Lonesome & Mad

It had been months since Danny had disappeared and life had gone on but it still didn’t feel right to Scott. They still hadn’t managed to find any sign of him or his body but Henrik and Kaleb had both tried locator spell after locator spell and none of them had worked so one thing was for certain – Danny was dead. Even just thinking those words was enough to make Scott’s heart ache, with how big the pack was now and everything they had faced together he had honestly hoped that they would be able to find a way to stop the curse from taking Danny’s life the way it had so many of his family before him but they had failed. Nothing they had tried had worked and in the end the curse had caught up with Danny the way that Danny had always feared it would. It was cruel to think that it had happened after he had proposed to Riley and Scott couldn’t blame his friend for needing some space.

Scott made sure to try and check in with Riley each day but that day his messages had gone unanswered and Scott couldn’t deny that that worried him. They hadn’t been able to find Danny’s body and Henrik hadn’t been able to locate where Danny had gone after he’d died either. Whether that was something to do with the curse or not Scott had no idea but he wasn’t giving up hope. He hadn’t told Riley but anytime he was able to he still went out and searched for any sign of Danny’s body. Once they found that then perhaps it would be easier for Henrik to be able to locate Danny’s spirit but so far he hadn’t found anything. He had started with campus itself and the woods surrounding it before branching out further and he knew that he wasn’t going to stop until he found what he was looking for.

Unfortunately with classes, work, making sure he was there for the pack and full moons to contend with, Scott didn’t have as much time to look as he would like but he still tried to get out there as much as he could. Danny had been there for all of them so as far as Scott was concerned, it was the least he could do. That day unfortunately he had classes all day and they were difficult but Scott knew that it would be worth it to be able to become a vet like he wanted to. Finally they came to an end and as he headed out of the building and in the direction of his bike, Scott heard a familiar voice and he turned to find Riley heading in his direction. “Hey. I tried texting you earlier, how are you doing?” he asked, his eyes searching Riley’s face for any sign of how he was really doing right now. As he spoke again, Scott’s expression softened. “I’m not working today so I’ve got as much time as you need. Shall we grab a coffee?” he suggested, not sure whether Riley had something else in mind. Either way, Scott knew he wasn’t going anywhere.

RILEY PARKER

Scott knew that things had changed within the pack when Danny disappeared. They had been searching for him ever since but the fact that they hadn’t been able to find him could only mean one thing – the curse had caught up with him like he had said that it would. Danny was dead and even trying to find a way to bring him back was proving to be much easier said than done. They hadn’t found his body and Henrik and Kaleb hadn’t been able to find him on the Other Side either. Something didn’t feel right to Scott and he would be lying if he said that it didn’t worry him. He was getting out and searching for any sign of what had happened to his friend any chance he got but he was also doing his best to be there to support his pack. They had all lost Danny but he knew that it wasn’t hitting any of them harder than it was hitting Riley. Scott hadn’t been able to be there for his friend as much as he had wanted to because he had respected Riley’s need for space but he had always made sure that Riley knew he was there when he needed him. Scott had spent quite a bit of time with Danny’s parents as well, filling them in on stories about Danny and things he had done for the pack. He was still determined to find a way to bring him back but until then Scott was doing his best to be there for the people left behind.

“You have nothing to apologise for,” Scott assured him, knowing that the last thing he wanted was for Riley to feel guilty about that. He definitely understood, Riley had so much going on right now and Scott knew that the last thing he wanted was to end up adding to it. He had known that Riley would reach out when he was ready and it looked like he was right. “I get it,” he said gently as Riley said he wasn’t doing great. “Losing someone you love is never easy, trust me,” he added. “There’s no set timeframe with any of it, all you can do is do things in your own time.” He and Allison weren’t together when she died but Scott had still loved her and he could still remember just how much it had felt like the pain of her loss was ripping him apart. He would never wish that on anyone but it was what Riley was going through now and he needed to deal with it in his own time. “I know what you mean. Nothing feels right at the moment,” he nodded. It wouldn’t until they found a way to bring Danny back but Scott wasn’t giving up hope. “Just hang in there.”

Scott offered Riley a smile as the guy squeezed his shoulder. He knew how easy it was to feel alone in your grief because that was how he’d felt after Allison died but he hadn’t been alone and neither was Riley. They were all there for each other and they always would be. “Great,” he nodded as Riley agreed to a coffee. “Do you want to get one here or shall we head into town?” he asked, not sure what his friend would prefer to do. Either way was fine with him, he just wanted to help Riley in any way that he could. He was a little surprised when Riley asked him to go with him to Danny’s after to go through his room but Scott soon found himself nodding. “Of course. It won’t hurt to try,” he admitted. “I haven’t seen his parents for a few days anyway, it’ll be good to see how they’re doing.”

