Welcome newcomers and returning readers! Here is chapter 2 of Apsis. The first chapter actually got a better response than I was expecting so yay! You guys rock.

Also, who thought the "young Chris" in this week's episode was absolutely adorable! I mean god, that more than anything gave me inspiration for this chapter because while we have seen "young Peter" before this is the first time that I've really been able to envision Chris at such a young age. And he was about the same age in that episode as he is in this story, give or take a year.

Disclaimer: I still do not own Teen Wolf. Nothing has changed in the three days since I posted the first chapter.

"How was your first day of school?" Talia asked when he came through the door.

"Fine." He said simply, not in the mood for talking. All day he had listened to Chris go on and on, all he wanted was some peace and quiet. He stomped upstairs to his room, threw his bag on the ground and dropped his jacket on the floor next to it all before he noticed anything was wrong. Everything was gone, his papers on the floor, his dirty clothes, his collection of snacks, someone had cleaned his room. Everything was in its place, stacked nicely on shelves or in its drawers. He felt his eyes flash, the anger boiling up inside him so suddenly that for a moment he thought he was going to loose control "TALIA!" he barked, bounding downstairs. His claws weren't erupting but he felt his heart pounding in chest, fury flowing through his veins.

"Yes Peter?" She asked patiently, standing in the kitchen, drinking a hot cup of tea. She had obviously been waiting for him.

"You were in my room. You messed up all my stuff!"

"No. I cleaned it, I organized it. You should thank me."

"Thank you? Thank you!? I never asked for your help, I told you that I like it messy! And I definitely didn't want you invading my personal space!"

"Look. I've been patient with you. I know things haven't been easy this past year after what happened to mom and dad-"

"Don't you dare start with that sympathy shit. I've told you a million times I'm fine, yeah, I miss them but I don't cry myself to sleep every night. What happened happened and I'm dealing with it in my own way."

"By planning to run away?" Talking asked, reaching into her pocket and taking out one of the pieces of paper that had been on Peter's floor. It was a list of ticket prices for different places around the globe.

"I'm not running away. I'm exploring the world."

"So what, you're just going to drop out of school?"

"No. I'm going to test out. There's nothing they can teach me that I don't already know."

"I told you last summer I'm not going to sign off on you taking any tests."

"I'm turning eighteen in three months Talia. I don't need your approval after that."

"And then what? You'll leave the pack, leave your family and become an Omega?"

"It's no worse than being a Beta my whole life!"

"Don't be ridiculous. At least here you have protection all around you, out there you'd be alone."

"I'm alone here! Don't you see that? I hate everything about this damn town and everyone in it! They're ignorant, stupid, small town hicks! I want to go somewhere with culture and sophistication, where I can have a conversation without feeling like I've lost brain cells with each word that comes out of these morons mouths!"

"We aren't like everyone else Peter. We don't have the same luxuries as other people. With the extra strengths our affliction gives us we also are saddled with extra responsibility. If one of us is discovered it puts us all at risk, that's why we stay in packs. Packs protect everyone, going off on your own like that isn't only reckless but it's selfish and dangerous."

"But it is my choice." He said through gritted teeth. "Mine. Not yours."

"I'm your Alpha."

"For now." He said, snatching his piece of paper "Mom and Dad would have understood. Dad would have clapped me on the back and said 'make the Hale name feared wherever you go.' And mom would have made me enough baked goods to feed a third world country. They would have supported me, you know they would have." He muttered and went back upstairs to his room, slamming the door and kicking the wall furiously, making the plaster crack. Sometimes he really did miss his parents, his father had been a strong and wise Alpha, having the respect of all the surrounding packs. He was where Peter gained his love and literature and art from, his father always said that just because humans may consider them uncivilized monsters doesn't mean they needed to act like one. His mother on the other hand was the quintessential mom. She was the person who would bandage your injuries even though she knew it'd heal in moments. She was kind and patient, never jumping to conclusions and always listening to your side of the story. He missed them everyday and despite what he told Talia it ate away at him, the little hole their death left in his heart getting bigger every day. And Talia trying to take their place didn't make him feel any better.

