ugh i suck sorry for the long wait.

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf, just Loki.

Loki was sitting at the bar, holding a cup of water. She smiled flirtatiously at a boy who was standing just a little too close to her to be seen as innocent. He grinned back, just as suggestively.

"Hey," he said, sliding closer to her still. He offered her a shot. "You here with someone?" Loki laughed, taking the shot of alcohol and throwing it back. The liquor burned her throat as it went down, but did nothing else for her.

"Not exactly," she responding, slamming the tiny glass down on the table. The boy smirked, offering her his hand. She accepted it, not so much as out of attraction to the boy but as a want to blend in, and allowed him to pull her onto the dance floor.

He wrapped his arm around her waist as they moved in time to the music. The boy was a good dancer, at least.

"My name's Lewis," he told her, shouting over the music. Loki ducked under his arm, and pulled him closer to her so they were face to face. She wrapped an arm around his neck so he was bent closer to her.

"Loki," she replied. But Lewis wasn't paying attention to her anymore. His eyes were focused over her head, wide with fright. As the word left her lips, something pressed against her back. A gun. Lewis backed away, holding his hands up, and Loki rolled her eyes. In one fluid movement, the werewolf cracked the hunter's wrist backwards. The man behind her cried out in pain, and she kicked him down, planting a boot on his chest. He groaned, eyes slipping shut as his head cracked against the hard floor.

"Loki!" she looked up, and saw Scott beckoning her over. She left Lewis there, gaping at the man on the ground in shock. She patted him on the chest as he passed him. She heard his breath go oof as she did so, perhaps meaning that she'd hit him too hard.

"Thanks for the dance."

Loki took up the end, behind Scott, Kira, and Malia, the werecoyote. Their Alpha led the three girls down a hallway, looking around cautiously. Loki paused, a slight hiss gaining her attention. By the look on the faces of her companions, they'd heard it too. An opaque white gas was spilling out of the vent in front of them. As Scott moved closer to investigate, motioning for the others to stay put, more of it began to fill the room.

"Wolfsbane!" Loki shouted. The affect of the poisonous gas was instantaneous, and she fell to her knees, coughing. She could faintly hear Scott yelling for Kira, who the gas wouldn't affect, to leave the room.

"Someone who has only been an Alpha for a few months should be careful when facing a hunter of more than forty years." Araya was chastising Scott.

"All we want is Derek," the True Alpha wheezed. Araya shook her head, clicking her tongue in a patronizing manner.

"My lobito…you're a long way from home." Loki was leaning against the wall, still gasping for breath. But something about the way Araya was talking caught her attention. The werewolf studied the woman intently. The woman wasn't outright lying, so her heartbeat wasn't what gave her away. But Loki was such a good liar that she knew when others were lying, too.

"You don't know where he is, either," she realized. Araya's face dropped into an angry scowl. She stepped towards Loki, brandishing her cattle-prod Taser. The huntress jabbed the weapon into Loki's skin, and the world went dark as the electricity crackled through her veins.

When Loki opened her eyes, she was lying on the dirty floor of an old restroom. It clearly hadn't been in use in years, and it didn't look like it had been cleaned since then, either. Scott helped her sit up, and she looked around. Her eyes fell on the locked door, and they shot open wider with panic.

"No, no," she muttered under her breath, pushing herself up. She slammed into the door, hitting it. Digging her fingers into the crack, she struggled to open it in vain. After a few minutes, she gave up, whacking the door with frustration. She groaned, putting her hands to her face.

"We've already looked for a way out," Kira told the other girl. "I think a lot of people have." Loki swallowed hard, taking a deep breath and nodding. She ran her fingers over the deep gouges in the wall, trying to calm her racing heartbeat. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." Her voice was clipped. "I just don't like being locked up." She spoke as calmly as she could, but her lips were still white with fear. Stiles stared at her incredulously.

"You kept Boyd and Cora in bank vault for months. Months." Loki glared at the human.

"Wasn't my idea. Besides, I thought we were past this." Stiles held his hands up. Scott looked at Loki, eyes sad. It was times like this when Scott wished the twins hadn't left. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that they could have calmed Loki down now. Scott didn't even know what was happening, why she was reacting like this.

As he watched, however, Loki seemed to get a handle on herself with no help. She took a deep breath, rolling her shoulders back and closing her eyes. When she opened them, they had returned to their focused, hardened state, and were no longer panicked.

"So what are we doing?" She asked. "They have Lydia?" Scott nodded, but before he could say anything else, Malia jumped in.

