Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I make her do or say."

I'm back! Hello everyone!

So, as a heads up, when I began going back over Season 4 to redo it, I didn't think it would change quite this much. The baseline of the plot is still the same, as I promised it would be. But I did end up adding quite a lot of stuff to this story. I think the original count is, like, seventy-some thousand words. We're about to sky-rocket past that, just FYI. At least, I think, if I'm estimating it correctly.

So, just be braced for that. This new version of Season 4 will be quite a bit longer than the original. And I do hope you like what I've done with it instead. I like it better, in any case.

And without further adieu, here is Teen Wolf Season 4... again. :)

Chapter 1: Episode 4x1

It wasn't odd for Nixie to be at the sheriff's station. In fact, it was considered weirder if you could find a day when she wasn't there, as opposed to the days when she was there. Even over the course of the summer, Nixie's time at the station had only diminished slightly. She and her friends spent a week together on vacation at the beach, and for that time, Nixie was absent.

But for the most part, it was a given that, at some point in the day, Nixie would walk through the door, sit on the couch next to Jordan's desk, and start reading a book, or doing research on her laptop… or any of the many other things that everyone knows must occupy her time.

Stiles, ironically enough, could be found at the station less than her. Which is why, though he swore Jordan to secrecy, Stiles finally divulged exactly what went into the coffee that he always made for Nixie. Heavy sweet cream, some mocha chocolate, espresso, and…

The secret ingredients were Cinnamon Dolce and Toffeenut flavorings. And in truth, Stiles eventually confessed that he found the original recipe online, and tweaked it from there until Nixie thought it was the best thing she'd ever tasted. So basically, Stiles' coffee was just a twist on what was called a 'Rainy Day Latte'.

Jordan was chuckling by the time Stiles had finished telling him the story, and swore that he wouldn't reveal to Nixie what he knew. He doubts that she'd care though. By now, Jordan has come to realize that, as far as Nixie is concerned, the coffee he gives her is just a way of his showing he cares and appreciates all that she tries to do for him. The boy could probably buy her coffee from Starbucks, and she'd still drink it happily. Maybe not as happily, but she'd appreciate it nonetheless.

In any case, Jordan knows how to make her coffee now. He actually did it one day, and Nixie had frozen in place after taking her first sip. Her narrowed gaze met his gentle one for a moment, but he just carried on with his work… and she carried on drinking her coffee and reading her book.

So yeah. Nixie being at the station, wasn't strange. Her sitting on the couch, closest to Jordan's desk, wasn't strange.

Her arriving at the station with a large duffle bag full of supplies and clothes… that was a bit odd. Jordan had tilted his head curiously at her when she walked in with Stiles and Scott, heading for the sheriff's office.

He couldn't tell what was going on inside. He just sees Noah eventually nodding his head at whatever they're asking of him, and they come back out and prepare to leave. Nixie was about to just follow her boys out the door, when she faltered a bit in her step and stopped. Glancing back at Jordan, a slight blush entering her cheeks, she turns back and walks up to his desk.

Putting down the most recent report he'd been working on, Jordan provides her with his attention and asks, "What's up Nixie? Looks like you're about to go on quite a hike." She grins a little, "Yeah. 'One last hurrah', as Stiles says, before the new school year starts up. We're going camping for a few days. Maybe a week. It's undetermined for right now."

Jordan nods, "Well, try to stay out of trouble. Is Lydia going with you guys?" "Yeah, why?" "Oh, no reason. Just wanted to be sure. She's getting a bit of a reputation around here." Smirking a little, he adds, "I'd hate to think she'd be here without your protection against all the speculation."

Nixie laughs lightly, "Well, no worries on that front." Nodding, Jordan then says, "Be safe. Try to keep those boys of yours out of trouble too." Nixie grins, "I'll do my best, but you know us by now. Trouble just seems to follow us around like a magnet." "Yeah. Something like that."

He wasn't stupid, and Nixie knew that. And as he looked at her with those knowing hazel eyes… Nixie had the sense that he was looking into her, seeing into the past and into the secrets that she knew about this town and all that had happened here. He knows that she has more information than she's telling everyone. He knows that she and her friends, for whatever the reason, can somehow always be connected to the bigger mysteries that revolve around Beacon Hills.

But he also knows, without any shred of doubt, that Nixie is one of the best people he'd ever met. He wouldn't be satisfied with being kept in the dark forever. He was the sheriff's deputy now. The second in command at the station. And any of the weirder requests that were made, or any requests that Nixie and her friends made… it all got routed to him. So no… he wouldn't be okay with being left out of the loop forever.

For now though… he'd settle for knowing that Nixie was a good person. And whatever information she wanted, and whatever she was asking someone to do… it was for the benefit of the greater good, even if he didn't have a clue what that greater good was just yet.

They stare at each other a moment longer, until Nixie ducks her head, biting at her bottom lip for a moment. Jordan takes a deep breath and makes a mental note that, someday in the future, he's going to have to find a way to ask her to stop doing that. It was entirely too tempting of an action, and it was probably, at some point, going to have a detrimental effect on his career.

Looking back up at Jordan, she says, "Well… see you around, Parrish." He nods, but as she walks away, he asks, "Did you need something?" "No. I'm good. Just… um… wanted to explain why I wouldn't be here for a while. Not that it really matters, but…" Jordan smiles at her gently and says, "Thank you for the update. We do get a little worried around here when our most constant patron just stops showing up without warning."

Nixie chuckles, and then says, "Bye J… Parrish." "Goodbye Nixie. Have fun camping."

And as she steps out the door and starts making her way to Stiles' jeep, she says to herself, "Oh yeah. We'll have loads of fun. Taking on the cartel version of hunters. Trying to find Derek in a desert. And trying to do it all before school starts. Yeah. Loads of fun."

Araya Calavera, sitting behind the table in front of Lydia and Stiles, smiles as if she doesn't have a care in the world. With a clear Mexican accent in her voice, she says, "Sevaro hates this music." She gestures to the man standing to her left, the one who had brought Stiles and Lydia back to have this conversation. Then she says, "But me? I've always loved the music of youth. This kind, especially. It has a savage energy."

Lydia and Stiles look at each other, trying to ignore the fact that Araya had a knife in her hands, roughly tearing into a piece of cloth between each sentence. Then Lydia says, "We're here for Derek Hale." Araya smirks and asks, "Is that so?" Lydia nods and adds, "We know you have him. And we hear… you can be bought."

