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Please keep in mind that for this story the whole Hayley-baby plot doesn't exist; it just wouldn't fit in.

Disclaimer: I don't own either TVD or Teen Wolf

Part III

Silent Songs

Caroline felt her fast beating heart calm for the first time in hours when Stiles pulled her into a hug. She'd been so incredibly nervous, completely terrified if she were being honest. The drive over hadn't really helped any, either. In fact, it had only succeeded in making her fears amplify. It had been two sleep deprived days of doubts. She'd begun to doubt everything, begun to worry that her brother and her dad wouldn't even let her in the house. She'd worried that they'd forgotten all about her. It was ridiculous, of course, and this moment right now just proved it.

It was this embrace that assuaged her fears, at least for the moment. Stiles was still completely and utterly human; Silas hadn't acted on his threat just yet, much to her relief. Not only that, but it seemed all was well between them. Though at first seeing her brother had been extremely awkward, even for them, once the barrier was broken neither held anything back. Despite the fact that their last meeting had ended in a horrible argument between Caroline and their dad, Stiles being the mediator as always, he had welcomed her back with open arms. Literally.

Caroline wasn't quite sure how long they stood there in the hallway of her childhood home, wrapped in a tight embrace, but she did know it was one of the rare moments in the last few months that she was completely at peace. In the end though, Stiles loosened his arms and pulled back, head down.

"Sorry. " He muttered, clearing his throat awkwardly, obviously trying to seem unaffected by the whole thing. He turned his eyes to hers again and Caroline found herself rather shocked by the amount of emotion that was in his gaze. It shouldn't really be surprising, however, Stiles was never one to something by halves, just like herself. He shuffled his feet inelegantly now, gathering his thoughts. "I just uh-" He stopped abruptly, shrugging helplessly as he found no words.

Stiles speechless, that's a first.

Caroline smiled widely at him. "It's ok." She reassured, automatically understanding what he could not say. (I missed you, you're here, please don't go anywhere.) Her immediate comprehension brought a smile to Stiles' face as well, and he just shook his head ruefully. The blonde laughed at this, alleviating the tension that had once again descended upon the room. "It's really been a while." She stated.

Stiles snorted as he moved to grab the bag that was still standing in the open doorway. "Yeah, no shit. Glad you can still state the obvious, Care; that's an important skill to have." He told her, sarcasm thick in his voice.

Caroline's eyes narrowed, and she took advantage of the moment as her brother bent to take her suitcase, deciding to whack him hard on his head.

Stiles sprung up immediately. "Hey! Ow!" He exclaimed loudly, his hands moving erratically as he tried express the amount of 'pain' he was in.

"Now, now Stiles; sarcasm is not actually considered a language, you know." The younger of the two siblings tutted mockingly.

"Violence isn't the answer either! Back half-a-second and already abusing me. Cruel woman. And just when I was trying to be a gentleman too, jeez." Stiles grumbled, rubbing the back of his head; it had actually hurt him more than when she did it in the past to be honest… Not that he would tell Caroline that. Ever. He looked to his sister now, seeing her smiling at him with amusement. Sighing he dropped his grumpy act, and smiled back. Caroline shook her head at him, and moved to take her suitcase in by herself, before shutting the door. I'll have to get the freezer box later.

As Caroline turned to face her enormously idiotic brother again, she found he was watching her curiously. "I can't believe you're here right now." He darted forward and tugged a piece of her hair, as if checking whether she really existed and was physically here. "Huh." He pushed against her shoulder and the blonde immediately shrugged him with an exaggerated role of her eyes, feigning annoyance at his antics.

"Yeah, Stiles, I'm really here." She said dryly.

"Guess you are. And a little sturdier too" Stiles shook his arm, internally wincing at the force put behind that push. "But, Care, why are you here?" He asked after a silent moment, wanting to get a more in depth answer than 'I missed you'. "Not that I'm not happy that you are, or whatever, because I am, but you haven't come back in ages…" The elder Stilinski rambled, not wanting to offend his temperamental, and apparently very strong younger sister.

"I just… I…" Caroline looked down, trying to gather her thoughts to give a more substantial and believable motive than the one she'd already stated. How am I supposed explain that some ancient shape-shifting witch with a grudge is after him? And Dad? "I don't know… It's like I said earlier, I've really been missing you guys… I just wanted to come home… Especially after what's been happening in Mystic Falls lately…"

"The animal attacks." Stiles put in, surprising his sister.

