Arrow Inferno
Chapter 56: Stanley ‘STAN’ Norris vs. Ian ‘WILL’ Williams ~ At peace!

***

"I do. He's the most amazing man, mum."

"On a scale of one to ten, how much do you like him?"

"Eleven."

Ava laughed. "That much, huh?" At Will's nod, she beamed. "You must confide in him if you start experiencing any..."

"Magical surges." Will chuckled. "Stan is the last person I should be discussing any such thing with," he drawled. "Why's that?" Ava frowned.

"The guy never takes anything seriously."

"Trust me, he won't joke with this. He's the best person to talk to."

"Really?"

"Yes. It's usually best to share such things with someone you trust. And I have a feeling this Stan will understand and help you handle it better."

"I know he will help me however he can if I ask him to."

"Good. Now, your sister... Keep an eye on her and those grandkids of mine."

"You know I will."

"And you better start eating and taking good care of yourself. Promise."

"I promise I will eat well. Stan will make sure of that." Will frowned. Something didn't feel right.

"Okay, now you're making me like him too much." Ava laughed softly. "I love you very much, son." She whispered.

"Mum?" Somehow Will knew they were saying goodbye to each other but he didn't even remember why. He'd felt happy that he was having that moment with his mother since they started talking but suddenly, he felt so much pain and sadness. "Mum?" Will felt his heart pounding. The ache within was increasing by the second.

Ava placed a hand on Will's chest. "Remember what I told you. Stay in control."

And that's when it finally hit him. He wasn't going to see his mother again. "Oh god, Mum." Will's voice broke.

"It is okay. I'm okay." Her smile was full of love. "You and your sister made my world so amazing and I love both of you so much. Never forget that."

"I'm not ready, Mum?" A sob escaped Will.

"No, no, no don't, Ian." Ava pleaded, the look on her face one of pain. She hugged her son fiercely, groaning when she felt him shaking against her. "Son, please. This is the time to be my brave knight and help me. The only way is to be strong and happy that I'm at peace."

"It's so difficult, Mum." Will tried not to breakdown. "But I'll try." Instinctively, he knew that breaking down would make things difficult for his mother. "We love you too, Mum. You are the best!"

"Thank you." Ava ended the embrace and reached up to cup Will's cheeks. Seeing how her son was struggling not to burst into tears broke her heart. "Be safe." Then she drew his head closer and kissed him on each cheek. "Now sleep, my knight."

**

"Mum..." Stan heard Will call out shakily in his sleep and moved closer to the bed.

"Deloris?" The werewolf breathed, agitated because he felt his mate's distress. "What's going on?"

Beside Will's bed, Deloris opened her eyes and moved her hand away from Will's forehead. "He's fine, Stan. Calm down." Deloris reassured the worried man standing at the foot of his mate's bed. "Sure?"

"Positive." Then she turned to look at Ava and promptly gasped. Her cheeks were wet with tears. "Aww Ava." The warlock felt herself tearing up. "I'm so sorry."

"No, I'm fine. I'm just happy I got that moment with him. Thank you so much, Deloris. I wish I could say I owed you one." She gave a tremulous smile.

"He's family now so we're good." At Ava's nod, Deloris pointed at Stan. "Ready?"

"Oh, yes I am." She laughed softly.

"You might want to..." Deloris gestured at her own cheeks.

"Sorry." Ava's face instantly cleared. "I'm ready." She actually seemed excited.

"Come here, Stan." Deloris beckoned to the werewolf. "Close your eyes," She instructed when he came close. Then she reached up and touched his closed eyes and whispered some words. "Open them." Stan opened his eyes and blinked at Ava. "Still dead?" The two women laughed. "Because you look so real right now."

"Oh, he's met his match alright." Ava muttered to herself. "So, it appears my son really likes you."

"The feeling is mutual, ma'am." Stan grinned. "I see he got the dimples from you."

"He did." Ava frowned when she suddenly felt herself getting lighter. She knew she didn't have much time. "I'm sorry my son pulled a gun on you. It wasn't his fault. News of my death fucked him up." "I figured. Didn't know ghosts could use the f-word though." He grinned.

