Hey everybody! Sorry it took so long to get this up, but it took a while to figure out how I to start the chapter. This starts the summer before their freshmen year in high school. Also, the Stilinskis are finally told about werewolves! Jackson and Vera bond, and enter Isaac, Erica, and Boyd. I've decided to bring them in earlier than in canon, and I've made them friends prior to the bite – and the intervention of Verena Hale. And before I forget, just in case I haven't made it clear, Vera is the same age as Stiles and the others. She was born about a year after Malia, who I may be aging up. I'm not actually sure about her age in regards to the others canonically. Anyway, enjoy and tell me what you think!

Verena frowned at her phone. It was a text from Jackson's mom.

Is Jackson with you? Please tell him to call me if he is.

Not bothering to answer, she called Danny.

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen Jackson? His mom texted me looking for him."

"Not since last week. Did she tell you why she was looking for him?"

"No, but she seemed worried. You mind trying to get him on the phone while I look for him?"

"Sure. Let me know if you find him."

"I will."

With that, she hung up, not bothering to say goodbye. Her frown deepening, she decided to go to his house and try to track his scent from there. It would likely be easier than trying to call or text him if he was avoiding his parents.

To her surprise, he was in the preserve, at a creek she had shown him and Danny the summer before that her family used to swim in on hot summer days. Coming here always brought a wistful smile to her lips, along with memories that half wanted to make her cry with the grief they always left her with. Jackson had his shirt off, his feet in the creek with his back to her as he stared into the water. Frowning once more, she stripped to her bra and panties and made her way over to him, making sure to make noise so that he knew she was there. He jumped and turned to look at her, an indignant expression on his face and his mouth opened angrily, only to slump when he saw who it was. She was startled to see tear tracks on his face, his eyes red and puffy. She sat beside him, leaning against him as she slipped her feet into the water and wiggled under his arm. He chuckled half-heartedly, adjusting his arm so it sat more comfortably around her shoulders. They sat in silence for a while, Jackson trying to decide if he wanted to talk to her and Vera patiently waiting for him to speak. Finally, he spoke, his voice hoarse and croaky from his tears.

"I found out I was adopted."

She frowned again, hesitating before she responded.

"You didn't know?" she asked softly. He withdrew from her, glaring at her.

"You knew?!" he demanded furiously. She nodded cautiously.

"Yeah. My mom was friends with yours – Mrs. Whittemore, I mean –" she added at his half-angry, half-confused expression. She continued when he nodded, "She was disappointed that you and I weren't friends. I told her it was because you were a giant douche –" she grinned when he snorted, "– so I guess she told me in an attempt to help me sympathize, or maybe take it a little easy on you." she explained, a little unsurely. At six years old, she'd thought her mother was full of it and Jackson was just a spoiled brat. And she'd been right. His parents spoiled him almost to ruin because they couldn't have kids of their own, so they clung to their adopted son all the more tightly. She wound her arm around his waist, silently coaxing him into leaning against her. His arm went back around her and he leaned on her. She was surprised, because Jackson still treated her like she was delicate despite knowing that she could easily lift his dad's car and not break a sweat – or, at least, not much of one. She was still young, after all – her full strength wouldn't come until her body was more fully matured.

"So what's actually bothering you about this?" she asked gently, shifting so that he was leaning fully against her and her arm was around his shoulders so that she could card a hand through his hair. He leaned further into her and sighed deeply, relaxing completely.

"I don't know... I just... I fee like my whole world's been turned upside down. I was an orphan. My mom wasn't even technically alive when I was born. I feel like I've been living a lie." he paused, "And... part of me wonders if my parents even really want me... did they just take me in out of pity?" he asked quietly. Verena snorted, and he stiffened, but she didn't let him pull away when he tried to.

"Your parents adore you, idiot. No, they don't share blood with you, but they still love you. A blind man can see that, Jackson. And being adopted is nothing to be ashamed of. Noah offered to adopt me last week, remember?" He'd surprised her last week, presenting her with the adoption papers, and she had almost said yes – but he and Stiles still didn't know what she was, and that fact had stayed her tongue. She was teetering on the edge of telling them. But she was afraid if they knew, they would turn on her. She would have to shift to prove that she wasn't joking or making light of the whole thing. Jackson shifted, rearranging them so that they were holding each other, instead of him leaning fully on her.