Stiles takes out the money, laying it on the table side by side in stacks. Gesturing, he says, "It's fifty-thousand for Derek." Araya stops slicing with her knife, and asks with mock curiosity, "Now… where does a teenage boy get money like this?" Then she narrows her gaze and suggests, "Japanese mafia?"

Which was true, actually. As every single gun in the room is cocked and prepared to fire, Stiles and Lydia still look to each other with a bit of a grin. After Kincaid had taken the Shugendo scroll and sold it last year, he'd left and never come back to Beacon Hills, as promised. But he did keep in contact with an unknown source there, in the interest of seeing if he could ever repay the debt he owed to Nixie.

Kincaid was a lot of things, and not very many of them were good. But… he was a man who didn't enjoy feeling like he owed anyone anything. And he felt like he owed Nixie, for the deal she'd made him that night.

So when he heard that they were on the hunt for Derek Hale, and that they were trying to find a way to purchase his freedom from the Calaveras… Deaton suddenly received a package with Nixie's name on it at the clinic. Fifty-thousand dollars inside, to help them with their problem.

It had made them all laugh at the time, when Nixie had still been unhappy, because even though Kincaid was gone, he had a contact in Beacon Hills. She told everyone that as soon as they were done finding Derek, they needed to maybe work on forcing Kincaid's contact to leave as well.

In any case, that's where the money had come from. Maybe not necessarily the mafia anymore… but from a former mafia member, which was close enough.

Araya Calavera, head of the Calavera hunters in Mexico, leans forward onto her desk. Smirking at the two of them, she says, "Not smart to come alone." Stiles and Lydia give each other an encouraging look, and then Stiles asks mysteriously, "What makes you think we came alone?"

And it gives him a little bit of pleasure to see the smile slip from Araya's face.

Back in the club, Malia is out on the dance floor, blending in perfectly. Kira is sitting at a booth in the corner. And as Araya asks the two before her, "You brought a wolf into my home?" Stiles' response is simply, "We brought an alpha." And then Lydia grins and adds, "And our own personal guardian angel."

And in the club, near one of the beams holding up the banisters, Scott casts his gaze out across the room before turning and grinning at Nixie, who was standing to his right. Getting into the club may have been tricky… but he knows it would've been nearly impossible without her. When they finally figured out the building they'd need to enter, Nixie had scoped it out, found all entrances and exits, and then chosen the most ideal one for them to enter.

He knows she's still not very psyched that Stiles and Lydia had to come in alone, and were with Araya right now, by themselves. But he needed her here, watching the room with him. And if worst came to worst, he needed her to hide and disappear, so she could get their asses out of here later. She wasn't thrilled about that either. In fact, she wasn't exactly thrilled with any part of this plan.

But they were short on options, and they were short on time. So here they were.

Turning so his back is to the room, he says just loud enough for her to hear, "Anything?" To anyone else, his voice would've been drowned out by the thumping music, the shouting people, and the bodies moving on the dance floor. But for Nixie… she heard him perfectly. In fact, if she takes the time to consider it… it was possible that her hearing was actually becoming even more sensitive than it had always been in the past.

But she couldn't worry about that right now. Instead she nods to Scott's question and says, "Chatter over the radios just skyrocketed. They know we're here. They're looking for us." Nodding, Scott asks, "Any ideas on staying hidden?" "Kira and Malia are dancing, so they should be fine, at least for a while." "And us?"

Nixie shrugs, but then pulls Scott over so his back is to the column they're standing against. Coming up closer to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she says, "Pretend you're kissing my neck. Put your hands on my waist." He does as she says, hiding his face in the curve of her neck. Nixie runs one of her hands over his hair, pretending to encourage him in his actions. Her eyes, however, are ever watchful.

For a while it works. They're left alone, blending in as just another couple in this club who have managed to find a dark corner to hide in.

But then, one of the guards begins watching them closely, and as he makes his way across the room, Nixie leans her head back and closes her eyes, trying to play more into the part. Softly, she says, "Run your hands a little higher up my back." Scott does as she says, but it doesn't work. The man is still coming.

Nixie lowers herself from him, letting a soft smile touch her lips. Then she takes his hand and says, "Come on."

Scott follows after her, back into an empty hallway. When she draws up short and her smile vanishes, he asks, "What's wrong?" "Well, they're not all completely stupid. That's what's wrong right now. One of them was on to us. He'll be here any second." "Right. I'll handle him." "I'll just wait right here."

When Scott raises an eyebrow at that uncharacteristic response, Nixie says, "I'm saving my energy for if I need to save all of you afterwards. Just kick his ass quickly, my dear alpha." Chuckling, Scott nods, and then as the man walks into the hall, Scott takes him out as fast as he can for her.

While he's on the ground, out cold, a voice over the radio begins asking if his section is clear. Scott doesn't understand all of the Spanish, but it doesn't really matter. Picking up the radio, Scott says into it, "Stiles. Take ten off the table."

Nixie grins at Scott and says, "You sounded exceptionally badass by the way. Excellent job." "Thanks. Now, let's get back to the others." "Right."

When they arrive back in the room, Kira and Malia are already handling two more guards that had finally spotted them. Scott sees a third making his way through the room, so he heads over there to handle that one.

Nixie is waiting by the doors for them to come back to her, when a hand lands on her shoulder. Looking up to see who has her, meeting the face of another smirking guard, Nixie tilts her head and asks, "Really? That's the best you have? A hand grab?"

She twists his wrist around so fast that his cry of pain sounds delayed. And even then, it's cut short because Nixie slams him down onto her knee, knowing the wind out of him. Dropping him like a sack of potatoes, she smirks and says, "And I didn't even have to pull out my blades yet. Sweet."

When the other three finally join her, they hurry into the doorway and close the door softly behind them. Walking silently down the halls, Scott turns to Nixie, silently asking which way they need to go. She had the entire place mapped out in her head, so they wouldn't have to deal with bringing any pesky maps along with them.

She points to the right, so Scott leads the way down that hall. They keep going for a bit… until Scott sees the fog and smoke stretching across the floor in front of them. Holding his hand up, keeping the others back, he tries to get closer to see what's going on.

That's when the smoke and fog starts shooting out of vents above their heads. And though Nixie and Kira are fine, Scott gasps in a breath and says, "Wolfsbane! Kira, Nixie… get out of here!" But as Kira tries, her way is blocked by another guard coming in. Scott tells her to look out, and then grabs at Nixie.

