Hello and thanks for dropping by. This story is set in the same continuity as my other three Teen Wolf stories, all of which conform to the show's continuity. Reading my previous stories isn't necessary to understand this one, but I should explain that Peter is an alpha again and I've developed his and Stiles' platonic relationship a bit in two of my previous stories.
Liam Dunbar's first day of work at Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital felt ordinary. The memories he had there, good and bad, were pushed aside to make way for his responsibilities as a physical therapist. He was getting ready to leave when someone suddenly grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug, which nearly made Liam topple over.
"Hey!" Scott said.
"Hey," Liam responded. "I'm sorry I didn't call yesterday. I got in too late."
"Did packing take longer than you expected?"
"Yeah, and more tiring than I expected," said Liam. "At least I wasn't late for work this morning."
"It's about time you got a job here. What took you so long?"
"I wasn't sure I wanted to work in the same hospital as my dad and I wanted to see what else was on the west coast."
"Well, you're here now. Are your parents happy you're back?"
"Yeah, but I think they're already looking forward to me finding an apartment soon and giving them back their space. How's the clinic?"
"Really good," Scott responded. He and Liam continued walking towards the exit. "Doctor Deaton is thinking about retiring again, so I might be running the place, soon. I'm trying to get him to wait. I don't think I have the business sense for that, yet."
"Hey, are you still in contact with Hayden?"
"We lost touch a few years ago. I feel kind of bad about thar. You still think about her?"
"Not really," Liam answered. "I only just thought about her because I was thinking about the pack. I don't even have her number anymore. How often do you get to see Stiles and Lydia?"
"They come around maybe once or twice a month. I'll ask them to visit this weekend. We'll catch up."
Liam noticed a poster about fire safety. "That is the second poster I've seen after the billboard and a street sign. Has there been a fire problem around here?"
Scott laughed. "No, Jordan Parrish is on vacation with his family. The town's just being extra cautious since he won't be here to deal with any fires."
The pair arrived at Liam's car.
"How are Malia and the daughters?"
"Good. You should come by before the weekend and see them."
Elsewhere, a family of four was also having an ordinary day.
"Jenna, I am tired of cleaning the walls after you. Stop drawing on them."
The front door opened.
"Greg, is that you?"
"Yeah, Ellen," Greg answered. "I took off work a little early."
"I'm hearing those sounds again. Are you sure we don't have a mouse problem?"
"Where are you hearing the noises?"
"From the floorboards," Ellen answered.
"There's nothing in or under the floorboards, except the basement."
"Well, would you re-check the basement?"
"Daddy, don't go to the basement," a young boy warned. "The straw girl is there."
"Taron, it's fine. You don't need to go down with me."
"Dad . . ."
Greg Lammin shushed his son and proceeded down into the basement. Taron backed away from the door. Suddenly, Greg screamed. Ellen rushed to the basement door, only to have it slam shut before she could reach it. She grabbed the doorknob and pulled as hard as she could, but the door wouldn't budge. Taron ran to the front door, intending to leave the house.
"Mom, the door won't open."
Ellen ignored Taron as she continued trying to open the door. She screamed for her husband.
"Mom!"
Thursday night arrived a few days later, and Liam was at the new McCall household with Scott and his family. Lydia and Stiles eventually joined them.
Liam first hugged Lydia, who was holding a pie. "Professor Martin, you're showing."
"Yes," Lydia replied. "We were aiming for a late May or early June delivery so I won't have to deal with students and a baby at the same time. I think the timing will work out."
Liam shook Stiles' hand whose other hand held a casserole.
"Scott said that you guys aren't giving anything up by coming tonight instead of tomorrow."
"We're not," Stiles answered. "Lydia doesn't teach classes on Fridays and I just closed a big case after working thirteen days straight on it, so I'm taking some time off."
Liam noticed a slight limp from Stiles. "What happened to your leg?"
"I got shot last week. I should be back to 100% soon. It's not a problem."
"If you were a werewolf, you'd have healed by now," Liam joked.
A quiet groan of frustration escaped Stiles' lips. "Don't get me started."
"You're getting some pressure for that?" Liam asked. He glanced at Scott.
