Hello all! As mentioned in the summary, this is a rewrite of my Derek/OC story titled Strange Happenings in Beacon Hills. I deleted the original, having taken too long a break and finding it needed to be fixed up. While most of the central plots from the original story remain intact, I've changed a few of the smaller things. If you read the original, Patricia is no longer a cheerleader. Her brothers are now Chase and Clark rather than Chris and Clark, because there were two, too many characters named "Chris" on the dance floor. Hopefully I remain happy with this revised version, because I think it has some potential. Hopefully.

Strange Happenings in Beacon Hills starts off at the first episode ("Wolf Moon") and will go all the way through the series finale. Some things will change along the way (such as the timeline since that's as messy as the one for the X-Men film franchise), but it'll mostly stick with canon. As stated in the description for the first chapter, the first eight chapters will be uploaded today as all I did was revise them, but the rest will come along as I work on different fanfics.

I only own Patricia and her family. The rest is Jeff Davis.

An aside: Her parents look like Jensen and Danneel Ackles (because I love them). Chase and Clark, the twin brothers, look like Dylan and Cole Sprouse (when they were in Just for Kicks). And Patricia looks like a 5'0" Skyler Samuels, starting from the Nine Lives of Chloe King and eventually moving into Scream Queens and The Gifted appearance territory. Visuals are important, after all.

I wake up to find Derek still sitting beside me, my hand in his. Looking up I realize his eyes are closed but his breathing is too even to be asleep. "I know you're awake." He opens his green eyes and looks down at me. "You stayed?"

"I didn't want you to move in your sleep and hurt yourself." He explains. I smile, sitting up and realizing I'm in the same clothes as the day before. And that I forgot to brush my teeth.

"I'll be right back." I mutter behind my hand and he rolls his eyes, making my way to the attached bathroom.

"Your morning breath is fine." I blush and walk quicker, ignoring his quiet chuckles. After brushing my teeth and relieving myself I take off the bandages. The scratches have already begun to scab over, so I rub some scar ointment I have lying around from the time I hurt my knee and apply it before rejoining Derek in my room.

"Oh, you need a different shirt. Did you go to the house at all?" I ask, rushing over to my cabinet to look for an oversized shirt.

"Only to drop off my car. Then I ran straight here."

"Why?"

"Because the last time you saw me I was being impaled by the alpha and tossed into a brick wall." He answers, as if I could forget.

I nod, then pull out a plain white tee. "This should fit." I turn and find him only a few inches away from me. He takes it with a smile and steps back to pull off his leather jacket and bloody shirt. I blush and turn away when I see his abs, and he coughs when he's finished changing.

"I should go." He tells me. "I know your dad said he was gonna help me, but he can't do much if people figure out I hid here last night."

"No, stay." I argue, crossing my arms. "Wait, how did you know my dad is gonna help you?" He points at his ears. "Oh, right, duh. Still. It's warm here, we have running water, it's safe."

"I won't put you in danger. I can't have you getting hurt again."

"Derek, getting hurt is a part of life." I tell him, and he shakes his head.

"No."

Someone coughs and I turn to see my parents had opened the door, my dad looking unimpressed but my mom amused. "Super hearing my ass." I mutter, and Derek takes a step away from me.

"No, don't move on our account, Hale." My dad barks, and I bite my lip, looking at the floor. "We just came up to tell you school won't be open until Monday. So, did he stay the night?" I shake my head. "Are you lying?"

"That's a possibility." I mutter, then look up at him. "Oh, come on, I thought he was dead! He's my friend!"

My dad raises his eyebrows, my mom laughing to herself. "Friends don't sleep in each others rooms."

"Uh, I sleep over at Stiles and Scott's homes all the time." Derek throws me a look and I shrug. "What?"

"Yeah, but those two are like brothers to you." My dad points out, then glares at Derek. "He isn't."

"No." I grab Derek's hand, looking up at him reassuringly. "He's pack."

"Oh, for crying out loud!" My dad yells.

"Honey, the boys -" We hear running and I close my eyes, groaning.

"Woah!" Clark cries out.

"How'd he get here?" Chase asks, and I open my eyes to look at my dad.

"Evidently, through your sister's window."

Chase and Clark blink up at Derek. Finally, Clark speaks. "Why didn't you use just the door?"

My mom finally lets out a loud laugh, hunching over in giggles. We all watch her, my dad looking like he has no idea what to do. So instead, he looks at me. "This is your fault."

I sit in between my two brothers, Derek next to Clark and closest to my dad. My mom sits next to her husband and Chase, throwing me looks that tell me I'm pretty much on my own. "These pancakes are great. Mmm. Blueberry." I try to break the tension but my dad only glares and I gulp my bite down. "Right."

"So, Derek. How often do you sneak into my daughter's room?" He asks, and I choke on my coffee. Chase pats my back and my mom shoots my dad a warning look. He catches it. "What? A 20-year-old man visits your 17-year-old daughter at night, and you're okay with this?"

My mom gives him a look. "Might I remind you that I was a 17-year-old girl who let a 21-year-old man routinely visit her at night?"

I look down a bit, biting my lip in amusement. "What, so this is karma?" My dad asks.

"What's karma?" Clark asks.

"A bitch." Dad says without looking from my mom. She glares harder.

"And what's a bitch?" Chase asks.

My dad looks at him. "Not a word you're going to repeat until you've mastered the English language."

"Ugh." My little brother groans, and I kiss his temple.

My dad looks at Derek. "So?"

