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𝑬 𝑽 𝑬 𝑹 𝑮 𝑹 𝑬 𝑬 𝑵
❝ 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚙𝚑𝚊 ❞

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ㅤ𝐌𝐀𝐘 𝐏𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑, who was sporting his own pout as they assessed each other. While both of them were dressed to leave, they were going to completely different places. He was heading to Tennessee for another case, while she was heading back to Washington for her forced medical leave.

After their case in Virginia with the kid who pretended to help—which nearly ended in disaster if not for Derek saving Spencer—May was immediately ordered to take a medical leave. She was granted an official two-week paid leave, but Gideon mentioned in passing that she could take as long as she needed, just that she had to update him about her situation as often as possible.

Wearing a white shirt underneath a rather thick gray jacket paired with olive green pants and black trainers, she was somewhat ready for winter. It was December, but every time she tried to wear anything thicker, she feels like she'll melt to death. So, she fakes it by wearing thick jackets that she ends up peeling off as soon as its not too cold for the regular person.

"I'm gonna miss you," Spencer pouted even further, pulling his best friend into a tight hug. "I don't want you to go."

"I don't wanna go without you either," she mumbled into his shoulder. "Can't believe I actually have to go home."

"Gideon's orders," he reminded, pulling away to look at her face that pulled into a sad frown.

"Gideon's orders," she repeated sadly. She huffed, kissing his cheek. "Wish you can go with me."

"Hey, no kiss for me?" Derek suddenly asked as he jumped into the conversation. It was an easy thing, considering the best friends were smack in the middle of the bullpen saying their goodbyes. At their twin glares, he raised his hands in defense. "Just saying. I'm gonna miss May too, you know."

"Mhmm, of course you'll miss May," Elle teased as she walked past them, smirking at Derek who gave her a look. But she quickly turned around and headed back towards May to wrap her arms around her. "But I will also miss you, so I get a hug."

"Hey!"

"What are you still doing here?" Gideon wondered as he walked towards his two protégés. "Your flight's in two hours."

"Yeah, yeah," May playfully rolled her eyes. "Spencer just wanted me to drive him to work so we can spend more time together before I leave. Don't worry, I'll be leaving soon."

"Good." Gideon then pressed a kiss to her temple before wobbling—he was on crutches—towards the round table room, where the other members have gathered. JJ, who was in the room already, gave May a wave goodbye, while Hotch gave her a nod.

"Well, I'll see you when you get back," Elle smiled at May, her dimples on full show. "Now, I better get in there before Hotch has my head. See you."

The three who remained watched as Elle walked after Gideon. Spencer then turned to May and sighed sadly. "I guess I'll say goodbye now."

May didn't hesitate to pull him into another hug. "Love you."

"Love you."

As Spencer walked away, May couldn't help but playfully roll her eyes at Derek who was giving her his best puppy dog eyes, arms open for a hug.

"Come on," he teased, grinning at her as he walked closer. Slowly, of course, making sure she was comfortable and allowing her to have an out in case she didn't want it. But much to his surprise, she actually moved forward and engulfed him in the best hug she could muster.

Admittedly, May inconspicuously inhaled his scent as it wrapped around her like a warm blanket—not completely ignoring how warm his actual body is. There was his usual perfume, a sultry, musky scent that you'd expect a man like him to wear. But underneath that is a surprising hint of...evergreen.

"How much are you gonna miss me?" She joked, whispering her words into his ear, smirking a little when she saw his breath falter. Might as well flirt back every once in a while, she thought to herself.

He pulled away to look at her face. "So much," he admitted. "How am I gonna function with my daily source of inspiration?"

She scoffed, slapping his shoulder as she detached herself from him. "Flirt."

"For once, so are you."

"Eh, it's gonna be the last time," she smirked. "Anyway, I really gotta go. I'll see you all when I get back." Her smirk shifted to a more genuine smile. "And stay safe, all of you."

"Bye, May."

"See you soon, Derek."

The flight from DC to Seattle took a grand total of nearly six hours, and May being tall did not help her discomfort on the seats of a commercial plane. Her knees were practically touching the seat in front of her, forcing her to spread her legs a little, but it deterred her from finding a proper position to actually sleep.

Grumbling as she grabbed her luggage from the overhead bins, she couldn't help but let a groan escape her lips as she felt her muscles ache. Not only did she struggle with her seat, she also struggled with its position; she was sat in the middle, between an old man who snored too loudly, and a kid who kept moving around.

As quickly as she could, she exited the plane, smiling politely at the flight attendants. She made her way through the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and speed-walked towards the arrival area, where the alpha of the pack was waiting for her.

When they met eyes, she couldn't help but grin and begin running, unaffected by the weight of her backpack as she rushed towards the man she used to babysit back in junior high; when she was a tiny little thirteen-year-old, and he was eight.

"Samuel!" She practically screamed, laughing when he hopped out of car and met her halfway, picking her up. "You've grown!"

He laughed with her as he put her back down, but there was a small, barely noticeable look of confusion on his face when he felt her body temperature. He shook it off. "It happens when you shift, apparently."

"You're like, what, 6'3"?"

"More or less," he chuckled, motioning for her to take off her backpack so he could carry it, and she didn't hesitate to hand it to him. "But you, even without shifting have always been tall, so. If I hadn't shifted, you'd probably still be taller."

