Two updates in two days! I just couldn't leave you hanging :)

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It was raining much harder by the time I made it too the street, so much so that I could barely see three feet in front of me. I remembered then that I didn't have my car. It was still at the station. I would have to walk. But where? At this point my options were limited. I considered Stiles' place first, but that would mean having to come clean about what had happened between Derek and I and I was definitely not ready for that. Unfortunately, for the same reasons, this excluded Scott too. In my frantic state, I found myself running towards my apartment building. I knew it probably wasn't a good idea - the reasons for which were the same as to why I had spent the last week sleeping, or rather not sleeping, at the loft or on Scott or Stiles' couch - but I could simply see no other option.

I made it too the grotty car park quicker than I expected and soon I was unlocking the door to my apartment with the spare key I kept for these kind of emergencies, though I'd never encountered an emergency like this one that hadn't included having my shirt saturated in my own blood.

The apartment was dark and cold when I entered it. I hadn't realised how long I must have stayed at Derek's until then when the sun no longer lit up the living room. The door shut with a dull clang, leaving me alone in the silence.

In my mind I could hear Stiles' chastening words at me being there, in a place that he could know I would be, but I was so worked up in that moment that I didn't care.

My clothes were completely soaked through from the rain now, chilling me right to the bone. My hair was so sodden and tangled that there was no way I would have been able to get a comb through it. I crazily clawed at it with my nails, trying to detangle the long threads but it was useless in my hysteria.

In that moment I hated everything about this town. I hated the nosey people and the idiotic deputies. I hated my small apartment that didn't make me feel safe. I hated the fact that I couldn't get through a day now without getting blood on my clothes. And I hated the deadpool. I couldn't stand the fact that people knew about me. I hated how easily I had let the people in this town get under my skin, and I hated Derek Hale. I hated the way he could raise my pulse just by looking at me. I hated how much I had come to care and worry about whether he would be okay. I hated how good his lips had felt on mine less than an hour ago. And I hated myself for being so cowardly that I had to run away from him.

I collapsed to the floor in a mess of wet hair and tears, curling up in a ball on the hard wood floor. I knew that one day I would crack, that one day, all the horrible memories from my past would catch up with me, and I wouldn't be surprised if I found myself in Eichen house first thing tomorrow morning.

I wasn't sure how long I stayed there in that position. The seconds and minutes seemed to blur together in the same way the tears blurred my vision. Through the pounding of the rain on the windows, I could hear the thud of footsteps outside my door. I looked up at it in fear, sniffling pathetically to try and stifle my sobs. I rose from my position and wiped my eyes with a shaky hand. The door, as I had forgotten to lock it, swung open, revealing a figure framed by the door. It was Derek, concern written across his face at the sight of my broken form.

He slowly made his way into the room, careful not to make any sudden movements. When he was halfway across the room a sudden wave of fear ran through me and jumped back, my back slamming against the wall is I tried to disappear into it. I could hear his footsteps quicken as he said my name, trying to comfort me, to understand, but I was no longer seeing him. I was back in the apartment I shared with Dylan nearly 3 years ago. I could almost see Dylan writhing on the floor, battling to break free from the men who held him as he screamed for me to run. And Derek was no longer Derek. His figure had morphed into the man in my nightmares. My memories were jumbled and I wasn't recalling them all in the right order. Dylan had disappeared now, leaving just me and the one person I feared most in the world. He whispered under his breath, describing how he would kill every one of my friends in the most horrible ways. I squeezed my eyes shut and rammed my hands over my ears, trying the block out his voice. But now he was in my head, his voice hard like nails and sticky like blood.

I'm coming for you.

All I could hear we're those words over and over again. My eyes snapped open and I pushed at the figure who was standing in front of me. They stumbled back, only to come closer to me again, reaching out to touch my arm.

'Get away from me!' I screamed at him cowering further into the wall as new tears run down my cheeks.

'Alex, it's me,' the figure said in a quiet, worried voice, trying again to comfort me.

'Don't touch me!' I screamed again, but this time it was more of a whimper as I slid down the wall to the ground, bringing my knees right into my chest.