"You're still afraid to tell him, aren't you?" he asked lowly, rhetorically. She nodded anyway, burying her face in his neck. She knew she was probably being foolish, that the Stilinskis would likely accept her regardless, but a small part of her – the part that remembered burning alive because of what she was – still worried. And it wasn't an unreasonable fear, neither of her friends could deny that. But they had also encouraged her tell them and accept the adoption. They knew she adored the Stilinskis. And Noah had assured her that she could keep her last name, she didn't have to change it if she didn't want to. He wasn't trying to replace the family she had lost, merely give her a new one. And she wanted it. God, she wanted it. But she was afraid. She took a deep, shuddering breath.

"I'll make you deal." she muttered into his neck.

"Hmm?"

"I'll tell Noah and Stiles the truth, if you agree to go back home and talk to your parents – let them explain." she offered. He thought it over for moment. Then he sighed.

"Alright, but not yet."

She nodded in agreement. She needed to build up her own courage before she had that conversation herself.

"Alright. Not yet. But tonight."

He nodded his own agreement, and she grinned.

"Alright, let me grab my phone and let Danny know where we are. We can spend a few hours here and grab something to eat at the diner before we all head home."

She waited until he nodded his agreement once more before jumping to her feet and going to where she'd discarded her clothes. She quickly found her phone and shot off a text to Danny, and one to Jackson's mom letting her know that he was okay and would be returning home that night. When she turned back around, Jackson was already in the water. It was just level with his hips. Grinning wickedly, she broke into a run and, before he could register what was happening, jumped on him, both of them tumbling under the water. She laughed when they both broke the surface, and Jackson was trying to glare at her, the grin fighting its way onto her face stopped him, though. With a roar of mock outrage, he threw himself at her, and she allowed him to overpower her, dunking her beneath the water. That's how Danny found them when he arrived, laughing and taking turns dunking each other. Verena caught his eye when he looked at her questioningly and shook her head, gesturing that she would tell him later. He nodded, and his expression became fondly amused.

"You two are dorks."

She grinned, while Jackson looked affronted.

"And you're just as much of a dork as we are. Get in here, dill weed." she ordered cheerfully. Snorting, the Hawaiian boy pulled his shirt over his head and joined them in the water, surprising them both by putting a hand on both of their heads and dunking them before they could realize what he was about to do. When they resurface, both sputtering, he was grinning mischievously at them. The pair shared a look before lunging after him with similar battle cries.

Vera was smiling as she entered the house. It was always good when she got to spend time with her boys. She sighed and her smile faded as she remembered her agreement with Jackson. She's texted Noah on the way home and he'd assured her he'd be there when she arrived so that they could talk. She went to his study, where she knew he'd be waiting. He smiled when she entered, and she returned it wanly.

"Is everything alright with Jackson?"

She nodded.

"Yeah. He just got a little overwhelmed when his parents told him he was adopted." she replied absently. He frowned at her.

"Are you alright?"

She sighed heavily.

"It's about the adoption." she began. She saw his face fall, obviously thinking she was going to say no, and she hurried to continue, "I really want to say yes, but I need to tell you something first," she told him, and his expression brightened, though still cautious, "Something that might make you change your mind."

He frowned at her.

"Vera, there's nothing you can tell me that would change my mind."

She let out a pained whine and shook her head.

"Don't say that. Not until you hear what I have to say." she told him. His frown deepened, but he nodded, and she took a deep breath.

"When you came to see me in the hospital that day, when I woke up after the fire, I told you who had set our house on fire with the intent to kill us. I never told you why, other than a vague comment about an old family feud." she began. He nodded, and she took another deep breath. Then she shifted. She saw him push his chair back, saw his startled expression, and closed her eyes so that she wouldn't see it turn to fear, or worse, hatred.

