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Scott sighed and hung his head. Stiles was going to rush into danger and he didn't seem to mind that at all. One of these days he was going to get them into more trouble than they could get out of. Then one of them was going to have to deal with it or live with the consequences. Probably for life - if they lived passed this escapade at least.


A long while later, so long that Scott was pretty sure their teachers were freaking out by now, Scott tried to stop Stiles. It was way past noon and by this point they had wandered so far through the wooded area that everything looked the same to Scott. Thankfully they hadn't been running, just walking mostly, so he wasn't having to deal with a lot of breathing issues but that didn't mean they were in the clear. He'd forgotten which direction they'd come from, how many turns they'd made, and pretty much everything else. They were, in a word, completely lost and he hadn't exactly taken his mom up on the boyscout offer.


Stiles turned around to try and remember which direction they'd come from, and wasn't entirely sure which direction they'd come from. Stiles shrugged, turning back to Scott, and continued forward. From the corner of his eye he saw a small cave and he smiled, walking toward it. "Do you have a flashlight?" Stiles asked looking back at Scott before reaching into his backpack to see if he brought one. "Wait! I got one!" Stiles said wrapping his hand around his flashlight and clicking it on, before looking inside the cave, and inside glittered and gleamed with hems of many different colors and shapes. "Scott! We made it to heaven!" Stiles stated with a large toothy smile.


Scott looked around and smiled as well. It really was neat to see. Everything seemed to have all sorts of shine to it and when he went to look at it, well...feel it, Scott felt some of the gold break off into his hand. That wasn't real gold then. But it didn't make it any less wondrous to see the small inlet in the wall.


"You were right," Scott admitted as he sat down on the ground to rest his feet.


-------


Stiles walked a little deeper into the cave, looking up at the stalagmite, and finding a rock on the ground to throw it to try to break a piece off, with some success. Stiles reached down and held the blue green gems and held up the flashlight to it, watching it reflect off the the piece of whatever in his hand onto the walls of the cave. "I don't think anything in here is real. It's probably an old exhibit they use to show to visitors. I'd say something happened in here, so they're not aloud to bring people on this part of the trail anymore." Stiles said, turning back to Scott, and making his way further into the cave. He noticed a few broken pieces on the ground, and noticed how sharp they were. "Be careful where you step, things are a little sharp." Stiles stated. He kicked a sharp piece until it broke further, and then hissed, knowing he might have just made things worse. Stiles reached the end of the cave, and saw an opened treasure chest, and peered inside. There were tiny dusty bottles of gold. Stiles' eyes widened. "SCOTT!" Stiles smiled, holding up a handful of them. "LOOK! This exhibit offered a free little bottle of gold! There are probably a hundred or so in here!" STiles swung his backpack over his shoulder, and started to fill them with the little bottles of gold samples. The boy couldn't believe what he'd found. These things, as far as he knew were at least ten dollars at the gift shop, and that's like $100 worth of gold! That was enough to put a down payment on an Elephant for sure. Stiles filled his backpack until it didn't look like there was obvious an insane amount of stuff in it. "Scott, bring me your backpack!" the boy said, jogging back to Scott, and handing him his backpack and reaching for his friends.


Scott wearily stood up and followed the path down to where Stiles was. The explanation that Stiles had come up with made sense all things considering. Now he couldn't help but wonder what happened in here to make them close this place off. Nothing he could think of sounded like it'd be pleasant. His mind raced between people somehow going missing, even though this was a pretty through and through area as far as he could tell, all the way over to murders. Just because there wasn't any tape around the cave didn't mean that people couldn't have been murdered in it....


"Stiles, what if people were murdered in here?" Scott asked as he looked around cautiously, holding his backpack out to his friend. It wasn't until after it was put to use that he remembered the trail mix his mom had packed for him at the bottom.


"PFFFFFT! Scott, what are the odds of someone being murdered in here? There is more of a chance of some homeless man making his inhabitance here. Or like, it becoming some sort of breeding ground for wild animals, or something of that source. Murders, yeah right." Stiles hoped over the sharp shards again, and made his way back to the treasure chest and put as many tiny bottles of gold into Scott's backpack as he could, again keeping in mind not to have it draw attention. Stiles took a couple of the remaining pieces and shoved a few into his pockets, and then took a few for Scott to have in his pockets, until there were maybe twenty let in the container. Stiles wished he didn't have to leave them, but there was no where to put them. Stiles stopped to think. What could he do about the remaining twenty bottles. "What kind of underwear are you wearing?" he asked.


Okay, that's where he drew the line on helping his friend get the gold. Scott's expression turned from contemplative to down right 'noping' his friend. He started to turn back around and his foot caught on something, a small hole. He tripped; his hands and knees caught most of his fall. When he started to get back up, Scott saw something that put a knot in the back of his throat.


Was that...hair? Like, that looked like really dirty blonde hair which had been buried for years and finally dug back up. Scott moved back away from it and stood up, dusting himself off.


"Stiles..." Scott called out in a harsh whisper.


"Boxers or Briefs?" Stiles asked, looking toward his friend who'd tripped. "What is it?" he asked.


"Look," Scott said as he pointed down.


He really hoped that was part of an exhibit of some sort. He really, really did. However the knot in the back of his throat was lowering the more his mind ran wild. It probably wasn't going to get any better until someone finished digging it up and seeing what it really was. Though he definitely wasn't going to be the one to do that. He'd rather the uncertainty be the rule of the day than absolute certainty.


Stiles took his flashlight to point where Scott had landed, and where he was pointing to. There Stiles saw something of a different texture. Something long and stringy. The boy's curiosity took the best of him, and he knelt down to see what it was. Stiles force the small bottles to Scott, and reached for his shovel again, before carefully digging around the surface. The texture was hair like, and Stiles was gentle with it, knowing just how delicate something like that could be. The boy started to dig a good amount around the area, before taking his hands and brushing the area off, holding his flashlight in between his teeth. Before he knew it, he'd finished unburying the thing, and lifted up a large mass of hair, and what was attached to a large layer of what looked like - "What is th- OH GOD!" Stiles said, immediately dropping it back into the dirt. "Scott - Scott." Stiles said, looking around and feeling himself getting quite sick. "Uhm - grab your backpack. . . We should - we should probably get out of here." Stiles stated, holding his stomach slightly, before trying to shake out his lightheaded feeling.


"Was that from a person?" Scott asked with an intense tone, the volume rising with every word.


"Uhm, no Scott, it was just - YES! IT WAS FROM A PERSON! Keep moving!" Stiles said, trying to get out of the cave as quickly as possible.


Scott hurried after him, his eyes wide and his heart beat up. "Why? Why was it there? Was it why the cave was closed off?"


Stiles paused looking back to Scott. "What makes you think I'd know the answer to those questions! I'd say finding pieces of a murdered person is a good reason to close down part of an exhibit. I'll be honest, it's kind of sick that they're allowing students to even come close to here right now - I - WHY ARE WE STILL HERE!" Stiles continued walking, fast paced back in the direction they came.


"They Didn't let us come here, Stiles," Scott said with a tone of disbelief in his voice as he hurried after his friend.


As he hurried, however, his lungs started to seize up with all the excitement and panic of the situation. Scott once more found himself slipping to the ground but this time it was because he was trying to find his inhaler among all the bottles that Stiles had stuffed in there. His hand slipped around the round things, trying to find that hard plastic but his hands were fumbly and he started to panic even more which did not help his breathing in the least. Finally, after a lot of digging, he pulled it up and took one puff and then another.


Stiles continued forward until he could hear Scott's gasping for air. The boy turned to see he'd made a good lead on his friend before running back to his side. "Scott! Are you okay!?" he asked, leaning down beside him. "I can carry your backpack for you, if you'd like." he said, closing it back up after Scott had managed to find his inhaler, and then throwing it over his shoulder.


"I just...I just..." Scott wheezed as the medicine started to take effect. "That was a body Stiles! A dead body."


Granted it was only part of one, and they were kind of making assumptions on the dead part. But it was enough to freak the fourth grader out.


"No Scott, it was part of one, and I don't plan to find the rest of it. So, let's do what you've been wanting to do this whole time, and get back to the group. . ." Stiles was still on edge and couldn't rationally think of what to do. he feld lost, and looked around for a sign to bring them back to the group. "I think it's this way! Come on!" Stiles said, taking Scott's and his own backpack, and starting off in a jog in a direction of the forest, keeping alert and taking turns here and there that felt right.


The sun had started to fall before they found any other living person. It would be more apt to say that another living person found them - well, more like the bloodhound that they had with them. By that time, the boys had been dragging their feet just trying to keep on the move. The idea of what would happen if whoever did whatever to that part of the body found them kept them on their feet but after the day they had, it was easy to tell that Scott, at least, was at his collapsing point.


Stiles was almost certain a few hours ago he heard the busses leave, and he couldn't even decide where it was coming from. The boy was frustrated, and couldn't find his way back to save his life. His feet hurt, he was hungry, and he didn't care that he found something cool anymore. There! Look Scott! There's a flashlight!" Stiles pointed, out into the woods. "Oh Shoot, Scott, what if - what if that's the guy?!" Stiles stated, talking quieter and getting closer to Scott.