"You know about that?" What? Why would he need to know about that?

Immediately he tried to pull it off as something other than it was, attempting to stay casual. Unfortunately for Stiles, however, he could never lie to her, not like he could to others. "Well, yeah, I mean it's because I- I had a project to do for, you know, school and-"

Caroline raised a brow. "You were checking up on me."

He scoffed, crossing his arms and leaning back against the door, the attempt at nonchalance falling flat and only making his seem more awkward. "Wha-uh, no."

The blonde mimicked his position. "Yeah you were."

"No, I wasn't…" He said, voice practically squeaking. Caroline didn't let her disbelieving look let up until he finally caved. "Ok, ok yeah I was." Stiles admitted, shrugging almost spastically.

The younger Stilinski almost wanted to laugh at her brother's expression. I really should put him out of his misery. She cracked a smile at him instead. "Thanks." Caroline said sincerely.

Now it was Stiles' turn to look surprised. "What, that's it? Thanks?" She nodded. "No yelling or hitting me on the head?" Again, she humored him and nodded, causing his slightly concerned expression to break into a smile that matched her own. "Look at you Care, maybe you did change." He teased her, trying to needle another laugh from her.

Caroline, for her part, could only barely manage to keep her smile on.

Oh, Stiles, you really have no idea.

It struck her, at that moment, just how much she would have to lie to her brother, how much of herself that she would have to keep hidden. It was why she didn't falsely protest when Stiles' arm fell around her shoulders, as if feeling her distress, and pulled her into the living room, wanting to talk some more.

Still, she found there was nothing much to say.

Stiles was still smiling as he puttered about the kitchen, looking for some clean mugs for the coffee he'd just brewed. It was all still so surreal to him, seemed too much of a coincidence. And, in some ways, Stiles thought it must be too good to be true; there must be something else going on with Caroline to have brought her home out of nowhere.

And he was willing to bet it had something to do with the string of animal attacks that had been happening in Mystic Falls the last couple years. Ever since he had become aware of the supernatural, Stiles found himself researching more and more into oddities and possible supernatural events in his free time. His innate curiosity and insatiable thirst for knowledge had led to try and find every detail, every possible cause for everything weird thing that had happened recently.

And, during this last week of practically no sleep, Stiles had spent hours researching...

And what he had found in Mystic Falls was worrying to say the least. Like Beacon Hills, it had seen a spike in suspicious and decidedly odd activities in the past two years.

Most of Stiles wanted to deny it... Caroline couldn't be in that kind of world, right? She couldn't be in that danger?

But apparently she was... Because of him...

Or... Or maybe they really were just animal attacks and Stiles was losing his mind.

No matter what it was, Stiles decided to put it out of his mind, at least for now, and enjoy whatever time he had with his sister. Decision made, Stiles was able to finally find some clean mugs and pour the coffee in them. He was just about to rejoin Caroline in the living room when he heard the tell sound of his dad's approaching police cruiser.

Shit... Dad doesn't know about Care... Shit. Stiles dashed for the front door, already preparing to do damage control; the last time Sheriff Stilinski and his daughter had been in a room together, it hadn't exactly ended well. Without another moment's contemplation, he ripped the door open, greeting his father as he walked in.

For his part, the Sheriff merely took Stiles' odd behavior in stride, used to his son's ever shifting moods by now. The older man took his time to hang up his jacket, walking slowly into his office and putting away his gun, locking it in his desk drawer.

"So Dad," Stiles began when he caught up with his father, "what would you say if, I don't know, something happened that you didn't expect, at all, and you just kind of let it happen, because it's awesome and really-"

The Sheriff decided it was about time he cut off his son's rambling, unless he wanted the kid to go completely red from not taking a breath; he held his hand up. "Stiles, Stiles; if you've got something to tell me, just spit it out." He said patiently but with command.

Stiles swallowed visibly. "Um, ok, yeah, I can do that… Well…"

"Well?" His father prodded.

"Uh…"

"Hi Daddy."

There were very few things that could stun John Stilinski, and very few more that could stun him to silence. The sudden appearance of his daughter did both. Oh, he'd known there was someone in the house, seeing as there had been an unfamiliar car parked on his driveway… and yes he had noted to the out-of-state license plates… But, Caroline coming here, coming home… it just hadn't occurred to him.

And yet here she was, staring at him with her blue eyes that looked so much like his own filling with unshed tears.

"Caroline?" He asked quietly as he continued to examine the young woman before him. She's grown so much.

