Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf

Loki hung in her cell at Eichen, eyes heavy. Her wolfsbane-induced flashback had been so intense that she'd truly believed that Duecalion had been breaking her out again. But she had no idea where he was.

And she was alone. No one was coming for her. Not even…

Loki curled her hands into fists and closed her eyes, pretty much the only motion she could manage without pain and closed her eyes. She knew why she was here. She knew what she had done to deserve this. She knew that she'd brought this on herself.

A broken promise…

The door to her cell buzzed, signaling the entry of a nurse for Loki's daily 'treatment,' but the werewolf barely flinched. The now-familiar electricity coursed through her veins, and her body thrashed helplessly against her shackles.

*FLASHBACK*

Soft fingers brushed against Loki's temple, and she squeezed her eyes shut, futilely chasing the last blissful moments of something resembling rest.

"Loki?" a familiar voice whispered next to her ear. He sounded concerned. "Are you okay?" Realizing not only that sleeping was out of the question, but also that the surface she was laying on was hard and unyielding, Loki finally opened her eyes. Scott was bending over her, eyebrows pressed together and his lips parted in a tiny 'o' of concern.

"'M fine," she mumbled blearily. She put her hand up, groping for some kind of handhold, and to her surprise felt a bar. Wrapping a hand around the metal handle, Loki pulled herself to her feet, only stumbling slightly. Scott held a hand out hesitantly, as though he was afraid of her falling. She shook him off. "I'm fine," she repeated. "At least I got some sleep," she muttered, trying to make light of the situation. She shut up quickly when she saw the affect her words had on Scott based off his expression.

Loki looked around, trying to gather her bearings. She realized quickly how little time had elapsed since she'd passed out. They were still in the elevator, and Melissa and Malia were hovering nearby.

"What was it?" the werecoyote asked her. Loki blinked, her mind still moving much slower than normal. It took her a second to comprehend her friend's question, and then another to realize it was directed at herself.

"Oh," she replied finally. "Um. Nothing – about the Dread Doctors." She spoke haltingly, her normally sharp tongue slow and muddled from exhaustion. Scott eyed her, his expression guarded.

Loki wiped her eyes, rubbing away the last remnants of her memory. She shook her head, making her loose curls bounce around her face. Loki took a deep breath, and then squared her shoulders.

"I'm fine," she said, answering the unasked question she could practically taste in the air. "Seriously."

Loki stood with Scott at the animal clinic. Theo and Stiles stood across the examination table, facing the two werewolves. And on the examination table…

Stiles flipped back the sheet covering the body. As the human stepped back, wringing his hands nervously, Loki heard Scott's heartbeat spike. Theo did too.

"Did you know him?" Theo asked, noticing the Alpha's reaction. Scott nodded slowly, eyes dark with sadness.

"His name's Josh," Scott replied lowly. He sighed. "He was a junior." Scott's eyes were trained on the body, but Loki glanced up just in time to see Stiles shoot Theo a look. Loki frowned, but she refrained from saying anything. She was certain that if Stiles knew something he would tell Scott without her interference.

Loki leaned forward and flipped the sheet back over the body. She covered the kid gently, even though she knew he couldn't feel anything. Scott was pacing the room, his scent sharp with agitation.

"Which one did it?" he asked finally. "The one with the cane?" Stiles looked at Theo again, and Theo's eyebrows pinched, like he was trying to remember. Then he nodded.

"Yeah."

"What are we going to do with him?" Stiles asked, looking back at the covered body. "We can't just set the alarm and leave, that's how Tracy disappeared."

"Someone's got to stay here with him," Loki agreed. "I'll do it." If her theory was right, if Jordan was really the one taking the bodies, she wanted to be the one who faced him. She didn't want him hurting anyone, or him to get hurt.

"Actually, Loki," Scott said, eyes trained on his phone. "I think I need you with me."

"What is it?" Stiles asked his friend, apprehension edging his voice.

"It's another Chimera," he replied. Scott looked up at Loki, and then at Stiles. "I think I'll need your help."

"I can stay, then," Theo offered. The others looked at him, and he shrugged easily. "It's not like I had a big Saturday night planned." Loki hesitated, glancing from Theo to Scott to the body.

"I – " she began, looking helplessly at the body next to her. She struggled to think of a good excuse to stay without incriminating her boyfriend, but really, what could she say? Loki sighed and nodded, acquiescing. "Alright."

Liam knocked on the door to the bathroom in Scott's room. There was no response from the girl inside.

