A/N: PLEASE READ THE VERY IMPORTANT NOTE AT THE END. Enjoy~ :)

WEDNESDAY
FEBRUARY 2, 2011

I sat in Econ class, totally bored out of my mind.

I was sitting right behind Stiles, since there were very few seats left when I got to class. Stiles, unfortunately, lost the seat behind Scott to Allison, so he was sitting diagonally behind Scott.

"I'm surprised Allison hasn't noticed he's avoiding her," I mused, leaning forward to talk to my brother. "Do you really think it's best that it's like this, though?"

Scott had informed us that because he couldn't protect our dad Monday night, he went to Derek for help to control his strength. That, however, wasn't a good enough answer for Stiles, so Stiles stole Finstock's heart monitor, and during our free period, he took Scott out to monitor his status.

I wasn't there myself, but I heard the results weren't that happy…

"We've gotta keep his pulse from rising," Stiles said, leaning back, but still looking straight ahead. "And Allison makes his pulse accelerate."

"I-I just don't wanna bring your grade down," I heard Scott say.

"Well, maybe I could bring your grade up," Allison replied.

Stiles heaved out a small sigh, and I could tell he was just rolling his eyes. I heard Allison come up with a date with Scott at 8:30 tonight, but before Scott could reply, Finstock slammed a book down on his desk.

"Let's start with a quick summary of last night's reading," he announced. Immediately, Greenberg's hand shot up. "Greenberg, put your hand down, everybody knows you did the reading." He looked around before saying, "How about… McCall?"

Scott looked up. "What?"

"The reading," Finstock said.

"Last night's reading?"

Oh God. He didn't read last night. I groaned softly, draping myself over the desk. Stiles echoed my quiet call of hopelessness.

"How about the reading of the Gettysburg Address?" Finstock questioned dryly, causing some students to laugh.

I didn't have to look at Scott to know he was confused. "What?"

"That's sarcasm," Finstock told him. "You familiar with the term 'sarcasm', McCall?"

Scott looked back to Stiles. "Very."

"Aw, shucks," Stiles said softly, tossing me a grin. I smiled back in return.

"Did you do the reading or not?" Finstock demanded.

"Uh – I think I forgot," Scott replied.

"Nice work, McCall!" Finstock exclaimed. "It's not like you're averaging a D in this class." He leaned forward to talk to Scott, "Come on, buddy. You know I can't keep you on the team if you have a D. How about you summarize, uh, the previous night's reading?" Scott shook his head. "No? How about the night before that? How about you summarize anything you've ever read – in your entire life?"

Throughout the entire questioning, I could hear the soft beeping of the heart monitor from the phone Stiles took. I leaned forward, glancing at it. It was rapidly increasing, from 99 beats per minute to 145 and growing as Finstock continued to be on his back.

"No? A blog? How about – how about – how about the back of a cereal box? No? How about the Adults Only warning from your favorite website you visit every night? Anything?"

I glanced down at the monitor worriedly. This was not good.

"Thank you, McCall, thank you. Thank you, McCall!" Finstock pounded on his desk. "Thank you for extinguishing any. Last. Flicker of hope I have for your generation! You just blew it for everybody. Thanks. Next practice, you can start with suicide runs. Unless that's too much reading."

I perked up when I noticed something strange. Scott's heartbeat suddenly went from 163 and started to steadily decline. I looked at Scott to see what had changed.

Nothing looked particularly different, until my eyes dropped. To the side of the desks, Allison's hand was holding Scott's comfortingly, assuring that it was alright.

I slapped Stiles's back, making him jump a bit. "Look down there," I hissed quietly, hoping he'd see the entwined hands.

"It's her…" Stiles said quietly. I nodded, even though he couldn't see.

For the rest of the period, Finstock didn't call on Scott, and Stiles was completely antsy, eager to tell Scott the news.

When the bell rang to signal class had ended, I jumped up, gathering my stuff. I had some questions to ask.

"It's her," Stiles declared as we left the room.

Scott looked around curiously. "What do you mean?"

"It's Allison," I supplied, walking next to him. "Remember what you told us about the night of the full moon? You were thinking about protecting her, right?"