She stepped forward, clearing her throat awkwardly, still glassy eyed. "It's me. I…" She hesitated, coming to a halting stop before him, as if she was unsure of how she should act. "I… I just wanted to see you both… and, you know, get away from Mystic Falls for a bit. I settled everything with Aunt Liz and my school and everything, so I guess-" The youngest Stilinski's explanation was cut short when her father pulled her into an unexpected embrace, much like her brother had only a few hours before.

"It's ok, sweetheart, we're glad to have you here." John whispered thickly, embracing his daughter's trembling form tightly.

Almost as if she had been holding it in all this time, Caroline let out a shattering sob. "I'm sorry, Daddy, I'm so sorry, I was so mean to you, how can you ever forgive me?"

Though the two had very often argued after Caroline's forced separation from her family, none of the arguments had ever gotten so bad as their very last one; it had happened a couple of weeks after the car crash that nearly took her from her family for good. It was like any and every feeling had come to the forefront in a cataclysmic explosion; even now John regretted many of things that had been said.

It had been more than a year since then now, and it seemed his daughter, his wonderful, and terribly missed daughter wanted to reconcile.

John wasn't going to question it.

"Caroline, look at me." He commanded her now, pulling her crying face from his chest so he could look her in the eye. This time he was not only struck by the similarity of their eyes, but just how much Caroline had come to look like her mother. Oh Claudia, if you could see us now. But she couldn't, and John had to let her go and focus on whom he had now; and that was his children, both of them. "It's ok. There is nothing, nothing, to forgive."

He smiled at her then.

"You're home now."

A few hours later Caroline found herself nearly dropping from exhaustion in her old room. She'd driven the past two days without nearly any sleep and then reconciled with her family after more than a year of separation; it was save to she was wiped out, both mentally and physically. Still, as it was, she needed to unpack first and get everything put away or she might never do it. And I need to find a hiding spot for my blood bags.

Thinking of possible solutions, she glanced around her room. It had initially surprised that everything was still the same as it had always been. After her last huge argument with her dad she had been convinced that he might turn her room into a gym or something in a bout of midlife crisis. She should have known that he would never do that; and if he had even had the thought to, Stiles would never have allowed him to.

Besides that, they had never really wanted her gone in the first place. They'd always expected her to return home some point. She knew that now.

When she had finally managed to get nearly everything put away, including the blood, which was now cleverly stored in the freezer box in her closet, under a bunch of clothes (she'd just have to find some place better later), she flopped onto her bed, her bones practically creaking; she'd just have to finish the rest later. However, just as she was about to close her eyes for a long overdue nap, she heard the telltale sound of an approaching motorcycle. Curious as to who might be coming by, she got up and looked through her window to see; the motorcycle was still quite a way's down the road, her vampire sight and hearing allowing her to pick it up.

It took her a few moments for her to realize who the familiar figure on top of the bike was, but when she did a wide smile broke across her face. All tiredness forgotten for a brief moment, she headed downstairs in a rush, just barely remembering to slow down her pace enough to make it seem somewhat human.

She was already out the door and waiting impatiently by the time the motorcycle made it to their house. The rider seemed to barely take notice of her as he took his helmet off, but when he did see her, his face morphed into a humungous and incredibly comical expression of shock. Caroline's smile only widened more in response. "Hey Scott." She greeted.

"Caroline?" He almost squeaked , still slack jawed. "You're here? Woah… it's been… a while…" He muttered, stumbling over his words awkwardly as he tried to get past his shock.

The blonde laughed lightly, shaking her head. "Yep… Now are you going to give me a hug or what?"

At her invitation, all uncertainty flew away from Scott's face and it lip up into a goofy grin. He dashed up the stairs before pulling Caroline into a huge bear hug. She found herself laughing again and returning his embrace just as enthusiastically. If there was one person who she'd missed other than her family, it was Scott McCall; being Stiles' best, and for a while, only friend brought the boy close into the Stilinski fold and Caroline sometimes thought of him as another brother, or at least a close cousin. She and him had never shared the same sort of bond that either of them did with Stiles, but they were still pretty close, and it had been a few summers since they'd last laid eyes on each other.

Speaking of which…

"Wow Scott, when did this happen?" Caroline gestured to Scott's very noticeable growth in bulk as soon as he set her down again. She squeezed his bicep teasingly, still rather surprised to find that there was actual muscle. Someone's grown up. "Been eating your vegetables, have you?" She asked him with a grin.

