▌𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 ━︎━︎ 𝐀 𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐟 𝐀𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 ▌

━︎━︎━︎━︎𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 Elaine woke up with dried tear stains on her cheeks. She glanced at the time and sat up, rubbing at her face and letting a sigh leave her lips. Stiles had an early morning practice because of their big game tomorrow, but Elaine had woken up way before he needed to get up so she just let him sleep. She made her way to the bathroom, softly closing the door and looking at herself in the mirror. She looked rough. Her eyes were swollen from where she'd cried herself to sleep and she just looked completely and utterly exhausted. She ran water over her face until the tear stains were gone and then she pulled a brush through her hair.

She made her way down the steps and into the kitchen. She made herself a bowl of cereal and stood there, staring blankly at the wall ahead of her. The sound of footsteps made her blink and turn her head to see Noah standing there. She sent him a small smile and he returned it, offering her a small nod.

     "You okay, Elaine?" Noah asked her. Elaine had always been his favorite and he didn't really try to hide it either. He didn't even know half of what she went through, but he knew enough to know that no teenager deserved to go through it. There was nothing wrong with him doing a mental health check on her.

     Elaine tensed at the question and Noah noticed. She forced herself to relax and nodded her head head. "I will be. Now that the dead pool is over, I don't have to sleep with one eye open anymore."

     "Well hopefully you guys can have a peaceful rest of your year."

     Elaine chuckled at the thought. "One can only hope, but it is not likely." Noah nodded in understanding. He opened the door to leave and stopped when Elaine caught his attention. "Hey." He turned and looked at her. "Thanks for checking on me." Noah smiled and nodded before leaving the home.

     Elaine finished her cereal before walking back up to Stiles' room. She got changed and made herself look semi-decent for the day before turning and looking at Stiles. She smiled at his sleeping form before walking over to him and gently shaking him awake. "Stiles, get up. You have an early morning practice for the game tomorrow."

     The sound of the door opening downstairs made Elaine smirk. "Well, Stiles, can't say I didn't try." She stood up and Malia walked in the room. "He's all yours."

     "Stiles, get up." Malia ordered. "If I'm gonna watch an entire lacrosse game you better not suck."

     "Not gonna suck," Stiles mumbled.

     "Remember you were supposed to drive me to school early so I can get more studying for the math test?" Stiles just rolled over. "The one that determines whether or not I'm gonna be a senior next year with you guys? Stiles!" Malia let out a groan and stood up, taking a stance beside Elaine.

     "Easy or hard way?" Elaine asked.

     "What's the difference?"

     "Easy way, I kiss him and he'll wake up. Hard way, I use magic to throw him out of the bed."

     "Well, the hard way sounds much more fun." Malia pondered. "But for the sake of him not getting another concussion, maybe the easy way. I'll wait downstairs." Elaine nodded and Malia left the room.

     Elaine walked over to him and rolled him over before smashing her lips against his. He immediately woke up, placing his hand on either side of her face before pulling away. "What are you doing? I haven't even brushed my teeth yet."

     "I don't care." Elaine smiled before kissing him again. He kissed her back before she pulled away. "Get up." Elaine walked out of the room.

     "You are a cruel, cruel woman, Elaine!" Stiles yelled and Elaine had to bite back a laugh.

They made it to school and Malia got in a little extra studying, thanks to Lydia's notes. She passed the test however she failed Coach's test making the girl sigh in defeat. The school day went by quickly and before Elaine knew it, she was laying on Stiles' bed, working on her homework whilst he worked on his own at his desk.

     Noah suddenly entered the room. "Drop what you're doing. I'm taking you both out to dinner. Whatever you want."

     Stiles and Elaine exchanged a look before Stiles looked at his father. "Dad, I don't think a man of your debt should be treating anyone to anything."

     "Well, there is one debt we no longer have to worry about." Noah said before holding up a white folded paper.

     "What is that?" Stiles asked, taking the paper from his father and opening it.

     "A letter of apology from Eichen House." Noah answered. "Apparently, they've decided to forgive our debt due to. . . well, you, Elaine, and Lydia almost getting murdered."

     Elaine sat aside her work and looked at the two Stilinski's with excitement. "They can do that?" 

     "They can do it and they did it."

     "I have never been so happy to almost have been murdered." Stiles said putting the paper down on the desk.

