Thanks for the reviews! I've been able to finish 5a so I'll be updating a lot more. I do not own anything in this chapter, everything else belongs to their rightful owners.

Chapter 12

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Isaac set Laci down beside a coughing Stiles. The other kid had pulled Stiles out from the jeep, but Isaac had been faster in getting to Laci. He tried to ignore the fact she'd called him Derek, but it was definitely worth it to just see her eyes open again. That was all he'd ever wanted to see happen again. He crouched down, brushing her hair out of her face. She had a scrape across the right side of her head but otherwise seemed to be fine.

"Isaac, you came." She wheezed out.

He gave her his familiar lopsided grin. "Course I did. Argent got me a ticket when I told him about . . . about you. He got me on the next flight back." He explained, glancing at her and a curious Stiles.

"Convenient," Theo said over, scoffing. "The body is missing. Awfully good timing for him to show up just as we're attacked. How'd you know we were here?"

Isaac tensed up, his spine straightening. "I tracked Stiles."

Laci reaching forward and squeezed his hand. She knew he couldn't be the body snatcher. It just wasn't who he was. He also couldn't make his fist flame up. Not even a few months could change that. "Isaac isn't th-the one taking the bodies. You should be grateful he showed up when he did, Theo." She snapped, shooting him a look to cut it out.

Stiles looked at the trio. Theo was obviously not happy to have the sudden addition of Isaac with them. Not that he minded. He'd take Isaac over Theo any day. "She's right, man. Isaac, as much of an asshole as he is, can't be the one who just flamed broiled us. He wouldn't put Laci in danger like that." He said, wincing as he laid up.

"It can't just be because I wouldn't do it period?" Isaac said with a scoff.

Stiles just shrugged, not jumping to correct his earlier statement. Laci rolled her eyes before trying to stand. Stiles and Isaac both moved to catch her when she swayed, but she held up her hands to stop them. She could manage this just fine on her own. "I'm fine. Really. Just sore." She said, rubbing her head as she got to her feet.

Stiles glanced at a fuming Theo before shifting his gaze to Laci and Isaac. "Why don't you take her to see her mom? I'll stick around with Theo and see what we can find out."

Laci looked surprised but nodded her head in understanding. They weren't going to get any work done with Isaac and Theo butting heads. She touched Isaac's arm, motioning for him to help her walk. He nodded and slipped an arm around her. "I'll make sure she gets home." He said, letting her lean on him as they made their way to his bike.

Normally, she'd be annoyed they were babying her, but she knew how much she hurt them when she died. Stiles was adjusting, but Isaac just found out and wasn't at that point. If he wanted to baby her once or twice, she'd let him.

For now.

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Isaac took Laci home after they checked in with her mom. Her mom was meeting them there in a half hour. He helped her inside and up the stairs to her room. He looked ready to catch her if she so much as stumbled. It was really starting to get on her nerves. She missed the Isaac that trusted her to take care of herself. At least when it came to walking to her own room. "Isaac, really. I'm fine." She told him again.

She glanced over her shoulder to see him look up startled. He looked embarrassed as his cheeks heated up with a blush. She'd think it was cute if he hadn't been bugging her. "Sorry. It feels like I'm waiting for the pinch to wake me up, you know? Like I'm dreaming." He said, clearing his throat as they made it to her room.

Walking inside, she paused and glanced back looking grim. She knew exactly how he felt because she'd been feeling like that since she remembered who she was and what happened to her. "I get it. Believe me, I do. I just . . . I'm not a doll. I don't want to be treated like one either." She said, wincing as she moved around her room.

Turning on the light, she moved to sit down on the bed. Isaac stood there awkwardly for a minute, not knowing really where to sit. He hadn't been in here for almost a year. He and Laci had been together, but she'd been falling for Derek and him for Allison. They were falling apart and losing the other.

Laci cleared her throat, getting his attention. "You can sit, Isaac."

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, nodding his head as he looked for a spot to sit. Once he was down, he felt the urge to stand back up. It was like he couldn't just sit still. It was his nervousness getting the best of him. "So, uh, you look . . ." He paused, not knowing the right way to say it.

"Alive?" She tried to joke.

He chuckled weakly, nodding his head. He knew she was trying to break the awkwardness, but it was like it suddenly fell over them since the shock of tonight's events were wearing off. "I was going to say, well . . . um, you don't look good, Lace. Not healthy, I mean. Still beautiful, you'll always look beautiful, but um, you know . . ." He started to ramble on.

"You're the only one who's noticed." She cut his rambles off.

He cleared throat, straightening as he shifted around awkwardly. "You never use to wear big sweaters like that. I remember wearing them when I was trying to cover up the bruises or when I needed to wear something comfortable because it hurt too much. I wanted to hide, blend in, so no one would see me." He explained, giving her a weak smile as he remembered the days before Derek changed his life for the better.

Laci returned his small smile with one of her own. She should have known Isaac would see right through her. He always could before. "I'm still sore from the attack a couple of weeks ago." She said though she knew she wasn't completely being honest with him.

