I leaned against my car, arms crossed, my foot tapping in an impatient manner. Every time I stared at the ground, I would see the same thing: Kira's shoes, and bones, human bones. I whipped my gaze up to the doors of the sheriff's station I was waiting outside of and sighed in relief when I saw my boyfriend briskly walk towards me. My relief was short lived, however, for anxiety and frustration were written all over his face.

"How'd he take it?" I asked him, even though I was fairly sure I knew the answer already.

"Not well," Stiles replied, climbing into my car with me, "He wouldn't even let me have a gun."

"That's not surprising," I scoffed, and came face-to-face with a disbelieving boyfriend, "I love you, but you are not mature enough for a gun yet." It was his turn to scoff as I started the car. "What else did he say?"

Fastening his seatbelt, he started straight out the window, "He wants to put out an all-points, talk through the wheels of bureaucracy before even thinking about going down there. It's just bullshit, I know what's going on. He's just skeptical because some guy with a third eye said that Scott's in trouble. I mean, can you believe that?"

I smiled, driving back home, "I mean, your dad has yet to see all that you have. His skepticism is probably what keeps him sane." Stiles mumbled in response.

I reached over and grabbed his hand, lacing my fingers in between his in a comforting manner. Looking over at him, I sighed, "So then what now?"

"With my dad out of the picture, I don't know. How am I supposed to get down to Mexico?"

I shrugged, pursing my lips, "We could always go camping." Stiles' head whipped over to me, a mixture of love coupled with a devious glint that I couldn't help but smile at alight in his eyes. He pulled out his phone, and started texting everyone what I was assuming was his plan.

We ended up at Scott's house, after Malia sent a text to Stiles saying she'd help us regardless of what we did. Stiles raced into Scott's room, Malia and I right behind, and started digging around his things. He reached for the closet, pulling at the shirts that Scott seemed to wear most often.

"Here, try that," Stiles threw a pair of shorts over to Malia, and she buried her face into them, inhaling deeply.

"Fabric softener," She denied, shaking her head. Stiles stepped away from the closet, eyes darting around, until his face lit up in recognition. He stumbled over to the doorway leading into Scott's bathroom, and his hands found the clothes hamper. He started digging through it hastily while I sat on Scott's bed.

Stiles came back into the bedroom, wielding a pair of boxers in his hands. Holding them out for Malia, he sighed when she crinkled her nose, "Remember, Scott's life is on the line."

I glanced around, and cleared my throat quietly. Malia turned back to face me, and I nodded my head over to Scott's pillow. Her eyes shone with gratitude, and she walked over to pick up the pillow that would most definitely have his scent on it.

"Yeah, that works too," Stiles agreed, immediately discarding his best friend's underwear. Together, we all left the bedroom and headed back downstairs into the McCall's kitchen. We were prepared to leave when we discovered that we weren't actually alone. At the dining room table sat Liam, standing up when he saw us round the corner.

"Oh, Liam go home. You're not coming with us," Stiles chided, still making his way to the back door that we were planning to exit out of.

"Why not?"

"Because it's a full moon," I explained, walking past him, "And none of us feel like driving all the way down to Mexico just to have you rip our throats out."

"You can lock me up, right?" Why he was so persistent after nearly two weeks of ignoring all of us was beyond me. "Chain me down to the back seat or something."

"You tore through the last chains, remember?" Malia argued.

"Yeah, we would have to freeze you in carbonite to get you down there," Stiles agreed.

Liam, as ignorant as ever, nodded in determination, "Okay, then where do we get carbonite?"

Both Stiles and myself squinted our eyes in frustration and disbelief, "Oh my god," I muttered, "You really are Scott's beta."

"Seriously, you haven't seen it either?" Stiles asked, and Liam just shrugged in cluelessness. Stiles, Malia, and I all turned to walk out the door.

"Wait!" Liam rounded to face us again, still not giving up, "What if we put me in the trunk?"

"You'd get out of that, too," Malia assured him, ebbing away at his hope.

"Liam," Stiles tried again, "You've been a werewolf all of five minutes. You don't have to do this."

"I know I don't, but I want to." His relentlessness was growing on me, "There's gotta be bigger chains, a bigger trunk, or something. There has to be."

Stiles was deep in thought, when he finally spoke, "Maybe there is."