"I say that whenever that door opens next, we take out whoever's in the way and run for it." Kira stared at the werecoyote in surprise.

"What about Lydia?" She asked. Malia stared back, looking unconcerned.

"What about her?"

"We're not leaving without her," Scott said. Malia shrugged and shook her head, clearly confused.

"Why not?" Stiles stepped up to his girlfriend, wrapping an arm around her and talking to her quietly.

"Because we don't leave without people, okay? Remember, we talked out this? The rules of the wild kingdom don't apply to friends." Malia nodded. Her eyebrows crinkled with confusion as she looked at the ground, seeming mildly abashed.

"Is that what you would do as a coyote?" Kira asked. "Leave her for dead?" Malia nodded, eyes wide earnest. It wasn't necessarily malignant thoughts that made her thoughts process this way, it was simply the pecking order of the wild.

"If she was weak and injured, yeah. If hunting had been bad that season, I'd eat her. Then I'd leave." Stiles nodded, tapping his chin with his fingers rapidly.

"Hmm. Believe it or not, that's progress." Loki smirked, shaking her head.

"I like it," she said, amused and only half-sarcastic. "Familiar to me." Malia grinned at Loki, nodding her head agreement, and Loki laughed, smiling back. Scott shook his head.

"Alright, guys, we're not dead yet."

"Which means Araya wants something," Loki said. Scott turned towards her, nodding. "But if the Calavera's didn't take Derek, than that means they didn't take him from the loft."

"Maybe he left on his own," Stiles offered.

"Or maybe someone else got to him," Scott theorized. Loki was no longer paying attention. She was focused on the footsteps quickly approaching.

"Guys!" She said, just as the door was thrown open. Before any of them could make a move, the hunter in the lead brandished a Taser, shocking Scott. Loki snarled, flicking her claws out. The two hunters behind Severo dragged Scott out, and Severo grabbed Kira. Loki growled and Severo held out his cattle prod threateningly.

"Stay back, and your friends will be returned to you with time," he warned her. "Attack me, and I can't promise of their safety." Another growl rumbled in Loki's throat, but Kira shook her head at the other girl. Loki sniffed indignantly, nostrils flaring in irritation as she stepped back, allowing the hunter to leave with the Kitsune.

Loki leaned against the wall, her hearing focused on Scott's voice. She could hear what Araya was suggesting – that Kira shock Scott, or else Severo would shock Lydia. Araya wanted the name of the person who'd taken Derek, which meant that Scott was going to have to figure it out – fast.

"What can you hear?" Stiles asked, shattering her concentration. She grimaced, glaring at him pointedly.

"Nothing, when you distract me," she snapped at him. Her eyes fell on Malia. "Now's a good time to practice for you," she said. Malia stared at her, mouth open. Loki rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying." She nodded at Stiles. "Help her. Quietly." Closing her eyes again, Loki directed her hearing on Scott again. She could hear his groans of pain. She could hear him, between gasps for breath, assuring Kira that it was okay. Loki pressed her lips together, shaking her head.

"What's happening?" The question wasn't directed at her, it was for Malia, but Loki answered anyways.

"They're killing him," she whispered. Suddenly, Scott's screams died away and he muttered a name. She was so relieved that Scott was okay, that she didn't immediately remember what she was supposed to be doing. Luckily, Malia told the ever-impatient Stiles what the Alpha had said.

"That's impossible," the human said. "That can't be what he said." Loki opened her eyes.

"Why? Who's Kate?" Stiles shook his head.

"She's a hunter," he said. "An Argent."

"Elizabeth…" The sing-song whisper of her real name made Loki stop short. She grit her teeth, and turned around.

"What do you want, Araya?" the Beta werewolf snapped. Scott put a hand on her arm, but she brushed him away. The huntress clicked her tongue patronizingly.

"Now, now, Scott. This is personal, between Loki and me, no? I've had my words with you." The Alpha looked at Loki and she nodded at him. He left, reluctantly. Araya surveyed the girl in front of her. "You are no longer an Alpha."

"And yet you're still an over-dramatic bitch," Loki shot back. "What do you want?" Araya chuckled, and in one swift movement, had a blade at Loki's throat. The werewolf growled, her fangs curling over her bottom lip.

"Lobito…you can no longer hide what I already know. Your eyes, chiquita, they reflect the true you, no? You remember what I tell your mother, all those years ago?" Loki took a step back, her fangs retracting. "Good girl. The only reason I am letting you walk out of here with your head still attached to your body is because I believe that Scott McCall could be useful yet, hm? And you are important to that utility. So!" The elderly huntress stepped away. "Consider this one more warning, sí?" Loki stared at Araya, her eyes guarded as the woman walked away.

