With the Nogitsune finally dead, the illusion starts to die too. The world they were in starts to fade around them, returning to where they had really been -- the centre of the lacrosse field.

After Eli lets go of her to take some space for himself, Sky moves closer to Ariel, wrapping an arm around her waist, needing the touch to remind her that she was here. A short distance away, Scott and Allison are embracing, Stiles is moving closer to Sky after checking his father was okay, and she finally spots someone else approaching them from one of the entrances. 

Sky nudges Ariel gently, "Look."

Frowning softly in confusion, Ariel follows her gaze, lighting up when she spots Lydia and a limping Jackson coming over to them. She's relieved they're okay, and then to her surprise, Ayla is beside them, one hand holding Lydia's, the other holding her own child-size baseball bat. Unbeknown to her, Stiles had presented it to her from his backpack, which Sky didn't have time to question in their rush.

Ayla sees Stiles first and beams, "Uncle Stiles, that was so cool!" she exclaims as soon as she wriggles out of Lydia's grasp. She flings herself towards him and he lifts her into his arms. "We watched you win."

Stiles grins, squeezing her back and spinning them slightly, "God, did you grow a foot since last Christmas? You're almost as big as your Moms. Which, yeah, is not that big, but . . . "

"We can hear you!" Ariel replies, though it does little to hide the worry in her voice as the couple now strides towards them, and Stiles lets the girl in his arms almost jump to her mother, clinging tightly. Now he's child-free, he wastes no time going over to Lydia, hugging her so tightly he almost picks her up too.

Ayla burrows into her, "Mom!"

"It's okay, baby. We're okay," Ariel is murmuring into Ayla's hair, kissing her head. Then her gaze lands on Sky again and she straightens, "You brought her here?"

Sky shifts nervously, "Um, it was this or let Coach babysit," she replies.

Ariel's brows raise, "We're talking about this later."

"Yes, ma'am," Sky replies, not able to resist a grin, moving forward to wrap both her arms around her girls.

***

They stayed in Beacon Hills long enough to attend Derek's funeral two days later --  being quickly put together thanks to Peter's money and connections, the man for once completing the arrangements without being asked.

He'd had a headstone put in a plot earlier that morning. After, they'd made a quick detour to the Hale house remains to have a drink in his honour. But now they were back at the house, Scott realised he had more to say to Eli before they left.

Sky stands beside her mother, who wears a lovely green blouse as they watch Scott step to the front to face them. Beside her, Ariel has an arm looped through hers as she rests her head on her shoulder, sending a small encouraging smile to Scott. Ayla stands in front of them both, as close as she could with both hands occupied with one of theirs, more reluctant to be apart after the events that had transpired.

Stiles lingered at the back, next to Lydia, now sporting a more casual black sweatshirt he'd left behind at his Dad's house. Sky wasn't sure whether the couple had spoken properly, but by the determined glint in his eye, she was sure they'd figure things out in their own time.

Eli was understandably still grieving the death of his father and had taken some time to himself over the past day or two, but is still present, leaning against the wall away from everyone else.

Scott sends everyone a calm smile before speaking, "The first night I met Derek Hale, he saved my life," he begins, fondly recalling the events of years ago. "Then he said we were brothers, and I thought he was crazy. But no. No, he was right."

Turning to the young boy, Scott's face is sincere, "Eli, from that moment on, we were brothers," he tells him, and it seems the emotion gets to Eli because he starts to leave the room quietly when Scott turns to the rest of them, looking over to Ariel, to where Allison sits with Chris, where Deaton is, and Liam -- even Coach. "And, uh, Derek Hale was the first person to teach me that you don't just get the family that you were born with. You get the family that you find."

Sky takes a deep breath once her brother finishes speaking, catching Ariel knowing look when she blinks at the feeling of moisture in her eyes, "Must be hay fever," she mutters quietly, unable to stop from watching the direction Eli had left.

Ariel hums knowingly, "Of course," she murmurs fondly, squeezing her arm before letting go. "You shouldn't stay in here then. You should, coincidently, go in the direction Eli did," Sky purses her lips reluctantly at her obvious hint. "And if you happen to accidentally stumble across him and offer comfort, nobody would know."

"Why me?"

"He trusts you. Go," Ariel ushers her off with an innocent smile. "And remember what we talked about."

"But --" she gives up when a single eyebrow is raised. "Okay. Fine."

With a sigh, Sky walks off towards the next room, where Eli had obviously gone for a few minutes to collect himself. When she reaches the doorway, she observes how he's standing there, wiping his eyes and she steps inside, leaning against the wall next to him.

"Hey, scrappy doo."

Eli jumps, not having heard her come in due to being lost in thought and spins to face her, sending a weak smile her way to try and assure her he was fine in a way that he was obviously not and didn't need to be.

