Stiles Stilinski wasn't one to have a girl in his bed, let alone one that would sleep the night. Of course he's had wet dreams of Lydia or hot actresses he's seen on TV before, but they were just wet dreams. In those dreams he knew he and the girl would have a romantic evening and then would fall asleep in his arm, not watch a Star Wars marathon then pass out midway through the third movie. It was defiantly something he hadn't seen on TV or in the movies before, and Stiles had watched many television shows and movies.

          His eyes slowly opened, unaware of the body he was holding close to him. He barely opened his eyes in hopes of retaining sleep while wiggling his nose as if something was tickling it. He reached his hands up to swat his nose, immediately feeling locks of hair covering his face. He mumbled incoherently in confusion, knowing that he'd shaved the other day and that his hair wasn't long enough to touch his nose.

          A soft breath barely met Stiles' ears before his hand was brought back down from his face, by another, wrapping itself around something in front of him. At the sudden movement, his eyes flashed open, the small hold he had on sleep completely leaving him. He gapped silently, staring at the female he had in his arms. He craned his neck to get a better look at her face, seeing Joan soundlessly sleeping. Her face was pressed into his pillow, while her hair was crazily, yet gracefully, sprawled out around her head.

          Stiles noted the peaceful look on her face. All of the small lines from stress were gone and her naturally worried expression seemed to have been erased. She looked much younger and for once happy. 

          Joan looked absolutely beautiful...

          The covers that once was covering the two were now scrunched at the curve of her hip, while her jacket and shoes had somehow been discarded and placed on the floor. His arms were wrapped around her waist as a form of protection and blanket of warmth.

          Memories of last night's Star Wars marathon resurfaced in his mind. The two had made it half way through Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi before Joan began to fall asleep. Stiles had tried to keep her awake, but it wasn't long until he was following the girl into a peaceful slumber. His laptop was now rested on the floor beside his bed, Stiles having no recollection of putting it there.

          He could remember the two laughing here and there throughout the movie. Joan would occasionally grip Stiles' hand during suspenseful scenes that she watched intently. He was happy she enjoyed the movies. They weren't stressing about the supernatural or anyone's impending death. Instead, they were relaxing like normal teenagers would – well as normal they could get.

           "You're staring again, Stilinski," a muffled female voice speaks, knocking him immediately out of his trance.

          Stiles shook his head, quickly looking away in hopes of hiding his bright red cheeks. "No..."

          Joan rolled her tired eye, slowly turn around so she could face Stiles face-to-face, too tried to move his arms off of her. "Uh-huh. So what would you call looking at a girl while she's sleeping?" Joan asked, her voice slightly husky and dry from sleep.

          "Um... Observing the view?"

          Joan shook her head, a grin plastered across her lips nonetheless. It felt nice in Stiles' arms to her surprise. She felt safe and warm in his hold. She was glad that she had come over to his house last night. She couldn't remember the last time she had a peaceful nights sleep. It was like Stiles had protected her from all the nightmares that were constantly flooding her mind, making Joan incredibly grateful.

          The two stared at each other, occasionally looking down at the other's lips. It felt almost natural when they began to lean in, nearly closing the inch or two that separated their lips. It didn't seem weird to the two humans, even though a month or two ago they would have laughed in your face if you told them they would even consider kissing each other. Joan's thoughts seemed to vanish the closer she got to Stiles, the boy's mind doing the exact same.

          Right before their lips could meet, the sound of two phones buzzing haphazardly met their ears. The two quickly looked at each other, realizing how close their faces were. They were close enough to where they were breathing the same air and their noses were barely touching. The two stayed still – almost like statues – for several moments unsure of what to do. They didn't want to move in fear that the other would object, but they also wanted to close the space between them.