When Loki finally walked back to her friends, a motorcycle had pulled up right in front of the Jeep. The woman riding it took her helmet off, shaking her hair out. Recognition shocked Loki, and she raised her eyebrows in surprise. The only think different about the young woman's appearance were the thick scars that ran down her throat, courtesy of Deucalion. "Braeden," Scott said, sounding surprised.

"Who's Braeden?" Kira asked.

"A mercenary," Loki answered. She eyed Braeden warily, remembering the last encounter all-too-vividly. The encounter that had ended in Braeden's blood splattered across the wall in the locker room, partially due to her. Braeden gave Loki a onceover, a similar expression on her face.

"Loki," Braeden greeted her. There was a moment of tension, before Braeden shrugged, looking away. "I don't think either of us is one to hold grudges." Loki's shoulders relaxed slightly, understanding the woman's meaning. "And right now, I'm the only one who's going to take you to la Iglesia."

"The Church?" Lydia translated, looking skeptical.

"What's the Church?" Stiles asked. Braeden shrugged.

"It's not a place you'll find God," she answered ambiguously. She put her helmet back on. "Come on," she said, voice muffled. "We need to get going."

Loki sat in the back with the other girls. There was a surprising amount of room for four people – it wasn't exactly comfortable, but they weren't as squished as she would have expected. After almost an hour of silent tension, Malia leaned forward, sighing.

"Okay. I'll ask. Who is Kate Argent?" Kira raised her hand slightly.

"Um. I'd like to know, too." Loki was playing with her hair, winding a curl around her fingers and letting it spring away as she listened. Stiles shrugged, taking his eyes of the dust road briefly to glance at his girlfriend in the rearview mirror.

"Well, we were at her funeral," he said. "So I'd like to know how she got out of her casket that was buried six feet underground."

"She was never in it," Scott said. His eyes were far away.

"She was Allison's aunt," Lydia said. She rolled her eyes. "And a total sociopath." Loki's eyes fell on Scott at the mention of Allison, and she wasn't the only one. Kira's eyes were focused on the True Alpha in the front seat as well. Loki tensed as Scott's grief flowed over her, sharp as though Allison had just passed.

"You don't have to talk about it now if you don't want to," Kira told him gently.

"Um, yes he does," Malia said. Scott nodded, shaking his head as thought to dispel painful thoughts.

"She's right. You guys should know, you need to know." Stiles began to explain Kate Argent's history.

"Alright. Kate was the one who set the fire that killed most of Derek's family." Scott nodded.

"Some of them survived, like Cora, and Peter." Loki winced at the mention of Cora.

"A very angry Peter," Lydia muttered.

"Yeah, he's the one who bit and turned me," Scott said.

"And the one who finally caught up to Kate, and killed her," Lydia finished.

"Yeah, and we saw her buried," Stiles said. Loki shook her head.

"No, you saw a casket buried," she corrected Stiles. She'd caught on already, mostly because she knew how the Calaveras worked. Scott nodded.

"She wasn't in it." Scott continued to explain how Peter had turned Kate by his claws. How the Calveras had locked her up, wanting her to kill herself before she changed, because she was a hunter. How she'd killed them in order to get out.

"So Kate's a werewolf, now," Kira asked. Scott shook his head.

"I don't know," he admitted. "You know, there's a saying. Sometimes the shape you take – "

" – reflects the person you are," Loki finished. Scott looked at her, and she shrugged. "Deucalion was prone to tangents." Lydia snorted.

"What kind of shape is a sociopathic bitch?" Stiles shrugged.

"Well, I mean, Loki's a werewolf…" The girl narrowed her eyes at him, making a face and Stiles laughed.

"Ha ha." Stiles was watching the former Alpha in the rearview mirror. Seeing his face, Loki rolled her eyes.

"Spit it out, Stiles."

"Just – you were a hunter, weren't you?" the human asked. "Why didn't the Calaveras come after you?" Loki shrugged.

"They actually did. But only my mom was from a family of hunters, and she had never completed her training. They grudgingly let me live, provided I kill no one." Loki chuckled darkly. "Araya pulled me aside just now to remind me of that. She's not going to kill me, not yet…but I don't know how much longer she'll be patient for." Before anyone could react to that, there was a loud thud, and the Jeep swerved suddenly. Stiles' eyes widened, and he yanked the wheel in order to keep them from going off the road. As the Jeep came to a stuttering halt, Braeden circled back on her bike, jumping off of it.