He knew she wasn't, but he wasn't going to push her to tell him.

"What's going on, Lace?" He asked, the nervousness gone as the seriousness fell on them now.

"With me, or with this town?" She asked, nervous about which he'd meant.

Isaac was tempted to ask about her, he could see something wasn't right, but he could also see she wasn't ready to talk about it. "With the town. What attacked you guys tonight?" He asked instead. If he didn't know any better, he'd almost say she looked disappointed with his question.

Laci explained to him about the Dread Doctors and about how the bodies of the Chimera's were going missing. She told him why the three of them had been at the animal clinic and what the others were doing at the school. He listened to every word with careful attention, trying not to miss any details.

"So what's the deal with Theo being back? You guys replace me already? He asked, teasing as he chuckled.

Laci shook her head, letting out a soft chuckle. Clearly, he still needed to meet Malia. She could see he was seriously concerned about being replaced though. She reached over and took his hand in hers. "We could never replace you, Isaac. There's only one of you, no one else could even come close to comparing." She said, hoping it settled his nerves just a little bit.

"Thanks, Lace." He said, giving her a small smile as he squeezed her hand.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, their eyes locked as their hands stayed entwined. It wasn't until they heard the front door open did they break apart. Laci jumped to her feet, hoping to hide her blush as she brushed her hair back and turned away from him. Isaac cleared his throat, rubbing his neck as he stood up.

"That's probably Scott and the others." She said, keeping her eyes on the floor.

Isaac cleared his throat, nodding. Laci waited another few seconds before nodding and turning to leave with Isaac following behind her. The living room was still dark, showing no sign of anyone having come in. She didn't hear anyone either.

Something was wrong, she could feel it in her bones.

She glanced back at Isaac, giving him a worried look. She could tell Isaac could feel that sinking feeling too. Something was definitely wrong. She watched as his face shifted, his eyes flashing a golden color.

"Scott?" Laci called out, pausing at the bottom of the steps.

It wasn't Scott's voice that answered.

"Laci, stay in there. Do not come into the kitchen." Her mom said, her voice stern.

It just made her worry more. Isaac slipped around her, inching toward the kitchen. "Keep behind me if you're not going to stay." He whispered, knowing she wouldn't be staying put.

Coming into the kitchen, they were not expecting what they saw. Her mom and the sheriff were standing at the back door, but between them and she and Isaac was a body on the table. The body was laid out with a sword run through it. Not just any sword, it was Kira's. Laci covered her mouth in surprise.

The sheriff moved around Melissa, his eyes flickering to Isaac and Laci. If he was surprised to see Isaac, he wasn't showing it. "Has anyone seen Kira tonight?" He asked, his eyes looking at the three of them and the body.

"You don't think she did this, do you?" Melissa asked, moving to the other side of the table to stand beside the sheriff. "Could this have something to do with Scott? Some sort of message being sent."

The sheriff leaned down, getting a better look at the body. His head dropped, not wanting to give his honest answer. Melissa looked away, knowing she wasn't going to like what he had to say. Laci touched Isaac's arm as she went to walk past him. He held out his arm but didn't put up a fight when she moved around it. "There's no way this was Kira. She's not a killer." She said, looking at the three of them.

She knew Kira's powers had been rocky since she got back to town, but this was full blown murder and she had to believe her friend couldn't cross that line. There was so much death going on around them, but they hadn't crossed that line. Not even Stiles with Donovon. It was an accident, no matter what Stiles believed. He was protecting himself.

The sheriff straightened up, conflict on his face as he grabbed his walkie-talkie. "Dispatch, this is Sheriff Stilinski. I've got a 1-8-7 at 821 Williamson Road." He paused. Realization hit the McCall women and Isaac. He was turning their back on them and putting their friend at risk. "Notify Beacon Hill Memorial." He said, his voice full of guilt. He had to believe he was doing the right thing though. Even if it wasn't easy.

Laci gasped as her mother slapped the sheriff.

"There's a dead girl in your kitchen with a sword sticking out of her chest. What did you think I was going to do?" He asked, his eyes flickering to the body before returning his attention to Melissa.

"You know it wasn't Kira."

"This is murder! This kid, this child, has a family! What, am I suppose to just cover that up?" He snapped, pointing to the body. "This is a crime, and it's my responsibility to handle it with the parameters of the law."

"What about our kids?" Melissa asked. "They constantly deal with things outside the law."

"But not above the law."

Laci looked away, knowing the sheriff wouldn't be able to handle knowing just how above the law his son has gone, twice now. How far above she and Stiles both went to help Theo cover up that body. Isaac watched her curiously, wondering why she looked guilty. Clearly, they still had a lot to catch up on.

His head lifted when he heard the sirens coming closer. Laci glanced up to see the sheriff putting his badge back on. Melissa caught her gaze and looked grim. While she knew he was right, it didn't change her mind about protecting the kids. To her, they came first.