"Nope, nope, I'm good. Not today, I think we need to delay this a little bit longer-"

"Malia, the last time this was delayed was because you nearly died of canine distemper." I argued, pushing hard on her shoulder, "There are no assassins or anything here to kill you, maim you, or stop you. Now, you are taking this test, whether you like it or-"

"Not, I definitely do not like it." I smiled and shook my head. With Stiles' help, I veered her back through the school doors and walked her up to the registration line. I tried to keep her gaze on me, and avoid the large sign reading SAT Retake Check-In over by the table at the front of the line. 

"Look, Malia, you know this stuff, okay? You just went over it when you took the test to see if you were going to be a senior or not."

"Yeah and that was really hard, even with all the studying and June and Lydia's notes."

"Right," I agreed, "But this is infinitely easier. It's all the basics of what we've gone over."

Malia cocked her head, "Really?"

Stiles nodded, "Really."

She narrowed her eyes, "But what if-"

"Malia," I snapped, using a tone that was slightly exasperated with her fear, "You are smart. Really smart, so take a breather, and don't overthink. That's your only problem: you think about how hard it's going to be, and when the time comes to take the test, you panic because you think you don't know it."

"Well it's a lot to take in," She argued.

I shook my head, "No, it's not. You've seen more difficult tests than this one. I assure you, you're gonna do great."

"Are you sure?"

"Malia Tate," Called one of the teachers sitting at the table. I kept my steely, reassuring gaze fixed on her. She swallowed, and nodded slowly before turning around. I myself turned to face Stiles.

"As for you..." I said lowly, grabbing his hands.

"I'll be fine, June, I've definitely got this," He assured me.

"Oh, I'm not worried about you one bit," I explained, "I was just going to kiss you good luck."

"That works too," He smiled before leaning down to meet my halfway. I kissed him gently, smiling slightly as I instinctively reached out for his hair. I pulled back and straightened up before the teachers called his name.

"What are you doing in the meantime?" He asked me.

"Ginny and I are going to head to San Francisco for a bit, maybe do some shopping, but mostly it's because I offered to privately testify," I answered, and I saw Stiles stiffen slightly before nodding along. I breezed over why he would stiffen in the first place, and squeezed his hand tighter.

"Ginny still not allowed to drive?"

"I'm sure she is, especially after we gave her the second healing potion," I elaborated, "But I'm not taking any chances."

"It's a little over-protective, don't you think?"

I shrugged, "She's all I have."

"Typically, it's supposed to be the other way around, isn't it?"

"This coming from the boy who memorizes all of his dad's information regarding medical and financial bills and then some?"

Stiles' mouth opened in retort, but he opted to scratch his temple instead seemingly in defeat. I smiled in triumph when he continued to say nothing. Finally, he was called up to the table. I waited over to the side with Malia, and we opted to play Rock, Paper, Scissors to ease her nerves. She was arguably better than I was, laughing in victory by the time Stiles was finished filling out his paperwork. 

"You brought your own ink pad?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as I watched him pocket said ink pad.

"Not taking any chances," He muttered, and I rolled my eyes. I hugged Malia, whispering encouragement in her ear, before turning back to Stiles and kissing him. He gripped me a little tighter than normal, and when we parted, I saw nerves flicker in his eyes. I felt stupid, supporting Malia more than I had my boyfriend over this test that would affect his future just as much as her own.

"You're gonna kick major ass," I whispered, leaning over to him.

"Yeah, easy for you to say, June."

"What do you mean?"

"Academically, everything you do is a breeze. It's like you don't have to even pick up a book, you just know it all."

I pursed my lips, "I'd like to think there's a thing or two left in this world for me to learn." Stiles glanced down at his shoes. "Hey, this isn't even about me, okay? My abilities in no way dampen yours. This is about what Stiles Stilinski is capable of, and I know for a fact he's capable of a lot." He looked up at me, eyes shining in gratitude. 

I heard the teachers calling for their students to file into their classrooms. Smiling, I kissed Stiles one last time, and waved to Malia. I bid them farewell, promising to pick them up and meet with the rest of them tonight. Sighing, I made my way to my car and hopped in. I browsed my podcasts before landing on a random Stuff You Missed in History Class before driving back home.

                                                                            *****

"You don't have to be here if you don't want to, Gin," I assured her, hiking up the steps out front of the FBI office.

"I'm staying by your side," Ginny denied, "I need to be here just as much as you do."

Nodding, I opened the door, and walked up to the security line. We had our bags searched and walked through the metal detectors before walking up to the front desk. Checked in, we were handed badges and we headed up to the fifth floor.

Stepping out, we felt slightly out of place, trying to blend in to the hustle and bustle while simultaneously searching for our familiar face.

"June, Ginny, over here," Relief made my shoulders sag slightly seeing Agent McCall's face as he waved us over to where he sat. His desk was slightly cluttered, but by the time we had walked over there, he had most of his case files stored away in a desk, save for one that had Ethan Brehm's name on it. 

