Authors Note: This update is in Maggie's POV only which is why I didn't label it. It's the longest chapter of the saga thus far so that's pretty awesome. It's also written without any episode plot to follow. This is pretty much takes place in the remainder of their spring break so I'm also pretty proud it's the longest chapter ever from just my own thoughts. I hope you all enjoy it. Almost into Season 3. I can already say you aren't ready.


I sat at the metal table in the attic with my hands locked together in front of me as I thought back to the meeting I had with Deaton this morning.

"If you commit to this Maggie, you'll have to start right away. I can teach you to mask your scent from Scott and the others. Have you figured out what you're going to tell them?" Deaton asked firmly.

"I'm going to tell them that I'm going away with Nathan but I want Nathan to know the truth. He deserves that much. He needs to know how to protect himself and you're going to help him with that. I'm not going to leave the others while the Kanima is still loose. We save Jackson and then I'll take off." I could feel the lump in my throat as I said the words. Deaton put his hand on top of my own.

"You're doing the right thing Maggie. It's the only way you'll be able to keep them all safe." Deaton was trying to convince me but I just let out a breath before walking towards the door.

"Somehow, I don't think they'll understand that."

I snapped out of my thoughts as the wind blew through the window, flipping a page of one of the books I was reading. I had gotten the attic set up and Deaton had helped me seal it so outside threats couldn't enter or destroy any of books or artifacts that could help with learning more spells in the future. The place actually started to feel like a home but it was hard to put up pictures. Nathan didn't have tons of them but I had everything that Karen left which was quite a bit. We made sure to hang pictures of Karen and Louis downstairs, I put up a few of my mom, Evie, Caroline and Karen around the house but the few that I considered putting up in my room sat in a box. I don't know why I couldn't bring myself to hang them up but something just kept me from doing it. Scott had stayed the night after his mom pretty much went into a state of shock which earned me some confused and concerned looks from Nathan the next morning. I had to explain to him that Scott was harmless and that he was going through a really rough time but I promised to explain everything later. He stayed another night but promised to get back on his feet the next day. Once Scott took off, I'd gone straight to work with getting the attic finished up. My whole body felt exhausted but it seemed like every time I closed my eyes, I'd see Peter. He'd stare at me or talk sweetly like he was lull me to sleep but it kept me from getting any sleep at all. Danny had brought us some housewarming brownies and talked interior decorating and sailing with Nathan until I finally had to tell him that he was too old for him. Danny kept touching under my eyes and I knew I probably looked like a train wreck.

"Do teenagers get naps?" I looked to the door to see Nathan standing there.

"I'll be alright. I just didn't sleep well but I guess the plus side is I finished the attic." Nathan looked around and nodded his head with approval.

"Maybe Melissa could recommend something to help you sleep? Or do those sort of things work on you?" Nathan questioned.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it." I brushed it off but Nathan walked further into the room and took a seat opposite me at the table.

"You see, I can't do that. I've become a worrier. I never used to be but apparently being someone's parental guardian makes you that way." Nathan joked with a smile as he folded his hands to match mine.

"What's on your mind Kid? You've seemed kind of down since Deaton left." Nathan pointed out and for a moment I debated just spilling my guts about everything going on but instead I decided to catch him up with things. I pulled the first book out that Karen let me read when I found out what Scott was, stroking the front of it at the memory cascading over me.

"Deaton has agreed to help me learn more about what I am this summer so I guess I can't really tell you more about that until I learn but I can tell you about werewolves." Nathan's eyebrows went up.

"Werewolves...wow this place really is trippy." He ran his hand through his hair before settling forward on his elbows ready to learn. I spent the better part of the morning explaining to Nathan how werewolves came into the picture, how Peter bit Scott, how Derek killed Peter, the structure of packs and why Derek picked Isaac, Erica and Boyd. I even started to tell him the general history of the Argent's and how they aren't the only hunters out there. The more I talked, the more he seemed mind blown.

"Well it's no wonder that Jackson guy turned into a giant snake. Guy was a tool if I've ever seen one." Nathan commented as I explained what happened at the police station and how Matt was controlling him because of a vendetta against Isaac's father and the swim team that let him drown.

"Now we have to figure out who's controlling him before the Argent's try to kill him...or us. We weren't really planning on Matt turning up dead." I rubbed my forehead and Nathan shook his head.

"They can't really kill you though, right? I mean how does one kill a werewolf?" Nathan asked making me chuckle.

"There's a few ways but none of them are as hard as you'd think. Apparently killing me is kind of a process but I'm sure there are ways around it. If there is one thing I've learned, it's that nothing is ever really permanent." I explained seeing him take it all in.

"But you're all a bunch of teenagers. Someone can't possible kill a kid and just carry on with their day right?" Nathan questioned and I shook my head.

"Matt didn't drown in knee deep water. Someone had to hold him under. He kicked my ass and hurt people I love but I'd never wish death on him, not like that." I explained seeing Nathan's face turn to concern.

"Do you have any questions?" I pitched making him laugh off the serious turn our conversation took.

"About a million but I mean I have the general jest of it I think. I mean I don't know how I feel about you sharing a bed with Scott if he's a werewolf but that could also be because he's a guy as well." I had to laugh at Nathan. Out of all the things I just told him, he's worried about me sharing a bed with a guy.

"Trust me, the last person you should worry about being in bed with me is Scott. That's just...no." I said shaking my head but he narrowed his eyes curiously.

"Oh really and just who should I worry about being in bed with you first?" Nathan asked as tires started down the gravel driveway. He got up and glanced out of the window but I already knew it was Stiles just by his scent.

"It's Stiles." We both said at the same time. He glanced back at me before touching his temple with his finger.

"Ah wolfie sense. Got it. Looks like you're off the hook for now." I smiled at him before we both walked out of the attic. Nathan opened the front door and waited for Stiles to walk into the house before shutting it.

"I brought Maggie's car back from the station. The place looks good." Stiles said looking around.

"Yeah well I've lived on a boat for the past few years. I'm not Martha Stewart." Nathan smiled.

"I was actually being sincere-" I cut Stiles off with a snort.

"You totally weren't but it's okay. I think it's homely enough for the both of us." I looked at Nathan and he shook his head.

"It's okay man, I get your resistance with me." Nathan patted Stiles on the arm.

"It's nothing personal man, I'm just protective of her and I don't really know you." Stiles admitted easing back on the intensity a bit.

"Understandable. You should stay for dinner. You can ask me whatever you want. I could probably use your help with some of this supernatural stuff anyway." Nathan pointed at Stiles and cut his eyes at me mouthing werewolf.

"No Stiles is human. We'll be upstairs, just yell if you need something." Stiles eyes went wide but I grabbed his arm and started to pull him towards my room.

"You told him? Are you sure that's a good idea?" He asked as I shut the door to my room.

"He needs to know these things." I said simply.

"Why? Why does he need to know?" Stiles was freaking out.

"He already knows about witches, he needs to know what I am and obviously I can't tell him I'm a Werewitch without telling him werewolves exist too. I'm handling it okay?" I put my hands out but Stiles shook his head.

"But we barely know what you are. I just think it's a bit early on in this arrangement to go telling him all our secrets. I mean my dad doesn't even know." Stiles pointed out.

"Your dad doesn't know, Scott's mom just found out and I just gave Nathan a crash course. Did he seem like he was on the verge of losing it just now when he invited you to stay for dinner to get to know him?" I asked seeing Stiles pull a face. He conceded by putting his hands up and sitting down on Maggie's bed.

"So how are you settling in? The room looks almost exactly like the one in your old house." Stiles commented pulling the box full of pictures towards him.

"That was the idea. It actually feels like a place I can call my own but the attic is probably where I've spent most of my time. Deaton was here this morning helping me set up protection barriers for everything." I explained sitting down next to him. Stiles looked through the pictures and frowned when he looked at the one with Scott in it.

"I haven't really talked to him since that night. How's he holding up?" Stiles asked looking over at me.

"He stayed here a couple nights since his mom is pretty much hiding out in the house but he's doing the best he can I guess. Have you heard anything of Allison?" I asked in return but he shook his head.

"She's not really talking to anyone. She's taking her mom's death pretty hard but that's to be expected. I would advise Derek to take a long vacation." Stiles said raising his eyebrows.

"I haven't actually heard or seen anything of him since that night. He asked me not to contact him though so I guess he's probably keeping a low profile." Stiles put his hand on my knee.

"If the Argent's want his head then he's probably laying low to keep you safe. He'll be fine. If there's one guy I know that can go through the ringer and make it out alive, it's Derek." Stiles tried to soothe my fears.

"How's your dad doing? I can't imagine all the mess he's got to clean up because of the Matt thing." I watched Stiles tense.

