A/N:: So. Hello. It's been awhile. If you don't know, this is a more well thought out remake to one of my older Teen Wolf fanfictions called 'Loyalty' that I kinda-sorta-I'm-so-sorry abandoned a few months back. If you haven't read that, then don't bother. It sucks major ass. If you did, and you're reading this too, then this will be better I promise and I freaking love you so consider yourself cyberhugged.
Disclaimer:: Let's do this Dora style. Who owns Teen Wolf? Does this poor Floridian teenager own Teen Wolf? Or does MTV own Teen Wolf? Huh? That's right! MTV owns Teen Wolf! Great job!
Warnings:: For now it's pretty PGish, but later there will be cursing, gore, violence, suicidal thoughts and actions, and probably some other stuff that I'm too tired to think about right now.
Pairings:: The initial pairings are Peter/Melissa, Lydia/Aiden, Danny/Ethan, Allison/OC, and some allusions to Isaac/Cora. There will be some OC pairings later, but not for awhile yet.
Setting:: Okay, so the time frame for this is kinda weird. It's set about where the first part of Season 3 ends, except Scott's father didn't stick around, Derek and Cora didn't leave, and Peter isn't evil, and Scott wasn't a True Alpha. Make sense?
The day that Scott McCall went missing was a Tuesday. It wasn't cold, it wasn't raining, there were no stereotypical omens of impending tragedy. It was just a Tuesday. In fact, it seemed like it would be a good day. It was warm, it was a three day weekend,, and for once, there were no mysterious murders. It was nice.
Later, many would come to associate the peaceful atmosphere and decent weather as nothing more than a deceitful lullaby, designed to lure those who were closest to the teenager into a false sense of security. Indeed, their blatant obliviousness would come to hinder them greatly in the future, when the realization that something was wrong finally dawned upon them. So great was the haze of calm and ignorance, that those closest to the boy missed the glaringly obvious signals that something was amiss.
To Stiles' everlasting credit, he was one of the few who perceived some of the striking abnormalities in his friend's behaviour at school. He noticed, along with some uncharacteristic edginess, that every few seconds Scott would look toward the clock with unmasked expectancy. The brown puppydog eyes (that he was always secretly jealous of, because really, girls loved Scott's eyes) that belonged to his friend never seemed to be on the teacher or the board. He was pretty sure that it was just the end of the whole 'All-New-Scott-McCall' thing, but, nevertheless, he, being the good friend that he was, made plans to corner him and force an explanation, but those were quickly crushed when he received double detentions. He didn't understand that. Was it really his fault if the substitute was simply unaware of his sense of humour? His frustration at the unfair punishment effectively shoved his concerns about Scott to the backburner.
Isaac, too, noticed anomalies in his friend and roommate's conduct. The first break in routine that he recognized was that he failed to spot the affable beta in the locker room before lacrosse practice. His original plan to ask Stiles where he was failed when he realized that the quirky human wasn't there either. He shook his head in amusement. It figured that the two would skip practice together, they did everything else with each other, and quite frankly he was surprised they didn't shower together sometimes. The heat of practice and the drive to do better quickly washed all traces of the minimal concern from his mind. It returned in full when he returned home to the McCall house, sweaty and a bit sore, to find that Scott's bike was there but he was still MIA. He did his best to assure himself that Scott could take care of himself and there was no need to worry whatsoever, and went to take a nap and some Tylenol.
Peter's interest was roused when the pacifistic teen didn't show up for pack pseudo-meeting, if you could call it a meeting. It was nothing more than movies, food, and Derek usually insisted on the occasional sparring match or two. Sometimes Allison or Danny would come, (there was that awkward time when the Sheriff showed) and they'd all take bets on the winner of the match, which Scott always disapproved of. It was unusual for the headstrong beta to simply not show up, considering he rode their asses for not showing. He inquired as to the youth's whereabouts from both Isaac and Stiles, and was slightly off put when not even Allison knew where he was. His concern was washed away however when he was knocked over by Isaac, who was looking for a sparring partner, effectively doing irrevocable damage to both his ego and the coffee table he stood by. His eyes flashed blue and pushed the beta backwards with a wicked grin.