Scott didn't say anything, he just grabbed Stiles' hand and started running to the side. Sure he was tired, sure they were most likely going to get caught, and sure he was probably going to start having another asthma attack but...well, those were all good points that only had his idea of getting to safety to counterbalance it. Thankfully right before they got too far away or Scott had said asthma attack, a familiar voice called out in the relative dark.


"Boys!?"


Stiles knew that voice. "Dad!" Stiles said, perking his head up toward him, and then looking at Scott. "DAD!" he said, running from the tree into the arms of his father. "There was a shiny thing, and - then we kept walking and the forest is big and I couldn't see the markers, and then in the cave, and the hair - and the guy-" Stiles babbled, nervously, trying to explain himself, but nothing came out clear.


"Stiles! Slow down! First of all, What the Hell were you thinking! You - I have no words." the man stated.


"Scott?" she said, walking over to where Stiles had come from, and found her boy. "Oh Thank the Lord you're alright." she said, pulling him into her arms.


Scott instantly wrapped his arms around his mom, or as much of her as he could manage. He buried his face into her stomach and tried to forget about the rotting part of a body they'd found but it was no use. Especially with Stiles' quickly spoken words.


"There's...there's a body mom!" Scott expressed quickly, though nowhere near as quick as Stiles. "In the shiny cave. Hair, like indians had scalped someone or something."


Melissa's face turned in on itself as she brought her son out from her stomach so she could face him. "A body?" She said before turning to the Sheriff.


Stiles nodded frantically. "We - found this cave, - and in the cave, we found - we found -"


The Sheriff sighed, almost as if he'd kind of understood what he was talking about. "Let's get the boys home." he said. "We'll talk about this later. It's getting late, and it's a school night." he said, grabbing hold of Stiles' hand, and starting back in the direction they came.


Melissa turned down to Scott, and then gave him a relieved yet worried look before holding onto his hand too, and following after the Sheriff. "I want you to know that I am really happy you're okay, but this - oh - you're in so much trou-"


"Melissa, please, let's talk about this later." The Sheriff interrupted the younger woman.


Stiles' eyes widened as he turned back to Scott, knowing that when his dad got like this, it was never good at all. He was thinking, and he wouldn't be interrupted by anything.


Scott kept his mouth shut until they got to the cars. His legs cramped and his heart continued to race. But the nagging fear made him ignore all that in favor of trying to make sure that no one was going to pop out and surprise them. Which meant that even as he got buckled up, the youngster had his face pressed up against the glass and was staring out into the forest, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end uncomfortably.


"Mom?" Scott called out in a quiet voice, trying to find his mom while at the same time not taking his eyes off the treeline. "Can Stiles come with us?"


Melissa kept good pace up with the Sheriff keeping in mind her son's asthma. She made it to her car and started to get herself situated before looking back at Scott who still seemed Terrified. "I think his dad wants to talk to him. . . What's wrong?" she asked. Worried about what her son might say.


Stiles wasn't sure if his father had ever held his hand tighter. Stiles knew it wouldn't matter what he said, his father wasn't going to listen to some story. His father had a hard time trusting the words out of Stiles' mouth. "I'm sorry, Dad." he started.


"Save it Stiles, I'm not listening to you right now." He said, walking up to the car, and opening up the back seat, and holding the door for Stiles.


The boy dropped his head, before climbing into the car, and watching his father close the door quickly. Stiles managed to put his and Scott's backpack's off to the side, completely forgetting that he'd found the gold pieces. Be did however realize that he had Scott's backpack. "Wait, Dad, i have to Give Scott his backpack!" the boy said, pushing the door open, and running with Scott's backpack in the direction of Melissa's car, before being grabbed by the arm. "Dad-"


"Get back into the car." he said sternly. Stiles' mouth hung open and confused before pulling Scott's backpack back up his shoulder and walking back to the car, climbing back in and pulling the door closed behind him with a slam. The Sheriff took Scott's backpack from his son, and started to walk it over to the other car.


The male made it to the car and knocked on Melissa's window. "Before heading home, I think it'd be best if you stopped by our house, We need to get a clear story - and - I wanna hear it before we take it anywhere." The Sheriff stated, getting a hold of the Dog he'd brought along, and heading back to the car, opening up the trunk for the Dog to climb into.


Scott poked his head out of the car after unbuckling his seat belt. He clenched his fist in worry as he stared out into the dimly lit area. Without saying a word to his mother, Scott hurried over to where Stiles was.


"We're not doing that again. Okay?" Scott said in a hushed voice as he climbed into the car as well.


He knew that Stiles' dad was about as mad as they'd ever see him and that his own mother wasn't very happy either. But it wasn't like he could go back and change what had happened, no matter how much he wanted to. So what he had to do was try to make it better. Maybe when the whole thing dies down they wouldn't be in too much trouble...it was doubtful but hey, a kid could dream.


Sheriff Stilinski placed a hand on Scott's head, before looking at Stiles with a glare. "Get back in your car, Scott." he said, looking over at Melissa who was now wide eyed and running over to him.


"Scott, come on, sweetie." she said, holding out her hand out for his. "John, I'm sure they're hungry, could we at least stop and get them some food before we -" stopped, noticing just how angry the male was. "Alright, I'll meet you back at your house." she said, pulling Scott by the arm now. "Come on, Sweetie." she said, again, bringing him back to the car, and opening up the door for them.


"But mom, what about Stiles?" Scott's voice was a mixture of concern and fear.


"Don't worry, His dad is going to take him back to the house." she said in a softer voice, trying not to set Stiles' father off even more.


"Are you sure?" He asked, though he put up no physical fight as he was ushered into the back seat of their car. "What if...what if something bad happens?"


He wasn't sure where the idea of something bad happening came from, just that it was there. It itched at the back of his mind as something inside tried to tell them that there was still something out there. Something that most people would deny existing - like the boogeyman he'd never really believed in. It was probably just the forest playing tricks on him, he knew that, but it was hard to quell the fear once it had taken root.


"Of course, I'm sure." Melissa had no doubt that Stiles would be safe with his father. John was a great man, there was nothing to worry about. "Scott, please, don't worry, Stiles is going to be fine, nothing is going to happen. . . Do you want to-" Melissa paused, not wanting to promise anything to Scott that she couldn't actually make happen. "We're going to be going soon, alright. And - and - We'll go talk to Stiles' dad, and he's going to get a story, and then we'll go get you some dinner, okay. Just - relax, please, just - relax." she told him, closing the door, and making it back to the driver's seat.


The Sheriff made his way over to their teachers car. "I don't know what the penalty is for losing children on a field trip. I know Stiles isn't easy, and I didn't trust him being here, but - I can't help but hold you partially responsible. My feelings are too mixed right now to really have any rational decisions at this point, but know that you'll be hearing from me." the man stated firmly. "Have a good night, Mrs. Clark." The Sheriff stated, walking away from the car and back to his own. The man climbed back into the car, and turned back.


Stiles locked his eyes on those of his father's. "Dad I-"


"Not a word."


"But Dad! I Just wanna-"


"NOT A SINGLE WORD!" he hollered, so loud it caused the Dog to bark behind them, and startle Stiles. The man wasn't phased by any of it, and continued to look out the back window, waiting for Melissa to back out before making a quick turn out of the place where they parked.


Stiles felt his heart sink into his stomach, and tears started to well in his eyes, but he didn't let them go. He bit his lip hard, before looking out the car door.


Melissa started to make her way out of the mining grounds before heading onto the road back toward Beacon Hills. "Scott, I - I just what to know why - Why did you wander away from your class? You knew better than that!" Melissa asked, her tone concerned, and a little upset. She tried not to sound angry.


"I had to make sure Stiles was okay," Scott said as he looked at his feet.


A fat lot of good that had been. If anything, Scott had a feeling that by going with Stiles it had only encouraged him to go in farther. After all when Stiles was by himself, unless he had some device to keep him entertained, he tended to get bored.


"And he," Scott stopped himself and looked up, "we wanted to find something cool..."


Melissa sighed. She couldn't say she wasn't surprised that it was Stiles' idea to go on his own route. "The next time Stiles suggests something you know is wrong, you need to immediately tell a teacher. No matter how Stiles might react." she said. "He'll never hate you, you have to do it if you want to keep Stiles safe."


The young boy didn't say anything as he looked down at his feet. Yeah, that would have been the smart and easy thing to do now that he thought about it. Too bad hindsight was 20-20. Then again, Scott wasn't so sure that he would tell the teacher anything anyways. She really didn't like Stiles and he didn't want to get his friend in trouble, he never did. Trouble had a habit of finding Stiles enough as it was anyways.


"Think about this Scott. Stiles wouldn't have gotten into as deep of trouble if it had only been an idea to wander off. Now not only is your teacher upset with him, and you at this point, but her job is at stake."


"But it's not Mrs. Clark's fault that we wondered off," Scott mumbled.


"But it is her fault that she lost track of you. It is her fault that no one went to look for you."


"You guys lose track of us all the time," Scott replied quietly. "It's not her fault. She didn't mean to lose us. And if Stiles' dad can lose track of him, what chance did our teacher have?"

