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Lacy here and it's time to start season five. This season sees the complete separation of the McCall pack from the Hale pack, it sees John reaching a breaking point with his children and several faces from the past. But let's start with something simple. Senior Scribe night. I wish my high school had something like this. It's so cool. But it's not all rainbows and sunshine. For one thing, it's raining a lot and for another, just who is Theo? Read on!

Disclaimer: I own only Effie and her weirdness.

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~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie hummed quietly as she drew in her sketch book. The tree she leaned against was a bit rough, but the night air was comfortable. The full moon was shining brightly, though it was having little effect on the druidfox. Something she was very grateful for, as her anchor was in South America with his sister.

"Who's that?"

Effie looked up at Liam. "I'm not really sure." she was drawing a boy, a young man really, who looked about the same age as her and her friends. He had close cut hair and eyes that were familiar, but strange at the same time. "I think I know him, but I can't really place him."

"Does that usually happen?" Liam asked. "When you draw like this?"

"Not all the time." Effie admitted. She'd gotten quite used to her precognitive gifts over the summer, having met with a druid in South America who was able to help her channel them and call them forth when she wanted, instead of always being taken by surprise. "It's getting better, easier, to do it when I want."

Liam smiled. "So your trip away this summer was good."

Effie smiled as well. "Yeah, really good."

"Think it's been long enough?" Effie tuned into her brother's voice as he talked with Scott by the jeep at the end of the cliff they were all at.

"Yes!" Liam called out.

Stiles turned from the jeep. "Hey, trying to have an adult conversation over here."

Effie smirked. "Might wanna step back then, Sti. 'Cause that does not include you."

"Hilarious, Ef." Stiles laughed sarcastically. "You sure you left Derek with Cora? Cause it sounds like he's in your pocket."

Effie's smirk grew. "He was in something, but it was not my pocket."

"Effie!" All three boys groaned loudly.

Effie laughed as she stood. "Come on, guys. I think Liam's doing just fine. Let him down." Liam had had an off moon the month before and the boys resorted to chaining him up, to the tree Effie had been leaning against, while he got used to the moon this month. Not the best plan, but what did Effie expect when she left them alone without supervision?

"It's not that we don't trust you," Scott said as he came over with the key.

"It's that I don't trust you." Stiles piped up, earning a punch to the arm from his sister.

"It's just, after that last full moon," Scott said.

"It's was one slip up." Liam protested.

"Slip up?" Stiles parroted. "A dozen calls to the Sheriff's Department about a 'monstrous dog-boy running around the street of Beacon Hills naked'. That's a slip up?"

"Why were you naked?" Scott questioned.

"It was really hot out that night, okay?" Liam pleaded his case. "Let me go."

"You sure you're okay?" Effie asked.

Liam nodded. "It won't happen again."

"You're in complete and total control?" Scott asked.

"Yeah. Complete and total."

Effie knew Liam was lying, could smell the blood on his hands, but she knew Scott could as well. And knew the boy would be called on it before the end of the night. For now, they had places to be.

"I'll see you guys at school." Effie grabbed her bag. "I'm gonna check in with Dad then go home and change."

"What's wrong with what you're wearing?" Liam and Scott asked.

Stiles actually face palmed. "Ignore them. We'll see you later." he hugged his sister. "Good to have you home, little sister."

Effie smiled. "Good to be home, big brother."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

"Dad," Effie pushed open John's office door. "I brought dinner."

John smiled in relief. "Effie, you are a welcome sight, baby girl."

"Uh huh," Effie laughed, placing a salad in front of her father. "I didn't bring anything Stiles wouldn't approve of."

"Of course not." John sighed. "But still, I missed you."

"Missed you, too," Effie smiled and perched on the arm of one of the chairs. "So, has Jordan snapped yet? Six months of rookie duty has got to have gotten to him."

John grinned. "He has, actually. So I sent him out on a noise complaint."

"Dad," Effie leaned forward. "just because we don't know what he is, doesn't mean you have to treat him with kid gloves."

"I know," John nodded. "I just wanna be cautious. I mean, even Derek can't tell us what Parrish is, and he knows just about everything."

"Oh! Speaking of which," Effie reached into her bag, pulling out a hardcover journal. "I finally made Derek write it all down." she handed it over. "This is the rewritten version, since his handwriting is about as good as Stiles's."

"Disturbing." John muttered as he flipped through the pages. "This is great, why hasn't he done this before?"

Effie gave John a look. "Have you met him, Dad? His default is brick wall and his backup is concrete siding."

John snorted. "Ain't that the truth." he set the book down. "Thanks for this, sweetie. Now, I know Senior Scribe is tonight, so go on. I probably won't be home until after the storm passes."

Effie moved around the desk to hug her father. "We'll send an ark, Noah."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Effie frowned as she got to the school and felt pulls on her pack bonds. Something wasn't right. She didn't know what, but she hadn't felt pulls like this since the last supernatural attack. She ran towards where she could feel the pack, not caring at all that the rain was soaking her sweater or how quickly it was seeping into her boots. She just knew she needed to get to the pack.

She found them just under the weird tunnel near one of the entrances, fighting something that had one hand full of glowing, blue talons. 'Cause that was normal.

She watched Kira and Scott attack the other wolf, as Effie's nose told her, with Malia, Liam and Stiles running in from the other side. And another beta was there as well but his scent wasn't familiar at all. However, his face was. It was the one Effie drew earlier that night.

