Change Chapter 47: The Kid, a teen wolf fanfic

Authors Note: HEYO! XD Please tell me what you think; I would love to know XD I own nothing and no one, apart from the following: Sam Campbell, Charlie Jones, Zane, Chase, Gabriel, Ben, Mia, Veronica, Xavier Jason Danvers, Harlequin, Stiles' fox = Melrakki, Stiles' wolf = Okami, Derek's wolf = Cana.

JUST SO YOU KNOW: like everyone else, I have no idea what Stiles' real name is, so I'm going along with what everyone else puts :) and I've made his middle name up XD

Please, please review XD

You guys are all so amazing and I love you all! In a non-creepy non-psycho kind of way XD

LINK TO THE PLAYLIST (JUST TAKE OUT THE SPACES WHEN PUTTING IT INTO THE SEARCH BAR): www. youtube playlist?list=PLMRDqLy-uJI6ffUYhLv0QrZHVdCipm8MP

Chapter 44 - Part 2

Stiles

I had woken up around five to Derek telling me that dinner - pizza that the others had apparently ordered - had arrived. It was nice not to cook, especially since I had no clue what to cook!

The problem was, it didn't take long for us to eat and, somehow, run out of things to talk about. Our solution - go for a walk through the preserve.

I suppose it was better than just sit around and do nothing, it gave us something to do and, in the end, actually generated some decent conversation. I guess we all just needed some fresh air.

Now, we must have been walking for, about, an hour - give or take a couple of minute - when we heard it. It was so faint at first that I thought I was hearing things. But, one by one, everyone else started to comment on it. We looked around, trying to see if we could see anything, but the sound was too far away for it to be anywhere near us.

"Maybe it's a bird?" Jackson suggested.

"No, it's not a bird..." I muttered, finding the direction the noise was coming from. "I-It sounds like someone...crying."

I couldn't understand it - why would someone be out, in the middle of the preserve, crying? What was the point of that?

Unless they were lost.

Or hurt.

Or both!

My mind started running through all these ideas, conjuring up a faceless, genderless person of all ages just sat there, not knowing what to do or where to go, alone and scared.

"We have to find them." I mused, starting to walk in that direction.

"What do you mean, 'we have to find them'?! We don't have to do anything!" Jackson squawked.

"It could be a kid! Imagine if it was your daughter or... Or your little brother, or cousin. How would you feel if someone heard them crying, deep in the woods, and just walked away?"

He didn't answer, his head dropping to look at the ground. Nodding to myself, I turned back around, marching further into the trees, listening carefully in case the direction changed.

"This feels exactly like a horror movie." Scott murmured from behind me. "We're all gunna die."

"Loving the positivity, Scotty." I sighed, rolling my eyes.

That's when we heard the scream.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I ran towards the sound, the voices from the Pack calling after me. I couldn't stop, I had to get to whoever it was stuck in the preserve, I needed to get to them and do whatever I could to help them.

The scream was so bloodcurdling, I could feel my stomach drop.

Had someone got to them?

Had an animal got to them?

Was something happening to them?

I didn't know and that made it worse!

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, dodging through the trees and jumping over the logs, not paying attention to anything else other than the cries getting louder and louder and louder and -

I skid to a stop when I reached a clearing.

The trees circled it, nothing but grass and rocks.

Sitting right in the middle was a little kid.

He looked about ten years old, very petite and fragile. His hair was snow white, thick and fell just below his ears, a fringe practically falling into his eyes; his skin was porcelain white, almost what you expect of your Grandma's antique dolls to have, completely blemish free; his eyes were this orange and red, looking like they were literally on fire... I had never seen anything like that before. His clothes were filthy, small holes dotting the bottom of his shirt, no shoes or socks on his feet at all. But the kicker, the absolute kicker?

His wings.

The kid had this almost translucent wings but, whenever the evening sun hit them just right, they reacted like a glass prism, the wings lighting up like a rainbow, almost shimmering.

The kid hadn't seen me, his face buried in his arms as he hugged his knees to his chest. It was painful to watch, hearing this child breaking down.

I hadn't even got to say anything when the others came up behind me.

All of them stared at the kid in wonder, confused but wanting to know what was going on. They obviously hadn't seen anything like this before... I was about to tell them that we should handle this careful, so we didn't scare the kid anymore than he already was. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance.

"Hey, who are you?" Jackson called out to him.

Now, obviously, the kid reacted badly. He screamed again, his back slamming into this rock he was leaning against. His crying grew heavier, terrified, when he saw all of us, trying to scramble away.

I did nothing but glare at the eighteen year old behind me, watching as he sheepishly hid behind Lydia. Carefully, I started to walk towards the kid, palms up and taking it slow. I didn't want him running off, getting himself hurt!

But, yet again, as soon as I was a decent distance away from the others, before I could say anything, the kid charged me. His thin arms wrapped around me as he buried his head into my stomach, grabbing my shirt in his fists. I could think of nothing to do but to place one hand on his back and rest the other on the back of his head.

Almost instantly, I felt this...thing. It was like, the moment I touched the kid, we were connected somehow. I didn't know what to make of it, but it just made me even more protective of this little child. I pulled him tighter towards me, running my hand between his shoulders as I tried to calm him down, the others slowly coming forward and trying to do the same.