Scott, of course, immediately turned red, clearly embarrassed at the attention. Caroline decided to the right thing and give the poor guy a break. "So, you came to see Stiles?" She asked, knowing that he did and pulling him along through the open front door.

"Yeah, I was actually going to check up on him and ask why he's been ignoring everyone's texts, but I guess I can see why…" Scott replied, somewhat ruefully as he glanced at her again.

"Still stuck at the hip, I see. You two, I swear…" She muttered, before leaning on the bannister of the stairs. "STILES, SCOTT'S HERE!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, causing the boy at her side to visibly wince; she turned back to him. "Oh, by the way, congrats on the whole lacrosse thing; my fool of a brother told me a while ago but it completely slipped my mind…" She heard the telltale crashes of Stiles running (or trying to) down the stairs. "And here's said brother now."

Stiles arrived in a flail of limbs, nearly tripping down the last step but luckily managing to save himself just in time. He recovered quickly and shot a quick glare at his sister. "Talking smack about me, Care?"

"Me? I would never." She replied sarcastically, throwing him a sugary sweet and incredibly fake smile.

The older Stilinski sibling rolled his eyes. "Because little sister's don't live to annoy their older brothers."

"Right in one."

He shook his head, giving up and looking at his friend. "What's up buddy?" He asked genially, clearly in a much better mood than he'd been in a long time.

"Uh…" Scott hesitated, looking briefly at Caroline, who, for her part, was not oblivious to it and made to move up the stairs, knowing when she wasn't wanted.

"Ok, well, I'll let you guys talk about… whatever you need to talk about. See you later, Scott." The blonde smiled tightly, suddenly worried that her brother would decide to leave the house; she wasn't quite ready to have him out of her sight just yet. I'm not just here to spend an idyllic holiday with my family… Silas is still out there. Still, she didn't want to seem like that clichéd, clingy younger sibling or worse, a burden, so she decided to go without further protest. He'll be fine, he'll be fine.

Before she could get anywhere though, Stiles caught her wrist, not saying anything until he saw Scott go to the other room. Finally, he turned back to her.

"You know, Care, Scott and I can just talk later… if you want." He offered awkwardly, obviously sensing her distress as he always did, gesturing sporadically.

"Don't be an idiot; I'll be fine." She scoffed. "I'll just finish unpacking."

Stiles still hesitated. "You sure?" He asked, concerned.

She raised a brow. Gonna need to step it up a bit to convince him. "Why wouldn't I be? Go hang out with Scott, Stiles, he look like a kicked puppy without you."

For some reason that made Stiles crack up in near hysterical laughs, his entire body shaking with the force of his guffaws.

"What?" Caroline asked, bewildered at his reaction, watching him in confusion as he tried to regain control of himself.

"Nothing." He got out, still breaking into laughs. He suddenly went up a few steps, and dropped a fond kiss on her cheek, chuckling all the while. "You're just the best." Stiles smiled hugely before running back down to his friend, shoulders still quaking.

Caroline sighed exasperatedly, but smiled slightly. "Idiot" She muttered warmly, finally going to her room.

Still, she found she couldn't relax until she reminded herself that he would be fine. Stiles will be fine, I'm close enough now to know if something has gone wrong.

I hope.

As Stiles went back to Scott, his mind was still on Caroline's puppy comment, barely able to keep a clamp on his amusement. Oh, she has no idea how accurate that description is… maybe I should crack out the dog bowl again. He followed to where Scott had gone in the living room, flopping down in one of the couches.

Scott looked at him cautiously. "So… your sister's here." He said, standing in front of him, still in some shock about the whole thing.

"Yep." Stiles replied casually, popping the p, clearly not going to say anything more on the subject despite his friend's obvious curiosity.

"Do you know why she's here?" Scott asked after a minute, looking down at the other boy expectantly.

"Nope." At this, the werewolf seemed surprised, having expected that his friend would have demanded answers from his sister the moment she arrived, and Stiles felt the sudden need to defend himself and Caroline. "Well, kind of! I think she just missed us." He exclaimed loudly.

Scott was still somewhat doubtful though. "So she drove for two days straight in a school week to come see you? Without calling ahead? Or, you know, planning anything… at all?"

Stiles looked around, away from Scott's incredulous gaze, pausing. "Yeah…" He finally said, though even he could hear the unsure quality in his tone.

"You don't think that's a bit weird?"

