Stiles was allowed to stop by his house for a few hours and at least do some of the plans he originally had for relaxing after school. Not sure when he needed permission to go to his own house, but that was the last thing on his mind at the moment. He finished his essay and inhaled some of the leftover pizza before trudging back into the kitchen. His dad ended up taking a late shift so watching the game with him went out the window. At least tomorrow night they'd be able to share stories about his night shift adventures together. Just as Stiles inhaled a glass of milk, he heard a knock at the door. Who the hell was actually using his door? "Stiles?" Scott called as he walked through the front hallway. Well, at least he was coming in through the front door and not his window. "Nice to see your actually using a glass."

Stiles rolled his eyes at Scott as he leaned against the kitchen doorway. "Nice to see you're actually using the door," he fired back. "What did Derek say to convince you to show up?"

Scott merely shrugged as he wandered into the kitchen. "Nothing more than the usual snapping your trachea threat. Ellie stepped in though and asked me, politely, to come as back up. Do you know why they want to find the alpha pack so bad all of a sudden?"

Stiles quickly managed a shrug. It wasn't his place to tell how Ellie's friend went rogue after almost being burned alive, then came to Beacon Hills in search of the Argents only to join a psychotic pack of alphas. Stiles still couldn't believe Ellie had told him at all; whatever Derek said during their weird telekinesis moment must have gained Stiles at least a small amount of her trust. But what had he said? God, Stiles would give anything just to know what they said during those moments. Stiles looked it up online and found that it wasn't rare for wolves to have a bond with those they have been with since they were young. Just like Derek and Ellie were.

Awesome….

"Dunno dude, when do we ever know why Derek does the things he does?" Stiles sighed, rinsing out his cup.

"Do you think it has to do with Ellie coming into town?" Scott pondered as he grabbed a bottle of water from the counter. "How close do you think those two really are?"

"I don't want to know, and I don't care, Scott," Stiles bit out. It was an innocent question, but Stiles couldn't help but wince against the memories that were flashing across his mind; Derek and Ellie's hands grasping against her shoulder to anchor her from wolfing out, the way Derek carelessly ruffled her hair as he passed by, and their stupid telekinesis bond.

Scott went silent for a few seconds as Stiles glared at the fridge, making no attempt to calm his heart as it rammed viciously against his rib cage. "I'm sorry, Stiles," Scott whispered.

"Yeah," Stiles grunted as he made his way for the stairs, "me too."

Stiles made his way up the stairs and into his room, his eyes beginning to water before he could stop them; he was glad Scott chose to not follow. What was wrong with him? So what if Derek liked someone else? It's not like Stiles ever had a chance anyway, look at him! Derek was sculpted by the sex Gods where Stiles was sculpted by cavemen. Stiles wasn't anything Derek wanted; he was awkward, built like a toothpick, was always getting into trouble with his stupid mouth, and he was human. No alpha in their right mind would want a human around as their boyfriend, especially not Stiles who was prone to having a weak stomach, falling into panic attacks, and always getting kidnapped. What good would he be? Sometimes Stiles couldn't help but wish he had just let Peter give him the stupid bite.

After taking a few seconds to calm himself, hands gripping the edge of his desk as he blinked the tears away, he snatched up his cell phone and headed back downstairs.

By the time they pulled up to Ellie's house, the entire pack was waiting. Stiles parked behind Jackson's Porsche before they hopped out and headed inside. There they found all of them circled in the living room. "It's about time you two got here," Peter said from his place in the lounge chair.

Neither of them made a comment, Stiles plopping down into the empty space on the couch next to Boyd as Scott sat on the arm rest of the chair Isaac was sitting in. "We were just discussing the scout Jackson and Erica chased down an hour ago," Isaac explained quickly.

"Scout?" Stiles questioned.

"The alphas sent one of their own to try and find us, zero in on what we are planning," Ellie explained. "They're worried that they underestimated us a little too much."

"Jackson says he saw the scout disappear around the parking structure closest to the shopping center, so we'll start there first," Derek explained.

"All of us?" Scott asked.

