Yeah, I don't really know what to say...

This chapter gave me problems for literal years, trying to connect all of the pieces that I wanted to include together. It's been over two years since I updated though and I have been frustrated about it for quite some time. This used to be at least twice as long and have bonding experiences between Marlee and several characters. Maybe I'll include those scenes in future chapters, if possible. I'm not sure if I'm entirely happy with releasing the chapter as it is right now but I really, really missed Marlee.

Also I didn't do final proofread of this but, ya know, YOLO and all of that.

You can still find me on Tumblr at 'missunderstoodxoxo' (Polyvore died out last year unexpectedly, so fuck that and them)

Inspiration for this chapter: "Young and Menace" by Fall Out Boy, "Castle on the Hill" by Ed Sheeran, "Radio Ga Ga (Live Aid)" by Queen (from the Bohemian Rhapsody (The Original Soundtrack)), "Alone Together" by Fall Out Boy, "If You Ever Want to Be in Love" by James Bay, "Please Don't Say You Love Me" by Gabrielle Aplin

Disclaimer: I own Marlee and the Decker/Keating Clan, the car known as Ron Burgundy, and characters stated in previous chapters. Everything else belongs to the rightful owners.

The feeling of a breeze skimming over her face brought Marlee out of her slumber. Her nose wrinkled up at the cold air on skin, wishing she had the energy to get up and close the window.

Her eyes snapped open a moment later.

She hadn't opened any windows before she went to bed.

Sitting up immediately, the first thing she caught sight of were trees across a clearing she was on the forest line of. A bitter smirk flickered on her mouth for a moment, marveling at the irony of the situations she had found herself in as of late. Her life had become more and more like a season of The Vampire Diaries lately. After all, hadn't Bonnie Bennett mysteriously woken up in the woods of Mystic Falls in one episode? At least that scene had happened in the daytime. At the moment, the sky over Beacon Hills was dark for the most part, the light of the moon making everything around Marlee a bit more visible.

Standing cautiously, she ran a hand through her blonde waves, removing any leaves or twigs that had been entangled. Despite the gentle wind, the teenager was relatively warm. Looking down, Marlee realized she wasn't even in her pajamas anymore. Instead, she was sporting the same outfit she had been wearing the night of the eclipse.

"Okay… where the hell am I?"

As she ventured forward, Marlee's surroundings began to seem more familiar. While the weather had been severely different the last time she was here, there was no mistaking that she was in the presence of the Nemeton- if the gigantic tree stump in front of her was any indication. When she was about three feet away from the thing, the sound of electricity crackling filled the air. Feeling a tingling sensation in her fingers, Marlee looked down and almost passed out at the sight of tendrils of energy dancing from her hands.

"What the fu-"

She cut off her inquiry when her eyes locked on to a light piece of cloth. No, 'piece' wasn't the right word. A long line of what appeared to be gauze ran outwards from the base of the Nemeton and disappeared into the woods, seemingly endless. Upon further inspection, Marlee could see that there were multiple bandages around the stump, leading past trees in every direction.

A rasping laugh abruptly sounded and resonated in the air.

Marlee whirled around, searching for the disembodied voice, though it seemed to have been coming from everywhere at once.

"Who's there?" She called out, on guard.

Whatever had been going on before with her hands had stopped when she heard the ghastly noise. But that didn't mean that strange things weren't still happening around her. Vines were beginning to snake their way into the clearing, breaking through the forest line. Marlee hastily stepped back a few feet until the back of her legs were pressed up against the Nemeton. The tip of a leaf brushed against the tip of her shoe before the plants stopped moving.

"Soon…." An ominous voice spoke up, without a visible source. "Soon enough you will know…."

Feeling a tickling sensation on her arm, Marlee glanced down to see a firefly crawling over her skin, its abdomen light flickering. A shiver ran up her spine and it had nothing to do with the tingle caused by the insect's feet. Unexplainable irritation and rage flowed through her body at the sight of the creature. Raising her other arm, she quickly brought her hand down-

Marlee sat up in bed, heart racing in her chest. She racked her brain, trying to recall what she could have been dreaming about to cause such a reaction- but she was unable to conjure up a memory. This seemed to have been happening more and more over the past few days. Something, a nightmare, a memory, something, would wake Marlee up in the dead of night, only to be forgotten almost immediately. Checking the time on her cellphone, she realized she had a couple of more hours to sleep before needing to get up for school. Settling back down in bed, she dismissed her previous thoughts.

Well, it couldn't have been that important…

If she had stayed awake for a few moments longer, she may have witnessed the brief flash of dim blue light that ran through the veins of her right wrist.

Scott had looked everywhere for the main and spare keys to his dirt bike, only to come up emptyhanded. After searching the house thoroughly and catching a whiff of his beta's cologne here or there, he had developed a rather strong suspicion that Isaac had something to do with do it. Running a hand through his hair, Scott tried calling Stiles once more- only for his call to be sent straight to voicemail again.