"He's kinda just thrown himself into the case. We haven't really talked much." Stiles rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat trying to change the subject as quickly as possible.

"Why haven't you put any of these up yet?" Stiles pulled one of the pictures out.

"Thing's are going to get better with your dad. He just needs time to clean up the mess. You guys went through a lot that night." He looked over at me with a scrunched face.

"You were shot, if you remember correctly. I think we all went through a lot that night." Stiles said incredulously.

"I just know it's different for you because your dad got really close to things we've been trying to protect him from." I pointed out. Stiles let out a sigh before closing his eyes.

"I know you're trying to help but can we...not talk about what happened? Or my dad? Or anything that might send me into a panic attack?" He chuckled hopeful and I got up from the bed.

"Fine, no talking but you can help me hang those pictures up. It's time I put my own personal touch on the room." I smiled at him and he got up putting the box on my bed. We went through half the box before lying down on my bed and exchanging memories and laughing. It felt good to just be there with Stiles, hearing his laugh and seeing him smile. I absentmindedly ran my finger along his jaw making him look up at me.

"It's good to see you smile. It always makes me feel better." I admitted only making him smile more.

"Well I guess that's good to know. I'm glad my face can inspire positive feelings." Stiles teased.

"You know, we still could talk about the whole rain check date thing. I was kind of thinking maybe after the championship game coming up. I figured if we win, it could be a celebration of sorts." Stiles propped himself up on his elbow.

"And what if you lose?" I cocked my eyebrow at him.

"Well then the best part of my night will be going out with you. I mean it's kind of a win-win either way." I couldn't help but smile and he pointed at my face.

"I guess we both have smiles like that huh?" He put his hand on top of mine and let his thumb stroke the top of my knuckles. I couldn't help but hold his gaze as he smiled softly. Nathan's voice from downstairs bellowing about dinner made me jump slightly. Stiles cleared his throat and we walked downstairs to see Nathan had already set up the table with mismatched plates and glasses ranging in sizes.

"Wow you went fancy. Stiles, you should be flattered." I joked earning a grin from Nathan.

"I didn't pack the dishes Kid, I just unpacked them." Nathan reminded me that Karen had actually packed the dishes.

"So I know you like worked or lived on a boat before settling down here, are you like a fisherman or something?" Stiles asked helping me get things out of the refrigerator to put on the table as Nathan brought a plate of cheeseburgers in from the grill.

"I could throw a few hotdogs out there if you want but I couldn't remember if Maggie said you were the healthy eater or your dad was the healthy eater." Nathan pointed at Stiles and he looked over at me.

"Cheeseburgers are fine. Kinda thought we'd be eating fish or something, you know since you lived on a boat and all that for so long." Stiles said. Nathan sat down between Stiles and I as we sat across from one another.

"Have you ever lived off of the ocean? It's not as awesome as it seems. Just being on land for longer than a week and I'm addicted to red meat. It's probably going to take me out." Nathan joked.

"You actually plan to stick around for a while?" I kicked Stiles under the table and he jumped.

"I settled the business I had while Maggie stayed with you and Scott. I'll be using the boat for more local jobs but yes I'll be sticking around." Nathan confirmed as Stiles leaned down to rub his leg.

"So Maggie told you about everything that goes on here in Beacon Hills? Witches, werewolves, homicidal lizards and psychotic hunters and yet you seem pretty laid back about it. Why is that? Normal people would have run for the hills. What makes you different?" Stiles tone was testing and I kicked him again.

"OW! Stop kicking me!" He gritted through his teeth.

"Stop being rude." I gritted right back.

"You're right, normal people would have run for the hills but I could ask you the same questions Stiles. You're a human. You don't have people hunting you because of what you are and you heal like I would but you're always on the front lines, protecting Maggie and helping Scott." Stiles held Nathan's gaze.

"They're my best friends, of course I'm going to help them no matter what." Stiles defended.

"Well Maggie's the only family I've got left. I knew what Louis married into and to be completely honest, I've stayed in stranger places than Beacon Hills. You should try Haven, Maine. Talk about supernatural hub." I wasn't sure if Nathan was teasing or not but he seemed to be genuine.

"I wasn't exactly the best son my parents could ask for. I got into a lot of trouble when I was younger, drove my mom out of her mind with worry and my dad basically thought I was useless. But Louis never gave up on me. He helped me out when my dad refused to help me. Home doesn't always have to be a place, it can be a person too. Louis was what I considered home." Nathan's voice got somber quickly when talking about Louis.

"The point is, you don't know me and you don't trust me but I don't know you either. The only thing we have in common is wanting to protect Maggie. I'm just a 37 year old fishermen who has yet to really had a purpose or major responsibility but I loved my brother more than anything. His dying wish was that I take care of Maggie like he took care of me because apparently we're kindred spirits. I don't want anything from her, I don't have an angle or a motive. I just want to be there for her." Nathan never looked away from Stiles and I listened to his heartbeat as he talked. It wasn't out of paranoia, I just had my doubts that Nathan actually wanted to be stuck with me but after not hearing one blip of lies, I reached out and put my hand on his arm.

"I...I didn't know." Stiles said chewing on his bottom lip.

"You seem like a good guy Stiles. Maggie obviously means a lot to you and from what she tells me, the feeling is mutual." Stiles finally looked over at me.

"She trusts you and I trust her when she says you're a stand up guy. Hopefully some day, that will go both ways." Nathan said finally picking up his burger and taking another bite. There was a few moments of silence before Nathan actually spoke up again.

"So Maggie tells me that you've got a big lacrosse game coming up. Is that like the town sport?" Stiles seemed to lighten up once the conversation turned to him. I was thankful for that.

"Yeah we do track in the off season to stay in shape but I'm a pretty fast runner anyway." Stiles explained glancing at me.

"Yeah right. You can barely stay on your feet." I said before putting my glass to my lips. Stiles stared at me in mock offense.

"Don't be jealous because I'm more agile than you." Stiles furrowed his eyebrows making me laugh.

"You can barely get out of the jeep without flailing and you want to try and say you actually run faster than me?" I challenged.

"Minus your abilities? Yes I totally can out run you." Stiles challenged right back.

"I'm actually going to go with Stiles on this one. He's taller than you so his strides would be longer." Nathan pointed out and I snapped my eyes towards him.

"Seriously? I hate tall people." I shook my head making them both laugh.

"Don't be like that, at least your short legs are cute." Stiles wiggled his eyebrows at me behind his glass and Nathan looked between us. Conversation ranged from trouble Scott, Stiles and I had gotten into as kids and now, how Stiles and I were doing in school, all the way to what we'd learned from Scott being bitten and me changing. Nathan seemed to absorb the information that Stiles explained and I could see a weight being lifted off of Stiles as he talked to Nathan. I knew it bothered him that his dad had to be in the dark but it was nice to see him able to talk about with someone.

After dinner we moved out to the porch to watch some of the boats on the water.

"Alright, I've got some paperwork to finish for the tavern. Don't wait too late before taking him home." Nathan pointed at me before sticking his hand out for Stiles to shake.

"Stiles, good times were had. Don't be a stranger." Nathan gave Stiles a firm handshake and Stiles stood up.

"Good times were indeed had. Thanks for having me over." Nathan gave me a side smile before walking inside and pulling the sliding door shut behind him. I got up and walked over to the banister of the deck and leaned on it staring at the water.

"I'll admit, this place isn't so bad. Great view, good vibes. It's actually really relaxing." Stiles admitted and I cut my eyes at him.

"And Nathan isn't as horrible as I thought he'd be...he seems cool." Stiles rolled his eyes.

"I can feel how much more at ease you are now that you know he's not secretly trying to harvest my organs." I said nudging his shoulder.

"Hey I'm not just going to let some random guy take my girl-" I cut him off.

"Your girl?" I cocked my eyebrow at him and he flustered almost instantly.

"My girl...friend...my best friend that's a girl...you know what I mean." Stiles looked away from me and I could tell he was embarrassed. I sat down on the deck swing and patted the empty space next to me for Stiles to sit down.

"I'm still going to worry. I mean after all the things that have happened since you've come home, I don't think I'll ever not worry." Stiles leaned his head back and turned to look at me as I pulled my feet up underneath me. He let his legs push back and forth on the deck so we would actually swing.

"I don't want you to worry about me. There's too much going on for you to live holding your breath." I leaned my head back mimicking his.

"I'm going to worry about you and Scott and my dad and Lydia and Allison...hell I worry about Derek some days but I draw the line at his betas." Stiles said making me smirk.

"I don't think you've really given them a fair shake." I said seeing him huff.

"Let's see, Erica assaulted me with car parts, Isaac tried to kill me twice and Boyd...well I guess Boyd hasn't really done anything horrible to me but I get a vibe that he had like premeditated hatred for me." Stiles squinted his eyes and I thought back to the morning we found out Erica was turned.