It just made him cry more.

"Please, please don't leave me alone!" he blubbered, clinging to me tighter, his voice shaky and his words coming out choppy. "I don't know where I am and I'm scared!"

He just kept repeating the same thing, over and over and over. There was true terror, true fear, in his voice, this child truly believing that we could just leave him behind. My heart breaking slightly, I knelt down as best as I could, placing on hand on the middle of the kid's back and the other on his arm. I looked straight into his eyes, trying to ignore - for the moment - his tear stained face, just so I could talk to him.

"We are not going to leave you here, alright?" I told him, keeping my voice as non-threatening as possible. "You can come home with us, ok? Get you something to eat, get you warm."

As soon as I said 'us', the kid tensed up, shaking like a leaf as he stared at the others.

"Ok, ok! Come home with me. You can come home with me. Sound good?" I asked him.

The kid nodded, turning his eyes back to me.

"Can you tell me how long you've been out here?" I pushed, lightly, just wanting to get some time frame.

"Since early this morning." he whispered, voice cracking almost painfully. "I've been walking forever, but I couldn't find anybody."

If anybody heard a sound, it was the sound of my heart crumbling for this poor child. He was just so young and innocent and so childlike it was unbelievable! He had been left alone, since God-knows-when that morning, wandering around alone, trying to find somebody to help him... It made me sick.

"Well, we found you and we're not leaving you out here." I told him.

As he sniffed a little, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly in a little smile, his little hand coming up to wipe at his tears.

"You cold?" I asked, watching his little frame shake, his shoulders hunching as a slight breeze came past us.

With another little nod of his head, I moved to take my jacket off, gently putting it around him. When he had slipped his arms into the sleeves, I noticed how it completely encased in body, the sleeves hiding his hands.

Giving him plenty of time to stop me, I lifted the kid as I stood up, carrying him as I started to walk - he had done more than enough walking for one day!

Even when we got back to the house, the kid wouldn't leave me side. He had taken off my jacket and gave it back to me, his wings no longer on his back - I suppose he could hide them? I just placed it on one of the hooks in the hall, the boy grabbing my hand as soon as it was free.

I took him into the kitchen, getting him to sit in a chair whilst I made him a sandwich - peanut butter and jelly, his request once I asked him - and grabbed him some water. I watched this kid go through, about five sandwiches and, at least, fifteen glasses of water. It was ridiculous that the kid was as small as he was.

It was only when he was full, as well as another glass of water in his hand, that I lead him into the living room, getting him to sit in the armchair everyone had left free for him. He tried not to look at anyone but me as he sat there - I suppose they all intimidated him? I wasn't sure. Or maybe he had felt that same connection thing?

"Can you tell us your name?" I asked him after a few moments.

"Harlequin." he whispered. "I'm a Fairy."

I didn't look up as I heard the snort, but I saw the kid - Harlequin - fold in on himself, dragging his knees to his chest.

"A Fairy, huh? That's pretty cool." I smiled, placing a hand on his arm again. "Wanna know what I am?"

He nodded.

"I'm half were-fox and half werewolf." I told him. "These guys, they're werewolves too. Well, apart from Allison, she's a human - a hunter. But she's one of the good guys."

"So... You're different like me?" Harlequin asked, eyes wide as his head tilted to the side.

"Yeah, we're different like you."

He smiled slightly, his body relaxing slightly.

"Can you tell me how old you are?" I asked.

"Fourteen." he said a little louder.

"That's crap!" Isaac muttered.

Turning to look at them all, I saw them all watching Harlequin with a mix of disbelief and mistrust. Honestly, they were so quick to judge!

"You look ten, kid. Don't lie to us." Jackson scoffed.

"I-I'm not lying!" Harlequin whimpered. "I am fourteen, in human years!"

That stopped them. Their faces blanked, some jolting back slightly as if this information was a big slap to the face.

"Fairy's age differently to humans." Harlequin told us, turning so he only faced me, lower lip wobbling slightly. "As a Fairy, I'm five hundred and forty six. As a human, I'm fourteen. My body is like a human ten year old. Mentally, I'm like a human seven year old."

Well... That shut them all up.

"I-I'm a baby to my kind." he shook. "To them, I've aged wrong. My mental and body age should be the same as my human age, but something's different about me. They don't like me."

"Did they all leave you out there?" I frowned. "Didn't your mom or dad stay with you."

"My mommy and daddy are dead. I'm an outcast, the others don't like me. They won't look for me."

It hurt me. More than I could ever explain, it hurt me.

We didn't get much more out of the kid after that - he was tired, so of course we wouldn't. I had taken him upstairs, to the level I was on, grabbing him some clothes that had become a bit too small of me. Before I could say they'd be too big for him, the kid had touched them, the t-shirt and sweatpants shrinking down to his size. Laughing lightly, I told him how we'd go and get him some clothes of his own at some point but, for now, he could wear what I had given him and I would wash the clothes he had on when we found him.

I made up the bed for him in the room across from mine, getting him settled quickly so he could sleep... He was out of it in seconds.

I took his clothes downstairs with me, throwing them into the washer to clean them before walking back into the living room. I didn't expect to hear all the whispers.

