Chapter Thirty - Epilogue

...

One year later...

"We're sad to see you go, Sean; you will be missed. But we hope you have a wonderful retirement and think of us sometimes."

Sean smiled at the small group gathered - the newest recruits in the FBI, some of the older ones he'd taught, and a few other agents he'd known or worked with over the past fifteen years. "Thank you. It's been a great honour to work with you, and to train most of you here. I hope you'll do me proud."

Somewhere at the back of the room Jade snorted. Beside her, Mohammed raised an eyebrow at her curiously. She shrugged. "Sean's been trying to retire for a full year now; I'm pretty sure the only reason the FBI's letting him go now is because you're the only one who was stupid enough to take on his role."

"I think it will be a good experience to help shape the lives of the recruits. I only hope I can do as good a job as Sean has over the years."

"Yeah, well, you've both got an unnatural amount of patience," Jade said, grinning. "I wouldn't last a day with them without someone screaming."

Mohammed laughed. "I can only imagine. I would hope them rather than you," he added, smiling.

Jade grinned. "Yeah, I make no promises. Oh, the cake's being cut. Want a piece?"

"Please."

Sean's retirement party continued for another two hours, even though Sean wasn't actually present for most of it. He'd had enough socialising after an hour and left early, stopping only to say goodbye to a few people, Mohammed and Jade included.

Heading straight to the airport, Sean waited patiently for the flight to Beacon Hills. He had discussed claiming a suitable spot within the forest with the Nemeton; Sean was somewhat suspicious that the Nemeton had him put near one of his granddaughters.

Deputy Parrish was waiting for Sean at the Beacon Hills airport, not surprised to see Sean walking off the plane with little more than a carry-on bag.

"Thank you for the lift, Deputy."

"Not a problem. Do you want the scenic route or straight there?"

"Straight there, if you don't mind? I'd prefer to get settled in sooner rather than later," Sean said, not at all apologetic.

"Of course," Parrish said with a nod, leading him out to the cruiser. They were both silent as Parrish drove out of the airport parking lot and towards the forest. "Are you sure you want me to go with you?" he asked eventually.

Sean smiled at the offer. "I am tired, Deputy, but that does not mean I will forget. I'd prefer for someone to know where I am, just in case I'm needed again."

"All right. Between us, I really hope you aren't," Parrish said, grinning.

Sean laughed. "Ditto. How's it been here? Everything settled?"

"Peace, quiet, and small-town boring," Parrish confirmed. "We haven't had a monster, hunter, or even an unnatural death in eight months. I believe it's a town record."

"Who was the unnatural death?" Sean asked curiously.

"Someone tried to rob Mrs. Gawler while Teddy was in the store. We arrived in time to find the pieces he left behind."

"Ouch."

Parrish nodded in agreement, looking a little pale at the memory. "On the plus side, no one's tried to rob Mrs. Gawler since. I think she's getting bored."

Sean's laugh faded as they arrived at the forest's hiking entrance. He barely waited for Parrish to stop the car before he was getting out, inhaling the smell of trees and earth deeply. It smelled like home.

...

"Are you two packing or making out?" Malia called.

Peter held back his laughter as Chris sat up abruptly, his hair at odd angles. "We'll be right down, dear."

"Making out," Malia muttered, rolling her eyes.

Plonking down on the couch, Malia tapped her plane ticket on her thigh and waited impatiently. Her phone chimed and Malia opened the notification, smiling when she saw the messages from Allison, Erica, and Boyd.

Allison: Get our lousy parents to France or just leave them behind and come by yourself!

Erica: We've found the BEST restaurant for venison. Boyd's booked a table for us tomorrow, so don't fill up on crappy plane & airport food.

Boyd: Tell Peter to bring his credit card. Isaac and Ethan are surprising Jackson with a visit and he's either going to want food or clothes to make up for being left out of the loop. Probably both.

Erica included a photo of them at the restaurant, Boyd splayed out on his chair, looking as though he'd died and gone to heaven.

Malia laughed, saving the photo of the three of them to her phone.

"What's so funny?" Peter asked at the doorway.