"We still don't know how many are in this pack and the last thing we want to do is have half of our members be ripped to shreds by ten alphas just because we separated," Peter deadpanned. Scott gave in with a nod. "Alright, we'll go level by level. Jackson and Boyd take the first level, Derek and I will take the second, Erica and Ellie take the third, Scott and Isaac take the fourth, and Stiles you take look out on the roof top."

"The roof top? Why do I have to go up there?" Stiles muttered.

"It's less likely that the alphas will get up to the roof top, but you can keep a look out over the edge and tell us how many approach," Boyd said. Stiles gave in with a long sigh. Already he could tell this idea was going to go downhill fast. Without brakes.

Jackson drove Boyd and Erica while Derek took off with Ellie and Peter, leaving Stiles to follow in toe with Scott and Isaac in his jeep. The shopping center was a good twenty minutes from where Ellie's house was just outside of town. "Do you think they'll be there?" Isaac asked. "The Alpha Pack."

"I hope not. I'm not really in the mood for another werewolf showdown like we had last night," Scott sighed.

"What are you talking about? You did great last night, even jumped in after Erica and I were taken out," Isaac said, Scott laughing. "Are you sure you won't be part of the pack with us?"

Stiles couldn't help but tune them out as he began to focus on the tail lights of the Camaro in front of them. He's never ridden in Derek's car, besides that time Scott was driving and Kate Argent was chasing them down. That wasn't much fun…but he could imagine it now. Derek behind the wheel with Stiles relaxing back in the passenger seat, their hands possibly intertwined and resting in Stiles lap as he traced rough knuckles with his free hand. Stiles would be babbling on, like usual, but for a few minutes they'd sit in silence and just-just be. Sun roof open, stars shining through as a cool breeze ripped through the car.

But Derek wasn't here, he was up there with Ellie sitting in the passenger seat. She was probably holding his hand, perfect tiny fingers easily gripped between his, keeping him grounded as Peter went over the plan. She would know what to say and when to say it, her ideas probably ten times better than Stiles'. Their bond was strong, probably unbreakable and everlasting. Stiles had no chance against werewolf love, even if he had a miniscule chance before….now it was nothing.

"Stiles?" Isaac suddenly called, voice soft.

Stiles snapped back to reality as he glanced over at Scott, the frown too deep across his face. He realized his heart was thudding painfully and immediately pulled the dummy card. "What?"

"You ok?" Scott asked.

Stiles nodded sharply. "Just peachy guys."

Thankfully they had reached the parking structure, Jackson pulling to a stop about half a mile away with Derek and Stiles filing in next to him. "Any sign of the pack?" Isaac asked as he jumped from the back of the jeep.

"Not yet," Derek said.

"But they'll be coming," Peter quickly added. "I can feel it. Come on."

The group followed after him as he made his way for the structure. Stiles' stomach immediately sunk as he watched Ellie and Derek take off side by side. Why did this have to suck so much? Forcing his legs to move, he tucked himself in between Scott and Isaac before walking with them into the structure. As they made their way up the stairs of the structure Jackson and Boyd took off across the bottom level, Derek and Peter a few steps later with Ellie and Erica running off a few flights after. Thankfully Scott, Isaac, and Stiles were able to walk all the way up to the fourth floor before having to break off, Scott wishing Stiles luck before the two werewolves vanished from sight. Stiles let out a sigh as he marched himself up to the roof where he was immediately greeted by darkness.

Most of the lamp posts had been smashed out. Perfect.

With a long, almost dramatic sigh, Stiles walked over to the edge of the building and peered over into the empty street. So far so good. At least this night was beginning to turn out to be quieter than Stiles originally thought. Almost immediately however, he jinxed himself. A loud roar echoed through the parking structure and almost too soon the sound of fighting followed suit. "Shit," Stiles cursed aloud. Which floor was that on? Who was being attacked? The sound of more snaps echoed through the night, Stiles' heart hammering; the pack had arrived.

He quickly peered over the edge of the building again only to see four more Alpha Pack members running into the structure. Throat tight, Stiles took in a huge breath. "Four more are coming!" he screamed. Even if he couldn't help them fight, he was going to help prepare them for what was coming. Stiles quickly ran across the roof to the other side in an attempt to see what was happening, but all he could see was the grass below. How many people were in the Alpha Pack? No. How many were here?

