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Grief.

Loss.

Two words that come hand in hand because no matter how significant or how belittle, you will always grief over something you lose.

It's a natural feeling that everyone will experience more than once in their lifetime.

It's a never ending cycle, like climbing a spiral staircase. In your mind you may feel like your going in a never-ending circle but in reality your making progress.

•••

Two weeks had past since the big fight the Alpha Pack and Jennifer.

Two weeks since the three guardians were saved from death.

Two weeks since Scott McCall became the True Alpha.

Two weeks since Allison, Scott and Stiles put powers back into the Nemeton making it a beacon once again.

It was also two weeks since the Scooby Gang witnessed the death of Sweet Pea.

Each and every one coped differently once everything sunk in. It was a lot to take in for the young teens but they were no longer kids.

They were not children.

Just like kids in the hunger games, they were brought into a world as kids but the war of the supernatural made them soldiers.

They knew since Peter Hale bit Scott their world's will never be the same. They won't be able to have a normal school year again.

Those few, those lucky few were chosen to defend Beacon Hills. They were no longer children, they were warriors ready to fight the darkness that comes slithering into Beacon Hills.

But what comes with great responsibility also comes with great sacrifice. But this, wasn't just a random innocent person they knew but personally. No they lost friends this war.

Boyd, someone who was by himself finally found somewhere he thought he belonged. But he didn't live long enough to know that he wasn't alone.

Erica, someone who was completely overlooked and when she finally got the spotlight, she was pulled from it permanently.

Sweet Pea, someone who always looked out for himself and when he finally started looking out for the Scooby Gang he was killed.

•••

I think many of us, maybe the entire town, had been hoping against hope that somehow Sweet Pea hadn't drowned weeks ago, that we'd come to school Monday morning and there Sweet Pea would be, or that we'd see him drinking beer and playing pool at the local bar.

But that was before the undeniable, irrevocable fact of his body, a corpse with a mark carved in its forehead and terrible secrets that would never be revealed or explained by the cold, steel blade of a coroner's autopsy scalpel or the telltale beating of a guilty heart.

No one would ever know how Sweet Pea, after many close calls, would die from something so mundane as drowning.

No one would ever know the mark carved into his head was a purpose of using his energy for power.

No one but Lydia would know who was the cause of Sweet Pea's death.

Out of all members of the Scooby Gang, the sheriff's son took the hardest blow.

Perhaps it was guilt of holding hatred towards the boy during most of their time spent together.

Or the guilt of a broken heart, one he didn't know the Serpent held until it was too late.

Stiles thought what feelings he felt for the boy was simply an infatuation.

But the realization that he wouldn't walk through the door, hurt Stiles more than he cared to admit.

Even with his dad who safe and sound, he couldn't be happy. His thoughts clouded with the Serpent.

He found himself in the guest room that Sweet Pea stayed in. He even caught himself wearing the jacket Sweet Pea last wore. The one with the flannel design but it still had the gang logo on the back.

When his dad came to pack up Sweet Pea's stuff Stiles hid the flannel jacket. He didn't know why he did, until he convinced himself it was simply for closure. But deep down he knows why, it was because the jacket smelled like him.

The smell of smoke and alcohol.

•••

"But we will have a new code." Allison spoke. Her dad looks at her curious and with mild interest.

Everything that happened with Sweet Pea she did a lot of thinking. She needed to protect these innocent people, she didn't want anyone to die.

"We protect those who cannot protect themselves." Chris Argent translates to English. Allison nods as her dad smiles and agrees.

He knew the reason behind the new change of code. He knew his daughter felt responsible over the kid and blamed herself for not being able to save him.

She grieved and she was now at the stage of acceptance and healing.

•••

Grievance comes in many different forms and it's different for everyone who experienced the pain.

Anger,

Hurt,

Lost,

Numb,

the most common emotions people feel when dealing with grief.

But grief isn't all bad, few --very few-- feel enlightened and those are the lucky ones.

But they feel enlightened because whatever they had weighed on their shoulders, like guilt or something similar, and finding the truth even through death gives the person a sense of enlightenment.

Maybe it was chance to fix what was wronged long ago. Or maybe it was a push into starting over and getting a fresh start. Something they really needed.

For Derek, Sweet Pea's death did come as a shock. Guilt slithered into his heart but he thought back to what his mother told him.

Sweet Pea was with his family now, he was with Paige. He would finally meet his sister, something long over due. He felt better, because after everything nothing haunted him from his first love. He was at peace, in a sense.

He took one last look at the loft that was his home for a while. Closing the door he along with his sister head to his ride.

He knew Cora was an Alpha now and being in this town wasn't safe for her. She needed to be safe for the sake of the both of them. So, he was taking Cora back to South America, where she lived since the house fire.

She would be safe there and it was for the best.

•••

Scott McCall may have a chance to reconnect with his dad.

Scott opens the door and sees his dad standing outside his room. Putting a smile he closed the door in his father's face, not once losing eye contact.

Just because he has a chance, doesn't mean he's going to take it nor does he want it.

•••

"Stiles?" Scott asked as he picked up the phone. After closing the door on his dad his phone rang and it was Stiles.

Silence.

Grabbing his keys to his dirt bike and his jacket he called for Stiles again.

Nothing.

Then the line went dead, fearing the worse Scott left through his window. Not wanting to deal with his dad who was most likely still in the house. Running to his bike and taking off towards the Stilinski household.

Opening the door with a spare key Stiles gave him he runs inside. "Stiles!?" With his werewolf hearing he heard Stiles in his room with a rapid heartbeat.