"Don't look at me," Scott said with a smile. "I'm not the one who's been calling him every day since he got shot."
"Peter Hale," Stiles explained before Liam asked. "He wants me to ask Scott to turn me. I've started looking over my shoulder periodically in case Peter decides to take this matter into his own hands. Anyway, how have you been this week?"
"I've been good, but exhausted. Sometimes, it feels like I never left."
"So what made you finally decide to come back to Beacon Hills?" Lydia asked.
"I . . . This might sound weird, but I just wasn't feeling like myself at the rehab center and then my dad told me about an opening here."
"Well, it's good to have you back. How are Mason and Corey?" Lydia asked.
"They're doing well. They're a little stressed because it's New York City and because it's the business world, but they're holding up. And since they're doing different business things, they can complain about their jobs without driving the other one too crazy."
"I'm surprised so many of our high school romances lasted," Scott remarked.
"I think there's something to be said about the bonds we formed after everything we've been through," said Lydia. "Maisie?" Lydia called out. "Michelle? Come give your uncle and me a hug."
Scott's daughters came running, followed by Malia.
Dinner followed another round of embraces.
"Have you thought about adding to your pack?" Liam asked.
"No, I like what I have now and don't need a bigger pack. I also don't think I should grow my pack just for the sake of growing it," Scott answered.
"Peter does," said Malia. "There seems to always be a new werewolf in his pack."
"And a hellhound is basically a member after marrying one of his betas," Lydia pointed out.
"There's probably a mathematical model that can predict when everyone in Beacon Hills will be in his pack. Lydia?" Stiles joked.
Lydia rolled her eyes.
"Maybe you should step up then," Liam suggested to Scott.
"I might be the true alpha, but Peter can have the dominant pack if he wants. That's fine with me."
"Have you thought about stepping up?" Stiles asked Liam.
"I'm not going to kill anyone just to become an alpha."
Lydia's attention was drawn outside.
"No," Malia complained, understanding the look on Lydia's face. "You two came home to relax."
"What are you picking up?" Stiles asked.
"Desperation," Lydia answered.
Stiles looked at Lydia with an expression she recognized.
"I'm going to go," Lydia said in a tone that did not invite disagreement.
"It sounds like someone could use our help," Scott added.
"I'll stay," said Malia. "You all go and I'll prepare the dessert."
Stiles looked at Lydia and his eyes conveyed concern.
"You'll stay," Lydia told Stiles, repeating her tone. "You'd be no good to us if you're just going to be unnecessarily concerned for our baby. I'll be fine and I will be very careful. We'll both be fine. Trust me. You look after the girls and prepare dessert. You should take a break after working so much."
Scott, Malia, Lydia, and Liam arrived at the Lammin household. Scott turned the doorknob on the front door, but couldn't push it open.
"I don't think it has a second lock," Scott remarked.
Liam transformed into his werewolf state. Malia and Scott followed and the three of them pushed against the door, which finally opened.
"Hello?" Lydia called from outside.
Ellen appeared in the hallway with a shocked expression. She grabbed her two children and ran towards the door. Lydia and Scott stepped aside to let her exit.
"What happened?" Scott asked.
Back at Scott's and Malia's home, Stiles waited for a pie to heat and kept an eye on Maisie and Michelle. The doorbell rang and Stiles opened the door without seeing who the visitor was. Red eyes greeted Stiles.
Peter Hale grabbed Stiles by the throat and after stepping into the house, slammed Stiles against a wall. Peter displayed his sharp fangs and growled as he put one of Stiles' hands by his mouth.
"What are you thinking right now?" Peter asked.
"That you might like some pie," Stiles answered.
Peter's red eyes and fangs disappeared but he kept his hold on Stiles' neck. "What else are you thinking?"
"I know you want me to admit there's a part of me welcoming the bite. You were trying to get a gut reaction that would bring out my subconscious feelings. That didn't happen."
"So what did you feel, then?" Peter asked, letting Stiles go.
"That you might like some pie," Stiles answered.
"You're a horrible person and I wish I killed you that night we met."
"No, you don't," Stiles corrected.
"Kids!" Peter yelled while glaring at Stiles. "Your bio-granddad is here!"
Maisie and Michelle ran up to Peter.