"Am I going to be able to see Stiles tomorrow at school?" Scott questioned his mother. "Or is his dad going to keep him out?"


What he wouldn't give to be able to hear that conversation happening downstairs….


Melissa turned to Scott. ”Sweetie, Stiles won’t be at school for the rest of the week. But when school is over, maybe he can come over.” she said softly.


"Why isn't he going to school?" Scott asked.


”The teacher wasn’t pleased to report that you and Stiles would both receive a mark on your behavior sheets, and - well, it was your first time, so it was a warning, but Stiles is suspended. He can’t go back to school for a whole week. He’ll be back next tuesday.” Melissa explained.


"That's a long time. What is he going to be doing?" Scott asked as his frown turned less severe but no less confused, mostly at the world.


Melissa shrugged her shoulders. ”It depends on what Stiles’ dad decides. Probably hanging out here with his babysitter - or - going to work with his dad. I don’t know, son.” Melissa sighed, She couldn’t standing being in the room anymore knowing just how tired Scott must have been, and knowing just how - well - upset Stiles was. She’d decided it’d gone on long enough. She pushed herself up off Stiles’ bed and turned to Scott. ”Are you ready to go home?” she asked, holding out a hand to her son.


"Yeah," Scott accepted, though he didn't take her hand. After all, he was ten years old...too old to be treated like a little kid. At least, that's how it was in his mind.


While Melissa and Scott were talking upstairs, Stiles and his father were discussing important issues downstairs.


Stiles didn’t understand just yet how serious his actions were, but he was starting to. ”Stiles - I got a chance to speak with your teacher, and - I don’t even know how to begin with you. You’re not turning in your homework, you’re not participating in class, you’re an interruption in class, Stiles, what’s wrong?”


None of that was news to Stiles. He’d always almost immediately made it onto a teacher’s bad side on day one, and never failed to disappoint. He wasn’t purposefully trying to do anything, there just was very little grace for what Stiles was going through. ”I-I’m sorry.” Stiles said under his breath.


”I don’t know what to do with you.” the male stated. ”You’re suspended for the rest of the week, so you’re going to be coming to work with me, all day for the rest of the week. That wasn’t my choice. Apparently I was suppose to have a conference with your teacher as well. . . Stiles. Why didn’t you tell me?”


”I didn’t know!” Stiles said.


”She said she sent home a note with you.”


”I don’t know what she’s talking about, dad, I promise I didn’t know.” Stiles admitted.


Back in Stiles room, Melissa took Scott’s hand and lead him out of Stiles’ room, and back down the stairs where she saw Mr. Stilinski still very much so upset with his son. ”John, it’s getting late, I think it’s time we let the boys sleep. And get some ourselves. I’m taking Scott home now.” she said.


John stopped in his tracks, crossing his arms. ”Yeah, alright, Thank you Scott for being honest with me.” the man stated.


Melissa nodded, walking toward the front door, and then opening it up, looking around the house before walking out to the car. ”Are you still hungry Scott?” she asked.


Scott shook his head. With all the excitement of the day, his stomach was still in knots. He couldn't think about eating. Why were the adults so concerned about the fact that he hadn't eaten? Why weren't they more concerned with the fact that someone had been murdered?


Melissa nodded. ”Alright, let’s go home.”



________________________________________



Early the next morning, Sheriff Stilinski got a call from the school telling him that Stiles’ suspension had been lifted, and to please have him attend as early as they could. The Sheriff wasn’t sure what to say, he made Stiles wake up earlier than he ever had, to get ready to go to work with him, and now with this news, he couldn’t help but sigh. ”Stiles, go gather your school things, you’re going to school after all.”


Stiles’ head lifted from the arm of the couch to give his father a look and he groaned. ”Daaaaad.” he complained, scooting off the couch, and kicking it as he headed back up stairs. In his wreck of a room, he grabbed his backpack that was a little heavier than he remembered, and then remembered what he’d placed inside of it. The boy walked over to his trash can, and dumped out the entirety of his backpack into the wastebasket. He shoved all the papers off his desk into his backpack, and then closed it, walking back down the stairs.


The Sheriff pulled a twenty dollar bill out of his wallet and put it inside of an envelope, before writing lunch on it, and passing it to Stiles. ”Put that in your account when you get to school.” The man stated.


Stiles tiredly took the envelope and shoved it into his pocket.


”If I hear anything from your teacher today Stiles. . . You’re not going to be happy with the consequences.” the man stated. He made his way toward the door, and opened it up for Stiles, and headed out toward the car, and locking the door behind him. He saw across the street there was a man staring at their house, a glare in his stare.


Stiles’ eyes glanced up to see, and he took a step back into his father.


A car drove by and then the man was gone, almost as if it were in their imagination. ”Come on son, I’ll buy you some breakfast.” he said, leading toward the car.


Melissa woke Scott up around the normal time, gently opening up his curtains. ”Time to wake up for School, honey.” she said softly, pushing past him to start to put an outfit together for him. She was already in her scrubs ready to start her nursing day. She grabbed a shirt and some shorts, and put them on Scott’s bedside, grabbing a pair of boxers for him as well. ”If you get ready fast, we can grab a donut on our way to school.” Melissa was in attempt to try to help him forget that Stiles wouldn’t be at school that day, or even forget all of what happened the day before.


Scott rolled over slowly onto his back. The sun was harsh against his eyes but not unbearably so. He put his arm over his forehead and looked at his mom through squinted eyes.


"Can we go by Stiles' before school?" Scott asked sleepily, voice raspy. "But after the donuts. Maple bar?"


Maple bar was Stiles' favorite. He was going to miss his favorite day - they had free play in P.E today. Stiles loved playing with all the equipment and Scott knew from experience that those tended to be his best days because he actually got to have fun getting his energy out.


Melissa turned to look at her son. "That's a great idea, honey." she smiled, before walking out of his room. "Be ready in fifteen minutes okay, so we have time to do all of that before school starts." Melissa stated, leaning in the doorway and then walking back down stairs.


Rarely had Scott ever been quicker at getting ready for school than he had this day. His shirt was quickly thrown on and his jeans were pulled up with record pace as he already started to put his shoes on. Brushing his teeth took less than a minute and he was already half way down the stairs as he brushed his hair. After the day yesterday, one would expect the little boy to be out of energy and sore. In a way, he was but the idea of going to see before Stiles school to see if he was okay gave him some strange burst of energy.


Melissa noticed Scott walking down the stairs, and smiled at him. ”Record timing, buddy. Got socks on those feet?” she asked, trying to see if he’d skipped any steps.


Scott looked down and grinned sheepishly. Nope. He'd forgotten the socks. Instead of going to get them, however he grabbed his mom's purse and started out the door with a 'come on' look on his young face. He was going to hold her to both of those promises no matter what.


Melissa’s eyes widened as she finished making up a water bottle with cucumber water, and chased after her son. She caught up with him, and unlocked the car door, and opened it up. She’d left his backpack in there overnight on the passenger’s seat. ”Here, you- Scott. . .” she paused, noticing how much heavier his backpack was than she remembered. It must have gone unnoticed the night before due to the intensity of the situation, but the woman brought the backpack onto her lap and opened it up. ”Oh my God. Scott! Did you steal these!” she asked, holding up one of the tiny little bottles of gold, and turning to him with an angry look.


"Someone abandoned them. It's not stealing when people leave things," Scott reasoned, leaving out the fact that it was Stiles' idea.


Melissa couldn’t believe her eyes. She put the bottle back into his backpack, and then handed it back to him. ”Why did you take so many of them?” she asked. Melissa put the car into drive, and started off out toward Donuts. ”There is a plastic bag in the pocket back there, if you want to put them in there and have them out of your backpack.” she told him. What was done was done.


Scott nodded as he reached around to grab the plastic bag. His bag was heavier with all the bottles. Besides, this way he could just had it to Stiles right off the bat.


"Thanks," Scott mumbled as he stuffed the plastic bag full of the tiny bottles.


Soon enough, the two pulled into a nearby donut shop, and Melissa parked, and jumped out of the car, helping Scott out, because yet again, child locked. ”Why don’t you pick out two for yourself.” Melissa wasn’t entirely sure why she was rewarding Scott. After all, he basically sent her in cardiac arrest the night before hearing that he was missing. She was just happy she’d found him okay, and wanted more than ever to show how much she loved him and was glad that he was okay. ”Just one for Stiles though. God help his babysitter.” Melissa stated almost under her breath.


Scott grabbed an apple fritter and a maple bar. The maple bar, as his mother had correctly guessed, was going for Stiles. He waited rather patiently for the selection to be paid for so he could start pinching off parts of his donut-thing as they walked back to the car. He didn't want to completely scarf his down in the car just incase his mom got mad about him eating in the car. Especially since this morning was so touch and go with what happened with last night. As he got seat belted back up in the backseat, Scott finally spoke up.


"We get to keep the gold right? Since it was abandoned?"