"No, I don't." He replied firmly, though doubt had begun to take hold. A part of him hated Scott for it; for saying what Stiles was secretly thinking… because, as much as he wanted to believe Caroline more than anything, his analytical mind saw the deception of her motives. Something was going on with her, something that she desperately didn't want to tell him. And, in all honesty, that hurt him, because if there was one thing that Stiles had always valued in their relationship it was the mutual honesty.

Then again, he couldn't really say much either; after all, he also wasn't able to be completely honest with her either. Maybe I should give it a few days; she's just barely arrived, she'll probably tell me another time…

And… And I need to tell her about Scott. About everything. I can't keep it from her. I wish I could, to protect her, but I don't want to lose her… and if I keep lying to her I will.

Decision made, however tentatively, Stiles focused his attention back on Scott, who was currently shifting from foot-to-foot, as if trying to find a way to say something to him.

"It's just…" He began again, clearly referring to Caroline once more.

"What?" Stiles interrupted, slightly impatient; he didn't want to think about the whole honesty problem he was having with his sister, not now when he first let himself realize it. But Scott's not just going to let it go; he's going to need to get his doubts or whatever off his chest at some point, might as well get it over with. "What is it Scott?" He asked, a little more calmly.

"It's just her scent… it was off." The werewolf replied, hesitant.

Stiles' brow furrowed. "What do you mean off?"

"Like… like it wasn't there…"

No scent? That… that can't be right. Can it?

Could it… could it be something supernatural?

No… No.

"No, no." He barely noticed as he said the words allowed.

"What's the matter?" Scott took a seat next to him, looking like a concerned parent.

Stiles shook his head, clenching his fists almost angrily. "No, we're not doing this." There's no way that Caroline is involved this. None. That hallucination I had was just that, a hallucination. My sister is not that thing.

"You lost me." Scott's words broke Stiles out of his thought rant and the human boy lifted his determined eyes to his friends.

"We are not going to mention the supernatural and Caroline in the same sentence. Ever. Ok? Caroline has nothing to do with any of this." Though he started off in a firm tone, it soon dissolved into a panicked one as his thoughts went over what had seen, or been shown, again and again. I can't see her getting hurt like that…

Despite the almost maniacal way in which his friend was speaking, Scott immediately understood what he wanted from him. Stiles was nothing if not protective of his family and this was something that Scott definitely got; he felt the same. So, he nodded, keeping his voice calm. "Fine, ok, that's fine." He said softly, but when he saw it was doing nothing for Stiles' worry, he looked him in the eye and repeated himself steadily. "It's fine, Stiles."

Finally, he nodded, seemingly reassured. "Good, good."

The rest of the night was pretty quiet, and soon Scott left with a request for his silence on Caroline's presence in Beacon Hills; Stiles didn't want people to know just yet, not after the threat he had received. Still, even after Scott left, the older Stilinski sibling did not feel the same as he did merely hours before. After all, there was no way for his friend to take his doubts back with him.

No, instead they began to grow in Stiles' mind. Even Caroline's first family dinner in more than a year was clouded by their shadow. Whilst the Sheriff and his daughter sat oblivious to Stiles' thoughts, he was going over and over them, finding all the flaws in Caroline's sudden reappearance. He hated it, but he wasn't the type of guy to just ignore these things.

Now that Stiles had given into to doubt, he knew he was going to figure out what was going on with his little sister… eventually.

Maybe for now though, I can just enjoy having her back… just for a little bit.

And so that's what he did. Or attempted to at least. He spent the next few days going to school absentmindedly (much to the concern and confusion of all of his friends except Scott) and spending his afternoons solely with Caroline. Though he tried his best to simply enjoy what precious time he had with her, his constant curiosity and wondering what she was hiding wore him down. He knew it might be something completely ridiculous and small and that freaking out wouldn't help… and yet, a part of him sensed that it was something much, much bigger than that.

Stiles wasn't sure how much longer he could ignore it, but he did know that when he stopped, things would likely get very messy, very fast.

Klaus Mikaelson hadn't expected to see Mystic Falls so soon again when he'd first planned to go to New Orleans, but alas here he was. The so-called threat Katherine Pierce had wisely decided to inform him of had been quickly vanquished, thus ending, for now, his business in the city. Oh, he was definitely going to go back, seeing as Marcel had taken control of his city. But he still had things to conclude in Mystic Falls; he knew he could just arrange to have others bring his and his family's things over by others, but now that they finally didn't have to run anymore, just leave whatever lives they had created like that as they had for centuries, Klaus found he didn't want to.