"He was worried that if we started dating, I wouldn't have time to be his friend anymore. He was pretty much the only person giving me the time of day when I first came home." I explained seeing Stiles look interested.

"When did he think we were dating?" Stiles questioned.

"That awful trip to the ice rink." I said seeing Stiles nod.

"Yeah that date was kind of a flop." Stiles cringed.

"I wouldn't call that a date. The actual date was a flop." I said making Stiles shift uncomfortably.

"Well that's not our fault, I mean we didn't actually get around to the date part. I mean I haven't really been on a legit date but I imagine they go a lot better than that." I looked down at my hands before biting my lip.

"Maybe that's a sign. Maybe that's fate trying to tell us something." I glanced up at him cautiously and he sat up.

"Maybe we just have really horrible timing." I could feel his eyes on me and his anxiety growing.

"So is that a no on the date for after the game? I mean I know we have a lot going on but we deserve a night off." Stiles swallowed hard and I rested my head on his shoulder trying to get the smell of his fear to subside.

"Let's just enjoy the time we have right now okay?" Stiles rested his head on top of mine as we continued to swing. I waited for his body to slack long enough to know he wasn't afraid of the conversation we had been having before relaxing myself. I had no idea how I was going to tell Stiles about leaving again. I couldn't just leave and not tell him again. That didn't work out at all last time and he deserved more than just me disappearing. I lost track of time and got a text from Nathan about how late it was getting.

"I should get you home. Nathan's worried I'll be too tired to drive and I don't want him to get too worried too quickly about pedestrian things." I leaned off of Stiles. I drove him to his house to see that John's car wasn't in the driveway.

"Yeah he'll probably be home in the morning to get a clean uniform. His office has a couch so..." Stiles trailed off. I frowned at him. I hated that even though the Sheriff got his job back that things still weren't right between him and Stiles.

"Are you going to be okay by yourself? We have a guest room." I offered but Stiles shook his head.

"Nah I'll be fine. I'll probably crash. I'm pretty tired." He lied. He opened the door but turned towards me with wide eyes.

"I almost forgot! Wait right here." Stiles bolted from the car and hurried into his house leaving the front door open. I waited only a few moments before he came running back out with something in his hands. I rolled the window down and he held up a black box.

"I'm almost afraid to ask." I took the box from him and looked inside.

"It's a walkie talkie. The frequency is like the ones my dad uses and before you ask, I didn't steal them." Stiles put his hand up like he was swearing an oath.

"I figured if you weren't going to be in the room next to mine, it might help to at least think you are. I marked the channel it's supposed to be on. When you get home, turn it on and hit me up so I know it works." Stiles explained making me feel an ache in my chest.

"You did this for me?" I asked smiling at home.

"It'd be a lie if I said that it was just for you. I did it for me too." Stiles shrugged.

"Drive safe and don't forget to let me know when you get there." Stiles said before walking back towards his house. I waited until he got inside before pulling out of his driveway and heading back home. It was strange to call it that but it felt right. Something inside of me felt like Beacon Hills would always be home no matter where I laid my head at night but for some being so close to the water calmed me. I liked being surrounded by the trees of the preserve and the water. I felt like I could breathe out here. I said goodnight to Nathan before going up to my room and setting up the walkie talkie, making sure to follow Stiles handwritten instructions. It was getting late but I knew he'd be freaking out if I didn't at least test it out.

"Testing testing...hopefully I'm doing this right." I said with my finger over the button. It was mere seconds before a laugh came through.

"Wow you'd make a terrible dispatcher." Stiles voice came through clearly and I smiled as I started to get ready for bed.

"Hey I never said I was good at this." I defended pulling my shirt over my head.

"Well I assume you got in okay. What are you doing now?" Stiles asked as I walked over to my dresser, making sure to pick up the walkie.

"I'm changing for bed. What about you?" I asked setting the walkie on the top of my dresser. This time Stiles didn't respond and I pulled my shirt over my head.

"Stop trying to picture me naked perv." I flopped down on my bed.

"I feel like I should ask you what you're wearing." Stiles chuckled.

"As if you descriptions. Your mind is a dangerous place to be and I'd prefer if you kept my clothes on in there." I turned over on my side and let out a breath.

"No promises. You going to bed now?" Stiles asked sounding almost needy.

"You can keep talking if you want as long as you aren't looking for heavy conversation." I hated that he was home alone. He could have probably come back to the house but Nathan probably already knew who landed on the inappropriate to have in bed with me list.

"I don't want to keep you up. I just wanted to tell you that I think you should really consider going on that date with me because I kind of started working on a 6 month plan for us." Stiles sounded nervous as he spoke and I smiled softly.

"6 month plan? Should I be worried?" I asked curiously.

"Actually yes. I have big plans for us, Mags. Don't give up on me just yet okay?" Stiles asked but it seemed more like a plea.

"Good night Maggie. Sweet dreams." Stiles said finally.

"Good night Stiles." I stared at the walkie talkie for a few moments before putting it back on the base next to my bed. This was going to hurt, there was no getting around it. What I really wanted to know was whether or not it would truly be worth it. It was harder to fall asleep tonight. All I could think about was leaving Stiles and him going back to hating me. I wouldn't have a good excuse this time. I'd be leaving on my own volition, whether it's to keep everyone safe or not. I couldn't help but feel like my mom had to make this very same sacrifice. She was great friends with both the Stilinski's and Melissa but she had to pack up and leave on a whim because of Peter. I tossed and turned for quite some time but when I leaned over to use the walkie, I jumped back in the bed at what I saw.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, you know." It was Peter standing by the open window. I blinked a few times and sat up in the bed.

"Wake up Maggie. Come on, it's just a dream." I rubbed my hand over my face but he remained rooted to the floor.

"Would it really be so horrible for me to be back? I mean from the looks of things, you could definitely use some help." He smirked.

"How could you possibly help me?" I asked incredulously.

"You're struggling with making a big decisions. The few moments that you were asleep you kept mumbling about your mother. Despite you thinking I'm the reasons she's gone, I'm not. I loved her very much." Peter moved towards me and I put my hand up signaling for him to stop.

"Why should I believe a single word you say? If you didn't kill Mom and Caroline and Evie then who did?" I pressed seeing him let out a sigh.

"I have my suspicions but I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt it wasn't me." I shook my head feeling a headache coming on.

"You really should give up on that crush for Stiles. He'll never understand how much pressure and responsibility it is just to be what you are. You don't have time to go on dates or vacations." Peter said picking up the picture of Stiles and I that was framed on the shelf.

"What part of my brain is dreaming up a version of you that feels it has the audacity to tell me how to live my life? I've been doing just fine without you for years. Keep your commentary to yourself and leave Stiles out of it." He laughed at me and I felt my fear turning to anger.

"You should really use that fire for something other than a lost cause." He sat the picture down rolling his eyes.

"Sound advice, it's too bad mom didn't have someone to tell her the same thing about you." His smiled faded instantly. I turned over quickly in the bed and started to chant to myself that it was just a nightmare, that he wasn't real. I kept remembering what Scott had said the night of Lydia's party. Derek killed Peter. He was gone. When I finally turned over, I was alone in the room. It was hard to sleep after that. By the time I got up and showered, my whole body felt drained. I walked into my room and almost out of my skin when I saw Peter standing there once more.

"Look I don't know why you're suddenly haunting me considering you killed me but it would be great if you could like…stop. Go into the light or whatever." I put my hand on my chest feeling how hard my heart was beating from the illusion.

"You seriously think I'd haunt you? You're my only daughter. I love you very much." The corner of his mouth twitched up into a smile as I stared blankly at him. Was my mind really that desperate for the love of my father? I felt pathetic and insanely delusional.

"You tried to rip my heart out of my chest…literally." I said feeling stupid for arguing with myself.

"Only to activate what you are. You were meant to be the-" I threw my hands up tired of dealing with the insanity I was inflicting on myself.

"I DIDN'T ASK FOR IT!" I shouted. The room grew silent and I could only hear myself breathing.

"Please get out of my head. You love me so much than do that for me." I said seeing him still standing there unmoved.

"I can see you aren't ready but you'll have to face the reality of the situation sooner or later and when you do, you should know that I am not the enemy." I kept my eyes on him for only a moment before closing them tightly and counting slowly. I let out the breath I was holding and opened my eyes to see he was gone once again. I shook my head and ran my hand through my hair.

"I'm losing my freaking mind." I said to no one particular.

"Meh sanity is vastly overrated." I jumped at the sound of Nathan's voice.

"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you. Just thought you should know Scott's here." Nathan stood in the door frame eyeballing me.

"You feeling okay? You seem kinda out of it." Nathan pinned his eyebrows together.