Melissa paid for the donuts and then smiled at her son, as he started into his apple fritter. Once they were back in the car, she turned back to listen to her son. ”Why don’t you ask Stiles’ dad if he’s okay with you keeping the gold that was abandoned. . . Then we’ll talk.” Melissa said, staring off in the direction of Stiles’ house. She was kind of curious to meet the person that was taking care of him during the day, considering he had managed to go a reckless route on his bedroom.


Scott nodded and looked out the window, slowly pinching off of the fritter and eating it. He'd ask after he figured out how angry Mister Stilinski was when they got to Stiles' house first. That way if he didn't have enough time to calm down, then Scott was willing to give him more time. After everything that had happened yesterday...he wanted to keep the gold. Just to make sure that there was a validation for their adventure in the woods.


The McCall car pulled up in the Stilinski drive way to find no cars in the driveway, well, not besides Claudia’s old Jeep that was still there and untouched. Melissa turned back to Scott. ”Let me call Stiles’ dad really quickly, and see if they’re home.” they could have always been parked in the garage.


Claudia dialed the number she knew so well now, and held the phone to her ear.


John had taken Stiles to Coffee Bean, a local coffee shop where he told Stiles he could get something off the menu if he wanted. The boy ended up getting a hot chocolate, and two pieces of lemon loaf, one to bring to Scott at School.


John had started off to take Stiles to School, earlier than he’d ever been before, before looking down at his phone. ”Hello?” he spoke into the phone.


”Hey, John, Melissa here, You probably knew that, uhm - Scott and I were going to stop by to - uh - check on Stiles, is he home?[/color she asked, looking back to see if Scott was busy or listening in.


”Uhm, no, He’s with me. His Suspension was waved, and he’s going into School for morning de- uhm, He’s going into School early this morning.” John stated.


Melissa’s eyes widened. She didn’t even realize that there was detention in elementary school. ”Oh, well, uhm okay! I guess Scott will see him in class then.” Melissa stated, before hanging up the phone. ”Stiles gets to go to school today!” Melissa said, trying to sound peppy.


"I thought you said that he wasn't going to go?" Scott questioned.


Melissa nodded. ”The school waved his de- suspension, and he gets to come to classes. I don’t know what it’ll mean in class though, just know that whatever the teacher says is fair. . . Even if it doesn’t sound fair.” Melissa was ready for Stiles to be put into a big version of ISS, which was waaaaayy worse that Suspension. Especially for Stiles, who had a hard enough time sitting still in class. ”Maybe he doesn’t need this donut after all.” Melissa said looking down at the donut, and wondering how well the sugar would go with his ADHD. She was a nurse, and she well knew that some foods weren’t good for kids with ADHD, but she also knew Stiles wasn’t taking his medication, so that could be the main reason he was off the walls. His dad probably forgot, considering Claudia was gone, there was no reason to remember something as little as Stiles’ medication for his ADHD.


Melissa started off toward the house. ”Do you want to go straight to School this morning? Or go home first?” she asked her son.


"School," the boy said instantly.


Melissa’s eyes widened, before turning around in the car, and heading off toward School. Even though she could have very well just gone straight. Melissa, looked through the rearview mirror watching Scott pick pieces off his donut. ”Scott, your teacher will probably want to talk to you today, and if you’re really honest, you probably won’t get into any trouble. . . but you’ll probably have to tell on Stiles a little bit.” Melissa knew that Scott would take the route that benefited Stiles, even if things were worse for him in the long run. ”I’m not going to tell you what to do, I just want you to do whatever you think is best. Just remember that if lies are found to be lies, you could end up in more trouble.” Melissa explained.


It was a lot to think about. He didn't want to get into trouble but he knew that Stiles would get into a lot more than he would. Stiles hadn't exactly gotten to know his teachers in a good way, and it had only gotten worse after his mother had died. If anyone was going to get punished, Scott knew that he'd get a lot less than his friend. But...did that mean he had to lie? What would be worse - letting his friend get in trouble when he could help lessen it or telling a lie?


"Are we almost there yet?" Scott asked as he looked around outside of the window.


Melissa nodded, as she pulled into the school. ”Yes, we’re here.” She said, parking her car, and climbing out to let Scott out again. ”Scott, I really want you to make good choices today, alright. Do what is best for you and Stiles both, okay.” She said, handing him the maple donut, and kissing his head. ”I’m working at the hospital today, and if anyone needs anything. . . if you need anything, please call me okay.” Melissa said, hugging her son tightly before letting him go, Straightening out some loose hairs, and then giving him a worried smile. She knew he’d do what was best, but she was still worried for his well being.


"I'll try," Scott said with a half hearted smile, purposefully messing his hair back up after his mother had soothed it down. "Thanks for the donut. Stiles will love it too."


Melissa nodded. She saw from a distance a police vehicle driving into the parking lot, and out of it came the Sheriff who went to open the door for Stiles. He waved over at Melissa, and smiled, before letting the door open for Stiles.


Stiles was basically jogging out of the car, the moment he noticed who was across the parking lot. He forgot his drink and his lemon loafs in the car, along with his backpack and ran in a full out sprint over to the other car and gave Scott one of the worlds tightest hugs. ”SCOTT! I have a lot of stuff to tell you! I get to come to sch-” Stiles was interrupted but his father’s stern voice.


”Stiles. Come on.” he said.


Stiles cringed at the sound of his father’s voice, turning around and giving him a pleading look that didn’t match up to the one he carried of disappointment. Instead, Stiles’ heart broke, and he dragged his feet back to his father, and took hold of his backpack and his drink and two pastries.


”Good morning, Stiles. Good to see you.”


The Sheriff pushed Stiles in the direction of the school, not giving him even a moment to socialize.


Melissa turned to Scott. ”You might want to wait to give him the donut until lunchtime.” Melissa said, ”He looks like he already went and had breakfast with his dad.” she said, staring off in the direction of the building.


Scott grinned, "Mom...this is Stiles."


He had seen his friend single handedly down a whole large pizza, full toppings and all. Then go on to eat birthday cake and an assortment of other things. One breakfast and a donut would be nothing to Stiles Stilinski.


Exactly! It was Stiles! Melissa couldn’t imagine having to sit in a chair after drinking hot chocolate no doubt, and having some sort of breakfast item in the shoes of Stiles who had a constant burning energy inside of him that was almost impossible to tame. ”Not just because he already ate, Scott. There is a lot of sugar in that.” she admitted to him. ”Why don’t we get you to your classroom?”


"I can walk myself you know," Scott said in a good natured tone. "I'm ten years old, mom, not five."


Melissa nodded. ”Well alright, my little man. Be good, okay, I love you.” she said, leaning down and kissing his head again, before waving him off.


Scott waved back at the halfway mark before hoisting the backpack up onto his shoulders, donut bag gripped in hand, and hurried after Stiles. He'd wait until after the Sheriff had gone to give Stiles his donut. That way he didn't have to interact with the rather perturbed adult.



________________________________________



Scott frowned as he looked down at the black ground beneath him. In front of his legs was a semi-circle of white paint, stretched out so it was more of an semi-oval really. Behind him was a white wall to match that circle. It was an area he was greatly familiar with but yet at the same time had never actually been inside of. The time out area of recess was the zone that Stiles was familiar with, not Scott. Scott was just used to standing on the other side of the line with his back burned to his friend so neither of them got into trouble while he waited for Stiles' time to be up. The monitor had originally tried to make him stop but, well, he did it without breaking any of the rules and with such regularity that they'd all pretty much given up. This time, however, he wasn't waiting for Stiles. He was inside of it sitting in punishment just like his friend.


They didn't have any recess for the rest of the whole month! A month without recess! It was ridiculous. Okay so they did kind of run off on a field trip in an area which was not only away from home but potentially dangerous but did that really mean that they didn't get to go have fun at all?


Stiles hated this, the feeling of being trapped by something that wasn’t actually holding him back. Stiles had been so tempted time and time again, just to get up and leave, because at this point, there really wasn’t much else to lose. The boy had to spend all of their time out of class having fun either cooped up in the classroom, or sitting against this wall. The boy was frustrated, but he knew it was all because of what he did the day before. He didn’t think there would ever be an end to this nightmare. Had he realized that things would have ended up this bad, he would have never even thought to wander away from the group.


Stiles groaned deeply looking at how far away Scott was in comparison to him. Stiles had always thought up of ways to make the teachers angrier, because he didn’t want to be where he was, but then he realized that that wasn’t helping him or his case.


Stiles had done everything you can think of, twice, some three times. Stiles didn’t spend a single recess without any time in this spot. In fact, most of the students in their grade knew it as Stiles’ spot. The boy had taken a rock, and written his name in the sidewalk, and with good progress, considering there was a good cut out of the cement.


Stiles was restless. He moved his body from side to side, and held onto his pant legs with all his might before turning to Scott to try and see what he was doing, or how he was doing. He really really hated this.


Although recess wasn't over, Scott watched as the playground monitors started to herd the kids back towards the classrooms. He looked around to try to figure what was up but, considering that the playground was pretty big, Scott had no idea what was going on. All he knew was that the monitor in charge of the time out zone was the last one to be told apparently. The adults whispered back and forth amongst one another really quickly with worried looks. He couldn't pick up anything they were saying but he knew that it was something bad.