"This is why. The Hales, for as far back as any of us could recall, have been werewolves. We were wolves when we helped settle Beacon Hills, and we've been silent protectors of the town for generations. We were a peaceful pack. But there are some, who find out about us, either because of vicious rouges or because their families have known, somehow or other, for centuries, who think that we shouldn't exist. That we're abominations. That our existence is against God, nature, or some sort of natural order. So they hunt us down and kill us, excusing their behavior by saying that we're vicious, feral, bloody-thirsty predators with no control or conscience." she told him steadily, her eyes still closed, "The Argent family in particular are infamous for their hatred of us." she laughed bitterly, "Their family started hunting because the founding matriarch of their family killed her brother when he was turned and went on murderous rampage. La bête du Gévaudan. That was monster and he needed to be put down." she conceded, finally opened her eyes. She smiled wryly at his incredulous expression and shifted back, "The Argents are where the legend about silver bullets come from. We're not particularly allergic to the metal – though I will grant that the rumor about wolfsbane is true. It's more toxic for us than it is for humans." she grinned humorlessly as understanding dawned on his face, "Hence my 'fatal allergy' to aconite." she told him ruefully, "I didn't lie about that, I just left out some very important context. We're also weakened by rowan wood and its ashes, which those in the know call mountain ash. That's how she trapped us in the house. She blocked off all the exits with a mixture of wolfsbane and mountain ash. My cousin Ian was human." she continued dully, "He opened the door to break the barrier. They shot him in the head." her voice broke, her eyes started stinging with suppressed tears, "He was two years older than me. He'd be sixteen right now." she broke off, closing her eyes against the grief that was once again threatening to overwhelm her as she remembered that day, and thought about all the people who should be alive right now, learning to drive, chasing lovers, complaining about school or work. Ian had been Talia's youngest son. He'd wanted to join his mother's law firm when he got out of school. Her cousin Michael had just been mated – his mate had been deployed over seas at the time of the fire. She was brought back from the memories by strong arms wrapping around her and pulling her against a broad chest. She buried her face in his shirt and sobbed, only once. She forced back the wave of grief that threatened to drawn her every time it hit. It was getting better, though. It was hitting her less often. She burrowed into the by now familiar comfort of Noah's embrace while he rubbed soothing circles into her back.

"Dad?" she froze, and Noah shushed her.

"Son, now's really not the time."

"Is she okay?"

She nodded, pulling partially out of Noah's arms to give her friend a watery smile.

"I'm fine, Stiles, just had a bit of a wobble."

He nodded, but he didn't look convinced. Noah looked at her in question and she sighed.

"Come on in. I need to tell you something." she told him tiredly. He looked at his father for permission, surprising them both. When Noah nodded, he entered the room, immediately taking a seat on her lap and wrapping himself around her. She laughed.

"You're gonna have to let me up, dude. This is kind of a show and tell kinda thing." she said dryly. Reluctantly, both Stilinskis released her, Stiles leaving her lap to perch on his father's desk. She shifted again, almost laughing when her friend flailed and fell to the floor.

"What the hell?!"

"Language, Stiles." Noah scolded tiredly. Both teenagers snorted. Then Vera smiled sheepishly.

"Surprise," she said, "I'm a werewolf." she finished, doing sarcastic jazz hands. She quickly become very uncomfortable with the look of awe in the boy's face.

"That's so cool!"

She snorted.

"I'm glad you think so." she retorted dryly. Noah cleared his throat, drawing her attention.

"I haven't changed my mind, Verena."

"You and Stiles could be targeted because of me." she warned him solemnly. He smiled grimly.

"The same could be said of you and Stiles because of my job." he reminded her wryly. She conceded the point with a humorless grin.

"Fair enough. The fangs and fur?" she questioned dryly. He snorted.

"No more terrifying than your other mood swings once a month."

She chuckled.

"Those are actually synced." she told him, smirking with wry humor. He stared at her in horror.

"That's why you're so irritable?"

She nodded, chuckling. He shook his head.

"Now, you said when you started this conversation that you do want me to adopt you?" he asked. She nodded, and he grinned.

"Then let's get the papers signed so I can get them filed."

She smirked again, hiding the warmth she felt spreading through her chest at his words. Stiles was bouncing excitedly off to the side.

"Does this mean I can call you daddy now?" she snarked. Noah shrugged.

"If you want."

She paused, taken aback. She'd been joking. She smiled ruefully and shook her head. Her father was Daddy. He always would be.

"I think I'll take a page out of Stiles' book and call you Pops." she told him with a grin. He nodded, understanding in his eyes. He smiled warmly at her.