"How are you feeling?" Peter asked Stiles while embracing his granddaughters.
"I'm perfectly fine. I think I'll be walking normally by the end of next week."
"Really?"
"Really," Stiles assured.
"Does it hurt?"
"Not anymore."
"Where is everyone, anyway?"
"Lydia had a thing, so they went to check it out."
Back at the Lammin household, Lydia tried to console Ellen and her children outside while checking the phone line. Meanwhile, Scott, Malia, and Liam checked the basement. Liam noticed Greg's body first and ran to him.
"He doesn't smell of death," Liam noted. He checked Greg's breathing and heartbeats.
"I don't smell anything," Malia concurred.
"He doesn't have a heartbeat and he's not breathing," Liam observed. "What is this?"
Liam was suddenly thrown back against a wall.
"Where did that come from?" Malia asked. She was soon thrown against a wall as well.
Scott bared his fangs and claws and his eyes glowed red. He thought he detected something, but scratch marks started to appear across his face and clothes. Realizing something invisible was in front of him, Scott tackled what he imagined was a humanoid entity, but he ended up on the floor.
"I don't smell or hear anything besides the three of us," Malia said.
"I don't either," Scott added.
"Is that thing gone?" Liam asked.
Scott was suddenly thrown across the basement.
"We should re-group and re-strategize," Liam suggested.
"After we leave," Malia added.
Scott and Malia returned home with Liam and Lydia. They let Ellen and her children stay there while they made arrangements.
Scott offered his new guests food. "I'm sorry about your husband and I know this is difficult, but we would like to find out as much as we can about what happened."
"Do you think we'll ever get to go back home?" Ellen asked. "Can that thing be removed? I want my husband's body."
"I don't know," Scott admitted. "We'd like to help if we can."
"I still remember the first time Greg and I walked into that house with our real estate agent. I remember bringing Jenna in while Greg held the door. I remember Greg bringing Taron in two years later. He was sleeping and I wanted to be, too."
"Taron, you said you could see the straw girl. What does she look like?" Lydia asked.
"The straw is in her hair. She has a pointy nose and her fingers and toes look like claws."
"When did you first notice her?"
"Last year," Taron answered.
"That's when I started to hear those soft sounds," Ellen explained.
"So, this house is basically haunted by something supernatural, right?" Liam said. "There should be a trigger if it suddenly started. I'm sorry if this is a rude and forward question, but have there been any deaths in your family last year or have you heard of any deaths of any previous owners?"
"Not that I know of," Ellen answered. "My sister died four years ago. That's the most recent death in this family. We still keep in contact with the previous owners. They bought the house new and they haven't said anything about anyone dying."
"What about any changes in your family, like school or work?" Stiles asked.
"No," Ellen responded. "The only thing I can think of is Jenna starting to act out."
The doorbell rang.
"That's the cab," Scott said.
"Thank you for your help," Ellen said.
"We'll keep in touch," Scott replied.
Stiles, Liam, and Malia helped Ellen and her children to the cab.
The group then gathered in the living room.
"Anyone think the daughter is somehow causing this?" Liam asked.
"It's a kikimora," Peter explained. "It's not the daughter."
"What's a kikimora?" Malia asked.
"I'll check the Bestiary," said Lydia.
"In folklore, they're house spirits," Peter explained. "They're really just supernaturals that become bonded to a house. If the house is maintained well, the kikimora is healthy and happy. If the house is in bad shape, the kikimora becomes upset and lashes out. Somehow, they get nourishment from a good house. I don't know how. Maybe the Bestiary has more information."
"It definitely felt like someone had rammed against me back there. It's not in the structure, is it?" asked Liam.
"It shouldn't be," Peter responded. "It should just be another shapeshifter resident."
"We couldn't see, smell, or hear anything," Scott explained.
"And there's Greg," Malia added. "He wasn't dead, but he wasn't alive, either."
Peter shrugged. "I've shared all I know about kikimoras. I've only met two and they were in New England, the last I heard."
Later that night, in the basement suite of Noah Stilinski's and Natalie Martin's home, Lydia and Stiles went over the Bestiary.
"Well, this wasn't helpful," Lydia remarked. "This knows less than Peter."
