THE HOUSE WAS quiet. Too quiet. Selena was the only one home as she sat at the mirror to her vanity, gazing briefly back at her reflection. She adored getting all dressed up and ready, but it wasn't the same when she was alone, preparing to go to a school dance, where she would also be alone. Lydia was going with Stiles, by some miracle.

Selena realized she didn't have any other friends aside from the strawberry blonde. And Scott, and maybe even Stiles, lately. Either way, it was still only her own face in that mirror. Lexie was working, as per usual.

At least she looked nice. Selena was satisfied with the loose curls framing her features, having spent some extra time to make them especially perfect. Her makeup was light, but accentuated her beauty, with a swipe of dusty pink glitter across her eyelids and the gloss of her lips.

The dress looked even better when paired with her hair and makeup. It was long and satin, a pastel pink shade. The straps were thin, and the neckline was sparkly. It came with a little shawl type thing to go around her upper arms. Selena topped it all off with her usual moonstone necklace and a few silver rings on her fingers.

Sighing longingly, Selena determined this was as good as it would get. She stood up, slipping into the champagne colored heels she would be wearing. Grabbing her purse and keys, Selena exited her house and got into her car.

The drive over was uneventful, and soon Selena was parking and getting out. She leaned against the front of her car, simply people watching for a moment. Selena wasn't exactly excited for the dance. Her arms crossed over her chest, she watched as other kids from her school laughed and took pictures, linking arms and approaching the front doors.

Ignoring the random sorrow clogging her throat, Selena stalked off to the entrance. She handed over her ticket before emerging into the gymnasium.

Tonight it was illuminated with colorful, flashing lights. The disco ball was spinning and a random live band was playing, tables set off to the side with punch and snacks.

Selena decided that would be her first destination. She worked her way through the masses over to the stand, inspecting what there was. Cookies, chips, and red liquid. She frowned, glancing at the blonde girl standing to the side, sipping on the aforementioned punch.

"Is it spiked?" Selena asked plainly.

The girl jumped a little, having not expected the confrontation, "What?"

"The punch," Selena pointed, "Is it spiked? With alcohol?"

"Oh. No, it's not," she confirmed with a small smile.

Selena nodded, pouring herself a glass, "Thanks, Erica."

Erica Reyes blushed, eyes widening, "You know my name?"

Selena raised a brow, as if it was obvious, "We've gone to school together since, like, forever."

"Oh, right," Erica nervously ran a hand through her messy hair. It fell down her back in slight tangles.

"Your dress is pretty," Selena added, admiring the royal blue ruffles. Erica smiled more genuinely this time.

"Thank you, you look great," Erica returned the favor, earning a similar look. They stood in silence for a few moments, both watching the crowd of people dancing and sipping their drinks. Erica timidly peered over at the taller blonde, "I'm sorry about what happened. . . The video, and everybody finding out about. . . you know. People are stupid."

Selena sighed, shrugging, "It happens," she muttered, not wanting to talk about it, "I'm sorry about that video that got posted of you last year, too."

"Thanks," Erica appreciated hearing that somebody cared. Selena waved farewell before going to find Lydia where she was sat at a table, looking bored as ever, with an irritated Stiles.

"You look so good!" Selena cheered when she arrived, smile spreading across her lips. Lydia's face lit up as she stood, engulfing her blonde counterpart in a hug.

"Please, look at yourself," Lydia huffed, pulling back to gawk over the dress and makeup. Lydia was wearing a sleeveless dress of the same color with a black belt and hair flower, "We match."

Selena giggled, waving at the buzzcut boy behind them, "Hi, Stiles."

Stiles had a soft look on his face as he smiled small. It was the first time he'd seen Selena since the video leaked, "Hey, nice dress."

Selena did a courtesy before Lydia was handing her phone to her date, "Take a picture of us."

Stiles snapped a few shots while Lydia and Selena did various poses. Afterwards, the two girls sat and talked for a while. Stiles was officially third wheeling as he awkwardly listened and remained silent.

"I'm going to get a cookie, be right back," Selena eventually said, standing up and leaving them alone. She made it to the snack table, grabbing a few cookies and starting to munch on them.

While she was there, a slight commotion erupted.

"McCall!" Coach shouted, "I see you! Come here, buddy. Come here!" he started to chase his star player around the room, making several people giggle, "McCall! Get outta my way!" he shoved aside a small group, "McCall! It's a small gym, buddy. I'm gonna find you!"