"That's fine. Call me whatever you're comfortable with." he assured her. She smiled back, almost shyly, and Noah rounded his desk and took the adoption papers out of the drawer he'd put them in for safe keeping. Handing her a pen, his smile widened as they both signed them.

Vera entered her father's hospital room, smiling sadly at the vacant expression on the man's face as he stared out the window. She hated that expression. Blue eyes that once been calculating and full of intelligence were now blank and empty. She wanted her father back – she loved Noah, but it wasn't the same.

"Hey, Daddy." she greeted softly, hugging him gently, careful of the still healing burns on his body. She nuzzled his neck, "How are you today?" she continued, smiling ruefully to herself at the obvious answer to her question.

"Noah adopted me today." she told him. Her eyes widened when she smelt a flash of anger at her announcement.

"Daddy?" she asked hopefully. She sighed in disappointment when his only response was silence.

"He's not replacing you. He couldn't replace you." she assured her father, "But this way, I'm not so alone anymore. I have a family again." she looked down at her hands, "I'm slowly building a new one. Hopefully, someday, you can join us." she told him, her voice still soft, "I told him the truth. About us and the fire. He took it better than I thought he would. Stiles isn't happy that he can't tell Scott, but thankfully he's agreed to keep his mouth shut – something Scott is incapable of. I need to lay low for as long as I can, and if Scott finds out, it'll be all over Beacon Hills before the month is out."

She sighed, running a loving hand over her father's face. She missed him. She pulled out the book she'd brought.

"I brought the Hobbit today, Daddy. I know how much you liked reading it to me when I was little."

She sat down in the visitor's chair and opened the book. With a wistful smile, she began to read.

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell..."

Freshman Year 1st Day of School

Vera rolled eyes when Stiles abandoned her in a huff. She'd stolen his Batman T-shirt that morning and had no intentions of giving it back, and he was irritated by the fact that she had claimed rights as his official sister to steal his clothes when she pleased. Her eyes roved the cafeteria, looking for a place to sit. Jackson was ingratiating himself with the Lacrosse team, Danny beside him, and Scott would be with Stiles, who was ignoring her. Oh well, he'd be fine by the end of the day. But that left her without anywhere to sit, because she had no desire to listen to the boys suck up to the older team members, and she refused to sit with Lydia Martin. Her eyes landed on a table with three people: a tall, dark skinned boy who looked vaguely familiar, Erica Reyes – the daughter of the agent in charge of her family's life insurance policies, and Isaac Lahey, who lived across the street from Jackson. They were a quiet bunch. She didn't know much about the dark skinned boy, Reyes had epilepsy and tried to draw as little attention to herself as possible, and Lahey was unusually skittish – especially given how outgoing his older brother had been. She decided then that she would befriend them and walked over to their table. She bit back a chuckle at their surprised expressions when she sat down her tray. She smiled at them.

"Hello." she greeted cheerfully. The three eyed her warily.

"Hale." Reyes greeted cautiously. The unnamed boy remained quiet, and Lahey wore a guarded expression.

"What are you doing over here?" he asked gruffly. Instead of being offended, Verena chuckled.

"You three looked interesting." she told him with a wide grin. Now all three were staring at her in suspicion.

"Interesting?" the unnamed boy asked. She nodded.

"Yup!" she responded, refusing to elaborate. Her grin widened at their irritated expressions. They glared at her.

"What do you want, Hale?" Reyes demanded. Vera's grin became less manic and her expression softened.

"I wanted to make friends, actually." she replied calmly, obviously throwing them with the response. Reyes was the first to come back to her senses. She scowled at her.

"Listen, Hale, if this is some sort of joke –"

"It would be a very poor one if it was." Verena interrupted smoothly, her face going blank, "Unlike Jackson, I don't find pleasure in kicking others while they're down. If you don't want to be friends with me, just say so and I'll leave you alone after today."

The dark skinned boy looked at her curiously.

"Why today?"

She shrugged.

"My other friends are branching out and either creating their own cliques or isolating themselves into pairs. I dislike the people Jackson and Danny choose to associate themselves with, and as much as I love Scott and Stiles, Scott and I butt heads too much for me to tighten my friend circle to just the two of them, so I decided to broaden it." she replied casually, "And what's your name?" she asked abruptly, looking at the boy he'd asked the question. He grinned at her.