He spent the rest of the evening in his room, refusing to come down even for dinner. The next morning he left early for school, leaving long before anyone else got up, the sun barely above the horizon when he pulled into the school parking lot. He parked and turned off the engine, it was a fair weathered September, the need for air conditioning or heat was nonexistent so he leaned his seat back and put his headphones in, letting himself zone out. It was moments like this that were his reprieve from reality, where he let the music sweep him away and he could imagine any world he wanted. He could pretend that he was normal, that he wasn't chained down by the curse of his nature. Because that's how he saw it, a curse, Talia would call it a gift but for him it was the reason he was miserable, it's what kept him isolated, kept him trapped in his brickless tower above and unconnected from everyone else. It's also what killed his parents, they were hunted down like animals, snared and impaled like the beasts they were perceived to be. The killers giving no thought to the family the couple left behind. And that violent end to life was always a possibly for him because of a condition he had no choice in receiving, a condition he was born with. It was unfair that so much was expected of him, that his whole life was controlled and laid out because he happened to be born into a family of freaks. It wasn't right and he wasn't one to stand for injustice.

When school started a couple hours later he took out his headphones and walked inside, taking his seat in English class. Much to his chagrin Chris sat down next to him again. "Hey." Chris greeted.

"What? No babbling today?" He asked sarcastically.

"Well, if you want I'm sure I could find something to talk about. Um, did you know that scorpions can hold their breath for up to six days?"

"Why would I know that?" He asked incredulously. "Why would you know that? You know what, never mind. I don't want to know, at all. Just be quiet and don't talk."

"If you say so." Chris smirked, turning to the front of the class. It took Peter all of ten minutes to get annoyed with the silence. Yesterday had been one of the least boring days he had experienced since his parents deaths, Chris' constant attempts at conversation had renewed a latent desire for companionship. And that more than the silence was what frustrated him. Just as Peter was about to give in and whisper something to his neighbor Chris stretched languidly, subtly dropping a note on Peter's desk.

He opened it slowly, rather stunned, he had never had someone pass notes to him before. There was something unexpectedly thrilling about it, which Peter found odd. While he normally automatically hated secrets, this was different, it didn't seem like a lie or a façade but instead more like a sort of covert camaraderie.

Also, crows can recognize human faces and hold grudges against ones they don't like. (You said no talking. You didn't say anything about writing.)

Peter had to smother a small smile. He had to admit, this guy was stubborn and he'd be lying if he said he didn't admire someone who refused to take no as an answer. It took him a moment to decide what to write back, finally he scribbled a quick response. I also hold grudges against people I don't like. And so far you aren't doing yourself any favors. When Miller turned to write something on the chalkboard he threw the note back to Chris who caught it midair. He raised an eyebrow, and Chris shrugged, giving an embarrassed little smile in return. 'Sports' Chris mouthed before turning back to his desk, reading the note, his smile only growing.

Throughout the rest of the hour they passed the note back and forth. Chris offered a variety of strange facts about animals and Peter responded in kind, always with sarcastic and sometimes borderline threating words, but he always responded.

As he walked to his next class Chris kept in step with him, hands in his pockets. "So…why do you know so much about animals?" Surprisingly it Peter that spoke first this time.

"My mother was a zoologist." He shrugged. "She was getting her doctorate when I was a kid and she'd read me bedtime stories from her textbooks. Granted they weren't the most imaginative stories but hey were nice still."

"My father read me Poetry" Peter said, not sure what prompted him to divulge this information.

"What kind? No, let me guess. Edgar Allen Poe, you seem like the Poe type." Chris smirked.

"Sometimes but his favorite was Lord Byron."

"Never heard of him."

"Not many teenagers have." Peter sighed, he hadn't been able to bring himself to pick up any of his father's books since his passing. "Dad was really into the humanities. Art, literature, history, things like that. "

"Was?" Chris asked

"Hm? Oh yeah, you wouldn't know. My parents were murdered last year, my older sister takes care of me now, or at least that's what the legal documents say since I'm still a minor but in reality I feel more like I take care of myself." He said, trying to keep his voice even. He figured Chris would hear about the murder sooner or later. Beacon Hills wasn't a large place, when two of its most popular residents had been found dead in the woods last year it had been the biggest gossip story of the decade. The newfound celebrity he got from being 'the dead people's kid' hadn't helped the grieving process. The official case was technically still open but all leads had gone bone dry. But the rest of the Hale family knew that Hunters were responsible, there was no sign of foul play from other Alphas and the only other people capable of taking down two full grown werewolves, an Alpha among them, were Hunters. There was no other logical explanation.

