Hola misfitwolves here! Hope you enjoy the next chapter of the story and the first chapter from Lydia's perspective!


After a very long ten minutes of navigating through tunnels, using Scott and Isaac as guides, to catch up to the rest of the class whilst also trying to not slip in her five inch heels, Lydia was not a happy girl. Her mood only got worse as she had to first sit through the elaborate lie that Scott and Stiles came up with to deal with Ms Blake, and then endure another half hour of these stupid, but geologically fascinating caves; all the while still trying not to fall over. So maybe Stiles had been right and heels weren't the ideal footwear to go exploring caves in, not that she'd ever admit that to him, heaven forbid that Lydia Martin be proved wrong.

They were nearly at the exit of the cave when it happened: distracted by her thoughts, the fact that this godforsaken trip was nearly over and her determining of the chemical composition of the ever-changing coloured stalactite above her (calcium carbonate obviously, but also, was that trace amounts of copper sulphate? And something else…); she slipped. Bracing herself for the inevitable pull of gravity, Lydia instead found herself in someone's arms. A one Stiles Stilinski's arms.

"I told you heels weren't the best idea." He said with a small smile whilst he helped her up gently by the hand.

She shrugged and tilted her head up slightly in a rather defiant manner,

"It wasn't the heels, I was distracted."

Stiles quirked an eyebrow, "By what?" He asked, she sighed and with a slight roll of her eyes, pointed upwards.

"The rockcicles?" he asked, raising both eyebrows this time. She looked up at him frustrated for a split second.

"The stalactites," She corrected, "I was distracted by the chemical composition of the stalactites."

It was now that she realised how close they were and that Stiles still held her hand, but for some reason unbeknownst to her, she didn't want to step back or for him to let go.

"Huh, they're the same kinda colour as the sphere." Stiles' voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she raised an eyebrow imperceptibly.

"They are both from the same cave and therefore must have the same chemical structure, well," She paused and pursed her lips ever so slightly,

"At least they should have." Stiles nodded in response, taking in what she had said before he looked down at her, really looked at her and asked,

"You okay?" She frowned,

"You slipped? You okay, nothing sprained or anything?" He clarified, to be honest she was a little taken aback by his concern before she reminded herself that this was Stiles she was talking to, he was almost always concerned about her and shook her head in answer to his question. Their faces were impossibly close as she looked up at him again and uttered a small "I'm fine."

As her eyes flickered to his lips and –

"Come on you two, we're going to miss the bus!" Allison yelled from more than a few yards away.

How long had they been standing like this? Lydia quickly wondered as she removed herself from Stiles' arms (when had that happened?) but kept hold of his hand to pull him along swiftly to the exit of the cave and toward the rest of their friends; where she begrudgingly dropped Stiles' hand after a pointed look from her best friend, urgh like she hadn't been itching to hold Scott's hand the entire trip. Why they didn't just start dating again was beyond her.

They filed onto the bus and Lydia, ignoring the sudden urge to sit next to Stiles, instead went and sat next to Allison a few seats behind the two boys. Allison gave her a look,

"What?" Lydia asked annoyed, Allison shrugged in response before she asked the question that she had clearly been dying to ask since they had left the caves

"So what's going on with you and Stiles?"

Lydia levelled her gaze on Allison before she answered.

"Nothing," she said steadily, "I slipped and he caught me, that's all."

Allison raised her eyebrows but let it go, seemingly satisfied with Lydia's answer. For now at least. The two sat in a comfortable silence before Lydia broke it.

"Do you think Stiles is cute?"

The words were out of her mouth before she even knew what she was saying, Allison, though a little taken aback, answered nonetheless,

"Yeah, I guess, I mean his longer hair does make him look pretty hot but – "

"Really Allison?" Lydia interrupted, "Your ex-boyfriend's best friend? A little tasteless don't you think?" She continued with more than a little venom lacing her voice.

"What the hell Lydia? I was going to say that I only see him like a brother, are you sure there's nothing going on between you two?" Allison asked confused at Lydia's sudden outburst. She blinks at Allison a few times, what was wrong with her?

"No, nothing, I'm sorry I don't know what came over me."

Allison frowned at her but nodded, "It's okay." She looked like she wanted to say something else but Lydia's phone interrupts her, it was a message from Stiles, speak of the devil and he shall appear Lydia thought sarcastically.

Switch places with Scott. Need to talk to you.

Allison read the text from over her shoulder, "Go on." She said with a smile and nudged Lydia off the seat and in the direction of the two boys. As she passed Scott down the aisle he gave her a knowing grin. Damn him and his stupid werewolf senses.

Stiles looked away from the window and towards her as she sat down next to him, "Hey, uh thanks, as much as I love Scott and all he's not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed." He said with a grin, his whiskey coloured eyes shining in the afternoon sun –

Okay. What was that? Focus Lydia.

She tried to focus, really she did. She caught bits and pieces of what he said like, "So did you work out the chemical composition of the rockcicles?" and "Since it's in ancient Greek maybe the sphere has something to do with Greek Gods?"

She tried so hard to pay attention but he was just so distracting, the way he practically shook with anticipation and curiosity, those eyes that she wanted to get lost in forever framed with long delicate lashes, that now longer hair she wanted to tangle her fingers in and those lips –

She stopped herself before a light moan escaped her lips.

This was definitely not normal Lydia behaviour. But recently her life had been anything but normal, especially since that motel –

She stopped herself again. She didn't like to think about that night. Or what had almost happened, what she had almost lost.

For the second time that day Stiles' voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"Lydia? You listening?" He asked, she blinked and quickly went over what she had half heard him say.

She nodded, "Chemical composition was Calcium Carbonate, obviously," she said with a smirk, "But there was also trace amounts of Copper Sulphate, which could account for the blue-green colour, and something else, I'll have to run some tests."

Stiles looked amazed at her for a moment before he smirked at her, "Careful Lydia, your genius is showing." She raised an eyebrow almost challengingly,

"Well if I can't let my genius out around you then who else?" She held out her hand, "Speaking of my genius,"

Stiles raised his eyebrows at her. "The sphere," She continued, "I might as well translate some of it while we're here, isn't that why you called me over?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh right, yeah." He mumbled while he rummaged about in his backpack for the rock. Once he's pulled it out from whatever crevice in his bag it was in, he held it up for her to see. She frowned; her life could never be simple could it? Oh, who was she kidding, she loved a challenge.

"What's wrong?" Stiles asked her, having read the expression on her face.

"Nothing it's just that I'm able to read the beginning and the end, yes, but the middle is a little more complicated." She hated sounding like she didn't know what she was doing.

"What do you mean 'more complicated'?" Stiles asked her sounding a little worried. She rolled her eyes at him,

"Don't worry, I can still translate it, it's just that because of the way that it's laid out I'll have to work out words, phrases at a time and then figure out an order that fits the full passage." Stiles nodded at her with only the smallest amount of confusion in his eyes.

"So what does the end say?" He asked as he watched her intently, not knowing that this made Lydia have to concentrate just a little bit harder. "It says," she paused for a second, making sure that she had read it correctly, "Within you we lie, Repress and we thrive, Express and we die." She looked up at him and bit her lip lightly.

"Is that good or bad?" He asked her, his eyes wide and looking for answers.

"I don't know Stiles. I don't know." She answered, meeting his searching gaze.

"Don't worry Lydia, with your brains and my incomparable research skills, we'll figure this out." He reassured her smiling slightly.

They had to figure this out, hopefully before anyone died. Funny, death seemed to be on her mind a lot lately. Well death and Stile –

Nope. She doesn't want to think about that.