Lacey woke up Saturday afternoon. She and Stiles had stayed up, talking and dozing, until Scott had called Stiles to tell him they had it under control. Lacey could barely remember him leaving because she was fast asleep so soon after.

She rolled out of bed and looked at the clock. It was nearly 3:00pm. She lay in bed for a minute, thinking of how thankful she was to have a bit of sleep; her first week had been exhausting, from school, to the party, to the previous night's escapades.

Eventually, she slumped herself downstairs and into the kitchen, where she poured herself a colossal bowl of cereal. As she ate, she noticed a note on the kitchen counter. It was from Celeste, saying she had gone out of town with her boyfriend. Lacey breathed in deeply, happy to have the place to herself for the weekend. It wasn't like she was unused to being left alone, but she liked the idea of an empty house. Maybe it would help her clear her mind. Besides, Celeste had left her car for Lacey's use over the weekend.

After breakfast, she scurried back upstairs to check her phone. She had two missed calls, one from Stiles and one from Scott, both within minutes of each other. She clicked Stiles' name and held the phone to her ear.

"Hey, Lacey," he answered.

"Hey," she responded. "You called?"

"I did too!" she heard Scott's voice in the background of the call.

Stiles chuckled. "Yeah, Scott and I are over at my house doing homework and we had some questions about Heart of Darkness, since you seem to be the expert."

"You two are doing homework? On a Saturday?" Lacey asked, bewildered.

"Against our will," Scott answered.

"I'm just gonna put you on speaker," Stiles told her. "Hang on… Okay, got it."

"Why are you doing homework?" she asked.

"You'd be amazed how much this stuff can pile up in a week," Stiles told her.

"That's why you're supposed to do it every night," Lacey reminded him.

"We've been a little busy…" Scott said defensively.

"But you're doing it against your will?" Lacey continued.

"Yeah, my dad kinda has me on lockdown," Stiles told her.

"My mom, too," Scott chimed in.

"He asked me what we did in school this week and when I couldn't tell him a single thing… one thing led to another, and he found out I'm not exactly keeping up with my assignments," Stiles explained.

"And I got caught in the crosshairs," Scott added. "I hate when parents talk."

"I think they're both just a little freaked out," Stiles elaborated. "I mean, with Heather and everything…"

"They're just trying to keep us out of trouble," Scott finished.

"A lot of good that'll do," Lacey joked. "Do you two still have questions about Heart of Darkness?"

"Actually, yeah," Scott admitted. "I can't believe she expects us to write an essay after the first week."

"Yeah, it's a little much," Lacey agreed. "I haven't done mine either."

"At least you've done the reading," Stiles told her. "We just finished chapter one."

"Wanna come over and join this party?" Scott asked.

"Uh…"

"Come on, we're dying over here," Stiles pleaded.

"Would your dad even be cool with that?" Lacey asked.

"Better to ask forgiveness than permission," Stiles chirped.

"I don't wanna get off on the wrong foot…"

"You won't," Stiles assured her. "If he knows you're coming over here to save our butts, he'll throw the door wide open."

"All right, I'll do it," Lacey conceded.

"Yeah!" Scott cheered.

"Do you want me to pick you up?" Stiles asked.

"Last I checked, you were on lockdown," Lacey teased. "And, anyway, I have Celeste's car for the weekend."

"Oh, great," Stiles replied.

"See ya soon?" Scott asked.

"Yep! Just text me the address."

After the quickest shower of her life, she was walking up the driveway to Stiles' house 20 minutes later. She knocked on the door and heard the sound of running feet. Before they reached the door, it swung open, revealing Sheriff Stilinski.

He stood there, looking surprised for the moment before Stiles and Scott were smashed against his back. Sheriff Stilinski looked back at them confusedly and then back at Lacey.

"Hello," he greeted her. "Can I help you?"

"Uh…" Lacey stuttered.

"Dad, this is––"

"Eh! I asked her the question," he said. He turned his kind eyes on her. "Sorry."