*****
I was the first in the warehouse, and as I waited for the rest of my friends to show up, I texted Lydia once more. She was still not answering me, and my worry was growing increasingly. Finally, Malia, Stiles, and Liam pulled in, and quickly following were Derek and Peter, and finally, Braeden, driving a government issued van large enough to hold a raging werewolf.

"How'd you get a prison transport van?" Stiles asked her as she hopped out.

"I'm a US Marshall," She replied, shrugging noncommittally.

"Oh - I - I just thought that was like a cover," Stiles wrung his hands as Braeden blankly stared at him. Derek and Peter hopped out of the car, slamming the doors, and turning our attention to them.

"Are we really bringing him?" Derek asked, gesturing to Liam.

"Are we really bringing him?" Stiles retorted, motioning towards the suspicious former alpha.

"We're bringing everyone that we can," Peter defended himself, and at the same time talking down to Stiles. "And considering Scott and Kira were taken the night before a full moon, we should probably get going."

"What's that mean?" Malia questioned.

"If Kate took Scott back to the temple that she took Derek, how do we know that she's not planning to do the same thing to him?"

"She wants to make him younger?" Liam asked dubiously.

"Or take him back to when he wasn't a werewolf," Derek concluded.

"A werewolf can't steal a true alpha's power," Peter elaborated, "But maybe, a Nagual jaguar with the power of Tezcatlipoca behind her... Maybe she can." He dramatically paused for that information to sink in, "So, if everyone's sufficiently freaked out, I say we get going."

"We can't," I argued, and everyone faced me, "Not without Lydia." I paused when Derek looked confused, "She's supposed to meet us from the school."

Stiles turned to me, "Is she still not answering?" I shook my head in worry.

"I'm starting to think this isn't a coincidence," I mentioned, and he grabbed my hand.

"Let me try," Was all he said before he dug out his cellphone, no doubt dialing Lydia's number. I watched on in concern as he paced back and forth, not receiving any answer.

"What's she doing at the school anyway?" Derek asked me, and I turned around to meet his gaze.

"We got Kira's sword, but we need something with a stronger scent," As if to back up my reasoning, Malia held out Kira's sword. "Lydia went to get a jacket out of her locker." I heard Stiles huff in frustration. Moving my gaze back over to him, I watched him hang up his phone in defeat.

"Nothing," He informed us, shoving his phone back into his pocket.

"If she has a car, she can catch up to us," Braeden reminded us, but I shook my head.

"That's a good point, we'll call her from the road," Derek agreed, but I stepped forward.

"No, what if something happened to her? What if she's in trouble?"

"Fine. You stay, you find her," Peter lectured, "We're gonna go on without you."

I sneered Peter's way, then looked back to Stiles. He shared the same concern as me, but our stare off was interrupted by Liam. "I could call Mason," He offered, "He has a study group at school, maybe he could look for her."

Stiles nodded, "That's a fair point," Liam whipped out his cell phone and called his best friend. My mouth opened in disbelief, and Stiles took note. "Mason can call us from the road, but we have to get going."

"Or Mason could be walking into the same situation as Lydia," I scolded in a hushed whisper. "Not to mention, he would have no idea what he was walking into."

"He can figure it out," Stiles argued back, but I shook my head adamantly.

"This isn't just about Mason," I explained, "What if Lydia is somehow being prevented from coming with us because she's Lydia?"

"You mean because she's a banshee?" I nodded.

"If something is keeping her here, do you really think Mason could take care of it?" Stiles was beginning to see my point.

"What should we do?"

"Let me go see-"

Stiles shook his head, "No. No way, what if it's as dangerous as you think it is?"

I huffed, "I'd be better equipped to help Lydia than Mason."

Stiles stared into my eyes, "You're not coming with us, are you?"

I placed a long and comforting kiss onto his lips, "You go save your best friend, I'm going to save mine." He nodded, kissing me one last time before turning to face the others. I myself turned to face Liam, who suddenly looked very uncomfortable.

"If my boyfriend comes home with so much as a scratch, and it's your fault," I warned, "I'll end you." Liam shifted on his feet, avoiding my gaze, but nodding nonetheless. I pat his shoulder, "You're going to be just fine."

"Are we done with the sentiments? Or do we need an extra thirty minutes?" Peter drawled, and I scowled at him. I turned to Malia, whose gaze was uncertain.

