field became still once more and silence enveloped them. Allison ran towards Scott, quietly asking if he was alright. The scene across from them was quite different though. Maddie had stood finally and brushed herself off before eyeing the boy on the ground. She raised an eyebrow at Stiles, who seemed to be trying to push himself off the ground with little luck. The slayer rolled her dark eyes and begrudgingly held out her hand to him. Stiles paused and stared at the hand warily, waiting another moment before accepting the gesture.
As Maddie helped him up though, she tugged him close enough to punch his upper arm, and not holding back as much as she normally would. Stiles let go instantly and held his now sore arm. "What was that for?!"
Maddie narrowed her eyes on him, a frown lining his features. "Never. Do. That. Again."
"What? Save your life?" Stiles shot back. He shrugged, fury raising behind his own stare. "Fine!"
"You did not save my life!" She gestured to the piles of ash littered in the grassy field. "I was handling it just fine!"
Stiles looked utterly shocked by the response. "Handling it? Sure, maybe if you were trying to end up dead! Then, yeah, you were handling it!"
"I'd end up dead?" she asked, her tone becoming angrier as she took a threatening step toward him. "You were the one trying to get yourself killed by jumping on that vampire!"
"But I didn't!" Stiles shouted even louder. "Look, whether you like it or not, my plan actually worked! We're all alive – thanks in part to me providing a distraction!" His light brown eyes narrowed on her. "Get over it!"
Maddie was fuming but not saying a word. She knew the truth and she hated to even think that something like that even worked or that an innocent – regardless of how idiotic they were – was put in harm's way. There was a better way. There's always a better way. She didn't say it out loud though but instead exhaled loudly and socked him in the arm again before heading back to the jeep.
"Stop that!" Stiles shouted, following in suit.
Scott and Allison, who were sufficiently calm by that point, threw each other sideways glances and laughed quietly. Without another word they headed back to the car as well.
Days had passed quickly since then with no furthering issues between Allison and Maddie and no speaking between Maddie and Stiles. The slayer found herself spending very little time at the Argents and making a point to avoid tense situations – like being in the same room with Allison's parents for any amount of time. Dinner had become a chore for both teenagers and Maddie had made the decision to eat out as often as possible in the few days she'd stayed there. She couldn't imagine it would get any better when more Argents would arrive.
This, on the other hand, was different. Both girls had been left at home while Chris and Victoria attended to business elsewhere. Maddie wasn't yet allowed to tell Allison the extent of the business but insisted on knowing for her own sake – a trait that both adults seemed to dislike but oblige. Then again, the slayer didn't lie to the other girl when asked about these things regardless of orders. Perhaps it was adolescent rebellion or maybe even that she was getting used to spending time with Allison and had an issue with dishonesty. Either way, she had just finished telling the hunter in training all she knew and had no qualms over doing so.
"So, Scott's coming over?" Maddie raised a curious eyebrow as she slipped on her leather jacket. "Isn't that a little dangerous?"
Allison rolled her eyes. "No more than hunting vampires."
"Slaying, thank you," Maddie replied quickly, her tone still light. "And is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"Not really." Allison shrugged before pointing an index finger at her friend. "Besides, I'm not letting you take responsibility for me. If you actually want to be my friend, I need you to stop acting like my babysitter."
Maddie frowned slightly but didn't reply. Instead, she focused her attention on picking at her brand new plum nail polish. She forgot how much she hated nail polish.
Allison sighed as she noticed Maddie's evasion. Her hand dropped to her side once again. "It's not on you to take care of us. Not me, not Lydia, not Stiles."
"I'm not taking any responsibility for Stiles," Maddie snapped almost immediately, sounding more than a little defensive. "Anything dangerous he does is on him ... What?"
Allison was giving her an amused look which vaguely reminded her of another time in the recent past. Instead of prodding, the fairer brunette waved it off. "Nothing. Where are you headed?"
"Hospital."
"You know Stiles is there."
"So? I'm there to visit Lydia." Maddie's tone was getting a bit edgier. She took a deep breath before continuing in a much calmer voice. "Besides, I wanted to make myself scarce considering how thin these walls are. I don't really want to listen to the Allison and Scott sexcapades." The vampire slayer had already begun to walk towards the door, not bothering to catch Allison's bright red cheeks. "I'll talk to you later."
"R-right! Yeah. Later."