"I'm Lacey," she said, putting out a hand and smiling.

He shook it. "And I'm guessing you know my son in some way?"

"Yeah, we're friends from school," Lacey told him. "I told him and Scott I would come over and help them with their Heart of Darkness essays. But it kinda seems like they didn't tell you that…"

"They most certainly did not," Sheriff Stilinski said accusingly, looking again at Scott and Stiles. They both replied with a sheepish grin.

She started backing away from the door. "I can just go if that's easier…"

"Well, hang on a minute," Sheriff Stilinski stopped her. "You must be some kind of miracle worker if you wanna help these two with homework."

She stopped backing away to laugh. "Well, I make no promises."

"Have you actually done the reading?" he questioned.

"Yep," she assured him. "A couple times, actually. Heart of Darkness is one of my favorite books."

"You have a favorite book? What are you doing hanging out with these two?"

She laughed again, shrugging. "They were the only ones who wanted to hang out with the weird new girl, I guess."

"Well, come on in," Sheriff Stilinski beckoned. He stepped aside and Stiles and Scott did the same.

"We were just working in my room upstairs," Stiles told her as she walked in. He and Scott both started to scurry up the stairs.

"Hold on," Sheriff Stilinski commanded.

Stiles and Scott both stopped in their tracks and looked back at him.

"If I hear anything but studying up there, you're gonna hear about it," he said, looking at Stiles.

"Dad, I know––"

"Don't worry, Mr. Stilinski," Lacey chimed in. "I still have to write my paper. And I don't like being distracted." She shot a look at Stiles and Scott, letting her mouth turn up in a hint of a smile.

"All right," Sheriff Stilinski relinquished.

Lacey scampered up the stairs after Scott and Stiles.

"Sorry about my dad," Stiles relented after they had closed his bedroom door behind them.

"It's all right," Lacey assured him. "He's just being a dad."

"I don't know what he's so worried for, anyway," Stiles continued. "It's only the first week."

"And we're already behind," Scott reminded him.

Stiles huffed out a breath. "I hate it when you're right."

"I like your room," Lacey said on another note. She was looking at the various posters on the walls.

"Thanks," Stiles said, suddenly feeling self-conscious about all of his stuff.

"What's all this?" she asked, walking over to his desk, which was covered in pages of internet research, newspaper clippings, and red marker.

"That's for the investigation," Stiles told her.

"Do you usually help your dad with police work?" Lacey asked.

"He doesn't know I'm helping," Stiles admitted. "He actually prefers me to stay out of it."

Lacey nodded. "Have you got anything yet?"

Stiles walked over to his desk. "Not much," he admitted. "I can't seem to find any connection between Heather and the guy at the pool…"

"You don't sound so sure about that," Lacey caught him.

"The only thing I can think of is that they were both virgins," Stiles admitted.

"How do you know that about the guy at the pool?" Lacey asked, perplexed. "You said you didn't know him."

"Purity ring," Stiles told her. "I saw it when Lydia and I first found him."

"So are you saying this is some sort of virgin sacrifice going on?" Scott questioned jokingly.

The look on Stiles' face took any humor out of the situation. "You're serious?" Lacey questioned. "Virgin sacrifice?"

"That's my best guess so far," Stiles admitted. "All the murders were done ritualistically. The three-fold death. And all victims thus far have been virgins."

"Do you think it's the alpha pack?" Scott demanded.

"Not anymore, no," Stiles said. "Whoever is doing this is doing a great job of staying under the radar."

"How many do you think they need?" Scott asked.

Stiles shrugged. "I dunno. All I know is that they've already killed two, possibly three…and I'm not exactly looking forward to finding out who's next." He gave Scott a meaningful look, which Scott returned with a knowing look.

"Well, I better watch my back, then," Lacey added, not seeming to pick up on the boys' silent communication.

Both boys snapped right out of their silent dialogue to look at her.

"Really?" Scott couldn't help but blurt at her.

"Yeah," she answered matter-of-factly. "Is that hard to believe?"