He looks at me and I shrug, hoping he understands he should be honest. "Three times."

"Three times?" My dad confirms, and looks at his wife. "He's visited her three times."

"Oh, honestly, Will. You're just pissed that he told her the truth first."

"No, I'm pissed because that's my daughter." He points at me.

"So I'm a disappointment?" I ask, becoming angry, but instead I put on my best pout, eyes tearing up.

He shakes his head. "No, no honey. Of course not. I'm just worried."

"Nice job." Clark whispers to me, and we give each other a high-five under the table.

"Look, I'm not too happy either. But she's almost 18, and I trust her. She's never given me a reason not to." My mom says, and I smile tearfully at her. "Besides, we know Derek. This isn't a stranger." She gently reminds him, and my dad starts to relax.

"Fine." He points his fork at the still-nervous look on Derek's face. "But next time, use the door."

"Yes sir." My mom shakes her head, throwing him a wink.

My dad sighs. "But for now, you're staying here." I look at him in shock, the same as Derek.

"Dad?"

"He needs a place to stay. There's a guest room on your floor. I may not like where it's located, but we need him lay low." My dad looks at Derek again. "You're bigger than last time I saw you. I've got some clothes that'll fit."

"Um, thank you, sir."

"Since when do you call me sir?" My dad asks.

"Thanks, Will."

"Better."

My dad returns to his food, but gets a call. "Hey Noah. No. Yes. A double? Okay. I'll meet you at the school." My dad hangs up and turns to his wife. "Sorry hon, I've got to go."

She smiles. "It's fine, duty calls. Can you drop off the boys?"

"Sure thing." They kiss briefly and then my dad stands, motioning for Double Trouble to follow. "Come on. Time to motor."

"Can you do the sirens?" Chase asks, excitedly picking up his bag and joining Clark in kissing mom goodbye.

"Absolutely not." My dad shakes his head at me, and I laugh to myself. "Alright. Derek, I want you to stay here. Don't leave unless you absolutely have to. It'll make my job easier."

Derek nods. "Of course. Thank you."

"It's like Patty said. You're pack." He holds his shoulder and Derek copies him, something passing between them. Then he turns to me. "You, relax. Okay?"

I nod. "Oh, when do I need to give my statement?"

Dad sighs. "Sooner, rather than later. You can stop by the station around… 1?"

I nod. "Okay. Then I can get the twins. Since both of you have a lot more to deal with.

My dad groans, but nods. "Alright. C'mon, boys. Time to go." My dad tells the boys. The twins quickly hug me then rush out the door, my father taking the time to kiss my forehead before he joins them. I turn to my mom, who smiles at us.

"Well, that went better than expected." She turns to Derek. "I'll go pick out some clothes for you, Derek."

"Thanks, Marissa." She smiles and walks upstairs, leaving the two of us alone.

"You're okay with staying here, right?" I finally ask, biting my lip. "I mean, you don't have to…"

"No, I want to." He interrupts. "As long as you're -"

"Yes." I nod, then blush. He snickers. "Shut up. Of course you can hide out here. It's my fault you're a murder suspect again."

"How?" He asks.

"I should've fought harder. I should've told them they were being stupid, and made up some other story."

"Scott would've still blamed me." Derek growls, and I sigh.

Suddenly my phone rings, and I look over to see it's Stiles. I decline his call, returning to my food. The phone rings again, and I let it go to voicemail. It rings some more, this time it's Scott's landline.

"You can still talk to them, you know."

"No. I'm mad at them. God, how could they be so stupid?"

"Easily, I'm guessing." I glare at Derek. "See, even now you're protective of them."

"It doesn't matter. They know you're innocent, they know you're important to me, and they still decided to blame everything on you."

"I'm important to you?" He asks.

I throw up my arms. "Obviously." I get up and start clearing the table, rinsing the dishes and popping them in the dishwasher. Derek clears his throat.

"I just… I don't want you to lose your friends because of me." He finally admits, handing me his plate.

I sigh. "I'll talk to them. Eventually."

"Okay." He nuzzles my shoulder with his forehead then abruptly stops, straightening. "Sorry, I don't know -"

"It's okay." My phone rings once more, and I pick it up. "Scott, stop calling me. I'm beyond pissed at you."

"No, it's Allison." I pause, then look up at the nervous Derek.

"Oh, hi. I'm so sorry, I thought -"

"I know." She lets out a small sob.

"Oh no, what happened?"

"I told Scott I needed a break. I just, last night… I don't know if I can trust him! I mean I do, but I'm so scared. He locked us in the room!" She panics, and I nod. "He made you upset, and then you got hurt, and he didn't even check to make sure we were okay."

"I know, I know. I'm mad at him too."

"Because he said it was Derek."

"It wasn't Derek."

"I believe you." Derek nods, telling me what Allison just told me is true. "I was wondering, would it be possible for us to hang out today? School's closed until Monday."

"Yeah, of course. Um, I'll be free in an hour or so."

"Great. Meet at my place?"

Despite Derek shaking his head, I nod. "Of course. I'll text you when I'm on my way. Bye, my love." We hang up and he gives me a look. "What?"

"I can't believe you're going over to see an Argent."

"Can we not fight about this again, please?" I ask, crossing my arms.

He breathes out. "Fine. But you better be careful."

"They can't touch me. I'm a deputy's daughter."

"Somehow, I don't think that matters to them."

I get in my car, texting Allison. Before I can pull out someone knocks on my passenger door and I look over to see it's Stiles. I roll down the window and stare ahead. "What do you want?"