It had been a long walk to the hospital, but a much needed respite from the people she'd been spending far too much time with; it was actually exhausting. Finally, though, she had a chance to clear her head. The night air was bitingly cold as she clung to her jacket tighter. She managed to take a detour to the cemetery once again, as she had found herself doing every few nights like clockwork. The slayer never stayed very long though, seeing as she wasn't technically alone there. The same skittish boy from before always seemed to pop up. He worked there, she learned after another few days. He talked to her sometimes, asking why she always ended up there. She avoided the question and he didn't pry – something she was extremely grateful for. He told her his name was Isaac and she begrudgingly shared her name as well. Neither of them were very talkative and Maddie seemed to be comfortable with this. Even tonight, he merely gave her a nod which she returned. Still, no vampires.
Maddie had moved on, finding herself at the hospital shortly after. She grimaced at the sterile smell and folded her arms. Never had she known a slayer who didn't have a loathing for hospitals, herself included. Life and death were simple concepts; sick or hurt were not. They were complicated and stressful. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful for Lydia to be getting better, she just hated the idea of hurt. You can't save people from hurt.
Maddie had taken the painstakingly slow elevator to the correct floor and made her way over to the desk. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Melissa McCall, Scott's mother, placing a clipboard in the holder on the door and looking at something else. The teenager followed her glance and her own stare went flat.
Once again, it was not something.
There, draped across a row of chairs with a 'Get Well Soon' balloon attached to his wrist, was Stiles, half-snoring and half-mumbling in his sleep. The slayer shook her head slowly and returned her attention to Melissa, who was now looking at her as if trying to decipher something. Finally, she pointed to the girl as if something had clicked. "Maddie."
Maddie smiled politely and mimicked the gesture. "Scott's mom."
"That's what they keep calling me at least," the woman said with a laugh at the end.
The younger girl forced a laugh of her own before speaking again. "Is it alright if I visit Lydia?"
"She's actually getting cleaned up right now, but she shouldn't be too long if you don't mind waiting."
Maddie had nodded and walked over to the waiting area. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to sit without moving Stiles and she consider it for a moment. That is, until he began making kissing sounds and she resolved from there to not touch him.
She saw a man leave Lydia's room, recognizing him as the girl's father. He also seemed to be giving Stiles a strange look as he conversed with Mrs. McCall.
"He's been here all night?"
"He's been here all weekend."
It wasn't surprising in the least. Allison had previously explained Stiles' massive crush on Lydia just the other day and suddenly things were making a lot more sense. Of course, either way, the last thing Maddie cared to learn about was who likes who or who's dating who – it all seemed trivial, honestly.
Regardless, Stiles' incoherent rambling was becoming rather entertaining. Madeline watched and stepped out of the way slightly as an older woman came by to pick up the trash. Stiles had a ridiculous grin on his face as he continued to sleep and quite clearly said, "...You're dirty," and continued to make kissing noises.
Maddie snorted a laugh and covered her mouth as the woman gave Stiles a shocked glance and quickly moved on. The noise she made as she walked off seemed to jolt Stiles awake once again and he sat up instantly, looking around. As his vision focused once again, he was met with the sight of Maddie standing right beside him and stifling her laughter. His eyes widened and he gaped at her for a moment as if searching for something to say. Before he could say a word though, she held up her hands defensively and tried not to smile. "You know what? I don't want to know."
Stiles still looked absolutely beside himself and more confused by the moment as he sat up more and swatted the balloon out of his face. "Don't want to know what?"
"Anything involving whatever you were dreaming about," she said, regaining some composure. "Also, as a note, you probably shouldn't sleep in public places if you're going to call nurses dirty."
"...What?" Stiles' eyes widened in sheer horror as they met hers. He stood straight up and took a step back from the girl cautiously. "Wait! W-what else did I say?"
"I don't know. I just got here." She shrugged before her amused looked turned more inquisitive at his reaction. "...Why?"
"Pfft! No reason," he said instantly, almost cutting her off. "Just a question; thought I'd ask – but we're moving on! Moving forward. Who's hungry? Are you hungry? I'm hungry." He spoke so quickly that she had no time to answer. Suddenly, he pointed his thumb in the direction of the hallway behind him. "I'm gonna, y'know...fix that. Right now. Over there."
Without another word, he walked off in the same direction. Maddie gave him an odd look as he walked off and hesitantly followed at a much slower pace with her arms folded. For a moment, she thought to ask but thought that the answered would be much weirder than she cared to think about.