The bike thrummed reassuringly beneath him as he rolled up to the lights. It was the last red between him and the wide horizon beyond. Ethan cast his head back one time toward Beacon Hills and frowned deeply. He could never be sure this was the right thing to do. He was leaving almost everything behind for an unknown future.

The decision had been understandably difficult. He had a real chance at happiness with Danny and a chance at finally becoming a part of Scott's pack. The life however wasn't for him somehow. Everything had been so aggressive of late and Ethan needed time away – time to heal and calm himself. Danny had made it clear enough anyway: dating a Werewolf might be too big a challenge and the relationship had been tainted by darkness since it's beginning.

If you love a Werewolf at some point you ended up getting hurt: that was just the way of things. Ethan had only started the relationship as a way to undermine Scott and only latterly fallen for Danny. After the conversation in the High School he wondered how much his boyfriend really knew about what was going on in Beacon Hills.

Ethan turned back toward the light and his heart skipped a beat.

Scott stood in front of him, his eyes a dull burgundy and his hands straight beside his arms.

Ethan whipped off his helmet and cut the engine. He weighed up Scott's body language and his eyes flashed to cerulean at the presence of an alpha. His scent didn't radiate aggression but it was difficult to read beyond that. If Ethan was guessing there was some hope but also a deep sadness behind it. The wound of Alison was still as raw as the one Aidan had left in Ethan.

"I didn't expect you to come say bye."

"That's not why I'm here," Scott said, "are you sure you're leaving?"

"I made it this far." Ethan affirmed.

Scott smirked, "You cut the engine. If you were leaving you'd have left it running."

Ethan frowned – he should have seen that coming. He was getting sloppy – with Deucalion he'd always been two steps ahead of McCall and now he was playing catch-up.

Scott advanced and moved around the side of the bike. "What are you running away from? You have a life here – you have friends, a boyfriend and somewhere that you can call-"

"-don't say home." Ethan cut dead. "We both know this isn't home for me and it wasn't for Aidan."

"Is it about your brother?"

"He died Scott – we both lost someone. I can't stay in Beacon Hills with that weighing on my mind."

"Does it make a difference if I say I want you to stay…as part of my pack?"

Ethan sighed.

"I think a few weeks ago that would have been all I or Aidan wanted to hear from you. We didn't understand it though Scott – we hadn't demonstrated our commitment to the pack and that showed with the whole thing with Aidan. Lydia was devastated but Alison took priority and frankly nobody else cared that he was gone but me.

"None of it's your fault Scott. It's ours – we never took blame for the things we did…we never apologised…and Aidan avoided involving us. I should have been smarter and better but I wasn't – I think the only way to get away from it is to run for the horizon. I'll miss Danny…high school even…but it's time for me to go. There's no place for me here anymore."

Scott walked back round to the front of the bike and placed his hands on the handlebars. His eyes pulsed a brighter scarlet and he let out a dull low growl.

"There's a place for you in my pack if I say so," Scott stated firmly, "and no matter what you say this is your home. Running away from your problems doesn't solve anything and leaving us to go it alone isn't the way. There's a reason wolves run in packs."

Ethan tensed his body, preparing to spring forward and knock Scott off the bike but then relaxed a bit. In a flash he was back there, Aidan bleeding out in his lap and only Derek watching on as the last family Ethan had left the world far behind him. He could still smell his brother's blood on him. He'd washed and scrubbed to try and get it off him but he couldn't – not entirely. It was still there and in any case his brother had left a deep imprint on him. Their bond as twins and werewolves had burned fraternity into them and the blood they shared tingled at Aidan's death: a constant and throbbing reminder that Ethan was alone in the world again.

At that point a single tear sprang free and burned down Ethan's face. It burned with the fire of loss and stood out – the lone escapee, like Ethan himself. Scott relaxed his grab on the handlebars and stepped back.

Ethan swung his leg off the bike and wheeled it to the side of the rode. He stood by a tree and then sank down against it, curling up in a ball for a few seconds before stretching out again into a sitting position. After a few moments Scott followed cautiously.

"He's gone and he was all I had."

"You never know how much of their heart you have till they're gone," Scott agreed, his own mind drifting to Alison, feeling the life seep from her body and her go limp in his arms, "but letting go of love just because you lost someone isn't the right thing to do. Losing hope isn't either. If you go away you leave behind a life that has the potential to be great: and for what?

"You kept saying you wanted a fresh start Ethan – this is it. Forget Danny, forget Aidan and just think about you and your life here. It could be great…you just have to open up to the idea and open up to people." Scott waited a moment, "The pack's still here for you Ethan, and we want you to stay here." With that, Scott stood up and in a flash he had sprinted off back toward the town.

Ethan sat for a moment against the tree and cast his head toward the stars. He looked for some great map to tell him what to do but he couldn't see any.

A voice echoed in his head, "The course never runs smooth."

Ethan turned to his left and there beside him was Aidan. Real and apparent – smirking cockily as if nothing had changed. Then in a moment he blew away on the wind – an apparition dashed by the realities of nature.

Putting his hand down to the grassy ground Ethan pushed off and rose to his feet. He dusted himself off as he walked back toward the bike and swung his leg over it once again. The engine thrummed into life and the machine tensed in anticipation. The young werewolf looked toward the horizon and Beacon Falls and made up his mind.

Ethan gunned the engine and rode off.