"Don't talk to him in the car, okay? Play the music loud, really loud." She nodded and I hugged her goodbye. Staring off at Stiles one last time, I hopped back into my car, and sped off to the school.

By the time I had arrived, it was already dark. I parked next to Lydia's car, which sat in the otherwise vacant parking lot. I climbed out, and checked all four windows on the blue Toyota. Seeing no signs of life, I made my way up to the student doors. Yanking on them, I noticed how they were locked. Focusing my hands at the door handles, I concentrated on the lock mechanism, imagining it turning until finally, I heard a satisfying click.

Rushing through the hallways, I briskly made my way over to where Kira's locker was, figuring that would be a good place to start. Opening her locker, I noticed her jacket was missing. Slowly turning around, I locked my gaze on the stairs that were catty corner to where I was standing. Squinting through the dark, I saw Kira's jacket, as well as a backpack and what looked to be two cell phones.

Slowly, I walked over to the pile on the stairs, assuming that the backpack belonged to Mason. I recognized Lydia's cell phone, and made to pick it up. My fingers grazed the surface when my cell phone started ringing, sending me nearly jumping out of my skin. I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at the screen, only to be met with my boyfriend's dopey smile. I was about to answer when from almost directly behind me, I heard a low, menacing growl coupled with the sound of bones rattling.

"Oh, shit," Was all I managed to whisper before I felt a sharp force collide with my head. I didn't even feel myself connect to the ground, I was knocked into unconsciousness so quickly.

{+}

Kira was perched against a wall, bleeding and cold and crying. She hated herself for crying, for feeling utterly useless when she knew her friends would need to understand what was going on. She placed that burden upon her shoulders as soon as her eyes landed on Scott's tattoo, and his cold, lifeless eyes under the skull mask he now wore. Every fibre of her being was screaming at her to get up, to run and fight, but they were dampened by the tears that so easily escaped.

"It's alright to cry," Her mother's voice echoed in her head, "It's no measure of your strength."

"But I'm not strong," Kira disagreed, the tears coming more easily than before, "I need to get up. I need to tell them..."

"How do you know you can't?" Noshiko gently challenged.

"Because I'm not healing," Kira didn't care at this point whether or not she was talking to herself, her mother felt too real to her. If she focused hard enough, she could see her silhouette out of the corner of her vision. "You told me why I never get sick. And you said I'd learn to heal." At this point, Kira simply wanted to give up, to close her eyes and sleep.

"Then learn," Her mother stated simply.

The kitsune shook her head in defeat, "I can't. I don't know how. How to start. Or what to do..." She was once again taken over by sobs.

"I told you once that foxes and wolves tend not to get along. But they are similar creatures, aren't they? You've seen wolves heal. How do they do it?" Kira's vision faltered, and her head nodded forward, "Kira," She brought her head back, focusing on her mother's words, "How do they trigger it?"

A lightbulb went off, "Pain," She continued to breathe heavily, but with newly found determination, "With pain." Kira begrudgingly admitted to herself that despite the pain she was already enduring, she would have to come up with some more. Glancing at her surroundings, Kira noticed a wall of stone. Figuring that would have to do, she mustered up all the courage and remaining strength she could find, before slamming her fist into the wall.

She did this multiple times, each time she felt her strength return to her, be it from adrenaline or sheer force of will, she wasn't sure. She stopped when she heard a large amount of debris crumble to the ground. Running her hands over it, she picked up what she felt was the largest, and sharpest bit of stone she would get.

Kira held the rock between her fingers, squeezing as tightly as possible. She cried out in pain as she began to feel the edges sink in to her skin, drawing fresh blood. Ignoring her body's plea to stop, she kept going, and relished in the pain that she felt. Kira's body ignited with a kind of warmth that she didn't think she could ever feel, and pressed on. Her eyes turned vivid orange, and her wounds began to heal themselves. Now all that was left to do was to find her friends, who were no doubt already on their way, and warn them about Scott.

{+}

I shuddered when I felt a soft hand on my face. Flinching in surprise, my eyes flew open and I lurched away from whoever was touching me. Blinking out the dots in my vision, I was immediately overcome with a stabbing pain to the back of my head. Reaching around to touch the source of the pain, I winced, barely able to brush my fingers against it. I brought my fingers back to my line of vision, and sighed when I saw flakes of dried blood.