'It's okay, it's me, it's Derek,' he said. I looked up at him through my soaked eyelashes as he crouched down beside me.

'Derek?' I said in the smallest voice. His brow was furrowed into a concerned frown, an expression he seemed to wear a lot around me.

'You're okay,' he said gently as he pulled my shaking body into his arms and held me as the tears continued to fall, 'everything's going to be okay.'

He held me like that for a long time. Then, he carefully lifted me up and took me to my room where he placed me on the bed.

'We can't stay here,' I mumbled sleepily, exhausted from all my hysterics, 'it's not safe.'

'Don't worry,' he replied as my eyes fell shut, 'I won't let anything hurt you.' Then I slipped into an almost peaceful oblivion.

The rain had stopped pounding on the windows by the time I awoke, though it was still dark outside. I guessed it to be maybe four in the morning. I felt strangely comforted by the fact that I was in my own bed, and also because of the sleeping Derek sitting on the end of it. He was still in his leather jacket, his head resting against the wall. A small smile spread across my face at the sight of him. He had stayed here all night.

I waited, watching his chest steadily rise and fall. I didn't feel like staying in bed much longer but I didn't want to wake him. He looked so…peaceful. It was a rare occurrence to see him without a frown on his face, but now, his usually furrowed brow lay flat. I carefully pulled back the covers, wriggling my legs out from underneath them. It was a little tricky considering he was sitting on top of them. Slowly, I edged my way across the mattress, finally able to sit on the edge of my bed. I sat there for a while, face resting in my hands as full recall of the events of the previous night hit me.

Derek and I had kissed.

I wasn't sure what was more humiliating. The fact that I had run away from Derek as if I was an eighth grader who had been kissed in the school yard or the fact that afterwards, I pretty much had a mental breakdown in front of him. There was only one thing I was certain of; I didn't want him to wake up anytime soon. But much to my dismay, as I stood from the bed, the matrass pinged and the tired werewolf's eyelids fluttered open. I sat back on the bed.

'Hey,' he said softly, a small smile on his lips.

'Hi,' I replied as I chewed on my lip. It was quiet for a long time. I stared at my hands, picking at the nails whilst I felt his eyes on me. I felt awkward about the whole situation, but most of all embarrassed.

'You okay?' he asked, but I was sure he already knew the answer, so I didn't reply. 'Oh, here,' he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a set of car keys. My keys. 'I picked it up from the station last night,' he said as I took the bundle of keys from his hand.

'Thanks,' said quietly and he nodded before we drifted into silence. 'Sorry for freaking out on you yesterday,' I said after a beat, still staring at my hands.

'Don't be, it wasn't your fault,' he said and I frowned. Did he think it was his? 'I'm sorry that I… I mean I shouldn't have…' he rambled and I looked back at him. He had pulled away from the wall he was leaning against and was sitting next to me. His fingers were laced in his lap, mimicking mine. 'I'm not good at this,' he admitted and I snorted quietly.

'Yeah, me neither.' I felt pathetic. I didn't want him thinking any of this was his fault. I didn't freak out because of him. I freaked out because of me. He needed to know. 'Everyone around me gets hurt,' I said. I felt his gaze on the side of my face. 'That's why I don't let myself care,' I continued. 'Because if a care, it's too hard.'

'You don't have to explain yourself to me,' he said suddenly as he stood up, a flash of hurt in his emerald eyes. I was shocked by his sudden movement and stood up with him.

'Yes I do,' I said as I looked him in the eye for the first time that morning, but now he was the one avoiding my gaze.

'No you don't, I understand,' he said, heading out of my room. I was thoroughly confused now. He had kissed me, watched me break down and then stayed in my room all night. Didn't he want to hear what I had to say?

'Derek?' I said as I followed him out of the room. He was already by the door. 'Can I just explain?' I asked with a frown.

'You don't have to explain anything, okay!' he shouted. He looked hurt, the way I was feeling right now, and that confused me. We looked away from each other and I heard him sigh. 'Look, let's just forget it ever happened,' he suggested and my eyes snapped up to look at him again. His face held something of regret, and I couldn't tell whether it was for what he had just said or for the kiss.