Besides that, there were people (person, the treacherous corner of him mind betrayed him) that he had to talk to… that he had to say goodbye to.

And so, here he was, back in this godforsaken town, his brother, hounding him like a dog, having followed close behind. They were standing in the Mikaelson Mansion at the very moment, watching as it was emptied of everything they required for their relocation. Klaus studied plans on the table in front of him intensely, making sure everything was being followed to the smallest detail.

"These new rumors are… worrying." Elijah commented needlessly as Klaus pointed a few more workers in the right direction, continuing their earlier conversation. Klaus rolled his eyes. So like my brother to bring up the petty wonderings of those below us.

"They are none of our concern, brother." He replied flippantly. Why should they care what the New Orleans witches had to say about things they know nothing about? Fools, the lot of them.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Niklaus. The witches say that such power has not been felt in centuries." The older of the brothers insisted, much to the annoyance of younger one. Hearsay and rumors is all the bloody witches have knowledge of, certainly not enough to merit any investigation by the Originals. Besides we have heard it all before already.

"Yes, yes Silas is all-powerful." Klaus did not let onto his slight fear of the ancient being; he did not like not being the most powerful creature in any capacity. I have had enough of this Silas.

Elijah shook his head at his brother's forced offhandness, recognizing it for what it was - alarm. "That's just the thing; it is not coming from here." He corrected, finally getting Klaus' full attention at this statement, the younger Mikaelson's arrogant demeanor becoming somewhat more serious. The hybrid turned to him and gestured for him to continue. Elijah, instead of explain with words, simply pulled a map from under all of Klaus' plans and pointed to the area he meant.

Klaus recognized it immediately, all traces of disinterest disappearing. "Beacon Hills…" He muttered. "Is that not where a clan of the other wolves have gathered? The wolf-men?"

Elijah nodded gravely. "Yes, the Hale pack."

"You know the Hales have never welcomed our kind." Klaus growled, eyes briefly flashing gold. Especially after the last time when they wouldn't renew our treaty; when was it? Ten years ago?

Regardless, they were imbeciles not seek our assistance and they suffered the consequences of it.

"Perhaps, but it merits looking into." Elijah told him now, breaking through Klaus' vicious thoughts. Barely sparing his brother another glance, the hybrid made to leave, calling his answer over his shoulder.

"I shall think on it… It's quite a bit too soon to be going on another little escapade, don't you think?"

There are things to do here first. The Hales and their useless little pack can wait.

Being back in Beacon Hills was… different than Caroline had imagined it would be. It was odd, really, not exactly like stepping into the past but an unfamiliar, modified version of it. She wasn't quite sure how she was supposed to act. And it seemed her family didn't know how to treat her either. Surprisingly though, it wasn't her father who was the worse of the two; it was her brother. Apart from the first day when Stiles had been his usual sarcastic, caring self, he wasn't acting at all like he normally would. Though Caroline could tell he was making an effort, he only seemed half there, his mind clearly occupied elsewhere. She just hoped things would get better with him soon, but… she did have the feeling that something more was going on with him.

Also, he was absolutely insistent on her staying close to home; she'd barely left the house since she'd arrived. When she'd asked him if she could go to school with him (her protective instincts screamed at her to follow her every morning he left), all she'd heard was harsh, resounding 'no' that was so out of character for Stiles that it stunned Caroline still. He'd apologized after, of course, making roundabout excuses as to why she shouldn't come but it really worried her.

He worried her.

Still, even with her brother's weirder than usual behavior, Caroline had to admit being home was… nice. She really had missed it more than she'd thought. And being around her dad again without a single argument was definitely more than nice. At least there, she had taken a step in the right direction.

Apart from stressing about Stiles and reconnecting with her dad, Caroline had also tried to be productive on the more supernatural side of things. However, thus far she hadn't had much luck. There wasn't any sign of Silas, but there were hints of other… activity.

Still, with Stiles' close supervision, she hadn't had much chance to investigate; eventually, she knew she needed to talk it out and decided she had best call her friends. Elena picked up almost immediately, having clearly been worried about the other vampire after her complete silence for several days. Only after the necessary greetings, reassurances and apologies for not calling sooner did the brunette calm down enough to have a proper conversation.

"How're you feeling?" Caroline asked, referring to Elena's recently regained humanity. Not ready to talk about what's happening over here just yet.

Her friend seemed to get the hint. "Good, I guess; trying to get used to being me again."

"I'm sorry I can't be there to help you."