I especially didn't expect to hear talk of an orphanage.

"We can't kick him out!" I growled, all conversation stopping. "He's a child! We have more than enough space here for one kid!"

"We know nothing about his kind." Erica tried.

"So we learn. We research. I don't care what you all say, he is staying here! I don't care if I had to become that boy's keeper, I am not letting you take him to some home!"

None of them tried to argue.

None of them tried to stop me when I stormed into the kitchen.

They all just let me go.

I just sat down in one of the chairs around the table, folding my arms and resting my head on them. I didn't understand why they had all been so willing to let me stay, but not an innocent child! Well, ok, so he was over five hundred years old but, in human years, he was a child - ok, teenager, but whatever! What had Harlequin ever done to deserve that kind of treatment?

It pissed me off, knowing how they would be so willing to just throw him out. Well, not all of them - there had definitely been an argument going on when I had walked in.

I heard the door open, one set of footsteps walking in - Derek, I could tell by the scent. He sat down next to me, his hand coming up to rest on my shoulder, his thumb rubbing back and forth gently.

"Of course he can stay." Derek told me. "I think they're just scared, he's something new. But we trust you, so he can stay."

Lifting my head slightly, I looked into the Alpha's eyes. I knew he was telling the truth, I could tell by his heartbeat. Seeing it in his eyes just made it better.

"Thank you." I whispered.

Later that night, sitting on my bed, I had all the books I had brought with me from Dallas spread out across my bed, all of the ones that talked about Fairy's open to that page. There was different information scattered throughout the books, all of it right - each book had been handed down generation to generation on my mom's side of the family, all of them ending up with me, so I knew every bit of information was true.

There was...a lot.

First of all was, apparently, one of a Fairy's many powers was their ability to see people for who and what they really are. They could see a person's true intentions and personality, could see what people were really like. They would only go near someone if they felt like they could trust them or, when in a group, if they were the one they felt they could trust the most. They liked companionship and usually sought out strong bonds with people.So, apparently, Harlequin did that with all of us and decided I was the most trustworthy... I didn't really understand how that worked, considering most people wanted to avoid me at all costs, but I wasn't going to complain.

I read that some fairies give and others take depending on what they're like - whether they're Dark or Light. If they're Light, they give and are kinda clueless. Apparently it was rare to be a Dark Fairy, this having something to do with allowing their soul to be corrupted by humanity or some shit, allowing their pride, ego and hate to over run them.

They're pack creatures. Living in large groups, never really straying too far from each other. Obviously they didn't care about little Harlequin...

They're fluid and enjoy the elements - Light like to build and are very in touch with nature whilst Dark like to destroy. But no matter what they're in tune with the earth.

It was believed Fairies can hear the souls of the plants and animals, treating them as they treat their own - even talking to them at great length! Nature's important to them, as well as preserving the natural resources and staying in tune with the world around them.

Fairies enjoy playing pranks on humans, though not cruelly. They're known to be mischievous creatures, no matter if they are Dark or Light. Mischief was usually what surrounded Fairies; they're curious and want to expand their knowledge but they usually think of humans as the prey for their mischief.

Apparently, they're a very fluid kind - race, gender and weight not mattering to them... Fairies would identify - the book told me - as male, female, or neither. Nothing else, nothing in between. They lead more by their feelings than anything. If they feel something is wrong they will fight. They will be fierce when they need to be. And usually if they're mad or sad that's usually all they can focus on. They feel so strongly.

They enjoy helping the innocent - again, apparently Harlequin didn't apply here.

Their wings represent something of themselves - there was mixed ideas about that, so I wasn't really certain.

They hate to be told that they can't do something. They usually have their mind set on proving something or someone wrong. Their beliefs were kind of askew - believing in nature and that all life is sacred and hate to kill, but if someone attacks their homeland or puts their clans in danger they have no qualms about fighting, because, in the end, if it came down to it, they would choose their clans above anything else

The books told me a lot, answering some of the questions I had about them... The only thing was, Harlequin didn't seem like a lot of what the books told me. He didn't seem like the kind to play pranks or be mischievous. He didn't seem the defiant kind, wanting to prove someone or something wrong... He seemed like the kind who...well, I wasn't exactly sure, but he didn't seem like anything like that!

I suppose I just had to wait and see...

Sunday, June 1st 2014, was the day we had all decided to go camping. Well, I say camping - we were going to sleep in tents, just on the edge of the preserve, so we were near the house. I didn't think - considering we had a new little member to the house - that it would be a good idea to venture too far in, thinking it might bring up some bad memories for the little tyke.

We - I say we, I mean I - had texted Sam and Charlie, asking if they wanted to join in on the fun. They said they would only come if we had s'mores. Now, I may not have had the best upbringing after my mom died, but I had had s'mores before - it had just been a very, very, long time.

"What are s'mores?" Harlequin had asked me, after I had called out to Derek to put it on the 'list-of-things-we-needed-to-get'.

I looked down at the fourteen - slash ten, slash seven, slash five hundred and forty six in Fairy years - year old beside me, seeing his little hand grabbing onto the fabric of my grey woollen cardigan. He had, literally, been attached to my hip the second he had found me downstairs, practically running through the house to find me. Not that I minded!