Everyone on the line up, which included Scott and Stiles, were herded into the nearest open building. Said building just so happened to be the library. The windows at the back faced the playground, though their blinds had always been closed as far as Scott was aware. Curiosity gripped hold of the normally cautious ten year old as he went over to them, looking between two lots to try and see if he could figure out why they were all hurried inside. They weren't even taken back to their individual classrooms which was what worried him the most.


Before he got his own answers, the school's announcement system buzzed to life.

"Students and faculty have been advised to stay inside. If you are not inside, please head to the closest building. Teachers are to keep their students in doors and lock the door immediately. I repeat - Students and faculty are to head inside and teachers are to lock their classroom doors until further notice."

Well wasn't that helpful?


Scott stepped back away from the blinds with a frown on his face. He looked to Stiles as the monitors talked amongst themselves.


"What do you think this is about?"


Stiles was just as confused, if not more than Scott. He wanted to fight off the teacher that was forcing him to go back inside, to try and get a look at what they were worried about. Stiles was an intuitive kid. He immediately thought of what the motives of actions like this were. The boy’s eyes went to the exterior parts of the playground to try and figure out what they had seen, and he with every muscle he had in him, held back as long as he could before he was literally shoved into the building to the point of falling onto the floor and having to pick himself back up.

Melissa invited Ms. Morell into the house, and then smiled. ”This is our home, sorry it’s a little unorganized, I work a busy schedule. The boys are eating dinner in the kitchen. I told Scott he couldn’t do anything until his homework was finished, I would assume the same for Stiles, but I’m not sure if he’s completed his homework or not.”


”Rest assured, Ms. McCall, they’ll both get all of their homework finished, and be soundly asleep before their bedtime.” the woman promised.


Melissa’s eyes widened. ”You haven’t met Stiles. . .” she admitted.


”You have nothing to worry about. I’ve worked with many children, troubled and not, and you might be amazed at how well things tend to work out.” Of course, Morell had a dirty secret, and a reason to be conveniently close by.


Melissa nodded still not completely convinced, she’d tried many the night to get Stiles to bed on time, but - nothing really seemed to work with the kid. ”Well, I’m not going to question your abilities.” Melissa took her phone again and started to call John, to ask his permission for Ms. Morell to watch Stiles.


Marin walked into the kitchen, and sat down at the table. ”Hello boys. My name is Ms. Morell.” she said.


Stiles stopped talking to Scott for a brief moment to look at the woman talking. ”I’m Stiles.”


Marin smiled. ”Pleasure to meet you, Stiles. And that must make you Scott.” the woman said gently, with a smile to match her tone.


"You're the new babysitter?" Scott asked, momentarily forgetting his manners.


The woman nodded, a warm smile lighting up her face. ”Your mother said there will be pizza coming soon, are you sure you’ll be hungry enough to eat a second dinner?” the woman asked.


Stiles nodded quickly. ”I am hungry enough to eat one hundred dinners.” he chuckled, scooping up a potato and putting it into his mouth.


”Well alright.” she spoke calmly.


”Are you going to let us do whatever we want?” Stiles asked.


”Within reason, essentially yes.” the woman stated.


”You’re my favorite person in the whole wide world!” Stiles said, jumping up onto his chair with his bowl, and scooping more into his mouth.


”You’re outside of reason, please come down off your chair.”


Stiles looked down at the woman and gave her a confused look before following her commands. ”You talk weird.” Stiles said. ”Scott, lets go play in your room.”


”I’m sorry, Stiles, but Scott’s mother said he has to finish his homework before participating in any activities tonight.”


Stiles’ eyes widened. ”But, that’s not what we want to do, you said we can do what we want to do.”


”Within reason, essentially yes. . . that doesn’t mean yes, Stiles.”


”I changed my mind, I don’t like you.”


Scott smiled at her apologetically on behalf of his friend, "Don't feel bad, he doesn't like a lot of people."


Marin smiled at Scott warmly. ”Not to worry, Scott. It isn’t my goal to have Stiles like me.” she admitted. ”Stiles, you are welcome to go play on your own, as long as you are not a distraction to Scott while he’s finishing his school work.”


Stiles groaned as he trotted back to the table, scooping soup up into his mouth. ”Can I help him with his homework?”


Marin nodded. ”You can help if Scott wants your help.” she said.


Melissa walked back into the room and then nodded. ”Alright, we’re all set. Ms. Morell, I can’t thank you enough! So, as for the boys, uhm, there is really nothing you need to know. They usually get along really well, they don’t really fight. . . They’re just friends.” the woman stated, they didn’t look alike, so it wouldn’t look like they were siblings but you never knew now days.


”We’re best friends.” Stiles corrected.


”Best friends, of course. He’s - uhm - Stiles is a little - well -”


"Crazy," Scott added playfully. "And he doesn't like authority figures. Unless they feed him things he likes."


Stiles shrugged. ”Accurate enough.” Stiles turned to the babysitter. ”I have ADHD whatever the hell that means.”


”STILES! - sorry. I don’t know what to say about that.”


”Stiles, do you understand the emphasis of the word you used.”


”I heard it on TV, and yeah, sounds better than Heck or whatever.” Stiles said.


”Alright, ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Could mean you struggle to keep still, and focus.” she spoke.


Scott looked between the both of them and let out an unprovoked, "Yep."


Stiles shrugged. ”As long as I can do what I want to do, I think we’ll be juuuuuuust fine.”


Marin nodded. ”And you can, within reason.”


The ten year old was rather - well - intellectual when it came to things like this. Stiles was a little quick witted, and didn’t struggle with what was hidden under hints. ”Well, let it be known that I’m going to test this “reason” in which you speak of.” Stiles admitted.


Melissa sighed. ”I will pay you twenty extra dollars if Stiles goes to sleep before his bedtime.”


”Compensation isn’t necessary. I’ll follow what regulations you’ve put in place.”


Melissa was impressed, but she was then motivated by the need to get ready and leave for work.


Melissa soon left, and Scott and Stiles were left finishing up Dinner, but Stiles couldn’t help but wanna test his restrictions. He leaned forward on the table, after lifting himself on his knees on the chair. ”Am I allowed to play video games?” Stiles asked.


Marin nodded. ”Yes, Stiles.”


”Alright. Am I allowed to run up and down the stairs?”


”If you wish to run up and down the stairs, Stiles, I am not going to stop you.”


”Am I allowed to have ice cream?”


Marin nodded. ”You may have icecream, when dinner is finished.”


Stiles smiled.


"You're going to wish you hadn't told him that," Scott laughed, knowing how Stiles was on excess amounts of sugar.


”There is no reason to worry. If Stiles would like some ice cream, then he may have some at the end of dinner.”


Stiles nudged Scott and gave him one of those hush signs. Boy could he go for some ice cream right now. ”Can I leave the door open when I go to the bathroom?” Stiles asked.


”In regards to your own privacy, it might be better to close the door. It’s what’s polite. But I’m not going to enforce that you must. Just notify us when you are headed to the restroom with the intent to keep the doors open, so we don’t accidently view something we don’t want to see.”


Ding Dong


Scott perked up and hurried to the door. He might not be too hungry but a piece of pizza did sound good. However, before he got to open said door the new babysitter beat him to it. She put her hand on the door to stop him from opening it up. Her face looked...different some how as he stared up at her. Like she had slipped on an unfeeling mask. It was weird.


"Scott, take Stiles upstairs now."


Scott looked at her with simple confusion. Were they going to eat Pizza up in his room? Shrugging, Scott went to collect Stiles so they could go up to his room and await the pizza. That, of course, was before Morrel was tossed to the floor from the force of something pushing it open. The door slammed open to reveal a snarling man with glowing blue eyes.


Stiles stayed back in the kitchen for a short while, until he heard some noises coming from the front of the house. The boy perked up from his seat, before walking over to the front, where he saw the man towering over Scott. He was a tall man, dressed in a pair of jeans, and nothing else. His hair was dark, stringy, and dreaded, that was almost leaking with grease from sweat and whatever else. Stiles held in a scream, as he held Scott close to him, and wondered what they had to do now.


”No sudden movement.” Stiles stated, as if they were right before a ravenous dinosaur or something. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest, and he could start to feel his body tremble with fear. The boy was thankful he didn’t have a weak bladder, or that would have been emptied all over himself.


The man took heavy steps closer to them, smiling in a wretched way before, growling and exposing devilishly sharp canines. His eyes that held a cold blue glow locked onto the pair of boys as the male’s body contorted just slightly as his face started to take on a new shape.


Stiles’ eyes widened. Was this - a werewolf?! ”r-r-run.” Stiles said, worried for his asthmatic friend as he started in a mad dash up the stairs. Maybe they could lock themselves in a bathroom or something!


Scott followed after Stiles as quickly as he could, already feeling his breathing quickening with such a short sprint. There was also the fact that fear gripped his body which was both a blessing and a curse at the moment. It made it really easy to scale up the stairs quickly but at the same time he knew it was aggravating his asthma. Scott grabbed Stiles by the hand and pulled him away from the normal upstairs bathroom, which would have had three doors in total, and instead hurried down to his mother's bedroom. At least there they'd have two chances with her bedroom door and her bathroom. Plus she always had an extra inhaler in her bathroom just incase he misplaced his and he knew he would need it for the simple fact that he was already at the point where he couldn't breathe when they got up the stairs.