"Ladies, how are you? Recovering alright? I heard you had an impressive recovery yourself, Ginny," Rafael commented, peering over at Ginny for any signs of sudden head trauma to appear.

"What can I say, the human body is a mystery more often than not," She breezed, and I almost snickered behind my hand. 

Agent McCall turned to me, "June, you look much better," I raised an eyebrow, nodding along.

"Make-up does a lot for people, Agent."

"Shall we get started?" he asked the two of us, and we nodded eagerly, ready to be done the moment we stepped through the doors. Agent McCall led us down a hallway and into a more private room. There was a set of furniture that exuded fake comfort and a camera set up on a tripod. Agent McCall set down the file he had grabbed with Slice's name on it, and it was then that I noticed the other man in the room. He was dressed in a crisp suit on the higher end of fashion, and the badge attached to it let me know he wasn't FBI. But the way he only looked at us led me to believe he was somehow a regular in this building.

"June, Ginny, this is Michael Salsburg, he's the ADA of the city of San Francisco," McCall introduced, and Salsburg extended his hand. He firmly grasped mine, shaking it before moving over to Ginny.

"Salzburg like in Austria?" I asked, cocking my head. He smiled like he heard that question quite often.

"Sort of, but with an 's' instead of a 'z.' Shall we get started? We have a lot to cover today," Ginny and I shared a look, but nodded nonetheless. "Great. So, I take it Ginny will not be offering a testimony today, is that correct?"

She nodded, "That's right. The memories are still rather fuzzy, I'm afraid if I testify, it wouldn't hold much validity."

Salsburg turned to me, "So it's just you, then, June?"

"That's correct."

"Right, well there are a few steps we have to go over before we actually begin, will you take a seat?" I obliged, and we all sat down, Agent McCall included. Salsburg pulled out a notepad with scribbles all over it, "Okay, so several things, the first being would you prefer to have Ginny in the room while you testify or not?"

"Ginny stays," I answered without hesitation, "She stays for all of it."

"Alright, second being, in that case file, we have several pictures of your injuries taken the night you were attacked, and one Sheriff Stilinski explained this to you, correct?"

I nodded, thinking back to one of the moments I wasn't with Stiles, but with his dad. He had sat me down to explain that they thought I wasn't going to wake up for awhile, and they wanted damning evidence against Brehm, so they went ahead and took them. "He did."

Salsburg straightened his tie, glancing down at his notepad, "These pictures were obtained with your delayed permission. We will need your permission to use these pictures in the trial as well. If you say no, we will destroy any and all copies of them we have."

I slowly shook my head, "If it's as damning as you say, and we need them to put him away, then you have my full permission to use them."

He nodded, smiling in appreciation, "Thank you. Lastly, your testimony will need to happen via film. We'll be playing it during the trial, and recording you today during our questioning. Do you permit us to film you for the remainder of your testimony?"

I swallowed, glancing at the tripod, "I do."

"Let's get started, then," Salsburg stood up, walking over to the camera. He meddled with a few buttons before I saw a red light appear. "Michael Salsburg, Assistant District Attorney for the city of San Francisco. In the case of The People vs. Ethan Brehm is the testimony of June Child, Brehm's most recent victim."

I flinched at the word "victim," and tuned out the rest of what Salsburg was saying. I made up my mind then and there that this video was not going to be a victim testifying, it was going to be the seventeen-year-old girl who fought and won, coming back to finish what was started.

Salsburg sat down and flipped through his pages in his notepad, and got comfortable before looking up at me. "June, could you explain what happened that night?"

"I came home from the school bonfire. My boyfriend and I - we were fighting. I came home to change clothes before heading out when all of the sudden there was a knife in my leg. When I fell to the ground, I saw Brehm standing in my bathroom..."

I continued to explain what had happened, with a few tweaks regarding how I stopped him or any magic involved, all the while trying to ignore Ginny's tense figure. By the time I was finally finished recounting my story, I heard faint sniffles from Ginny's general area.

"Do you know why Brehm decided to attack you?"

I shrugged, "I know people will be bringing up my adoption. My former last name was Astor, and I have the trust fund to go along with such a name. Best guess, it was going to be a robbery. He did talk about my worth and whatnot. It's not hard to put two-and-two together, he was greedy, but he picked the wrong girl to steal from."

                                                                       *****

I saw all my fellow juniors file out, looking slightly exhausted. I smiled when Malia caught my gaze immediately, tiredly shuffling over to my car. Like a child seeing their mother after a long day, Malia leaned against me, nearly placing her entire body weight onto my considerably smaller frame. Stumbling slightly, I caught her and stood her up straight.

"How'd it go?"

"Well, you were right, it was a lot of the stuff we went over for the last test I had to take."

"And?"

She gave me a small smile, "It was easier than the last test, too."