"I've been calling you. I wanted to see how you're healing."

"I'm fine. The alpha barely scratched me."

"Ricky…" I turn my head to glare at him. "I'm sorry. For helping Scott throw Derek under the bus." I nod. "It was wrong. And stupid, but we panicked."

"Stop." I order, and he does so. "I'm more mad at Scott than I am at you. But it hurt, that you took his side."

He nods. "I know. I'll, uh, let you go. But you should call Scott."

I snort. "Not likely."

"He's miserable. He feels so bad."

"Yeah, Allison asked them to go on a break." He gives me a look. "I'm going over to see her right now."

"But Scott needs you." He tries, and I scoff.

"So you take care of him. He could have said anything - anything. He could've said someone killed the janitor, that some sicko was hunting us down. He could've said we broke into the school because we wanted to prank Harris."

"You could've, too." I look away. "Just… please don't be mad at us for too long. We need you."

"Yeah. I know." I smile at him. "You aren't forgiven, but I'm less pissed. I just need you two to give me some space."

"There's more." I raise an eyebrow. "Scott and I think the alpha wants Scott to get rid of his old pack. Meaning us."

"Okay." I look at Stiles. "We'll talk more Monday."

"Fine. Be careful."

I nod. "You too."

With that I'm driving away from my best friend, still angry but heart calmer. They're idiots, but they're my idiots, you know?

Pulling up into Allison's driveway I lock up my Impala and walk up to the front door, ringing the bell.

A woman with a stern face and short red hair answers, a slight smile on her face. "Hello, dear. Can I help you?"

"I'm Allison's friend, Patricia."

"Oh. I'm her mother, Victoria -"

"Trish!" I hear Alli call, and her mom steps aside so my tall friend can pull me into a hug.

"Hey girl."

She lets go of me immediately. "Oh my God, I almost forgot. How's your side?"

"Still bandaged, but scabbing."

"I'm sorry, what happened to you?" Victoria asks.

I look up at her. "I was hurt last night, at the school."

"That must have been awful."

"I managed to stab whoever it was, but they managed to scratch me. Not deep, so at least I didn't need stitches." I tell her, my eyes screaming out the truth. She nods, her own as narrowed as she figures out what I know.

"Well, it's a good thing you fought."

"Yes. My dad is a deputy, so he wanted to make sure I could defend myself." I explain, and she understands that she can't threaten me without revealing the truth to her daughter.

"Well, you girls have fun. I'm sure your aunt Kate and father will be back from the grocery store soon." I walk into the nice house and Allison leads me up the stairs to her room.

"How're you doing?" I ask, laying down next to her on the bed, our feet dangling off the end.

"I'm just… sad." She looks at me. "I know he's your best friend, and I want to be respectful -"

"Alli." I stop her. "I'm your friend, too, and right now I'm as pissed as you are. We are going to vent, we are going to go out for food, we're gonna get ice cream, and we'll watch a movie."

"Oh thank God." We both break into laughter.

"I do have to go give my statement though, at 1. And pick up my brothers. Would you like to come -"

"Absolutely." She nods, holding my hand. "I know it hasn't been very long, but I've grown really attached to you. I almost lost you last night."

"I know. God, I was so stupid."

She snorts. "And you have a 4.0 GPA." I laugh, then sigh.

"So, talk to me sugar."

She snorts again. "Well, I just feel like he isn't telling me everything. I mean, why were you guys with Derek in the first place?"

"We weren't. Stiles wanted to prank Harris and needed our help." I groan and sit up, legs crossed. "It wasn't Derek. Whoever attacked me -"

"Are you sure you aren't just… in denial?" Allison asks softly, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"Yes. Scott and Stiles have a… complicated relationship with Derek. I don't think they would blame him maliciously, but I think he was the first thing that came to mind and they decided to roll with it."

"Even though it hurt you?"

I sigh and look over my shoulder at her. "I don't think they cared."

"You know that isn't true. They love you. You should have seen how panicked they were when you left. Stiles would have joined you if Scott and Jackson hadn't pulled him back. And Scott kept freaking out, every few minutes. He just kept saying you were in trouble, which we all knew, but -"

"Yeah." I sigh. "Yeah, I know. But God forbid anything like that every happens again, I won't leave you guys. Especially since I'm clearly the only reasonable one. Honestly. Barricading a door in a room full of windows." I mutter.

We both tearfully laugh, until a knock on the door interrupts us. "Come in!" Allison shouts, both of us holding our stomachs.

In walks a tall woman with dirty blonde hair, light brown eyes, and a similar lean muscular physique to me and Allison. So that must be Kate Argent. I've got to say, she does look a bit like a stone-cold bitch. She's joined by Chris, who looks stern, but his blue eyes are a little lighter than usual. Even with me around. Maybe his wife told him how I stabbed the alpha.

"And what are you two laughing about?" Chris asks us, mildly amused. Allison and I wink at each other.

"Oh, you know. Promises we hope don't have to be kept."

"No boy gossip?" The woman asks, looking at us with a smirk, but then becomes more focused on me. I narrow my eyes. Derek. She's wondering about Derek.

I shake my head, and snort. I don't trust this woman. I don't like this woman. But I can't approach her with hostility. Especially not when I'm trying to keep Allison safe from the truth. God, I'm doing the same thing my parents did, aren't I? Man, I'm a hypocrite. "Nah, I've sworn off high school boys. I've got college to look forward to."

"Ugh. Lucky. Aunt Kate, this is my best friend Patricia. Trish, this is my aunt Kate."