"Plan on being broke by the time we're back; Isaac, Ethan, and Jackson are coming too."

"Oh, good. I'll be able to stock up on Hermes scarves for Isaac when we're there," Chris said, pressing a kiss to Peter's neck and stopping his sarcastic retort.

"Don't forget to text your father; he'll have my head otherwise," Peter said.

Malia grinned. "I've already let him know. He's been cleaning everything like crazy; I think it's the first time he's had visitors in years."

"Erica, Boyd, and Allison aren't staying for long; they're only coming back for a weekend before going to Quantico," Chris pointed out.

Malia snorted. "Tell my dad that."

An alarm sounded - Malia's phone - and she stopped it, grabbing her suitcase. "Come on, before we're really late."

"We're still early; how many alarms have you set?" Peter asked, grabbing his own suitcase nonetheless.

"All of them. Now move," Malia said, ushering them out the door.

Malia's phone chimed again with another message, this one from Yelena.

Yelena: Have a safe flight! Let me know when you're in France; I need to live vicariously through you while I'm stuck in Kentucky. Kentucky, Malia. Rafe obviously hates me.

Putting her suitcase in the back of the car, Malia strapped herself up on the back seat and replied.

Malia: He doesn't hate you; he only takes the best, remember?!

Yelena: So not the point. Jorge's in New York, lucky bastard.

Malia: When? He didn't tell me!

Yelena: Mia called & he left at ass-o'clock this morning for a last-minute thing. Jorge gets cheesecake & I get chicken.

Malia: At least it's crispy?

Yelena: I hate you. Have a good flight.

Malia: I know. I'll let you know when I'm there!

"No last-minute things we need to get?" Peter called before he locked the door.

"We can buy them in France!" Malia called back.

"She's right, Peter," Chris said with a grin.

Peter grumbled under his breath about credit cards, but was in the car a second later, turning on the ignition and heading towards the airport.

Malia: Heading to the airport now, Dad. Don't clean too much, okay? Everything looks fine already. Love you.

Dad: I'll try. Be safe. Love you too, Malia.

...

"Morning, Sheriff. We're selling chocolates to raise money for new crosse sticks for the lacrosse team. Coach said if we don't get enough money, we'll have to sell Greenberg on the black market."

"Liam, it's seven in the morning. I just finished a double shift an hour ago."

"I told you," Mason hissed at his best friend, Liam wincing when he saw how tired the Sheriff looked.

The Sheriff sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "How much?"

"Five bucks for a block."

"Great, give me two, then go bother someone else. Mr. Lancet's home," the Sheriff added, nodding across the road.

Mason grinned. "Thanks, Sheriff."

The Sheriff nodded distractedly, trying to find his wallet. "Mel, have you seen my wallet?"

"On the bench with your keys," Melissa said behind him, offering his wallet. She was dressed in purple scrubs, and looked at the two seniors. "Come by the hospital around three o'clock; there'll be a line of nurses and doctors ready for their sugar fix."

"Awesome! Thanks, Mrs. ... uh, Melissa."

Swapping a ten dollar note for two chocolate blocks, the Sheriff thanked Liam and Mason, and promptly shut the door on them.

"Mrs. Uh, that's a new one," Melissa said with a grin, pressing a kiss to her husband's cheek and stealing a chocolate bar from him. "Go and sleep. There's leftovers in the fridge when you're hungry," she added, tucking the chocolate into her bag.

"Thanks, Mel," the Sheriff murmured tiredly, making his way upstairs. He stopped at the top and looked back down at his wife, his eyes narrowing. "Put my chocolate bar back."

Melissa laughed and returned the second bar to the hall stand. "Good night."

"Night, Mel."

Melissa closed the front door quietly, trying not to laugh when she saw Mason and Liam knocking on Mr. Lancet's door. She hoped they survived the encounter and she'd see them later that afternoon.

On the drive to the hospital, Melissa saw Jordan's new signs in shops declaring his intention to run for the Sheriff's position now that Sheriff Stilinski was retiring. Melissa knew for a fact that Jordan would have both hers and her husband's votes.

...

Scott smiled when he saw his father's icon light up green. He pressed the video call button, waiting patiently for Rafe to accept the call and appear on his screen. "Hey, Dad."