Their plan obviously failing at this point, he pulls her down to his level on the ground and says urgently, "Go!" "Scott, I can't just…" "If we want any other chance of getting out of here, you can't be here when they come to get us. Now go!"

She gives him a hard look for a moment, but then takes off back down the hall. Following the map in her head, she takes at least a dozen turns down different halls, until she finds another door leading to the outside.

She waits until she sees several men drag all of her friends out and into vehicles, and then she hotwires a bike from a nearby lot and hightails it after them to the next location they're heading to.

And heaven help these damn Calaveras, if they hurt any of her friends before she could get them out. She's pretty sure she could most definitely get away with murder a lot easier in Mexico then she could back home. And since she was still willing to kill people back home…

If they weren't wary of her already, she would make damn sure they remembered to never make that mistake again.

Nixie's original plan, which had still needed to be more thought out, was to find out where her friends were being held, and get them out and find a new way to locate Derek. But that went out the door, when she realized that Araya was keeping Lydia separate from the rest.

Now she was lying down on top of the section of roof that hung out over the porch where Lydia and Araya were sitting. Flat as she could be, and breathing slow and steady, she was listening closely, trying to discern when she would need to intervene in order to make sure Lydia stayed safe.

As Araya pours tea into a cup, she says, "I have to admit, I don't have much experience with banshees." Lydia sighs and shrugs, "That makes two of us, since I don't have much experience being one."

Araya doesn't miss that, in spite of how frightened Lydia may be at this moment… the girl wasn't shaking. She didn't look as though she thought she were about to die. In fact, Lydia's eyes kept darting around randomly, as though she were looking for something.

Or someone. But for now, Araya keeps to her topic of banshees, and says, "I have a feeling… you underestimate your abilities, Lydia." Glaring at the woman, Lydia says, "Trust me. You'd have better luck with tarot cards."

Nixie grins from on the roof and whispers softly, "Good girl, Lydia."

But she frowns again and goes back to listening when she hears Araya say, "Let's find out. Tell me, which of these men, is about to die?" Lydia glances at the men in front of the porch. Horrified, she turns back to the woman as though Araya has lost her mind.

But Araya is unfazed. Picking up an orange and beginning to peel with her knife, she asks, "How does it work? Do you need to touch them? Maybe I give you something they own?" Setting her orange down, she asks, "Or is it just… a feeling?" Lydia gives the woman a look, and then says quietly, "I told you. I don't know."

Araya watches her carefully, eyes taking everything in, and then asks, "Just how close to death do they have to be?"

And as she begins tapping on the knife in her hand, Lydia hears it. She follows the sound that only she can hear, and her eyes fall onto the man that she knows is about to die. And then… Araya throws the knife into his chest, right at his heart, killing him.

Lydia lets out a shocked and appalled scream, but Nixie remains still. For now, Lydia was unharmed. And she didn't care what happened to any of the Calavera hunters. Lydia, for her part, asks in horror, "What did you do that for?"

Araya's simple response is, "He stole from me." Then Lydia asks, "What do you want?"

And as Araya watches as Lydia's eyes dart around frantically, desperately looking for something… or someone to suddenly appear, she says, "Right now, I want to know what kind of alpha Scott McCall really is. And I see that you appear to be waiting on him to rescue you. I'm sorry to disappoint, mija. But, he won't be coming until we send for him."

But as Lydia continues to look around, though she tries to be more subtle about it… Araya tilts her head and says, "Or perhaps, you are looking for your guardian angel? Yes?" Lydia snaps her gaze to Araya, who smirks and says, "Your fox friend is also in our little box, young banshee."

And then Lydia relaxes and her eyes flit around her again. She couldn't help it. Every second she spent in front of this woman was making her more worried, scared, and edgy.

Araya tilts her head and says, "Surely you didn't mean the other one. The were-coyote? If we have your alpha, then you know we have her as well. So… if you are not waiting on one of them… who is it that you are waiting for?"

Tapping her finger on the edge of another knife, Araya asks, "I wonder… how close would you have to be to death, before this guardian angel would appear? Better yet… how close to death would you have to be, before you can predict your own death?"

And then a voice whispers next to her ear, "She'll have to be a lot closer then you will ever make her." Lydia's eyes snap to Nixie in surprise, and her entire body slumps in relief. Araya is honestly quite stunned and surprised. Severo was at the doorway, supposedly protecting her and guarding her. But this little friend, one that they had apparently missed beforehand, had somehow slipped past him.

The blade that touches Araya's throat is cold as ice as the voice says, "Let go of the blade." Araya listens, and then watches as Severo levels his gun as Nixie's head. "Drop it. Or I will shoot you in the head."

He says it matter-of-factly. And most people would probably believe him and drop their weapons immediately, or try to run away. But Nixie simply turned to face him. Leaning closer, more into his shot even, Nixie says, "From the way I'm positioned, if you shoot me, she dies."

At Severo's surprised expression, Nixie says, "Your guns don't scare me. So you drop yours, and then maybe, I'll consider dropping my blade."

Araya waves a hand to him to be still and calm down. Once he does, Nixie says, "Lydia. Move this way."

And it was the ease with which Lydia now moved, as though she knew nothing could touch her now, that had Araya grinning as she says, "Ah. So this would be the angel you mentioned. I wonder… does she come with wings of her own?"

As Nixie rounds to the front of the woman, keeping her blade against Araya's throat, Nixie says, "Sorry to disappoint. I'm just handy with knives, and I have quite the murderous streak in me."

When Nixie feels Lydia at her back, holding her hand, Nixie says, "Let's go." "But…" "Now, Lydia." Araya watches her closely as they back away. Tilting her head, Araya says in realization, "You are… human." Tilting her head as well, Nixie says sarcastically, "No shit, Sherlock."

Then she shoves Lydia faster behind her, and they take off down the crowded streets. Lydia keeps a tight grip on Nixie's hand as she weaves them in and out of alleys and between buildings. Coming up to the bike she'd hotwired earlier, Nixie hands the helmet to Lydia and says, "Take it. Get back to the jeep. Then stay close by and wait for me to call you. Got it?" "Okay. But Nix, what about…" "Don't worry. I'm working on that. Just go!"

As soon as Lydia is gone, Nixie sighs and says, "One down. Four to go. Alright Scott… let's see how hard it is to find you now."

Finding Stiles and Malia was easy. They were in the same room that they had been in when Nixie had first watched them get unloaded from the vehicles. Scott and Kira, however, had been moved.