"So, how do we fight something we can't see, hear, or smell?" Stiles pondered.
Lydia looked at Stiles.
"Okay, fine. How do the werewolves fight something they can't see, hear, or smell? Do you think you could have seen the kikimora?"
"I'm not sure and I'd rather not find out."
"Yeah, I'm just wondering about other banshees."
"No one's seen Meredith in years, and I don't think the woman in New Canaan will be helpful, if she's still alive."
The pair heard the front door open on the first floor.
"He's home," Stiles remarked.
"Do you want me to do this with you?"
"No, I'm good," Stiles answered. "I thought you were going to call Malia."
"She can wait."
"I think I should do this alone."
Stiles made his way up the stairs.
"Dad. How was work?" Stiles asked.
"It was okay. It was just a typical day." Noah walked into the living room, followed by Stiles.
"Do you need to take care of anything first?"
"No, sit. You said you wanted to talk, so let's," Noah replied.
"Dad, if you had an opportunity to substantially lengthen your life, would you do it?"
"By becoming a werewolf?" asked Noah.
"Yeah, but let's not consider the werewolf thing right now. Let's just focus on the long life."
Noah sighed. "I'll admit to thinking about this before. I decided that I like who I am. I'm satisfied with who I am, and whatever comes my way, I'll be fine dealing with it as a human. If you're asking me about long life itself, I guess I'd feel the same way. I think I eventually just settled on being whoever I am. However long I've got, it's what I have. I'll take what I can get, and be satisfied with it."
"What if Natalie wanted to extend her life and become a werewolf? What would you do if she asked you to become a werewolf so that you could have a long marriage?"
"I'd probably do it for her."
"You might outlive me," Stiles pointed out.
"Stiles," Noah began.
"I'm sorry. I know this isn't easy to think about. Would you want me to be a werewolf, knowing that I might be safer out in the field if I have those abilities?"
"I would love for you to be able to bounce right back after getting shot or being able to sniff out a threat before getting shot or having a long and healthy life, but being a werewolf itself is something for you to decide, not me and not Scott and definitely not Peter."
Meanwhile, Lydia and Malia spoke over the phone about the kikimora.
"I'm open to any ideas at this point," Lydia declared.
"Can we just burn the house down?" Malia asked.
"It might be better to keep the house intact, and just condemn it. If this kikimora is bonded to the house, we wouldn't want to give it a reason or a means to leave it."
"I've been reading about the original folklore about kikimoras," said Malia. "I thought maybe there would be some truth in those stories that could help us."
"Yeah, same here," Lydia replied. "I found something that might be worth trying, possibly."
Soon, Scott, Liam, and Lydia returned to the Lammin household with Stiles, and Peter pulled up with Derek.
"Stiles, you didn't go in, did you?" Peter asked.
"No, Lydia said I shouldn't, though she wouldn't tell me why, yet."
"It's going to sound stupid if I'm wrong," Lydia explained.
"Why would you think –" Stiles began before being interrupted.
Peter had suddenly grabbed Stiles and threw him onto the ground. He forced a wet rag onto Stiles' face.
Stiles recognized the smell of chloroform. Looking at everyone's faces, he decided to take some deep breaths and eventually went to sleep.
"Was slamming him down like that necessary?" Derek asked.
"That was for another reason," Peter replied. "Scott?"
Scott and Liam dragged Stiles into the house and Lydia retrieved Stiles' bat from their car.
The bat found itself in Scott's hands and Scott knocked Peter and Derek unconscious. Scott and Liam then positioned the two werewolves next to Stiles on a sofa inside.
Later, Stiles stirred awake.
"Well, it's about time," Peter commented. "If you were a werewolf, we could be done by now."
"Is that why you knocked me onto the ground?" Stiles asked. "You wanted me to recognize how nice it'd be to be a werewolf and possibly defend myself?"
"Did it work?" Peter asked.
"No," Stiles answered. "I could tell from Lydia's and Scott's faces that you were supposed to chloroform me."
"I actually wasn't supposed to be that violent," Peter commented with a slight smile.
"Go ahead and work out your aggression. So, I had to be asleep when entering the house," Stiles concluded. "Did you and Derek get knocked out?"