          The notifications on their phones continued to go off in the background, causing the two to sigh in defeat before quickly reaching out for their phones. Stiles reach over Joan and grabbed his phone that lay on top of his nightstand while Joan crawled out from underneath Stiles' arms and got out of his bed. She picked up her jacket and grabbed her phone from one of the pockets to see that a several texts were from her parents, while the others were from the pack, besides Malia to Joan's disappointment.

           "You told your parents that you were coming to my house, right?" Stiles slowly asked, his eyes skimming through several texts from the pack asking where the two were, including some from Joan's parents asking for confirmation about their daughter's whereabouts.

          Joan nodded, turning towards the freckled boy while bringing her phone up to her ear, "Yeah. I, um, I wrote a note and left it in the kitchen. With everything going on I don't blame them for blowing up our phones in worry. Sorry..." Stiles shook his head, understanding completely. His father would have most likely done the same thing if he wasn't at home and had only left a note.

           "Joan Ophelia Florence Arcs! Thank God!" her mother and father explained on the other line causing Joan to pull her phone away from her ear and cringe. "We've been trying to call you all morning. We were starting to get worried!"

           Joan sighed awkwardly, turning away from Stiles. "I'm sorry... It's Saturday which means sleeping in... And Stiles and I had watched movies till like three o'clock... We just now woke up. I'm sorry to have scared you."

          "It's okay, honey," her mother replied, thankful that her daughter was in fact safe with Stiles. "This isn't the Stiles that you're suddenly close with right?!" her dad quickly asked, glad that his daughter was safe but instantly become protective at the mention of a boy.

          "Yes..."

          "You guys didn't 'do the do' right, Joan? Isn't that how they say 'having sex' nowadays, Beth?" Charles ask, completely serious.

          Joan gapped, her face completely red in embarrassment and disgust. "No! Dad– no! Just... Never say that again okay?! I would never do that! He'd at least have to take me on several dates first!" Joan quickly looked over her shoulder, her eyes meeting Stiles' at the exact same moment. The two quickly looked away, embarrassment and awkwardness radiating off the two.

          "We just watched Star Wars, Dad," Joan insisted, putting her head in her free hand.

          "Remember when we watched Star Wars?" Charles asked his wife, grinning at the memory. "Of course! You were Han for Halloween while I was Leia. From that moment on I knew I'd met the guy for me," Bethany replied with bliss, nostalgic from the memory.

          Joan resisted the urge to say anything about the fact that both she and Stiles had compared themselves to Han and Leia like her parents and that they had almost kissed moments before. It didn't feel like the time to bring it up into their conversation, especially since Stiles was a couple feet away.

          "Uh, that's sweet. Really sweet, guys," Joan stuttered, wanting nothing more than the conversation to end. "I'm just gonna hang up now. I love you guys and really enjoyed this conversation." Her parents quickly replied back with 'I love you's' and 'goodbyes' before Joan hung up the phone. She stood still for a moment before turning around, her cheeks still a bright pink.

          The two looked at each other from across the room for a moment before looking away, awkwardness filling the air. Stiles sheepishly looked down at his phone, as though he was remembering something. "I don't know if Scott texted you, but– uh he and Kira have a plan to figure out who the Benefactor is... They want us to be over at Scott's house in an hour..."

          Joan nodded, "Uh, yeah. I remember scrolling past it. I'll quickly run over to my house and get dressed. Then we can go?"

          Stiles nodded in agreement, "Yeah, yeah. That works." Joan nodded, grabbing her jacket and shoes before sending a quick wave toward Stiles while exiting his room. Her feet thumped against the hardwood stairs before she exited the house and made her way to her own.

          Stiles groaned, leaning back onto his bed, "Seriously, Stiles. You let a phone get between you and a really attractive girl. Stuff that like doesn't happen to you often, Stilinski! And now it's awkward!!"

          "Stiles, be quiet! She likes you back, which means you'll kiss each other at some point!" the sheriff yelled, having heard everything that had happened in Stiles' room moments ago. "It's not the end of the world!"