"A s'more is a roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate, sandwiched between two pieces of graham crackers." I grinned. "Know what all that is?"

"Nuh-uh." he replied, shaking his head.

"Well, you will tonight, Kiddo! I'm gunna make you your first one to try."

In my mind, he had overtook Isaac on the adorable scale, the pup now taking second place whilst Harlequin took first. It wasn't my fault that this kid, literally, acted like a tiny helpless little soul that I felt compelled to protect at all times! In the words of the great Sam Winchester, this kid was 'too precious for this world! He was far past innocent, pretty much to the point of being naive. It was like - if someone was being sarcastic, I would have to point it out because he would think they were being genuine; I felt like I would have to remind him about strange danger... I didn't mind having to do those things, but I felt bad for him, almost feeling like I had to put him in this protective bubble to keep him out of harm's way!

Now, the fact I was like this not even twenty four hours after meeting the kid? It freaked me out. I had been so untrusting and cold when I had first moved into town, trying not to care for anybody but me, trying to look out for nobody but me. The Pack came along and screwed that up, now I was acting like a mother. It wasn't on purpose, it wasn't something I was in control of... It just happened.

"What do you say we got find you some clothes and things? We can go to the mall with a couple of the others, whilst the rest get things for tonight." I asked him. "It doesn't have to be a lot of them, maybe just two or three?"

Hesitantly, as he grabbed hold of my cardigan tighter, he nodded. Obviously, since it had only been a few hours, Harlequin hadn't exactly warmed up to everyone in the house - and vice versa.

Jackson, Boyd and Erica didn't think this was the best place for a little kid - Harlequin knew they thought this, so was a bit iffy with them.

Scott, Allison, Lydia, Danny and Isaac were on the fence, not really knowing what to think of the boy - Harlequin was better with them than the other three, but still wouldn't stay with them without me.

Derek and Peter were fine about Harlequin staying, both of them agreeing that he would do better with us than on his own, or in a home - Harlequin would sometimes talk to them, not a lot, but more that the others, yet wouldn't stay with them on his own.

I was the only one he was comfortable talking to all the time, being around all the time... It was going to take time for everything to start going smoothly - just like with the Pack and I at first. We would get there... Eventually.

"Yeah? Who do you think we should ask?" I asked, placing my hand on his shoulder. "If you had to pick three other people?"

"D-Derek... " he stuttered, whispering in an attempt for everyone not to hear him. " A-Allison... L-Lydia... Those two like me better."

"Allison and Lydia?"

"Uh-huh. Erica wants to send me away. So do those two boys."

I watched as his face fell, the fire in his eyes dulling as his shoulders slumped. Just seeing him sad made my heart hurt; it just made me want to wrap him up like a sushi roll and hug him. Of course, I restrained myself, opting instead to kneel down so I was on his level, brining him in for a hug.

"I don't think it's that they want to. I think it's because they don't want you to get hurt. We have to fight a lot of bad people, we protect this town - I think they just don't want you to get in the middle of it and be used against us." I explained. "They're just scared of losing someone they get close to, Kiddo. But, I think, once they see that we won't lose you, they'll relax a bit more and you might like them a little better."

"You really think that?" Harlequin asked, his face lifting hopefully and his eyes wide, the fire in his eyes getting back a bit of life.

"I do. I do think that. They're good people - all of them. Promise."

To be honest, I was kind of glad everyone could hear us.

Derek, Allison, Lydia and I bought Harlequin, literally, everything he would need. I was stood there, as he was trying on clothes in one of the changing rooms of one of the many stores we had been into, thinking that he was be so spoilt once everyone was on good terms. I mean, he was literally a baby who knew less than I did about things. He would be spoilt and he would still be Goddamn grateful for everything! He would be the good kind of spoilt.

We got him clothes and shoes.

We got him a phone and a laptop.

We bought some paint to do his room - as well as some new bed sheets.

We bought him so many things that I ended up forgetting half the stuff we got for him!

It all reminded me so much of all those months ago, the day when the Pack had dragged me out for new clothes... It seemed so strange to me that I was now a part of that for someone else. I kind of liked it - I liked being on the other side of it, realising that I was now at a point where I had actually moved on... It was a freeing feeling.

I didn't think Harlequin really knew what to do with himself and all this stuff, his hands kind of flailing all over it if he went to pick something off of a rail. The one thing he didn't do that with?

A stuffed toy.

We had been walking down an aisle, shelves on either side of us, when I felt him stop. My arm was pulled back behind me slightly, making me stop and turn to see what was wrong, only to see him staring at something on one of the higher shelves. Walking over to his side, I tried to spot what was looking so intently at.

"I've never seen an elephant before." he told me, still staring at the shelf. "My mommy and daddy told me all about them."

Looking back to the shelf, I saw this blue toy, just on the corner. It was labelled Huggie Baby Big Blue Elephant Stuffed Animal. Just a simple blue elephant toy, looking like something you would see in a cartoon.

Taking it off of the shelf, I knelt down next to Harlequin and handed him the toy. His face was so full of wonder. The toy was softer than anything I remembered touching, the fluff on the toy almost silky... I could see how much the kid seemed to like it, not being able to stop running his fingers over the fluff that covered the toy.

