Everyone felt relieved to get to the mall.

Shifting into his bodyguard role, Stiles stuck by Scott's side as they wandered from store to store, looking at all the new video-games they wouldn't get to play. It was nice to be in public again and to do something with Scott that was just fun and didn't involve any of the dark, twisted politics of Beacon Hills. It was almost like old times. Stiles had missed just hanging out. He'd missed his best friend.

Glancing around, Scott pulled Malia aside. Stiles followed them, interested. "Why wasn't I informed about Peter Hale?" The feelings in the bond shifted to something more troubled.

Malia shrugged. "You didn't need to know."

"They didn't think I could handle it? Someone is attacking the smallest royal families. They've got to have noticed it by now. First, my parents. Then all that has happened to the Hales and the Yukimuras. They're wiping us out." Scott sighed, his hands shaking. "What happened to Peter Hale? Why did he turn?"

Malia kept her face perfectly blank. "I don't know. They took him away because he was delusional. He lost his mind. He kept saying his brother and Noshiko Yukimura had been right. That turning was the only way to escape from the 'war for the throne'. And then he killed the doctor attending him and nearly took out half the patients and nurses on his way out. We don't know what happened to him after that."

"Do they have any idea where he went?"

"No, they're tracking him... but, they won't find him. That much is clear."

Scott shook his head. "I never expected him to do this. He never seemed like the type."

"Yeah, well, Peter Hale was crazy," Stiles butt in. "You remember how violent he was getting. He was capable of anything."

"Yes, but..." Scott hesitated. "Killing people and turning... That's not just crazy. That's something else entirely. "

Stiles watched his friend with curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"What if he wasn't crazy at all?" said Scott. "What if what's happening to me, also happened to him? Maybe he knew something and, I don't know, he was backed to a wall and found no other way out."

That was exactly what Stiles had been thinking a few days before, but he didn't want Scott to be having this kind of thoughts. It wasn't good for him.

"Look, man, you just—"

But Malia interrupted him. "Scott, what's wrong?"

Scott's eyes were blank. Stiles could feel he had a headache; its pain transferred to him. "I... I don't know. I just feel weird. I feel like I'm being followed, like I have to be careful, you know?"

Stiles didn't know what to say. Those were Peter Hale's words. Always paranoid. Always terrified. "It's probably nothing," he said lightly.

Scott's eyes suddenly narrowed. "Don't patronize me, Stiles." His voice was uncharacteristically sharp. "I hate when you do that. I'm not weak. You're not better than me."

Stiles was taken aback. "That's not what I said."

Hatred and anger boiled within Scott. Stiles could feel it in the bond. It felt like a storm, and it scared the hell out of him. Wrapped around it all was an uncertainty, an instability that said Scott didn't know what to do but that he wanted desperately to do something. Anything.

Suddenly, Stiles was scared. Because just then, he didn't know his best friend. He didn't know what Scott was capable of.

"Hey, Scott, calm down," he said grabbing his arm.

Confusion momentarily replaced Scott's anger. He shook his head once more. "No. Yeah. I know. I'm sorry. None of this is your fault, Stiles."

Exhaustion poured into Scott. He didn't understand his own feelings, and he was scared. Extremely scared. He'd been scared for weeks now, Stiles realized. He was on the edge of something neither of them understood. But through all of that, he trusted Stiles. He believed Stiles would keep him safe.

"Are you worried I'm going to lose it?" asked Scott. "Are you worried I'll turn, too?"

"No," answered Stiles with certainty. "No way. That was all Peter and the Yukimuras. You'd never do that."

"Even if I am crazy?"

"No," said Stiles, trying to make a joke. "If you were crazy, you'd just shave your head and go live in the mountains."

Scott's feelings only grew darker, but he didn't say anything else. Later, he decided, "I'll buy you something. A suit, maybe."

"I have a suit," said Stiles. "My dad gave me one once. He thought your parents would be taking me to fancy parties."

"They would," said Scott as they passed a shop window. "Then I'll buy you that," he said pointing at something. Stiles got closer to look. It was a bronze superman tie pin.

"That is awesome," Stiles had to admit.

Scott laughed. But when they saw the pin's price, their smiles fell away.

"Oh, look at that. Even the prince has limits," Stiles teased.

They rode home in tired silence. Sitting next to Malia, Stiles leaned back against the seat and yawned, very aware that their arms were touching. That feeling of closeness and connection burned between them.

"Will you ever tell me the story of how you got your slayer mark?" Stiles asked quietly not wanting to wake up the others.

"Not while we're on duty."

"When then?"

"Someday."

"When?"

"When I'm ready," she cut, but she wasn't being mean or anything. Her voice was weak but gentle. Stiles imagined she actually wanted to talk about it, but couldn't or didn't know how.

"I'll wait," he told her. He saw her smile and then fell asleep. When Stiles woke up, Malia's head rested against his shoulder. The van had stopped; they were back at the Academy.

Freedom was gone.

The next day, Hayden was seen flirting with Scott. Liam was spotted begging her to stay with him: whether it was because he loved her or because he feared for his life, remained to be seen.