"Hey, Scott. How are you?"

"Not bad, just studying for finals."

"How's that going?" Rafe asked. He hated how hesitant he sounded; even after a year, he still felt awkward when talking to his son.

"Could be better," Scott admitted. "I'm just anxious to get it over and done with, I think."

"Big plans afterwards?"

"Sort of? I'm heading back to Beacon Hills after my exam; Dr. Deaton wants me to get as much hands-on experience as I can."

"Has Deaton recovered? The Sheriff told me he had a few rough months there with him."

"Yeah; he spent some time in Eichen House. Ms. Morrell helped him through it, though I don't think Dr. Deaton liked being told what to do by his sister very much," Scott mused. Then he shrugged. "He seems to be all right now; I think focusing on being a vet rather than a Druid helps him."

There was a knock at Rafe's door and he looked up to see Rodriguez waiting. "Sorry, son; it looks like I've got a meeting to go to. Good luck with your exams; let me know how you go. And be careful with Deaton; let me know if you need any help."

"Thanks, I will. Talk later," Scott said cheerfully, ending the call.

...

Mia set down the last boxes in the office space, looking around proudly at the FBI's brand new office. Teresa ripped open a box, moving several reams of paper to the printer.

"Where do you want this, Mia?"

"I'd be able to tell you if I knew what this was, Marcie," Mia replied, rolling her eyes.

Marcie appeared and pulled a face at her. "You could've at least tried to guess."

"Why are you carrying a picture frame, Marcie?" Grant asked, frowning at her.

"We're playing Guess the Invisible Thing Marcie's Holding," she replied with a grin.

"No, I mean, I didn't think we had a picture frame? Is a President's face in there?"

"Hell no; we're putting up a team photo once everyone's arrived," Mia said. "Or a picture of my brand new car."

"Tough decision," Marcie snickered. "I'd prefer the car, myself."

"We all know you're going to have a photo of your car on your desk, Mia, just stick with the team photo," Teresa called out.

"Don't make me regret joining this task force," Ari called out, looking as though she was battling a headache already.

Yukimi rolled her eyes. "Please, everyone can tell how excited you are about this. Even Li mentioned it on the way over."

"I'm very observant," Li said, grinning. "Anyway, your excitement was way better than being stuck with Kuhle and Sara making lovey-dovey faces at each other," they said, pulling several faces.

"How long until Tomika arrives? She's visiting Lydia tonight, isn't she?" Ari asked.

"She'll be here tomorrow, probably around the same time as Sara and Kuhle," Mia said. "Apparently, if she misses another date night, we're all getting banshee screams at odd times of the night."

Grant shuddered. "How many date nights does she need? Tomika can have mine."

Li snorted. "I don't think your girlfriend would approve of that, Grant."

Marcie turned red, disappearing after giving Li the finger.

"Please tell me other adults are arriving sooner rather than later," Ari asked.

"Caleb, Tasha, and Okami are arriving tomorrow afternoon," Mia promised with a smile. "Now, everyone get back to work."

"Yes, Mia!"

...

Tomika checked her watch for the third time in as many minutes, cursing the traffic and public transport system. Her phone had died half an hour ago, just as she'd tried to text Lydia to let her know that she was going to be late. Tomika muttered about useless banshee powers that couldn't even predict her phone's death.

Distracted by checking the time yet again, Tomika almost bowled over another pedestrian. She was halfway through an apology when she realised that she'd knocked into Lydia.

"Lydia? Shit, are you okay?"

"Fine," she replied, brushing off her dress. "I guess we're both running late then?"

"Traffic sucks," Tomika said with a brief grin.

"It took me twenty minutes to get here from MIT, so I completely agree," Lydia muttered, rolling her eyes and glaring out at the traffic in general.

"We're not too late; think they'll still have our table reserved?"

"They'd better," Lydia said, her lips pursed.

Tomika laughed and pressed a firm kiss to her lips. "I missed you."

"Missed you too," Lydia said, squeezing her hand gently. "How's work been?" she asked once they were seated.