"Oh. I'm sorry." Chris said, seeming genuinely sad for Peter. Normally pity annoyed him but this didn't seem like pity, it was more like empathy, something Peter understood better when Chris continued. "My mom died too. Not in such a horrible way as your parents, she died having my sister…she was two credits short of her Ph.D. when it happened. Nobody expected it, the pregnancy had been perfectly fine but when the time came…my sister came out of the hospital and my mom didn't. Don't get me wrong, I don't blame Katie at all, I just wish she could have known our mother, she was…she was a great person…"

"She sounds like it." Peter nodded "What about your father, you haven't mentioned him."

"My father is…a bit strict." Chris sighed. They arrived at their Chemistry classroom and sat down at their table. There were still a couple minutes left before the bell would ring. "He's not a bad dad, he's just sort of lost his soft side when mom died. It's all business with him, except with Katie, she and my father get along great. She's a lot like him."

"Is that good or bad?" He asked, honestly not able to tell by the tone in Chris' voice, which was odd, his advanced hearing normally allowed him to distinguish between different layers in the human voice. That and he was also just quite perceptive as well.

"I'll let you know when I decide." Chris chuckled and then bumped his elbow into Peter's arm. "Look at you. We just had a whole conversation and you didn't tell me to fuck off once."

"I never told you to 'fuck off.'" Peter sniffed indignantly

"Oh yes, I'm sorry, you're much to dignified for language like that." Chris laughed and Peter cracked a small smile and for the first time he found that he didn't care. He was enjoying himself. It was nice to talk about his parents again, their interests and who they were, not just their death and how it negatively effected his life.

Class started and after that the rest of the day went by quickly. When he arrived home he didn't get more than two steps inside before he heard Talia call his name.

"Molest more of my belongings again?" He asked, dropping his school bag on the kitchen floor and grabbing an apple from a bowl, biting into it.

Talia was making dinner, which personally he thought was ridiculous considering it was barely four pm. "I've thought a lot about what you said yesterday and decided that you were right." She sighed.

"Of course I was right. Not exactly sure what I was right about but I'm sure whatever it was was rather obvious to begin with."

"Can you be serious for once Peter!" She said frustrated

"I'm always serious." He said and she let out an annoyed breath.

"Mom and Dad would have supported you decision to leave. They would have signed off on letting you graduate early and they would have helped you pack. Dad would have probably even bought you a new camera so you could bring home pictures…but I'm not Mom and Dad." She said, stirring her pot of spaghetti sauce. "I can't let you leave right now, not just because I don't want you to go but because it isn't safe for the pack. I'm a new Alpha, others may think that means we're at our weakest. Having you run away right now will practically prove them right. If you won't stay for me, at least think about your nieces and nephew. They're to young to defend themselves properly yet. If Hunters or a rival pack try to take advantage of us they could be hurt…I can't let that happen, as their Alpha and as their mother. But, give me some time, let me make it clear to everyone that the Hale Pack is still as strong as ever. Once things settle down I swear I will support your decision to stay or go."

"I don't need your approval Talia." He said softly, "But even if I think your leadership is a mistake the kids don't deserve to suffer because of it. I'll pretend to be the good little Beta but only until I'm eighteen. Then I'm leaving and you're on your own. Besides, if you haven't settled things by then I doubt you ever will." Peter dropped his apple core in the garbage and walked upstairs.

Well there's chapter two! I hope you liked it! I needed something for Peter and Chris to bond over and their parents seemed like a good subject. It's a sore spot for Peter but he's finally found someone who understands the pain of loosing a parent suddenly. I never noticed any mention of Gerard's wife so I sort of made up a backstory for her as someone smart but still kind and loving. In my mind she's the person that influenced Chris to be the only noble, good hearted one in that family, her absence in Kate's life led her daughter to be much less inclined towards kindness which will become more apparent later in the story.

So yes, thank you for reading and please REVIEW!