I smile and stand up, holding out my hand to shake the older woman's. Our grasps are strong and powerful, a CEO's wet dream. "It's so great to finally meet you! Allison's told me all about you!"

She grins back, and it's just as dangerous as mine. More so, actually. She's got this unhinged look to her. Derek's so going to kill me. "You too, Patricia. Thank you for taking such good care of my niece." We drop each other's hands, and Kate keeps smiling. "She told me you're a senior. Off to Beacon University next year?"

I nod. "That's correct."

"She got a full scholarship!" Allison joins us, hugging me proudly.

Kate whistles, and even Chris looks impressed. "A full ride? Where else did you apply?"

"Stanford, Princeton, Harvard, and Oxford. But Beacon is the only one that offered me the full scholarship." I tell them.

"Oxford University? And you got in?" Chris asks. I smile and nod.

"Yeah, but that was more of a dare than me actually really wanting to go. Stiles and Scott were adamant I spread my wings." I roll my eyes at that, my smile a little sad.

"What are you studying? Or are you still figuring it out?" Kate asks, eyes stalking me like I'm prey.

My eyes harden, but my smile stays soft. "Law Enforcement. My dad's a deputy."

Allison nods, taking my hand. "Yeah! And she's a great detective. Lydia told me she's practically Nancy Drew."

"When did she say this?" I ask her, now distracted.

Allison grins. "Oh, the first day I met her. She was telling me… well, everything about everyone. You know Lydia."

I smile. "Yeah. Better than most." We look back at Allison's dad and aunt Kate. "Sorry." We both laugh, and a little bit of the harshness in Kate cracks when she looks at Allison.

"Alright, we've bothered you girls long enough. C'mon, Chris. I know how valuable girl time is." She waves to us and practically tugs her brother out of the room, closing the door behind them.

I turn to Allison and we laugh, again, collapsing onto her bed. "Man, we're weird." I mutter. Allison giggles and nods, the two of us staring up at the ceiling. My cheeks never hurt more from smiling than in that moment with Alli.

Giving my statement was the only irritating part of Friday. Having Allison and my dad nearby in the Sheriff's station kept my nerves cool, but I was still figuring out how to keep Derek safe while making sure he remained innocent in my eyes.

"Can you tell me what happened last night? You may take your time, I need this as detailed as possible." Noah had said.

"Okay. Scott, Stiles and I snuck into the school. But somebody else was there, with us. I don't know who, but he killed the janitor. We wanted to call, but we were scared we weren't alone. I… They blamed Derek Hale for what had happened, but that's not true. The man who attacked me in the hall was not Derek Hale. My attacker was much larger, both in height and muscle. It was so dark, I couldn't see what he looked like in terms of facial features or skin tone. All I remember is closing my eyes, and feeling him crouching over me. I heard a weird noise, too, like an animal. A dog, maybe. He may have had a dog. All I know is I stabbed something, then I was scratched in return. I managed to make it back to my friends, and they took care of my wounds."

"And you're sure it wasn't Derek Hale who attacked you?" Noah asks me, his eyes hard.

I nod, hoping he only sees honesty in my blue eyes. "Not a word of a lie. Derek Hale is innocent. He may have been easy to blame, but he wasn't there."

Noah had simply nodded. "Thank you, Patrica. You are free to go."

And of course, there was Derek's lovely reaction to him smelling Kate Argent's scent as soon as I entered the house. "Tell me you did not talk to her! Tell me she doesn't know who you are?"

"Chris already told her, Derek."

"Dumbass. You complete dumbass. You could have been hurt! She could have cornered you, and -"

"But she didn't! I'm okay. I promise, no one hurt me when I was there. They can't, anyway, not without my dad and mom raining hell on them. Chill."

"'Chill'. You want me to 'chill'? Unbelievable." He had stormed off, refusing to talk to me until after dinner.

I sigh as I walk through the halls of the packed school, standing in between Allison and Lydia - the latter of whom frustrated at her parents for not allowing her to join our movie night on Friday. I'd almost taken Allison to my place when we dropped off my brothers - both in love with her, I should add - but then I'd remembered Derek was staying with us indefinitely and silently nixed that idea.

As the bell rings, Allison looks around. "It's just weird. Everybody's talking about what happened Thursday, and nobody knows it was us." I shift my bag and hold my copy of Julius Caesar by Shakespeare close to my chest, my stomach covered by the floral-print dress I'm wearing rather than the cropped shirts I normally wear.

Lydia scoffs. "Thank you, for the protection of minors."

"Lydia, do you think I made the wrong decision?" Allison asks.

"About that jacket with that dress? Absolutely."

I snort. "Lyds, you know what she meant. And I told you, Alli, your feelings matter, too. Scott messed up. Big time."

"She's right." Lydia points out. "Hellooo. Scott locked us in a classroom and left us for dead." Not really, but that's valid reasoning for them since they don't know what really went down. How the attacker wasn't human, and neither is Scott. As pissed as I am, I know him well enough to understand he was protecting us. Probably from himself. "He's lucky we're not pressing charges, or making him pay our therapy bills."

I nod. "I should probably sign up for that, by the way. Therapy."

"You mean you haven't already?" Lydia asks, disappointment written all over her face. "You should. You were attacked, you could have died."

I nod and take her hand, stopping the three of us and squeezing the limb. "I know. And I'm sorry for scaring you. I promise I'll see someone."

"Fine." She straightens, popular girl look back in place. "Allison and I have class. Are you going home after AP Lit."