"Hayden?" he called fruitlessly. He pressed his ear against the door, but the girl in the room still didn't answer. The only indication of the presence of the girl inside was Liam's word and the pounding heartbeat sounding from inside the room. Hayden was clearly terrified.

Liam glanced helplessly at Loki and Scott, and Scott nodded. He motioned to Loki, and the two seniors stepped forward.

"Hayden," Loki said, just loud enough for the girl on the other side of the door to hear her. "Hayden, will you open the door?" She waited a beat, and then continued, her voice still soft with comfort and concern. "We want to help."

"I know that you're scared," Scott added, stepping up next to Loki. "But please come out." After another moment of silence, Scott stepped away, turning towards his friends. "I can hear her heart beating," Scott said quietly. "She's really freaked out. What happened?" The last part was directed towards his Beta.

"She was okay when we got here," Liam protested, holding up his hands. "I left to text you for two seconds, and she locked herself in."

"Why?" Stiles whispered.

"I don't know!"

"She's definitely a chimera?" Loki asked the younger teen. Liam nodded.

"She said she heard a voice saying 'your condition improves.'" He looked at Loki pointedly, and she nodded, rubbing the back of her neck. Definitely a chimera.

"Okay, that's unsettling," Stiles muttered, stepping forward. He knocked on the door. "Hayden? This is Stiles. Your sister works with my dad down at the station? Look, just open the door, okay?"

"You can trust us," Loki added, her voice still slow and syrupy with persuasion. "We just need to tell you the truth," she continued. "And that kind of thing is usually better face to face." There was still nothing but shallow breathing and a pounding heartbeat from behind the door.

"Listen," Scott said to Hayden. "Either you're gonna have to open the door, or I'm gonna have to break it open. It's okay if you're not ready to talk, or if you're not ready to believe us, I just - " Scott paused. "I gotta know that you're okay in there." After another tense moment of silence, Scott stepped back, probably to give himself space to kick the knob off. Before he could do so, the lock clicked, and the doorknob turned. The door creaked open, but Hayden stayed concealed behind it.

Loki stepped forward, gently pushing the door open all the way. "Hayden?" she asked, gently as possible.

The girl was standing with her head down, staring at her hands like she had never seen them before.

It was easy to tell why, because sprouting from her fingernails were the claws of a werewolf. Her eyes were glowing gold, and when she parted her lips to talk, fangs curled around her lips.

"I believe you," Hayden whispered, her voice shaking with terror.

The door to Jordan's apartment swung open, and Loki smiled at her boyfriend's playfully disgruntled look. "Hey," she said, stepping in and placing a hand on Jordan's chest. He reluctantly smiled back, covering her hand with his and closing the door with his foot.

"Hi," he murmured, leaning down to kiss her quickly. He pulled back and scowled and her again in mock annoyance. "No. No. I'm mad. You're definitely going to get me fired." Loki laughed, following him to the study.

On the desk were the cell phone jammers he'd taken from the Sherriff's station upon Loki's request. She walked over and picked one up in, humming in satisfaction as she examined it.

"Have I mentioned I love you?" She asked rhetorically, turning the jammer over. "Besides, the Sherriff won't fire you. He'll understand what it's for." Jordan flopped down in his chair, raising his eyebrows at her.

"And yet I don't understand. Care to explain for the non-genius in the room?" Loki smirked, leaning against the desk so she could face him.

"When the others went to Eichen House, an inmate there told them something. A quote from Nikola Tesla: 'If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.'" Loki looked at Jordan. "Lydia thinks it's some kind of clue, and that the jammers might disrupt the frequency of the Dread Doctors."

Jordan nodded his head slowly, understanding. He grinned.

"Okay," he said. "I like it." Loki beamed back at him.

"Good. I'm going to help you set them up, and then I'm going to drop them off at school. Lydia will show Malia and Scott what to – "

"Hang on a minute," Jordan said, cutting her off. He smirked playfully at her. "Am I not invited?" Loki laughed, and her shoulders relaxed from a tension that she didn't know was there.

"Well, I didn't want to assume anything," she responded. "You can go if you want." She hesitated, like she was debating if she should continue. "I won't be there." Jordan's eyebrows shot up, and he studied Loki again.

"Everything okay?" He checked. Loki shot him a swift grin, and kissed up quickly.

"Absolutely."

A familiar engine hum made Stiles turn his head, and he raised an eyebrow when he saw Loki turning her bike into the animal clinic parking lot. She took her helmet off, ruffling her hair out, and then walked over towards the Jeep.

