AN: I hope I didn't make Coach Finstock too OOC. I just wanted to give him a softer father side when dealing with Willow. Also, towards the end, I kind of made it sad. Not too emotional, but sad enough. I forget to mention this before, but this won't be a slow burn. This will be a more fast pace relationship because of the whole mates thing. They both know they are meant to be together, so neither will waste time fighting it or pushing each other way. The only issues in their relationship will be outside forces such as Argents and alphas. So there is the warning if you don't like non-slow burns.

Derek watches Willow walk away. She was beautiful. Derek couldn't stop thinking it as he watched her hip sway, the sunshine on her hair, the tightness of her clothes. He wanted her. He wanted to protect her, love her. It scared him how deeply she affected him. He had grown up hearing stories of moonstruck and mates, but he never thought he would experience it. He never thought he'd be worthy enough to have a mate of his own. To think, he could have had her all this time. She had been friends with his sister. His sister always talked about Willow Finstock. She had wanted Derek to meet Willow so many times, but he always refused. Instead, he wanted to be normal. To be a normal teenage boy. He had clung so tightly to Paige, so desperately wanted to have a normal life with her, but she wasn't meant for him and when Derek ignored what fate wanted they took her away from him, took away the distraction and the possible wall that stood between Derek and his mate. They had tried to push Willow to him. He was supposed to meet her the night he met Kate. Laura had wanted him to join them for a movie and dinner, but he canceled and instead spent the night with Kate. So many times Derek could have met his mate, so many years he could have had her only to lose that time due to his own stupidy. If he had met Willow before Kate then it all could have been prevented. His family could be alive right now and he could have Willow by his side.

Laura always said that there is always time. That the future isn't set in stone and could easily be changed. Derek might not be able to undo the past, but he isn't willing to let the future be with him alone. He will accept Willow's offer and the time he doesn't spend looking for Laura will be the time he uses to get close to his mate. To get her to love him. He might not deserve happiness, but he refuses to let her go.

Willow couldn't stop smiling as she drove to the school. Her thoughts were filled with Derek. She never really met him officially. He had always been Laura's little brother and he never wanted to spend time with Laura and Willow. Laura would try to get him to join them, but he'd blow them off. Willow hadn't minded at the time, she never had a little brother, but she always imagined that they wouldn't want to spend time with their big sister. That was too embarrassing. Still, Willow can't help but wish Laura had gotten Derek to join them at least once. If she had then Willow and Derek would be together already. Their lives would be different now.

It was funny how intertwined their lives were without either of them ever meeting the other. How many times have they almost met? How many times did they pass each other and not realize? If Laura was with Willow right now then she'd be laughing her ass off at the irony.

At the thought of Laura, Willow's gut twisted and churned. Derek seemed really worried and it wasn't like Laura to just disappear without a word. Sure, it has been six years since Willow last saw Laura, but she couldn't have changed that much. Willow felt sick when she thought of Laura and that's what scared her. Deep down Willow got a really bad feeling that something happened to Laura. Something really bad. She always had strong instincts, her bond to nature and animals is usually what causes her to have these knowing feelings, but Laura was also Derek's sister, so Laura could undoubtedly have a bond with Willow. Maybe that was why Willow felt so connected to Laura when they first met. Maybe deep down she knew Laura was going to be important to her, that she would be Willow's mate's sister.

Willow pulls up to the school and sees her father waiting for her at the base of the front steps. Willow knew what was coming. Her father might be a bit eccentric, but he was a great dad and he always worried about Willow. He had to raise her on his own when her mother died. She was still so young when Magnolia Finstock died. Maggie died of cancer. Willow always found that ironic. Maggie was a fairy, connected to nature, and an ugly nasty disease was what killed her. Maggie's death was hard on both Willow and her father, but it only made them closer.

Willow turns off her car and gets out, locking it behind her as she walks towards her father. He didn't look pleased. He had his arms crossed, a scowl on his face, and was tapping his foot. That was his standard 'I'm a mad dad' stance. "Hey, daddy." Willow greets with her voice extra sweet. She kisses his cheek and gives him a big smile. His entire body turned to jelly. All the energy left him. His arms dropped to his side, his face showed exhausted. Apart of Willow was now worried.

"Why didn't you call me? Are you okay? What happened to your car?" Her father fired off question after question.

"Daddy, I'm okay. My car wouldn't start this morning, so I called somebody to check it out. I didn't want to worry you. There were just a few wires loose on the battery. No big deal, the guy didn't even charge me."

"You still should have called me."

"I know and I'm sorry." She gives him a hug and he instantly melted. His arms wrapped around her and held her.

"You know I worry, baby girl."

"I know. I'm okay." Her father sighs, moving and kissing her temple, before pulling away. "Are you getting enough sleep, dad, you look worn out." Willow says, her eyes scanning his face.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, baby girl. I just miss having you at home." It's been like this since Willow got back from college. Her dad hated living alone, she knew that. Without mom the house felt empty and cold, that's part of the reason Willow didn't want to live there. She felt bad for her dad and knew she should be with him, but some selfish part wanted to be on her own. He has been trying to get her to come back for two years, but Willow always put her foot down, while the guilt ate at her.