"Hey," Eli mumbles quietly.

Sky's brows furrow, "So. . . it's been a few days, but I was just wondering," she says. "You had plans. But do you know where you'll be staying now? Or who with?"

Eli shrugs slightly, "There are a few options, I guess. Why?"

Sky tilts her head from side to side, pretending to contemplate, "I'm glad. Then I guess I just want to add to that list," she tells him, and now his attention really darts to her in surprise. "If you ever need somewhere to stay, we're an option. If you want, that is."

Eli stares, shocked, ". . . You want me to stay with you guys?"

"I mean," Sky shrugs, appearing nonchalant. "I know we really haven't known each other long, so I don't expect anything, but we're more fun than the others, especially Peter. It's up to you, though. I'll give you my number at the very least. Just in case."

"I -- I don't know what to say," Eli stutters, trying not to sniff.

Sky suddenly turns awkward at the prospect of tears, "Um, a yes or no would be great, or even an 'I'll think about it'," she powers through it, standing straight in quiet alarm. "Ayla likes you. Ariel likes you. Though, to be honest, they both like most people. We have a spare room. And we're not too far. You can drive there, oof --"

The wind is nearly knocked out of her when the kid slams into her with a tight hug, and her arms hover in the air for a moment before they pat him on the back.

"Wow, two hugs from a Hale in three days. That's literally never happened before."

Eli quickly pulls back after a moment, frowning at her, "Wait, drive? I can't drive, remember? I don't . . . " he trails off, catching sight of Sky smirking over his shoulder. He turns to stare at the man who's behind them. 

Stiles stands in the doorway, looking slightly reluctant and a little exasperated as he holds out the keys to his old Jeep.

He sighs, "As much as this pains me. And it pains me a great deal," he quickly narrows his eyes in Sky's direction, who grins back like she hadn't persuaded him to do this. "I know how much your dad took care of it. Hell, he replaced almost everything to keep it running. So take them," Stiles steps forwards and places the keys into Eli's hand, face softening. "And keep it running, yeah?"

Eli blinks, opening his mouth to speak, but then Stiles quickly whips another item out of his pocket and hands it to him.

"Duct tape?" Eli questions, taking the item in confusion.

"Oh, yeah," Stiles grins stepping back. "You'll need it."

"How did you fit that in your pocket?"

Stiles winks, "Trade secret."

Sky laughs, heading to the door, "C'mon boys, suffocating in emotions has made me hungry. I think we've earned some pizza for dinner."

"Pizza party!" Stiles cheers, fist-pumping the air before calling out. "Ayla! Get your coat!

"Child," Sky scoffs, and Eli follows them quietly, just listening in amusement. "How did you get accepted into the FBI again?"

"Pure intelligence and skill."

"Ha! Lose any more toes with that skill?"

"Well, now that you mention it . . ."

***

A couple of hours and a lot of pizza later, everyone is getting ready to leave and return to their respective lives, saying one last goodbye or see you later on the driveway.

Sky watches Scott and Stiles hug firmly, patting each other on the back and promising to see each other soon before Stiles walks towards where Ariel is speaking quietly with her sister, kissing her on the cheek and stepping back with a reassuring smile. After she steps away, Stiles links his hand with Lydia's before they walk over to her car. He turns his head in Sky's direction before he gets in, only winking with a wave because they know they'll see each other soon anyway, and talk even sooner over the phone.

Nearby, Liam leads Hikari to their car, likely going back to Japan, and it makes Sky sigh wistfully, remembering another kitsune. 

"I miss Kira," she declares as Ariel returns to her side, Ayla in tow. "It's a shame she's travelling the world right now. I'm almost jealous."

"We should go on vacation next summer," Ariel suggests, shrugging. "Maybe she'll meet up with us."

Sky nods, face serious, "Somewhere warm, so I can see you in a bikini."

"Mama!" Ayla scrunches her nose up, hearing them.

"What? Have you seen your Mom? She's a --" A hand covers her mouth, and Sky grins behind Ariel's palm, watching her conceal a laugh.

"Not appropriate, dear."

Ayla sticks her tongue out when Sky manages to free herself, and she just pats her little head, "You'll understand when your older, gremlin."

"Gross," Ayla mumbles.

"Alright. We've said our goodbyes to everyone," Ariel tells Sky, gesturing to herself and Ayla. "We'll get settled in the car and wait for you, yeah?"

At the thought of going home, Sky feels herself longing to get there sooner, but she nods, sending her a small smile, "Yeah. Won't be long."

"Take your time," Ariel replies, kissing her cheek before gently pulling Ayla along, the girl starting to chat about their journey. Turning around, Sky makes her way over to her Mom first, the woman immediately pulling her into a tight hug.