"Don't worry about it, Care, you have your own things to worry about. How is everyone?"

Guess I couldn't avoid it too long. The blonde sighed slightly, suddenly feeling the exhaustion of the past few days. "They're ok. Surprised, and I think a little wary, but ok. I mean, it's a bit weird, especially around Stiles, but I think with a little time, it'll work itself out… I'm mostly just keeping an eye out for now."

"Seen anything yet?" Elena asked.

"Not really…" Caroline paused, wondering how she should explain the instinctual sense she had that there was something here. "Though I've been getting this feeling."

"What kind of feeling?"

"Like I'm being watched." She whispered, shocking even herself as she finally put a name to what she'd been feeling since her arrival in Beacon Hills. Something bad is going to happen, I can feel it.

"Be careful, Caroline, there really could be someone out there." Elena replied instantly, sounding concerned.

"I know, I know. I'll be on my guard." The blonde vowed, before moving on. "There's also something else though."

"What?"

"It's a kind of scent, I've never smelled something like it before. I mean, it's familiar, but not. It's just… odd. I'm going to look into it." Caroline thought back to the scent she'd discovered on her very first day back; that along with her feeling of being watched were her only hints that there was supernatural here. This whole protection mission thing definitely wasn't going as well as she'd planned. If only I had more time on my own, or more resources…

"Are you sure you don't want one of us to go over there and help?" Elena's question seemed to answer her innermost thoughts and doubts, but Caroline found herself refusing the offer anyways.

"It's already suspicious me just being here, I don't think we should bring the entire Mystic Falls gang out here. At least not yet." She replied quietly, partially wishing that she could have her friends, her pseudo-family wither her. But she knew even if they wouldn't bring out suspicion she couldn't ask them to drop everything for her, not with Silas still tormenting Mystic Falls and everything else that went on in that town on a daily basis.

"Look, we'll do what we can from here; research and stuff. I'll get back to you with it soon but you just promise me you'll be careful." Elena finally said after a long pause, her tone regretful, yet firm.

"I will, Elena." Caroline promised quietly. As best I can.

But I don't I'll have the luxury of being careful for much longer. Something's got to give, and it might be me.

Elena Gilbert put the phone down with concern, worried about her friend. Caroline seemed to be having more trouble than she was letting on. Well then the least I can do is a little research. She sighed, settling back into her chair as the commotion of the Mystic Grill surrounded her, trying to gather her thoughts and plan what she should do when. Across from her, Bonnie was watching her closely, though her mind seemed far away.

"I hope Care's ok." The witch said distantly.

"Yeah, me too." Elena agreed quietly; it was hard to be without their bubbly blonde companion. "Stiles will look out for her though; he's definitely the protective type." She put in, having gotten the impression from her short encounter with him more than a year ago. It was obvious though. Despite her reassurances, Bonnie looked at her doubtfully. "Plus her dad's the Sheriff; she'd probably better off than us." Her friend still didn't seem convinced so Elena found herself leaning and grabbing her hand comfortingly. "Bonnie, I'm sure she's safe in Beacon Hills." She has to be.

Finally Bonnie nodded and decided to try and lighten the mood. "What's with that name anyways?" She asked with a small forced laugh.

Elena scoffed slightly. "Not any worse than Mystic Falls."

This time Bonnie's laugh was sincere. "You got me there."

On the other side of the Mystic Grill, Klaus Mikaelson sat contemplatively, watching and listening the two girls closely as they continued talking.

Perhaps Beacon Hills merits more looking into after all.

As much as Caroline sometimes hated to admit it, a part of her had become animalistic since her turning; and like all animals, she often craved the freedom of the open air and, as she was also a predator, the predator of all predators really, she craved the thrill of the chase as well.

Now, she wasn't Stefan; she would never be able to live off solely an animal diet for any length of time… but the hunt… the hunt she understood the appeal of. It was a release to be allowed to tap into her true nature; one that she normally tried to keep hidden, secret. Caroline liked to think that she had adjusted to vampire life well; she had long since accepted her new self… but even she didn't like to admit to the darker parts that came with this change. And so, in the rare moments she did, it came as a great relief to her.

Which brought her to where she was now, running though the woods that surrounded Beacon Hills with abandon. Considering the stress of the last couple weeks, and of the last few days, she thought she was long overdue for using some of her supernatural abilities, instead of keeping them bound and restrained within her. In short, she needed to release some of her restless energy, lest she let things become more dangerous if she just ignored it.