Nixie orders Stiles and Malia to get out the way she'd come in, and then to run three buildings down and to wait in the alley for her to come and get them. Then she began racing through the building, trying to use her ears to locate Kira or Scott, or both.

It was Scott's roar of pain that finally jerked at her attention. Coming to a full halt and then spinning around to sprint back, she soon came upon one of the guards she'd seen from last night.

The woman, for her part, blinked in surprise at Nixie. And before she could raise her baton to defend herself, or to take Nixie out, Nixie had thrown her dagger at the woman. It sliced through her palm, forcing her to drop the baton from her hand. Then Nixie performed a roundhouse kick on the woman, knocking her in the face and slamming her into the wall next to her. She fell to the ground after that, unconscious.

Nixie hopes she has a concussion, and then grabs her dagger and sprints on. She runs into more guards on the way, but she fights and battles through all of them, leaving a trail of broken bones and moaning men behind her.

Araya was trying to force Scott to guess the name of the person who had Derek. She wanted to test him… to see what kind of an alpha he truly was.

Yeah. Because being a true alpha wasn't good enough already.

She was shoving her other man out of the way, who had stared at her in shock when she said to turn the dial up to 'diez', or ten. But as she made to do it herself, as she was just an inch from touching the dial… a knife sliced through the air, landed in the machine, and tore through the circuitry.

Scott gasps in relief when the electricity stops flowing through his veins. Then he looks up and smirks at the two hunters in the room. "I told you to stop while you were ahead."

And as Nixie sprints into the room, one man falling in front of her as she shoves him to the ground, she takes out two more daggers and slices into the man holding onto Kira. He cries out in pain, already backing away and lifting his hands to defend himself. But it doesn't matter. Nixie breaks his arm, dislocates both his knees, and then for good measure, kicks him hard across the face.

Araya, in spite of backing into the wall, looked downright pissed and aggravated. But it was nothing compared to Nixie's glaring eyes. Slamming one of her daggers into the wall, right beside the woman's head, Nixie yells, "Leave my alpha ALONE!"

And though no one else in the room sees it… Araya does. And her pissed off and aggravated face vanishes; in its place, a look of awe and… almost wonder.

Araya was the head of her hunter family. She had seen much in her time as a hunter. For all she'd done and survived, she was granted great respect and authority.

But even Araya, in all her experience in this life… had never before seen a pair of eyes that glowed silver.

As for Nixie… she felt a very strange sensation run through her body. As though somewhere inside of herself, something was trying to push forward. Some other part of her that was trying to make itself known.

But that didn't make any sense. And in any case, she didn't have time to wonder about that. She could hear more guards coming from the hall outside, and she was going to have to fight them before they would make it out of here.

She was pulling back from Araya, taking her dagger with her and preparing to fight. But as the men barged into the room, weapons drawn and ready, Araya shouts, "Detener! No la lastimes!" And while Nixie and her friends didn't understand what was being said, all of the guards understood it to mean, "Stop! Do not harm her!"

Nixie only understood the word 'Stop', which was good enough for her. Coming over to grab hold of Kira, Nixie says, "Let's go."

But as she approaches Scott, he says, "Not yet." "Scott, so help me, I will…" "I figured it out." Tilting her head, Nixie asks, "What? What did you…" "I know who has Derek." "Who?"

And as Scott looks over at Araya, who nods her head in confirmation, Scott says dismally, "Kate."

Nixie blinks in confusion, and then asks, "Kate? Kate… Kate Argent? Kate, the psychotic bitch that nearly killed you, me, Derek… everyone worth keeping around? That Kate?" Scott nods, and then nods again in agreement when Nixie curses under her breath before saying, "Son of a bitch!"

And though eager to leave and be gone from this place, Scott convinces her to stay when Araya offers to provide them with supplies and a guide to take them to where Kate was last rumored to be seen.

It wasn't lost on Scott that, for some reason, Araya appeared to be trying to appease his very pissed off Nixie. She was trying to make up for what she had done to all of Nixie's friends.

And though he would admit that having the Calaveras as an ally would be nice… he found himself still very pleased with how pissed off Nixie remained. I didn't matter that Araya was letting them go willingly, or providing them with aid now. Nixie's only concern was with how her people, her pack, had been treated. And Araya had treated all of them poorly.

The woman had no idea just how much she was going to have to do, in order to make up for that. Scott hadn't seen the person yet, who had ever been completely forgiven, if they'd purposefully hurt one of the people that mattered to Nixie.

When Braeden pulled up on her motorcycle, Scott nodded in approval, and then glanced at Nixie. She shrugged indifferently in answer to the silent question about her own feelings towards their apparent guide. She liked Braeden… to a certain extent. The woman had the potential to be a great ally someday... if she'd ever get over her need to be paid ridiculous amounts of money for her services. For now though, the woman can be bought, and that wasn't a woman Nixie was willing to trust to any great extent. So she liked Braeden, but that feeling was going to be kept guarded until further notice.

They stand there for a bit, and then Braeden says, "Alright, I'm here. And I'm the only one that's going to take you to 'la iglesia'. So… where is everyone that I'm leading?" Araya nods to that question, wondering the same thing. Since they'd come outside, she had seen no signs of the other members of Scott's pack. It was still only Scott and Nixie, since Nixie had sent Kira away from there as soon as possible. Scott insisted on staying with Nixie, but he had no objections to getting Kira somewhere safer.

Both women look to the two teenagers before them, and then Scott turns his head down to Nixie. Gently squeezing her shoulder, he says, "We need to move. Get them here." Nixie nods after a moment, narrowing her eyes in a brief warning at Araya, before pulling out her phone and sending a group text to everyone else.

And Araya and Braeden look around in surprise when the jeep comes rolling around a corner ten seconds later. Stiles and Malia appear further up at the other end of the street, popping out from between two buildings. And Kira hops down from a balcony roof about two stories off the ground. As they all gather at the jeep that Lydia had driven up behind Braeden, Araya looks to Nixie and asks, "What did you tell them?"

Nixie raises an eyebrow, finding the question ridiculous, and then says, "I texted them 'Time to go.' Now they're here, and we're ready to go. Funny how that works."

Lydia hops out of the driver's seat to hand over the reins to Stiles, sliding into the back. Malia and Nixie join her back there. Scott and Kira make themselves as comfortable as possible in the passenger seat up front.

There was still a bit of awkward tension around those two. Nixie could feel it all the time. After Alison died, Scott had been heartbroken. Even if Alison and he weren't together… she'd been his first love. No matter how far apart they would've grown from each other… they would've always held a special place in each other's hearts, forever.