"Yeah I just didn't sleep that well. I have nightmares sometimes. It's no big deal." I shook my head trying to pass it off but he continued to eyeball me.

"Alright but if it gets worse than let me know." He offered as I followed him out of my room and out to the kitchen where Scott was waiting. He took one look at me and I knew he'd heard the conversation Nathan and I had.

"We're going to head the storage unit. I need to grab a couple of things. I'll see you later." I called to Nathan before Scott could question me in front of him. He waited long enough for us to get on the road before clearing his throat.

"You know, just because I'm going through stuff with my mom doesn't mean you can't talk to me about things that are going on with you right?" Scott kept his eyes on the road and I leaned my forehead on my hand feeling the lingering of the headache of last night setting back in.

"I'm just seeing things. I'm working on getting a handle on it." I said making him huff.

"You're- seeing things? Seeing things and having nightmares is like two very different things. What are you seeing?" Scott glanced over at me when I didn't answer.

"Can't I just be crazy on my own? Why do I have to share it with you?" I asked growing increasingly annoyed.

"Is it Peter? Are you seeing Peter?" I knew my heartbeat gave it away even though I hadn't looked at Scott.

"He's dead Maggie. Derek ripped his throat out. He buried him on the Hale property. Whatever you're seeing, it's not real. He can't hurt you ever again." Scott touched my hand.

"He talks to me. It all feels real but I know it's not. It's just...he didn't kill them Scott. My mom? Evie and Caroline, if he didn't do it then who did?" I explained and Scott parked the car.

"How can you be sure it wasn't him? I mean just because he says it wasn't him doesn't mean it wasn't. You said you remembered seeing him there." Scott reminded me.

"My mom kept talking about him like he could be redeemed because he was my father, Caroline said not to trust him but Karen said it wasn't him that went after the others. They said it would be too dangerous to look for answers so maybe he's telling the truth." I looked over at Scott and he shook his head.

"He's not real Maggie. Real was him shoving his hand into your chest. What was real was watching you fight for your life in the hospital. I'm real, Stiles is real, Derek is real and we're going to be there no matter what." Scott squeezed my hand this time trying to reassure me but I just didn't feel like he was understanding me.

"Scott, something is coming. I can feel it in my bones like a deep ache from an old injury. The Argent's are going to come for Derek and I, Jackson is still missing, for some reason I'm seeing my dead father and who knows what other outside threats are lurking. I'm in no way prepared for a war, do you get that?" Scott let go of my hands and frowned.

"But we'll protect you." He almost looked saddened that he had to say it like I didn't already know they'd die for me.

"I'm tired of people I love dying to protect me. I want to protect myself for once. I'm not weak. I'm done pretending to be." Scott looked a bit surprised but he nodded his head seemingly understanding that I'd had enough. We got out of the car and walked over to the storage unit. I searched through the boxes for almost an hour before Scott reminded me that I was indeed capable of actually doing magic and I should try to use it in order to find what I was looking for. The ring shot out of one of the only boxes left unopened and hit Scott in the head.

"What's this for?" Scott asked as I held it in my hands.

"It's a protection amulet. I figured I'd give it to Erica for her birthday, keep her safe and well accessorized at the same time." I pocketed the ring before walking over to the box and sorting through it. I decided I wanted to take it and a few others with me to store in the attic. Scott helped me load up the car with a few other boxes before breaking the silence.

"I have a question but I don't want it to upset you." Scott shut the trunk and I cocked my eyebrow at him.

"I can't guarantee how I'll feel until I know what it's about." I said honestly.

"When you make a blood tie with someone...what happens to it when they die? I mean-" Scott looked worried and I cut him off.

"The one you made with Karen died with her. They only work if the witch casting it is still alive so you're fine." He looked confused as to how I knew but I just shrugged.

"Why haven't we ever made one?" I stopped walking and looked over the hood of the car at Scott.

"Why would we make one?" I asked curiously seeing him contemplating.

"I don't know. I guess I just like the idea of it, committing to something with blood. Kind of like blood brothers." Scott explained making me chuckle.

"You want me to be your blood brother?" I teased but Scott just rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean. We're family and I don't know I guess I just don't want you to feel like you're alone. I know you want to be able to stand on your own two feet and I respect that. You've always been stronger than any of us. I guess I just want you to remember that no matter what happens, I am always going to be there for you." Scott's words almost made me feel like he already knew what I was planning to do. Something about talking to him had always made me feel like I could confide in him without judgement or repercussion but not this time. This time I don't think Scott would take my truth very well.

"Plus I may or may not be kinda jealous that Derek is actually blood related." Scott admitted pulling me from my thoughts to smile at him.

"You'll always be my brother from another mother, Scotty." I joked putting my hand on the roof of the car and he reached across putting his on top of mine.

"I'm serious. Just think about it." Scott said keeping his eyes on me. Scott and I got in the car and headed towards his house. He said he wanted to go the mall and get some clothes but when Isaac called me needing to talk, Scott nodded lightly.

"No word from Derek yet?" Scott asked making me shake my head.

"Go ahead and head back. Isaac sounded worried and if Derek is trying to stay in the dark from his betas too it's probably to protect them. I'll just head home and see if maybe mom will want to go with me instead. Can't hurt to keep trying, right?" Scott put his hands in his pockets and I frowned at him.

"She'll come around Scott. I was skeptical about werewolves too and I already knew witches existed." Scott shook his head at me.

"What made you come around?" Scott questioned. I put my hand on his face and smiled.

"My love for you." I said honestly. He gave me a slight smile before kissing my forehead and running off. I knew he would picking running opposed to me just dropping him off. Running seemed to clear his head these days but I just hoped Melissa would come around sooner rather than later. Scott dreaded having to have his mom find out but I honestly thought it was for the best.

I turned off the road and parked the car in the driveway to see Nathan standing on the deck fishing.

"I thought Isaac was here?" I asked looking around.

"Yeah he's not a very social guy so I told him he could go inside and watch TV if he wanted. Kind of a strange one." Nathan said pulling a face.

"You know he can hear you right? Werewolves have heightened hearing." I reminded him but he shrugged.

"I think he knows he's strange but I guess I'm sorry." I shoved Nathan's shoulder and walked into the house to see Isaac sitting on the couch.

"So your uncle thinks I'm weird. That's always refreshing." Isaac rolled his eyes at me and I laughed.

"Oh you know you're a little weird. I like you weird." I ruffled his hair and he got up from the couch to follow me into my room.

"You smell like Scott. I didn't mean to interrupt. I know you're helping him with his mom." Isaac shoved his hands in his pockets.

"He was cool with it but I am very proud of you both for being so cordial about one another. It's very sweet of you to care." I smiled at Isaac seeing him let out a sigh at the sudden compliment.

"Don't get your hopes up. I'm not going to start having sleepovers with him or trading comic books. I'm just trying to play nice." Isaac corrected me and I nodded my head at him.

"Don't kill my vibe Lahey." I gestured for him to follow me to the attic and he did without question. His eyes went wide as he looked at everything, being careful not to touch anything that could potentially cause him harm.

"Wow you've really settled in here. I thought maybe you'd resist since you've started working things out with Stiles." I cocked an eyebrow and turned to look at Isaac.

"Well that was subtle." I walked over and sat across from Isaac at the table in the center of the room as he paced.

"It's true isn't it? I didn't have to be at the station to know something happened between you two." Isaac danced around sitting across from me.

"Yeah heavy emotional trauma and about 10 grand worth of property damage. Not really a love kindling moment." I rested my arms on the table.

"It is when it comes to Stiles." I was caught off guard by Isaac's comment. He rubbed at the back of his neck and sat down in front of me.

"I guess I kind of always knew things wouldn't really work out between us, I just figured maybe I had a shot." Isaac admitted.

"Where is this coming from? I mean I thought things were actually going really well considering all the really intense things that have been going on." I shook my head feeling slightly like I was being broken up with even though we weren't technically together.

"I know you care about me and I know I care about you but I just get this feeling the way you care about me and the way you care about Stiles are very different." Isaac kept his eyes on me and I tried not to give too much away with my face.

"You don't have to explain anything. I mean I wouldn't say it's your fault or anything. Maybe we just have bad timing." Isaac smiled as he shrugged. I smiled softly at him feeling comforted by how sweet he was being about the whole thing.

"You're being very cavalier about all this. What's going on?" I asked curiously.

"I just want you to know that I want you in my life any way I can have you. I don't want to screw anything up." Isaac frowned and I reached across the table to take his hand.

"You aren't going to screw anything up. I'm here for you. What's brought all this on?" I asked now concerned as to why Isaac was questioning losing me. I knew there was no way Deaton would tell anyone about my departure so Isaac couldn't know yet.

"I think Erica and Boyd are going to take off and look for another Alpha." I tilted my head sideways surprised.