"Not too bad; I finished a job in Ohio yesterday. Idiots thought it was a good idea to lie to me," Tomika said, shaking her head.

"I hope you made them regret it."

"I'm pretty sure their ears are still ringing," she said with a grin. "How's MIT? Has what's his name stopped hitting on you yet?"

"Yes, thankfully. Jorge very kindly helped when he was in town; no one's dared to come near me in a week. It's been quite relaxing."

Tomika laughed. "I wondered what had Jorge looking like the cat that caught the canary; he wouldn't tell me!"

"I'll tell you later when we're not eating," Lydia said.

"Oh, I plan on eating for a long while yet," Tomika said with a broad grin, giving Lydia a slow and heated once over.

Lydia grinned back at her. "Good."

...

Stiles set the box down on the bare mattress, looking around the shoebox apartment fondly. Considering how small the apartment was - even without his belongings in it anymore - it didn't take very long at all.

"Caleb's trying to use our moving boxes to create a life-size version of Tetris; Okami and Tasha are threatening to make him run to California... What are you doing?" Derek asked, stopping behind Stiles since he was crowding the doorway.

"Reliving the last year of living in this place."

"You hated living here. You said as much at least two times a day, but you still wouldn't let me buy a place with more than four walls."

Stiles turned to face Derek. "There was no point buying somewhere else when I didn't know how long I'd be at Quantico. Besides, it doesn't mean I can't have fond memories of the place."

"What, like stepping on my toes three times in five minutes?" Derek said pointedly, his expression turning to a grin.

"That was an accident!"

Derek kissed him. "I know. Now help me and grab something."

Stiles smirked and grabbed Derek's ass.

"Not that," Derek muttered, resting his forehead on Stiles' shoulder. "Come on, the sooner we're out of here and in the new place, the sooner we can have sex in every room."

"Honey, we can hear you!" Tasha called from a floor down.

"I'm going to rearrange the boxes again," Caleb said, leaving without waiting for a response.

Okami rolled her eyes and continued upstairs with Tasha to grab the last of Stiles and Derek's belongings.

Stiles laughed and cupped Derek's face, moving him so they were eye to eye. "Sweet talker," he murmured, kissing him again. Pulling away, Stiles grabbed the box he'd set down earlier. "Come on, Hale, get moving."

"Yes, sir, Special Task Force Leader Stilinski."

Stiles grinned. There were some days he could hardly believe this was his real life, but it really was. Stiles couldn't wait to see what else life had in store for him.

...

Author's note: No, I haven't revealed what Teddy is.

Tomika's backstory. (I left the best 'til last.)

Tomika grew up in New Orleans with her Gram. She didn't find out until she was older that she was the lone survivor of the car crash that killed her parents and a bus full of tourists. Her Gram always suspected that she'd been saved for a greater purpose, putting a lot of pressure on Tomika as a child. Tomika found out that she was a banshee by screaming the neighbour's cat's name in the middle of the night. Her Gram was woken by her screaming and they both found what was left of the cat the next morning. Their neighbour found them with the remains and accused Tomika of a lot of things that were impossible considering she was only four years old. Tomika's Gram wasn't exactly a witch, but she could give the Evil Eye better than anyone else on the street; their neighbour left the next week after a series of unfortunate accidents befell them.

On realising what Tomika was, her Gram took her to a local witch doctor whom she trusted more than a hospital doctor. Spending her meagre savings to buy as many books as possible, Tomika's Gram home-schooled her. She taught her to control her banshee powers between everyday school lessons. They tried everything from out of body experiences to aromatherapy if her Gram thought it would help (the latter certainly didn't; Tomika spent a week sneezing). Through a lot of trial and error, Tomika learnt the best way to control her powers and not let them control her. She filled a notebook within a week.
(Tomika is terrified she'll have to scream her Gram's name one day.)

Joining the FBI hadn't been anything Tomika had really considered until she received the invitation. Her Gram encouraged her to apply, at least so she would know whether she could do it or not, and Tomika sent her application in the next day.

Tomika's Gram is very proud of her and she loves Lydia. (So does Tomika.)

...

The end.

Thanks for reading; I hope you liked it!