Melissa McCall had a distinct feeling, almost instinct, something was amiss almost the second she got home. She knew for sure that the pack was having their usual weekly meeting at Derek's that night, but Scott's bike was still parked outside the house. She tried not to be too terribly worried, telling herself that maybe Stiles had given him and Isaac a ride. He'd used to sneak away to go to them, but ever since his father learned the truth of the supernatural goings-on during the whole deal with the Darach, he'd been allowed to go regularly. She warmed up some of last nights dinner in the microwave, left a note on the counter for the boys, warning them to get to bed early - it was a school night after all, and went to bed. Of course she preserved leftovers for the two insatiable werewolf boys who had just about eaten her out of house and home. The next morning though, when Scott wasn't in his room, her concern peaked and she decided to take a look around her son's room. What she found scared her more than anything the werewolf pack had so far.
Almost every bit of clothing from her son's closet was nowhere to be seen, but everything else was left alone. His lacrosse gear was all piled on the floor of the closet, the bag that usually contained the smelly pads and crosse absent from the room as well. She ran outside and, adding to her utter befuddlement, discovered the dirt bike belonging to her son still stationary beside the porch. She moved with a speed she hadn't thought she had to the former spare room that had become Isaac's and shook the teen awake, asking him if he knew where Scott was. She saw confusion followed by concern flutter briefly across the boy's face before he was out of the room like a bat outta hell and into the one across the hall.
He paced up and down her son's bedroom like an anxious bloodhound, sniffing every few seconds and muttering under his breath too quietly for her to understand much. She caught snippets of the word 'wrong' a few times as well as 'strangers', and before she could question him he was looking at her with eyes that glowed gold and instructing her to call Derek. She'd nodded numbly and dialed the number that Scott had insisted she keep in her phone, explaining the situation to the alpha in quick, impatient words. Though initially annoyed at being woken at four AM, Derek gave a grunted assurance that he'd be there in five minutes.
She returned to her son's room, only to feel slightly panicked when Isaac was nowhere to be seen. She was relieved a bit when Isaac snaked into the room through the open window, though anxiety returned in full as she took in his appearance. His shoulder slumped inward some, and he looked like a scared puppy, blue eyes wide and pupils blown large in obvious fear or nervousness. His picked at the sleeves of the button up he wore, and his eyes flickered around unendingly before fixing themselves at the wall behind her.
"Isaac?" She questioned stepping closer and placing a hand on his shoulders. He went stiff under her touch but didn't pull away. His eyes remained fixed on the opposite wall, not looking at her, not looking at anything, really. "Isaac!" She said sharper this time, and his eyes finally moved to her, though the anxiety there was still on the verge of terror. "What is it? What strangers? If someone's been here, you need to tell me."
His mouth opened and he appeared that he was going to answer, before he closed his mouth and she saw his jaw clench together just before he swallowed harshly.
"About two 'someone's actually." Came an unexpected voice behind her. Melissa jumped and whirled to face none other than Derek Hale, whose eyes glowed a brilliant crimson color and who took up almost the entire door frame. The burly alpha moved across the room quickly, inhaling deeply. He leaned against the windowsill for a minute, looking at the way a few of the shingles hung at perfect angles, the only sign of Scott's obviously quick departure a single slate piece pulled at an awkward angle.
He turned to Isaac.
"Go get Peter and Cora. Scott left with two others like us, but not from our pack." He used the term 'our pack' lightly, seeing how Scott seemed to be in a pack of his own, and it was pretty clear that Isaac considered himself apart of that alpha-less pack. "I don't know how far they've gotten, but we're going to find him." The last bit he said looking directly at Ms. McCall, though the assurance in his tone sounded almost half-hearted.
Their search efforts proved to be fruitless. The trail, that went straight into the Beacon Hills Preserve, stopped cold about two miles in, Wolfsbane remains left at the base of trees ensured confusion in all four werewolves' sense of smell. It was Peter who eventually convinced an increasingly desperate Isaac to go home and get some rest, that the trio had clearly laced their clothing with the wolfsbane and trying to track them would be pointless.
The next morning, the police were contacted. If the pack had bad luck, the officers proved to be absolutely worthless. Scott had wiped his computer clean, his phone as well, and he had left absolutely no clue as to where he might be headed. It was assumed, by humans and werewolves alike, that he had left of his own accord, seeing how his room was in pristine condition with no signs of struggle. That was the only thing they were ever able to determine, and they weren't even sure.