"Why do you think that?" I asked making Isaac's eyes bigger for a moment.

"Because I heard them talking about taking off to find another Alpha." He confessed. I let out a sigh and felt Isaac's eyes fall on me taking in my reaction.

"You aren't mad?" He seemed surprised.

"How can I be mad? They're trying to do what's best for them. I can't fault them for that." I had kept in touch with Erica and Boyd the moment Derek went AWOL just to make sure they were okay. They promised to visit me in the new house but I could tell every time I talked to either of them, they were a bit put off by Derek's sudden disappearance.

"But we're supposed to be a pack. How could you be cool with them leaving?" Isaac pulled his hand out of mine almost hurt but I stood up quickly walking around the table.

"You don't have to be a pack to be a family. We'll always be a family and if it makes you feel better, I'll never leave you." I said firmly putting my hand on his cheek. He huffed out a breath and leaned into my touch.

"Says the girl with Find Your Escape painted on the wall." Isaac glanced over at the wall and I hit his arm before wrapping my arms around him.

"I promise, I will always be there for you when you need me." I tightened my arms around him feeling him rub my back and hug back firmly. When I pulled away, I went to rummage in the bag I carried in. I pulled out the ring I had gotten for Erica from storage and put it on the table.

"I'm flattered but I'm not much of a ring guy." Isaac said leaning on the table.

"It's for Erica's birthday. It's a protection ring but if you really think she's going to take off then I'll put a tracker spell on it so we'll always be able to find her." I started to pull things from other shelves and drawers and Isaac looked surprised.

"You can do that?" He questioned making me smirk.

"I can do a lot of thing's. Watch and learn, grasshopper." I teased. Isaac sat with me the whole time as I charmed the ring for Erica and even suggested I make a few others for him, Boyd and even Derek for when he takes off like he does. I felt comforted knowing that he was interested in my abilities as a witch. Eventually we went back outside and brought in the rest of the haul from the storage unit. I showed Isaac where things were supposed to go and what he could and couldn't touch because of being a werewolf. He tested the boundaries a few times but was quickly shut down by protection spells that cut his hands pretty deeply. He didn't test them much after that.

"I thought you said you didn't really have a handle on all this yet. You seem to be able to handle all this rather well now." Isaac commented as we finished different pieces of jewelry on the table. I made sure to make at least 20 different protection articles with trackers in them.

"I've been doing a lot of reading. I figured the only way to really get ahead of this is to have a kick ass defense and a back up plan." I explained. Isaac nodded as if her agreed.

"What about for the people that don't wear jewelry? I mean this one is really cool but I'm not really a ring kind of guy." Isaac held up the ring with the lightening bolt on it.

"The lightening bolt represents swiftness in the Native American culture. You are pretty fast on your feet." I held the ring to his wrist and he jumped slightly before holding his wrist up to see the lightening bolt was now scarred into his skin.

"Whoa...that's pretty...wow. It didn't even hurt." The scar disappeared quickly and he frowned.

"It's still there, just under the skin. There is some magic that can penetrate beyond that of wolf healing. You can keep the ring if you want, just in case. It's kind of a fail safe." I shrugged as Isaac pocketed the ring.

"What about the rest of these? Why'd we make so many?" Isaac picked up a few of the others, running his fingers across them.

"There's a lot of people I need to protect. I'm not going to leave people I care about out in the open to get hurt." I explained.

"These will go to Boyd and Erica's families. The rest, I'll give out accordingly." I started to make piles and Isaac held up the crossed arrows pendant necklace.
He gave me a pointed look that I just brushed off.

"You can't be serious. Maggie, the Argent's will kill you on the spot." Isaac started freaking out but I shook my head.

"All I need her to do is touch it. She just lost her mother, think about how hard that is and remember that Scott loves her. We were close once, I'd never let a feud that started between our families erase that." I explained seeing his hesitation.

"What if someday your family feud pits you two against each other? What if it comes down to saving Scott or saving her? Will you feel like she needs protection then?" Isaac question making me think about the exchange in the police station. I could see the coldness and pain her eyes. I knew that feeling. After losing mom, I felt like I couldn't take anymore loss. Caroline and Evie were hard enough but losing my mom in such a savage manner broke me. I went through a period of bitterness that struck right through to my core. I wanted justice, vengeance, blood. I wanted to rage and take it out on the person responsible. That's what Allison was going through right now and it was hard to look at her and see an enemy knowing I was once her, to know that there was a small piece of me that will always carry that rage.

"We're all kids, Isaac. Whether we want to recognize it or not. All of us are just teenagers fighting to survive. It shouldn't be like this. Supernatural or not, it shouldn't be like this. I'm going to do whatever I can to protect people because I don't want to be a killer like my father." I said firmly seeing him shift on his feet finally understanding me. I could sense the arrival of more people before I actually saw them coming down the gravel driveway. I gathered up the charms to give to Erica and Boyd before pulling Isaac behind me. As we reached the front door, Nathan was talking to Erica and Boyd.

"Hey Kid, Boyd here says he'll happily help with cleaning these fish if you want to have a fish fry for lunch. Sound good to you?" Nathan held up a bucket of fish he'd caught.

"I'm not cleaning fish but I'm all for food." Erica smiled brightly making me laugh.

"You would be." Isaac teased earning a shove from Erica.

"Sounds good to me." I clapped my hands together. Isaac and Erica stayed inside with me to set the table and make some sides to go with the fish. Isaac wanted french fries and Erica wanted mashed potatoes so we ended up making both.

"I don't know why but I really like this place. I think it suits you." Erica sat on the counter as I cut up vegetables and she snagged a few before I put them in the saucepan.

"Yeah we know you Hales like your isolation." Isaac nudged as he skinned potatoes. Erica beamed a carrot at him.

"No I think out here away from all the things and people that you are constantly being bombarded by-" I cut Erica off.

"No one bombards me. You know I love you guys." I pressed but she huffed.

"Between us, Shaggy and Scooby, Derek and all the people trying to kill us- I'd say you're slightly bombarded. I think this place gives you neutral ground. You can have your own space and really breathe out here. I like it." Erica crunched another carrot in her mouth.

"Plus your uncle is pretty hot in like a Johnny Depp pirate kind of way." Erica added. Nathan moved towards the window that had been open the whole time so they could pass us things to put on the table.

"Thank you...I think." Nathan squinted. I couldn't help but laugh and take note of Boyd's disdain from outside as he continued to maintain the grill.

"So how are things going with the others? I heard Scott's mom found out." Erica asked.

"I guess she's taking it as well as to be expected for someone who had no idea about the supernatural world." I shrugged.

"Not everyone can be as accepting as Nathan, can they?" Isaac smirked making Nathan come back to the window.

"Don't try to butter me up now. I still think you're a weirdo." He pointed a spatula at Isaac and he rolled his eyes while Erica tried to suppress a laugh.

"She was always really sweet to me. I hope it works out for them." Erica said hopeful. Boyd walked in with the first plate of food and glanced at Erica.

"How about you get off the counter and actually help." He probed making Erica scrunch her face up mockingly.

"I am helping!" She jumped down and stirred the mashed potatoes on the stove.

"Have you heard anything from Derek yet?" Boyd questioned and I could tell he was worried.

"He sent me a text not to worry but it's Derek. He's either planning something crazy or sulking. I just don't know which to hope for at this point." Nathan walked in just in time for me to end the conversation there. I didn't want them to worry about Derek.

We all sat down at the table and explained to Nathan how we all met. They seemed slightly hesitant at first with Nathan only because he was really the first adult outside of Derek and Deaton that they could talk openly to. It was nice to watch Nathan listen to them and give them someone to get reassurance from. It was honestly the most relaxed I'd seen Erica, Boyd and Isaac since this whole thing started. Nathan had told them they were all welcome at the house anytime and even offered jobs for them to help out at the tavern. Boyd actually seemed interested until Erica cut her eyes at him and it grew tense.

"Can I talk to you...in private?" Erica cleared her throat looking at me. I looked over at the boys before standing.

"Since Erica's birthday just passed, you boys clean up." I said taking Erica's hand.

"It was like last month!" Isaac argued earning a shove from Boyd.

"Sucks to suck!" Erica stuck her tongue out at him before following me up the stairs. I could feel her anxiety as she paced in my room.

"What's going on?" I asked her sitting down prepared to hear what she had to say. She let out a heavy sigh and laced her hands together.

"A lot's been going on lately, what with Jackson killing everyone and now the Argent's gunning for Derek and anyone close to him...I'm pretty freaked out. I mean when he came back to the railcar talking about how you almost died, I honestly didn't know what to do. You're like our rock, without you what hope do we really have, you know?" I could tell she was trying to build towards breaking the news to me.