"It's a gift," she giggled. Then, the two of them began to walk back to his truck. "Well, how are you?"

"Still adjusting," he admitted. "The physical change is one thing, but the whole mental thing that comes with it. It's difficult, but I'm coping."

"Is it still just you and Jared Cameron?" She wondered.

"Yeah," he told her just as he opened the truck door for her, handing her back her bag which she settled on her lap as she hopped in. "But Old Quil thinks another one's about to shift too."

"You're both still so young," she whispered to herself. Then she cleared her throat and asked, "Who does he think is gonna shift next?"

He walked around the truck to get to the driver's side, and as he himself got in, he answered, "He's not sure. But ever since the Cullens left, Forks has been open to other nomad leeches, which means more chances of others shifting. But their presence means danger, and we've been trying to keep everyone safe, but it's not easy when it's just the two of us."

May sighed. "I suppose it could be worse. And what do you mean the Cullens left?"

"An accident with Bella Swan is what I've heard from your dad," he grumbled slightly as he turned the engine on. "Girl's a danger magnet. She got lost in the woods just a few months ago when they left. Apparently, her Cullen left her stranded there."

"Yikes," she grimaced, watching as he began driving towards La Push, leaving the busy airport. "Well, since the drive's, like, four hours away, what do you suggest we do?"

"How about...you tell me about your latest serial killer?"

"Oh, he was an interesting one..."

Halfway through the drive, May ended up falling asleep, catching up on the z's she never got during the flight. It was nightfall anyway, and the darkness made her sleepy. But right before entering Forks, she jolted awake, gasping so loudly that it startled Sam out of his humming.

"What is it?" He quickly asked, glancing at her in alarm. "Are you okay? Accalia?"

But May could only gasp and groan, her face twisting in pain. And just as they passed 'The City of Forks Welcomes You' sign, she slammed her palm into the dashboard and dropped her bag to her feet, curling into herself as her body felt like it was on fire.

"Accalia!" Sam exclaimed, quickly swerving to the side and stopping right at the edge of the woods. He cut the engine and fully faced her, not knowing what to do. He hesitantly placed a hand on the small of her back, on the skin that was exposed because of her movements, and hissed at the contact. "Fuck, I think you're shifting."

Despite the torture she was feeling, May quickly shook her head. "It's impossible."

"I know what it's like to shift, and you are shifting," Sam stated firmly. "Now come on, you need to get out of the truck."

Sam was quick in his movements; he jumped out of the pick-up and practically ripped the passenger door off, carrying May bridal-style into the forest that could provide them with necessary privacy. Once he was deep in the brush, he laid her down on the cold ground. As May shuddered, he pulled off her jacket, socks, and shoes. Once he was done, he could only stare down at her as she moved to crouch instead.

"It would be better if you were naked," he told her. "Clothes rip the second you shift. It's kind of expensive to keep having to replace them."

Weakly, May nodded, and with shaking hands, began to peel of her shirt. Throwing it to a random direction, her pants followed. She wasn't ashamed of her body in any way, so she didn't have a problem with Sam seeing her in this state. But the man still respectfully turned his gaze away, just as she forced herself to get up on her feet.

Her limbs ached and her joints shook, but nothing could compare to the pain that kept flaring on her chest, like there was something in her that was trying to burst out. Despite being practically naked—standing only in her underwear—the cold air couldn't penetrate the heat of her skin, and if she were to be honest, she could feel nothing the violent shaking of her body.

"I...This is supposed to be impossible," she rasped out. "No female shifter has ever been recorded."

"No record does not mean impossible," he countered, still turned away. "Can you shift now?"

"I feel like it's coming, but I can't...it's like there's a block."

To hell with chivalry, Sam thought as he finally turned back to face her. Seeing her this way didn't do anything but worry him more, so he walked forward and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Force it to come out," he said.

"How?" She grit her teeth.

"Anger's always been a good trigger," he suggested.

"I don't think I can get angry enough to transform into a wolf."

"Then calm down," he firmly insisted. "Calm down, and imagine yourself transforming. Ignore everything but the thought of shifting. You're a spirit warrior, you're a Quileute, and you're..." Sam's eyes widened in realization, "you're the alpha."

May took a deep breath and held it, closing her eyes as she allowed everything to fade into the background. The crashing sound of the wind, the insects, and Sam's breathing disappeared. The only thing on her mind was the repetitive chant of the word shift.

Shift.

Shift.

Shift.

Shift.

Shift.

Until finally...

"...We need to call Billy," Sam stated with wide eyes as he stared at the snow-white wolf in front of him. "And...and the rest of the council."

author's note: so like, to explain, accalia is the name practically everyone uses to call may back at la push. it was instigated by her mother, sarah. because her mom called her that since she was a kid, everyone else called her that too. but ever since her mom died, she associated the name with her death, so she forced everyone close to her—dad, Jacob, and the twins—to call her may. but they were the only ones to be told of this, so everyone still calls her accalia back home. 

so, anyway, i hope you guys loved this update! honestly wrote this in like 2 sittings so i just kept writing and writing and have absolutely no idea if there are any mistakes. if there are, lmk. but i might not edit it asap just bc i'm lazy. but just know that those mistakes are the effect of writing and publishing this at nearly 2 am. 

i'll see you guys soon! and stream born pink <3