I wasn't sure what to think about what he had said. Did I want to forget about it? Sure, it did freak me out a little, but only because I was afraid to let myself care. Who was I kidding? I already did care, and that was what scared me the most. So I answered my question: No. I didn't want to forget about the kiss. But if that was what he wanted, I wasn't going to stop him.

He didn't wait for my reply. With a shake of his head that I think was more to himself then to me, he was out of my apartment, the door slamming loudly as he went.

I didn't understand it then. I couldn't fathom why he would leave like that in the middle of the night. My eyes stung with the anticipation of new tears, but I was all cried out from the night before. I was strangely thankful when the sound of my phone ringing cut through the silence and I answered immediately.

'Hello?' I greeted and I was surprised at how crackly and strained my voice sounded.

'Hey Alex, it's Parrish,' the deputy greeted.

'Oh hey,' I said, wondering why he was calling. Then it hit me. 'What did Meredith say? Did she say anything about me?' I asked quickly.

'No, nothing yet. She hasn't spoken a word since she got here,' he replied.

'Oh,' I said, not sure how to reply.

'Are you okay? You sound a little…off' he asked and I squeezed my eye shut.

'Yeah, no I'm fine,' I mumbled. 'Call me if she says anything.'

'Got it,' he replied before he hung up.

I stood in the living room for a long time, phone still pressed to my ear as I barely moved. What was going on with me? I needed to snap out of whatever was happening and stop feeling sorry for myself.

I threw my phone onto the couch and walked to the bathroom, hopping in the shower immediately. It was just what I needed. Within the next thirty minutes, I was dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans, a blue crop top, my boots and leather jacket and was heading down the stairs of my apartment building. Of course, I hadn't forgotten to bring my Glock that was securely held in the back of my jeans.

I wasn't sure where I was going exactly when I started up my car, but maybe that was what I needed. To drive around for a while by myself, trying to forget about everything. It was hard though. Everything that had happened, even before I moved to Beacon Hills, was likely going to haunt me forever. Would there ever by a time when I closed my eyes and didn't feel like I was being buried alive? Would I ever be able to care for someone without being terrified that someone would hurt them? Would I ever be able to kiss someone without hearing his voice in my head, telling me he was coming to get me.

I pulled up next to the sidewalk, wanting nothing more than to sink into a peaceful sleep and not wake up until all this shit was over. I was once again pulled from my thoughts when my phone rang.

'What?' I asked harshly down the phone, immediately regretting it when I heard Scott apologising down the other end.

'Sorry, did I wake you?' he asked. 'I didn't think you'd be asleep.'

'No, I wasn't,' I said, rubbing a hand over my face. 'Is everything okay?' I asked, but with everything that was going on I knew it was a stupid question.

'I'm not sure,' he said and I frowned. 'I think I need your help.' He explained to me what Kira had been up to, how she had rescued Brett and his sister again and how she had found the rest of the people on the deadpool who were still alive. Scott needed my help to keep them that way. 'I'll text you the address,' he said, referring to the place he was taking them. He wanted me to meet them there. We said our goodbyes before we hung up. I swiftly pulled off of the side walk and drove to the destination, feeling slightly less helpless than I did before.

Scott was waiting for me when I arrived, along with Kira and a group of people I didn't know. As I approached them, I spotted the faces of two that I did recognise. The first was Satomi. The second was a teen I had helped save from Violet a few weeks ago. It was Brett. A shorter girl clung to his arm, and I guessed it must be his sister. We shared a look before I turned to face Scott.

'So what's the plan?' I asked the alpha.

'We take them inside, and then we wait,' he replied.

'Wait for who?' I asked as I stared at the large warehouse looking building we were standing next to. 'Who's place is this?'

'It's Argent's,' he told me and I nodded, though I wasn't sure how the hunter would feel about a group of supernatural creatures squatting in his place.

We lead the group inside. It was just like a warehouse, paper and boxes littering the large room. Plastic sheets were hung everywhere and I wondered how anyone could live here.

Suddenly the sound of an arrow whizzing through the air caught my attention and we all turned to see Chris Argent with a hand gun pointed to Brett's head. The teen had his werewolf fangs bared, eyes glowing a spectacular amber.