When the attacking wolf buried his glowing talons into Scott's chest, Effie charged but didn't get far as the sight of her alpha falling to his knees froze her in place. They all watched Scott struggle against whatever was being done to him, his red eyes fading. But it only lasted for a mere moment. Soon, the red was back and Scott was twisting and breaking the attacking wolf's arm. He tore it from his chest, taking three of the talons with him. With a swipe, he pulled them from his body, sending them tumbling to the ground.

"I don't know who you are," Scott said. "or what you thought you were going to do. But I'll give you a choice. You can stay and I'll break something else, or you can run."

The werewolf turned, looking at the pack.

"I'd run." Stiles advised.

"Fast." Effie threw in.

And run he did. That was when they all turned to the mystery beta, who had aided their fight.

"You don't remember me, do you?" he smiled at them. "I guess I look a little different since fourth grade."

Scott's eyes widened. "Theo?"

Theo nodded.

"You know him?" Malia asked.

"They used to." Theo answered. "I never thought I'd see you guys again. A few months ago, I heard of an alpha in Beacon Hills. When I found out his name was Scott McCall, I just couldn't believe it. Not just an alpha, but a true alpha."

"What do you want?" Scott asked. Effie shifted closer to Stiles, both feeling more than a little suspicious.

"I came back to Beacon Hills." Theo said. "Back home, with my family. Because I wanna be a part of your pack."

Effie took a slow breath, looking at Stiles and sharing one thought. That six month grace period was over.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

With the fresh news of Malia passing and officially being a senior and meeting up with Lydia, the pack made their way to the library, where the Senior Scribe bookshelf was being cleared. Already on the metal were the initials of past senior classes. They waited in line for their turn and Effie went first.

She looked the shelf over, smiling at the weird way former seniors had signed their initials and then her eyes zeroed in on two sets in particular; Derek's and Laura's. She had to chuckle at how plain Derek's were, compared to the swirls and smileys Laura put around hers.

Effie signed her own, just to the right of Derek's and gave them a cursive flare. Capping the pen, she handed it to Stiles and stepped back against the rail. Once he put his down, he handed the pen off to Lydia, who gave it to Kira.

"This isn't vandalism, is it?" Kira asked.

"Not technically." Lydia answered vaguely.

Effie laughed with Stiles as Kira signed her name. She handed the pen to Malia who, after a moment, signed 'MT' proudly. Scott went last, signing his initials and Allison's.

"She woulda been with us." Stiles said.

Scott nodded. "I know."

"She still is." Lydia said.

With a shared smile, the group made their way back down from the stacks.

It felt different, Effie noticed, walking with her pack. She didn't know if it was the idea that this was their last year together before life took them in separate directions, or just having been away all summer made her perspective change. But even the air felt different.

"You okay?" Lydia asked, linking their arms.

Effie smiled. "Yeah, I think so." she leaned her head against Lydia's as they walked. "Just miss Derek and still adjusting to being back home."

"You won't be apart forever," Lydia said. "and home will feel like home again before you know it." she pushed against Effie lightly. "So, how was the trip? Your postcards, while beautiful, told me nothing."

"Sleepover?" Effie suggested.

Lydia grinned. "You read my mind."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Dressed in their pajamas, Effie and Lydia laid on the latter's bed, a laptop open in front of them.

"And this is the villa we stayed at in France," Effie said, filling Lydia in on her trip with Derek. "it was smaller than most, which I think Derek liked, and the view of the sunrise was breathtaking." she brought up another picture, showing a gorgeous orange and red sunrise. "I think it was my favorite place, honestly."

"I am so jealous," Lydia sighed with a smile. "Can I steal Derek?"

Effie laughed. "Sure, if you can get him to agree."

Lydia giggled. "How's Cora doing?"

"She's really happy." Effie brought up some shots of the young Hale girl. The first was Cora with her pack, all twenty-eight of them. Next was Cora, Effie and Derek. The girls were hugging Derek from either side while he rolled his eyes upward with an fake annoyed smile. The last one was Derek and Cora, sitting near a cliff, just talking with each other. They both looked so calm and relaxed, it was Effie's favorite shot of them. "She loves it down there, though she does have plans to travel once she finishes with school. She even wants to come back here for a bit."

"I've got a spare guest room," Lydia smiled. "just in case."

"I'll make sure to tell her that." Effie shut her computer and rolled on to her back. "It felt different, being away. Not better, exactly. But lighter."

"You didn't have to worry about anything supernatural attacking." Lydia easily guessed. "Not even on the full moon. That had to have been a nice change after all we've gone through."

"Yeah, it really was." Effie nodded. "Do you think this year will be everything we want it to be? And that Stiles's plan will work?"

Lydia sighed, rolling beside Effie, resting her head on the other girl's shoulder. "I hope so. I mean, I've had you since we were little kids. Even with all the crap I pulled, pretending to be a ditz for Jackson, you still stood by me."

"Of course," Effie nodded. "your taste in guys aside, you were my first girlfriend and that meant a lot to me, especially after Stiles and I lost Mom."

"Me too," Lydia said softly. "I think, as long as we hold onto that, and each other, we stand a very good chance of this lasting as long as we want."

Effie smiled. "Yeah, I do, too."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

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Oh girls, you should know better. I love adding little scenes with Effie and Lydia, just to be reminded of how long they've been friends and how much they mean to each other. Don't get used to that control Effie has, it won't stay for long. And her other powers will come into play, but not too often. Let me know what you think, flame policy stands and thanks for reading.

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