"Yeah… okay…" Scott said, nodding slowly.

"Remember the night of the first lacrosse game?" Stiles added. "You said you could hear her voice out on the field."

"Yeah, I did," Scott immediately got into defensive mode.

Stiles went on to explain how Allison kept him sane, "And then, after the game in the locker room, you didn't try to kill her. At least, not like how you were trying to kill Sindy and me. She brings you back, is what I'm saying."

"No, no, no," Scott denied. "But it's not always true, because literally, every time I'm kissing her or touching her–"

"No, that's when you're just acting like another normal, hormonal teenaged guy," I interrupted.

"Yeah, you're just thinking about sex," Stiles agreed. Scott then got this stupid grin on his face. I face-palmed myself while Stiles deadpanned, "You're thinking about sex right now, aren't you?"

Scott had the gull to just continue smiling and admitted, "Yeah. Sorry."

I rolled my eyes. "It's okay. I grew up with you guys. Anyway, back in the classroom, she was holding your hand. That was made the difference. She doesn't make you weak, Scott, she gives you control."

"You mean, because I love her," Scott said.

"Exactly," Stiles and I nodded.

Scott looked blank for a second, like he just realized something. "Did I just say that?"

Stiles and I exchanged looks. "Yes. Yes, you did just say that," we told him.

"I love her." Scott got this goofy grin on his face. It made me want to smack him for being so dense but hug him because he was so cute: like a puppy in love.

Stiles, on the other hand, said, "That's great. Now, moving on–"

"No, no, no," Scott shook his head. "Really. I think I'm totally in love with her."

"And that's…" Stiles searched for the right word, "beautiful. Now, before you go off and write a sonnet, can we figure this out, please? Because you obviously can't be around her all the time."

"Yeah, sorry," Scott said. "So, what do I do?"

"I don't know…" Stiles shook his head. "Yet," he added as an afterthought. Of course. Stiles always came up with an idea eventually.

Stiles looked blank for a second, staring off into space.

"Oh, no," Scott recognized the look on my brother's face. "You're getting an idea, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Stiles nodded.

"Is this idea gonna get me in trouble?"

"Maybe."

"Is this idea gonna cause me physical pain?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely. Come on." He patted Scott's arm before walking off. Scott sighed heavily, trekking after his best friend.

The two started walking away, and it took them a couple seconds before they realized I wasn't following them. "Sindy?" Stiles asked, turning around. "You coming?"

"Uh… nah," I shook my head. "I'm gonna… do some more research."

Stiles and Scott exchanged looks. Oh, I knew those looks. Stiles frowned. "You're going to him again, aren't you?"

"I'm trying to find methods that don't involve Scott being physically harmed," I quipped. I spun my heel around and began to walk away, shoes moving smoothly over the tiles.

I climbed into my car, turning on the engine. I took off from school, heading straight for the Hale house.

Fifteen minutes later, I pulled up to the burnt house. The house no longer gave me chills. Instead, I felt like this was the one place I could relax and get away from everything.

I opened the front door, glancing around at the dusty floorboards. "Derek?" I called. "You home?"

"Don't you know to knock?" came my reply. My eyes followed to where the voice came from. Standing at the top of the stairs, clad in his dark clothing, this time with a navy Henley, was Derek Hale, werewolf extraordinaire.

"I do, but I figured you wouldn't answer anyway, so I just let myself in," I responded, walking up the stairs.

Derek looked at me blankly. "What do you want?"

"I have some questions regarding control," I said, leaning against the old railing. It was sturdy enough, and if I fell, Derek would catch me… hopefully.

"What are you and that idiot trying to do to Scott?" Derek asked.

"Is there anything about someone else giving the werewolf control?" I chose not to answer his question, wanting my answers first.

"What do you mean?"

"Can you stop answering my questions with questions?" I sighed. "I mean, today in class, Scott's heart rate – we, and by 'we', I mean Stiles, stole the coach's heart monitor to check up on Scott's heart rate – was spiking up because the coach was being a jerk again. We thought Scott was going to change, because he wasn't calming down, but then Scott's heart rate began to slow down. I looked down and saw that Allison's hand was holding his, so I was wondering if there was any way someone else could give that person control over their wolf."