»

          Joan placed her laptop on the island in the McCall's kitchen, standing in between Scott and Stiles as they began to explain the plan on how they were going to figure out who the Benefactor was. She fiddled with the sleeve of the flannel shirt she had accidentally taken from Stiles, the boy insisting that she should wear it so they wouldn't leave it somewhere. Although he did resist the urge to tell her that she look adorable in his slightly oversized flannel.

          The car ride to Scott's house was slightly awkward, the two occasionally looking over at each other before connecting gazes and looking away. Scott could smell the sexual tension from miles away before they entered his house, a small smile gracing his lips at the thought of why the two were so awkward.

          "Is four enough?" Kira asked, looking at the four laptops skeptically. 

          Stiles shrugged, "Depends on how many cameras they have. But I think so."

          Liam arched an eyebrow at the four juniors, skepticism easily seen on his face, "Are we really doing this?"

          "We're doing it," Scott confirmed, confident in their plan. "Tonight."

          "But isn't it kind of dangerous?"

          "It's incredibly dangerous," Stiles agreed, grabbing a hold of the newly turned beta's shoulder and winking at him.

          "And borderline idiotic," Joan added.

          "Have you guys done something like this before?" Liam asked, looking at Stiles and Joan.

          Stiles arched an eyebrow at the freshman, "Something dangerous? Or something idiotic?"

          Kira shook her head lightly at the two before turning back towards Liam and sending him a small, reassuring smile, "I think it's a yes to both."

           "You don't have to do this with us, Liam. We won't be mad if you want to stay out of this," Joan explained in a motherly tone, not wanting to force Liam to do something that he didn't want or felt uncomfortable doing.

            Liam shook his head rapidly, trying to present a confident facade, "I'm not scared."

           "Then you're borderline idiotic," Stiles confirmed jokingly. "If we do this, we don't know what's coming for us. You know that, right?"

           "How do we even know something's definitely coming?"

          "Because the tape from Garrett's bag said visual confirmation required," Scott answered, remembering when he and Stiles had found the cassette tape when they were counting the money Garret and Violet had collected by killing people on the Dead Pool.

          "Simon said the same thing," Stiles proved. "He couldn't get paid by the Benefactor until he had proof that you guys were dead."

           "So the idea is, what if you kill someone on the Dead Pool, but you can't send them proof?" Scott asked, getting to the main idea of their plan.

          Kira quickly replied the obvious, "You don't get paid."

          "But how does that get us any closer to The Benefactor?" Liam asked, confused on how not getting paid could help them figure out the psycho who had created the Dead Pool.

          "He still needs to know if the target is really dead."

           Joan nodded her head over to Scott, "Especially if said target is high up on the list."

          "So, if he wants visual confirmation..." Liam slowly trailed, trying his best to understand their plan.

          "He's going to have to come get it himself."

»

          Stiles and Joan stared down at Scott's 'dead' body. He looked so realistically dead, with his pale skin and closed eyes. The two continued to repeat to themselves that the true alpha was in fact alive and wouldn't be dead much longer if their plan worked out. But that didn't help their heavy hearts the longer they looked at their friend. He might not have been dead, but seeing their best friend look like thus was absolutely terrifying. 

          The sound of sniffling met their ears causing them to turn. Their eyes fell upon Melissa, the mother having finally been allowed to see her son in the morgue. Melissa stood beside Joan, staring down at her son closely. "I still hate this plan," Melissa spoke up, her voice sounding rough from the screaming she had previously done. "I mean this is pretty terrifyingly. He looks dead."

           "Give me your hand," Mrs. Yukimura insisted, reaching her hand out for Melissa to take. With reassurance from Joan and Stiles, Melissa gave the other mother her hand. Her palm was placed upon Scott's chest, where his heart was found. Chills spread through Melissa's body, her son's skin feeling ice cold. "Wait for it," Mrs. Yukimura explained, keeping her hand on top of Melissa's and sending her a small smile. Moments later Melissa gasped in surprise, feeling Scott's faint heartbeat.