Alison still holds a special place in all of their hearts. That would never change. But in terms of Kira and Scott… everyone could tell that they liked each other. It was just a matter of them figuring out when the time was be right to move on and begin dating each other. Kira's problem was trying to figure out the appropriate amount of time to wait, after Alison had died, to even consider becoming better friends with Scott. And for Scott… it was trying to figure out how long he actually needed for himself, before he felt ready to try again with Kira.

Nixie can't answer that for either of them. Answers like that differed and varied from person to person. So in this case, it's just something they'll have to figure out for themselves.

Nixie's not worried about it though, as Kira rests her head tiredly on Scott's shoulder for a while. They were comfortable around each other. They'd make a cute couple. It wasn't a matter of 'if' it might happen. It was just a matter of 'when'.

For a while, as they trail Braeden down the desert road, they all sit in silence. Hearing Kate's name for four of them was like a worst nightmare coming back to life. To make it even worse than that, it seemed grossly unfair for that bitch to be alive, while Alison was now dead. As for the other two in the car… they were kind of waiting, hoping someone would eventually fill them in about this woman they'd never heard of.

Malia's patience though, while improving and being worked on, still only existed in a small amount right now. So it was her that leans forward and says, "Alright, I'll ask. Who's Kate Argent?"

The temperature dropped just a smidge in the back of the jeep, but no one commented on that as Kira lifted her head and said meekly, "Um… I'd like to know too."

Sighing, Stiles answers, "Well, we were at her funeral. So, I'd like to know how she got out of a casket that was buried six feet underground." Nixie lifts a finger and says, "Excellent point. I am also confounded by that little detail. So how…" But Scott cuts her off gently by saying, "She was never in it." Leaning forward, gently pushing Malia back for a second, Nixie asks, "And how do you know that?" "I'm just… thinking back to that day. I wasn't as good at this back then as I am now. But if I think back… I don't recall smelling any new scents of decay, or even the smell of that stuff they put in bodies to replace the blood and preserve it. So… I'm pretty sure she was never in it."

Nodding, Nixie says, "Color me impressed." Scott grins a little at her, but as Nixie leans back and sees Malia's still curious and slightly frustrated gaze, Nixie sighs, "So… Malia still wants to know who Kate is."

After a moment more of the silence, Lydia says, "She was Alison's aunt." Nixie nods, and adds as an afterthought, "And a total sociopath." Silence again, and then Kira rests her head on Scott's shoulder while saying, "You don't have to talk about it now if you don't want to."

To which Malia interjects, "Um, yes, he does!" Then she feels Nixie's hand gently squeeze her shoulder. Turning to look at her, Malia watches as Nixie offers her a gentle smile, but then motions with her hand for Malia to calm down just a smidge or two. It would be explained. She just needed to have a little, tiny bit more patience.

So she waited. And sure enough, Scott finally says, "Malia's right. You guys should now. You need to know." He squeezes Kira tighter in response, obviously still not happy about needing to talk about this. But they were going to anyway, regardless.

With that in mind, Stiles sighs and says, "Alright. For starters, Kate was the one who set the fire that killed most of Derek's family." Nixie nods and says, "Some of them survived. Like Cora." Scott glances back at her and adds, "And Peter." Nixie shrugs, "I was leaving him out of it. We don't like him."

Scott chuckles at her and asks, "Even if he is the one who made me a werewolf?" "Especially for that reason. Because he didn't give you a choice. And if it's at all possible, it should be a choice. Stiles being saved from a demonic fox spirit is, like, one of the only exceptions I can think of."

Stiles grins at her in the rearview mirror, and then glances at Lydia when she adds, "And he's the one who eventually caught up to Kate and killed her." Nodding, Stiles then glances at Scott and asks, "Are you sure she was never in it?"

Scott nods and says, "It actually helps explain, in even more detail, how the Calaveras already knew about Kate being supernatural now. They treat the hunter's code like law. They probably wanted to check and make sure she was dead. And when they realized she wasn't, they switched out the bodies, and took her away to try and enforce the part of the code that says when a hunter is bit, they have to take their own life before the change."

Nixie sighs and says, "Which Kate obviously didn't do." Malia pipes in, "Good for her. I wouldn't do it either." Nixie tugs on her shoulder to shove her back into her seat. Casting Malia a brief glare, Nixie says, "Seatbelt. On. Now."

Malia almost never wore the seatbelt in here. She was supernatural. She'd heal. She didn't need it. But she was realizing that, whenever Nixie ordered her to put it on… it was becoming a sign that she had stepped slightly out of bounds with what she'd said. Malia was honest. To an actual fault.

She put it on without question, and then listened as Scott replied, "We wouldn't want you to do it, Malia. But you weren't a hunter." Nixie nods, "Besides, would you kill half a dozen people to get out? Because that's what she did, according to Araya."

Silence reigns in the jeep for a moment, and then Nixie leans forward and says, "We need to figure Kate out." Scott nods, but then they look to Kira when she asks, "What do you mean? You already knew her before. And… she's a werewolf now. Right?" Scott answers, "I don't know. That's what Nixie's referring to. There's a saying; that sometimes the shape you take reflects the person you are."

Lydia immediately asks, "What kind of shape is sociopathic bitch?" And Nixie's burst of laughter eases the tension that had been growing in the vehicle. Leaning back and patting Lydia on the shoulder, Nixie says, "That was beautifully done. I approve." "Thank you. I have been trying to learn from the best. That being you and Stiles, of course." "Oh, naturally."

And then the entire vehicle jerks as a loud clank can be heard from beneath it. Swerving slightly, Stiles manages to keep them forward and the jeep upright as he pulls over to stop. Braeden spins back around immediately, and as they all pile out of the jeep, she asks them, "What happened?"

Stiles shrugs and says, "I don't know. Felt like we hit something." As he, Nixie, and Scott circle the jeep, trying to find the source of the problem, Braeden glanced at the setting sun. Turning back to the others, she says, "Scott, we need to get there before nightfall. It's too dangerous otherwise."

Huffing and running a hand through his hair, Scott then snaps his attention to Stiles, who says, "Go. Both of you, go." Nixie blinks in surprise at already being included in those who needed to leave. And then she points to Scott in agreement when he says, "Not without you guys."