"June!" I jumped, trying to find the source of whoever was calling out to me. To my left stood Mason, a trickle of blood running down his forehead, and to my right was Lydia, looking shaken but for the most part untouched.

"Lyds," I sighed in relief, wrapping her up in my arms. She hugged me back just as tightly before letting me go, worry dancing across her features.

"Are you okay?" She asked me, and I nodded, staring around, trying to gage my surroundings. Based on the dim lighting coupled with the shelving containing extra school supplies, I concluded we were in the basement of the school. Standing up, I still glanced around, clutching at the back of my head.

"That thing sure packs a wallop," I muttered, and Lydia smiled briefly.

"Maybe it just really hated your outfit," I glanced down at my jeans and tee shirt before rolling my eyes.

"Lydia, I swear to god-"

"I don't know if you guys noticed, but there was this guy," Mason interrupted, sufficiently freaked out, "Huge. Really huge. He - he had a skull on his face."

"I know," Lydia replied, "I saw it too."

"And my phone's gone," Mason mentioned, searching through his pockets.

"I think that's kind of the point," I whispered, searching my pockets for a phone that wasn't there.

"Okay well - why - what's he gonna do to us?"

"I don't know," Lydia answered earnestly, "But it definitely doesn't want us to leave."

"Lydia, why do you keep saying 'it'?" Before either of us could answer him, the same low growl emitted from down the hallway. The three of us peered around the corner, not seeing anything, but feeling the berserker's presence.

"What is that thing?"

I shook my head, glancing at Lydia, "Not human."

{+}

Braeden was struggling to keep the van on the dirt road. Every time Liam tugged or yanked at the chains keeping him seated, the vehicle would swerve dramatically.

"Liam, you with me?" Derek asked, making sure that he was clutching on the the cheap piece of wood with the triskele carved into it like it was his savior. "We have a mantra that we use. You repeat it, you focus on the words. It's like meditating, you say the words until you feel control coming back to you."

Liam was sweating profusely, and his claws were nearly digging into his hands. Stiles wasn't entirely sure that this plan was going to have much effect, but for the most part he stayed silent. Liam was grasping onto every word Derek said like it was gospel, and he panted out, "Okay, okay, okay! What are the words?"

"Okay, look at the triskelion. See the symbol? I have a tattoo on my back, it's the same thing. Each spiral means something."

Stiles stole a glance over at Derek, realizing where this was headed. "Alpha, beta, omega," He murmured, and Derek nodded.

"It represents the idea that we can rise to one and fall back to another. Betas can become alphas."

"Alphas can become betas," Stiles interjected, speaking from the experience of the werewolf sitting next to him.

"Can alphas become omegas?" Liam moaned out, still struggling to grasp any semblance of humanity within him. Derek simply nodded.

With a level tone, Derek continued his instruction, "All you have to do is say the three words. And with each one, you tell yourself you're getting calmer, more in control. Go ahead."

"Alpha, beta-" Liam spat out in rapid succesion.

"Slower," Derek warned, and Liam tried again.

"Alpha... Beta... Omega..." He groaned in pain, "Alpha... Beta... Omega..."

"Good, say it again. Remember, every time you say the words, you're getting calmer."

"Alpha... Beta..." Stiles crawled back onto his seat, hearing the shift in Liam's voice that could only mean trouble. "Omega."

"Say it again."

"Derek, I don't think that powerful talisman of self-control is working," Stiles cautioned, and that seemed to be the final straw that broke the camel's back. Liam stopped repeating the mantra, and began growling at the two of them. He abruptly stood up, tugging on the chains that bound him to his spot.

"Liam!" Derek yelled, and the van swerved considerably. Liam was finally able to break free of one of the handcuffs, and he started aimlessly clawing at Derek's face. Stiles, wide-eyed, watched as a very mortal Derek wrestled with a new werewolf.

"Derek," Braeden called out in an effort to tell everyone in the backseat to get a grip of themselves.

"Yeah, I think we're gonna need to go a little faster!" Stiles yelled out to Braeden, struggling to be heard over Liam's growls and roars.

"Keep going," Derek ordered, and the worry washed off of Braeden's face as she whipped back around, sending the notch on the speedometer a little higher up.

"Liam," Derek yelled once more, right after Liam managed to break through his other handcuff. There was virtually nothing stopping him from ripping everyone in the back seat to shreds, save for Derek's adrenaline-fueled strength.