The months following Scott's disappearance were oddly calm. Perhaps the community was just used to people going missing and dying. Perhaps loss was just becoming a trait of the town, as much as blissful ignorance seemed to be. Perhaps as a whole, things seemed to be unaffected, but if one were to look closer, they would see small groups and parties almost completely devastated.
Derek's already weak control over his pack became almost nonexistent. Fighting broke out often and it always ended bloody. Perhaps the pack could be accused, but at the same time, a majority of the blame could fall to their almost absent alpha. Isaac could barely be considered apart of the pack anymore, more of an omega than anything. Allison broke ties completely with the pack, as did Danny and Stiles, which dwindled the Hale pack to only Derek, Cora, and Peter, and the latter scarcely counted anymore. He was never with the others.
It was generally an accepted theory that Scott had either been kidnapped by or coerced into joining another pack. The other scents were foreign to all of them, and they never managed to find the end of the scent trail. It was most of the packs opinion that he'd been taken or manipulated, though that thought might be from the fact that none of them wanted to believe that the youth would abandon them.
The inevitable march of time was soon upon them, and though many would have clung to the loss and the pain that came with Scott's flight from Beacon Hills, life goes on, and so did they, though there were some pretty drastic changes.
While the Argents kept their new code of "We protect those who cannot protect themselves.", they became more rigorous in the training of their hunters-to-be.
Peter had begun straying farther and farther from the pack of his family and began spending more and more time with one Melissa McCall. He, better than anyone, understood the loss of a child. His daughters had been killed in the fire he'd survived. Before long, he practically lived at the McCall house, something that seemed to frustrate the town Sheriff quite a bit.
Stiles delved into a new group of friends at school, although he was never as happy and outgoing as he was before, and he hid much of himself from his new group. He took up an internship with Deaton and began to serve as a kind of emissary jr. to the pack, the go-between when Deaton couldn't do it all. He quickly became a sort of apprentice, and learned to treat injuries among werewolves as well as animals.
Isaac left the McCall house and got an apartment in town, taking online classes in lieu of continuing at Beacon Hills High.
Before any of them, with the obvious exception of Ms. McCall, knew it, it had been a year. Some things hadn't changed. The pack still chased down every passing omega, hoping it'd be Scott, and Deaton occasionally almost called out for Scott instead of Stiles. If ever he got in trouble, Isaac had the urge to call his friend for help, and Coach Finstock still yelled 'McCall!' during games, as if Scott had been sitting on the bench the entire time.
Time passed, and people went about their lives.
Stiles enrolled in a community college and continued working with Deaton. Derek added a young woman and her little brother into the pack.
Then it was two years.
Peter officially lived at the McCall house, and while he and Melissa weren't technically 'together', there was an intimacy with them that was almost palpable. The older sister Derek accepted into the pack was killed in a clash with unfamiliar hunters, something Derek blamed himself for.
Three years, and Aiden and Lydia became engaged, while Danny and Ethan moved in together after graduation. The twin werewolves officially joined Derek's pack, and fit in nicely with the others, despite the rocky history with Derek and Cora.
Four years.
An orphaned fifteen year old girl, Christina, was added to the Hale pack, though she was lived with and considered Peter and Melissa to be her adoptive parents. Allison began dating the hunter son of her father's friend, and began taking hunting to a more serious level.
Five years hit, and Stiles and Isaac both graduated from the college, and Isaac reclaimed his old job of helping out with Deaton, though not in an official capacity. Christina, now going by just Chris, was given the bite in order to save her life after she was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson's Disease. Isaac also began dating Cora.
Six years.
Isaac and Cora broke it off, though they remained on good terms, and Lydia gave birth to her and Aiden's daughter, named Isabelle. Stiles and Allison were named her godparents. Danny and Ethan were officially married later that year.
Seven years, and Melissa and Peter could be mistaken as married, though they refused to label whatever it was that they had. Isabelle's first birthday came around, and the whole pack, even a grudging Derek, showed up at the milestone birthday party that was more for the adults than anything.
Eight years.
Well, the eighth year was when all hell broke loose.
It all started when an almost dead eighteen year old kid with white hair collapsed just in front of Beacon Hills Hospital.
Ah, compare that to my prologue of Loyalty and I feel amazing about myself. Anyway, reviews are always appreciated, PM me with ideas or leave it in a review, if you don't like it, feel free to tell me, and constructive criticism is always welcome.
~TheFallenArchangel