"What happened?" She called. Stiles shook his head, examining the Jeep for damage.

"I don't know – it felt like we hit something."

"Scott, we need to get there by night," Braeden insisted. "It's too dangerous otherwise." Scott glanced at the sun, which was already sinking rapidly.

"Go," Stiles said.

"Not without you," Scott protested. Stiles leaned in closer towards his friend.

"Dude, someone needs to find Derek. We'll figure something out, we always do. Just go."

"I'll go with you," Loki offered.

"I can only take one person on my bike," Braeden reminded Loki. The Beta shrugged, stripping off her jacket, and starting to pull off her shirt. Everyone stared at her in surprise before she began to explain.

"I can run faster than a normal wolf when I'm fully shifted. I'll be able to keep up for the most part, even if I get there slightly after you."

"And you're stripping, why?" Stiles asked. Loki rolled her eyes.

"Braeden and Scott are gonna take my clothes so I won't have to be naked when I get there and shift back," she told him. She unbuttoned her shorts, and tossed the bundle of clothes at Scott, who looked shell-shocked. As though in a trance, he handed them to Braeden, who stored them in the compartment under the seat. The mercenary looked amused. Loki felt a pang of deep nostalgia for her old pack, who she'd never had to explain this to. Shaking her head to avoid that thought, she turned to Braeden. "I'm going to get a head start." It was the last thing she said before she shifted. She loped over to Braeden, stretching her body out for a long run. The mercenary pointed forwards.

"Go in that direction. We'll catch up before you have a chance to get lost." Loki dipped her head, and then took off. She wasn't running her fastest, because she need to be able to sustain the pace, but it was still pretty fast. Even so, it didn't take long for the hum of the motorcycle engine to reach her sensitive ears. And soon after that, the bike had caught up to her and passed her.

Loki was running fast enough that the motorcycle was never out of sight, although it always stayed far in front of her.

Even before the time Loki reached la Iglesia, her paws were burning and she was exhausted. Braeden and Scott were talking, overlooking the destroyed town and the still-standing, yet ancient church. She could hear Braeden explaining the town's history to Scott. Loki took the moment to rest. Braeden turned towards her.

"You know its history, don't you?" The wolf nodded. Braeden didn't look surprised. Scott was still staring at the church, a dazed look in his eyes.

"You think Derek and Kate are somewhere in there?" Scott asked, jutting her chin forward.

"I don't know," Braeden admitted cheerfully. "I've never gotten this far before." She turned back towards her motorcycle. With a weary whine, Loki got back to her feet, shaking out her fur coat. She took off again, following the motorcycle down the path to the church.

When they finally reached the church, the heat and the stone path had ripped cuts and blisters into Loki's paws. When she shifted back to human, she could feel them on the pads of her hands and feet.

"You're bleeding," Scott noticed. Loki was re-dressing herself, but she turned towards him when he spoke. She glanced down at her hands, and rubbed them together.

"I'm fine. They're already healing." Loki spoke the truth, and yet Scott continued to stare at her like a kicked puppy. Like it was somehow his fault. She smiled softly at him. "Scott, chill. I'm fine."

"Come on," Braeden called to the two werewolves. Scott and Loki jogged to catch up to her, and Scott had to force himself not to comment on Loki's wince as her raw feet rubbed against her shoes.

Scott held a flashlight, the bright beam illuminating the path of the three. Braeden paused to cock her gun, and Scott looked at her in alarm.

"What are you going to do to Kata if we find her?" Scott asked, as though the thought had just occurred to him.

"Bring her back to the Calaveras," Braeden said nonchalantly. "That's what they paid me for."

"And after that?" Loki asked, glancing at the shadows warily. Braeden shrugged.

"Not my problem."

"Don't you care?" Scott asked, sounding astounded. Braeden eyed him incredulously.

"Do you? She's a mass murderer."

"And you're a mercenary," Scott said. Braeden shrugged. She looked completely unashamed.

"A girl's got to eat."

"So if they paid you enough, you'd kill Kate," Loki said. Braeden stopped walking, and turned on the two werewolves. Her eyes were cool.

"If the money was good? I'd kill you." Scott's eyes widened in shock, but Loki wasn't particularly surprised. It wasn't like mercenaries were known for their morality. Braeden wasn't a terrible person, she was just good at her job.

Braeden led the two werewolves into the church. The building was littered with debris.