"Well, well, well," a deep voice suddenly called from behind Stiles. "What do we have here?" Stiles turned sharply, eyes widening in horror when he realized a very large man was standing there mere feet away. His hair was dark red and shaved into a mohawk, his arms practically the size of Stiles' waist. What happened to no alphas getting to the roof!? Especially the biggest freaking one of the pack! How was he hard to miss? "A human, all alone and lonely."

"How-how do you know I'm human?" Stiles swallowed thickly. It was a dumb question, but it gave him time to attempt to map out an escape route. From a rooftop….

The man merely rolled his eyes before crossing his arms and grinning a toothy grin. "Because you have the strongest human scent I have ever smelt. I can't wait to see what kind of Hunter you are."

"Hunter? Me? Dude, I'm barely allowed to play on my Lacrosse team let alone hunt werewolves," Stiles snorted, but it came out shakier than he had planned.

"So, you're trying to tell me that you're just a boy who just so happens to hang out with werewolves?" the man questioned.

Stiles couldn't help the nervous chuckle as he took a few steps to the left, the man circling across from him. "Sounds crazy huh? I tell myself the same thing everyday; should probably be locked up in a loony bin. A human lacrosse player with no game hanging out with a bunch of killing machines. Nutty, right?"

The man however merely smirked as his eyes glowed a bright red, claws extending from his hands. "No, it makes you an easy target for me."

Stiles ran. It was stupid to run from a werewolf, especially running away from the only exits off of the roof. He heard the man chuckle just as Stiles dove behind a parked car, body curling up against a tire. The man however was walking, chuckling the entire time tauntingly. "Hiding will do you nothing! I can hear your blood pumping from here," the man shouted. Stiles quietly shifted, crawling frantically over to the next car. He was trying to catch his breath, heart ramming violently against his rib cage as he strained his ears to hear the mans heavy boot steps.

Suddenly there was the sound of crunching metal, Stiles yelping as the man landed square onto the hood of the car. He scrambled to his feet and ran, but the werewolf was faster. His overly large arm tightened around Stiles' shoulders and pulled him from his feet. With a simple squeeze the air was shoved from Stiles' lungs. "You're like a balloon, easily pop able with the right force. Your pack is stupid to have brought you here."

Stiles couldn't breath, his fingers clawing at the bulky arm desperately. His vision was beginning to unfocus, his legs swinging in an attempt to kick himself free, but the man merely laughed as his grip tightened even more. Stiles swore he heard a rib crack. His head was going foggy, the man's laughter echoing sharply in his ears; this was a crappy way to die.

That's when a sudden force silenced the man's laugh, air refilling Stiles' lungs as he was dropped to the floor. With what sense he had left he forced himself to crawl away and take shelter behind the closest car within reach. He could hear the snapping of jaws and roars of anger from behind him, but he couldn't see. His chest ached, his head was buzzing, and his body was swaying on the edge of passing out. By some miracle however, his vision cleared enough allowing him to sit up on his knees and at least see what was happening. What had just saved him?

As soon as he was able to peer over the hood of the car his jaw dropped. Ellie was standing off with the man. Little 5' 3" half-breed Ellie was taking on a full-breed 6' 1" man of muscle. The man had staggered to his feet but Ellie was fast, pushing off the bumper of a truck and smashing the heel of her boot into his jaw. As soon as she landed back on her feet, she slashed her claws across his face just before ramming her foot into his stomach and sending him stumbling into a car.

When Ellie's eyes locked with Stiles, the piercing blue immediately faded off. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Are you insane!? Look at him!" Stiles exclaimed, pointing at the man who was now regaining his composure and wiping the blood from his already healing jaw.

To his horror however, Ellie merely laughed before smiling. "This guy? Come on. He's nothing," she laughed. The man made another dive for her but Ellie was easily able to dodge his clawed hand, kicking his knee in before than ramming her shoulder into his stomach and shoving him towards the edge of the building. As soon as she released her hold the alpha made desperate swings at her to free himself, but Stiles knew it was over. Ellie boosted off the front of a van before both feet landed against the man's chest, the forced flipping Ellie backwards and sending the roaring alpha toppling off of the roof top.