Once the bathroom door was shut behind them and locked, blocked with a black metal stand (which sent the poperi dish to the floor unceremoniously) was best they could manage, Scott fell to the cold floor gripping at his chest. It felt like someone had taken a belt and started to squeeze, as though they were making a tourniquet around his ribs. His heart thumped painfully against what felt like a collapsing torso as he tried to reach up to the sink. But considering that he stopped being able to stand on his own, the attempt was rather unsuccessful. Still he tried because Scott knew better than to give up. Especially considering that there was a psycho in their house so he couldn't exactly get rushed off to the ER.


Stiles couldn’t process anything. The moment he started booking it up the stairs was the moment he decided there was only one thing in the world more important that his safety, and that was Scott’s safety. Stiles started to stack things by the bathroom door in attempt to keep the psycho out, but he quickly realized that Scott was in trouble. He watched where Scott was reaching and started to frantically open drawers and cabinets with a panic, in search for the boy’s inhaler. Once he came across it, he rejoiced before handing it off to Scott. The moment things started to settle down, Stiles could hear a banging at the door. His heart started to race again, and Stiles was frantically wondering what he needed to do next. ”Uhm. . . uhm. . .” he kept saying before noticing a window over the bathtub that led onto the rooftop. Bingo.


Stiles turned to Scott. ”We need to escape out that window!” Stiles said in a bit of a whisper to his friend, before running over and opening it up, wide enough for both he and Scott to fit out of. He wanted to make sure Scott was alright with his breathing, but they were quite limited on time.


Scott nodded and hurried out of the window. Surprisingly enough he'd taken to the slanted, shingled rooftops often enough in the past. Mainly to see if he could. Though he'd never quite had the courage to take that final step and get off of them. But that practice at least helped him get to the drain pipe. Scott stared down at the ground, dark and eery as it was, with no small amount of fear. At their back was a mad man who seemed intent on ripping them apart. In front of him was a potentially broken everything. Not to mention it was the same situation for Stiles which, somehow, made all of this worse.


Stiles was quick to follow Scott out of the window, looking around for the best way off the rooftop. Stiles had to wonder what kind of move they were suppose to make. If they could make it a few blocks down they could make it to his house, and then they’d be safe. . . but wait. . . his key was in his backpack! Stiles sucked in a breath before getting some footing on the drain pipe before lowering himself down onto the ground. The boy lost his balance toward the end, and fell backwards into a bush, his back well stabbed by the branches. Stiles groaned, before getting back up, and looking back up at Scott with eyes of intention.


Hesitation filled every fiber of Scott's being. He did not want to go down wrong; it almost translated into the idea that he did not want to get down. Still, he could hear the door splintering in the background and the snarls of the crazy man. So with a deep breath, Scott turned around and grabbed onto the gutters. He wrapped his legs around the drain pipe and slide down. The metal kind of burned his hands from the friction but it was something he could definitely live with. Better than whatever the alternative of getting caught would have been.


"What now?" Scott asked quickly.


It wasn't like they could call Stiles' dad. Neither of them had phones and even if they did, where would they have gone in the meantime?


Stiles had come so far, and yet - nothing. Stiles had no idea what to do next. ”We hide! We need to find a good place to hide where he will never find us. . . uhm. . . maybe even like cover up in trash or something?! uhm . . .” Stiles looked around. He noticed that their babysitter was knocked out, and then he started to panic yet again. ”I- I don’t know! I-” His hands started to tingle and he could feel his own breath tightening. ”I- I don’t know!” This wasn’t another one of those. . . freak outs was it? Stiles started to feel his head getting heavy, and the world was a blurry mess. He went to take a step, and completely fell forward, catching himself with his hands, before trying to standback up, his arms hugging his body close. He didn’t want to be doing this now. . . Stiles tried to suck in a breath, and couldn’t without releasing one right back out, and a hyperventilation started to consume him.


Scott grabbed Stiles' shoulders and tried to get him to focus. He knew that Stiles had been having a lot of these freak out moments since his mother's death. He wasn't exactly sure what they were but he knew that Stiles needed to focus and stop flipping out or they were going to be caught.


"Hey, Stiles. Count with me okay?" Scott said quickly, looking back over his shoulder in worry.


They were hidden by the shadows and the guy was still trying to figure something out it seemed. Actually, it looked more like they were fighting with themselves. Their hands kept going to grip their head as though something was trying to bust out.


"One...two…" Scott started to count, putting his fingers up in Stiles' face.


Stiles tried to suck in a breath with little success, and turned to look up at Scott. ”Th-th-” he stumbled, holding onto Scott for dear life. ”I can’t -” he hesitated. The boy struggled. But just as things to be at their worst, Stiles saw the monstrous man peeking out the window. ”Scott! We- We gotta run!” Stiles stated, point up at the window, and his adrenalin taking control of his panic attack.


"Yeah," Scott agreed.


That had been his plan all along, after all. He just hadn't been sure if Stiles would be up to running while having that freak out. Besides, he thought it would be better if they knew where they were going. Otherwise it would just get them all tired to, or in his case send him into another asthma attack.


The scary man was jumping down off the rooftop now, and Stiles’ eyes widened enough to consume his entire face. He started off in a sprint down the street, unsure if he’d be able to out run this fool. It wouldn’t matter if he could in the end, it was more important that Scott made it as well. He took time to look back to see if they were making any distance from the male. But he was catching up. ”FASTER SCOTT! FASTER!” the boy said, running as fast as he could.


The boys were running as quickly as they could, but there was a point when Stiles lost his balance, and he fell forward, catching himself just slightly before touching the ground, but it was too long of a recoil to save himself. Before Stiles could gather himself again, he felt a handful of claws ripping into his upper back. Stiles screamed, before working to run a little faster.


It came to a point where Scott and Stiles were both feeling as though they weren’t going to make it, but before they could see that coming true, the scary man fell onto the ground, almost as if he was shot. Stiles stopped, grabbing Scott’s arm, and looking at the man with the widest eyes yet. ”OH! MY! GOD!” Stiles yelled, now seeing another face he didn’t recognize.


”Don’t worry boys. You’re safe now.”


Stiles felt his breathing start to calm, holding onto his chest, and leaning on Scott. ”G-good” the boy stated. He was feeling really weak, and he could feel blood soaking the back of his shirt, and now his pants and underwear.


The man that had come to their rescue, walked over to Scott and Stiles, and leaning over. ”Why don’t you both follow me back to Scott’s house.”


Stiles was confused. ”How do you know his name?” Stiles asked.


”I know far more than just his name, Stiles.”


"Do you know how to stop the bleeding?" Scott asked in a worried tone.


He kept trying to apply pressure. He knew that much after living with his mother. The only problem was that he wasn't sure where to apply pressure to - the cuts were all over his back. His panic over seeing Stiles in such a state probably wasn't helping either.


Stiles knew he was hurt. He could feel the blood, feel the pain of the scratches, but he didn’t realize how much blood he was actually losing.


Deaton nodded. ”Follow me back to the house boys.”


Scott looked at him skeptically but chose to trust him. Especially considering that there really wasn't too much of a choice. Not unless he wanted Stiles to die on him. And he definitely didn't want to stay around to see what the crazy man was going to do when he got up.


"What about him?" Scott asked, jerking his head towards the fallen, scary man.


Deaton's smile was controlled overly polite as he helped Stiles get to his feet. "Don't worry about him, Scott. He'll be fine. He'll wake up with a bit of a headache, but he'll be fine."



________________________________________



Waking up was unreal, mostly because the boy didn’t remember falling asleep. When he looked around, he could instantly recognize the place as the Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital, a place where he’d basically made home to while his mom was staying here. His eyes wandered around the room, before turning groaning in pain after trying to move just basically. Pain radiated with heat on his back, and had it’s own heartbeat that was something of an annoyance to the boy. Stiles tried to lift himself up with slight fail feeling the room start to move even when his body was perfectly still.


[colo=dimgrey]”OH! Wonderful, you’re awake!” Stiles heard as a nurse walked into the room. ”How are you feeling, buddy, your head might feel a little heavy, and your back might sting a little.” the woman explained.


Stiles groaned again, as he tried to shift himself to face the nurse. ”What happened?” Stiles asked.


”You fell off of a rooftop into a sharp bush, and the branches tore your back up. You have a minor concussion, but nothing too serious. Try not to move too fast. You lost a lot of blood, and your stitches are still setting.”


Stiles nodded. Injuries weren’t new to the boy, but he couldn’t help but feel like the story was off. ”Is Scott here?” Stiles asked.


”Yup! He’s just beyond that Curtain right there.” the man said. "I can open it up now if you’d like.”


Stiles nodded. ”Yes please!”