"Boyd."

She frowned, muttering the name to herself for few minutes when it finally clicked.

"Oh! Your mom used to bring flowers to my dad's shop so that he could dry them when they started to whither!" she said, smiling as she finally figured out why he seemed familiar. He nodded, looking uncomfortable at the mention of his mother. Lahey looked at her curiously.

"What kind of shop did your dad run?"

"Oh, he owns an occult shop on Mab St." she told him cheerfully. He nodded. Reyes looked at her curiously.

"You're not going to ask for our names?"

Vera shrugged, a sheepish cast to her face.

"I actually know your names because your," she pointed at Reyes, "father handled my family's insurance policies, and his," she pointed at Lahey, "brother was dating one of my cousins before the fire." she looked at Lahey, "Camden talked about you a lot whenever he came over."

He nodded awkwardly.

"You had him interred in your family mausoleum when dad refused to bury him, didn't you?" he asked, his tone slightly bitter. She nodded.

"Yeah. I was honestly kinda surprised when I heard you hadn't been to visit him, actually." she told him congenially. He frowned at her.

"Dad said that we weren't allowed to visit him because he was buried privately."

She shook her head.

"You've always been welcome to visit your brother. If not for the fact that I'm afraid your father would try to desecrate my family's remains I'd allow him access as well. If you want, I'll meet you at the cemetery after school some time and show you where he's at."

He nodded once in thanks. Reyes was watching them both curiously.

"Why did you bury him with your cousin?"

Lahey looked uncomfortable, especially Verena looked at him, indicating that it was up to him if he wanted to tell his friends.

"Dad refused to have him buried in the family plot next to mom when he was killed in combat, so Hale stepped in and had him buried with her cousin, since they were dating at the time of the Hale fire."

The blonde frowned.

"Why wouldn't he let him be buried next to your mom?"

"Because the cousin he was dating happened to be male." Verena answered dryly. Reyes eyes widened.

"He wouldn't bury him because he was gay?!" she cried incredulously, shooting both Vera and Lahey sheepish looks when they glared at her. Several people at surrounding tables were staring at them. At least, they were until Verena glared at them. They promptly turned back to their food and their friends. When she turned back to the others, Lahey was watching her with admiration.

"How'd you do that?"

She smirked at him.

"I'm a Hale, darling, even if I'm the only one left conscious and alive, that name carries weight." she told him succinctly. He nodded.

"Wasn't your uncle on the city council?"

She nodded.

"Dad, like I said, ran an occult shop, and my mom," she grinned, "ran a complementary bookshop across the street. My Aunt Talia helped Jackson's dad start his firm and was a partner there. Aunt Iris ran a shelter for abuse victims and Uncle Myron was a judge for the county. My cousin Michael was about to graduate from the police academy and his sister was going into the Navy. Uncle Myron's eldest son was going to UC Davis for a degree in English while his youngest was thinking about going in to social services once he graduated." she told them factually. They stared at her in surprise. Reyes cleared her throat.

"You're family was certainly... involved, weren't they?" she asked delicately. Verena nodded.

"Of course. Hales helped found this town. We've always been involved in the running of it in some form or another." she replied honestly. It wasn't a secret. It was public record for as long as the town had kept them. If you looked back, you would always find a Hale in the city government. They nodded, processing the information quietly. Eventually, Reyes smiled at her.

"So, this being friends thing?"

Verena grinned at her.

"Yes?"

The three shared a look and nodded once in unison.

"We're in." Lahey told her, speaking for all of them. She laughed delightedly. She was going to enjoy these three. They acted like a pack.

"Hey, Hale!"

Verena sighed at the jeering tone her name was called in, but didn't acknowledge whoever had spoken, instead lying down in the bleachers and putting her head in Erica's lap, a contented noise escaping her when a hand started combing through her hair. She closed her eyes and smiled to herself, enjoying the petting. She heard a laugh and opened her eyes just enough to see Boyd smirking at her. She stuck her tongue out at him, which only seemed to amuse him further. The three of them were out at the Lacrosse field because Jackson, Danny Stiles, Scott and Isaac had all made the team and they had been dragged along to watch their friends practice.