"What are you?" Stiles gaped as Ellie lightly landed on the roof of the van.

Ellie jumped down next to him before shrugging. "I have no idea what you are speaking of, Mr. Stilinski."

Stiles couldn't help but laugh, his hands rubbing across his shaved head. Ellie just saved his life. She ran up from the third floor to help him; his own best friend didn't even know he was in trouble and he was right below him! But, why did she save him? If Stiles' observation from earlier was right, she knew that he liked Derek. Her Derek. Having Stiles dead as dead could be would be convenient, right? "Thanks, Ellie."

Ellie shrugged as she smiled. "Saving the damsel in distress."

"Oh thanks," Stiles snorted. "How many alphas have you-"

Ellie screamed, claws suddenly piercing through her right shoulder before throwing her into the concrete. Stiles watched in horror as she slid across the rooftop, her body colliding roughly with the bumper of a car. Without a second thought he bolted forward and immediately helped sit her back up. "Shit," Ellie cursed as her hand closed over the bleeding holes in her arm. Eyes glowing blue, she opened her mouth to spit curses at her attacker, but as soon as she lifted her head her jaw dropped. "E-Emmett?"

Stiles stared at her in confusion; what did she just say? When he followed her glance however, he found a man wearing the same look of shock, blood dripping from his claws, a few feet away from them. "Ell?" the man questioned. He was about Derek's height, blonde hair spiked out in odd angles, and arms carved with muscle. This was the other survivor, the one Ellie was looking for. "My God, what the hell are you doing here? Who is this kid?"

Kid? Sure, Stiles was a twig, but he definitely wasn't a kid. Ellie attempted to stand then, Stiles helping pull her to her feet. "I followed you here after you took off from North Carolina. I ran into Derek and his pack after you ditched me just outside of town. What were you thinking, Emmett?"

"Derek? Derek Hale? You joined his pack!?" Emmett roared, Stiles flinching.

"That has nothing to do with this. What are you doing? Killing the Argents isn't going to bring our family back, you know that right?" Ellie attempted.

Emmett's eyes immediately began to glow bright red as he let out a snarl. "They burned our family alive, Ellie! Aren't you angry?"

"Of course I'm angry, but ripping them to shreds won't make it better," Ellie said. "We're better than that."

"So what's your solution then? Shacking up with the pack who willingly worked with these monsters? That helped the men who destroyed our family!?" Emmett roared as he took a step forward. Ellie immediately snarled back as she shoved Stiles behind her, eyes glowing bright blue as her teeth protruded over her lips. Emmett's eyes narrowed at the hand Ellie had grasped around Stiles' forearm. "So, you'd choose to fight with them over me? You'd try and stop me from getting vengeance for our dead family? On the people that tried to kill us?"

"I know the difference between what is right and what is wrong, something you've obviously lost sight of. Killing the Argents like this is wrong, Emmett," Ellie hissed. "And, if I have to, I will do whatever it takes to make sure you're stopped."

"Fine," Emmett snapped, claws growing longer, "then we are now enemies."

With that he lunged at them, Ellie sharply shoving Stiles to the ground before she jumped up onto the car and flipped over the large mass of a body. Emmett landed on the cars rooftop and immediately took off after Ellie as she ran full sprint towards the fourth floor entrance. Stiles watched in horror as they disappeared from sight. Ellie didn't have a chance against a full-bred alpha like that! There was something different about Emmett and Stiles didn't like it. He quickly jumped to his feet and chased after them.

As soon as he stumbled onto the fourth floor he found it abandoned, the sounds of fighting echoing loud in the floors below them. Where had they gone? It wasn't easy to hide two werewolves in a parking lot. His answer came when Ellie's body was thrown across the room, back colliding roughly with the concrete wall before crumpling to the ground. Emmett let out a roar as he walked straight towards her, eyes glowing red.