"No," Stiles said a little bit too quickly.

She ignored the fact that his heart sounded like it was jumping out of his chest. "Well, it makes a ton of sense if you think about it. I've never had friends before, much less a boyfriend…"

"You don't need a boyfriend to have sex, ya know," Scott teased.

She gave him a look. "I'm aware of how sex works, Scott. I'm just not having it. And I'm almost 100% sure you're not either, so I would shut it and start reading," she sassed.

Stiles laughed loudly at Scott, who indignantly got up to get his copy of Heart of Darkness.

Lacey covered her mouth to stifle her oncoming laughter. "Stiles, keep it down! Your dad's gonna kick me out," she hissed. "Besides, you should be doing a lot less laughing and little more reading."

"I don't know why you're laughing anyway, Stiles," Scott said, taunting him playfully. "How much sex have you had lately?"

Stiles waved his hand at Scott in surrender. "All right, all right. I get it…You have to admit, it was kinda funny."

"Whatever," Scott replied flippantly, thumbing through the pages. He couldn't hide the little humorous smile that crept onto his face.

The three friends worked diligently on their homework for the next couple of hours. After a lengthy discussion on the reading (and some goofing around), the boys were just starting their essays as Lacey put the finishing touches on hers.

She shut her laptop with finality.

"You're done?" Stiles asked enviously.

"Yep," she exhaled, stretching her arms over her head. "Can I go grab some water?"

"Sure. It's in the kitchen," Stiles responded, moving his eyes back to his screen.

Lacey stood up and wandered out of the room and down the stairs. She found the kitchen and was filling a glass with water when Sheriff Stilinski walked in.

"Hey, Lacey," he greeted as he strolled in.

"Hi," she returned.

"Done with homework?" he asked.

She nodded.

"And the boys…?"

"They're getting there." She smiled at him. "What have you been up to?"

"Working on this case," he replied. It seemed that even the mention of it stressed him. "This town has some bizarre things going on," he told her.

"I kinda figured that out," she admitted.

"Have you liked it here so far?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, I have, actually," she answered.

"Sorry you moved in at such a…bizarre time," he said. "Beacon Hills isn't generally the town of inexplicable serial murders." At another mention of the case, she could hear his heart accelerate.

"I'm sure they won't be inexplicable for long," she encouraged. "I hear you're an exceptional sheriff."

"From who? Stiles?" He chuckled to himself.

His eyes drifted up to the clock on the stove. "Hell, is it that time already?" he said in disbelief. He crossed to the fridge and started looking through it. "It's nearly dinnertime…" he mumbled.

"Can I cook dinner?" Lacey asked.

Sheriff Stilinski ducked out from the fridge and straightened up to appraise her confusedly.

"I really don't mind," she assured him. "I like to cook."

"Really?" Sheriff Stilinski questioned, not seeming to need much convincing.

"Totally," she replied. "Besides, Stiles has been driving me to school all week and not accepting gas money. It's the least I can do."

"Only if you're sure…" he responded hesitantly.

"I'm sure," she chirped back. She marched over to the fridge. "Let's see what we're working with here…"

"I haven't really had time to grocery shop," Sheriff Stilinski admitted bashfully. He scratched the back of his head.

"That's okay, I can work with this," she told him. "I'll just go to the store and pick up a few things."

"Here, I'll grab you some cash," Sheriff Stilinski moved toward his wallet.

"Gas money," she stopped him. Before he could protest, she was walking out of the kitchen and toward the stairs. "I'll be back soon," she called over her shoulder.

"All right," Sheriff Stilinski returned. "You're sure you don't––?"

"Just get cracking on that case," she urged, looking back at him from the stairs.

"Yes, ma'am," he answered, putting his hands up and walking back toward his study.

She scurried up the stairs and breezed into Stiles' room. She grabbed her keys and turned to leave again.

"You're heading home?" Stiles asked, moving to get up.

"No, I'm just going to the store real quick. I'll be back." With that, she was halfway down the stairs.