As the curtain was pulled, the first thing Stiles noticed was Melissa standing over Scott with worried eyes, and red eyes from obvious tears that had subsided. The woman tenderly placed her hand on Scott’s arm, holding onto his small hand with a gentle touch. She looked up to Stiles when the curtains were pulled and smiled at him. ”Glad you’re awake, Stiles.” she said with a smile. ”Your dad will be here shortly, don’t worry.” she assured him, probably able to read Stiles’ need for a parent right about now. ”Scott, Sweetie, Stiles is awake now.” She spoke calmly and quietly.


Scott groaned the groan of someone who hadn't regained the ability to speak but wanted to let someone know that they heard their voice, if not really comprehended their words. Sleep clouded his head like a thick fog and he really didn't want to open his eyes. The light felt like it was a thousand suns waiting to burn out his retina if he lifted the fleshy veils. True to his nature, morbid curiosity and concern for someone other than himself eventually won out and his eyelids slid open. Scott turned his head to look at Stiles ever so slowly because his head really was pounding.


"Hey Stiles," Scott said weakly.


After all, he had suffered an asthma attack earlier. Why? He had no idea, he couldn't remember. And he'd been told that he'd gotten a concussion as well after following after Stiles when he tried to stop him from slipping off the roof. A right Jack and Jill they were but only worse because Scott had a feeling that they'd never had a pail to fill up to begin with.

Tobias had been sitting in his car for a few hours now pondering on what he should do next. With the True Alpha’s existence being confirmed he felt obligated to arrange a meeting, but at the same time he still didn’t know exactly what was going on in this town. The only people he’d met so far were Derek and Bryn, and that certainly wasn’t under the best of Circumstances. Still Bryn had taken him out to dinner, and even given him eir number. After considering for a moment longer He decided he would call her. Maybe she’d have some insight as to what to do next, and at the very least it would be a chance for some company

Tobias pulled out his cell phone and carefully began to dial the number on the napkin he had stuffed into his pocket. He only hoped he had enough minutes left on his phone that he could actually place the call. It had been a long time since he had been able to take photos for money and every day he had to be stingier and stingier with his cash flow. When the phone began to ring Tobias pondered where he should ask ey to meet. He settled on the preserve. He always felt more at home in nature and he figured it was the best place to talk about all things supernatural away from prying ears.

Washing dishes had never been Bryn's favorite activity, but there was just no putting it off. Bobbing eir head along to eir music ey went through the motions, at least music made it more enjoyable.

Eir music soon cut out though, as her phone rang. Drying eir hands quickly ey picked up eir phone, giving a small frown when ey didn't recognize the number."Hello?"

“Hey Bryn, It’s Tobias. Are you free right now? I could use some company, and a good run. Would you be alright with meeting me at the Preserve?” Tobias asked when he heard Ey answer the phone.

Well ey'd wanted a reason not to do dishes, biting back a smile ey answered. "I can do that, give me about ten, fifteen minutes." After a second's thought ey added, "meet at that old house? Or somewhere else?"

Tobias had to stop for a moment to think. The old house was quite a ways from the entrance to the preserve, but no one would see the two of them entering together. It seemed like a decent enough trade off, and it was a good chance to stretch his legs.

“Yeah the old house works. I’ll be waiting for you there. See you soon.” Tobias said as he ended the call. He wasn’t too far from the preserve now. Having found a place to park his car for free he was loath to move it. The Alpha rummaged around in the back seat of his car and grabbed his Camera and a few lenses. Maybe if he was lucky he would find a good shot that could make him some money.

Having tossed his equipment into an over the shoulder bag Tobias set out for the preserve. It didn’t take him long to get there. The sun was high in the sky and there were very few clouds. It was a good day for a run. Come to think of it Tobias hadn’t actually let himself run in almost a year. It always brought back memories he’d rather forget, but it was also good for clearing his head.

It took him about another 5 minutes to actually get to the house it was farther into the forest than Tobias remembered. Something about the house struck him as picture perfect and he pulled out his Camera. The house was a haunting scene that spoke of sadness, and decay, while surrounded by a forest teeming with life. The juxtaposition was not lost on Tobias and he smiled. This photo might actually be worth some money.

Hanging up with something like a soft smile, although Bryn couldn't quite pinpoint why, ey pocketed eir phone and went to put on something a bit more presentable than a sports bra and boxers—then again with the heat ey's certain there would be some people out in even less than that, how people lived in this heat day in and out was beyond eir. Pocketing a knife, more habit than anything else, ey snagged eir keys and left eir apartment.

As ey exited eir building ey spared a glance up the face again, the glass had been replaced, but Bryn could still make out the windows that'd been broken when ey'd come home the other night. Ey still had no idea what'd happened, but ey was definitely curious.

Five minutes later ey was getting out of eir car and headed into the Preserve, picking up a good pace once ey'd found the right trail.

Ey stepped into the clearing feeling invigorated, taken slightly aback when ey saw Tobias taking pictures. "Hey you."

Tobias was surprised that he didn’t hear Bryn approaching. He must have been too focused on getting the perfect picture. To be fair he really needed the income. The Alpha turned to Bryn and gave eir a courteous nod.

“I’m glad you took the time to come out. I know our first meeting didn’t go very well...In case you’re wondering I’m taking pictures of the house because It’s my job. I’m a photographer. The house seemed like a subject that would sell, and you already know I’m short on cash. But that’s not why I asked you to come here.” Tobias said as he got to his feet.

“You said you weren’t from around here. How long have you been in Beacon hills? This place seems like a bit of a mad house right now. I’ve never heard of so many supernaturals in one place.” Tobias said as he placed his camera back into his bag. He hoped that Bryn would have an outsider’s perspective on all of this. An unbiased eye on the situation would help Tobias make a decision on what to do next.

Bryn felt certain ey was slowly getting used to American openness, but wasn't ever sure ey'd like it.

Taking a seat on the old steps ey shrugged. "About a month, maybe a little more. And you're right it's...disconcerting at times. Back home we live side by side with werewolves, but they're all family so," ey shrugs. "But it does feel very American, a melting pot of supernatural." Eirself included, ey was more than willing to admit.

Tobias almost chuckled. Disconcerting was not exactly the word he would use. It was completely foreign to him. How were there even so many packs in one place? Normally they would have killed each other by now.

“So have you come to a conclusion about anyone? Have you met the True Alpha yet? He’s the reason I’m here, but I don’t understand how someone so young could…” He stopped for a moment unsure of how to phrase his next words. He decided it would be best not to give too much away.

“Ascend.” Tobias said correcting his mental misstep. He felt oddly comfortable around Bryn. He wasn’t sure what it was about eir, but ey brought down his guard. He would have to be careful of that in the future.

Something like a smirk danced around Bryn's mouth. "Yes, and no. Strangely enough." Tilting eir head up slightly ey stared at Tobias and the sky. "About a week or so after I arrived here I had a run in with...well I don't exactly know what they were. I was severely injured and I believe that the True Alpha was one of the ones who found me and took me, well," ey shrugged, seeing no positive way to frame it. "Put me in a dog crate at the veterinary clinic. I was understandably not happy when I woke up. I'm fairly certain I snarled at him, but you would have to ask Derek, since I was nearly out of my mind with hunger at the time and don't remember."

Perhaps if ey met the kid again he could change eir opinion of him, but for now ey didn't look to favorably on him. His own fault really, a veterinary clinic, really? It baffled eir still.

Tobias listened to Bryn’s story and he began to feel a modicum of respect for the True Alpha. Despite being so young he still wanted to help people, and he was wise enough to take precautions against threats to his pack. Something the Alpha wished he had done.

“I don’t know. I mean I can see why he did it. You were hurt, but he didn’t know what he was dealing with. It was a precaution to keep his pack safe, and keep you alive.” Tobias said with a very obvious mixture of bitterness and regret in his voice.

“Though I don’t know I would have done the same.” He said as he looked down at the ground almost seeming ashamed. This place was really starting to remind him of the mistakes he had made. Maybe coming to this town hadn’t been the best idea.

Bryn gave a sharp inhale of agreement. He was probably right, on the other hand ey'd like to see him say it again after experiencing it. Ey'd just been happy ey didn't walk away from it with ticks.

"Hmmm?" Eir family would probably be surprised ey was being so encouraging, on the other hand when in America right? It helped that there was a nugget of curiosity about Tobias, ey'd never come across an Alpha with no pack before.

Tobias did his best to shake off his regrets and his bad memories. That wasn’t why he was here. He looked at Bryn and let out a small sigh.

“It was a long time ago. It doesn’t matter anymore.” He said trying to sound like he meant what he was saying. To be honest he still missed Gwen, and the rest of his pack. Well maybe except Jonas. That b*****d was crazy, and certainly not good company.

“I think a run would do us both good right now, don’t you?” Tobias said trying to change the subject and redirect himself into something more positive.

Changing the subject, an age old tactic Bryn was long familiar with from the winter months. "I could run," ey agreed. "How about a race? Loser has to tell the winner something they haven't told anyone in...the past year?" No one here would know any of eir 'big' secrets, but most of eir family did, so saying 'haven't told anyone ever' hadn't felt quite right.

A race sounded plenty good to Tobias, and having sensitive information on the line was both an incentive and a deterrent. He didn’t feel like he could lie to Bryn. She would certainly know if he did, but he also didn’t want to reveal his secrets. After a few moments the Alpha nodded affirmatively.