Stiles gives Nixie a look at her pointing finger of agreement, and then approaches them and says, "Guys, someone needs to find Derek. We'll figure something out, we always do." And both boys turn to Nixie when she says, "We thought that before. And we lost Alison." Stiles gently cups her face in his hand and says, "That wasn't for our lack of planning. We had it figured. We were on top of it. We just… we can only be so many places at once. You, Nixie, can only be so many places at once. And right now, you need to help find Derek. Between you and Scott, if you can't find him on your own, he should just be able to find one of you. So go."

Scott sighs again, but nods and says, "Okay." Nixie stares Stiles down for a moment, but then sighs. Hugging him tight, she says, "You better damn well still be fine when I get back." "Don't worry." "Too late."

Nixie then looks over to see Scott and Kira having a moment. And Kira, in a moment of bold bravery, moves in to hug him tightly. And as Scott sinks into it, wrapping around her in kind… Nixie can't help but grin. They weren't together yet. That was going to take, at least, a bit more time.

But… it was definitely a start in the right direction. Nixie could work with that.

Scott is hopping on behind Braeden, making as much room for Nixie as he can on the back. That's when they both look up at Malia says from the jeep, "Stiles, I don't think we hit something. I think something hit us."

As Malia holds up the claw… tooth… fang… whatever the hell it is, Nixie takes in a breath and says, "Right. Because starting off our junior year with Derek missing wasn't bad enough. Now we're adding Kate Argent and freaky desert creatures to the list."

Turning to Scott, who looks ready to hop off the bike again, Nixie puts a hand on his shoulder and says, "No. You go. I'll stay." "Nixie…" "Scott, I don't like having to split up any more than you do. But Stiles is right. Someone needs to find Derek. Like, a month ago, we should've found him."

Squeezing his shoulder, Nixie says, "And between the two of us, you're the werewolf. You're the true alpha. So you have the better chance of finding him, since he's probably incapacitated and won't answer if I shout for him. So go. I'll look after these losers."

Scott can't help a slight grin, and then Nixie moves to face Braeden. For a moment they don't speak, and then Nixie nods and says, "Bring him back in one piece. And for Pete's sake, don't either of you die. I'll be pissed." Braeden nods, and then hands Scott a spare helmet before they take off down the road.

Coming back to the others at the jeep, she glances at Lydia, who asks, "So… now we're the losers?" Nixie nods affirmatively, but then adds, "But, we're the A-team of losers. That counts for something, right?" Lydia grins, and then they watch as Stiles goes about trying to fix the jeep so it will run again. Nixie does what she can to assist, but with only one set of tools, and a thinning roll of duck-tape, there isn't much she can help with. It's more a one man job at this point.

Lydia sighs after a while and says, "Maybe we should just walk." Stiles jerks his head up to look at her, "Hey! I will never abandon this jeep. You understand me? Ever." As Lydia makes to argue, Nixie puts a hand on her shoulder. Shaking her head, Nixie whispers, "Yeah, we'll discuss this another day, when we're not stranded in the desert. But no… Stiles will never abandon this jeep. With good reason, I assure you."

Which, in Nixie's opinion, the fact that the jeep had belonged to Stiles' mother, Claudia, was maybe the best of reasons to never leave the jeep behind. Ever. Lydia eased back upon hearing Nixie's words, and instead went to helping by handing Stiles whatever he might need to fix the jeep.

It wasn't lost on Nixie that, for the first week or so after Malia had officially joined the pack, Lydia had been a bit skeptical and… maybe a bit rude with her. Not that Malia noticed. Lydia would kind of just brush past her or ignore her on occasion.

And Nixie knows that's because Stiles and Malia are together now. But… Lydia's behavior only lasted about a week. Long before Nixie felt she needed to have a talk with her. Malia was… almost adorable, in the way she looked at things and handled situations. Her hatred of math, for one, was adorable in Nixie's opinion. Stiles thought she was downright scary when she grew frustrated over a math problem, but not Nixie.

In any case, Lydia is well aware that she had plenty of opportunities to be with Stiles. Since elementary school, Stiles had set his sights on her. And even now, though he was with Malia, Nixie knows that Stiles will always have his heart set on Lydia, deep down. But for now… it was nice that Stiles finally had somebody that was devoted to him, the way Lydia hadn't been.

That was another thing about Malia that Nixie loved. She was honest to a fault; that much was true. But, Malia was also loyal to a fault. At least, when it came to Stiles, from what Nixie could tell. When Nixie had mentioned this mission to Malia the first time, Malia hadn't really understood why she needed to go. Aside from being part of the pack, Malia didn't know Derek at all, and didn't see the need to go after him when, as a coyote, she probably would've never gone looking for him either.

But when Stiles arrived and told Malia that they needed to go save Derek, she offered no arguments and made no comments about how she still didn't understand why she was helping to save this man who was a stranger to her. She grabbed some of the clothes that Nixie had helped her shop for, threw them in a bag, and was ready to go, standing beside the jeep, before the rest of them were even fully packed yet.

Anyways… the bottom line was, Malia was good for Stiles. And the fact that Stiles wasn't with Lydia, was completely Lydia's own fault. And she was very aware of that, which is why she didn't hold any ill-will against the were-coyote. In fact, they were quickly becoming friends, same as with Kira.

Nixie is watching as Stiles tightens up another bolt, when Malia says from in front of them, "Work faster, Stiles." As they all turn to see her, Malia's gaze casting around the rocks and desert around them, she adds, "There is something out here with us."

Stiles worries for a brief moment about that, but then hears the sound of Nixie twirling one of her daggers in her hand. Nodding to Stiles, Nixie says, "Just keep plugging away Stiles. We'll handle this."

Coming up beside Kira and Malia, Nixie reaches back for her shoulder. In another secret compartment that she'd never used before, she know unsheathes a short sword with a flat handle. It wasn't her choice of weapon. In fact, she wouldn't even own the thing, if not for Kira. But the fox wielded a sword far better than any other weapon that Nixie had tried to show her how to use. Using the katana was instinctual to her.

Nixie hands over the short sword to Kira for her use. It wasn't as long as an actual sword… but it felt better in Kira's hands then Nixie's daggers did. Glancing over at Malia, Nixie asks, "You good?" "I have claws." "Noted. And whatever comes this way had better damn well be terrified." Kira looks to Nixie and asks, "Why? Not that I doubt you can beat them… but why so confident?"

And Lydia, from back at the jeep, bursts into laughter when Nixie says, "Because we have a banshee and she's not freaking out yet about hearing voices that are foretelling our imminent demise. When she starts freaking out, I'll consider doubting our victory. Until then… we're golden. This'll be a piece of cake. And with any luck, we'll make it home for a late dinner."