"You two catch Derek's scent?" the human asked, her voice echoing around the empty room. Loki fought back a shudder at the reverberation, which never failed to remind her of Eichen House.

"Already on it," Scott said.

"Something else too," Loki said. "Something…not human." Loki looked around. "This is going to go quicker if we split up," she said. "I'll go look around by myself." Scott grabbed her wrist as she turned to leave.

"You really think I'm letting you go around on your own?" There was a note of panic in his voice.

"Scott, I can take care of myself," she said. "Okay? I did it for years." Without waiting for him to argue, she pulled her wrist free and set off alone.

"Loki!" the yell of her name made Loki stop short and turn around. She raced towards the sound. It didn't take her long to reach Scott, but when she did, the stench made her cough. The smell of death rose, pervading her nostrils. "It's coming back! Loki!" The werewolf couldn't see the assailant, but she flipped forward instinctively, and a bone dagger embedded itself in the wall next to her, just barely nicking the skin on her hip.

Scott grabbed Loki, pulling her closer to him.

"Are you hurt?" He asked, frantically. She shook her head. Scott nodded, stepping in front of her. Braeden was yelling for both wolves to get behind her, but instead of listening, Scott roared, loudly. The sound caused the ancient church halls to crumble, caving in around them. Once the rumbling of rocks had settled, the church was eerily quiet.

"I think I scared it," Scott said. Braeden shook her head at him.

"I think you scared everything!" Instead of responding, Scott was studying the wall behind them.

"What is that?" Scott was shining the flashlight on the wall behind them. Engraved into it was an intricate design, and Loki walked over to inspect it more closely.

"Tezcatlipoca," Loki recognized, tracing her fingers over the design. "The nagual jaguar god."

"I think we found Derek." Braeden said. Scott pressed his ear against the wall, listening for any sign of life. He could hear a steady heartbeat through the stone.

"Stand back," he ordered. The two girls obeyed, and Scott began to punch the wall. Once he made a hole, all three of them began to pull away at the stone, which was old enough and crumbly enough that even Braeden's human strength could pull it away easily.

Once there was a hole big enough, they peered in. Loki's eyes widened with shock at what she saw. It was Derek, all right, the scent proved that…but still. It was hard to believe that this boy in front of them – probably younger than Loki herself, was Derek.

Braeden was the first to snap out of her surprise.

"We need to get him out," she said. Loki nodded, and she and Scott stepped forward, carefully pulling de-aged Derek out of the stone. By the time Braeden was leading the three werewolves out of the church, the Jeep and the others were there. They climbed out to meet their friends.

"Is that him?" Malia sounded confused. "Is that Derek?" Stiles nodded, jaw working as he surveyed the boy I front of him.

"Uh. Sort of."

Loki helped Scott lay Derek down on the metal examination tables in the veterinarian's office. The werewolf was asleep, and he looked strangely peaceful. And very young. Deaton surveyed the face of the boy, shaking his head in amazement and shock.

"Wow."

"Wow? Wow as in, 'I've seen this before and I know exactly what to do,' kind of wow?" Stiles asked. He somehow managed to sound both sarcastic and hopeful at the same time. "'Cause that's the kind of wow we're hoping for."

"I think you might be overestimating my abilities," Deaton replied. Lydia was holding the boy's hand, a look of concern on her face.

"He's cold," she remarked. Loki touched his arm gently. The Banshee was right. "Really cold."

"Do you think this is permanent?" Scott asked, sounding worried. Deaton didn't answer, but instead pried Derek's eyes open one by one and shone a flashlight in them.

"I'm not sure a medical diagnosis is even adequate," he replied. "This is well beyond my experience."

"What do we do with him?" Loki asked. Her eyes were trained on his face, and she didn't look up even as she spoke. He looked so innocent as he slept, almost vulnerable.

"Until he wakes up?" Deaton shrugged. "Probably not much. It might be best to leave him here with me. He'll be safe here."

"You mean from Kate," Stiles said. Deaton turned towards the other human. His eyes were strangely fierce.

"If she's alive and she is what you say she is, then she won't be able to walk past that gate."

"But why would she do this to him?" Loki asked, finally looking away from Derek's young face. Deaton shook his head, but he looked anxious.

"Knowing her, it's probably for a reason that won't be any good for anyone but her." Then, noticing the exhaustion on the faces of the teenagers, Deaton stepped into responsible adult mode. "Now, you guys should probably go home. He doesn't look to be in any danger. So maybe the rest of you should get some sleep? It is a school night," he reminded them gently. "And you all need to start taking care of your own lives again."