I nod, thinking about Derek off by himself in my house. "Yeah. Our night at school made me appreciate hanging out at home more."

"Here, here. Bye, Trish."

"Kisses, Tricia." Allison and Lydia wave and walk away from me. I sigh and put my hand on the doorknob to my AP Literature classroom, and the smell of blood takes over my nose. I can smell the alpha's rank, hot breath. I can feel his fur over my body, his sharp claws scratching my side.

Someone clears their throat and I open the door, letting the guy behind me - John - pass, who simply gives me a concerned look.

I know I only have to be here for a couple of hours, but it's going to be a long day.

I groan as I enter my car, head banging against the steering wheel. Today was the worst. Classes were fine, that wasn't the issue. It was the constant gossiping about what had happened, and classmates attempting to get my input because apparently what I say matters. Look, I'm popular. I'm valedictorian, I peer tutored almost everyone in my class. I dated a few Lacrosse players, I once punched a then-upperclassman in the face for attempting to sexually assault his classmate. But it's irritating. I don't like attention. I just like the people I'm close friends with, and two of them have been complete royal dicks lately.

So with a heavy sigh I start my car and pull away from the school, not even bothering to turn on the music as nothing can distract me.

I park my car, noticing my mom's is missing. Right. She has to be at the office now, all the time, just like my dad, because Scott and Stiles couldn't just blame something else on what happened, rather than Derek. Because of them, and because I didn't fight harder, my parents are now overworking themselves even more. At least my mom can bring the twins to her office though, since there's a room just for the employee's kids.

That just means I get the house to myself, again. Well, Derek and I.

Making sure to lock the door, I stalk over to the bowl of fruit and grab an apple, aggressively biting into it as I hop up onto the counter. The curtains are open but the blinds are closed throughout the house, to keep Derek from being seen and then recognized by my nosy neighbors.

Speaking of the newest Abernathy Home resident, Derek walks into the kitchen and snorts when he sees me attacking my apple. "Long day?" He sarcastically quips, as though he hasn't basically been trapped in here the past three days.

"The longest. Everyone wanted to know my opinion about that night, never mind the fact they don't know I was involved. It was all, 'Patricia, what do you think?'. 'Patricia, what would you have done?'. 'Patricia, we should try to spend the night at the school, last longer than those losers. Really get to know each other.'" I blush at the last sentence, Derek raising an eyebrow. His facial expression is blank, but his eyes are amused. "That was my ex, Greenberg."

"You dated a guy named 'Greenberg'?"

"No." I pout. "I dated a guy named 'Dale Greenberg'." Derek's face remains blank for a few moments, until he snorts. The snort becomes a chuckle, which soon becomes a full-bellied laugh. I look at him like I'm seeing a stranger. "Did I break you?"

"You… you dated a Dale?"

"Wow." I mutter, and he coughs, settling down a bit, a little confused.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just… I didn't think you knew how to laugh." He smiles shyly and glances down before looking at me, a new calmness around us.

"Well, you were clearly wrong."

I blush too, then jump down, passing by him to grab my book and head towards the stairs. "Yeah, well, there's a first time for everything."

"Okay, you've definitely been wrong more than once."

I roll my eyes but don't look back, Derek making no effort to mask his footsteps, probably so he doesn't freak me out. "Nope. Never. I'm always right."

"Yes, except for when you decide to angrily storm away from your friends and fight an alpha." I stop and turn my head to look down at him, and he raises his thick eyebrow at me once more.

I roll my eyes and keep walking. "Technically that's your fault. And Stiles and Scott's."

"Excuse me?" He asks, though the offended tone isn't harsh. "I was impaled by the alpha, in case you don't remember. How can this be my fault?"

"I don't think I'll ever forget." I mutter, stepping onto the landing of my floor, and for a moment it slips my mind that he can hear me.

"Patricia." He says, taking my elbow in his large hand and stopping me from moving, instead turning my body to face his. Even though he's standing on the second-to-last step, he's still taller than me. "Hey." His voice is soft, just like in the kitchen. Any joking tone is gone. "I'm sorry. I know."

"I thought you were dead. And my best friend - friends - blamed everything about that night on you. Because they thought you were dead, and you being dead meant the lie was easier. People would have thought you were a murderer. And I… I didn't even stop them. I was just so angry. So I… I reacted."

He walks up the rest of the steps and backs me up near the window by the staircase. His hands move onto my waist and he looks into my eyes. "You shouldn't let me affect you like that. I can't… you can't go putting yourself in danger just because you're angry I got hurt, or -"

"Died. I thought you died."

"I'm not worth it."

I scoff and step away from him, finishing my apple as I walk towards my room, Derek following me. "I think you are. My parents think you are. People are still around to care about you, Hale. You aren't alone."

"I guess not." He mutters, awkwardly standing in the doorway of my room. I toss the core into my trash can then jump onto my bed, crossing my legs under me after removing my shoes as carelessly as possible.

"So yeah, I shouldn't have run off. But I'd do it again if I meant I could stab that ass again for what he almost did to you." I look away angrily. "I know we haven't known each other very long, but… ever since I found out about the truth, about our families… it's easy for me to be protective of you." I admit. "And that scares me, Derek."

"Hey, it scares me too." I look up at him, and he walks over to sit next to me on the bed. "For five years, it was just me and Laura. Now Laura's dead, just like the rest of my family. And I thought I was alone, until I met you. So do me a favor, and don't go looking for trouble."

"I promise."

He snorts, and takes my hand. "I can hear you lying."