Glancing back at Lydia who is laughing, and at Stiles who is shaking his head with an amused grin, Nixie asks, "And what do you two think is so damn funny? I'm serious."

As daylight finally gives way to night, Nixie grows slightly antsier. They all do, considering they were in the middle of nowhere and Scott had yet to return to them. Kira eventually moves to draw out her own sword, which is in the back of the jeep. Nixie's were great in a pinch, but since they had a little more time to prepare, it was better to get her own.

While Lydia and Stiles bicker over how the jeep still wasn't fixed, Nixie nudges Malia on her right and asks, "Anything?" Malia glances down at her and says, "I thought you had enhanced senses of your own." "No Malia. That's strictly my hearing. My eyes are normal, far as I know. So… you see anything with your pretty blues?"

Malia grins and flashes her blue eyes over the normal brown color. Then she sighs and says, "No. Even for me, it's too hard to see. We should've brought another flashlight." Nixie nods, and as Kira joins them in front of the jeep, Nixie says to her, "Add that to the list of things we need to remember next time we make one of these, 'impromptu rescue missions'. Because weapons… those I got. In abundance. If I weren't in a supernatural wolf pack, it would be scary how many weapons I have on my person at any given point in time. But an extra flashlight? Now that, I did manage to forget."

Kira smiles gently, and then glances back at the jeep's headlights, and then down at her sword. Stepping away, she holds her sword to one of the headlights, letting the ray of light bounce off of her sword and reflect farther and deeper into the surrounding area. Grinning, Nixie says, "Sweet. Now I don't have to worry about using my phone and killing the battery."

As Malia's eyes scan the area with new afforded clarity, she spots a shift of movement. Which, you know, Malia's a were-coyote, so it makes complete sense for her eyes to pick up on it. What Nixie finds strange is that she sees the flash of movement as well. Quick and small and to most… probably insignificant. But somehow she knew, just like Malia, that whatever was moving out there, was definitely not their friend. Not even close.

And given the distance and the fact that she was human… she shouldn't have been able to see it quite that well. Not without a sniper scope or something. But Nixie will work that out later. Much later.

Because right now, Malia snarls in anger and surges forward, racing after whatever creature was waiting for them out there. Kira shouts, "Malia! Wait!" And then Stiles, for all his talk of never abandoning his jeep, snaps his head up to watch as Malia runs off, and then begins trying to scramble down from the hood to go after her. "Malia! Malia, stop!"

Lydia reaches out to grab him, because there's no point in him leaving too. Stiles wouldn't catch Malia anyway if she was chasing down a beast. And Lydia is not about to be left here by herself, with nothing but an abandoned jeep to keep company.

She relaxes though, and Stiles stops scrambling, when Nixie says, "Hey! Everybody chill!" She snags Kira by the back of her jacket before she can run off. Hauling her back to the jeep, Nixie points to Lydia and Stiles, and then says, "You, watch them. Hawk eyes on them at all times. Understand?" Kira nods, and then Nixie turns to Stiles and says, "Get it fixed. Do it now. I will get her."

And then to Lydia, Nixie grins slightly before saying, "Hold the flashlight still, Lydia. We need to get out of here. And we need to do it now."

And then she sprints in the direction that Malia had gone off in.

Weaving her way through the rocks silently, the way Chris and Alison had trained her to walk through the woods as well, Nixie keeps her daggers down in her hands, prepared for an attack at any moment. Her ears are attuned to every little sound, categorizing it and then putting it away if it's not helpful. Most of what she hears are the tiny desert animals that live among these rocks.

Then she hears hurried steps, and Nixie steps aside into a crevice between two rocks to hide. Her plan had been to surprise the oncoming assailant, and then after taking him out, find Malia in whatever place she'd managed to run to.

But after a second, when no one runs past her position, Nixie hears Malia's voice whisper, "Nix?" Sighing and stepping out, she asks, "Yeah?" Malia snaps around to look at her, and then sighs in relief before saying, "I thought I smelled you." "Yeah, you did. Anyways, what did you find?" Malia shakes her head, a mixture of wonder and worry in her eyes, before she says, "I don't know. But it's big and fast. And it cuts deep."

Nixie frowns at that and looks over to see Malia's cut side. She was a werewolf and she'd heal. But that didn't mean Nixie liked it any more than it if had happened to her or Stiles or Lydia. Twirling a dagger now, Nixie asks, "Which way did he go? I'll kick his ass." "Nixie, I just said…" "He's big and fast. Yeah, I got that. I'm tiny and fast. Much more lethal, I assure you. So where is he?"

Malia smiles a little at Nixie's clearly pissed off state. This was the first time she'd been hurt as part of the pack, and as one of Nixie's people. So this was also the first time that Malia felt the full extent of the overprotective streak that made up a majority of Nixie's character. And it was… touching, to say the least. Malia could tell from the look in her eyes that Nixie was full prepared, and more than willing, to kill whatever creature had done this to her.

The stranger, but no less comforting part of that, was that Malia almost believed that Nixie, in all her humanness, would still actually fare better against the beast than she had herself.

And Malia was about to try and lead the way after the creature, as Nixie had requested, when they both tilt their heads at the sound of the jeep finally cranking in the distance. Sighing in relief, Nixie says, "Alright. To the jeep."

As they sprint back, Nixie watches as Stiles slumps in relief from where he'd been standing, anxiously waiting for them to reappear. Kira and Lydia were waiting by the doors, ready to get in. As Nixie and Malia get closer, Nixie asks her, "You got Scott's scent?" "Yeah." "Good. Take shotgun and tell Stiles were to go."

Stopping when they reach Stiles, who looks about to point at Malia as he declares something, Malia then turns to Nixie and asks, "We brought a shotgun?" Nixie grins at her and says, "It means take the front passenger seat. Sit next to Stiles, tell him where to go." Then she looks at Stiles and says, "Get in the jeep. Talk while you drive. Go. Now!"

So they all quickly pile in, and after Malia has given Stiles a direction to start in, he turns to her and says, "Okay. You? You please, don't ever do that again!" Malia turns to him in confusion and asks, "Do what?" Sighing, running a weary hand over his face, Stiles says, "I… I thought you just took off. I thought you were running."

Still utterly confused, Malia says, "I was running. And so was Nixie. We were both running. Why aren't you yelling at her?" Stiles glances at her and sighs again before saying, "Because I am overly aware that Nixie will always come back to me. It's a given. But you? I thought… I mean, I thought you were leaving."