          She sighed in relief, keeping her hand over his heart, "Is that enough to keep a werewolf alive?" 

           "Enough for an alpha."

          "How much time do we have?" Melissa asks, looking up at the group for an answer. 

          "Forty-five minutes," Mrs. Yukimura replies bluntly.

          Melissa retracts her hand from Scott's chest, placing it by her side and looking at the group around her hopefully, "What happens after that?"

           "I bring him back the same way," Kira answered simply, not thinking about what might happen if they miss their forty-five minute deadline.

          "No, I mean what happens if he stays like this longer than forty-five minutes?" Melissa corrects herself. The teenagers looked at each other, hesitant to answer the mother's question.

          Melissa and Mrs. Yukimura immediately notice this, causing the former to become nervous and impatient. "No one told her?" Mrs. Yukimura asked, slight disappointment heard in her voice.

          "What? What happens after forty-five minutes?" Melissa repeats, her eyes widening as she begins to think of the worst things that could possibly happen if Scott stays unconscious for more than forty-five minutes.

          Mrs. Yukimura pauses, unsure of how to phrase the answer without hurting Melissa. There wasn't an easy way to say the answer without causing the woman more pain, so Mrs. Yukirmura replied honestly, just how she would wish someone to tell her if she was in Melissa's position: "He dies."

»

          After Scott's time of death was called and the group had dispersed to where they needed to be during the plan, Stiles and Joan made there way to Chris Argent to tell the Benefactor that Scott was 'dead'.

           The two walked together towards the basement, their nerves coursing through their veins. Joan looked up at Stiles, her mind going back to the moment where they nearly kissed. Her mind raced with thoughts, wondering what Stiles was thinking about the scene, or if he was even thinking about it.

          She was slightly disappointed that the two didn't kiss. She was curious beyond belief on what would have happened if their lips connected. She wondered if they'd be acting as awkward as they did now or if it would have made them grow closer.

          Joan quickly pushed her questions to the back of her mind, knowing that there was more important things for her to worry about rather than her hormones. The duo walked into the small room, immediately seeing Chris standing in front of a computer.

           The two quickly read over what he had sent to the Benefactor moments ago, Stiles arching an eyebrow at Argent's boring statement. "That's your assassin speak?" he asks incredulously.

          "I said he's dead. What more do you want?" Argent explained, his voice laced with annoyance.

          Stiles shrugged, beginning to list off sayings, "It was a little dry. You could've said something like, 'Target has been neutralized.' 'The crow flies at midnight.' That's always cool." Joan rolled her eyes, elbowing Stiles in the ribs.

          "Ow! What's that for?"

          Joan shook her head, briefly looking over at Stiles, "Now is not the time to for fill your assassin dreams, Stilinski." Stiles grumbled under his breath in disagreement, immediately becoming quiet when a reply from the Benefactor came through.

          'Visual confirmation required.'

          Argent scrunched his eyebrows together, about to reply when Stiles grabs the computer. "Fine," he mumbled, allowing Stiles to type. "Type this, 'Visual confirmation isn't possible. Police coming to claim body in forty minutes.' Tell him: 'Number one on the list is dead. I killed him. And if the wire transfer isn't completed in forty minutes–'"

          Stiles quickly typed on the keyboard, but not quick enough to Argent's likely. Without hesitation, he grabbed the laptop from Stiles' hands and finishes up his reply with: 'I'm coming after you.'

»

Well, ain't this a spicy chapter! I know, I suck. But I have a perfect scene in my head for when they do in fact kiss! Plus, I wanted to show that they really do have an interest in each other and are normal teens that are too awkward to admit it. I don't want this to be like most fanfics where the characters get together instantly, which is not the case.

It's gonna happen soon though, I promise!!!

– Logan