"You gonna let me in?" she asked, motioning to the empty back seat. Stiles swallowed hard, glancing at Theo out of the corner of his eye. He wanted – he needed – to talk to Theo about some things, but he wasn't sure if he could with Loki there. But it wasn't like he could refuse.

Loki climbed into the backseat with way too much elegance, and situated herself carefully. She eyed the tiny screen attached to the rearview mirror.

"Anything yet?" she asked.

"Yes," Stile said sarcastically. "And yet, the body is still there." Loki rolled her eyes.

"Okay, okay."

"Why are you here, anyways?" Stiles asked, perhaps a little too sharply. "Shouldn't you be with the others? I think they could use more help than the Theo and me. It doesn't take three people to watch a body." Loki raised her eyebrows, looking a little nonplussed.

"I'm…ruling out a theory," she replied coolly.

"Anything you want to share?" Theo looked at Loki through the mirror, and she grinned secretively.

"Not particularly," she replied. "I don't like being wrong." She narrowed her eyes at Stiles, and continued. "And I think the real question is, Stiles, not why I am here, but why you don't want me here." She lifted her chin, and the question hung in the air.

Stiles looked down at his lap, and barely noticed when his lips started to move, when he started to talk.

He told her. He told her everything.

"Let me get this straight," Loki said. She steepled her fingers underneath her chin. She'd been remarkably quiet when Stiles was talking, and was finally opening her mouth. "Donovan tried to kill Stiles. Stiles killed Donovan. Theo saw Stiles kill Donovan. Josh tried to kill Stiles. Theo killed Josh. Stiles saw Theo kill Josh. And now you're both keeping this a secret from Scott." Loki looked up, eyes unreadable. "Did I miss anything?"

"No, that about sums it up," Stiles muttered. Loki didn't say anything. She was thinking, her eyes narrowed in consideration.

"You know, I saw his teeth," Theo commented, breaking the silence of the Jeep. Loki and Stiles both looked at Theo, waiting for him to explain. "Donovan's," he continued, when he noticed their confusion. "He was a, uh…wendigo. Wasn't he?" Stiles nodded once, and Loki raised her eyebrows. She hadn't known this.

"Yeah." Stiles's voice was barely over a whisper.

"It's the cannibal one," Theo said uncertainly, searching for more information.

"Native American," Loki supplied, breaking her silence. Stiles looked at her, eyes pressed with concern. He clearly regretted telling her, he clearly thought she was going to tell Scott. Loki wasn't sure if she was or not yet. "They believed if you ate human flesh, your punishment was to turn into a creature that constantly craves it." Theo grimaced.

"That's…a pretty judgmental myth." Loki shrugged flippantly.

"I've always thought it sounds like more of a punishment for everyone else," she agreed. Stiles scoffed, shaking his head and looking out the window. Loki grinned.

"What if it was the only way to survive?" Theo argued. "You ever hear of the Donner Party? I'm sure they didn't turn into wendigos."

"Well, they didn't live in Beacon Hills," Stiles replied. Theo nodded, looking away.

"Good point."

"My punishment for killing a pack of wolves is being where I am," Loki mused to herself. She doubted either Stiles or Theo knew what she meant. She'd had a pretty screwed-up life ever since she'd become a murderer, and she had no doubt that that was why. "What's the punishment for killing a chimera?"

"My punishment is also where I am," Stiles quipped. "Stuck in a car with Theo Raeken and Loki Carter for five hours." The other two occupants of the car snorted, and Stiles continued, his voice lowering with true sadness. "Look, I know what my punishment is." He looked down at the steering wheel, his eyes unfathomable. "I'm going to lose my best friend," he said quietly. "I'm going to lose Scott."

Jordan stared resolutely through the windshield of his car, fighting exhaustion.

He blinked a few times, trying to clear his eyes and mind so he could focus on the matter at hand. As his eyes drooped again, he shook his head, and his gaze listed downwards.

A playing card was lying face down on the floor of the car. Frowning, Jordan leaned over and picked it up. He flipped it over, rubbing his finger over the glossy surface of the card. It was the Queen of Diamonds, the one with the resemblance to Loki.

Someone touched his arm.

Jordan turned his head to the passengers seat and recoiled in surprise when he saw Loki there. Her face was glowing in the moonlight, her eyes shining brightly. She reached a hand out hesitantly, placing it on his forearm. She squeezed him comfortingly, and he shivered under her touch.