"Boyd and I have been considering other options. We're too young to be cheating death every day. We aren't as strong as you and Derek. I wish we were but we just aren't." I reached out and took Erica's hand pulling her to sit down next to me on my bed.

"Erica, it's okay." I said rubbing her hand. She kept her eyes on me and looked uneasy. I reached over and pulled her gift off the table handing it to her.

"It's not much but happy birthday." I smiled at her as she took the box and slowly opened it. Her face softened as she pulled the ring out of the box.

"It's beautiful Maggie...thank you." She slipped it on her finger and I muttered the incantation.

"No matter what, I will always be here for you. That will never change." I said giving her hand a squeeze. Erica wiped tears from her eyes and hugged me tightly. I felt Erica's fear and uncertainty burning through my stomach and I just held her until it subsided with comfort and love. When I finally pulled away I wiped her running mascara off her face.

"I'm sorry I missed your birthday. I know this doesn't make up for it but-" She cut me off with a wide smile.

"It's okay, I spent it with my boyfriend." She wiggled her eyebrows at my surprised face just as Boyd walked in bashfully.

"We've been keeping it kind of a secret for a while but Erica got tired of hiding. I guess we should thank you since you introduced us technically." Boyd shrugged making me cover my open mouth.

"Are you kidding me? I deserve all the credit. I'm so happy for the both of you." I pulled them both into a hug and laughed. We had been face with such death and destruction, this was truly the simple win I needed right now. Just know that two people could find love in such hard times gave me hope.

"Does Derek know?" I asked curiously making them side eye one another.

"He's been pretty MIA lately but I assume he knows. We just wanted you to know since you're the only mutual friend we have." Boyd explained but Erica hit his chest with the back of her hand.

"Bump that, we're family and we love you." Erica said holding her chin up proudly. I couldn't fight the smile on my face.

"To be fair, I knew like way before it even happened." Isaac spoke up from the doorway making us all look over at him.

"Well considering you kept butting in on our makeout sessions, I guess you would." Erica put her hand on her hip. I chuckled at the face he made.

"You were literally sitting next to me, making out." Isaac defended himself.

"A smart person would have left the room." Erica insisted as Boyd rubbed his face.

"Speaking of leaving the room, can we go somewhere else. All I smell is Scott and Stiles on your bed and it's really creeping me out." I knew I was blushing and Erica laughed.

"Someone's having puppy cuddles or a raging orgy." Erica mocked but Isaac quickly cut her off.

"Let's go to the attic please...or the roof so I can jump off. Anywhere to escape this conversation." Isaac mumbled as we walked up to the attic. Boyd was the first one to check out the charms on the table.

"What are these?" Boyd asked making sure not to touch them.

"Protection charms. I guess it's a good thing I suspected you two were meant to be because I made you a matching dogtag." I tossed Boyd his charm and the moment he ran his thumb over it, I said the incantation. I knew they were already activated the moment they were touched but I had to be sure. I needed to stop doubting myself, I knew that but I couldn't take chances with the people I care d about. I held the velvet bags up to both of them.

"If any of you are planning to take off, I want you to make sure these are with your families. They'll be protected." I explained seeing all three of them look at me like I'd just spoke of the elephant in the room.

"Thing's aren't going to get better without getting much worse first. It's probably better if you guys take off for awhile anyway. I have a lot of things I need to take care of in a really short time frame. Whatever is about to happen, with Jackson, with the Argent's...I want you all to stay out of it. You want to help me, you'll take cover so I can use these freaking super powers to blow the roof of this shit." They stood silently for a few moments before Boyd nodded his head.

"You know when we talked to Derek, he told us to think long and hard about our decision, said we'd make rash decisions and regret them." He admitted making me sigh. That was definitely Derek.

"You should think long and hard about it. It's not a decisions you should make lightly but Derek is also operating under the idea of you all protecting me." I pointed out.

"We should be protecting you, though." Isaac spoke up and I shook my head.

"I'm strong, I can feel it. The power that I feel now is growing now that I'm not trying to stifle either side of it. I can protect myself so I'm telling you, as my family...protect yourselves any way you need to." I put one hand on top of Isaac's and one on top of Erica and Boyd's as they rested on the table top laced together. Before the three of them left, I tasked them with dropping protection charms off at the station, hospital and a few other places including Danny's house, Lydia's house and the school. I trusted they'd be stealth enough to sneak them in without getting caught and made sure they promised to text me once they were home safe. I walked over to the deck and saw Nathan doing yoga.

"Hey I told Isaac he could crash in the guest room so if he shows back up try not to keep calling him a weirdo." I said making him laugh and lose balance.

"The three musketeers leave?" He asked regaining his position. I nodded at him.

"You know, if you like did a combination of Derek's pack and Scott's packed you could probably have a hell of a dream team. I mean I know you said Allison hates you right now and Red is kinda on the fence but if one can fight and the other is super smart, it could work." Nathan suggested making me roll my eyes.

"You make it sound so easy." I sat down across from him and he settled on the ground crossing his legs.

"Maybe you just over-complicate it. I've spent a few days with you and met a good portion of your friends and I'm pretty sure I could weed them into categories." Nathan said confidently as I raised my eyebrows.

"This will be interesting. Go for it." I challenged. Nathan rested his elbows on his knees and let out a sigh.

"Okay so Danny's the intelligent gay one, Erica's the fierce, take no shit one and Boyd's kind of like an M&M, hard shell but sweet on the inside. You play the hot/cold game with Lydia and Allison so I'm going to chalk that up to undecided." Nathan waved his hand around at the mention of Allison and Lydia and I laughed.

"You are completely out of your mind but I'm oddly intrigued to hear more." I admitted.

"Now Scott and Derek are the obvious big brothers, always protecting you and bumping heads to try to out do one another. Scott's a bit more open but Derek clearly hates everyone else who tries to get close to you thus his disdain towards me." Nathan continued.

"Considering our family history, Derek's pretty much earned the right to be insanely overprotective." I frowned slightly but Nathan's smile grew.

"It's funny you mention history because that brings me to Isaac and Stiles. You've clearly been head over heels for Stiles for most of your life but I get really…dare I say intimate vibes from Isaac as well." Nathan squinted at me and I felt immediately flustered by the accusation. I honestly didn't realize how obvious the ridiculous triangle I found myself in was. I felt myself blushing but couldn't think of anything to say.

"Psh. Pftt. Wh-" I sputtered out and Nathan just smirked.

"Your silence speaks volumes, Kid." Nathan chuckled as my phone started beeping.

Text from Scott:
Can you pick me up? I kind of need to get out of here.

I texted Scott back quickly and got to my feet.

"Everything okay?" Nathan asked concerned and I pocketed my phone.

"Yeah Scott needs me. I'm guessing thing's didn't go well with his mom." I sighed starting to feel the day wear me down.

"Well I guess if he needs a place to stay I won't mind him staying in your room but just keep in mind you've told me on a number of occasions that Scott is like your brother and incest will really kinda ruin the way I look at you. Seriously, I will judge you." Nathan said making me chuckle as I walked past him patting his shoulder.

"Noted. Incest is a relationship ruiner. I'll be back in a little bit." I said shaking my head. I rubbed at my eyes as I got in the car and headed towards Scott's. When I pulled up to his house I could hear someone hurrying to get out the front door. I got out assuming someone was in trouble but saw it was Melissa rushing to leave. She spun around to see me standing just a few feet from her and froze.

"I know you're confused and scared but trust me, no one is as terrified as we are. You're his mother and you're running away from him like he's a monster." I said sadly seeing her fear etched across her face.

"Don't turn your back on him...not now, not like this because he would literally die to protect you. Don't-" Scott opened the door quickly and Melissa jumped.

"Maggie it's fine. Let's just go." Scott rushed towards the car and Melissa swallowed hard. I couldn't help but look at her with heavy disappointment. I turned my back and walked towards the car, pulling away before Melissa even moved a muscle from her front step. Scott let out a breath and looked over at me. I returned the gaze before reaching out and taking his hand. We rode in silence, first to stop and get him some tacos because I figured if he was going to be depressed, I'd at least get him his favorite food to binge on. Nathan had texted me letting me know he'd be down the way at the tavern interviewing potential staff so when Scott and I got back to the house we hung out in the living room. He kept looking around the house and I knew he could smell the others had been here under the linger smell of the fish fry that was starting to drive me crazy.

"Erica, Boyd and Isaac came by today. They're kind of running around confused with Derek being gone so I tried to ease their minds. They seemed to relax a bit." I explained and Scott nodded his head.

"You're kind of like a secondary alpha. The mama wolf." Scott joked.

"That's the last thing I wanna be. I just want the people I care about to be able to rest easy at night." Scott looked away from me and I nudged him with my foot. I crawled over to Scott on the couch and he put his arm around me.

"This is a nice hoodie." I said making him chuckle.