Now, obviously, I had to get it for him - so I did. It was something that reminded him of his parents, it was the only thing he had actually taken an interest it and seemed to want... Why wouldn't I get it for him?

For the rest of the day, as he walked around the mall, Harlequin kept a tight hold of the elephant toy - something he had decided to call Phantasia. Not Fantasia, but Phantasia. He made sure to make that very clear. He wouldn't put Phantasia down for anything, even taking the elephant into changing rooms with him.

Derek, Allison and Lydia said nothing about it. They knew it was there, obviously, they could see him carrying it around everywhere we went. But they said nothing. I guess, since he was a little kid, it really wasn't anything to blink at, you know?

In a way, I think that helped the kid.

Sam and Charlie turned up at the house just after seven.

I had been showing Harlequin how to work the TV, explaining to him that, no, there wasn't tiny people in there. He was understanding it little by little, but it would take a sometime before it clicked. Peter had gotten up to get the door, throwing a small smile to the kid sitting next to me.

Peter was good with kids - considering he had three of his own, before the fire, I wasn't that surprised. I think Harlequin could tell, the young Fairy slowly warming up to the older wolf far faster than any of the others. I think it helped Peter, to be honest. From the little things I remember from when I was a little kid, he was far different - well, of course he would, but there was this spark that was lacking... Harlequin not being scared around him helped.

I heard Peter greet the two at the door, letting them in before shutting it again. I heard him say he needed to explain something to him, but he didn't get that far before they walked into the living room.

"Uh, Stilino? Do you know there's a child sitting next to you?" Sam asked, stopping in the doorway.

Rolling my eyes, I turned my head to face the blonde, exasperated. Honestly, I loved Sam - she was like the sister I never had - but she could definitely so idiotically stupid sometimes.

"Yes, I do know." I explained. "This is Harlequin, he's a Fairy. He lives with us now."

"Since when?" she demanded.

"Since yesterday."

"Damn - leave you for one day and I miss all the action!"

"There was no action!"

Grinning, Sam bounded further into the room, towards the couch where Harlequin and I were sitting. Of course she would, she wouldn't think that this little child may be scared of people. Right on cue, Harlequin tensed up, launching towards me and burying himself as deep into my side as he possibly could, even going as far as wrapping himself in my cardigan. Dropping my arm from the back of the couch, I wrapped it around him as gently as I could, not wanting to frighten him further, rubbing my thumb along his shoulder.

I glanced up at Sam, seeing how the grin had dropped to a slightly hurt frown, somewhat confused. Honestly, was I surrounded by puppies?!

"Hey, Peter." I called to the older wolf. "Can you explain to them?"

With a small chuckle and a slight nod, Peter took Charlie and Sam through to the kitchen, the blonde hunter glancing back at me before she walked across the threshold. It was easier getting Peter to explain to them about the kid, whilst I explained to Harlequin about them.

As Harlequin moved back, I moved the hair out of his face with my free hand, before picking up and passing Phantasia to him, from where he dropped the elephant on me whilst hiding. He smiled a little, relaxing just slightly with the elephant back in his hand and the overexcited hunter in the other room.

"Sam won't hurt you. She's a hunter, like Allison, but she won't hurt you." I told him. "She's just... She has ADHD. It's a mental health disorder - it can make people very hyperactive, make it hard for them to concentrate."

"I-Is she your friend?" he stuttered, leaning into me.

"Yeah, she has been for a couple of months now. The other girl, the redhead? That's her fiancée, Charlie. She's super nice."

"Is Charlie a hunter too?"

"Charlie is a were-coyote."

He nodded slightly, showing that he understood. Contrary to what some of the Pack thought, the kid was actually rather smart. He knew everything a 'normal' fourteen year old should know and more, he could act and pretend he was much older than his mental age too. But it hurt him to do it. Well, he said it hurt - it hurt trying to push it for a long time, trying to keep the act going around people. I made sure he knew he didn't have to do that with us, that he could just be himself. It would take some time before he felt full comfortable with that, but I needed him to know.

"Are they camping with us?" he wondered, leaning his head back to look up at me with wide eyes.

"Yeah, they're camping with us." I nodded, smiling slightly. "But, if it makes you feel better, you can just stick with me."

The grin that brought to his face was worth everything.

Before we had all migrated outside, some of the Pack - Boyd, Jackson and Derek - had gone out, found some fallen trees, turning them into benches for us all. They had set the benches in this square-circle-thing, surrounding a fire pit. It wasn't the best or the most professional looking thing, but it worked for all of us.

Harlequin did in fact keep close to me, still a little wary of Sam and Charlie, not really wanting to go anywhere near Jackson, Boyd or Erica - not that I blamed him much there. I hoped that, some point soon, he would be comfortable enough with them. I mean, he would be seeing them on a daily basis, and them him... It would be a bit awkward if they didn't.

But it was fine, it would all work out.

It was actually a lot of fun, sitting around the campfire. I did as I had promised, making Harlequin his first s'more - the kid seemed to love sugar, I'm telling you! I lost count as to how many he or anyone else had, but I didn't care. I just loved that everyone was having fun!