"Sounds like he's found an anchor," Derek replied, leaning against the wall across from me. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"What's an anchor?" I asked.

"An anchor is something – something meaningful to us – that we bind ourselves to in order to keep ourselves in control. To keep our human side in control," Derek explained. "Allison is Scott's anchor."

If that was the case, then Derek had to have an anchor. He was always so in control. "Who's your anchor?" I inquired, almost scared to know the answer. As selfish as it was, especially since there was nothing between Derek and I, I didn't want another female being Derek's anchor.

"Anger," he told me. "It isn't always a physical being that is one's anchor." I mentally let out a sigh of relief. He must've heard the change in my heartbeat, because he quirked an eyebrow at me. "Can't handle the competition?"

I don't know what came over me, but I boldly pushed myself off the railing, walking straight towards Derek. "Hm… an alleged murderer and confirmed werewolf… Girls must be lining up for you," I commented, running a finger against his chest. I could feel the lines of his muscles perfectly and they contracted under my touch.

Before I could tease him any further, he suddenly grabbed me, spinning me around so quickly so I was pinned against the wall. The wind was all but knocked out of me, but he caught the gasp with his mouth, blocking me between the wall and him. I stood on my toes, throwing my arms around his neck, pulling him down to me.

He released my mouth and I gasped, taking in a much needed gulp of air. He nudged his face between my neck and I angled it to the side, allowing him to gain access to the area. I heard him inhale deeply, taking in my scent, before something wet and warm coat a spot on my neck.

My heart beat spiked and I felt his grip on my waist tighten, but not quite enough to hurt me. His thumb, calloused yet soft, rubbed against the skin that was exposed from where my shirt bunched up.

I angled my head against, going straight for his lips.

When air became a necessity, we both pulled away again. I gasped for breath heavily, my heart going a thousand beats per second.

"There…" I sighed out, trying to regain the oxygen in my brain. "There is no competition," I concluded.

Derek smirked, before leaning down. He rested his head on my shoulder, inhaling deeply once more before pulling back.

His eyes then hardened and he said, "Come with me."

Curious, I walked off, heading outside with him. "Where are we going?"

"To visit my uncle," he told me. "I need to talk to him about something."

"Wait!" I exclaimed, making Derek turn back to look at me. When he prompted for me to continue, I asked, "Do you think we could stop by my house? So I can drop off my car first?"

Without a word, Derek got into his car, turning on the engine. I took that as a yes, so I climbed into my own car, driving off to my house first.

Derek's car followed closely behind me the entire time, and when I got home, I noticed Stiles wasn't home yet. It made me wonder just what the hell those two guys were up to.

I threw my car keys in my bag, not bothering to put them away before walking over to Derek's Camaro. I slid into the passenger seat, and once I had my seatbelt on, he took off.

He parked in front of the hospital, and led the way to his uncle's room in the burned ward. I didn't really know what he was doing, so I just kept following him.

Once we got to Peter's room, he sat down in front of his uncle, swiveling him so the two could look at each other. I stood awkwardly at the entrance, not really sure what to do.

"I need your help," Derek said to his comatose uncle. "If you can hear me, I need you to give me a sign. Blink. Raise a finger. Anything. Just… just something to point me in the right direction, okay?"

It looked like it was difficult for Derek to speak, but he continued to do so. "Someone killed Laura, your niece. Laura? Whoever he is, he's an Alpha now. But he's one without a pack, which means he's not as strong. I can take him, but I have to find him first. Look, if you know something, just give me a sign. Is it one of us? Someone else make it out of the fire? Just give me anything. Blink. Raise a finger. Anything. Say something!"

Derek's temper ran short and he grabbed his uncle tightly.

"Let him go!" I heard someone exclaim, and I practically jumped a mile. I swiveled around to see a nurse standing behind me. "You think after six years of this, yelling at him is going to get a response?"

"Got a better method?" Derek challenged.

"Patience," the nurse said. "He'll respond if you give him the time."