'Wait! Wait! Brett!' Scott yelled after the young beta. 'This is his place. It's his.' The werewolf backed off immediately, walking back to join the group.

'Scott... If you bring in guests, you could have called,' Argent said as he approached us, eyeing Kira and I warily as we stood next to Scott.

'I didn't have anywhere else to take them,' Scott replied with a sigh.

'I know this man,' a new voice said as Satomi approached us. 'He may not remember, but we've met before.'

'You can trust him. I trust him,' Scott assured her.

'So do I,' I agreed sincerely. Argent nodded back at me as if to tell me that he returned my trust.

'How do we know he's not like the others?' Satomi questioned.

'What others?' Chris asked, echoing my thoughts.

'Last night, there was a whole team after them. And they used crossbows,' Kira said, holding up an arrow for Argent to examine.

'They're hunters, aren't they?' I asked.

'Not if they're killing for profit. Not anymore,' Argent replied.

'Can they find us?' Brett asked. His sister was clinging to his arm again in fear, and although he was trying not to show it, I could see the same fear in his eyes. In fact, I could sense the fear from every single person in this room, including myself.

'They might already know you're here,' Chris said. 'Maybe they're waiting for dark.'

'So we're not safe here?' Kira asked.

'We're not safe anywhere. We've been trying to get out for days. Everywhere we turn, we find someone new trying to kill us,' Satomi said and I felt a twist of sadness for the older alpha in my chest.

'If they're coming, they're coming for you too,' Argent said, eyeing Scott and I. 'Both of you. You're still number one on the deadpool.'

'I know,' Scott replied. 'I know Lydia can get the answer from Meredith. She just needs more time.'

'Then that's what she'll get,' Chris replied. He left the group and walked over to where he had a large chest of weapons. I followed him over.

'We've been wondering where you got to,' I said as I leant against the wall. He looked up at me from his crouched position.

'I've been busy,' he said, and I wasn't going to press him for more information. He clearly didn't want to share. 'Here,' he said, handing me a semi-automatic shot gun. 'I'm assuming you can handle one of these,' he said and I took it from him with a nod, answering his question.

'Thanks,' I mumbled to the hunter.

'I'm usually the last man to be handing out guns, but if they do come tonight, you and Scott are going to be their main targets,' he said.

'I'm not so sure about that,' I said, pulling out my phone and showing him the photo of the 'updated' version of the deadpool that Scott had sent me the day before.

'This doesn't mean they aren't still after you,' he said as he frowned at the photo.

'What does it mean?' I asked.

'It means that Meredith, or whoever she is working with, knows that you can't be killed,' he replied. I nodded at him and pulled away from the wall. I was about to walk away from him but he called me back.

'He talked about you,' he said and I turned around to meet his face.

'Excuse me?' I questioned.

'Dylan… he talked about you,' he said sombrely. I frowned at him disbelievingly. 'I'm sorry I didn't mention it before; I didn't realise it was you until after we talked.'

'What are you talking about?' I asked.

'He only ever referred to you as 'A', so I only connected the dots recently,' he said. 'He was proud of you, Alex.' I could feel the tears starting to prick in my eyes and I wiped them quickly, not wanting to show any weakness to the hunter. I could see his eyes glistening too, though I doubted it was more to do with his late daughter than anything. 'I'm sorry you lost him.'

'I'm sorry too,' I started. 'About Allison.' He nodded and I sent him a sad smile before I left him to sort through the weapons.

To my irritation, I wasn't the only person Scott had called for help. Later on, whist we were all anxiously waiting for an attack we weren't sure was coming, Derek Hale himself had turned up to lend a hand. We had been avoiding each other for hours, and to say it was awkward would be the understatement of the century.

I watched him as he eyed the group of misfit supernaturals wearily, trying to focus on prepping my weapon and not thinking about the kiss we had shared less than twenty-four hours ago.

'They'll be okay,' Scott said as he approached Derek.

'They've got claws and fangs. But they're not fighters,' Derek replied, and despite how irritated I felt, I had to agree with him.

'That's why I called you,' Scott replied.

'Well, try to remember I don't have claws and fangs anymore either,' he said, picking up a handgun from the chest and walking away from the teen wolf.