Peter and I had actually be forced to bring out our guitars. Well, I say forced, we were asked and we agreed, thinking it could provide some entertainment if things started to wind down a bit. And, when it did? Well, we were requested to perform. I got Peter to choose the song - it was always me, so why not make him?

Peter: "There is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God, I know I'm one"
Me: "My mother was a tailor
She sewed my new blue jeans
My father was a gamblin' man
Down in New Orleans"

This song - House of the Rising Sun by The Animals - I think it must have been one that everybody knew, even just vaguely, but just didn't know the name of or who sang it. At first, before I actually started using a computer to look up songs, I had no idea what the song was called or who it was by... Now it was something I listened to when I felt like having the slightly depressing sound that wasn't actually depressing.

Peter: "Now the only thing a gambler needs
Is a suitcase and trunk
And the only time he's satisfied
Is when he's on a drunk"
Me: "Oh mother, tell your children
Not to do what I have done
Spend your lives in sin and misery
In the House of the Rising Sun"

This was the first time I had heard Peter sing in...well, since I left Beacon Hills when I was a kid. His voice had obviously changed, only deepening slightly, yet still soft. I remembered that Peter would always sing. Whenever my mom took me to visit them, he was always singing. It used to annoy them all, so much... I thought he was a great singer and he would always sing with me - especially when we were watching a Disney film.

Both: "Well, I got one foot on the platform
The other foot on the train
I'm goin' back to New Orleans
To wear that ball and chain
Well, there is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God, I know I'm one."

Now, obviously, we didn't do it exactly like The Animals. For one, it was an acoustic cover and, for two, our voices are completely different. But we made out little cover work.

As the night went on, I was getting more and more uncomfortable. It was like when you get an itch you just can't scratch, or one that just keeps itching even though you're close to making yourself bleed! The feeling just wouldn't go away, no matter what I did.

I tried lying down.

I tried sitting on the ground.

I tried lying across the bench so my back was the only part touching it - like a see-saw.

I tried everything I could think to get comfortable...

"Oh my God!" I hissed to myself, sitting up.

"What? What's wrong?" Peter frowned. "Did you see something?"

"No, nothing like that. Okami's just being a dick!"

And they stopped.

And they stared.

"Okami's my wolf... He keeps pestering me to let him out. My fox, Melrakki, is fine, he's sleeping - looks like they decided to switch personalities tonight." I grumbled.

They just kept staring at me.

"Y-You named your wolf and fox?" Erica asked, slowly.

"No, those are their names." I explained. "They told me."

"They...told you?" Boyd repeated.

"Are you sure?" Danny questioned.

"Yeah... Don't your wolves talk to you guys?" I wondered. "Charlie, does your coyote talk to you?"

All of them shook their heads.

All of them, except Derek.

"Why can't they do it too?" Harlequin asked, tugging on the sleeve of my cardigan.

"Because they can't go full wolf." Derek spoke from my other side.

Turning slightly to look at the Alpha, I noticed just how calm - yet smug - he was. He was looking at no one but Peter, smirking slightly as the older wolf sat there with wide eyes.

"My wolf - Cana - he's been speaking to me ever since I can remember. No one believed me, no one but my mom and Laura." Derek explained. "Both of them could turn into a proper wolf. Laura explained it to me when we were in New York, after the fire... It's because, for some reason, there is a stronger connection between the wolf and the person - no one knows how it works or why."

"So, because I can go full wolf and full fox, they can speak to me and I can speak to them? That's the reason they decide to argue with each other at three in the morning?" I demanded. "Those assholes! I knew they were doing it on purpose, I knew they knew I could hear them!"

Growling slightly, I tried to stretch out my back, the fiery itch coming back full force.

"Blame Melrakki! He just can't admit when I'm right and he's wrong!" Okami snarled inside my head. "Fucking stupid ass fox..."

"Be nice, Oki! Maybe if you weren't such a snappy bastard all the time, Rak wouldn't have to piss you off." I yelled back to him - in my head, of course.

"Let me come out for a bit and I'll be nice!"

Hearing my wolf and fox bitch about each other was something I had been living with since I was, about, five years old- almost six. Okami was always so bloody stubborn, Melrakki loved to piss him off and I was the one that had to live with it! It was amazing that I hadn't gone stark raving mad!

But they did have their good days. Sometimes, they got a long great. Whenever I was locked in the basement and dad had left me, they would talk to me, they would comfort me. When Zane and dad were beating me, they would tell me everything would be alright, that it would stop soon. I guess, because of our stronger connection - as Derek had said - they were affected by my fear, paralysing them and stopping them from taking over so I could overpower Zane or dad. My fear had stopped me from helping myself.

"Why do they have such fucked up names?" Jackson scoffed. "Okami? Melrakki? What the fuck is wrong with them?"

Okami growled so loud that he almost woke Melrakki up - something that really didn't need to happen - the sound vibrating against my skull. It hurt so much I had to grab the sides of my head.

"Don't piss him off, Jackson! I can hear him get angry, you can't!" I hissed. "Besides, I didn't name them."

"Still, they don't even sound like names!" Jackson defended.

"Okami is Japanese for wolf, Melrakki is Icelandic for fox. They are perfectly good names."

The young wolf just help his hands up in surrender, leaning back on the bench slightly as he did so.