She moved up slowly, and she placed a hand on each side of his face. Eyes glowing, she leaned forward, and Jordan met her in the middle. As they kissed, Loki grabbed onto the hem of shirt, pushing him back just enough so she could peel it off of him. In response, Jordan ripped at her shirt, and a tearing sound filled the air.

When Loki ignored this and continued kissing him, a distant bell rang in the back of his hand. Loki was feistier than this – she should have at least made a passing comment about that action. As quickly as this fleeting thought entered his mind, it was leaving it. It was hard to focus.

Loki dragged her fingers down his bare chest, and a sizzling sound filled the air. Soot and embers trailed on Jordan's skin everywhere Loki's hands touched.

Jordan raised a hand to Loki's face, kissing her gently. As he did so, he frowned. Something didn't feel right – Loki's skin wasn't the smooth silkiness he was used to, it was rough and blistered underneath his fingers.

Pulling back slowly, Jordan opened his eyes to see his girlfriend clearly and his eyes widened with shock and horror.

Her entire body was covered with bloody burns. Her face was so swollen and blistered that he could barely recognize her. The only indication of Loki underneath the grievous injuries was those ever-present shining eyes. But even those weren't right. They were distant and cold, shimmering with a hint of malice that Jordan had never seen before.

Fear coursed through Jordan and he shook his head as she leaned in again to kiss him.

"Look, Stiles," Theo said, breaking the silence. "If Scott really gave up on you for some piece of crap like Donovan, then he wouldn't be much of a True Alpha, would he?" Stiles looked at Theo, frowning like he was unconvinced.

"Maybe that's the definition of a True Alpha," he argued. "Someone who doesn't put up with murder?"

"Stiles, come on," Loki said. Stiles shook his head, and Loki leaned forward, insistent. "No, really. My hands aren't exactly clean, and I haven't lost Scott."

"Scott knew what kind of person you were from the beginning," Stiles replied despondently. "Besides, Scott's not trying to fuck me."

"Well, you never know," Loki mumbled, in a last ditch attempt to lighten the mood. It worked, a little, and the edge of Stiles's mouth quirked up briefly. "Besides, we're not exactly fucking anymore." Stile shrugged, clearly refusing to be reasoned with.

"It sounds like all of you need to look up 'justifiable homicide,'" Theo muttered. Stiles raised his eyebrows incredulously.

"Did you seriously just say that to the son of a cop?" he asked the other teenager. Theo shrugged.

"A werewolf's eyes are supposed to change color when you take an innocent life," Theo argued. His eyes glowed, revealing the bright gold color of a Beta. "These look blue to you?" Stiles's breath caught, and he blinked a few times. "It was self-defense," Theo said, looking out the window. "For me, and for you."

"Maybe you just don't feel that bad about it," Loki said to Theo. He turned to her, offense written clearly across her face. His expression dropped when he saw her eyes, glowing the cold blue of a Beta werewolf who'd killed. "You can't objectively say that one life is more innocent than another," she continued, allowing the color to fade. "What if they turn blue because you feel guilty?"

"What, you think it's up to interpretation?" Theo asked. Not really, Loki thought. She was angling here, trying to see what made Theo tick.

"Yeah, maybe she's right," Stiles murmured. Oops, Loki thought. She hadn't meant to make Stiles feel more guilty.

"Okay, fine." Theo threw his hands in the air indignantly. "Then here's my interpretation of what happened with you and Donovan." Theo leaned forward, forcing Stiles to meet his eyes. "Not. Guilty." He glanced at Loki over the seat, and when his lips parted, she held up a hand.

"Thank you, presiding juror. I've done fine with my own verdict." Theo laughed. The car was quiet for a second, and then Theo spoke again.

"Did you feel bad about it?" Theo asked. "Not now," he clarified, seeing Stiles's look. "I mean, right then. Right when it happened. What were you thinking the moment you knew he was dead and there was no saving him?"

Loki thought back to her own experiences with fighting, with murder. She remembered being a little girl, angry and afraid, and she remembered bringing her claws down on her first victim. So she wasn't surprised by Stiles's answer.

"One word: good."

Theo inhaled deeply, sniffing. He took another deep breath, and Loki looked up from the backseat. She did the same, and immediately smelled what he was smelling. She wrinkled her nose in confusion, looking out the window to see where it was coming from. Her body stiffened with dread when she saw the figure stalking towards them.

"What is it?" Stiles asked.