Taking off upstairs he opened the door and stops. The sight before him made him realize what's going on.

Stiles finally broke.

Since hearing the news, Stiles's dad had Sweet Pea's body shipped back to his old town, Stiles has been putting a front.

Yes he cried, but only a short session before he put on a brave face. Everyone knew he took it the hardest because it wasn't Stiles to hold anything in.

If he was mad, he'd let everyone know.

If he didn't like someone, he'd let them know, he'd let everyone know.

If he didn't like a plan, he'd make it known.

If he was sad, he'd let Scott know.

But this time, he put on a front saying he was okay.

They knew when Stiles broke, it wasn't going to be good. They were right.

"What are you doing?" Stiles asked his dad who was on the phone. He watched his dad hang up on a phone he didn't know he had. When did his dad get two phones?

What could he possibly be hiding?

"Nothing, just... They uh- they're going to sell Sweet Pea's stuff and trailer." Stiles furrowed his brow.

Why would they do that? Did he live alone? "H-Hold on. You're saying his cult or gang is going to just sell his stuff like nothing?!?"

Stiles tries to argue but his dad wasn't having it. He told his son what they do with his stuff isn't their problem.

Stiles scoffs and storms to his room, anger ran through his veins. How could they just rid of everything Sweet Pea just like that?

He wasn't the most nicest person but he was still a person.

"Stiles?" Scott asked the boy who facing the other way. From his rapid breathing and heartbeat he knew Stiles wasn't okay.

Along with the obvious destroyed room, which had clothes all over the place, papers ripped and scattered around the floor, his desktop items scattered around. Even his posters were ripped from the thumbtacks and crumbled a corner. His blankets were half on the bed and half off, his mattress halfway off the bedframe.

Scott looked at Stiles with sympathy, "D-Don't look at me like that!" Stiles yells, as he glares at Scott then to the wall. "Don't look at me with pity. I don't need pity. I'm the last person that needs pity."

Scott tells him slowly getting closer, that it wasn't pity, and he was honest when he said the look in his eyes was sympathy. He didn't know how Stiles felt, especially if it consists of losing a loved one.

The last time Stiles experienced something like this along with destroying a room was when he lost his mom. Now he lost Sweet Pea, Scott couldn't imagine how it felt and he good he wouldn't be able to.

"My dad told me their going to sell Sweet Pea's stuff. H-How could they do that?" Stiles whispers towards the end.

"It's been two weeks. Stiles wha-" Stiles cut him off yelling that it doesn't matter.

It took his dad months before he could bring himself to consider donating his mom's clothes. But two weeks?

Two freaking weeks?!

It was too soon.

The two teens stayed silent as the time past. Scott thinking of ways to distract Stiles from the current situation.

Stiles on the other hand, thought about Sweet Pea and his arguments with the kid.

"I don't know if you guys noticed but this is exactly what a hospital would look like in a horror movie where a main character dies in the end. My vote is Chihuahua." Sweet Pea smirks sarcastically at the boy who scoffs.

"Why would I be the one that dies! It could be you!" Stiles yells as Scott stayed silent watching the two.

"Well one, your human. You practically spit insults and shit sarcasm so my guess is your not exactly everyone's buddy buddy list. For instance Scrappy, Fugly and Peter Griffin --me. I'm surprised you managed to stay alive this long. Either your terribly lucky or death doesn't want to deal with you for eternity just yet."

Scott noticed Stiles clenching his fist and he cautiously looked to his brother. "This is wrong. This isn't right..." Stiles whispers, mostly to himself.

Stiles stood up pacing back and forth, the more he thought about the memory the angrier he got.

He was supposed to die.

Not Sweet Pea.

Him.

"I... I was supposed to be dead, not him." It was then Scott knew he had to stop Stiles. He couldn't hear Stiles say such things. But it didn't stop Stiles.

His voice got higher and soon he was yelling. He was blind with rage, he couldn't control his movements.

Scott tries to calm Stiles down but he couldn't get close enough. Stiles went on a rage, he threw picture frames to the floor, ripped more of the posters he didn't before.

He picked up his chair, which surprised Scott but he knew it was the adrenaline as Stiles threw it against his door.

"Alright that's enough." Scott said as Stiles blindingly picks up his computer screen ready to drop it onto the floor. "No! You don't get it Scott!! It wasn't supposed to end this way! I was the one who was supposed to die first!"

Scott froze as he heard those words come out of his mouth. It reminded him of when he himself tried to light himself on fire at the hotel.

"Stiles..."

"No! You know it, Sweet Pea knew it! It was supposed to be me! The only person who was actually said it aloud and to my face was Sweet Pea!! I mean come on Scott, Sweet Pea was supposed to be invincible... He wasn't supposed to die..."

Stiles whispers as he leans against the wall mentally and physically exhausted.

"Sweet Pea wasn't invincible. He was just like us."

"No. No Scott! We're nothing like you guys! If was to ram this glass into you you'd heal! Okay, I sure as hell can't heal when someone stabs me with a knife o-or a glass! Can Allison?! No she can't! Can Lydia!? No!! WE'RE NOTHING LIKE YOU!! WE'RE HUMAN! We're human Scott, you can't protect all of us... I know that, you should be able to too. But still... I should've been the one buried six feet under, not him. Not Sweet Pea." Stiles confesses.

Scott looked down, he knew it was true but he still had hope.

But he brushed everything off, he knew whatever Stiles was saying was all because he was hurt.

Stiles looked Scott directly in the eyes, "I should be the one who died, not Sweet Pea."