The crazed man continued to zigzag all around, meanwhile Scott searched for an out. He ended up in front of Danny, forcing him into a dancing position.

"McCall! You're not supposed to—" he found the two boys with their arms around one another on the dance floor, "What the hell are you do—What the hell are you doing?"

Scott blinked at him innocently as the music cut out, "Yes, coach?"

Coach realized that all eyes were on him, laughing nervously, "Okay, hoh—ha ha. Hold on, you—I was just saying he's not supposed to—" he grew flustered, backing up to try and save his ass, "I mean, I wasn't saying that he shouldn't—You guys don't think—You don't. . . I-I was—Just dance, everybody," he gave up, flailing his arms all around, "Just dance! Dance! It's a party!"

Selena laughed into her palm, amazed that Scott pulled that all off so flawlessly. Scott must've heard her, as he turned and they locked eyes. Selena did a wave, while Scott could only stare back, lips parted.

The light behind her created a dramatic outline. It looked like Selena was literally glowing, with such radiant hair tumbling across her shoulders and her dress shimmering in any stray bit of light. She was an angel.

Scott mustered the courage to walk up to her, straightening out the suit jacket. Selena grinned up at him, "Hey, I see the suit fit."

"Like a glove," Scott nodded, trying desperately to tame his nerves. His hands felt clammy when he wiped them down the front of his pants, "Thank you, again."

"You don't have to thank me, I owed you anyways," Selena waved off the notion. Scott had been her rock the other day, it was the least she could've done.

"You look beautiful," Scott seemingly blurted at random. Again Selena was taken aback, that familiar pink shade splattering against her cheeks, "Like, really beautiful. More than usual," his face flushed as well, not meaning to stammer on like he did.

"Oh?" Selena tried to regain her confidence with a teasing remark, lips curling upwards, "Thanks, Scotty. You look beautiful yourself."

Scott nodded, a giddy gleam to his eyes, "Thanks," he glanced to the throng of dancing peers, "Do you want to dance?"

Selena bit the inside of her cheek, holding out a hand. Scott took it with a slight chuckle, allowing Selena to lead the way. Out in the midst of the crowd, the two supernatural teens began to dance in a very disorganized manner. They jumped around to the upbeat song playing, Scott repeatedly twirling Selena until she was a laughing disaster, hair strewn everywhere.

The fast paced beats began to gradually slow, morphing into a new tempo. Scott and Selena halted their silly moves, turning to face each other. Scott was blushing scarlet again.

He cleared his throat, holding out his hand just like she did. Selena quirked a small smile, dropping her palm in his and letting him pull her close. She slid her hands up his arms so they both intertwined behind his neck, while Scott's landed on her waist.

Selena looked down, giggling when her slightly protruding stomach brushed against him. Scott smiled at how easily amused she was, simply because it pertained to her baby. He lifted a hand to delicately brush back her hair, allowing a better view of her face. Selena looked up at him through her lashes, and Scott could feel his heart skip a beat.

"Hey, Scott, can I talk to you?"

Both turned at the sound of Allison's voice. The dark haired girl was standing beside them, eyes locked on Selena even as she spoke to her ex-boyfriend. The blonde nodded, removing her hands much faster than Scott would've liked.

"Yeah, of course," Selena's eyes fell to the floor, "Thanks for the dance, Scott," then she glanced at Allison, "You look really pretty tonight, Allison," she said honestly. Selena knew the girl mattered to Scott, even if he was convinced there was no hope for a future between them.

Selena walked away, unaware of the sad look Scott tossed in her direction. She returned to the snack table, grabbing a few cookies and finally making it back to where she left Stiles and Lydia. This time it was empty. Selena sat down anyways, working her way through the small handful of chocolate goodness she had.

It wasn't long later that Selena's phone began to ring, effectively scaring the shit out of her. She grabbed it out of her purse, seeing and unknown number staring back at her, but with  a Beacon Hills area code.

Selena stepped off to the side, one hand plugging her ear while the other lifted her phone to the opposite side, "Hello?"

"Selena," Stiles' voice was frantic and shaky from the other end. It was silent aside from his words, meaning he wasn't inside the gymnasium, "Get to the lacrosse field, Peter attacked Lydia."

"What?!" Selena exclaimed, already taking off to the nearest exit. Her heels clambered loudly from how fast she was going.

"Hurry, I have to—" the line went dead, cutting him off. Selena groaned, shoving the phone in her bag as she picked up speed. Along the way, she passed Jackson.