"Daddy..." Willow trails off. She felt just as tired as her dad and now she felt sad. She missed staying with her dad too, but she has also grown up and she couldn't stay with her dad forever. He needed to know how to live without her constantly by his side. He has gotten dependent on her since her mom died and Willow knew that the separation was needed. "You know I will come over tonight. We have dinner every night."

"It's not the same thing, Will, I miss seeing my baby girl around the house."

"Dad, I'm not your baby girl anymore. I've grown up and I know that's hard for you to accept, but I need space. I need my own place." Her dad sighs. Willow almost thinks he's going to start getting upset, but instead, he let the matter drop.

"I covered your first class. You got a few minutes before your next. Why don't you go check-in and get everything set up the way you like."

"Thanks daddy. I love you." Her dad manages a weak smile.

"I love you too, sweetheart." He looks at her for another moment before making his way back inside. Willow felt like a lead weight was on her heart. She wanted to be her dad's baby girl, she wanted to be that same little kid who used to wake her dad up every morning by jumping on the bed and giving him kisses, but she's not five anymore. She's a grown woman and her dad needed to understand that.

Willow didn't let herself dwell on her father anymore. If she did then she'd be a mess by noon. She had to let it go and focus on it when she wasn't working. Of course, not thinking about her dad lead her to think about Laura some more. Laura was such an incredible person. She was going places. We wanted to be a doctor and before the fire, she had gotten accepted to Harvard. The fact that she has been in New York the past six years means that she never went. The fire ruined so much of Laura's dreams. It ruined her future. Willow wishes she could have undone the damage, but there was no fixing the past. It was just like Laura said, the future isn't set in stone, there's still time. If Willow finds Laura she's going to fix their friendship, get close to her again. She missed being friends with the spunky Hale. But what if she didn't find Laura? That terrible churning feeling was back. It was screaming at her that something was wrong. Laura was hurt or worse.

Willow shoved back thoughts of Laura, not wanting to imagine her death somewhere. Without her dad or Laura in her mind, Derek found his way in. Derek. He was so amazing. He wasn't perfect even Willow could see that much, but to her he was perfect. He was sexy in that badass way. All the black and leather. It made Willow's core burn, her skin tingle, her breath catch. But there was more to Derek than his looks. She wanted to know him. She wanted to know everything. But her mind kept going to the other place. She imagined his hands on her, working their way up her legs, skimming over the place that she wanted his hands the most. Her name whispered through his lips to her ear, his hot breath on her neck. "Miss. Finstock." Willow snaps out of her thoughts to see her class now sitting in their seat. A blush comes to her face.

"Sorry, I got my head in the clouds." She says with an embarrassed smile. "Right, um, everyone go grab a textbook from the back, while I hand out this year's syllabus." The class moves in neat rows like Willow likes them to do and she begins to pass out the papers, forcing herself to think of nothing but work. It was going to be a long day.

All Willow wanted was to go home and take a long soak in her bath, but she had promised her father she would watch his lacrosse practice to make up for almost giving him a heart attack, his words. It wasn't that Willow disliked lacrosse, in fact, she loved watching her father coach the team to victory, but she was so tired. Today had been mentally draining and all she wanted was to relax. Maybe have a glass of wine and binge-watch Nicholas Sparks movies. She didn't want to think or do anything. She just wanted to veg.

"Mind if we sit by you, Miss. Fin?" Willow can't help but smile as she looks up at Lydia. Lydia Martin was the queen bee around her. On the outside, she is cold and ruthless, but on the inside Willow knew the girl was sensitive and sweet. She acted like the stereotypical popular girl pretty and dumb, but Willow knew just how brilliant this girl was. The two have come to be quite close over the years of Willow teaching at this school. Miss. Fin was one of the nicknames that Lydia has given her.

"Of course, Lydia, make yourself comfortable or as comfortable as you can be on bleachers." Lydia giggled and sits down beside Willow.

"This is Allison, she's new. She'll probably be in your class tomorrow."

"It's nice to meet you, Allison. I'm Miss. Finstock. I teach History." Allison smiles shyly and accepts Willow's hand.

"Her dad coaches the lacrosse team." Lydia adds. "Do you think we're going to win this year."

"With your boyfriend running the team?" Willow smiles. "There's no doubt in my mind." Jackson Whittemore was Lydia's king and he was fierce. He was the best on the team and he didn't know the meaning of loose. He hasn't lost yet, so Willow can only imagine that he wouldn't lose this year.

"McCall!" Willow glances back at the field when she heard her father.

"Yeah?"

"You're on goal." He throws the gear towards the poor boy. Willow has seen him before. His name was Scott McCall. He was a charming boy, but totally awkward and from what she remembered he wasn't good at lacrosse. He spent the entire time on the bench with his best friend Stiles Stilinski.

"I've never played."

"I know- Scoring some shots will give the boys a confidence boost. It's a first day back thing. Get 'em energized, fire up!"

"What about me?"