“It’s a deal. First one to the preserve entrance and back is the winner.” Tobias said as he braced himself to run.

“One...Two...Three!” The werewolf shouted as he took off running. He was weaving his way through the trees and jumping over undergrowth like he did when he was still with Gwen, but he felt like he was rusty.

Bryn found eirself laughing at the tactic, launching eirself upright and moving into a sprint easily. Oh this was living. In trickling spurts ey let loose eir bear, closing the gap more and more, until ey had caught up. An exhilarating thing in and of itself, usually Alphas left eir, well not in the dust, but ey'd never won against one. Putting on another burst of speed ey took the lead.

That feeling was verified when he realized he was falling behind. His eyes glowed red for just a moment as he tapped into his Alpha speed. He was able to get in front of Bryn and make pretty good time.

Ey hit the entrance right after he did, but ey managed to make a sharper turn, putting eirself in the lead once more. With a sharp exhale ey let eirself go fully, strength surged through eir and eir body felt tireless as ey charged ahead. Like always the world felt sharper around eir like this and it felt a joy to breath in the warm air and just be.

Reaching the clearing with the house Bryn leapt up the steps and slapped eir had on the door. "Ha, ta det!" Ey could still hear Tobias a ways away, and felt a little bit bad for trouncing him so thoroughly. But only a little.

Tobias was surprised at how quick Bryn was and his mind turned to what he was going to have to say if he lost. He tapped into his full Alpha power and began to race after eir. He had almost caught up to her when ey reached the house. Internally he cursed but outwardly he smiled at her.

“Well it looks like you win.” He said as he let his eyes fade back to their normal coloring. He wasn’t looking forward to telling her his secrets but a deal was a deal. He bit his lip for a moment before speaking.

“I...I miss Gwen. We used to run through the forest like this. I miss all of them… I want my packmates back…” Tobias said. He found the words catching in his throat. It was difficult to say how he really felt. He had kept it bottled up inside for so long. It took everything he had not to blame himself in front of Bryn.

As Tobias talked Bryn's own black eyes faded away, and even though it wasn't really part of they rules they'd agreed on ey found eirself speaking. "I had to help hunt down and kill one of my cousins last year. She and I weren't close-close, but, losing her was hard." With it being summer now back home they'd probably already had the funeral pyre, Bryn wasn't sure if ey was glad ey'd missed it or not.

When Bryn mentioned having killed one of eir own Tobias clenched his teeth and did his best to hold back his emotions. Suddenly the pain of watching his own pack getting butchered because of a poor judgement he made was as fresh as the day it happened.

“I...I can understand that.” Tobias choked out, a tear welling up in his eye. After a few moments he couldn’t hold it back any longer and and a single tear fell down his cheek.

“I lost my pack...It was my fault…” He whispered quietly. Doing his best not to start shaking. The chemo signals he was giving off would have smelled of overwhelming sadness, and pain.

The sadness, the fact that he'd managed to stay sane after losing his pack; Bryn found eirself acting on instinct. Leaping from the porch to the ground ey strode up to him and pulled him into what would aptly be called a bear hug, if one far more boney than he probably expected.

Tobias was caught off guard when Bryn suddenly embraced him in a massive hug. Ey was much stronger than she looked.

“I… Thank you…” Tobias said as he did his best to reign in his emotions. A hug certainly wasn’t the reaction he had expected all of the times he had thought about revealing his secret to someone. There was a sense of a weight being lifted from his shoulders and, though the event still pained him, Tobias felt like he could finally speak with someone about what had happened. He placed a hand on Byrn’s shoulder and gently pushed her back. The Alpha swallowed hard and slowly lowered himself to a sitting position.

“It...it was my fault. There was supposed to be a peace talk...but they lied. I watched them die...I watched them rip my Gwen apart…” Tobias said through gritted teeth. There was anger mixed with the sadness now. Regret and rage mingled into his chemo signals.

When he sat down Bryn followed suit, sitting cross legged and watching him intently, not at all put off by him pushing eir away a little, ey would want some space too. Ey was still slightly unbalanced by eir own actions, but ey found ey didn't regret them. "Sometimes," Bryn found eirself uncertain of what to say. Derek's pains the other day had been old, easier to talk of things like fate and being cursed; saying such things now felt too...callous. "We misplace our trust, we grow complacent in it. We did, we forgot that the cold whispers and some are too far from family to be safe, and three people payed the price. It hurts, it always will."

Once again in an unexpected action Bryn found eirself resting eir hands on eir lap, palm up and open should he chose to take them. "Losing one of my clan hurt, but I can't imagine what losing one of my family would feel like. And I know well enough that pack is family." It had been drilled in eir since childhood.

The way Bryn spoke reminded Tobias of how Gabriel used to teach him. He fought back another tear and took the hands ey proffered. He felt like he had found someone who could understand his pain, but didn’t judge him for it. It was more than he ever expected to find. The Alpha was silent for almost a minute as he attempted to recollect himself before he spoke again.

“I appreciate your understanding...and lack of judgement. But...this...my secret...It needs to stay between us. I came here to learn what it means to be an Alpha again. I can’t do that if the other Alphas don’t trust me.” Tobias said looking Bryn directly in the eyes. He squeezed Eir hands to emphasize both his gratefulness and his seriousness in his request.

"It's nothing, and I understand." Squeezing his hands back briefly ey intoned. "Before Sigyn shield-bearer I swear that your words shall not pass my lips unless you say they shall. Before Odin All-father I swear that should I, that I will suffer his fate." Perhaps they wouldn't mean anything to him, but ey meant them seriously. He didn't have to open up to eir like this, and while ey wasn't as open a person, ey could appreciate what he'd done.

For some reason Tobias trusted Bryn to keep eir word. It was strange. He had spent so long not trusting anyone, but he really felt like he had a connection with eir. He had just met eir not two days ago, and suddenly he was telling eir things he hadn’t told anyone. The Alpha had never spoken about his pack since that night he lost them. He would always feel responsible but now he felt like maybe just maybe he could start to move on. Tobias didn’t know if it was getting it off of his chest that made him feel better, or the fact that Bryn seemed to be a kindred soul who at the very least could imagine what he went through. Whatever it was he was glad the his past weighed a little less now.

“I believe you.” Tobias said before taking a deep breath and wiping away the tear that had run down his cheek. It was time the moved onto a better subject. It took the Alpha a few moments to really stabilize himself before he could speak again.

“Have you met any of the other pack leaders? Or have you only met the True Alpha?” Tobias asked hoping to get off of the grim topic of days long since past. He supposed he should be calling The True Alpha by his name, but somehow that felt like admitting that what he had come here for wasn’t what he had expected, and that it might not be what he needed.

“Two others,” ey responded with a shrug. “Loranna Stolk, she’s the Alpha of the pack Derek’s in.” That at least ey had no problem sharing. “She is...interesting.” Which was about as tactful as Bryn was willing to get. “And then there’s Apollo, I’ve only had one conversation with him. But he seems to be on good terms with Stolk, so he must not be too bad an Alpha.” Loranna might be strange, but her judgement was sound. “I haven’t met this Hale Alpha you spoke of the other day. Never even heard the name before you mentioned it.” If the Hales used used to be a big deal in Beacon Hills it seemed they weren’t anymore.

Tobias listened intently as Bryn spoke of the other Alphas. To have so many in one place and no bloodshed was a miracle in and of itself. He would have to ask the True Alpha if it was somehow his doing. If it was, he sure could have used that ability back when he still had his old pack. The thing he was surprised by was that the Hale Alpha hadn’t had any interactions with Bryn. They would have taken an interest in eir.

“I appreciate all of this Bryn. You didn’t have to come out here, and you’ve done more for me Today than anyone has in a long time…” Tobias said as he shifted to a crouch rather than a sitting position.

“It was nothing,” ey responded with a shrug. “I don’t have much to do since they closed down the school. So you calling was a nice change of pace.” After a moment’s thought ey found eirself adding. “How’re your grating skills?” An odd question to be sure.

Tobias was taken aback by the strange question. He wasn’t quite sure what she meant. He looked at her with a quizzical expression before replying.

“Grating skills? Like grating cheese?” Tobias asked hoping he had interpreted the question correctly. He pondered for a moment unsure of how to answer. Could someone be particularly skilled in such a mundane task, or inept for that matter?

“I guess I would say I’m average?” He said almost asking a question himself with his answer.

Bryn bit back a smile. “Well my mother’s been trying to get me to cook more since I’m living away from home, and sent her lefse recipe over,” among others, but right now Bryn did find eirself hankering for lefse. “And grating potatoes on your own gets boring. Would you like to join me?” Spending time with him wasn’t so horrible, and it’d be nice to have company in eir apartment.

Tobias found a smile came unbidden to his lips at the mention of a home cooked meal. He hadn’t had one of those in almost two years. The fact that the company would be good was a nice bonus.

“If all I have to do to get my first home cooked meal in two years is grate potatoes you’d have to use mountain ash to stop me.” He said with a wry smile. Today was turning out to be one of the better days he’d had in a long, long time.

Laughing Bryn stood up, “my car’s this way.”