Once again, Stiles opened his mouth without thinking. "Hey! Hey you! Big guy! Didn't your mother ever teach you not to hit a girl?" Stiles shouted. Insulting a werewolf's dead mother probably wasn't his smartest idea.

But it worked, Emmett's eyes glaring holes through Stiles' skull as he turned his attention away from Ellie. Blood was dripping from his teeth and claws, Stiles' stomach twisting again. "You. You're Derek's human," Emmett growled.

Stiles' face flushed before he could stop it; did his body not remember he was possibly going to be ripped apart by a werewolf here? "Me? D-Derek's human? I wouldn't put it that way. I mean-does it look like I'm his? No. Don't answer that," Stiles stammered. Stupid mouth, shut the hell up!

"I'm going to enjoy this," Emmett laughed as he cracked his knuckles, blood splashing to the floor. When Stiles took a step back, he rammed smack into a parked car. Awesome, he was pinned between a psychotic werewolf and a metal car.

"Stiles, r-run!" Ellie pleaded, blood oozing from new gashes in her temple and lip, a large bite mark bright on her neck.

It was too late. Emmett lunged at Stiles, claws out and teeth bared. All Stiles could do was close his eyes and brace for impact; maybe it'd be a quick death. Something large slammed into Stiles then, but the force instead sent him toppling over sideways into the concrete, a pair of arms shielding his head as they slid across the ground before coming to a sharp stop against a pillar. Stiles groaned out in pain as he slowly lifted his head; he felt like he was just hit with a truck. He found ice green eyes peering down at him as soon as his eyes cleared. Derek's eyes. Staring down at him. Derek's arms shielding his head. Derek Hale just saved his life. "D-Derek," Stiles gasped.

"Are you alright?" Derek demanded, hand cupping Stiles' cheek as he examined his face for injuries.

"Y-yeah, I'm ok. But Ellie-"

Emmett was on top of them in seconds, Derek quickly getting to his feet only to be slammed in the chest and sent skidding a few feet away. Stiles scrambled into a sitting position as he attempted to back up, eyes wide. Emmett let out an angered roar as he raised a clawed hand, but just as he was about to bring it down on Stiles' head Ellie jumped onto Emmett's back and pulled him back by the neck. "Move, Stiles!" Ellie demanded.

Stiles didn't need to be told twice as he quickly scrambled to his feet and ducked out of sight. He immediately collapsed next to Derek, who had landed a few feet away, just as the alpha was forcing himself up into a sitting position. "You ok?" Stiles asked, Derek managing a nod.

Suddenly there was a howl, one that ripped through the entire structure. It was coming from Emmett who, after slamming Ellie down onto the hood of a jeep, took off for the stairs. "Stay here," Derek demanded before quickly following after the other alpha and out of sight.

"Ellie?" Stiles called as he approached the mangled jeep cautiously. Ellie's eyes were closed but she was moving, faint groans slipping through her lips as she shifted against the metal of the hood. "You ok?"

"Not really," Ellie grunted as she opened one eye, barely managing a smile. "Half-human, remember? A little help here?"

Stiles looped an arm beneath Ellie's shoulders before slowly pulling her out of the crater. His stomach swirled sickeningly at the feeling of her mangled bones cracking and creaking. "You're still bleeding," Stiles frowned at her blood soaked shoulder where the blood was still seeping from her shoulder and neck. The gashes in her lip and forehead were already healing, but the deeper wounds didn't even look like they were clotting.

"Heavier wounds take longer to heal," Ellie explained weakly. "I think the Alpha Pack is retreating."

"What?" Stiles questioned, eyes looking towards the entrance to the third floor. "How can you tell?"

"Well, the sound of retreating footsteps might be the biggest clue. But I can't smell Emmett anymore," Ellie said. "They're gone."

"Right," Stiles muttered before clearing his throat. He then slipped Ellie's good arm around his shoulders before grasping her waist and gently pulling her towards the stairs. "Come on, let's get you down to the others."