RILEY PARKER

Scott knew that it hadn’t been easy for Riley since Danny disappeared so he had been trying to look out for the guy as much as he could. They were all still trying to figure out what had happened to Danny the day he disappeared, none of them had given up on him and Scott knew that they never would. He was a part of the pack and that meant that he was family. They had already lost a few people along the way but the ones they lost had found their way back to them eventually and Scott really hoped that it wouldn’t be any different with Danny. This time they weren’t alone in looking for him, their other friends were doing their best to help and they could turn to Henrik when they had some answers but it was getting those answers that was proving to be difficult right now. They hadn’t been able to figure out where Danny had gone after fighting with the Darach at Whitmore and they hadn’t been able to find his body either. The whole thing was incredibly strange but he knew that they would figure it out sooner or later. At the moment they were all feeling his loss but they were dealing with it in their own way. For Scott that meant trying to be there for Riley and Danny’s family as much as he could and now was no exception. Scott could still remember just how painful it had been when Allison died, the two of them weren’t together at the time but they had still loved each other and it had almost broken Scott to lose her. Now one of his friends was going through exactly the same thing and all he could do was try and help Riley get through it.

“You don’t need to thank me, that’s what friends are for,” Scott assured him, reaching over and squeezing Riley’s shoulder gently. He had kept on messaging Riley to let him know that he wasn’t alone but he honestly hadn’t expected a response until Riley was ready. He knew the boy had others checking on him as well, Tatia had been taking food over to make sure that Riley was eating and others were reaching out in their own ways as well. Sometimes being alone helped but there was nothing worse than feeling like you were alone in your grief and that was something that Scott had definitely learned the hard way. “Honestly, it wasn’t easy,” he admitted as Riley said he didn’t know how he got through it before. “It was a little different when Allison died since we weren’t actually together at the time but I still loved her. The day she died I felt like I’d died too, I was a mess for a long time but eventually it started to get easier,” he explained. “I know it’s a cliché to say that time really does help but it’s true. Allison was always my anchor but my mom helped me realise that I could be my own anchor and eventually life went on. That was before we knew people could come back from the dead though, in a way knowing that there might be a way to bring someone back is both a blessing and a curse.” It was a good thing knowing that it might be possible to see that person again but with how long Danny had been gone it had to be agonising for Riley not having him back and not being able to get any closure either. “I know you are. That’s all anyone can ask for.”

Honestly, the fact that Riley was up and about was a miracle in itself given everything that was going on so Scott knew that he was doing better than he probably realised right now. “That works for me, whatever you’re comfortable with,” Scott nodded. It honestly didn’t make a difference to him either way but he knew that it would probably make all the difference in the world to Riley. Scott definitely understood the desire to not be surrounded by a lot of people as he had felt that way for a long time after Allison died and he knew that he wasn’t going to try and force Riley to do anything he wasn’t comfortable with. “I’m surprised they’re not sick of me by now, actually,” Scott chuckled as Riley said Danny’s parents appreciated him coming by. “It feels right to be there for them. The only reason Danny is gone is because he wanted to help us, the least I can do is help look after his parents now.” Truth be told Scott felt guilty, they had tried to keep Danny out of it all while they were in Beacon Hills but he had known about the supernatural anyway. He had followed them to Mystic Falls to help find a way to stop Allison being possessed by a demon so Scott felt responsible for what had happened to him. He wasn’t going to give up trying to find a way to bring him back but until then he was trying to be there for the people Danny had left behind as much as he could. He had been such a good friend to Scott over the last few years but Scott was trying not to think about that too much right now. Focusing on the others kept his mind busy and his own grief at bay and that was what he needed. “I think they’d give anything to bring Danny back themselves right now but we’ll find a way to do it for them,” he said gently. He knew that he didn’t want to give Riley false hope but he honestly believed that they would find a way to bring Danny back sooner or later. “I don’t know much about how magic works but that could be the case. I remember Henrik saying that bringing you and Tatia back the day of the ritual was easier because your bodies were there and you weren’t dead for that long before he got there. If we can’t find the right thing to strengthen the bond then hopefully finding his body will help.”