"Yes," Peter answered. "It had to be the first time you entered the house, just like that boy. For some poetic fit, Scott used your bat on me."
"Where is Derek?"
"He's checking out the rest of the house very carefully. The kikimora should be confined to the basement, but Derek is going to go over every inch to be thorough and absolutely sure. We have a little time before he finishes. Tell me why this werewolf decision is difficult for you. You know all the benefits. I don't need to tell you about the reflexes, the senses, the longer life."
"It's because of the longer life," Stiles explained. "We're not sure if banshees get that. If I become a werewolf, I might outlive Lydia, possibly by a very big margin. I don't want that, Peter. This isn't something that I should even be thinking about at my age. And what about my child? I don't want to outlive my kid."
"Werewolf too," Peter replied.
"That's not a decision for me to make. What if he or she doesn't want it? Force you or Scott to bite? And what am I supposed to do about everyone else I care about? I can't imagine how Scott must feel when he thinks about his mom's mortality. Is he going to just turn everyone around here into a werewolf?"
"Why not?" Peter replied. "A town of werewolves and some other supernatural beings could be interesting."
"It's not going to happen, and you know it." Stiles sighed. "I don't want to end up alone."
"You wouldn't be."
"You know what I mean. Scott's my brother, but he wouldn't be able to replace Lydia or any children I have. And if I become a werewolf, it's just going to make me more tempted to get my father turned. I don't want to ask him to do that for me when I know he doesn't want it. That's not a decision for me to make."
Derek entered the room. "Everything's clear. Are you two ready to go down to the basement?"
"Yeah," Stiles answered immediately, not waiting for Peter to react. "Can we give her a chance before you two unleash your claws?"
"Sure," Peter said while handing Stiles his bat, "but be ready."
The three descended into the basement. They saw the kikimora sitting down by a wall near Greg's body. She immediately noticed the presence of others.
"Hello," Stiles said. "What's your name?"
The kikimora extended the claws on her hands and feet and attacked the three.
"Fine, let's do it this way, then," Stiles said, almost sounding tired.
Derek and Peter charged into battle against the kikimora. Stiles stood ready to get a hit in when he could, but ended up not being needed. Derek aimed high and Peter aimed low. Together, they eventually subdued and cornered the kikimora, who started to shift into human form.
Peter advanced, but Stiles held him back after noticing how young the kikimora looked.
"Stop," Stiles said. "It's over." He knelt down. "What's your name?"
"I don't want you in my house."
"Well, the family here doesn't want you in their house and yes, it is theirs," Peter countered.
"Including that guy over there," Derek remarked, pointing to Greg. "What did you do to him?"
"Is he in stasis?" Peter asked.
"I haven't decided what to do with him, yet."
"What's your name?" Stiles repeated.
"Holly," the kikimora responded after taking a few seconds.
"Holly, I'm Stiles. Are you looking after this house? We might be able to help you keep this house in good condition."
"The parents let their daughter make a mess," said Holly. "That wasn't good."
"Well, they're going to know that now, so it'll be better," Stiles replied.
Liam came down the stairs and observed the scene.
"He was here before," Holly said, referring to Liam.
Stiles looked at Liam. "He was just trying to help Mr. Lammin. He wasn't here to hurt you. He didn't even know you were here."
"Sorry," Liam said. "We were just curious if you all had made contact."
"Holly, things are going to be better now," said Derek. "The family here will take better care of this house. Would you please release Mr. Lammin?"
Liam approached the group.
Holly slowly held her hands out towards Greg, but then pulled back and put her hands behind herself. "No. They won't treat this house right. It's going to be Taron, next. He'll make a mess."
"Hey, they didn't know you were down here," Peter tried to argue. "They do now, so they'll be better."
"I don't want them to know about me. They will hurt me, like the others hurt my family." Behind her back, outside of anyone's view, Holly's hands turned into claws.
"The Lammins here are nice," Stiles said with Liam next to him.
"They'll hurt me!" Holly lunged forward.
Derek dodged to his left to avoid Holly. Peter dodged to his right and pulled Stiles with him, but then noticed that Stiles had been impaled with Holly's claws. Next to Stiles, Liam was also impaled. Without understanding what was happening, Liam slipped into unconsciousness, where Stiles already was.