As she drove to the store, she felt happy. It had been a while since she had cooked for people besides herself. At her second-to-last foster home, it had been her job to cook dinner each night.

She walked through the produce section of the grocery store, picking up the vegetables she intended to cook with the steak she had seen in Stiles' fridge.

She smelled them before she ever saw them, but she knew it was impossible that she wouldn't run into them. Almost on cue, both twins came rushing toward her, Ethan chasing Aiden, of course. He caught up with him before he reached Lacey, who peaceably went about her selection of potatoes. She flicked her eyes up at them, pretending she had only just noticed their approach.

"Ethan. Aiden," she addressed them.

"Hey, Lacey," Aiden snarled.

Ethan said nothing, just stared at her.

"What are you two shopping for?" she asked, realizing they weren't going away.

"Just this and that," Ethan told her tightly.

Then Lacey smelled a new scent. A female wolf. She came strolling out from the aisle the two of them had vacated in their pursuit of Lacey. She stalked calmly over to where the twins stood.

"Who's this?" she asked, appraising Lacey with shrewd eyes.

"Just a friend from school," Ethan told her. "Lacey, this is our…sister, Kali."

"Nice to meet you," Lacey said, putting a potato in her bag as she tried her best to look nonchalant. She was acutely aware of the fact that Kali was studying her. She wondered what she smelled like to female werewolves. "It's strange, you three don't look related," she commented, trying to make small talk.

"Different dads," Kali said flatly, never taking her eyes from Lacey. Aiden strained against Ethan's hold.

Lacey dropped a last potato in her bag and tied it off quickly. "Well, I'm all done. I guess I'll see you two in class?"

"Yeah, see you in class," Aiden said, practically salivating.

"It was great meeting you," she added flippantly to Kali as she strolled past them toward the check-out.

"And you," Kali hissed.

Lacey rapidly checked out and was on her way back to Stiles' house in no time. She burst into the house and placed her shopping bags just inside the front door before hurrying up to Stiles' room.

Stiles and Scott looked up as she walked in.

"What's up?" Scott asked her, knowing her heart was beating a little quicker than usual.

"I just ran into the twins at the grocery store," she told them.

"Did something happen?" Stiles pressed.

"Well…not really," Lacey admitted. "But they had a woman with them. A werewolf."

"It must have been the one who was playing nurse at the hospital," Scott said.

"I don't like her," Lacey said. "And she didn't like me."

"What do you mean?" Stiles jumped in.

"Just the way she was looking at me…it made me wonder what I smell like to a female werewolf…"

"Do you think she knew?" Scott asked.

Lacey bit her lip. "I really have no idea. I just didn't like the way she looked at me."

"It's okay," Stiles reassured her, not sounding completely reassured himself. "There's no way she could smell the werewolf on you. It's been ten years since you changed. That still stands."

"I know…" Lacey admitted, still looking extremely worried.

"Listen, Lacey," Scott said seriously. "We'll keep an eye on it. You have nothing to worry about."

"You're right." She tried to shake it off. "I'm just gonna go start on dinner."

"You sure you're okay?" Stiles pressed, concerned.

"Yeah," she replied. "I guess I can't let every encounter with a new werewolf bother me. This is Beacon Hills, after all."

She attempted a smile and walked back out of the room and went downstairs to start dinner. Stiles and Scott exchanged a concerned look, but they knew they couldn't say anything, for fear that Lacey would overhear.

Dinner was a complete success. After all of them had stuffed themselves full of steak, potatoes, and vegetables, Stiles and Scott cleared the table. They all sat at the dining room table, chatting and digesting, until Lacey announced that it was about time she head home. She collected her things and they all escorted her to the door.

"Well, thank you again," Sheriff Stilinski said for the millionth time.

"Thank you for having me," Lacey responded. "It was really no problem."

"I haven't had a meal like that in way too long," Sheriff Stilinski went on. "Stiles either. As he could assure you, my cooking is barely edible."

Stiles nodded vigorously.