It was the best thing he could have done!

"C'mon, Stiles! Let me out, let me out, let me out!" Okami whined. "C'mon, I'll be good!"

"Shut up you overgrown puppy!" I growled to myself.

"Why don't you just shift? Let him out for a bit. We've seen you as a fox, we've seen you as half and half - why not your wolf too?" Lydia shrugged.

This time, I stopped.

I looked down to the ground, running a hand over the back of my neck.

"I haven't been a full wolf in a long time." I whispered.

"How come?" Harlequin asked, his voice so full of wonder.

"I don't know kid. I've just...been a fox."

Derek

It only took us a few minutes to force Stiles into letting Okami out - well, us and, apparently, Okami was being melodramatic. He had checked with everyone that they'd be alright with that, making sure Sam and Harlequin would be fine especially - he had taken to the kid so quickly, it was unbelievable.

Stiles had disappeared a little further into the preserve, hiding behind a large tree to shift. I was surprised Harlequin was just sitting there, perfectly fine, with all of us without Stiles... I was wondering if it was because he was so focused on seeing Stiles walk out again, seeing what his wolf would look like.

"He'll look so hot!" Cana purred, appreciatively, in my head. "Maybe you should let me out to play - we can jump right on him."

"Cana, no!" I snarled at him. "For God's sake, behave - you know what he's been through!"

"But Derek! He smells so good, how am I supposed to resist? How are we supposed to say no when it comes to our Mate?"

"Have a little self-control, you horny mutt!"

I honestly didn't know what I did to deserve such a horny wolf. He had never acted like that before - it had only started after the first time I kissed Stiles, by accident. Ever since then he had been like this; he got worse when I realised Stiles was my Mate.

Shaking my head slightly, I looked up in time to see Stiles, in full wolf, walking back towards us, carrying his clothes in his teeth. His fur was this beautiful snowy white, the colour standing out so brightly against the dark background of the preserve, almost shining in the fire light.

He was gorgeous.

"Holy frick on a stick!" Cana drooled. "I need to knot him so bad!"

"Cana!" I screamed. "What the hell?!"

"But I do and you want to too! I swear, your dick could cut rock right now!"

"Shut up! Stop it!"

"Come on, we both wanna take him! He wants us to take him. Let me come out to play, Okami and I will have a little chat and get right down to business - it's a win-win situation! You need to bone someone, Stiles needs to be boned-"

"Say anymore and I'll never let you out again!"

He stayed quiet.

Even though I would let him out in the end, Cana and I both knew it would be a very long time before I did. Now, I couldn't deny it, I did want Stiles and, yes, I needed to get laid - but I would never force anything on Stiles and I didn't want anyone else. So, unlike my horny wolf, I had a little bit of self control...and my hand.

Stiles walked over to us all, his movements slow - so he didn't startle anyone - and strangely elegant. It fit with his wolf's looks, if I was honest. Stiles came right up to us, carefully stepping over the make-shift benches so he was inside the circle, dropping his clothes where he had once sat. He first went up to little Harlequin, the Fairy child watching him with such wonder and amazement in his eyes. The snowy wolf nudged the boy's cheek, the fourteen year old giggling as he flung his arms around Stiles' neck, burying his face into the fur.

The wolf huffed a small laugh as the child pulled away, standing still as everyone started to migrate forward to look at him.

His fur was just as soft as it looked but, at first, he didn't seem to like to attention from everyone at once. The wolf growled only slightly, only for a short time, before he relaxed into it, getting used to the feel of human contact in this form.

Harlequin seemed to love being around a wolf - I think it made it better that it was actually Stiles. I was a little surprised when the kid slid off of the bench, elephant toy in hand, and lay on the back of the wolf on the ground. Stiles didn't seem fussed, only shifting slightly.

"So, are you Okami now?" Sam asked, scratching the wolf's head.

The wolf shook his head a little, telling us no, careful not to dislodge the child on his back.

"So you're still Stiles." Charlie clarified.

Another shake of the head.

"What the hell?" Sam muttered.

"Whilst the wolf is Okami and how he looks, the basic instincts of a wolf coming from him, Stiles does still have main control." I explained. "At the moment, he's a mix of Stiles and Okami. You don't have to change what you call him - just call him Stiles."

The wolf nodded once, agreeing with my explanation. It really was a wonderfully weird thing, being able to turn into this magnificent hunter, yet still stay yourself somehow.

"Damn - and here I was hoping I'd have to call you Okiles." Sam laughed, flicking Stiles' ear when he turned and growled slightly.

I couldn't help but stare at the white wolf. He was the only other - alive - person I knew that could shift into a full wolf like I could. He was the only person I knew that could stay looking so perfect, even as a wolf.

I couldn't understand how someone could look so perfect - both as a human and an animal. How could that be a thing? As a human, Stiles had this beauty that not many people would see, too busy seeing him how the rumours painted him. The scars proved how strong he was, his tattoos held part of his story... As a wolf, he had this obvious beauty - something you couldn't help but stare at and be jealous of. He was graceful and just this perfect thing, almost as if he had stepped right out of a picture. It was ridiculous... But I loved it.

"Of course you love it, he's perfect - that's why he's our Mate, duh."Cana whispered.

