The first time it happened Stiles was shocked.

He'd been home for a few hours by then, trying to convince himself to sleep. Scott had texted a few times to check on him, but he couldn't tell his best friend the truth. That every time he closed his eyes since leaving the warehouse he saw Gerard Argent looming over him with a crossbow aimed at his head. So many things ran through his head before Derek knocked the older man off of him, tearing into Gerard's arm. Like the terrified look that was etched on Lydia's face as she lay a few feet from him. Or how he wondered if Derek and the rest of the pack would have told his father the truth about what happened to him. But Derek saved him so he didn't have to worry about that. But that didn't stop his mind from worrying all the same.

He stole a glance at the clock beside him and groaned. It was already 2 am and he had a test in Harris' class in the morning. But the idea of lying down and closing his eyes filled him with more dread than he thought was possible. He could even feel a mild panic attack building slowly. If he wasn't careful it would be full blown in a few seconds. That's when the rapping began at his window.

He jumped knocking over his desk chair in a loud clatter, as he clutched his chest. He couldn't be happier that his dad was working the graveyard shift tonight, because then he'd have to explain why he was still up so late.

"I swear to God, Scott I'm gonna kill you for this," he muttered walking towards the window and pulling up the blinds. But as he looked out on the slanted roof it wasn't his best friend perched on the other side of the glass, but the fair skinned strawberry blonde that he'd last seen hours ago.

"Lydia?" he questioned pulling the window up. She stilled herself on the sill a look of apprehension set in her green eyes. Stiles held his hand out and she took it allowing him to bring her the rest of the way in. Once her feet were both firmly planted on the carpet she wrapped her arms tightly to her sides giving him a small smile.

"I wasn't sure if your dad was home," she spoke softly turning to face him. "I didn't want to wake him."

"He's working late," Stiles explained as he pulled the window back down. "Worked out well for me."

Lydia's eyes seemed to dart to his face where he was sure deep purple bruises had already started to form. He'd been afraid to check, afraid to remember Gerard's fist's pounding into his face earlier this evening. She looked away once she realized his eyes were on her, and took to biting the corner of her lip.

"Not that this isn't like a dream come true," Stiles began, because there was too much tension in the room for him not to at least try and dissolve it with a joke. "But it's like two in the morning Lydia."

"I know," she whispered, her eyes trained on the floor. "I just… couldn't sleep."

"I know you're new to the whole evil danger, aside from the Peter thing, but Derek took care of it," Stiles soothed moving next to her as they leaned against his dresser. "Gerard won't be hurting anyone ever again."

"Is that why you're wide awake, when I know you have both a science and an economics test tomorrow?" she challenged giving him a half smirk.

"Crap we have a test in coach's class too?" he groaned as she nodded. "Well clearly I just like inflicting pain on myself."

He felt her flinch more than he actually saw it, and he instantly felt guilty for his choice in words. He turned to her placing a hand beneath her chin so their eyes met. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it like that."

He could see the tremble of her lips like she was trying to hold back a breakdown. He wanted to tell her to let it go, that she was safe her, but he didn't want to frighten her away. Instead he stood there while she leaned forward resting her head in the crook of his neck, as he wrapped his arms around her.

They stood like that for a while as Lydia's breathing returned to normal. She soon pulled back meeting his eyes.

"Every time I close my eyes I see him," she whispered. "And I get this terrible crushing feeling like the second I fall asleep he'll be back. And then no one will stop him from killing Allison or Scott or Isaac, or you."

"I know what you mean," he pulled her by the hand leading her to the edge of his bed. "It's like a nightmare, but it refuses to wait until you've actually fallen asleep to hit you."

She stayed silent for a while after that and Stiles briefly wondered if he said something else that was stupid. But then she turned to face him. "What did he mean?"

"What did who mean?"

"Gerard," she said his name quietly. "When he said he would enjoy doing this again? He was hitting you and he…"

She trailed off. And he sighed. He hadn't told anyone about that. Okay he told Scott, and of course Erica and Boyd knew, but other than that he didn't feel like sharing the news that he got his ass handed to him by Allison's dying grandfather. But Lydia had asked point blank. And he didn't have the heart to lie to her, not now.

"After the final game last year he grabbed me and," he paused covering rubbing circling into his temple. "Well I told you they weren't meant to hurt me."

"He did that to you?"

"You sound surprised," he commented dropping himself onto the comforter. "You saw him tonight."

"I just, I didn't think it was that serious… before," she replied as she looked at him. "But I guess I was a little focused on me that night."

He didn't comment on that, he didn't want her to feel worse than she already did. Instead he patted the space next to him on the bed, but she shot him a confused look.

"What? You can't sleep, I can't sleep but we both know we need it. What's the worst that could happen? We end up staring at my ceiling for the next five or so hours until we get up for school?"

It was like an eternal debate played across her face, and for a moment Stiles was sure she was going to bolt, but instead she lied back next to him nestling her head to his shoulder.

"Can I ask you something?" Stiles spoke after a few minutes of even silence.

"Sure," she responded absently, and he was starting to think he was losing her to sleep after all.

"Of all the places you could have went tonight, Allison's, Scott's, Erica's, hell even Derek wouldn't have turned you away. You came here. Why?"

She pulled back slightly making sure their eyes met. "Don't get me wrong I know every one of them would have protected me, but I needed to feel safe. And I felt safest coming here. Does that make sense?"

He pulled her back to him breathing in her smell and warmth, as he let the same sense of calm and safety wash over him. He smiled into her mess of strawberry blonde waves. "It makes perfect sense."

Maybe it was strange, and maybe it was a little selfish on both their parts, but in that moment Stiles and Lydia formed a bond. And neither could fathom how strong it would grow.