"A scent," Theo replied. He sniffed again. "Like smoke…or – "

"Something burning," Loki muttered stiffly. Stiles faltered at her tone, glancing at her in the mirror.

"Loki? You o – " before he could finish the question, a flaming fist broke through the window and slammed into Theo's face. Stiles recoiled against the sudden heat, and watched, wide-eyed as the burning person dragged Theo's unconscious body from the car.

Loki kicked the back door of the Jeep open, flipping out quickly. Before she could do anything else, the figure next to her knelt down to wrap one hand around the fender of the Jeep.

He lifted the car up easily, and threw it forward.

"Stiles!" Loki yelled as the sound of glass shattering and metal cracking filled her ears. She coughed as smoke and soot filled her lungs, flames roaring around her and the Jeep as the person walked past.

Loki dragged Stiles away from the wreck, checking quickly to make sure he was breathing and that there were no major injuries. As she did so, footsteps crunched on gravel next to her ear.

Loki turned her head. Jordan was walking past her, face blank, and with the body slung over his shoulder. As he continued to walk farther away, little sparks caught around his clothes until he burst into flames entirely, like an inferno.

Jordan was leaning against the wall of his shower, his mind far, far away. The steaming water poured over his shoulders, washing away the soot that clung to his skin, but he barely felt it. As the ash ran off his skin and down the drain, the memory of why it was there was wiped clean as well.

A distant ringing sounded in the back of Jordan's brain, and he slowly picked his head up. He blinked a few times, and reached out blindly to shut the water off.

Padding into his room with a towel wrapped around his waist, Jordan looked around for his phone. He couldn't remember where he'd put it.

"Right here," a voice said, and Jordan jumped. He whirled around. Loki was sitting on the chair in the corner of the room, her shoulders slumped. Instead of smiling mischievously at his reaction, she held the phone out to him, her lips flat.

"Jesus, Loki," Jordan said, reaching out to take the phone. "How did you get in here?"

"You left your door unlocked," she replied. She nodded towards the phone in Jordan's hand. "You should get that." He nodded, looking down at the caller ID. His brow furrowed – it was Deputy Clark.

"Hello?" He asked, confused.

"Where the hell are you?" She snapped as soon as he'd answered the phone.

"Home," Jordan replied. "It's four in the morning."

"Stilinski's calling everyone in," Clark responded. "There's another body." Jordan's body tensed. He looked toward Loki. She hadn't moved from her seat, but he knew that she was listening to the conversation.

"You mean another murder."

On his way to the station, Jordan dropped Loki off at the animal clinic so she could fetch her bike. She had told Jordan that she was going to go home to sleep, but in reality she had no idea what she was going to do, or where she was going to go.

Loki folded her arms on the handlebars of the bike, and rested her chin there. She sat motionless in the parking lot as the sun rose above her, mind whirling.

She should tell Scott about what Jordan was doing. Really, she should tell Jordan about what Jordan was doing. Loki rubbed her eyes, remembering when she'd promised Scott she'd never lie to him again. That promise was getting complicated really fast.

Technically, she hadn't lied to him yet. But she wasn't being forthcoming about the truth either. Loki closed her eyes, her shoulders slumping with defeat. She considered calling the twins, but before she could do so, her phone rang.

Sighing, Loki lifted the device to her ear. She closed her eyes against the bright sunlight. "Yeah?"

"Get to Scott's house," Lydia's voice was clipped, urgent. "Now."

The animal clinic was close enough that at the illegal speed Loki was partial to, she reached Scott's house in less than three minutes. Loki pulled into Scott's driveway and jumped off her bike. She slammed his door open and ran up the stairs. When she burst into Scott's room, she immediately saw the source of Lydia's panic.

Scott was standing over Corey, the boy who Loki had helped earlier that week. The Alpha's claws had pierced the back of his neck - he was sifting through Corey's memories.

"Scott…" Loki's breath hissed out in disapproval. Even though she knew he couldn't hear her, it made her feel better.

"What is he doing?" Theo asked from behind Loki.

"Tapping into Corey's memories," Lydia responded.

"It's usually something only Alphas can do," Loki added. "With a couple exceptions." She stepped closer to Scott, careful not to touch him or Corey. Theo stepped forward, clearly intrigued. Loki's hand shot out, pushing Theo back carefully.

"Is it as dangerous as it looks?" Theo asked, allowing Loki to move him without complaint.

"Probably more," Stiles responded. Mason was staring at Scott and Corey with a kind of confused, slightly frightened awe on his face.

