One month ago, Stiles Stilinski told his dad that his best friend was a werewolf. They had sat at the table together in the dim light of their dining room, and what had started out with an explanation of the supernaturalism of Beacon Hills had turned into a full-on confessional. He told him the truth about everything, to fill in the holes in Stiles' life that his dad had so graciously decided to let slide when he became suspicious. He told him about Gerard beating him up and why. He showed him his arms and tried to ignore the angry tears that filled the sheriff's eyes. He told him what had really happened to Lydia on the night of the dance. He told him what had become of Jackson Whittemore. He told him who had really kidnapped Stiles and why it was imperative his dad didn't get involved.

All of this and more was confessed in the space of two hours sitting at a dinner table. When he was done, Stiles was on the verge of tears, whereas his dad had succumbed to some state of shock. None of what Stiles was saying could have been a lie, as it made more sense than the information his dad had thought to be true. Somehow, the fact that his dad had no choice but to believe Stiles' stories made everything so much worse. He wished that the sheriff could have dismissed his son with a wave of his hand and a snort, and they could go on living their lives in lies and ignorance.

But he believed him. There was no going back.

And the only thing Stiles could never mention to his dad's face was what Heather had really done to him. He'd dismissed it as a few burns and a stab wound, but he would never say the true circumstances of what he had endured. The poison that ran through his veins. The hallucinations.

When he had finished, the conversation had gone something like this:

"Well," said the sheriff.

"Yeah," said Stiles with a tearful laugh.

"And how long...?"

"Since Scott was bitten by the Alpha. Like, um...two years ago."

"Two years-" his dad gave a bark of laughter and rubbed a hand down his face.

"I'm sorry, Dad-"

"Don't apologize, Stiles. Don't. I just...you're okay, right? I mean, you're holding up after..."

"I'm okay, Dad. Besides, it'll make for some pretty cool battle wounds, won't it?" Stiles smiled, holding out his bandaged arms.

But his dad wasn't in the mood for humor. He just stared at his son's arms and Stiles' lowered them slowly, deciding that the lightheartedness could wait for another day. Stiles wanted his dad to laugh, to joke about how crazy it was that werewolves were running around Beacon Hills. But he knew that the sheriff's mind was spinning. How could he possibly continue lying to everyone in the police department about the nature of the strange animal attacks? How could he ever get used to seeing Scott McCall's face again? How could he look at his son without being reminded of the five days of agony he went through without him?

"Just get cleaned up, alright? And get some sleep and I'll...I'll see you in the morning," said his dad, and Stiles let him leave the table.

But before he left completely, he stopped next to Stiles and placed a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. He said very quietly; "I'm glad you're okay, son."

And Stiles nodded and tried to hold back the tears that wanted to overwhelm him while he listened to his dad's heavy footsteps make their way up the stairs.

Lydia was happy. Incredibly, after all the absolute hell she went through exactly one month ago, she was happy. Stiles loved her unconditionally, that hadn't changed. Lydia didn't need time to get over Jackson, because truthfully, her love for Jackson was nothing to get over compared to the feelings she shared with Stiles. She didn't want to wait to be with him because, unbelievably still, she loved Stiles Stilinski. It wasn't a stupid teenage relationship; it was something far deeper and connected by some part of her soul that she developed back in the asylum.

So, they were together. And she loved it. So, obviously, she was happy. She was able to go back to school only a week after her ordeal. Her parents let her stay home for however long she wanted after finding out from the sheriff that she had been "kidnapped by bandits that were now found dead", but truthfully, lying in bed only allowed her to think over everything that happened to her. She wanted to dress up, to do her hair, to go to school and be with Stiles and Allison and even Scott.

But Stiles hadn't come to school until three weeks after the ordeal.

His injuries needed time to heal so as to not draw attention from other students, and Lydia was pretty sure Stiles wasn't exactly mentally healed either. Would he ever be? Plus, after finding out that he had told his father everything - like, everything -Lydia was sure that the father-son relationship would need some time to heal as well.

But when Stiles finally did come back to school, all of his friends were there to help him out, and Stiles was a trooper as he always was. Even Harris' taunting and bullying seemed to make him happier.

Occasional kisses from Lydia didn't seem to do too much damage either.

Lydia would sneak into Stiles' room at night and try her best to help him through the panic attacks that plagued him every night. They never got any better as the weeks progressed, but Stiles seemed more than grateful to have Lydia there with him, and she felt good knowing that just holding his hand and lying in bed calmed him down significantly.

So he was healing. And Lydia was healing. And they were both happy to see that even a month after being kidnapped together, the bond that formed between them wasn't getting any weaker as they morphed back into their old lives. It also gave them some comfort to know that Derek had tracked down and killed Heather, who Stiles had never killed after slowing her down.

Scott had a lot of fun teasing them when they held hands under the table at lunch or when they were caught kissing in the hallway. Lydia would smack him and Allison would scold him, but Scott McCall couldn't seem to get over the fact that his best friend was dating the girl he'd been gushing over since third grade. But when the werewolf didn't think anyone was looking, Lydia could see guilt in his eyes after talking to Stiles. She knew he felt guilty ever since he had realized his actions were the cause of Stiles' suffering. Lydia no longer blamed him, but Scott always seemed to be going over the night he killed the werewolf girl in his head. She didn't know whether he would ever forgive himself, though a part of her really hoped he did. And Allison was there to help him do it.

And so, the aftermath of the ordeal took some getting used to from everyone in Beacon Hills, but that was to be expected as the news of their kidnapping and new found relationship was getting around more and more every day.

After all, Stiles Stilinski's irrevocable crush on Lydia Martin was known pretty much worldwide, right? Only now, Lydia could truly share the feeling.

That, and so much more.

Author's Note: (PLEASE READ) So, that's it, people! I thought really hard about how to write the epilogue to kind of give everyone a sense of finality without being too "fairy tale happy ending." I know, it was a short epilogue, but if it helps you move on, then it was a success. I'm so proud of this piece and all of the fans, and if you're feeling up to it, I'd really love a final review from my readers to let me know how they felt overall. It helps me do better next time, and it also makes me really happy ;) It's sad parting with a story, but happy readers make it bittersweet! Thank you all so much, and stay tuned for some more Teen Wolf fics in the (near?) future.