"Well, I'll have to do it again, sometime," Lacey laughed.

They had arrived at the door. Lacey swung it open and stood in the doorway.

"I'll call you guys tomorrow?" she said, looking at Scott and Stiles.

"You betcha," Stiles responded, smiling.

"Maybe we'll finally have those essays done," Scott joked, to which Sheriff Stilinski shook his head.

"Drive safe, Lacey," Sheriff Stilinski told her.

"I will," she said. "See ya!"

The three men waved to Lacey as she backed out of the driveway. As soon as Sheriff Stilinski shut the door, Stiles and Scott tried to scurry back up the stairs.

"Not so fast," Sheriff Stilinski urged. "We're on clean-up crew, boys."

Stiles rolled his eyes but obediently followed his dad into the kitchen. Scott followed suit.

They had the kitchen sparkling in ten minutes, between the three of them. Stiles and his dad were just finishing up the last dishes when Scott ran upstairs to text his mom that he was spending the night.

As Stiles passed his dad a plate to dry, Sheriff Stilinski eyed him curiously.

"Lacey seems like a nice girl," he said offhand, making conversation.

"Yeah, yeah," Stiles agreed, trying not to seem too into it. "She's really cool."

"Did you two meet at school?" he asked.

"No," was all Stiles let on.

"…Well, where'd you meet her?" his dad pressed.

"The grocery store," Stiles told him.

"You two just clicked, huh?" Sheriff Stilinski persisted.

"Yeah, I guess," Stiles answered, getting flustered.

"So, you've been driving her to school every morning?"

"Yeah, she doesn't have a car or anything yet, so I just thought…" Stiles spluttered.

"That's very nice of you, son," Sheriff Stilinski commented. "You sure there's nothing else going on there?"

Stiles nearly dropped the dish he was handing over. "Dad! What's with the third degree?"

Sheriff Stilinski nearly laughed. "Stiles, it's nothing. You can't blame a dad for wondering about his son's love life. Besides, it's plain as day that you like her and I think I have a right to know whether or not I just had your girlfriend over for dinner."

Stiles looked like he was about to be sick. "She's not my girlfriend," he told him.

"Fine," his dad replied, going about his business of drying.

The kitchen was silent for all of three seconds before Stiles continued talking.

"I mean, I want her to be my girlfriend," he admitted quietly.

"'Course you do," Sheriff Stilinski said. "She seems like a really great girl." He looked slyly at his son. "Cute, too."

"Aw, dad, come on!" Stiles wailed. "Could you at least take this a little bit seriously?"

"I am taking it seriously," he defended himself, his face breaking into a wide grin. "She's a pretty girl, Stiles. Is that so weird to hear coming from your old man?"

"Yes, definitely weird."

"All right, all right." Sheriff Stilinski received another dish from Stiles and studied it thoughtfully. "So what's the problem then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why don't you ask her out? That's not completely outdated anymore, is it? What do you guys do nowadays? Text?"

Stiles allowed himself to crack smile. "Dad, we still date," he assured him. "You're not a dinosaur yet."

"Then what is the problem?" he prodded.

"I don't think she likes me," Stiles admitted glumly. "Do you know what the friend zone is?"

Sheriff Stilinski clapped his son on the back. "'Course I do, Stiles. Where do you think I was for most of my high school career?"

"Thanks, pops, that makes me feel a whole lot better," Stiles sulked.

"Stiles," Sheriff Stilinski looked at him levelly. "My point is, make your feelings known. Best way to get out of the friend zone is to let her know you don't wanna be just friends."

Stiles was silent, washing the last glass and contemplating.

"Just my two cents," Sheriff Stilinski told him. "You can think on it. I know it's easier said than done, but I know you'll be even sorrier if someone beats you to it."

"Thanks, dad," Stiles said genuinely. "Good talk."

Sheriff Stilinski gripped his son's shoulder. "I miss talking to you. Sorry I've been so wrapped up in this case."

"I understand," Stiles told him. "I've been wrapped up in a few things of my own."