"Lena? Where are you—?"

"Lydia's hurt!" she shouted, not slowing her pace for even a minute. Jackson instantly ran with her.

The two broke out into the open field, spotting a body laying far away. Selena felt tears already gushing down her cheeks, tainting her makeup, "Lydia!" she cried out, steadily getting closer.

The redhead was laid on her side, unconscious. Blood stained her dress and neck in the form of multiple bite marks. Selena was sobbing as she fell to her knees, yanking off her shawl to tightly tie it around the bloody wound.

Jackson was on the phone behind her, receiving news of an ambulance on it's way. The ten or so minutes it took to arrive felt like hours, Selena cradling Lydia in her lap and shaking with terror.

Eventually Lydia was loaded into the back, paramedics insisting neither were allowed to ride because they weren't family. Jackson turned to Selena, expression unreadable, "C'mon, I'll drive."

The blonde didn't have time to argue about how much she hated the smug asshole. She ran with him to his stupid Porsche, getting in the passenger seat. Jackson sped to keep up with the ambulance, both arriving at the hospital simultaneously.

The car had barely stopped before Selena was jumping out, running in the direction of the emergency room.

"Where is she?" Selena called out, seeing the Sheriff already there. He turned to her with a sad sigh, her tear stricken face a sorry sight.

Jackson ran in after her, and the Sheriff's anger flared, "Hey. Hey! What the hell happened to that girl?" he ordered.

"I-I don't know," Jackson answered shakily, "I went out looking for her—"

"What, you just happened to wander into the middle of that field and you just found her there like that?" the Sheriff scoffed, "Don't lie to me, son."

Selena ignored them, going to stare through the window into Lydia's room. She had a breathing tube hooked up already.

"No, I—"

"Hey! What happened to her?" the Sheriff pinned him against the wall.

"This isn't my fault!" Jackson snapped.

"She's your girlfriend! That's your responsibility!"

Jackson relaxed, realizing how unaware the man was, "No, she's not, okay? She didn't go to the formal with me."

The Sheriff's brows furrowed, "Then who'd she go with?"

"Do you really wanna know?" Jackson mused, enjoying this moment, "She went with Stiles."

The Sheriff faltered, "What?"

"Stiles took her."

* * * * *

Lydia kept going into shock. Her body was fighting the bite to some extent. Selena was overwhelmed by anxiety and fear as the situation only got worse. Jackson was pacing in front of her, and Stiles had arrived moments ago to talk to his dad.

Selena saw him turn to leave, and quickly followed, "Stiles," she caught his attention, falling into step beside him. Her dress was stained crimson, just like the blood that once dripped from her hands. Stiles nodded in greeting, right before Jackson ran up.

"Hey, where are you two going?" he asked, sticking his nose in their business.

"To find Scott," Stiles said shortly, tone clipped. He was beyond angry at the jackass.

"You don't have a car," Jackson stated the obvious.

"I'm aware of that. Thank you."

"Here, I'll drive. Come on—" he went to grab Selena's arm, but Stiles yanked her away with a ferocious glare.

"Look, just because you feel guilty all of a sudden doesn't make it okay, all right? Half of this is still your fault," he snapped at Jackson, one arm still holding Selena out of range.

Jackson was barely phased, "Look, I have a car. You don't. Do you want my help or not?"

Stiles paused, "Did you bring the Porsche?"

"Of course he brought the douche mobile," Selena mumbled while Jackson pulled out his keys.

Stiles instantly grabbed them, "Good. I'll drive."

The trio turned, only to halt when Chris Argent was stood there with two hunters and a cocky smile, "Boys. I was wondering if you can tell me where Scott McCall is," he ignored the unfamiliar blonde.

"Scott McCall?" Stiles played dumb, his specialty, "Uhm, haven't seen him since the dance. Jackson, you?"

Jackson was not as good, "Um. . . I, uh. . ."

Selena grit her teeth, "You're shitting me."

The hunters grabbed each of them, tossing them into the nearby hospital room. Chris took Stiles, throwing him against the wall and keeping him pinned there.

"Hey!" Selena shouted, trying to lunge over there but both of her elbows were caught.

"Let's try this again. Where is Scott McCall?" Argent asked loudly, garnering no answer, "Let me ask you a question, Stiles. Have you ever seen a rabid dog?"

"No," Stiles stared back, not visibly afraid, "I could put it on my to do list, if you just let me go."