"Haven't seen any rule book yet." Ava rolled her eyes, making Stan laugh. "You said earlier that you're in love with my son. Is he aware?"

"No, ma'am."

"Maybe you should tell him. He's always wanted kids." Ava didn't beat about the bush. There was no time. "How are you two going to manage that since both of you will be werewolves?"

"We can have pups through surrogacy," Stan responded.

"Really?"

"Yes, ma'am." Unlike alphas who were supposed to produce heirs with their mates. Stan and Will were free to use surrogacy to make pups. "Some of our women who never had mates are into surrogacy. So your son and I can have pups if we want."

"Good to know. Now, a quick word of advice; don't think because I'm not on this plane, you can get away with it if you hurt my son. I'm sure you didn't expect to see me here."

"I didn't, ma'am."

"But here I am. That should tell you I don't play where my kids are concerned." She said with all seriousness. "If you don't want to wake up one morning missing that fluffy tail of yours, treat my son right."

"You have my word, ma'am."

"And you better tell him what you are because clearly, he doesn't know. Thinks he can't even tell you about witches because you won't believe him."

"Is that what he is? A witch?"

"He has the gift. But it's very likely to remain dormant rather than full-blown. In the event that it begins to manifest fully, I expect you to be there for him, please."

"Be assured that I will." Stan breathed.

Ava nodded. "Why did you transform this morning? Were you trying to scare him?" She stared Stan down.

"Oh, no." Stan took an involuntarily step back. His mate's mother's take-no-prisoners style was damn scary. "He's friends with my wolf. He just doesn't know that's me. And he doesn't believe in the supernatural so I decided to reunite him with the wolf first before I tell him anything."

"Right. So this dawn, you were only trying to reveal your true self."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Call me Ava." She finally offered in a softer tone of voice. "Now I regret interrupting you. I don't approve of you shocking him first but it would have been fun to watch." She chuckled. "When I saw you transform, it scared the bejesus out of me. But I like you very much. And I want my children to be with the people they trust."

"Did he tell you that?"

"He didn't have to. I've seen how he relates to you. There was so much tension when you got here initially. But it was obvious he still trusted you. I suppose you pissed him off, huh?" she smirked.

"Unfortunately." Stan managed to look shame-faced.

"Want to know the quickest way to get him to forgive you when you piss him off? Buy him a cheesecake."

Stan laughed. "Thank you for the tip."

"Thank you for giving me a lovely sendoff." She said softly. "I didn't see it but I heard him telling Jackson on phone one night."

"The pleasure was all mine, Ava. Thank you for giving me such a gorgeous and amazing... You're fading." Stan gasped.

"Her work here is done." Deloris stood up from the sofa she had been relaxing in and came close to them.

"Take good care of him for me, please." Ava whispered urgently.

"You have my word." Stan placed a hand on his chest to express how seriously he meant those words.

"Thank you so much, Deloris." Ava said with eyes filled with so much gratitude. "And thank you Stan for calling her. You have saved me and made me very happy." She gave a tremulous smile, receding even more. The last thing they heard her say before she completely disappeared was, "You have my full blessing, Stan." And then Ava Williams was gone.

"Thank you," Stan whispered, his eyes closing as emotion washed over him. "Hearing that from her was the ultimate for me." He rasped, feeling gratitude, respect, and joy with a tinge of melancholy. "I wish she were still alive." Stan's voice shook with emotion.

"Me too." Deloris looked down at a sleeping Will. "If he's anything like his mother, you've got yourself a gem. I have to go. I'm sure he will tell you what this was all about when he wakes up."

"Thank you, Del." Stan hugged the warlock. "You're the best."

"Hope you'll come home soon. The pack misses you."

"Soon." He lifted a hand in farewell and sighed when Deloris disappeared. He moved to Will's side. "Finally, you can sleep peacefully." He bent to kiss his mate on the forehead. Then he went to take a shower and organize some food.