In which Erica ran away with Boyd and broke Isaac's heart. Now that she's back, she has to find a way to correct her mistake.

The following includes brotps, guilt, and who knows what else.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"How is he?" Erica asked. Gone was the leather and the confident demeanor. She stood in front of them in a ripped t-shirt and jeans, dirt smudged and healing from many cuts and scrapes.

She was standing outside of the Hale house in front of Stiles and Scott who were side by side, arms crossed.

"Well… he's not happy." Scott evaded.

"Is he mad?" Her hair was mussed and her fiery red lipstick smudged. She looked deflated and small, like a lost child.

"Mad? Well, he's used to abandonment and abuse by now." Stiles muttered angrily. "What were you thinking? Running away with Boyd wasn't only stupid and rude, it was dangerous. You both could have been killed."

"Yeah, thanks mom." Erica snapped back. "I already feel bad. I didn't mean—I didn't run away with Boyd for that reason. It's not what any of you think!" Her voice broke and she looked at the ground.

Stiles backed down. "I know. I'm sorry."

"Then… why did you leave with Boyd?" Scott asked. His puppy face was out and Erica would drink a wolfsbane cocktail before she admitted how adorable it was.

She shifted uncomfortably, eyes back on the ground. She didn't want to tell them. It wasn't their business.

"Erica, you're going to have to explain eventually. You might as well get it out there now." Stiles was gentle but firm.

Erica sighed. "I was— I didn't know what to do. Okay? Boyd told me he was running. I went along, not even thinking about anything else. I… I thought he was right."

It hadn't taken long before they were bickering about turning back. When she and Boyd had heard the howling in the woods, they ran with their metaphorical tails between their legs. They had returned together and quickly parted ways, Boyd to his house and Erica to make amends. She grimaced as she looked up at Scott and Stiles.

"I—I didn't know what else to do." She admitted.

Stiles sighed, "Okay. Well, you might as well go talk to him."

"Go talk to him? Don't you think he's already heard this entire conversation?" Erica was exasperated. The boys shared a look. "What? Why wouldn't he have heard—Oh my god—is he okay? What happened to him?" Immediately her teeth and nails were extending.

"Jesus, nothing happened to him!" Stiles exclaimed. "Put your fangs away, Shakira."

The blonde looked at him with a confused and disgusted expression.

"Shakira—She wolf? No? Ugh… fine." Erica rolled her eyes at the pop culture reference. "He's been listening to classic rock through head phones since you left."

"Yeah, it's actually getting hard to listen to. I don't know how he can stand it being so close to his ears."

Now that Erica was paying attention, she too could hear the bass and drums from far away. She looked up to his window, noticing his room was dark. "D'you—do you think he hates me?" She asked in a small voice.

"I would." Scott said. Stiles elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow! It's true."

"Just go talk to him. That's the only way to fix this."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Erica blew out a swift gust of air as she stood outside Isaac's door, running a hand through her hair to tame it. She raised her hand to knock, but thought better of it. She could hear Isaac's music full blast inside, and guessed he wouldn't hear her knock anyway. She deliberated for a moment before slowly opening the door.

The door revealed a room lit by only the sun coming through the windows. It was almost neat, with stacks of books and CDs placed on windowsills and bookshelves, or anywhere possible. His desk held a laptop, a few textbooks, and more CDs and books. His bed was pushed to the wall on the opposite side.

He was lying down on his bed, eyes closed. Big headphones covered his ears and his foot moved to the beat. She could hear Led Zeppelin pounding out in waves as she leaned up against the frame of his door. The light from the windows played in his tawny hair and her hand itched to join it. She watched as his nostrils flared, knowing her scent had permeated the room.

The music stopped, and the sudden lack of sound made her feel bare. She could hear the ceased sound and movement downstairs before Derek's "Get out." The house was quickly vacated and the bang of the front door and the rev of two engines were the only noises for a long while.

"Why are you here, Erica?" He didn't sound angry. He sounded tired.

Erica bit her lip and started forward, but then stopped. "I came to say I'm sorry. I didn't—"

"What?" He stood up quickly and walked a few paces toward her. "You didn't what? Didn't mean to run away with Boyd? Didn't mean to leave without saying goodbye?" He didn't yell. He hated yelling, which was understandable. His lip quivered. "You didn't even say goodbye." He sat back down on his bed, head in his hands.

"I—"

"What do you want, Erica?" He asked wearily.

"I want to apologize—"

"No, what do you want?"

"I want you to not be mad at me." Erica cried. Her breaths came faster and she rushed to say her piece before he cut her off. "I didn't think about what I was doing. I was misguided and freaked the fuck out. And scared. I was scared."

Isaac picked his head up from his hands and looked at her. His eyes softened and he extended his arms, inviting her to them. She rushed into his embrace, muffling her breathing against his neck. She inhaled, enjoying his warm clean scent. He smelled like mint gum and old books.

"Why didn't you come to me?" Isaac asked softly. It was easy to hear the hurt in his voice. She pulled back, and looked at her feet.

"I didn't want to pull you away from here. Derek, Scott, Stiles? They're your family. I didn't really fit in the same. I didn't want to take you away from the first place you've called home in so long."

They sat in silence, just thinking and listening to each other's breathing. Slowly, Isaac's hand closed over her own. Their fingers intertwined and his thumb rubbed over her knuckle. A smile began to build on her face and she looked up at him, only a small hint of fear and guilt in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Isaac. I'm just so sorr—"

"I forgive you." He murmured, "Don't worry."

They were close now, their bodies drawn towards each other like magnets. She could hear his heart rate increasing and she knew hers was as well. His eyes flashed gold as they flickered to her lips. Her lungs worked hard to drag in a single breath as she looked at his mouth as well. They slowly leaned into each other, his breath washing over her face before their mouths met.

He was inexperienced, that much was clear, but Erica didn't mind. His lips were soft and sweet against hers, even though his heart pounded and his hands shook. Her eyes fluttered closed as she made a small high noise of satisfaction. His mouth stilled for a moment, but she drew him closer with a hand on the back of his neck. Her fingers twisted in his bronze curls, encouraging him. She desperately wanted him to hold her. She got her wish.

His arms circled her waist, playing with the hair that fell down her back to his hands. She shivered as his fingers sent tingles up her spine. She smiled, feeling the curl of his lips as well. Almost shyly, her mouth parted, a tongue darting out to quickly taste his bottom lip.

He drew back, tongue between his teeth, looking at her intently. His eyes burned gold as their gaze met. With a hand curled into her blonde hair this time, he ducked back down to gather her lips in his.

He learned the contours of her mouth quickly, teasing and questing expertly. Her stomach coiled and uncoiled deliciously, his warmth sinking into her and fueling her want. Beneath her ribcage, her wolf curled up beneath her heart. Tucking its nose into its side, the wolf yawned, closed its amber eyes, and fell asleep.

Erica pulled back in shock. Her surprise must have shown on her face because Isaac looked concerned. "Are you okay?"

"My wolf…" Erica said dazedly, "Fell asleep…"

"Yeah?" He asked, comprehension dawning on his face.

"It hasn't done that before… not even when I sleep." Erica let a brilliant smile spread over her face. "I think I've found my anchor."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope to continue this story. If everything goes to plan, it will be approximately four chapters long.

Ever at your service,

~any-otp-will-do