Stiles didn't feel good about that. Scott was sort of crossing the line. He started spending his free time surrounded by royals who acted like he was king already, but that still did not bring him any joy. Stiles knew he was only trying to figure out which one of them was trying to kill him so bad, which didn't make things any better. Stiles doubted it was one of those kids anyway.

But Stiles' feelings were nothing, however, compared to Liam's. At lunch, he sat on the far side of the room from them, eyes fixed pointedly ahead, completely alone. He had blotchy pink patches on his pale, round cheeks, and his eyes were red-rimmed. He said nothing mean when Stiles walked past. No smug jokes. No mocking glares. He was defeated. He was destroyed.

The only person more miserable than him was Kira. Apparently, Scott was too busy to go to their meetings in the chapel's attic. Well, this was the moment Stiles had been waiting for. Since the party in Scott's dorm, Stiles had been meaning to ask Kira for help.

He went to sit with her. She looked surprised. "What do you want?"

"Why aren't you hanging with Scott anymore?"

She shrugged. "I think he likes Hayden Romero better."

"I know he doesn't."

"I'm not a child, Stiles. I don't wanna play games," she said with a lot of honesty. "I'm not sure I can talk to him. Didn't you notice? He's turning into Prince Scott McCall again. I can't go near him, not when he's surrounded by all those royals."

"You're royal too," Stiles said. "And I'm pretty sure your name comes way first in the line of succession than Hayden's."

"They don't even consider the Yukimuras or the Hales as royals anymore. Our names being there doesn't mean much in a family full of Vampires."

"But you're not—wait! That's why he connects to you," Stiles realized with a start.

"Because I'm going to become a Vampire?" Kira asked snidely.

"No... because you lost your parents too. Both of you saw them die."

"Scott saw his parents die. I saw mine murdered."

Stiles flinched. "I know. I'm sorry, it must have been... well, I don't have any idea what it was like."

Her almond-shaped eyes went unfocused. "It was like seeing an army of death invade my house."

"You mean... your parents?"

She shook her head. "It wasn't like that. I saw them. They were still my parents. They still looked like my parents — a little paler, I guess. Some red in their eyes. But they walked and talked the same way. They didn't turn evil because they turned into Vampires. People don't just change like that."

"But that's impossible," argued Stiles. Vampires were vicious, evil creatures the moment they were made. Everyone knew that. Malia wouldn't have killed someone she loved if that person hadn't turned evil. "You're saying what everyone knows about Vampires is wrong?"

"I'm saying they were still my parents. Still kind, loving parents. Don't look at me like that," she added seeing his disbelief. "Fine, don't believe me. Whatever."

"Were they going to turn you?"

"I don't know. They didn't look like they were going to hurt me. They kept saying they wanted to protect me from evil half-breeds that were killing royals. But my Uncle Derek wouldn't let them take me. They tried to reason with him, but when he wouldn't listen, they tried to take me by force. My uncle fought them — got really messed up — and then the guardians showed up." Her eyes drifted back to Stiles. She smiled, but there was no happiness in it. "Like I said, an army of death."

"What about your Uncle Peter?"

Kira glanced at her untouched food. "He was a nice guy. A little weird, but nice. And after my parents died, he... he lost it. He believed in everything they had said. The conspiracy, all of it. And it destroyed him."

Stiles felt horrible. "Look, I... I think Scott is trying to cover his own unhappiness with parties with the royals. But he's miserable. The only moments he didn't feel like this, was when he was with you."

"I told you, I can't."

""I'm worried. He can't handle playing all these catty political games. It isn't good for him."

"Look, if I catch him alone... I'll try to talk to him. But honestly... I don't know what I can do for him. Sometimes he reminds me of Uncle Peter, when he gets all paranoid. Maybe... maybe if you really want to help him... well, I know I'm supposed to be all anti-establishment, but you might get the best help talking to somebody else. Finstock. Guardian Tate. I don't know. Someone who knows something. Someone you trust."

"Scott wouldn't like that."

"Yeah, well, we all have to do things we don't like. That's life."

"What are you, an after-school special?"

A ghostly smile flickered across her face. "If you weren't so psychotic, you'd be fun to hang around."

"Funny, I feel that way about you too."

Kira didn't say anything else, but the smile grew, and she walked away.

The whole day, Stiles walked around the Academy like a ghost. Nobody had eyes for him, their world was all Scott. People watched and occasionally spoke to Stiles, but few made much more effort than that. He was astonished when Kate Argent started walking toward him.

"Hey, Stiles. My dad asked me to give you this," and she handed him a small box with a piece of paper.

Surprised that Gerard would have given him anything, Stiles read the note. It was just a few lines, hastily scrawled in pen.

Stiles — I'm very happy to see you did so well on your first day as an official guardian. Scott is lucky to have you.

"That's nice of him," Stiles said, opening the box. Then he saw what was inside. "Whoa. Very nice." It was the superman tie pin, the one Scott had wanted to get him but couldn't afford. "This is pretty extreme for a present," he noted, recalling the price.

"He saw you and Scott looking at it," Kate shrugged. "I guess he really likes you."