     "Well, we're not out of it yet, but. . . we're going to be okay." Stiles nodded approvingly. "And for the moment, I can afford to take my son and his girlfriend out to dinner." Noah turned to look at Elaine. "Elaine, what's your favorite food?"

     Elaine thought about it for a moment. "I could really go for some pizza."

     "You read my mind." Stiles smiled, grabbing her hand to pull her up from the bed.

The three left and went out for pizza. Elaine had smiled and laughed through the whole dinner and it brought Stiles happiness to know that she seemed to forget about everything for just a little while. He knew that it would come back as soon as they got back home, it always did. He held her hand under the table as they ate, Noah telling them about one of his police stories that had Elaine gasping in shock and proceeding to tell him that he was "one badass sheriff." Noah had thanked her for that. For a moment, everything was okay. Noah wasn't worrying about bills, Stiles wasn't worrying about school or killers, and Elaine wasn't worrying about literally everything else. It was a moment of peace, a moment that he would have to thank his dad for when Elaine wasn't around.

When she fell apart in his arms he'd never hugged her so tightly. He hated that she felt the way that she did, but Elaine never gave herself a break. She always worried about everyone other than herself. Even when she was laying on the floor dying, she had used her last strength to throw Brunski away from Lydia and Stiles because she couldn't bare to see them get hurt when there was something she could do about it. She was everyone's rock, and she believed that no one was hers. Scott had Kira and Stiles, Lydia was growing closer with Malia, and Elaine just felt empty handed but that was okay because as long as her friends had people that would always be more important. She was always that person, but it seemed lately no one was that person for her.

Except for Stiles. She hadn't wanted to break down in front of him but she was just so tired of bottling it all up and he was there for her. He became her rock. She's always had Stiles, but he and Scott were best friends and Elaine was the third wheel. Stiles made her feel loved and cared for. She knew her brother and friends loved and cared for her too, but sometimes she just felt alone. Elaine didn't realize that they would all die for her. They would put everything down to make sure she was okay and safe.

They made it back home and that night Elaine fell asleep with a smile on her face, something Stiles hoped to see more often. The next day it was the big game. Sadly, Scott and Kira were late and nowhere to be found. Elaine had called them both multiple times but they hadn't answered and she was trying her best not to panic. The game was about to start and without two of their best players, Elaine knew they weren't going to win.

     When the game started and he still hadn't showed up, that was when Elaine really began to worry. "Scott, pick up the fucking phone. We're dying out here. Where the hell are you and Kira?" She hung up the phone and turned when Stiles and Noah approached her.

     "We're going to go find Scott and Kira. Malia's going to stay here in case he shows up." Stiles explained and Elaine nodded.

     "I'm coming with you."

     The three of them left and after searching everywhere they knew to search, they come up empty handed. Elaine got a call from Derek, making her frown. "Derek?"

     "You need to come to the loft." Derek told her.

     Elaine nodded. "Alright. We're on our way." She hung up the phone. "Get to Derek's loft."

They got there and Elaine was the first one to step inside. Light bulbs were shattered all over the floor. The smell of blood was high in the air. Everything was destroyed. Elaine made her way down the steps with Noah and Stiles following after her.

     "What the hell happened here?" Stiles was the one to ask.

     Derek turned to look at them, Braeden at his side. "It was supposed to be a date."

     "They were both here?" Noah asked.

     "And now they're both gone." Braeden replied.

     Elaine tensed up. "What do you mean they're gone? Derek, where the hell is my brother?"

     Stiles phone began to vibrate and when he saw it was Lydia he quickly picked it up. "Hey."

    "Scott's been taken."

     "Scott and Kira. We just don't know where."

     "Mexico." This time it was Deaton who spoke. "And if you want to save his life, that's where you're going too."

     "Please tell me that he did not just say Mexico." Elaine breathed.

     Stiles sighed and nodded. "He said Mexico."

     "Damnit!" She clenched her first and suddenly the rest of the light bulbs exploded, making the four of them jump. "I swear to God I'm going to kill Kate Argent." She looked at Stiles. "She does not realize who she's messing with." Her eyes flashed purple and she stormed out of the loft.

     "That happen a lot?" Braeden asked.

     Stiles rubbed the back of his neck. "More than you know. I'm gonna go chase her before she decides to destroy a tree. . . or a building. Elaine!" He ran after her.