Derek glanced at me before telling the nurse, "I don't have any more time." He stormed out of the room so quickly I felt the wind hit me.

"Derek!" I exclaimed, running after him. "Derek!"

"What?!" Derek snapped, whirling around once we were outside.

"I- I just wanted you to wait up…" I said.

Derek sighed heavily, before walking to his car. He climbed into the driver's seat and I got into the passenger's. Derek started the car and drove off, this time, to a destination I wasn't sure of.

"The… the fire," I said cautiously.

"What about it?" Derek snapped.

"Y- you said the Argents started it… but… how? How'd they find out about you?" I asked. "Allison's dad didn't attack you that night at the gas station, but… but he knew who you were. How?"

Derek looked at me from the corner of his eyes for a second before saying, "Because of me."

"Wh- what do you mean by that? Did you shift in front of them or something?"

"Or something," Derek said bitterly. "I was stupid. A complete idiot. Now that I think about it, all of the signs were there." I waited quietly, not sure if he was going to elaborate. "Six years ago, the house was set on fire, and it was all my fault. I was stupid and young, but those were no excuses."

I saw him grip the steering wheel tightly, and I was afraid he might break it. Just as I was fearing that, his grip loosened and he sighed, frustrated. "She was beautiful, sexy, and older," he told me. "At least, that's what I thought six years ago. Now I see nothing more than a disgusting, ugly, lying piece of bitchery. But I was seventeen years old, and I just thought that this sexy, older woman wanted me. All the signs were there. She always asked me about my family, wanting to know more about them than actually me. Then, one day, when I was in school with my sister, I get called out of class. My house was on fire… ten people died, and the eleventh one was left severely burnt and comatose."

I began to slowly piece who he was referring to. "Was it Kate Argent?" Derek didn't verbally reply, but the clench of his jaw confirmed it. "Didn't like her anyway," I mumbled. She didn't exactly give me positive vibes when I went to Allison's house the other day. Derek snorted. Then I realized something, "It's a good thing I'm younger than you, huh?" That got the reaction I wanted.

Derek smirked. "Guess so."

The sun had fully set by the time we arrived at our destination.

"The animal clinic?" I inquired curiously, peering up at Derek.

"Stay in the car," he ordered me. He opened his door and slammed it shut, walking into the clinic. I sighed heavily, leaning back in the smooth leather seats.

I don't know how long I was there, but I suddenly froze when I noticed a figure arriving on a bike. I popped open the car door and exclaimed, "Scott!"

"Sindy?" he looked at me, confused. "What are you doing here?" He noticed the car and his eyes narrowed. "Where's Derek?"

"In the –" I didn't get a chance to finish my sentence, because Scott stormed into the clinic, leaving me alone outside.

Not liking that both werewolves left me alone, I went inside the clinic just in time to hear Scott yell, "Stop! Stop!"

I went to the back to hear Derek explain, "When he's conscious, he can keep himself from healing, but unconscious, he can't."

"A-are you out of your mind?!" Scott yelled. "What are you talking about?"

"You want to know what the spiral means, Scott? It's our sign for vendetta, for revenge. It means he won't stop killing until he's satisfied."

"Wai-wai-wait!" I interrupted, entering the room. Both werewolves snapped at attention to me. "You think he's the Alpha?" I gestured to the unconscious Deaton.

"We're about to find out," Derek said. Then he glared at me, "Didn't I tell you to stay in the car?"

"I don't take orders without explanations well," I responded, crossing my arms, showing that I wasn't going to budge.

Derek let out an annoyed sigh before going to punch Deaton again. His arm, however, was stopped by Scott, now transformed. He let out a menacing growl, which caused Derek to back away, but just in shock.

I instinctively did, as well, because Scott just transformed willingly. Was his control getting better? I watched as he slowly transformed back before he threatened, "Hit him again, and you'll see me get angry."

"Um… since we're not entirely sure Deaton's the Alpha, yet, should we… take care of his wounds?" I asked, walking closer to the guys.

"Wh- oh, yeah, yeah," Scott nodded. "Lemme go get the first aid kit." He glared at Derek saying, "If you touch any of them…"

"Relax," Derek scoffed. "I won't."