The blonde let out a whooping laugh as she leapt over a crag, enjoying the sheer freedom of the action. She landed lightly on her feet on the other side, observing the beauty of the nature around her. Briefly, Caroline contemplated going on actual hunt but she quickly decided against it; she didn't need any unwanted attention, at all, especially not here of all places.

Maybe it's best if I'm quieter too. It may be the middle of the night, but you can never be too sure about who (or what, Caroline's mind cautiously added) was in the woods.

So she ran silently through the trees, her image blurring as she gained speed.

And that's it hit her. That scent… That oddly familiar and yet still completely unfamiliar scent. The one that had been plaguing her constantly the last few days she'd been here.

The scent of wolf.

Caroline immediately stopped in her tracks, shock and terror sending her mind reeling.

Could it be? Could there really werewolves in Beacon Hills? The vampire shuddered, remembering the utter agony that their bite could cause. Never again, she vowed.

But no. It wasn't the same scent as that of the werewolves she knew, at least not completely. Caroline was pretty sure that this wasn't any normal wolf but she was also starting to think that this wasn't the type of wolf she was familiar with either. This is beyond weird… and considering my life, that's saying something.

Just as she was regaining her sense, her mind whirring through all the possibilities, the blonde heard the fast running footsteps that seemed to belong to the scent. Before she could contemplate the strangeness of it all any more, her instincts screamed at her and made her jump high into one of the trees and hide amongst the foliage.

Barely a few moments later, a figure came crashing through the woods; it didn't pause for even a second, just kept running unnaturally fast until it was once again out of her view. But that bare second of sight she did have was enough for Caroline.

She'd seen what she needed to.

Hairy face, rigid brow, long fangs… golden eyes. From what she could gather, it was some type of wolf-man.

But that wasn't what had held her attention, it was the features of his face that were hidden underneath the monstrous qualities… they were features she recognized.

Scott.

Scott McCall.

He was the wolf.

Derek Hale knew that caution and secrecy were some of the most important things to every werewolf and supernatural creature out there. Being what he was, he knew that should he live without it, it would only lead to disaster. It would lead hunters to him, amongst other things. Of course, not every supernatural seemed to realize that. His pack, for one, had seemed to struggle with this concept in the past, and that had led to some serious casualties.

And so, more often than not, of late he had found himself hanging around, lurking really. He was patrolling, trying to keep an eye on things amidst his hectic schedule.

Which is how he ended up in the forest, because Scott decided to, once again, go on one of his reckless midnight runs.

The kid never learns. He's too close to town, he should go deeper… But I guess he wants to avoid the Hale property…

Frustrated, he followed at a safe distance, both observing Scott's ever-improving techniques and keeping a watchful eye on him. He'd already lost too many of his pack.

It was because of this that he saw something he hadn't expected to see in Beacon Hills ever again. Derek stuck cautiously to the shadows as he observed the blonde blur drop from the tree where she must have been hiding. She seemed bewildered as she stared in the direction that Scott had just run past. Immediately, he was suspicious of her; she wasn't human, that much was clear.

It was the lack of a scent that confirmed it though.

Vampire.

Derek's eyes began to burn in anger, his fingernails sharpening into monstrous claws. The last time there had been vampires in Beacon Hills, he'd still been a kid… but even had seen the dire consequences they had brought with them.

It only took him a second to realize what he had to do.

He had to take out the threat.

With a deep growl, he flew forward, intent on the vampire's pale throat.

The darkness of the room was unsettling, only the barest drop of light filtering through, allowing the two occupants a dim view of the other. Not that it mattered much to either of them; to them, the darkness had long since been an ally. It gave them a mask, allowed them to conceal their plans and their combined power.

The younger of the two shivered as she approached the other; she might be powerful, but he was the clear superior of them both. She did not allow herself to betray any of her apprehension however, shifting her once beautiful features to that of her true visage. She turned her disfigured and scarred face away, bowing her head slightly in submissiveness. "Silas. Master." The Darach greeted, her voice hissing somewhat as she forced it through her torn throat.

The shadowy figure before her smirked wickedly, his own face hidden in the recesses of his hood. "Everything is in place; the Stilinski family has been reunited… We must begin."

Shuddering, the Darach nodded. "Yes. Of course."

Next chapter we will see a lot more of the other Teen Wolf characters, along with some more interesting encounters ;) Plus the plot will really get a-rolling.

As you can probably tell, this part was bit shorter than the other two; this was mainly because I couldn't think of a better place to end this.

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!

RW