"Ugh, come on!"

Racking his brain for a solution, it only took him a moment to think of his next best bet. Whether or not to actually go through with it, he wasn't quite too sure…

Anxiously biting at his thumbnail for a few seconds, Scott hit the call button before he could back out.

She answered after the second ring.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Despite his previous nervousness, a smile lit up his face.

"Hey, Marlee! I was wondering if I could maybe catch a ride to school. My keys are missing and-"

"And you need a knight in shining armor?" The teasing voice replied.

"Stiles isn't answering his phone and Isaac already got a ride from Allison before I realized my keys were missing."

"Bastards! No worries, I got you."

As Scott waited out on his front steps for Marlee to arrive, he couldn't help but think back to a conversation that he had had with Stiles just a couple of days prior.

"So, when are you and Marlee going to go out?" Stiles inquired as his companion looked for a needed textbook.

"We're not." Scott replied, face flushing, refusing to look away from the contents of his locker.

"And why is that?"

"Because…" He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he turned to face Stiles. "Because I haven't really done anything about it yet."

"You mean you still haven't told her?" The sheriff's son looked utterly baffled at his friend's lack of action.

"I've been waiting for the right moment." Scott defended, sounding rather unconvincing.

"You've gotta make the right moment, dude. Everyone has seen you two together but if you wait too long, one of these other guys might think that you're not interested and decide that they want to take a crack at the new girl."

"She's not something to 'take a crack at'. She's a person." The Alpha frowned, more so at the idea of someone not wanting to get to know Marlee as the wonderful human that she was- though he definitely didn't like the thought of anyone else asking her out.

"Yeah, a person who happens to be currently available because you won't step up and-"

Their conversation was cut short by the sound of a female voice shouting down the hall.

"Move it or lose it, people!"

"What the-" Stiles spluttered, watching in bewilderment as a laughing Isaac Lahey ran by with Marlee clinging to the werewolf's back.

The beta and the blonde had grown quite close since the Darach incident, their shared sense of mischief being one of the number of things that the two had bonded over.

"What the hell was that?"

"I have no idea." Scott's eyes followed the pair, as did most people's, a look of adoration on his face.

He heard her before he saw her.

The sound of synthesizers and guitar riffs abruptly pulled Scott out of his memory; Marlee would be blasting Queen through her outdated speakers this early in the morning, Freddie Mercury serenading the surrounding houses.

"All we hear is Radio ga ga
Radio goo goo
Radio ga ga
All we hear is Radio ga ga
Radio blah blah
Radio, what's new?
Radio, someone still loves you…"

The Oldsmobile turned the corner at the end of Scott's street and cruised its way to the curb in front of his house. The volume of the music lessened significantly before a figure popped their head out.

"Let's get this show on the road!" The driver called out her open window, hands dramatically cupped around her mouth.

Scott loped over to the car and got himself settled in.

"Thanks for doing this."

The young man smiled sweetly at her, the undeniable tenderness in his look going unnoticed.

"Glad I could save the day for once." Marlee jested as she put the car into drive, pulling forward and down the street.

It was shaping up to be a beautiful day, the light of the morning sun painting everything within its reach a soft gold. The speakers in the Oldsmobile were playing a Fall Out Boy song on low volume, barely audible over the sound of the wind passing by. It wasn't long before Scott could no longer fight the urge to turn his attention to his companion, silently taking her in.

With the windows rolled down, Marlee's blonde hair whipped around her head, creating an almost halo-like effect in the light. Combined with her shining blue eyes and wild grin, the overall image made Scott absentmindedly reach into his jacket pocket- only to remember that he hadn't needed his inhaler since becoming a werewolf. (How could he forget something like that?) For a brief moment, the girl sitting in the driver's seat had left him breathless.

God, she's amazing…

"You good?"

Scott was quickly broken out of his reverie by the question. Marlee was glancing out of the corner of her eye in his direction every few seconds, checking on her quiet friend.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good." Scott smiled softly. "I'm great, actually."

There had been a feeling in the air all day, something almost palpable to Marlee. Everything around her felt like it was electrified, causing her to feel jittery with anticipation. It had been a rather normal day- as normal as a day could be in Beacon Hills- for her, nothing peculiar happening other than being Scott's chauffer.

In hindsight, that small detail should have prepared her for their departure from school in the afternoon.

Both of the teenagers had been at ease, chatting and listening to the music on Marlee's iPod when the beginning of My Chemical Romance's "Disenchanted" filled the car.

"Skip it." Marlee directed. "This is one of my favorites but it's kind of sad. Not in the mood for that right now."

"In that case, can I pick something out- something happier?"

"Knock yourself out."

It was about ten seconds later when she began to regret her response.

"Saw you today after so much time
Felt just like it used to be…"

Was it possible for the earth to swallow you whole while driving?