"The second there's trouble," Scott ignored Derek, turning to me, "you run, got that?"

"He's not gonna hurt me, Scott. I think if he could've, he would've already," I rolled my eyes. "Just go get the kit." Scott narrowed his eyes at Derek for a few more seconds before stalking off.

I spotted a piece of paper on the floor and bent down to pick it up. It was a picture of a dead deer with a spiral, similar to how Scott drew what the Alpha did on his window, on its side.

"What is this…?" I asked Derek.

"My sister came to Beacon Hills after stumbling across that picture," Derek told me. "When she hadn't contacted me in weeks, I knew something was wrong, so I came back here… only to find her upper half. She was killed by the Alpha, and I wanna know who it is so I can kill him myself."

Before I could reply, Scott walked back in. He made a small sigh of relief when he realized Derek hadn't harmed us and proceeded to clean up Deaton's cups.

"Do you have a plan?" Derek asked, approaching Scott.

"Just give me an hour," Scott said.

"Then what?" Derek pushed.

"Meet me at the school," Scott told him, "in the parking lot." He spared a glance at me and said, "You go with him. I need someone I can trust."

I mock-saluted Scott. We waited for him to finish taking care of Deaton before he left. Before he left, though, Scott gave Derek a glare before biking off, most likely to Stiles's house.

Derek slung the unconscious Deaton over his shoulder. He handed me the keys to his car and said, "Pop open the front seat. We're putting him in the back."

I nodded, taking the keys before unlocking the car. I pushed the passenger seat back, and watched as Derek all but threw him into the backseat.

I winced. That did not sound comfortable. "If I'm ever tied up and knocked unconscious, are you going to do that to me, too?" Derek gave me a pointed look. "What? It's just a question. I'm already hanging out with werewolves, it's only a matter of time."

"Don't jinx yourself," Derek murmured quietly before taking the keys from my hand. I slid the seat back in its place before sitting down.

Even though the meeting time was an hour, Derek arrived at the school in half an hour, after we stopped by to get a quick dinner break.

Stiles and Scott were already there and when I exited the car, Stiles went over to me and hugged me. "Oh, my God, are you okay? He didn't do anything to you, did he? I swear, if he did, just say the word and I'll–"

"Relax, she's fine," Derek interrupted him. "And I don't think you're in a position to be making threats towards me."

"Where's my boss?" Scott demanded.

"He's in the back," Derek informed.

Stiles peered into the back window, focusing to look through the tinted lens. "Oh… well… he looks… comfortable."

Scott nudged Stiles and the boys turned to walk into the school. "What are you two planning?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"Derek said I was linked with the Alpha," Scott said simply. "I'm gonna see if he's right. Stay with him."

"It's not like I have a choice, now do I?" I asked, not expecting an answer.

"Nope," Scott responded, pushing open the school doors with Stiles. Right. Werewolf hearing.

I leaned against Derek's sleek car, unsure of what to do. I looked up at Derek through my lashes and saw him staring at me. I felt my heart skip a beat and a heat rise to my cheeks. "What?" I consciously reached for my face. Did I have some sauce from my burger on my face?

Derek simply walked to me, trapping me between him and his car. He reached up, his right palm resting on my cheek. I leaned into his touch, feeling his slightly calloused skin against my smooth. He leaned down, kissing me not softly, but not rough like we usually did either. It was… different.

His hand snaked to my nape, grabbing it not too tightly, but enough so he could control my actions.

I let him dominate me, allowing him to move my neck to the side, exposing the flesh to him. He growled softly at my submission and trailed down my jaw. I could feel his fangs were elongated, but just as soon as I felt them, they retracted so they were back to normal.

I caught his lips again, and just as my tongue was about to enter his mouth, a horrible, screeching sound came from the intercom, echoing through the entire expanse.

Derek broke away and let out an annoyed scoff, closing his eyes in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me."

I couldn't help but feel the laugh bubble in my chest. "W-was that…?" I choked out, unable to hold my laughter.

"Scott's howl? Yeah," Derek nodded reluctantly, sighing heavily when the last of Scott's "howl" struggled out for another second.