"At least one person should stay with you," Scott said. Lydia glanced down at Derek, who was gripping her hand tightly.

"I'll stay," she volunteered. "My grades are fine. Despite missing a few classes." Stiles shook his head immediately.

"I'm so not okay with this," he said. Scott looked apprehensive as well.

"I'll stay with her," Loki said. Her ex-boyfriend looked at her, eyebrows raised. She shrugged. "Being homeschooled means that my credits are good, so I'm only taking extra-credit courses this semester. Besides," she added, taking off her jacket and tossing it onto the chair behind her. "It's not like I'll get any sleep anyways." It was true. It had always been hard for her to sleep, and ever since the twins had left, Loki felt like she was suffocating in the penthouse by herself.

"Text us if anything happens," Scott insisted, looking from Loki to Lydia. Both girls nodded.

"Nope, still not okay with it," Stiles said. Scott grabbed his friend's arm and started physically dragging him out of the office. "Not going anywhere – all right, just 'cause you're stronger!"

Eventually, Lydia's eyes started to drop, and Loki quietly persuaded her to fall asleep in a chair next to the examination table. The Banshee had been sleeping for a few hours when Deaton began to survey Loki, who didn't look the least bit tired despite the tender-looking circles under her eyes, with clinical interest.

"Do you always sleep so little?" he asked her. His tone was light, conversational. Loki shrugged.

"I guess." As Deaton nodded, his lips parting to ask another question, she cut him off. "Not exactly in the mood for a discussion about my psyche, doc. No offense." The Druid laughed. Something caught Loki's attention. She turned her head.

"What is it?" he asked. Loki focused her hearing on Derek, on his heartbeat. It was thumping quickly, like he'd just finished a run, not like he was unconscious.

"His heartbeat," she said. Before she could explain further, Deaton was rushing over, placing a finger on Derek's wrist and looking down at the watch in his hand.

"How's he doing?" Lydia called, her voice thick with sleep. She had just woken up, probably due to the bright sun light that was streaming through the windows.

"His heart rate is alarmingly high," Deaton said in response. The teenager walked over, and touched Derek's arm.

"He's a lot warmer, now," she noticed, relief edging her voice.

"Lydia, Loki, I'm going to try something," Deaton said. "I want you to keep holding his hand if that's okay." Lydia nodded. Deaton picked up a scalpel, and, keeping a firm grip on Derek's arm, made a deep cut in the boy's forearm.

Even as he cut, blood bubbled at the surface of the wound. But before it could gush out, the cut healed, right before their eyes.

"Holy…" Loki muttered. "That healed really fast – unusually fast." Deaton nodded in grim agreement.

"What does it mean?" Lydia asked. Deaton simply shook his head. He wasn't sure.

"Let's try something else," he said. "Grab be a five millimeter syringe – top drawer." Lydia and Deaton both moved to collect what they needed, and Loki stepped closer to Derek. She watched as his eyes squeezed shut, and then relaxed, and a rush of relief went over her.

"Guys – " before she could utter the words 'he's waking up,' Derek was standing. His eyes were glowing blue, and his breathing was heavy.

"Derek!" Lydia and Deaton were both calling to him, and Loki could see immediately that it was overwhelming him. A stench rose in the room, sour and unforgiving – fear. Derek was afraid of them.

"Guys…" she said warningly, as Derek rose his hands over his ears, trying to muffle the sound. He lashed out, and Loki moved.

She sprang in front of Deaton and Lydia, shoving Derek backwards, away from the Lydia and Deaton. The young wolf stumbled, and turned around. He was out the door a second later.

As Loki raced after him, she just managed to call over her shoulder:

"Tell Scott I'm following him!"

Loki trialed Derek all the way through the woods, but she kept her distance. She didn't want to scare him, and it wasn't like it was hard for her to see his path. He was easy to track, not bothering to cover his steps or try and hide his scent. He came out into a clearing. There was construction equipment all around, but Derek kept walking towards the fence. He tore a hole in it and stepped through the fence.

Loki walked a little closer, cautiously. She was overwhelmed by his sudden influx of emotions. He was no longer just afraid; he was also angry and confused. She watched, pity rising in her as he turned in a circle, and finally knelt among the rubble. After a few moments where he remained still, Loki deemed it safe to approach him.

"Derek?" She called out, her voice soft and sweet. He turned his head slightly, and Loki knelt next to him. "Hey, buddy. My name's Loki."