Malia takes a moment to ponder that. Then, remaining true to her 'honest to a fault' character, she turns to him again and says unashamed, "I wouldn't leave without you." Stiles glances at her in surprise and asks, "Really?" Nodding, as though this were not some amazing declaration, but was a simple fact of life, Malia then adds, "Yeah, I would never leave without you."

Nixie has to bite her lip to keep from laughing at the stunned look at Stiles' face. Then she leans forward, squeezes Malia's shoulder in approval, and says, "I know I've said it before. But you and me? We're going to be great friends. I love this attitude. Perhaps that should be our pack motto at some point in the future."

Malia smiles back at her, but then concedes, "But… them I would leave." Lydia tilts her head in mock offense, but nods to Stiles in appeasement when he explains, "Uh, yeah, it's progress. She wouldn't leave Nixie. That's a start." Lydia grins and says, "Nobody with even just half a brain would leave Nixie behind."

Nixie rolls her eyes and says, "They would if they hated sarcastic comments that fly around at least fifty percent of the day. Somebody like that probably would've killed me by now." Kira grins and says, "That's why you're stuck with us."

And they all laugh when Nixie says, "Stuck with? I'll have you know, little Miss Fox, that I hand-picked all of you myself. I'm not stuck with anything. In fact, if anyone is stuck with anybody around here, it's you people, who are all stuck with me. So yeah. Deal with it."

Lydia then glances to Malia's side, still an open wound at the moment. Tilting her head, Lydia says, "That doesn't look so good." Malia glances at it as well, and then says, "It's okay." Kira looks at it too and then says concernedly, "Are you sure? It looks deep." Malia just nods, "Yeah, I can feel it healing. It wasn't at first."

Stiles looks to her and asks, "So what happened to kick start it?" "Oh. Nixie offered to go after the thing and kill it for what it did to me. Made me feel better." Stiles grins at Nixie in the back, who simply holds up her hands and says, "See? Offering up death threats can have positive side-effects. Someone should tell Scott that when we see him again. Because this request of his, that I not threaten to kill people all the time, is seriously hard sometimes."

Lydia grins over at her again, but then asks, "So… neither of you saw anything?" Nixie shakes her head and says, "Unfortunately, I never actually caught up to the damn thing. Malia?" Sighing, Malia says, "Barely. It had a strong scent though." Stiles glances at her and asks, "Like what?" "Like death."

There's a pause of silence, and then Nixie says, "Drive faster, Stiles." And he floors it without question. They needed to get to Scott. They needed to get to him now.

Malia was beginning to have a little trouble trailing Scott's scent. The wind was blowing stronger the closer they got, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to track.

That's when they heard a massive roar shoot up through the air, and Nixie snaps her head around in the direction of that sound before saying, "Go. Follow that. Stiles, hurry!" He floors it even harder, honestly quite uncomfortable with the speed he's going. But, he's more worried that Nixie, at this point, would slap him in the back of the head if he slowed down, even for the turns.

When they finally make it through the city, which Malia says smells like death too, Stiles finally stops in front of what must've once been "the Church". As Braeden and Scott make their way out, carrying a limp and weary form between them, they all scramble out of the jeep to try and help them.

But upon seeing the exact look of the person Scott was helping carry out… they all freeze on the spot. Because seriously? What the actual hell?

Malia, who had never seen Derek before, asks, "Is that him? Is that Derek?" Stiles makes a very confused sound in the back of his throat, and then sighs before saying, "Maybe. Sort of. Nix?" Nixie is still staring at the young man who is hanging from Scott and Braeden's shoulders. His eyes dart around worriedly, and in fright.

At Stiles question, she looks to see what he wants. He gestures to Derek and asks, "You've seen pictures of him younger. Is that…" Nixie nods and says, "It's Derek. I just… I don't understand how." Scott nods and says, "Join the club."

Derek, a considerably younger Derek, had been shaking and darting his eyes around this entire time. Despite all the time he must've spent in the ground, he was still very tired and exhausted. But he was also terrified of closing his eyes again right now.

Then he heard her voice. And as he took a deep breath in while looking in Nixie's direction, Derek felt as if a weight suddenly lifted from his shoulders. Nothing around him made sense. Everything was foreign and different and… he couldn't understand anything.

But her. This short woman in front of him. She was familiar. Even if Derek couldn't remember ever seeing her before, the smell that exuded from her was unmistakable. Safety, security… a sense of wholeness that had seemed impossible to grasp a moment ago.

Home. That's what she smelt like. She smelled like the safety and security and warmth of home.

Scott feels him relax, and watches as Derek's darting eyes suddenly focus with precision on Nixie. Nixie, for her part, was looking around them now, trying to discern if a new threat was on the way already.

Derek squirms a bit, struggling to pull himself away from Scott and Braeden. But he could barely hold himself up, and as he left their helpful grips, he fell to his knees wearily. Scott watched him struggle for a moment, but then put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Patience."

Then Scott looked up and said, "Nix." She snapped her gaze to them, asking, "Yeah?" "Hold him." Nixie tilts her head slightly, but comes over anyway. Bending down to Derek's level, she wastes no time with hesitation or with wondering if he even wanted to be held. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in tight, a hand cradling the back of his head while the other gently rubbed some circles into his upper back.

Derek relaxed even further around her, soaking in the comfort she provided. Every care he had was suddenly pushed to the back of his mind for a while, and he could only focus on the feeling of safety she provided.

Scott feels it all in him, can smell his emotions shifting and calming around him. Then he looks to Braeden and asks, "I'm sorry, but can you help us get home?" Braeden watches the scene unfolding before her as well, and then nods to Scott and says, "Sure."

He nods his appreciation, and then Scott looks to Kira and says, "Come on. We'll squeeze on the back with Braeden. Let's get Derek in the jeep and get him the hell out of here." Derek wraps a weak arm around Nixie, as though afraid he were going to be forced to let her go. But he relaxes again when Nixie says gently, "Don't worry Derek. We're gonna take care of you now. It's all gonna be okay."

It's as they're driving home though, Derek sleeping with his head in Nixie's lap, and a calm silence enveloping everyone in the jeep.

That's when Stiles sighs and nods his head in agreement, when Nixie huffs in annoyance before she mutters quietly, "Son of a bitch."

And that is Chapter 1! In the original, I didn't include a chapter for their hunt in the desert for Derek. So... tell me what you think. Hope you're enjoying it so far. Chapter 2 will follow shortly. :)