I smile down at our entwined limbs. "It was worth a shot."

Derek had left an hour earlier to go on patrol in the Preserve, not wanting his home completely in danger. The sky has started to get dark, and the moonlight pours into my room.

Moonlight.

With a gasp I jump off from my bed, jostling the papers around me. Pulling up the blinds I see the full moon shining, surrounded by stars. Crap. Crap, crap, crap.

Hearing a door slam I look down to see Stiles rushing out of his house with a duffle bag. No matter how angry I am, I can't let him take care of Scott alone. So I grab my phone, slip on my combat boots and rush down the stairs in my exercise shorts and cropped Guns 'n Roses tee shirt, phone and keys bouncing around in my pockets.

I hurriedly lock the door and run across the street, waving my arms in front of the Jeep to stop Stiles. It jerks and he pokes his head out, confused.

"Ricky, what -"

"I'm still pissed. But I'm not letting you take care of Scott alone." He nods, and I rush into the car. After buckling in and watching him peel out into the street, I realize something. There's this burning anger in his eyes. There's a sadness there, too, but… I've known Stiles his whole life. I can read his emotions like a pro. And he looks betrayed. "What's wrong."

He snorts in disbelief. "'What's wrong?'. I'll tell you what's wrong. My best friend has ignored me for four days. Which, yeah, was my own doing, but still. I miss her like crazy, as she's the only sane person. Because - get this - my other best friend decided to let his time of the month get to him and made out with the girl I've loved for years! So yeah, a lot has gone wrong recently!" He shouts, and I jump at the volume, my mind flashing back to the memory of the alpha above me.

"Scott kissed Lydia?" I ask. "Did you -"

"No." He harshly growls. "I didn't see it happen. But I'm not an idiot. I may not be Sherlock Holmes, but John Watson's a brilliant detective, too."

"I never said you weren't. I just… God, Scott's turning into a dick."

Stiles snorts, and we look at each other. Moments later, we start to laugh. "Yeah, he really is. And we thought him going through puberty was rough!"

"I mean, it's only one day every month! It's not like he's on his period." I tell Stiles, who laughs harder. "Hey. I missed you."

"Missed you, too. I'm sorry, for Thursday. You were hurting, and we made it worse. Are you -"

"I'm fine. Well, except for the nightmares about the alpha and constantly seeing Derek almost being killed everytime I look at him."

"Hang on. How often have you been seeing Derek?" Stiles asks me, breaking at the stop light. I smile innocently. "You're harboring a fugitive? Do your parents know?"

I nod. "It was their idea. I mean, they've known Derek since he was born. And like I said, the Abernathy family has been in the Hale pack since my great-grandmother Diane."

He steps on the gas and keeps driving towards Scott's house. "So, if the Hale fire hadn't happened, would you have joined the pack too? Officially, I mean. Since you were technically in it already, you just didn't know. Like, we've gotta assume your parents would have introduced you to the life. Especially since that lion-man gene runs in your family. I looked into that, by the way, and there's really nothing there. How's the journal coming along?" He rambles.

I smile, though. "The journal… well, the first hundred entries are written in Swabian. Then they become a rough English. So, translating has been fun. So far, I only know that an ancestor of mine - Berengar - said that the myth the villagers believed was wrong. Löwenmensch aren't werelions. We're werewolf/werelion hybrids. The first of our kind was the product of the union between each species, a gene that managed to be passed down until it became dormant."

"Did your great-grandmother say why it stopped with her? I mean, you know, stopped being active?"

I shake my head. "No. That's the biggest mystery."

"Well, it's one we'll solve. As soon as we stop Scott from killing anyone tonight." I laugh and Stiles parks in front of the McCall house. We carefully get out of the car and Stiles opens the door with the key he managed to copy. Well, both of us did, but mine is at home. Crap, I didn't leave a note for Derek, and it's not like I can text him since he's a fugitive.

As we quietly enter the house and close the door behind us, Melissa McCall - Scott's beautiful mother who deserves only the best in life - comes into view, dressed in her scrubs. "Scott?" She asks, then stops when she sees us standing at the front door.

"Stiles." My best friend chuckles awkwardly. I raise my hand in a wave.

"Patricia."

"Scott isn't home, so how did you… key." She points to the item in Stiles's hand, answering her unfinished question, and he nods.

"Yeah, I had one made. Well, we both did, so…" I grin innocently at Melissa, who sighs.

"That doesn't surprise me. It scares me, but, it doesn't surprise me." She looks at me and smiles. "You, I trust." I laugh at the wounded noise Stiles makes and wraps the older woman in a hug. "Gosh, it's been forever, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry." I apologize. "I'll bring you food on your next shift, okay?"

"Ooh, I'm going to hold you to that." The sound of metal clanking makes us break apart, and I see that Stiles has dropped the duffle bag onto the floor. "What is that?" She asks.

"Uh, school project."

Melissa nods, but obviously doesn't believe him. But, since he's Stiles Stilinski, she doesn't question it further. "Mmm." Then she sighs. "Hey, he's okay, right?"

"Who, Scott?" Stiles asks in return. "Yeah. Totally."

Melissa looks at me, and I give her a sad smile. "He and Allison are just going through a rough patch. But we're gonna take care of him."

"He just doesn't talk to me that much anymore. Not like he used to." She admits sadly.

I bite my lip, realizing just how lucky I am that my parents were the one to know the truth before me. That the only people who don't know the "big supernatural secret" are my little brothers.