"Where's my family?" Panic edged Derek's voice, which was considerably higher than the last time Loki had heard it. Loki debated lying versus telling the truth briefly, and decided to play it safe and be ambiguous either way.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I don't know happened here, but – hey, listen – I know one thing. Your sister, Cora and your uncle, Peter – they're okay." At least that was the truth, and Loki thought that it might offer him some comfort.

"And the rest of my family?" Derek insisted. "My mom?"

"I don't know," Loki said. "Why don't you come with me, and I'll help you figure it out, okay?" Derek's breath huffed, and he took another look around. Before Loki could insist that they leave, a sound caught her attention. A squad car was pulling up. Loki cursed softly.

"Excuse me, young man!" Loki was on the other side of Derek, and she was smaller than him, so the officers likely couldn't see her. As soon as she had heard the voice, however, relief flowed through Loki.

"You're calling him, 'young man?'" a snide voice teased the other deputy.

"Shut up, Hiagh," Jordan and his partner walked closer. A few more steps, and they'd be able to see Loki, too. "Sorry but you can't be here, and neither can – Loki?"

"Jor – Deputy Parrish," she corrected herself. She straightened up, tugging on Derek's sleeve so that he stood as well. She stepped slightly in front of him, and smiled charmingly at the two deputies. "I'm afraid there's been some kind of misunderstanding. We'll be going now." The other deputy snorted.

"What, you dumbasses never hear of no trespassing?" Loki's jaw tightened slightly, and Derek spoke up from behind her.

"This is my house," he said, quietly.

"No one's been here for years, kid, now get the hell out. Both of you."

"We're leaving," Loki said through clenched teeth. She shot Jordan a beseeching look.

"Haigh, calm down," he said. But the deputy was clearly hotheaded, and unwilling to be tranquilized.

"All right, let's go," he snapped, impatiently. He grabbed Derek and Loki's arm, hard enough to make Loki wince. Unlike Loki, who simply rolled her eyes in annoyance, Derek reacted badly.

He twisted out of Haigh's grip violent, bending the deputy's arm backwards.

"Hey, take it easy!" Jordan shouted.

"Derek, don't," Loki pleaded. The young werewolf hesitated, looking first at the dark-skinned girl in front of him to the Jordan. While he was distracted, Haigh pulled out his Taser and pressed it into Derek's side.

"Hey!" Loki shouted, stepping forward as Derek hit the ground, shouting in pain. Hiagh brandished the weapon at her, and Jordan seized her arm, pulling her backwards and closer to him. As soon as she was out of reach from the Taser, he dropped her arm. Loki bent down next to Derek. He was still conscious, but be was breathing heavily and looked subdued.

"Both of you are coming with us," Haigh told her aggressively. Loki glanced down at Derek and decided not to argue.

Jordan walked over to her from where he had been talking to Derek. She looked up at him. Loki looked up from her phone, closing out of her texts to Scott telling him the situation and where to come. She smiled.

"Hey, you know this kid?" Loki shrugged. She knew normal-Derek, but kid-Derek was a whole other story. Not that she could tell Jordan that.

"More or less." Jordan's lips pressed together, his now-familiar half-annoyed half-amused facial expression returning as it so often did when Loki refused to answer a question fully. She smiled innocently in response, and he shook his head, lips curving upwards with reluctant affection.

"Parrish, get over here," Haigh demanded. "I've run this kid's prints eight times, this is all that comes up." Loki edged herself over slightly and angled her head so she could see the screen. It was normal-Derek's face.

"Derek Hale?" Parrish repeated, staring at the screen. Loki winced.

"Did you say Hale?" the Sherriff asked, walking up behind the desk. He glanced at the screen, and then over at young-Derek. His face slackened, and he looked back at the screen, and then moved even closer, kneeling down and staring Derek in the face. When the Sherriff finally looked over at Loki, his eyes were wide with shock. Loki was honestly concerned that they were going to give him a stroke one of these days, and judging by the look on his face, that day might be today.

Scott and Stiles chose that moment to arrive.

Loki closed the door to the Sherriff's office behind her. Stilinski was sitting at his desk, looking at the three teens.

"I want you to be honest with me," he said. "Absolutely, and completely honest." Stiles nodded. "Have you been time-traveling?" Stiles shook his head, staring at his dad in shock.

"Hang on, what?" Loki bit her lip to contain her amusement.

"Because if time-traveling is real, you know what? I'm done. I'm out. You're going to be driving me to Eichen House!" Goosebumps trailed up Loki's spine at the mention of the place.