"You did good, baby," Melissa smiles proudly as she pulls back and they watch Ariel open the car door for Ayla. "Do yourself a favour, never come back to Beacon Hills. I'll come to you."

"I have absolutely no problem with that," Sky agrees. She then eyes Chris when he walks back over from talking with Allison. "You take care of my Mom, you hear? My claws will come out of retirement if I catch wind of a single shred of unhappiness."

"Oh, honey," Melissa sighs.

"I'm serious. I can take him."

Melissa just reaches up and taps her cheek in fond amusement while Chris raises a brow, but nods, eyes full of mirth.

"I'm taking your silence as a win," Sky mutters, walking away before they can speak and heading over to Scott and Allison.

She points at her brother, "Scotty boy. You're coming over for thanksgiving, right?"

Scott nods, "Obviously. You think I'm gonna cook?"

"No," Sky scoffs. "But you can bring dessert."

Scott smiles, nervously glancing at the hesitant woman with him, "Can I bring a date too?"

Sky crosses her arms, eyes trailing over to Allison. It was weird to see her this nervous considering how they were when they were teenagers, but she supposed that's what trauma did to you.

"It's a weapon-free zone, Argent," Sky finally relents, watching Allison realise she had accepted.

"Yeah," Allison nods. "Of course."

"Hmm," Sky frowns for a moment. "I gotta ask though. What happened all those years ago?"

Allison swallows, "I'm not sure," she answers honestly. "It was . . . darkness. I remember running, and glowing eyes and darkness. And then I was here again, and time had passed. Maybe it's best I don't remember."

Sky huffs, thinking of the now dead Nogitsune, "That motherfucker."

Allison smiles a little, "Yeah."

"You know, Ariel missed you. She'd learned to move on, but . . . she'll be glad your coming," Sky tells her awkwardly. 

Allison raises a brow, almost teasingly like she used to, "Just Ariel?"

"Ayla too," Sky smirks. "She's excited to hang out with you. You know how kids are, ten million questions and too much energy."

Allison chuckles, "Right."

"Yes," Sky squints, then shrugs, stepping away. "I'll see you then . . . Katniss."

Allison stares at her, then lets herself smirk a little, waving, "Bye . . . puppy."

Sky flips her off, walking away.

"Hey, Sky. Wait --" Scott calls out before she gets too far, and she turns back to him in confusion as he jogs towards her. "I'm sorry."

Sky stares blankly, "What for?"

Scott rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, "For all of this. It was my fault you were involved. I know you've . . . left this kind of life behind. I should have respected that."

Sky chuckles, shaking her head, "Scott. You didn't know how much I had left behind. And even if you had, do you really think I wouldn't have come when your life's in danger?"

"But Ayla --"

"I wouldn't have brought her," Sky interrupts, then pokes him in the chest. "But I would still come for you. You're my baby brother. What do you take me for?"

"You're never gonna let those ten minutes go are you?" Scott rolls his eyes, but he smiles. 

"Never."

"I'll see you soon?" Scott checks, hopeful.

Sky smirks, glancing at Allison over his shoulder, "Not too soon, I hope. Haven't you got some catching up to do?"

Scott huffs a laugh, nodding, "Yeah, yeah I do."

***

"The kiddos in bed," Sky declares as she reaches the living room of their house hours later, having arrived late in the evening, bone tired and glad to be back. "We're finally home, the world is safe from an evil kitsune, my wife is hot," she drops down onto the sofa ungracefully, laying her head on a cushion. "All is right in the world."

Ariel strides in from the kitchen, face lifting in gentle amusement, "Some very important points there."

"The most important, yes. Now, hot wife, come here."

She had been planning to go anyway, but the words make Ariel stop and smirk, "Or what?"

"Or I'll be forced to come over there and drag you here."

"What for?"

Sky lifts her head, sending her a serious stare, "Naptime."

Chuckling, Ariel relents, walking over until she's next to the couch. With practised ease, she climbs over until she's between the back of the couch and Sky, half laying on her with legs intertwined.

"Hm," Ariel exhales tiredly but content as they settle together, closing her eyes. "I love when you talk dirty to me."

"Just wait until I tell you what we're doing tomorrow."

Ariel peeks an eye open, "What?"

"Absolutely nothing," Sky mumbles.

"Ugh, yes," Ariel groans happily, head nestled on a warm shoulder.

An arm squeezes her gently, ". . . Love you."

"Love you more."

"Well, I love you most," Sky murmurs smugly.

Ariel huffs, "Hate you."

"No, you don't."

"No, I don't."

a/n - now it's really really over. This is it! Teen Wolf completed. It's been fun getting back to them. <3