'That's why he called me first,' I said with a smirk as I joined their conversation. Derek sent me an annoyed look that turned into an icy staring match between us as we tried not to be the first to look away.

'Am I the only one still hoping this is all just a false alarm?' Kira said. 'I mean, it's possible we could wait here all night and nothing happens. Right?' The girl had a point, but I just didn't think we would get that lucky.

'Scott, you heard anything from Stiles or Lydia yet?' I asked, wondering how the teen and the strawberry blonde were getting on, but also as I hoped he would have more information on the Meredith situation.

'Lydia's still talking to Meredith. Stiles and Malia are headed to the lake house,' Scott explained. 'They're trying to stop it.'

'What if there is no stopping it?' Brett said from behind me and we all turned to face him. His question made my stomach churn and my heart pound in my chest. 'What if it doesn't end until we're all dead?' he asked. What if it doesn't end until I'm the only one left?

'Then let's send a message,' Derek said, and I turned to look at him. 'Let's make something perfectly clear to anyone with a copy of that list. It doesn't matter if they're professional assassins, hunters, or an amateur who just picked up a gun. Anyone who thinks they can hunt and kill us for money, is gonna be put on another list, our list,' he said. He glanced at me and our eyes met for a second. I could see the passion and determination in his eyes. He paused, perhaps to make his next sentence seem more dramatic. 'They get to be a name on our dead pool.'

After Derek's little motivational talk, we went back to preparing ourselves. 'What are you doing?' a voice said from behind me. I spoke without looking away from what I was doing.

'Loading a gun,' I said blankly to Derek who huffed loudly. I was sure that he rolled his eyes too.

'You know what I mean,' he said, clearly irritated at my nonchalant demeanour.

'No Derek, I really don't,' I said, pushing past him and over to where the ammunition was. As I did he reached a hand out and grabbed my arm, pulling me back so I was facing him. 'Let go of me,' I demanded harshly.

'Not until you tell me what's going on with you,' he said through gritted teeth.

'I'm pretending like nothing happened, isn't that what you wanted?' I said, yanking my arm out of his grip.

'Yeah, I thought that was what you wanted?' he said and I looked away from him. 'Alex?' he asked quietly and I couldn't stand to be this close to him anymore. I pulled away from him again and this time he didn't stop me.

I walked over to the stack of ammunition and took out a few more rounds, loading them into the chamber. As I did, I dropped one on the floor. The bullets bounced out of it and tinkled along the floor, causing me to groan in annoyance. In my frustration, I kicked the box of ammunition with my boot, causing it to clang loudly, catching the attention of a couple of werewolves I didn't know. I glared at them and they looked away.

'Hey, hey,' Scott called as he jogged over to me. 'Alex, you okay?' he asked with a frown as he took in my irritated and pissed off form.

'Why does everyone keep asking me that? Am I giving off some kind of 'I'm in a shitty mood' vibe or something today?!' I asked to no one in particular.

'Sort of, yeah,' the teen wolf replied and I was surprised at his bluntness. 'Though you kind of give off that vibe every day,' he mumbled as an afterthought and I glared at him from under my lowered eyelashes. 'What's going on with you and Derek?' he asked and I tensed. 'I saw you two arguing.'

'There's nothing going on between me and Derek,' I said, though to me, the sentence meant something a little different to what I assumed Scott was talking about. 'We always argue.'

'But not like that,' Scott said and I sighed.

'Scott, it's nothing. Would you just drop it please?' I asked and he nodded reluctantly.

'Sure. Sorry, I uh… guess I'll leave you to it,' he replied. Before he had the chance to walk away, a high pitched alarm sounded and Scott and I shared a look of terror.

'They're here!' I heard Chris shout over the beeping before everything turned to chaos.

AN: So Derek is being a sour wolf and Alex is in a mood... so nothing out of the ordinary.

I decided to update again today as I won't be able to again for a little while, but don't worry, I'll be back :)

Thanks for the reviews I got for the last chapter. I am having more and more thoughts for a sequel every day so fingers crossed I will hopefully be able to write something you will enjoy.

Let me know what you thought of this chapter. Much love x