"Yeah well I guess I did some retail therapy. Allison had once said it was something Lydia made her do when we broke up. It didn't really help but I thought this was at least nice." Scott tugged on it and I rested my head on his arm.

"Have you heard back from Allison yet?" I asked changing the subject despite it being another bad topic.

"No I've tried reaching out but I guess I can understand why she wants to be alone. I mean the funeral was today so I guess I'll just give her space for now. I mean that's what I should do right? When Stiles mom died, he kind of did his own thing for the first few days but then he finally let me just hang around him. We didn't talk about it or anything, he just let me be there." Scott said recounting the sad memory. I thought back to what I did following my mom's murder and Scott gave my shoulder a squeeze.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help you through your mom's death." Scott said sadly. I patted his chest knowing he had a good heart but the shape I was in after I lost my mom was something I wouldn't want Scott to see.

"I think she needs to work through it alone at first but she'll come to you when she's ready. You have a good heart to want to be there for her though and me." I said trying to provide some assurance. My mind started to drift to thoughts I wished it hadn't. I was worried that something would happen to Melissa and how devastated Scott would be. Beacon Hills was quickly becoming a single parent society and the last thing I wanted was for anyone else to die. Isaac and I were both orphans and I think that was actually something that drew me closer to him, made me want to protect him even more. I worried about all of them. That was the only reason I knew I had to learn to harness my abilities. I had the strength to protect the people I love now and I needed to use it.

"I want to show you something." I said suddenly making Scott nod curiously. He followed me up to the attic and his eyes caught sight of the charms.

"What are all these?" He asked reaching out to touch but retracting his hand realizing he didn't know what they were.

"They're protection charms. I made them to protect everyone. Your mom, the Sheriff, Nathan...Allison's family." Scott raised his eyebrows.

"Seriously?" He asked surprised.

"I sent Boyd, Erica and Isaac out of here to make sure there were some at the hospital, the station and the school. I want all of you to have one at home too okay?" Scott walked towards me with pinned eyebrows.

"Hey, what's wrong? Why are you freaking out?" Scott knew me too well. I took a deep breath and looked up at him.

"I can't be everywhere Scott. This is the only way I can make sure everyone has a life line, you know? Whatever Gerard plans to do, whatever happens with Jackson, I want you all to be okay. I'm not going to keep sitting on the sidelines while everyone I love dies or gets hurt. I'm in this and I'm not going to lose." I said firmly as Scott rubbed his hands up and down my arms trying to calm me down.

"It's going to-" I cut Scott off with a look. That's all it took for him to know that we were both kidding ourselves. I picked up the coin and handed it to Scott who took it and held it in his hand for a moment. It was long enough for me to do the incantation before I closed his hand around it.

"How about we take these to where they need to be tomorrow. You look exhausted." Scott touched my face and I leaned into his hand. He took my hand and led me back into my room. He was right, I was exhausted but I wasn't sure I could sleep with all the things on my mind.

"I thought hanging out with Stiles would make you stress less but it would appear that you're stressing more than ever." Scott said as he drug the arm chair I had in my room next to my bed as I plopped down on it.

"He gave me a walkie talkie so we could communicate no matter what but he's not sleeping much and I'm always afraid I'm going to catch him napping." I ran my hand over my face and Scott chuckled.

"Or jerking off." He joked making me throw a pillow at him.

"You know he still wants to go out on a date with me. I have no idea why but after all the stupid things that happened he still wants to test the waters." I said with a sigh.

"Why don't you seem more excited about that?" Scott asked.

"I just...I don't know anymore. There is just so much more going on, things much bigger than us. I just don't want to screw anything up and lose him." I confessed as Scott leaned his head back against the chair. He must not have been sleeping well at home because he looked like he might be able to go to sleep soon just sitting in the chair.

"You don't have to worry about that. You aren't going to lose Stiles." He said as his eyes started to slip closed. It was strange to watch Scott and Stiles sleep. They looked so much younger when they slept. It made me realize how young we all truly were, how much we'd all been through together. I decided that I would take off the night after the game. I didn't know what I was going to say to everyone but this week I planned to get my work for finals and send it in early. The more time I had to train, the better. I still had to talk to Nathan but my biggest fear was Scott and Stiles. Scott caught himself dozing and blinked a few times.

"Scott, do you think I'd ever do anything to intentionally hurt you guys?" I asked making him turn his head to look at me confused.

"What? Of course not. I know you better than anyone on this planet. Why would you ask me that?" Scott smiled rolling his eyes and I knew I had to stay guarded or else Scott would try and talk me out of leaving.

"I just feel a little…lost these days. I'm terrified that things will go back to how they were when I first came home." Scott managed to open his eyes more and he sat up slightly feeling my concern.

"Whatever is making you think that, you've got to know that no matter what happens, where we all end up, we'll face it together. It's us until the very end, okay?" I nodded at him and he let out a heavy sigh keeping his eyes on me.

"How about tonight, I hold you instead of you holding me. You look like you need a good ole Scotty Snuggle." Scott said with a chuckle.

"You have no idea." Scott was the first to get up from the chair and when I rolled off the bed he opened the blanket up that laid on the bottom of the bed, waiting for me to get comfortable before climbing in behind me, covering us both up before pulling me to his chest. I suddenly felt this huge weigh in my chest. I knew it was guilt and fear but I tried to push it away.

"I love you Scotty." I whispered in the silence.

"Always." Scott breathed into the back of my neck and I bit my lip to keep from getting upset. I held onto Scott so tightly trying to fall asleep but it didn't come for hours. When I finally did pass out, I couldn't help but dream of when Scott, Stiles and I were children. It was like I was watching us play in the backyard and I felt warm tears rolling down my face. Everything used to be so simple and pure. Everything was covered in darkness now. It was cold and rough and there was no relief in sight. When I closed my eyes to blink the tears away, I opened them to see that I was now alone, standing on the edge of the dock. The sun was setting and the water was choppy from the wind that whipped against the skin on my face. I looked down into the water, the never ending darkness of the water. It was inviting but terrifying at the same time. I went to take a step back but something shot up and grabbed my ankle. I saw it was Peter and screamed as he yanked me into the water.

"MAGGIE! MAGGIE WAKE UP! MAGS!" I opened my eyes and Scott was yelling in my face trying to shake me back to consciousness. I blinked a few times and Nathan and Isaac were also hovering over me. I was breathing heavy and sweating.

"What the hell was that?" Isaac asked clearly shaken. I wiped my forehead and saw my hands were shaking.

"I'm fine...it's-" Nathan shook his head at me.

"That's not fine Maggie. That's not fine at all." He said clearly worried.

"You were crying in your sleep then you started screaming. What did you see?" Scott asked looking almost afraid to let me go but I gradually pushed him away.

"I just need a minute to collect myself, please." I put my hands up and the three of them backed off. I got out of bed and my knees gave out. Luckily Isaac caught me and helped me into the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror and saw how haggard I looked. I washed my face and calmed myself down before walking back out to see it was just Isaac and Scott now.

"You said you were having nightmares, you didn't say you were having night terrors. Have you told Deaton?" Scott asked chewing on the inside of his cheek.

"Yeah, he gave me something to take but-" Isaac cut me off.

"But nothing. You need to take it. That was freaking horrible." Isaac rubbed the back of his neck. He must have showed up late and slept in the guest room judging by his disheveled look.

"I won't dream if I take it but I'll basically be knocked out. I can't protect myself." I explained.

"From what?" Scott put his hand on my arm. I didn't answer him. I wasn't sure what I was afraid of at this point. Sleep itself I supposed.

"Take it and we'll protect you." Isaac looked over at Scott.

"Scott-" He put his hand up.

"Maggie, we'll make sure nothing happens to you but you need rest." Scott insisted. I let out a sigh and Nathan came back with sleeping pills.

"Those won't work but I have something." I put my hand up walking over to my dresser and retrieving the vial.

"Are you sure this will work? You don't want to go to the ER or maybe the vet?" Scott and Isaac threw Nathan an annoyed look but I just felt guilty.

"This will work and I'll go see Deaton in the morning. Just please...if something happens all of you get to the attic and use the bag of salts to seal the room." I looked over at Isaac and he nodded. I got back into bed and Scott gestured for Isaac to take the chair as he sat down on the bed. Nathan paced.

"Nathan...once I take this, I'll be out for 8 hours. Stay out of trouble until then." I teased before chucking the liquid back. It burned the whole way down and I had just enough time to get comfortable before everything went black.