Argent sneered, "Well I have. And the only thing I've ever been able to compare it to is seeing a friend of mine turn on a full moon. Do you wanna know what happened?"

"Not really. No offense to your storytelling skills," Stiles quipped. Jackson looked terrified where he was being held, whereas Selena was fighting the urge to just burn the entire hospital down at this point.

"He tried to kill me, and I was forced to put a bullet in his head," he harshly poked Stiles in the forehead, "The whole while that he lay there dying, he was still trying to claw his way toward me, still trying to kill me, like it was the most important thing he could do with his last breath. Can you imagine that?"

"No," Stiles replied bluntly, "And it sounds like you need to be a little bit more select—" Argent punched the area next to Stiles' head, and Selena snapped.

"Enough!" she yelled, struggling in the hold of a hunter, "I think I should introduce myself," Her arms began to heat up to the point where the hunter holding her cried out, backing away with burnt palms.

Argent whirled around, face scrunched. Selena was glaring at him.

"Either you can back off, or you can die a fiery death," she all but snarled, hands held up threateningly. Argent watched as they began to glow a piping hot yellow, flames tickling the tips of her fingers.

Immediately Argent was stepping back, away from Stiles. The pale boy stumbled to be behind Selena while the other hunter let Jackson go too. He was staring at Selena with eyes blown wide, unaware of her powers.

"You're a phoenix?" Argent guessed, jaw clenched.

"Bingo," Selena flashed a sarcastic smile, "and I've had a really bad night to round off an equally miserable week, so I suggest you stay out of our way, alright?"

"You helped the alpha kill those people, didn't you?" Argent ignored her threat, although he took it seriously. He was smart enough not to underestimate her. Plus, with that bump to her stomach, Argent would never kill her. Not a pregnant teenage girl, no matter how dangerous.

"Would you rather I burn down a house with innocent people inside?" she cocked her head, eyes narrowed.

Argent chuckled, "I hate to dispel a popular rumor, kid, but we never did that."

Stiles nodded sarcastically, "Oh, right. Derek said you guys had a code. I guess no one ever breaks it."

Argent was suspicious but oblivious, "Never."

"And what if somebody did?" Selena challenged.

Argent looked to the side, conflicted and slowly putting the pieces together, "Somebody like who?"

Stiles dropped the final bomb.

"Your sister."

* * * * *

"Remind me again why you let her drive?" Jackson was bickering with Stiles as Selena drove his Porsche through the preserve, mud splattering against the shiny grey paint.

"I trust she'll get us there a lot faster," Stiles uttered from where he was gripping the handle above his head in slight fear. Selena was driving far too fast for such uneven ground, the wheels occasionally stuttering and sliding. Her eyes were hard with a deadly glare.

Eventually, she hit the breaks, everybody jerking forward with the momentum. Selena could already feel the heat taking over her body as she jumped out of the car, slamming the door shut.

"Peter!" she shouted, ignoring everybody else gathered around. Scott, Allison, Derek, Chris. Selena didn't care. She was only looking for one person as she stormed forward, dead leaves sizzling beneath her heels, "Peter!"

After a moment, the man of the hour appeared in front of her, lacking any particular expression as he studied her. As soon as Peter was within a yard of her, Selena lifted her hands.

Flames grew. They formed a circle around the two of them, thick and hot and tall. Scott shouted her name in concern, but was otherwise unable to reach them.

"You attacked Lydia," Selena spat, vision blurred by salty tears, "You bit her—she's in the hospital."

Peter frowned deeply, trying a last ditch effort to regain her trust, "I didn't mean to hurt her, I was only—"

"Stop lying!" Selena screamed, the fire souring higher up to punctuate her words, "All you do is lie, and I was stupid enough to believe you."

Peter was weary, admittedly. He didn't see any possibility of winning her over anymore. He should've struck sooner, talked to her before the dance. Maybe that would've rekindled their bond.

Or maybe Scott had already wiped away all of Peter's hard work just by being a nice guy.

"All I wanted was justice," even Peter didn't believe his own words. He internally huffed at his pathetic effort, finding no strength to attempt any true conviction, "I thought you understood, you know what it's like to—"

Selena stalked closer, a mere couple inches between them, "Oh, I understand perfectly," she whispered threateningly, "I understand what it's like be hurt by somebody, and want nothing more than to kill them with your own bare hands—to let them know how it feels."

Staring back at her irises reflecting her own fire, Peter felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Selena wasn't talking about Clyde Bo, her rapist, she was talking about him. Peter Hale was staring down the results of his own actions.