"Hale, we're talking to you!" the voice sounded irritated now, and she sighed again. Sitting up with some reluctance, she turned to face the hecklers.

"Yes?" she asked in a bored tone. There were three of them, all lean and muscled, and handsome in a stereotypical jock kind of way. All three were brunets, one had hair just past his ears, another's was styled into a windswept look and the third had his cropped short and neatly trimmed. The neat one leered at her.

"We were wondering what kind of weird orgy you had going on with Lahey, Whittemore, Stilinski, and McCall."

She noted idly that they'd failed to mention Danny, which was a first. She arched a brow.

"I fail to see how that's any of your business." she drawled dryly. Their jaws dropped. She smirked. She'd surprised them. They'd been expecting her to deny it. The tall one recovered quickly and sneered.

"So you really are a slut."

She snorted.

"Are you trying to hurt my feelings?" she asked, amused. They glared at her and she laughed.

"Oh, sweetheart, you're going to have to try a lot harder than that." she cooed, "Now, I'm going to take a shot, and guess that you three are pissed because you're being out-shined by the freshmeat and decided to come pick on who you thought would be the weakest link in their group, also happening to be the only link the ties those five boys together. Am I warm?" she queried mockingly. The long haired one sneered.

"You really think your boys are that good or are you hoping they'll give it to you good if they hear how much of an obedient bitch you are?"

Verena barked a laugh.

"Honey, you have no idea how much of a bitch I can be." she smiled meanly, "I suggest you three go find something better to do before you find out." she suggested. The third one snorted.

"And what do you think you can do, little girl?"

She arched a brow.

"Oh, because you're such big men, coming to pick on a freshmen because your egos are hurting." she sneered derisively, "It must take a lot of courage for three boys to come pick on one girl, given you singled me out when I'm not alone. Do you have some more insults you'd like to throw at me? Are they more creative than the ones you've already used? God, I hope so, because I'm fucking sick to the back of my teeth of you assholes coming up to me and asking some variation of how I let my friends fuck me." she snorted, "Try for something original, why don't you?"

The neat one, who seemed to be their leader, got a mean expression.

"How's it feel to know your cousin gave up your entire family to burn because he couldn't keep it in his pants?" he taunted. Verena froze, and she closed her eyes so no one could see them flashing, her fists clenched so they wouldn't see her claws. She took a deep breath and exhaled through her nose. When she opened her eyes again, she grinned humorlessly at the three boys.

"That's a good one." she acknowledged amicably. All three tensed at her tone. She was being too calm. They had expected outright rage. She chuckled darkly.

"I'd really like to know where you head that." she continued in the same calm, friendly voice. They shared an uneasy look. She raised a brow.

"Well?" she asked, still calm, patient, and friendly. Finally, the long haired one said,

"Jay's got a cousin on the force. He saw the Hale file and mentioned it to his dad while they were having dinner at his aunts house."

She nodded once, in acknowledgment.

"I see. And does Jay's cousin have a name?" she asked sweetly. The boys began to look nervous.

"Todd Lincoln." the one with the styled hair – she assumed he was Jay – answered, and she nodded again.

"Hmm. Now,"she began, her anger beginning to leak into her voice, "I'm going to say this once and you're going to listen well. Got me?" she asked, her tone turning deadly. The three nodded hurriedly, and she continued, "You're going to keep that yourselves, and if hear it being whispered in hallway or empty classrooms, I'm going after the three of you. Cousin Todd is already likely going to loose his job, as that information was confidential and not meant to be shared outside of those working on the case. Now I suggest you leave." she finished, nearly growling now. They bolted. She took another deep breath and turned back to Erica and Boyd, who were watching her in concern. She frowned.

"What is it?"

Erica frowned.

"Vera, your hands are bleeding."

Surprised, she opened her previously clenched fist and saw that they were, in fact, covered in blood. There were also two small puddles where she'd just been standing. She raised her eyebrows and her lips twitched.

"So they were." She smiled at the pair of them, "I'm fine." she assured them. They shared a look, but let it go.

"And the bit about your cousin?" Boyd pressed. She took a deep, shuddering breath.

"I'll talk to Noah about it tonight."

Once again, then pair shared a look, but once again let it go. They would be telling Isaac and Stiles about the encounter later, though.