See Chapter One for all warnings,


Living Dreams and Nightmares

003

The alarm beeping wakes me up and Oren leans over me to turn it off, I blink sleepily at him and he grimaces, "Fuck, Stiles, I'm so sorry about last night, I know the full moon isn't for another three days, I should have better control than that."

He's always sorry.

He doesn't change his behaviour though, and I smile and nod at him acting like I've accepted his apology, I haven't, because he doesn't really mean it. The trick to lying to werewolves is to dodge and tell a different truth. I've been reading up on fairies and the wee folk, if they're real then they're the fathers of lawyers, the slippery little buggers would tell the truth but in such a way that it wasn't the whole truth or the truth to your questions. Never make a deal with a fairy, because all you get are fairy bumpkus and a serious case of being screwed over.

"Go shower, I'll make breakfast," I tell him and he smiles that gorgeous smile.

Moving stiffly I make him his breakfast and use the shower after him, I don't bother eating but I do take my Adderall and grab my school things as I go to the school bus.

At the bottom of the stairs is the maintenance guy who's muttering about kids and pranks and he's screwing in a new light bulb. The sensation of being watched is strong as I stand at the bus stop, it continues all the way to school as the kids all stare at me and I blank it out with dream Scott who morphs into dream Erika, "Seriously, I get that being broody is all Batman like, but come on Stiles, plan better," she leans back showing off her chest again, "We both know you can do better," and then she's gone.

Awesome.

Just what I didn't need, an Erika pep talk, my subconscious hates me.

Milling kids at school are an obstacle I try and wind my way through, a few of them step into me and I wince in pain as they hit my new bruises. I'm barely through the door when a teacher catches sight of me and I'm sent to the nurse's office.

The nurse means well and she checks out all my new injuries tutting the whole time, "You know I have to report these don't you," she says that every time.

"I know," I accept it and if Oren was human I'd have quite the case building up against him, a case I could use to get him out of my life, but he's not human and if I used it against him I'd either vanish and be dead or turn up a mangled dead corpse, basically dead though, the exact location of my body is the only variable.

"Fine, I'm going to the Principal's to get this all documented and sent off. You," she wags a finger at me, "Will stay here and rest, I'll get you excused from your first few lessons."

"'Kay," I didn't think my injuries were that bad but I lay back and close my eyes. She pulls the curtain across screening me from the door and then I hear her footsteps click further and further away.

Wiggling to get comfy I don't think I'm going to sleep but my brain is cooperating for once and I start to doze off.

A lack of noise wakes me up and I jerk my head up to stare at the curtains near the base of the bed. That watching hunted sensation is back and I stare at the human shaped shadow that's looming closer and closer on the other side of the curtain.

I blink as my eyes burn and it breaks the panic I've been stuck in, frantically I look around the room but other than the bed there's nothing here, nothing I can use as a weapon, no handy powdered wolfsbane.

The silhouette of a hand reaches out to the edge of the curtain and I can hear myself start to pant as I draw my feet up getting ready to duck and run. If I can make it out into the corridor screaming my head off I might be able to survive this.

And then the person on the other side turns their head so I can see the profile, they tilt their head as if listening and then they're gone. The noise of the nurse's shoes click on the floor coming nearer and I struggle to get my breathing under control.

She putters around the office and I doze off a little as I wonder why the profile looked so damn familiar, what was it about whoever it was that terrified me that much?

Shaking it off I make it through the day and ride the bus home, that same watched sensation picking up at my bus stop and following me to the apartment.

Oren's already waiting for me when he should be at work, "Hey," he slinks over to me, "Look, I really am sorry, so how about we go shopping, and afterwards we'll grab some drive through?"

We're getting low on food and I have no desire to go out there on my own so I put my books away and let him lead me down the stairs and to his car. The whole time the spot between my shoulder blades itches and he's not twitching in the slightest. That's weird. Oren's really good at spotting rogue Omegas, so either the werewolf is better than Oren, not a good thought, or I'm even more paranoid than I realised, also not a good thought.

Wandering around the supermarket and mentally checking things off of my list I daydream about Scott's mom. She helpfully points out some handy bargains and I remember tips she gave me as I pushed the cart for her when I was much younger. Even then I had the attention span of a gnat and she turned it into a game to keep me interested, poor Scott never understood it, but we both enjoyed the piece of candy at the end.

For once Oren volunteers to get the car and takes a few bags with him. I watch him jog away up into the multistory and sulk about werewolf healing abilities and stamina. Standing outside the supermarket I stay close to the entrance and the lights not trusting the darkness in the slightest.

Planning our meals for the rest of the week I shift from foot to foot and then glare up at the parking lot. Damn it he is taking his time. Glancing up at the big clock outside the supermarket, I give him another ten minutes in case he's wolfing down something sugary, he does have a sweet tooth, and then it's been over twelve minutes and I know something's wrong.

Briefly I toy with the idea of going back inside and sending someone else up there to go and find him but I can't risk other people getting hurt, I really wouldn't be able to live with myself if I deliberately sent someone into harms way.

Clutching my bags to my chest I start the lonely, rather creepy, walk into the place and we're parked on the third floor. Around and around I go and I'm as silent as I can be. I check to see the security cameras are working and they are so I breathe a bit easier at that.

Peeking around the third floor ramp I try and see if Oren is anywhere to be seen. He's not. Edging up the ramp I know his car is parked right at the far end on the left.

Moving to the top of the ramp I can feel those eyes on me again and I glance up to see the camera is trained on me right now, it's the same as being in a crowded place, no werewolf would dare attack me where there are cameras because that would bring the hunters down on their furry little asses.

Oh my god I now live in a world where I'm glad there are hunters.

Taking a few steps forward I stop and try and work out if it's hunters I've been sensing following me and then shake my head, no, there's something else to the feeling and the fact I'm not healing would make them pause. Okay so they'd only pause if they actually followed the code, but the same rule of the camera applies and I inch forward.

There's a strange click whirling coming from the camera and I frown as I try and see to the end of the parking bays. I stop again and I track the lights with my eyes, there should be three lights at the bottom and they're not there.

The image of the camera flashes in my mind and the click whirl is where someone has jammed the camera so it can't turn. I'm betting the same has been done to the camera at that far end, that or someone's destroyed it completely.

That burning itch between my shoulder blades is at a fever pitch and I have to clear my throat before I say, "You're standing right behind me, aren't you."

A soft chuckle from right behind me is my only answer and I know that chuckle from somewhere, it makes the bags fall from my nerveless fingers and my groceries crash to the ground.

Spinning in a circle I can see he's standing only foot away from me and he's smiling at me, "Hello Stiles," he greets me politely.

"Peter," I'm surprised my voice is so steady and I stare into his blue eyes wondering how long he'll take to kill me and praying I don't scream like a girl while he does it.


A/N: Sorry for any and all mistakes, I've tried to catch those I could, but I'm only human.