Derek and Peter decided it was best to return to Ellie's house, Erica's shoulder being dislocated, Boyd's knee bent the wrong way, and Ellie still bleeding profusely. They settled back inside, Peter and Jackson taking the job of snapping bones back into place, Derek carrying Ellie into the kitchen, both shouting the entire way. Scott and Isaac had taken the perimeter run while Stiles was in charge of retrieving the first aid kit from the bathroom. Stiles quickly rummaged through the cabinet before finding the rather large box beneath the towels. As he made his way back down the hallway, he couldn't help but over hear the strained argument coming from the kitchen.

"You knew better than to take on Emmett by yourself," Derek snarled.

"Yeah well, didn't really have a choice," Ellie coughed out. Stiles couldn't help the wince when he heard the blood spurt over her lips.

"You could have waited for me to get up there. I had him handled on the second floor," Derek ground out.

"Yeah, you obviously had that handled so well. Did you by chance notice he escaped to the roof top?" Ellie questioned sarcastically. Stiles gently slid against the wall, pinning himself against the doorframe so he could hear better without being seen.

"He took off after he saw you throw one of the alphas off of the roof!" Derek reminded her.

"You're lucky I was fast enough to get up to the roof at all. If I hadn't, then your little-"but Derek's growl cut her off. Ellie sighed, Stiles peering around the corner to see her head fall against Derek's shoulder in exhaustion. She was sitting on the counter, Derek's hip resting against her knees. "Right, sorry. We lucked out tonight though, all of us did. It could have been much worse. You know how Emmett can be."

Derek nodded, hand pressed against the bleeding wound in her neck hopefully in an attempt to stop the bleeding. "I didn't expect that many to show up tonight. I especially wasn't expecting Emmett to show up."

"How many were there?" Stiles asked as he cautiously stepped into the room.

Derek glanced over at him, Ellie slowly lifting her head from Derek's shoulder. "Eight showed up tonight," she said.

"But we all know there were more hiding out somewhere," Derek added.

There was a roar from the sitting room, the sound of something shattering following suit. Ellie let out a groan as she rubbed her temple. "There goes my lamp."

Stiles gently nudged Derek over before taking a clean washcloth and beginning to wipe the stale blood from Ellie's arm and shoulder. He wasn't the best at cleaning wounds, but he had learned one or two things from his dad over the years. The claw marks had healed up enough to where they didn't need stitches, but the bite marks were the furthest from being healed. Stiles gently removed Derek's hand before soaking up what blood he could and covering it with gauze. He then wrapped a bandage around it, keeping it in place. "How are you feeling?" Stiles asked once he tied it off.

Ellie gently tilted her head side to side before rolling her shoulders. "Like a girl who's been roughed up by a werewolf," she laughed. "But I feel better. Thanks, Stiles."

He couldn't help but smile as he shrugged and closed the box. "I have to be useful for something right?"

Erica's scream cut them off, Ellie cursing to herself as she slid from the counter using Stiles and Derek as support. "I better go save my sitting room," she said before disappearing down the hallway.

Just as Stiles turned to return the First Aid Kit to the bathroom Derek's hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. Stiles froze, eyes staring down at the large warm hand tightly holding him; what was he doing? Confusion only thickened when he looked up to find Derek staring at him with the same look he had when he saved Stiles' life. He was silent, lips pursed as if he was trying to find the right words to say. "Derek?" Stiles whispered.

"You're not-you're not useless," Derek muttered.

Stiles shrugged. "I couldn't really help but feel like it today. Ellie saved my ass twice, and you swooped in to save my life in the end today too."

"I'll always do what I can to save you," Derek half growled, Stiles' heart jumping. Derek's eyes immediately widened as he dropped his hold on Stiles and stepped back, eyes darting away. His mouth was working as if he was chewing on what he was about to say next. What was going on in his head? When Stiles took a step towards him, Derek's eyes finally lifted. "Stiles, I-"

The sound of Isaac and Scott returning however silence him. With a shake of his head, Derek stepped around Stiles and disappeared down the hall. Stiles' heart felt like it shattered in that moment. He didn't move from the kitchen, hand white knuckled around the First Aid box. This just proved all of his suspicious from before. Stiles wasn't an Ellie.

Stiles was just, Stiles.