Marlee was remembering a moment that had occurred the morning after she and her current passenger had almost kissed, only to be interrupted by Stiles' phone call. A moment of internal butterflies and mortification-

Pulled out of her internal scolding by the sounds of a softer melody, Marlee finally realized that the song had changed a minute ago.

"If you ever want to be in love, I'll come around-"

Marlee immediately unplugged her iPod, mortified. She was thankful that no one else knew about what she had just experienced. Yet as she looked out her windshield and met Scott's brown eyes and his frustratingly beautiful smile, she got the feeling that maybe someone else did know.

Had he heard the music all the way from his parking spot? It was possible with his supernatural hearing but there were plenty of things for him to overhear. Granted, her speakers had been turned up rather loud that day but it was a high school parking lot. There had to have been other people blaring their music at the time. Why, out of everyone, had he caught her in such a compromising position, staring after him like some love-struck fool? Why had he been looking in her direction in the first place?

Slightly ill at the thought, she already had an inkling.

Her heart had leapt into her throat by the time it got to the chorus.

"I'll come around
If you ever want to be in love
I'm not waiting, but I'm willing if you call me up"

With a feeling of apprehension, she watched out of the corner of her eye as the boy's arm began to move.

"If you ever want to be in love, I'll come around-"

The second that Scott's hand brushed against her own, Marlee's emotional fight or flight instincts kicked into high gear. Unfortunately, the two of them were already trapped in a car together, which left only one option.

She hit the brakes before putting the car in park, right in the middle of the road.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" She questioned, peering at the surprised werewolf, as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

"Marlee, what are you doing?" Scott asked as the blonde got out of the car.

"I can't even look at you right now."

"Wait, what?"

At that point, the young woman was a few feet away from her car and Scott had gotten out of the passenger side. He swiftly made his way over to Marlee, who was running a hand through her wavy hair in frustration.

"What happened?" He asked her, perplexed and concerned.

"Did you or did you not just try to hold my hand?" She questioned, her tone heated.

"I- I mean- yeah, that's what I was trying to do."

"Why?"

"'Why?'"

"Yeah, why were you trying to hold my hand?"

"Because… because I like you."

Every muscle in the young woman's body tensed at those words.

No no no no no no no no no.

She replied stiffly, "You don't know what you're talking about."

Scott ignored the implied accusation and took another step towards her.

"Marlee-"

"Don't."

"Marlee, will you go out with me?"

"Scott, don't do this." She pleaded.

"Why? Why are you fighting this? I really do like you, Marlee, and I know you feel the same way about me."

"How would you know how I feel?"

"I know because- because I can hear your heartbeat. I'll look at you… and it skips. The same thing happens when our hands brush. Here…"

Scott grabbed her hand and just like he said, her traitorous heart skipped a beat. If the young werewolf had noticed with his supernatural hearing, he ignored it as he placed her hand over his chest.

"Do you feel that?"

Yes, Marlee felt it. His heart was pounding hard enough for both of them to feel it.

"That's what it's like every time I see or talk to you." Blue eyes flicked up to meet soft, heart-melting brown. "And I know that you're scared but I also know that you want this too."

"It doesn't matter!" She snapped as she snatched her hand away.

"How could it not matter?" Scott fired back.

"Because we're not right for each other! You and I are complete opposites, okay? It would never work between the two of us!"

"You don't get to decide whether you're right for me or not."

"Yeah, well, you're not right for me."

"I-"

"What aren't you understanding? I'm not going to change my mind. Love, romance, relationships- it's all just the biggest load of shit! My parents loved each other and look what that got them. If that isn't a giant, flashing warning sign, I don't know what is!"

It was quiet between the two for a moment before Marlee blurted out.

"Maybe it was one thing when you were just any old supernatural creature but noooo- now you're a True fucking Alpha!"

"So, you don't want to be with me because I'm a werewolf?"

Hurt was evident in Scott's eyes and Marlee internally cursed herself for it.

"I- no, that's not it at all. I don't want to be with you because you're this good guy."

"I don't understand."

"I've got bad things inside of me, okay? I somehow manage to ruin everything good in my life and I don't know how I keep doing this shit! Everybody always ends up fucking leaving me or I push them away because all they do is hurt me! Do you have any idea what that's like? To have people hurt you over and over again?"

Her voice had risen, the anguish becoming more apparent behind the anger, and Scott desperately wanted to squash it.

"I'm not going to hurt you!"

Marlee looked him dead in the eye.

"I can't take that chance."

She quickly turned on her heel, storming across the pavement back towards her Oldsmobile.

"Find another ride home."

Slamming her door closed, Marlee hastily wiped away a tear that had slipped down her cheek before throwing her vehicle into drive. She sped off, leaving Scott standing in the middle of the road, heartbroken.

*finger guns* Lit?