"We found him like that!" Scott insisted.

"Where? Swimming in the Fountain of Youth?"

"No," Stiles responded, as though that was ridiculous. "We found him buried in a tomb of wolfsbane in an Aztec temple in Mexico underneath a church in the middle of a town that was destroyed by an earthquake." Loki grimaced.

"You told me you were camping!"

"Yeah, we were," Stiles insisted. "It was – it was in Mexico." The Sherriff shook his head, raising a finger as he shook his head wildly. Loki deemed it a good time to intervene.

"Derek's been aged backwards," she explained. "He doesn't remember anything. We just need to talk to him." The Sherriff sat down, deflated.

"Well, look where Loki talking to him got him." Loki frowned.

"Okay, well three things. One, that sounded like a strangely, obnoxious Stiles-like thing to say. Two, if it hadn't been for your hotheaded asshole of a deputy, we wouldn't be here!" The Sherriff sighed, burying his face in his hands. "And three, we need to talk to him," Loki continued. "Derek didn't notice my following him, didn't notice the changes of the town since he thinks he's been here last, and cannot, I repeat, cannot control himself. Which means that young Derek is stupid Derek, and he's going to get himself killed without our help." She folded her arms, and the Sherriff shrugged in resignation and defeat.

"Go ahead."

"Why would I go anywhere with you?" Derek asked Scott.

"There was an accident," the Alpha told him. "You lost some memory, but we can help you get it back."

"How much memory?" Derek demanded.

"A lot," Loki said gently. His eyes flicked over to her, and she held his gaze. "But don't worry. And you can trust us." Scott bent down in front of Derek, and showed him his crimson eyes.

"You're an Alpha," Derek observed. His expression relaxed slightly before tightening again. "Okay, who are you? And who's he? Who are you?" Stiles looked up from where he was rooting through papers on his father's desk.

"Oh, we're the guys keeping you out of jail," Stiles responded.

"Let us help you," Scott pleaded. Derek was shaking his head.

"No," he whispered. Loki sighed. She bent forward so that she and Derek were face to face, forcing him to look her in the eye.

"Derek," she murmured. "Listen to me." Derek nodded slightly. "You got angry back there. You almost hurt those two cops, you understand?" Derek nodded. He looked chagrined.

"I'm fine unless it's a full moon," he insisted. Scott frowned.

"You still have trouble on the full moon?" Scott asked.

"Scott, please," Loki said. He fell silent, and Derek looked back at her. Loki put her hand on his arm gently. "Derek, you're going to be fine. You can trust me. You can trust Scott. Stiles is annoying, but you can trust him." Stiles squawked indignantly from behind her. She squeezed his arm comfortingly. Her green eyes were huge. "Please." Derek dropped his gaze, looking at his lap.

"Where's my family?" He asked again. Loki nodded.

"There was a fire at your house," she said, as gently as possible. He looked up again, eyes watery. Before Loki could utter the next words that she knew would break his heart, Scott broke in.

"But don't worry. They're fine, they just had to move out of Beacon Hills. We're going to take you to them." Derek nodded, blinking back stray tears. He exhaled deeply.

"Okay."

"I shouldn't have done that," Scott panicked. "I lied my ass off."

"Your ass is fine," Stiles reassured his friend. "You saved him a ton of unnecessary pain. We figure this out in a day or two, Derek gets back to normal and everyone's happy. Except for Derek, who's never happy." Scott shook his head, unconvinced.

"It's just another person that we're lying to," Scott said. "I just always feel like it's better when we tell the truth."

"How did you date me, again?" Loki muttered under her breath. Stiles laughed, and Scott looked mildly abashed, his lips twitching with amusement.

"All right," he said. "Stiles, take him to my house and don't let him out of your sight." His friend frowned.

"And where are you going?"

"I'm going to talk to the guy we should have talked to before." Loki groaned. She could guess whom Scott meant.

"Uh," Stiles said. "I hate that guy!" Scott ignored him.

"And Loki," he turned to look at her. "Do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"Go home. Get some rest." When Loki started to protest, Scott grabbed her hand. "Loki, please? You were up all last night, I know because Deaton told me. So go home, get some sleep. I'll call you if anything important happens." When Loki still stared at him, annoyed, he guilted her. "You said anything."

"Fine," Loki acquiesced. "But promise that you'll call me." Scott nodded.

"Promise."

these episodes were hard for some reason, so sorry if this chapter is crap.

please please leave a review and let me know what you think!

"Promise."