~IIII~

I never truly expected whatever Deaton had given me would actually be as potent as he said it was. Those 8 hours of utter darkness weren't scary, they weren't filled with nightmares or strange dreams. It was peaceful. It made me realize that even in death, I'll never get the kind of nothingness and stillness of the 8 hours of sleep I got that night. I hadn't realized what time I had woken everyone up at because by the time the 8 hours was up, it was already 2 in the afternoon. I woke up feeling refreshing, rested and calm. I could feel the tension and concern of the boys as they paced around me but it's like my body was still in a state of tranquility. I had finally convinced Scott to go check on Stiles but Nathan insisted I get checked over by Deaton if I refused to go to the hospital.

"I see the remedy worked. You look very rested." Deaton said as he looked me over.

"That's what I told them but Nathan was worried." Nathan stood with his arms crossed by the door.

"Look Kid, I'm new at the whole guardian thing let alone being a guardian to someone with an extraordinary case. I was able to handle everything else pretty well but when you wake up screaming bloody murder I tend to worry." Nathan said waving his hand around.

"She'll be able to get ahead of them once we've got her head clear. It'd probably help to get her released a bit earlier from school though." I looked at Deaton and he looked confused as Nathan tilted his head.

"What do you mean?" Nathan questioned.

"You told him about werewolves but you didn't tell him about your training?" Deaton narrowed his eyes at me.

"Standing right here. What's going on? What training?" Nathan stepped closer to me as I rubbed the tops of my legs with my palms.

"Maggie, he needs to know." Deaton pressed. I let out a sigh and looked over at Nathan who stared at me desperately.

"I told you that what I was...it's complicated and dangerous. I don't know how to control it and that's a problem." I explained.

"There's a new threat coming to Beacon Hills...well it's already here which makes me insanely unprepared to begin with but that's going to change." Nathan tilted his head sideways and ran his hands down his face.

"Come on Kid, you're giving me the synopsis. I need more than that." Nathan stepped towards me.

"This new threat will come for Maggie and they could very well kill her. They're much stronger at the moment and while Maggie has an army of people who would fight for her, what she really needs is time. Time to prepare herself without distractions." I could hear Nathan's pulse pick up when Deaton mentioned that this alpha pack could very easily kill me.

"I'm sorry this is all being thrown at you right now. I wished I could keep you out of it but-" Nathan put his hand on my arm.

"Hey, I told you I'm all in here okay? Weird shit and all. You tell me what you need me to do and I'll try and help anyway I can but don't sugar coat things for me. I need to know what the deal is in order to help. I'm not going to let anything hurt you Kid." I smiled briefly at Nathan to keep from getting emotional. In the short time we'd spent together, he was already willing to sacrifice the life we just started building.

"We have a lot of things that need to be discussed and planned in a very short time frame." Deaton patted Nathan's shoulder and he nodded at him ready to take on the task. We'd spent two hours making plans with Nathan before I headed towards Stiles house. I needed to get my mind off of what was coming and I was worried I hadn't heard from him or Scott to get an update. I used my key when Stiles didn't answer the door and found him pacing around in his room.

"Hey, I knocked but I guess you didn't hear me." He jumped startled before looking relieved to see me.

"I slipped into my dad's office and was checking out Matt's case file. He was following you too Maggie. He had all these photoshopped pictures of him and Allison but he also had pictures of you. This psycho was creeping around the house, taking pictures of you, of us..." Stiles started held up some of the pictures and I looked at them. They were beyond creeper status but I tried not to think about it.

"Did you stay up all night looking at his case file?" I noticed the bags under his eyes and he waved me off.

"I've just been trying to put all these pieces together. I mean we know why Matt used Jackson to kill all the people he did but now that he's dead, who's controlling Jackson? Worst case scenario is the Argent's since currently they want to kill Derek and I'm sure you." Stiles pushed some of the pictures aside and I saw Stiles phone sitting next to his bed.

"Is your phone off? I tried texting you but you didn't answer. I know Scott was supposed to-" He cut me off.

"It was distracting me so I put it on silent mode." He didn't even glance back at me as I pulled a face.

"And if something happens how are people supposed to reach you? You can't go radio silent Stiles." He finally turned towards me.

"Scott hasn't answered any of my calls and it's not like my dad is going to suddenly start calling me worried. You have the walkie talkie. That's always on if you need me. Are you okay? Did something happen?" He walked towards me and I shook my head gripping his arms and sitting him down on his bed. I took in his appearance a bit more and I could practically feel his body vibrating with tension and irritability.

"You look like crap. You need to get some sleep." I said with a frown but he just shrugged.

"Yeah well I have a lot on my mind." He ran his hand over his hair letting his face rest in his hands for a moment. I had picked up his comment about his dad and concluded that things hadn't gotten any better since the last time we spoke.

"Things with your dad are going to get better. There's just a lot going on right now. That doesn't mean-" Stiles looked up from his hands and I could see something different this time. It was terror.

"I can't sleep because I'm terrified of what could happen next. I keep…I keep watching you get hurt and I instantly go back to the night." Stiles explained and the sad part was I wasn't sure if he meant the night at the station or the night Peter killed me.

"Stiles, you've got to push that out of your mind right now. You can't keep thinking about the past." I was trying to be sympathetic but he rolled his eyes hard getting defensive.

"I'm sorry if watching you get hurt isn't something I can just shake off. You did die in my arms so that was a bit mentally scarring for me." I let out a sigh knowing there was nothing I could really say to give Stiles comfort, not with him being this exhausted and wired at the same time.

"I just don't want to lose you again. I'm done losing you." Stiles looked at me and I realized he wasn't scared for himself. He was scared for me. Feelings of guilt set in almost instantly and I walked over and sat next to him on his bed. I reached into my pocket and handed him the coin I had charmed for him and he looked at it.

"What's this?" He took it from me looking at the symbol on it. I said the incantation and put my hand on his cheek.

"It's a protection charm. I had Boyd put one at the station and I've got one for your dad too. I know nothing I say will ever make you stop worrying but can you just be right here in this moment with me please? Stop thinking about thing's with your dad, thing's with the kanima and the Argent's, all the craziness. Can we just pretend that we're just two normal teenagers?" Stiles held my gaze as I rubbed his cheek with my thumb.

"Yeah we can be normal for a little bit but can I try something?" Stiles asked. I nodded my head as he reached up and put his hand on my cheek mirroring my body before pressing his lips to mine. I was a bit surprised but I kissed him back immediately. My hand fell to the front of his shirt and he used both of his hands now to keep my lips connected to his. It wasn't a rushed kiss. It was almost lazy, like he was taking his time to whined down using my body to help calm himself and I didn't mind one bit. I let him lean me back onto his bed as my legs dangled to the floor, he leaned over me only slightly and moving one of his hands down to my side. He sighed against my lips and pulled away shaking his head.

"I hate when you do that." He breathed.

"Do what?" I was confused as to what he was talking about as I looked up at him.

"You pull me back. I barely slept an hour last night and exhaustion hasn't hit me until I start making out with you on my bed." Stiles blinked slowly at me and I smiled reaching up to touch under his eyes.

"To be fair, making out is quite tasking." I smiled at him and he leaned down to kiss me once more.

"Say yes to going on that date with me...please." I looked up at Stiles tired eyes and wanted so badly to just forget everything that Deaton, Nathan and I planned. I wanted so badly to just be normal just so I could have moments like this with Stiles all the time.

"I'll go on a date with you if you promise me you'll get some sleep right now." I offered and he smiled dizzily. He pushed up from the bed and I sat up straightening out my shirt.

"Will you stay with me?" He asked so sweetly I'd feel guilty for even considering to say no.

"Sure." I climbed back into Stiles bed next to him and rested my head on his chest. I didn't need to listen to his heart to know when he fell asleep. He rubbed his thumb over my arm absently until he passed out and I blinked quiet tears out of my eyes as I let him hold me.

There was no way I was ready for the agony that was coming but there was no way of stopping. Stiles slept safe and sound in my arms while I felt myself driving at high speeds waiting to hit the brick wall. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and I was thankful that it was in a pocket I could actually reach without disturbing Stiles. I pulled my phone out to see it was a text.

Text from Derek:
We need to talk...it's about Peter.

And just like that I hit the brick wall head on.


Next Chapter: Everyone returns to school after break changed in someway but not at all prepared for what's about to happen. Maggie gets some startling news that makes her act irrationally, Gerard puts pressure on Scott and Derek struggles to figure out what to do as his pack quickly falls apart. On top of all of that, the Beacon Hills Lacrosse Championship brings a few unexpected surprises.

~SPECIAL THANKS~ twicesouffled, prettyargents, Pirate-chan, minstorai, MessintheMirror, cateslikescats, Julia, Charl0tt3, ammeehhh, .heaRt, CourtneyxWolf725, katiesgotagun, Vcarp1993, InfiniteButterflies, kathrynwerewolves14, Miss E Charlotte, Guests and all the new followers. Thank you for reading and reviewing. It means the world. All the new readers, feel free to let me how you're enjoying the chapters. I love hearing from you.