"It's just been a bit of a tough week." Stiles attempts to soothe her, and it surprisingly works.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Yeah, um… okay. Be careful tonight." She peeks into her bag to search for her keys.

"You, too." Stiles awkwardly tells her, and I look skyward.

"Full moon."

That has us both looking at her in shock. "What?"

"Huh?" Stiles and I ask. Does she know something.

We both sigh in relief, quietly, when she just shakes her head in amusement. "There's a full moon tonight. You should see how the ER gets. Brings out all the nutjobs."

"Right." Stiles nods, and she steps passed him, briefly stopping to tell us,

"You know, it's um, actually where they came up with the word 'lunatic'." As soon as she closes the door we rush up the stairs, with me taking the lead and slamming open Scott's bedroom door, only for Stiles and I to jump back and shout in surprise.

Scott is sitting on his cushioned armchair by the window, staring up at us with murder eyes. "Oh my God!" Stiles shouts, dropping the duffle. "Dude, you scared the hell out of us."

"Why are you sitting there like some kind of bond villain, Lestrade?" I ask, but Scott only glares at me harder. "Right. Okay. Rough full moon? Need some Midol? Ginger tea? That always helps me when it's my time of the month." Stiles nudges me and I stop talking.

"Your mom said you weren't home yet." Stiles tells our best friend, who doesn't even blink.

"I came in through the window."

"Okay." As Stiles approaches Scott I kick the bag towards the two boys. "Uh, well, let's get this set up. I want you to see what I bought." He crouches down to open the bag, but Scott remains where he is.

"I'm fine." We look at him. "I'm just gonna lock the door and go to bed early tonight."

"You sure about that? 'Cause you've got this kind of serial killer look going on in your eyes, and I'm hoping it's the full moon, taking effect, 'cause it's really starting to freak me out." Stiles admits, and I nod with him.

"Scott, let us help you."

He looks at me, only coldness in his eyes. "You want to help me? You've left us on our own since that night. Still sad about your 'boyfriend'? Still care more about him than me?" He asks.

I shake my head. "I care for you both. In different ways. Scott, you're my little brother, and you made me upset. But it's okay. Let me be here for you."

"Well, I'm fine. You should go now."

"Alright, we'll leave." Stiles starts to stand up, but stops himself. "Well, would you at least look in the bag and see what I bought? You know, maybe you use it, maybe you don't. Sound good?"

I carefully watch Scott get up from the armchair, hoping Stiles knows what he's doing, because I honestly don't. With how messed up in the head Scott is right now, I don't want to get too close. He harbors the most anger towards me, right now. I'm not eager to be scratched by a werewolf. Again.

Scott crouches down in front of the bag and pulls up a heavy chain. "You think I'm gonna let you put these on and chain me up like a dog?"

From the corner of my eye, I see Stiles putting a hand in his jacket pocket. "Actually, no." Stiles says, as Scott puts the chain back down. Then, quicker than I've ever seen him move, Stiles shoves our best friend into the radiator and clicks something into place. He moves back and I look on in awe when I see he managed to catch the werewolf off guard and handcuff him to the heater.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Scott yells, tugging at the cuff.

"Protecting you from yourself and giving you some payback… for making out with Lydia."

I lean against the open doorway of Scott's room, watching him as he tries to get out. Stiles returns, waving an open bottle. "I brought you some water." I close my eyes when I see him also hold up a dog bowl with "SCOTT" written around it.

God, this isn't going to end well.

I hear him pouring the water in the bowl before walking towards Scott, presumably to set it down in front of him.

"I'm gonna kill you!" Scott shouts, and I open my eyes right as he throws the bowl at Stiles back, it's contents unfortunately spilling onto me. Great.

"You kissed her, Scott. Okay?!" Stiles yells, turning around. "You kissed Lydia. That's like, the one girl that I eve-" He stops himself, and I straighten to put my hand on his shoulder. "And you know, the past three hours I've been thinking, 'It's probably just the full moon. He doesn't even know what he's doing, and tomorrow he'll be totally back to normal. He probably won't even remember what a complete dumbass he's been.' A son of a bitch, a freaking unbelievable piece of crap friend!"

"She kissed me." Scott says, and I blink. Lydia initiated it? The same Lydia who was telling Allison and I only this morning that Scott's lucky she didn't press charges? The same Lydia who I know loves Jackson, even if the world thinks it isn't true?

I look at Stiles and his hunched shoulders, and step in front of him. There's no way my small frame can block Scott's view of him, but the point is I'm protecting my best friend. But Scott just continues. "Yeah, she kissed me. And she would have done more, too. You should have seen the way she had her hands all over me." I hear Stiles walking away, but stand where I am, arms crossed. "She would have done anything I wanted."

"Shut. Up." I growl, having nothing but anger in my heart towards the stranger in front of me. That isn't Scott. That's not my best friend. This is a lunatic. "When this is all over, Scott McCall, you're going to feel like shit."

I walk out the door, only to hear him yell, "You coward!" It echoes through the night, but I simply roll my eyes. Staring at the hunched over Stiles, I slide down into a sitting position and bring his head to my shoulder, wrapping an arm around his back as his arms shake.

We listen quietly as Scott grunts and moans in his room. I briefly pull out my phone to text Lydia a simple We need to talk.

After a few more minutes of Stiles leaning against me he sits back up, and instead lets me rest my head on his shoulder, one of my legs crossed over his. "This sucks." I mumble.

"Yeah. We never should have looked for that body."

I sigh. "No. We never should have left him behind."