"Does anyone know if it's working?" he asked.

"It's working," Loki replied dryly. "They'd both be dead if it wasn't." Suddenly, Scott's eyes flew open and he jerked backwards. His hand fell to his side, and Corey's flew to his neck, touching the bloody marks Scott had left. Scott was gasping, and he stumbled backwards. Loki steadied him.

"Idiot," she hissed in his ear. "That could have killed you both."

"Is he okay?" Scott panted, either ignoring or not hearing Loki. The werewolf glanced up. Corey was near Scott's window, surrounded by Mason and Lydia. Both of them were trying to calm the clearly agitated teen down.

"What the hell did you do to me?" Corey snapped, hand clasped around his neck protectively.

"You'll be alright," Scott told him.

"There's blood," Corey protested, sounding frightened as he checked his hand.

"You'll heal," Scott muttered, digging through his desk drawers in search of a pen.

"Scott," Loki said, shocked at his blasé manner. Lydia's lips were pursed in disapproval.

"He'll be fine!" Scott snapped, making Loki step back in surprise. Scott was still catching his breath while he frantically sketched something on a pad of paper. "Listen," he gasped. "I think it worked. I saw something. There were tunnels, pipes on the walls – there were these two huge, blue pipes at the entrance, two on both sides." Stiles bent over his friend's shoulder to look, and Lydia came around to watch as well.

"I've seen that before," Stiles muttered to himself. "It's one of the tunnels I used to skateboard in. Remember, my dad caught me one time, told me to never go back?" Scott nodded.

"Where is it?" Loki asked Stiles.

"It's the water treatment plant," Lydia answered. Scott tapped the picture with his pen pointedly.

"That's where they are," he asserted. "That's where we'll find Liam and Hayden." There was a beat of silence, and then Scott nodded to himself. "Okay," he said. "Loki – "

"I need to stay here," Loki interrupted. Scott looked at her in surprise. "It's important," she said. "Please." Scott sighed, nodding.

"I need to do something first," Stiles added. "I need to talk to my dad, but I'll meet you there."

"Okay, fine." Scott swept out of the room, and down the stairs, talking as he went. "Then Malia and Mason are with me." Loki and Stiles exchanged a bewildered look before following the Alpha.

"Scott," Stiles called. "Scott, slow down. Just think for a second. Mason shouldn't be going – "

"Liam's my best friend," Mason argued, cutting off the other human immediately. There was no hesitation in the young teen's voice. "I'm going."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Stiles said. "Did you suddenly get super-wolf powers? I'm sorry, I wasn't aware of that development."

"Well, you and Loki are staying here," Scott reminded the human. "I could use the help." Stiles shook his head, rubbing his eyes.

"Okay, I'm coming, just as soon as I talk to my dad. They're moving the body, he wants to make sure this time nobody steals it." And I need to be here to make sure Jordan doesn't do anything, Loki thought to herself silently.

"How are they going to do that?" Malia asked Stiles. The human sighed.

"I don't know, but whoever took the last one was strong enough to flip my Jeep."

"I'm going with Stiles," Loki said aloud. "I think I got something on our corpse thief, but I need to confirm it first." That was a lie. She didn't have to confirm anything, she just needed - wanted - to buy Jordan more time.

Nothing about her demeanor showed the untruth, but on the inside, Loki's stomach curled. I'm sorry, Scott. Malia's eyes fell on Theo, and she pointed to him.

"We can take Theo," she suggested. The teenager started, and he looked at Malia, eyes wide. He was clearly surprised that she'd chosen him.

"Um…maybe I'd better stay here," Theo offered apologetically. "You know, in case the Doctors decide to make a house call for Corey." He glanced back at the teenager who was standing away from the group. Corey's eyes stretched wide with fear.

"Scott, Stiles is right." Lydia broke her silence. "You need to slow down and think."

"Okay, I am thinking," Scott replied insistently. "Liam and Hayden could already be dead."

"Scott, you could have hurt him!" Loki broke in. Scott's eyes fell on his ex, and he was surprised at the burning in her eyes. "You could have really hurt him. You could have hurt yourself." Loki shook her head. "If you really thought that was the only way, you should have let me do it." Scott's shoulders slumped, and his eyes drooped. He shook his head.

"I have to find Liam," he whispered. That was the only apology he made, and he turned to leave his house. Mason and Malia followed him.

"Text me," Stiles told his girlfriend. "For anything."