I grinned, "I told you. I told you you'd be fine."

"Yeah, yeah," She slid into the back seat just as I saw Stiles exit the building. He spotted my car and briskly walked over to me. As soon as he was near enough, he enveloped me in his arms, hugging me tightly. I'll admit, my eyes watered slightly out of exhaustion from driving up to San Francisco and back, but also retelling the entire story of my attack that I personally would rather have completely forgotten. 

I could also tell the hug wasn't just for me, though. Stiles felt tired, like it was a lot for him to stand up and function without a shoulder to lean on. I rubbed his back gently and pulled away. Staring back into his tired but happy eyes, I smiled.

"How'd it go?"

"It's over," He shrugged, "I'm glad to get it over with."

I cocked my head to the side, "How much adderall did you take for this test?"

"Not enough to keep me going for the whole day," He replied, rubbing at the back of his neck, "I'm pretty beat."

"Well," I checked the watch decorating my wrist, "We don't have to be at the lake house until seven, you wanna rest up a bit after I drop off Malia?" He nodded eagerly and together we climbed into my car.

I quietly turned on my Spotify and let music fill the tired silence. I drove out to the Tate property and made sure Malia got inside before taking Stiles, who may or may not have been dozing, back to my house. Ginny was out and about for the rest of the day, so I had the house to myself until we all left for Lydia's, which wasn't going to fly with me. 

I parked my car in the driveway and woke Stiles up with a nudge. I grabbed all my things while Stiles did the same, and he started walking back in the direction of his house across the street. Smiling, I gently tugged on the backpack adorned on his shoulders, and slipped my hand into his. Ignoring the confused glance he gave me, I led Stiles into my house. Together, we climbed up the stairs and went into my bedroom. 

The carpet had been cleaned several weeks ago, but there were times where it was difficult for me to see anything but crimson at the foot of my bed. Today, I was fortunate enough that my nightmares weren't my top priority. Instead, I opted for taking off my shoes and excess jewelry, and tossing them over to my desk. Stiles got the hint and set his stuff down near the door, sliding his shoes off as well. 

I shut the blinds on my windows to snuff out some of the sunlight that tried to warm the room. Stiles turned off the lights while I pulled back the covers of the made bed. Together, we silently climbed in and met each other in the middle. I pulled Stiles closer to me, wrapping my arms around him while he folded into my chest. Placing a kiss in his hair, I told him I loved him before letting my eyes flutter shut. It was one of the most content naps I'd ever taken.

                                                             *****

"And that is how a faerie nearly tore down Hell's Kitchen with just a pair of chopsticks," I laughed, ending my story and giggling at the sight of my friends' open mouths. We all sat around a fire pit, enjoying the beautiful Saturday evening. Lydia had invited all of us up to the lake house one last time before it was officially sold over to its new owners. Stiles and I were wrapped up in a blanket, seated next to Scott and Kira in the same position, and Malia and Lydia opposite us.

"That's the craziest thing I have ever heard," Scott was the first to comment, and I nodded in agreement.

"That is New York," I countered, shrugging further into Stiles.

"Do you ever miss it?" Malia asked me, and my stare found hers.

"New York?"

"Well, yeah. I mean you have so many interesting stories to tell from there, it just makes me wonder if you ever really miss it."

"I mean, of course I miss it," I agreed, "And yes, there are plenty of stories I could tell you guys about New York that'd make your head spin clean off your neck, but, I don't know. I guess I'm torn."

"What do you mean?" Lydia pressed.

"I guess, part of me still misses that old life. New York was my home for sixteen years, there's a large part of me that was molded because of that city and the people in it."

"But..." Kira trailed, hoping to get more from my fairly vague answer.

"But being here, with all of you, it's a kind of happiness and completion I didn't know I could ever feel. You guys make me feel like I somehow was away from home all along, and that I needed to be here instead. You make me feel like I don't have to doubt my place in the world, I know it's right here with you."

They all just kind of let that sweet moment settle in their thoughts for a beat or two. I awkwardly shifted at such the blatant display of affection, so I opted for a joke. "Besides, I think we all know I really just came along to correct Lydia's schoolwork."

She rolled her eyes, "That was the one time, June."

"The one time I will never forget. I ask again, what would you do without me?" She laughed and the rest of the night was spent mulling over what senior year was going to be like, what we should do until then, and even about the nearest colleges around and what they had to offer. The entire time, I felt Stiles' grip tighten ever so slightly, and I smiled, knowing all I needed was right next to me.

I physically could not make this longer than it is. I am so sorry it was such a long wait for such a short chapter. I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to do with this one, I just kept writing and leaving it, coming back and writing then leaving it. Ultimately, there's no excuse. The chapters for season 5 will be normal length, but this is only going to have maybe one or two more parts before we really get started. This is the first part in the entire series that I'm not proud of, and for that I'm very sorry. I love you guys, thank you for your patience. Unedited. Xx.