"Stiles… Pat… please let me out." Scott quietly begs. "It's the full moon, I swear." I close my eyes and take Stiles's hand, the two of us squeezing harder than that time we went through the Sheriff Station's Haunted House and a clown drenched in blood popped out at us. "You know I wouldn't do any of this on purpose. Please, guys, let me out. It's starting to hurt." I close my eyes. "It's not like the first time. It's the full moon. It's Allison, breaking up with me. I know… that it's not just taking a break. She broke up with me. And it's killing me. I feel completely hopeless." A tear slides down my cheek. "Just please, let me out."

"We can't." I whisper, knowing he can hear me. "I'm sorry. But we can't."

There's silence, and then my heart breaks. Scott begins to whimper. "No, no, no." Then he howls, wolfing out, and the roar is near deafening as Stiles and I let go of each other's hands to cover our ears, trying and failing to block out the pained noise.

The screaming continues and I curl in tighter. Stop, stop, stop, I beg silently. Please let it stop.

Then, it does. Stiles and I drop our hands and look at each other in shock before scrambling onto our feet. "Scott, are you okay?" He asks, stepping ahead of me into the room. "Crap."

"What?" I ask, and when Stiles steps aside I get my answer.

Scott is gone, his window open, and a pair of bloodied, broken handcuffs lies on the floor.

"We should have used the chains." I mutter, only for Stiles to grab my hand and yank me out of the room and down the stairs. "What are we -"

"We have to find him!" He yells, and we leave the house, Stiles tossing me the key so I can lock it behind me. Then we run into his Jeep and pull away from the McCall residence. All I can hope is that we get to Scott before he hurts someone. No, not just "someone." Allison.

As Stiles drives I press my dad's number again, hoping he picks up. Voicemail, again.

"Dad, it's me. For the tenth time. Listen, Scott's wolfed out right now. Allison isn't answering her phone, and I need to know if she's safe. Please, it's important." I hang up.

"Try Allison again." Stiles urges, but I'm already on it.

After ringing a few times, I breathe out a sigh of relief when I hear Allison pick up. "Trish?"

"Hey!" I nearly shout, then even out my tone. She's breathing a little heavily. "What happened?"

"I-I'm with Jackson right now. Something jumped on top of the car, but then it was knocked off. And I don't know what's going on!"

"Why are you with Jackson?" I ask, Stiles rolling his eyes at the name.

"Ran into him. What's with all the missed calls?"

"Chalk it up to me trying to check in on you." I tell her. "Hey, can you put Jackson on the phone?"

"Sure?" I hear her companion take the phone.

"You okay?" He asks me.

I blink. "Yeah, fine. You're the one who almost got attacked."

"It's our fault for parking so close to the woods." The woods, Scott's headed to the Preserve. "Why did you need to talk to me?"

"Jackson, I need you to take Allison home. Get her to her house right now."

"Why?"

"Just do it!" I shout, hanging up and leaning my head back against the headrest. Stiles makes a turn, only for us to see an ambulance and the Sheriff's Department just ahead, a body covered in a sheet being wheeled away.

"No, no, no, no, no." Stiles mutters, slamming on the break. He turns off the engine and we both jump out of the car, running towards the officers. "Dad?" Stiles turns one man around, only to realize it's Deputy Allen.

I spin slowly. "Dad?!" I shout, looking for him desperately. God, what if Scott hurt him? My fear only escalates when I see the ambulance has two bodies on board, both deceased. What if he killed them both, when he realized he couldn't get Allison?

"Has anyone seen our dads?" Stiles pleads, and follows me as I stumble to one of the bodies, only to turn into his chest when I see an arm burned beyond recognition. What the hell happened?

"Stiles, what are you two doing here?"

"Patricia?!" Noah and my dad cry out, and I begin to tear up in relief. Stepping away from Stiles I practically jump into my father's arms, my whole body shaking. "Kid, what's wrong?" He hugs me back, tightly.

"Everything, daddy. Everything's wrong." I mutter, and close my eyes.

I lie curled up on my bed, my covers pulled under my chin and my bathroom door opened just a crack, the night-light turned on to keep me from bumping into anything in the dark. My curtains are closed, and my whole body is sore from crying. My dad had to return to work after dropping me off, and apparently it was still early in the evening because my mom wasn't home yet. I don't know where Derek is, either. God, what if the hunters found him?

My answer comes in the form of my door opening. The soft light from the hallway illuminates Derek's form, and the light from the bathroom shows the worry on his face. "Scott told me what happened. Are you okay?"

"Scott?" I ask, whispering, my voice hoarse. "He's okay?"

"Mad at himself, and angry for putting you and Stiles through that, but… he's alive. And so is Allison."

"I know. Managed to call her." I sniffle and close my eyes. "If that's all, I'd like to go to bed now. School tomorrow. Please, just go." He starts to walk away, but right as the door is closing it suddenly stops.

"No." I open my eyes and sit up a bit, watching Derek turn around and walk back towards me, the door slightly ajar. "I'm not going anywhere."

I sigh and settle back into my bed, moving over to give him some room. Thank God it's a queen-sized mattress, or else he'd never fit. "Fine. But if my dad comes in, I'm blaming you."

"That's fair." He mumbles, and I hear him removing his shoes and jacket before he rolls on top of the covers. His body keeps moving, until he's a few breaths away from being pressed against my back. One of his arms hesitantly wraps around my waist. "Is this okay?"

I don't answer. I just smile and move my head deeper into my fluffy pillow, letting my heartbeat tell him how I feel.