He'd gone to Selena in the hopes of turning a skittish little girl into an all-powerful phoenix—and, oh boy, did he succeed.

Selena huffed through her nose, smiling sadly, "You should've known better, Peter. Did you really think you could hurt Lydia and get away with it? That you could make a fool out of me?"

He felt the panic. Peter could feel his heart pounding, adrenaline coursing. Just like it did as he burnt to a crisp within his own home. Fire, pain, death; it was all creeping up on him. Peter understood that Selena was going to kill him, and there was no chance of escaping.

But he was Peter Hale, he wouldn't go that easily.

"No, sweetheart, you should've known better," Peter said quietly, a daunting smile beginning to form, "You should've known better than to get so close to a wolf."

It was more than physical pain. Yes, the physical aspect was excruciating and gut wrenching, but it was at the back of her mind. All Selena could think about was her baby, her little angel unborn. The pure soul meant to brighten her life. The only light in the dark and gloomy trauma she'd been put through. She could somehow feel the life force go out, dimming.

Selena looked down, jaw dropped open. Selena could see only the base of Peter's fingers, the rest of them lodged within her stomach, claws cutting deep. He curled his fingers, truly mutilating her from the inside and causing her to cry out.

Selena lifted her head through a heavy sob, knees shaking as she struggled to remain upright. Even through her immense grief, Selena could see that Peter was proud of himself, "You used me. . ."

He smiled tightly, shrugging as if it were out of his control, "Sorry, sweetheart, consider it collateral dam—"

"You used me," Selena snarled through clenched teeth, continuing her statement, "because I'm more powerful than you ever will be."

For a moment, nothing happened. Peter's heart picked up speed but he didn't feel anything.

Then, the fever set in. It developed at an alarming speed, sweat forming. His head felt dizzy, everything blurring. As the few seconds passed, welts began to bubble onto his skin. Peter groaned loudly, his claws retracting from Selena's stomach.

His groan became a scream. There were no flames touching him, and yet his body was on fire. It was everywhere, not just the surface. Peter's entire being was alight with pain unlike any other.

Selena grabbed both of his arms, holding him close. Peter only got one last glimpse of her red face before a bright light overtook his vision.

"Selena!" Scott was screaming when Derek grabbed him, tackling both of them farther away from the scene as it exploded in a large burst of fire. Chris was dragging Allison back as well. It didn't matter that they were several yards from the orange flames, they could still feel the blistering heat, "Selena!" Scott whimpered again, tears stroking his hot cheeks.

Stiles squeezed his eyes shut, unable to watch. The flames were so terribly violent, destroying everything inside.

Derek held onto Scott while the younger beta sobbed against his shoulder. Even Allison was crying, stunned by everything that occurred. She didn't like Selena, but the events that took place were morbid enough to move her to tears.

As time ticked by, the flames steadily died down. The forest was left with thick, warm air and smoke curling up to the leaves.

Selena was sat upright, both hands cupping her bloody stomach.

Scott gasped, having presumed she died in the midst of the fire. He stood to shaky feet, fumbling through a run to stop in front of her. He fell to his knees, both hands cupping her face. Ashes were smeared across her delicate features, and her dress was unrecognizable. Instead of an innocent pink shade, it was charred onto her skin a deep black.

"RJ," Selena whimpered, her eyes pointed at Scott but looking right through him, "My baby. . . He's dead."

Scott's lip quivered, "I'm so sorry," he swiped away Selena's tears, in turn smearing the soot on her cheek, "We have to get you to the hospital, you're still hurt."

Selena fell forward against Scott, her eyes fluttering shut, "My baby. . . RJ. . ."

Derek lurked above the teenager's. He looked down at Peter, the alpha's eyes still opened and darting around. He was only barely alive, on his final breaths. Derek had never hated the man more.

Without flinching, Derek swung his hand of claws, ripping Peter's throat out.

author's note
so....this was some heavy shit 😳

i really enjoyed writing this chapter, trying to perfectly convey how everybody was feeling. this marks the end of season & act one, and next season is going to be rough.

obviously losing her baby is gonna stunt selena's relationship with scott. they've been so cute lately, but now they'll basically have to restart.

i have no idea how i'm gonna write it when peter comes back. realistically, selena would kill him a thousand times over until he stays dead,, but peter is lowkey crucial to the plot line so idk what's gonna happen

anyways, i'm excited to read how y'all feel, make sure to comment <3