"I got it," Malia insisted, waving her boyfriend off as she turned to leave.

"Anything at all, okay?" Stiles called after her. She didn't look back. The screen door slammed shut as the three teenagers left, and Loki exhaled a long breath.

Loki was walking with Stiles through the hospital when his phone rang. He glanced down at the screen eagerly and then sighed in disappointment, but answered it anyway. He listened to the person on the other end for a few minutes before speaking.

"You tell me, man, you're the mechanic. If the gas tank didn't rupture, and nothing electrical was broken, then how did the fire start?" He was quiet for a minute and then scoffed loudly. "Spontaneously combusted? That's your answer. Are you kidding – " Before Stiles could finish berating the mechanic, the Sherriff had stepped in front of his son. Stilinski pulled the phone down from Stiles's ear and raised his eyebrows.

"What are you two doing here?" the cop asked, sounding resigned. Stiles sighed, and Loki hung back, deciding to watch instead of talk.

"Dad, you gotta listen to me," Stiles began. "You got to leave the body, kay? Leave it, and let whoever wants to take it just take it, okay? Trust me." The Sherriff shook his head, and started to turn away.

"I'm doing my job, Stiles," he told his son. Stiles shook his head, and started after his dad.

"Yeah, you've been real busy," Stiles snapped at his father as he jogged to catch up. "Arresting people you know are innocent."

"Go home," the Sherriff replied, refusing to rise to the challenge his son had offered. "Now." He glanced back. "You too, Loki." Instead of listening, both teenagers followed the police officer into the elevator. He turned to look at them, raising an eyebrow. "This is not up for debate."

"Well, then, Sherriff," Loki said, hitting the button. "We're not leaving." The doors closed, and Stilinski dropped his gaze. He was quiet for a minute, as if was remembering something, and then he addressed his son.

"You know, Clark mentioned something about, uh, key cards for the library." Loki noticed Stiles stiffen, and she remembered that he'd killed Donovan in the library. The teenager nodded slightly, motioning for his dad to continue. "Do you all have after-hours access?" the Sherriff asked. Stiles nodded.

"Yeah, yeah we do," he said. Loki heard his heartbeat picking up as he lied. "I'd show you mine, but I lost it a couple weeks ago." Loki blinked slowly, impressed. Sitles was careful. The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. The Sherriff stepped out with a sigh.

"Alright," he said. "I can't force you to leave, but I can and will insist that you wait here." He pointed to the waiting room. Stiles glanced at Loki, and then shrugged, sitting down in one of the chairs.

No sooner than Stiles and Loki had sat down that Loki realized how tired she was. And she didn't want to fall asleep. She stood up again.

"I'm going to get some coffee," she said. "Want one?" Stiles glanced up, looking distracted, and then nodded once.

"Yeah. Yeah, that'd be great." Loki walked down the hallway. It didn't take her long to find one of those machines that dispensed weak coffee and hot chocolate. She was willing to take it.

Loki walked back over to Stiles, pausing when she saw him. Stiles was holding the key-card in his hands, flipping it over. As she watched, he purposefully held it over the trashcan and released it. His eyes tracked its swift journey to the bottom of the bin, and he jumped when Loki called out to him.

He blinked looking up, and reached out to take the steaming cup of coffee she was offering him.

"Thanks."

Stiles looked at Loki. Despite the caffeine she's consumed less than an hour ago, she'd fallen asleep in the uncomfortable plastic chairs. Usually when people slept, they looked relaxed, but Loki somehow managed to look tense even as she dreamed.

All of the sudden, an alarm blared loudly, making Stiles swear. Loki jolted up, eyes wide with panic as the sound hit her ears. She tumbled out of the chair, hands pressed on either side of her head.

"Loki!" Stiles shouted over the sound. He realized the extra noise wasn't helping and quickly lowered his voice. "Loki, it's okay." He wrapped his hand over one of Loki's wrists and began to gently peel her hand from her ear. She allowed him to do so without resistance.

Loki stood up shakily. She winced, and pressed her fingers to her ears again. "Damn. Sorry," she apologized wearily. She opened her mouth again, probably to ask what was going on, but before she did so the sprinklers over their heads burst. Loki throw her hands up, more out of instinct than anything else.

Instead of water, however, thick, hot, steam poured out of the nozzles. Stiles coughed, waving a hand in front of his face to dispel the haze to no avail. He could barely see his own hand in front of his face.