RILEY PARKER

Scott knew firsthand just how difficult it was to lose someone you loved. He and Allison weren’t together when she died but he had still loved her and he had held her in his arms as she took her last breath. It had been years since then but Scott still remembered just how painful that was and he knew that he wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Seeing Riley and his parents in so much pain now was enough to remind Scott of what it was like back then and he hated seeing any of them hurting. They had known this was a real possibility for a while, after all Danny had been branded with the same mark that other members of his family had had before they died. Scott and the others had all tried their best to find out more about the curse so they could find a way to break it and save someone who was family to them but in the end it just hadn’t been enough. Danny had disappeared and they had no idea what had happened to him and in a way that was so much worse. If they’d been able to find his body then they would have all at least been able to have some closure but they hadn’t even been able to do that so they had all been left in limbo. Scott knew that Danny deserved so much better than what had happened to him and even though he knew that Danny had wanted them to stop looking for a way to bring him back if it didn’t look like there was one, that was a lot easier said than done for all of them. Allison had been returned to them years after she died and even Erica had found her way back from the Other Side. They hadn’t looked for a way to help either of them back then because they hadn’t thought that there was one and even though they had managed to free Allison from the demon that was possessing her, by that time the demon had already done so many awful things that Allison now had to live with. As for Erica, she had found her way back and ended up searching for them for years before finding her way to Mystic Falls and Scott knew that they couldn’t let Danny go through something similar. Being a part of the pack didn’t end when a person died and Scott hoped that they would find a way to bring Danny back eventually but he also knew that he would be there to support Riley and Danny’s parents if they couldn’t.

“Well, in that case you’re welcome,” Scott said, a small smile forming on his face as he looked over at his friend. The others were all there for him when Allison died and Scott knew that the least he could do was be there for Riley now. No one deserved to go through that kind of heartache at any time of life let alone so young when you had your whole life ahead of you. Scott knew that Riley and Danny had had plans for their future, it was clear from the engagement ring Riley still wore, and those plans weren’t easy to let go of. He still hoped that Riley and Danny would get to have the future they wanted but only time would tell. “I did and I think a part of me always will,” Scott admitted. It was true, he had loved Allison back then and even though she was with Nate now and Scott wanted her to be happy, he wasn’t sure that the love he felt for her would ever truly fade away. She was his first love and he hadn’t realised it back then but he knew now that was a very powerful thing indeed. “It might not feel like it right now but you’re finding a way to get out of bed every day and that that’s a good way to start,” Scott assured him gently. It would be too easy to give in to the grief and refuse to leave the house but Riley wasn’t doing that, he was getting on with his life as best he could and that meant that he was doing a lot better than he thought.

“Sounds good,” Scott nodded as Riley confirmed the plan for the day. It wasn’t easy taking a step back and letting Riley reach out when he was ready but Scott had known that that was what his friend needed. He had still checked in with Riley and let him know that he wasn’t alone but Scott could still remember the way he’d found himself needing time to himself after Allison died. It wasn’t easy figuring out how to keep going without someone you loved and sometimes time alone was needed so it was something he could definitely respect. As Riley spoke again, Scott nodded once more. “Danny is family and that means his parents are too, we’ll always look out for them and you,” Scott assured him. Riley was a part of the pack and had been since shortly after he’d arrived in Mystic Falls. Danny had been the one to make the introductions back then but it had always gone beyond Riley just being the guy that Danny liked. He had ended up fitting into the pack seamlessly and that was still true now. Scott hadn’t wanted to become an Alpha but it had happened anyway and he knew he was never going to turn his back on someone he cared about.

“I hope so too. They’ve suffered more than any family should, hopefully once we get Danny back we’ll find a way to put a stop to this once and for all.” The difficulty they’d faced before was the little information that was available about the curse. They hadn’t known how the Darach tracked down the people he targeted or why he chose them other than being members of Danny’s family but now Danny was gone and with any luck the Darach would believe that the curse had died with him. Danny deserved so much better than that and so did Riley, neither of them should have had to go through this but it was the way things had worked out for them and all Scott could do was try and find a way to make it right for them now. As Riley asked what else he could give to try and get Danny back, Scott’s expression softened. “I wish I knew but Danny wouldn’t give up on any of us and we’re not giving up on him. We’ll figure this out somehow,” Scott said, letting his hand rest on Riley’s shoulder and squeezing it gently. He wasn’t sure how they were going to do that but there had to be a way. They hadn’t tried to bring the others back before but now they knew it was possible, he didn’t even want to think about giving up.

RILEY PARKER