"Try not to take any in the face." Willow felt bad for Scott. It's obvious he wants to play, but her dad was underestimating him. Not that she could blame him, the kid just wasn't good at lacrosse, it might be better to have him do this that why he is at least apart of the team. "Let's go! Come on!"

"Who is that?" Allison asks Lydia.

"Him? I'm not sure who he is." Lydia answers. "Why?"

"He's in my English class."

"That's Scott McCall." Both girls look at Willow. "He's a sophomore like the both of you. A bit on the quiet side." The assistant coach blows the whistle and Willow watches in confusion as Scott looks to be in pain, trying to hold his ears. The boys took advantage of the distraction and throw the ball, hitting the poor kid in the face.

"Hey, way to catch with your face, McCall!" One of the boys yells as the team laughs. Willow rolls her eyes as she sees her father laughing. He was such a jock sometimes. No sensitivity. The only time her father was sensitive was when it was towards her. She was his little angel as he always says, his weakness.

Scott gets back up and readies himself as another member moves forward. As he throws the ball Willow watches in complete amazement as the boy catches it. Even her father looked shocked. They've only seen this kid suck and now he's catching the ball like a pro. "Yeah!" Stiles yells, causing Willow to smile at the spastic boy's energy. Another boy moves forward and throws a low ball, but Scott still catches it. "Yaa hoo!" Stiles cheers, while Willow's dad continues to watch on in amazement.

Ball after ball the boy catches them. "He seems like he's pretty good." Allison comments as they watch the boy. He was good. Better than Willow has ever seen. This boy has severe asthma and he's playing as if he is Jackson. Something wasn't quite right about this. No one got that good in just a couple of months.

"Yeah, very good." Lydia says, sounding just as surprised as Willow. Willow doubts that Lydia even remembers this boy or how bad he plays, but to have him come out of nowhere and be good is enough to surprise anyone. Jackson cuts to the front and Willow instantly readies herself for Scott to get hurt. Jackson is ruthless in lacrosse and he has to be the best. There's no way Scott can beat Jackson.

Jackson runs full speed towards Scott and hurls the ball. Scott manages to catch it. Stiles stands up screaming, but all Willow can do is stare at Scott. Something wasn't right. Scott should not have caught that. Willow had a bad feeling and she worried that that feeling was somehow connected to Laura Hale.

When Willow got home her mind is no longer on anything, but her large jacuzzi bath that was calling her name. She let it fill up with warm water as she gets out her usual bath remedies. She sets up her flower scented candles and places them around the room, lighting them and closing the curtains over the windows, letting the room turn pitch black with only the candles to light the room. She connects her phone to her speakers and lets soft piano music fill the room. She undresses and washes off her makeup before slipping into the warm bath. The hot water feels good against her aching muscles and tired limbs. She leans back and closes her eyes, letting her mind drift off peacefully.

She doesn't realize she falls asleep until she hears the knocking on her front door and her music was now shut off. The water is cold now and the candles have burned down halfway. The knocking continues, so Willow forces herself to climb out of the tub and dry off. She lets the water drain as she slips on her silk robe and blows out the rest of the candles. She opens the curtains back up again, but outside was just as pitched black as the bathroom. When did it become nightfall?

Willow makes her way downstairs as the knocking continues. "I'm coming." She calls as she makes her way towards the front door. She opens it up and sees Derek Hale standing on her front steps. He's soaked as if he has been out in the rain for hours. It's only then that she realizes it's pouring out. "Oh, you must be freezing, come in." She doesn't give him a chance to argue as she pulls him inside by the sleeve of his coat, which is leather and is most likely ruined. "Let me go grab you a towel."

"Willow-"

"I'll just be a minute."

"Willow, stop." She pauses, turning to look at him as she hears the break in his voice. It's only then that she sees just how bloodshot his eyes are. He's been crying. The idea of Derek Hale crying was shocking. He seemed so dangerous and intimidating that Willow couldn't imagine him giving in to his emotions and crying, but that only proves Willow right with her assessment that there is more to Derek than what meets the eye.

"What's wrong?" She whispers, moving towards him and reaching up to wipe the rainwater from his face. He's cold to the touch and soaked. He would need more than a towel to warm up. He needed to get out of those clothes and take a hot shower.

"I-It's Laura." Willow's hand freezes and she feels her breath stop. All of Willow stops. She knows what Derek is saying, but she can't wrap her head around it.

"No." She whispers, but Derek just nods, placing his hand over hers that still resided on his face. "No, Derek, she... She can't..."

"She's dead, Willow." Tears filled her eyes as she looked at Derek. Her best friend was dead. The girl who played dolls and dress up with her. The girl who gossiped and talked boys with her. The girl who helped her sneak alcohol out of her dad's office. The girl who comforted her during her first break up. Who shared her misery of getting her period for the first time. Who went to prom with her because neither of them had dates. Her best friend.

Derek pulls Willow into his arms as she breaks down. Laura was her best friend and she was gone. Forever. Derek clings to her just as much as she clings to him. She can feel wetness hitting her shoulder, but she knows its not rainwater. The two of them cry for Laura, holding onto each other because at the moment they were the only ones left.