"Stiles!" Loki shouted. She grabbed his arm, and he turned towards her, blinking rapidly. "Follow me." Stiles stumbled blindly after his friend. It took him a few moments to realize that she was taking him to the morgue.

Loki burst into the room, and began to run her finger over the different cabinets, searching for the correct name. Or more correctly, lack of a name – Jane Doe.

As Loki searched for the correct cubby, and opened it to an un-startling lack of a body, Stiles noticed something on the ground. He picked it up, frowning. It was the nametag of one of the deputies.

Stiles turned it over, and rubbed his thumb over the engraving.

Parrish.

Someone knocked on the door to the penthouse, and Loki stood up from the table. She rubbed her eyes wearily, and walked over to the door. When she looked through the peephole, her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Stiles," Loki greeted as she opened the door, motioning for him to come in. "What's up?" Stiles didn't answer, but instead flicked something towards her. Instinctively, Loki snatched it out of the air. Opening her palm, Loki realized what it was.

Jordan's badge.

Stiles watched as Loki registered what the object was, and what it and the presence of Stiles meant. She didn't look surprised. She sighed, bringing a hand over her face and wiping her eyes.

"How long have you known?" Stiles asked her quietly.

"I've only known since last night," Loki said. She glanced at the clock. It was nearly two in the morning. "Or, more correctly, the night before last." Stiles shook his head.

"Okay, let me rephrase that. How long have you suspected?"

"Since the first body went missing," Loki admitted. She glanced up, looking slightly chagrined. "Last spring, Jordan told me a dream he'd been having –"

"Okay, I don't need to hear about that – " Stiles began, and Loki shoved him backwards.

"Not that kind of dream. Idiot." She shook her head, glaring at Stiles. "When I first tried to help Jordan figure out what he was, we went through a lot of the classic fire creatures – dragon, salamanders – " Stiles snorted at the latter, but Loki continued. "I even thought, maybe, phoenix – he could have been reborn from the ashes when Haigh tried to kill him – but none of it fit."

"I didn't think much of it then, the night before Lucas and Tracy's bodies were taken, I had had an argument with Scott," Loki continued. "I told him that humans couldn't know about the supernatural world, that we needed to protect it. And the next day, they were gone." Stiles shook his head. He didn't see the correlation.

"I don't follow."

Loki walked back over to the kitchen table. She picked up a leather-bound book and walked back over to Stiles. She handed him the book as she continued to talk.

"I didn't even think of this as a possibility until that night. But something was nagging me so I read up on it in this."

"What is it?" He asked, holding it carefully.

"Deucalion's version of the bestiary," Loki replied. "Or, as we liked to call it, his diary." She nodded at it. "Turn to the marked page," she ordered, crossing her arms and watching. Stiles did as he was instructed, and opened the book.

It was handwritten in faint pencil, and he had to squint to make out some of the words in the dim light. Someone – Loki, most likely – had underlined a section of the writing in black ink. Stiles read it aloud.

"'Interestingly, another job of the Hellhound is as a guardian to the supernatural. The spirit will go to great costs in order to keep our world separate from that of the humans.'" Stiles looked up at Loki and frowned. "Hellhound?"

"I'm not sure," Loki admitted. She shook her head and took the book back. "That part doesn't matter. What does matter is that I know where Jordan is taking the bodies." She ran her fingers over the spine of the book. "To the Nemeton."

Just before Stiles turned to leave, he looked back at Loki. When he spoke, his voice was lost, nearly helpless sounding. "Are you going to tell Scott?" He didn't have to clarify what he meant – his tone of voice was enough. Still, she couldn't resist the urge to rib him.

"About the unfortunate death pact situation you and Theo have going on?" Loki asked sarcastically. "I haven't yet, have I?" she asked rhetorically, flopping down on the couch.

"That's not what I asked," Stiles replied quietly. Loki was silent for a long moment.

"I once promised Scott I'd never lie to him again," Loki murmured, more to herself than to Stiles. "I meant it." Stiles nodded, his shoulders slumping. Loki looked at the defeated teenage boy, remembered his face when she'd watched him toss his key-card in the trash. She thought of Jordan, of the half-truths she'd already told her other friends to protect him, and of the flat out lies she'd have to tell Jordan himself now. "Well." Stiles's head snapped up.

"Well, what?" he demanded. Loki crossed her legs, and rested her chin in her palm, looking at Stiles tiredly.

"Old habits die hard."

*END FLASHBACK*

here i will shamelessly beg for a review. pretty please leave one? with sugar on top? it would be greatly greatly appreciated.