"We're almost there," Braeden assured before glancing up at the sky that revealed the bright stars and the full moon.

"Keep focus," Stiles yelled, trying to hold onto Liam as well, though not to much effect. He turned back to the other werewolf, "Derek, I don't think alpha, beta, omega is resonating with him."

Derek managed to roll his eyes, despite the situation, "Oh, do you know any other mantras?"

The first thing that came to mind for Stiles was Elvis Presley, and how June always seemed to listen to it whenever she was truly upset. He shook his head clear of any thoughts of June, and how she wasn't answering any of his calls. His mind thought of another werewolf, who was poisoned by Garrett the night of the lacrosse game. How he and June carried him to the clinic, and he started muttering something under his breath.

"Yeah," Stiles finally said, "Yeah, I do. "Liam, Liam. What three things cannot long be hidden?" Liam glanced over at him, eyes still shining gold. He chose to ignore Stiles and roared once again at Derek.

"Liam!" Stiles tried again, attempting to gain his full focus. "Liam, look at me. What three things cannot long be hidden? What three things."

Liam seemed to register that they were still attempting to help him, "The sun... The moon... The truth."

"That's it, say it again," Stiles goaded, relieved when he felt Liam draw back slightly.

"The sun... The moon... The truth..."

"Derek?" Braeden called out, feeling control of the van come back to her.

Derek looked up at her in slight disbelief, "We're okay."

"The sun... The moon... The truth..." Liam's fangs and claws were finally sheathed, and his features returned to that of his human stance. He glanced up at the still weary passengers seated across from him. They all felt the van slowly cruise to a stop.

"I can't believe I did it," Liam went on, "You know for a moment there, I thought I was gonna rip the two of you apart."

Stiles nodded, eyes wide, "Yeah, that would've made for an awkward ride home. So thanks."

"Think you can bring the same level of control and strength inside La Iglesia?"

As if to answer Derek's question, Liam whipped out his claws on the first try.

"Alright, we might actually be able to do this," Stiles muttered. As optimistic as he was, he spoke to soon, for disaster struck before they could even get out of the van.

{+}

Lydia, Mason, and I were leaning up against the wall, hiding out of sight from the rest of the hallway. Quietly panting, we listened to every sound in the hallway, wondering if the berserker was still just a few paces away.

"I don't hear it," Lydia mentioned, and I nodded.

Mason looked over to the both of us, and I motioned for us to leave, "Come on."

"No, no," He argued, "There's only one way out on this side of the basement."

"I know," Lydia whispered, "But if we don't get out of here, someone's going to die."

"How do you know that?" Mason furrowed his eyebrows.

"She just does," I winced as my vision changed my surroundings, taking me to a tomb filled with cobwebs, "The same way I know they got to La Iglesia."

"The church?" Mason questioned, and I shook my head.

"We have to at least see if he's blocking the exit," Lydia ushered.

Mason sighed, knowing she was right. Bravely, he bit down on his lip, and leaned forward to the hallway. He peered around the corner, and we all heard the signs of heavy footsteps simultaneously as Mason lurched backwards to our hiding place.

"Yeah. Yeah, he's blocking it."

I flinched, my head throbbing in pain, and the next time I opened my eyes, I saw Kira, staring wide-eyed at me.

"It's Scott. Stiles, it's Scott," Realizing that I wasn't in fact in Mexico, I must've been in Stiles' head.

"What do you mean?" I heard him ask.

"The berserker," She answered, still leaning against the wall, "It's him. Kate did it."

I could feel Stiles' growing panic, "What are you talking about?"

"She made him into one of them," She clarified, "I don't know how, but it's him. And if they don't know it, they could kill him."

"That's why Lydia's not here," I heard Stiles conclude, "They won't know they're killing Scott."

"June!" I shook my head, and was faced with the basement wall once again. Eyes wide, I rounded to Lydia.

"We need to get out of here, now," I insisted, and simply seeing the fear on my face was enough to persuade Lydia and Mason. Glancing around, Lydia walked over to a bin containing two baseball bats. Following behind her, Mason and I gave each other a confused glance.

"Are you serious?"

"Very," She muttered, gripping onto one of the handles and handing the other to Mason.

"A baseball bat? Against that guy? Or thing, or whatever it is?"

"Our friends are in trouble," I lectured.