The laughter escaped my lips and if it weren't for Derek being pressed against me, I would've crouched down on the ground, unable to hold myself.

Just then, a spine-chilling growl echoed through the school and my laughter abruptly stopped. I jumped in shock and instinctively grabbed onto Derek's jacket. It was so terrifying I could feel it shake the entire school.

Derek grabbed me, pulling me to his chest, his body tense. When the growl ended, I looked up at Derek, wide-eyed. "R-remind me not to piss off both of you…" I said quietly.

"You're not supposed to piss off a werewolf, period," Derek retorted, letting me go.

The doors opened again and Stiles and Scott came walking out, grinning at each other. Derek whirled around, threatening, "I'm gonna kill both of you! What the hell was that?!" He turned to Scott, scolding, "What are you trying to do, attract the entire state to the school?"

"Sorry, I didn't know it'd be that loud," Scott shrugged.

I walked over to where Stiles was, slapping him over the head. "Ow!" Stiles exclaimed, holding his head. "C'mon, it was loud and it was awesome, Sindy!"

"It scared the crap out of me is what it was!" I retorted.

"Hey," Stiles recognized something, looking down at me curiously. "Why's your hair messed up? It wasn't like this earlier…" He reached up, touching my hair. "It's almost like…" He grabbed the back of my neck softly, angling me similar to how Derek did earlier, except he didn't lean in… which is good, because he's my brother.

His face blanched in disgust. "Oh, oh, oh!" he exclaimed. "Oh my God!" he cried, pulling back like he was in shock. Stiles spun to Derek. "Really, Derek? Really? My sister?!" He groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"Shut up," Derek responded.

"Wait, wait, what'd you do with him?" Scott suddenly said, looking at the car.

"What?" Derek asked, turning around to look into the car as well. "I didn't do anything," he said when he realized Deaton was gone.

Scott looked at me, asking for answers. I raised both my hands up in surrender. "He really didn't."

Out of nowhere, blood suddenly spurted from Derek's mouth and he was lifted up into the air. I backed up in shock as black blood began to pour out of his mouth, splashing on my shirt, causing a black stain, and I couldn't hold back the scream that escaped my lips.

"Derek!" I cried.

"Sindy! Sindy, let's go!" the boys grabbed my hands, but I couldn't move. Scott, taking matters into his own hands, scooped me up, throwing me over his shoulders.

I watched with horror as the Alpha threw Derek against the wall, and Derek fell to the ground, unmoving. "Derek!" I cried again, just as I was taken into the school.

Scott quickly put me down and he and Stiles held the door shut, effectively leaving the Alpha outside… with Derek.

She-WolfMoon: Thank you! :D
Ayase Yuuki: Thank you~ You're one of the best reviews I've ever had! :) You read all my stories, don't you? :3
megladon1616: Thank you! :) It's a slowburn, technically, but, they'll be together eventually. :)
Britt: Awww! I'm glad you enjoy reading about Sindy as much as I enjoy writing about her! xD
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cat-afterlife: LOL. Thank you.
PsychoticSmartypants: HAHAHAHAHHA. Oh God. You legitimately made me laugh out loud. Thank you!
monzepelmoon: Thank you! Well, I'm glad you're giving this story a shot because I wrote it! :)
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Carlie13: Thank you! :)
LucyRider17: Hahah. Thank you~ I loved writing the ending. ;)
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A/N: Okay, important note, as of today, I am going on a hiatus. Yes. After I just posted a chapter of Derek dying... I know, I know. I swear, I didn't plan it this way, but AP Testing is just right around the corner and I need to get my priorities straight. I'm excited for heading off to college next year, but I still have two more months of high school left. Thankfully, my last AP Test is on May 9, so I'll be back the following week. ;) However, if I think I got a substantial number of reviews (maybe hitting a total of 90?), I'll update that Friday night, May 9 right after my AP test, no matter how exhausted I am. :)

Until then, my loves~ I'll still be here reading your reviews, but I just can't write and update! :) Please do drop a review! While you're at it, you can always ask me a question on my Ask page (maybe I'll even give a preview ;D), or add me on Kik or like my Facebook page!