"And so is Liam, your best friend," Lydia reminded him, and that seemed to sway Mason's thought. "They need me, I'm going for it. And yes, with a baseball bat."

"What about June?" He asked.

"She doesn't need a one," Lydia confirmed, and Mason stared at me bewilderedly. I simply shrugged in agreement. Lydia and I advanced towards the berserker that was seemingly waiting for us, but not before we were startled by a pubescent battle cry. Mason came full speed, running at the monster in front of us. Lydia and I thought it best to go right behind him. They started playing Whac-A-Berserker with the baseball bats, and I attempted to magically tear off some of the bones to reveal any weak spots.

One after the other, the berserker struck us out, sending us flying backwards to where we were originally being held. Wincing in pain as I slid back, I glanced up at the angered creature.

"I thought you said it wanted to keep us here, not hurt us." My eyes widened at the growling berserker.

"I think it changed its mind," Lydia shrieked, and I hastily got up to protect the two of them. The berserker walked towards us, but not before he was interrupted.

"Excuse me," I heard from down the hallway, past the berserker. Looking around it, I saw Sheriff Stilinski throw something of considerable size at the berserker. "Catch."

As soon as it caught it, I noticed what it was holding: a terribly large grenade of sorts. I watched Stilinski dive around a corner, and I whirled around to my friends.

"Get back!" I yelled, telekinetically shoving Lydia and Mason around the corner, out of harm's way. Facing back towards the monster, I watched as the grenade exploded. Throwing up a shield, I felt the force collide with my protection, sending me sliding back into the wall.

After all was said and done, I lowered my shield, and hit the sides of my ears in attempt to rid them of the horrendous ringing. I felt someone grab my hand, and recognized Lydia's relieved face as she hugged me once again. I hugged her back tightly, breathing deeply in content that we were finally safe. I nodded at Mason, who looked incredibly bewildered that I was still somehow alive, and I walked over to the sheriff. I watched as he picked up the fractured skull that rest in the remnants of the berserker.

"You three okay?" He asked us and we nodded.

"It was after me," Lydia couldn't seem to take her eyes off of the skull. "It wanted me to stay in Beacon Hills."

"I think this is all some sort of distraction," I agreed.

"Because you knew they're trying to kill someone," The sheriff concluded, staring at Lydia. We shared a glance before looking back at Stiles' dad.

"Kill who?" Mason asked, outside the circle of understanding.

"Scott," Lydia answered.

"Come on," I motioned towards the exit, "I think I have a few heal - things in my car that'll make us feel better," I was still slightly weary of Mason, but figured we should all get out of here quickly. We hobbled up to the main area of the school, grabbing our things, our cell phones, and hopefully our sanity before we left the school altogether.

Glancing at the parking lot, I noticed the sheriff parked right next to my car, and how the sun was slowly rising in the sky. I gathered my keys and unlocked the door, taking out three healing potions and handing them off to Mason and Lydia, keeping one for myself. Lydia and I took them immediately, savoring the spearmint taste. Looking over to Mason, he seemed a bit skeptical.

"What is this supposed to be?" He asked me, and I glanced slightly nervously over to Lydia and the sheriff.

"Uh - herbal tea?" I slowly replied, and he raised a brow at me in suspicion. "It's a Himalayan recipe, and - um - it helps your body supposedly heal faster." When he didn't reply, I spat out, "I found it on Pinterest."

"And you just keep vials of it in your car?"

"It also boosts metabolism," I improvised, "So I drink it with my food." Mason was seemingly too tired to inquire further, for he downed the liquid quickly, shuddering at the strong spearmint flavor.

Sheriff Stilinski's phone rang immediately after, and he quickly brought it up to his ear. "Hello?" His entire body sagged in relief when whoever was on the other side of the phone call replied. "Come straight here, you got that? I'm still planning on hobbling you as soon as you're in my sights." His eyes found mine, "She's fine. They're all safe. Just get back here as soon as possible please." He hung up the phone and nodded over to me.

"Stiles?"

"Yeah, apparently Scott's fine. Peter apparently helped Kate with everything and tried to kill him, but he's fine. They're all okay." I sighed out in relief, rubbing a hand to the back of my neck.

"Wow, this Himalayan stuff works fast," Mason pointed out, and I laughed out. Lydia pat him on the shoulder and gestured to her car, "Come on, I'll take you home." She gave me one last hug before climbing in the driver's side of her Toyota. I sighed when they pulled away, facing Stiles' dad once again.

"What now?" I asked him and he shrugged.

"I was going to wait for Stiles back at the station, he said he would meet me there. Would you like to join me?" I gave him a small smile, nodding my head.

"I will meet you there."

*****

I gave up pacing the room, deciding to sit next to the sheriff on his desk. We spoke quietly to one another in an effort to fill the silence, but we were still a little tense. Six o'clock rolled around, and still no sign of anybody.

It wasn't until about half past seven did Stiles and Malia finally come through the station doors. Stilinski and I both perked up in happiness, and Stiles and Malia came barreling into the office. Deciding that his dad took precedence, I ran over to Malia and engulfed her in a large hug. She was quick to reciprocate, squeezing me tightly and nearly cracking a rib. I didn't mind, for just knowing she was alright seemed to numb the pain. She only let go when I felt a pair of hands grab onto my waist.

Spinning me around, Stiles steadied me by placing his lips onto mine. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him closer to me, even though I didn't think it was possible. Sparing his dad the awkwardness of watching his son make out with a girl, I broke the kiss and opted for pulling Stiles even closer, and he quickly hugged me back.

"I love you," He whispered, and I smiled.

"I love you too."

"You smell terrible," I laughed at his comment, and I felt his shoulders shake with laughter as well.

"Right back at you."

"I'm just so glad you're all safe," The sheriff muttered, smiling at the three of us. "Hey, what do you say we get out of here, get something to eat?"

"Great, I'm starving," Stiles agreed, raising his fist in the air.

"Okay," The sheriff announced, placing his hand on my back and leading Malia and I out of the office. I heard a clatter, and spun around to see Stiles handcuffed to the desk.

"Yo, Daddy?" Stiles asked in a joking manner, but quickly realized his dad was not kidding.

"Malia, what's your favorite food?" Before she could spit out something like deer, I mouthed to her, and she spoke out what I said.

"Uh - pizza."

"Hey, Dad?" Sparing one last glance at Stiles, I shrugged and walked out with the sheriff. Behind me, I heard my boyfriend yell out, "Bring me back a slice?"

*****

"AP Biology, huh?" Stiles was glancing over the notes I was currently explaining to Scott. Scott nodded, and I followed suit, like a proud mama bear.

"Yeah, he's trying to get into UC Davis, so I figure a little extra tutoring might help him for when he takes the class next year," I confirmed, adjusting my seat in Scott's kitchen.

"If I can handle it, I mean this seems like pretty complicated stuff," Scott seemed slightly panicked, but I pat his shoulder.

"Hey, if you can break free from a berserker, then you should have no problem with this," I assured him, trying my best to be supportive.

"But why now? It's the middle of March," Stiles tried again.

"What with me going to Paris with Lydia next week, Ginny being discharged from the hospital the week after, the make-up SAT that you still have to do, and then summer break, I figured starting a little early might be of some benefit," I explained and Stiles nodded.

"However, it is seven thirty," Scott argued, "We've been at this nearly all day."

"Is it?"

"Hello? Why do you think I'm here?" Stiles asked, gesturing towards himself, "Our movie starts in like a half hour."

"Oh," I shrugged, not even realizing the time, "Well alright then, do you think you've got it from here, Scott?"

"I should be able to manage. I'm watching a few Bozeman videos and then going to bed." I nodded in approval and pat him on the back. Gathering up all my stuff, I bid Scott farewell, and let Stiles guide me out of the McCall house.

"So..." Stiles asked, "Is there any way we can back out of this movie?"

I scoffed, walking down the porch steps, "You liked the first one! And this one got pretty good reviews."

"Right, but like I don't understand why they needed to follow up with the Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, it just seems a bit much."

"It has Dame Judy Dench and Bill Nighy, no way it's too much."

Stiles and I bickered all the way to the movie theater, him buying the tickets, and me buying the popcorn and drinks, as per usual. We quarreled all the way until the trailers came on, and we settled into a comfortable silence. I wouldn't admit this to him, but I secretly loved how normal it was to be quibbling with him. He slung an arm around my shoulder, and I curled up into him, enjoying the first bit of happiness we would have over the next several months.

But of course, all good things must come to an end.

Please read the next author's note. Unedited. Xx.