"He's too perfect for me - for us." I sighed.

"True... But there's no use looking a gift horse in the mouth! He's ours. Ours to protect. Ours to love."

"Maybe, one day."

"He will be. And we won't lose him, never again."

I listened as the Pack went around the circle, everyone telling stories from years ago.

I listened to Stiles huff slightly - wolf's couldn't laugh, but they could make it sound like they were.

I watched as everyone smile and had fun - even little Harlequin.

I just...watched.

It wasn't long after story time that everyone started getting ready to sleep, slipping inside sleeping bags and huddling close together.

Stiles, with Harlequin still on his back, carefully padded over to where I was settling down, lying down right behind me. Harlequin slid off his back, shyly handing me his sleeping bag, a silent hope for help - of course I helped the kid! I got him settled, zipped him in, watching as he lay back so his head rested on one of Stiles' front legs - the other resting on the boy's chest along with the wolf's head. As I zipped myself into my sleeping bag, I reclined myself back slowly, my head resting on the wolf's torso. I thought for sure Stiles was going to move - he just rumbled happily.

Smiling to myself, I just settled in for bed.

Stiles

I shifted back to my usual self the next morning, once everyone was awake. We had all gone back inside to our rooms - Sam and Charlie using one of the guest rooms on the level below mine - to sort ourselves out for the day ahead.

Everyone was just getting dressed in pyjamas, since we weren't going anywhere so, after I showered, I just threw on my sweats and my Batman t-shirt.

Harlequin had waited outside his room for me, elephant still being hugged to his chest. I swear, he was the cutest child I had ever met, hands down. He gave me a little sleepy grin, yawning and resting his head on my stomach when I had walked over to him. Chuckling, I wrapped an arm around the kid, guiding him gently towards the stairs - just as Derek and Peter emerged from their rooms, funnily enough.

The four of us walked down the first flight of stairs in silence, none of us needing to say anything. Staying quite just made us notice quicker.

We got down one level, seeing all the Betas gathered around the room Sam and Charlie were using. The door hadn't been closed all the way and we could head...singing. As we joined the little huddle, hearing all these random little tunes were drifting out, Charlie opened to door fully, one hand on her hip and raising an eyebrow at us all.

Pretty much everyone blushed, a little embarrassed at being found listening in. But she didn't tell us to go away. She just stood there and waited.

And waited.

We waited just over nine minutes until Sam appeared from the bathroom, pyjama's on and hair still damp, humming to herself as she walked into the room. She looked up, seeing all of us at the door, the humming stopping as soon as she clocked that we were there.

"What? What did I miss?" Sam asked, completely oblivious.

"You have to sing for us!" I grinned.

"No, no, no, no!" Sam chanted, running into the living room. "Absolutely not!"

As soon as I had asked her to sing, Sam had flown down the stairs to get away from us, all of us running after her. She just kept repeating 'no', over and over, not letting anyone else to speak.

So I didn't speak, I just pulled out the puppy eyes. It was a dirty move, but I never said I was playing fair!

"No! Stop that!" Sam demanded.

"Please!" I begged. "You sounded so good!"

It took her two and a half minutes to crack. It was the longest anyone had held out against puppy eyes! She asked if there was any suggestions from her 'horrible, awful audience', but everyone's minds seemed to have gone blank.

So Sam decided for us.

She ran into the kitchen, appearing seconds later with a plastic cup before sitting on the ground. All of us sat in our usual places in the living room, surrounding the little performance space Sam had created - Harlequin sitting on my lap so there was enough room.

Taking a shaky breath, Sam started to sing:

Sam started singing and, just like upstairs, I was amazed. Her voice was amazing. I never, never in a million years, would have expected her to sing The Cup Song and not Anna Kendrick's at that. But she did, and she was amazing.

"I've got my ticket for the long way 'round
Two bottle whiskey for the way
And I sure would like some sweet company
And I'm leaving tomorrow. What d'you say?
When I'm gone, when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me by my hair
You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
When I'm gone, when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me by my hair
You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone"

Her tempo with the cup never faltered, staying perfectly in time all the way through the song. I was amazed how she could - not a lot of humans could. Not everyone could hear the slight change in temp when a human sang or whatever, but having super hearing allowed you to notice those little changes... There was none as we listened to Sam.

As Sam got further into the song, he confidence sky rocketed, a small grin on her face as she continued the sing. Her focus was on the cup in front of her and the cup only, yet she still managed to put on a good show as she sang for us.

"I've got my ticket for the long way 'round
The one with the prettiest of views
It's got mountains, it's got rivers
It's got sights to give you shivers
But it sure would be prettier with you
When I'm gone, when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me by my walk
You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
When I'm gone, when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me by my walk
You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh
You're sure gonna miss me when I'm gone
When I'm gone, when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me by my walk
You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone."

As she finished the song, slamming the cup down as the final beat, Sam looked up, winking at me and smirking slightly, before turning to everyone else.

"You'll miss me, Asshats." she grinned.

Honestly, I loved this girl - she was literally the sister I never had!

"How did you... Just how?" Boyd asked, slightly wide eyes.

Getting red in the face, Sam shifted over until she was sitting in front of Charlie, leaning back against the redhead's legs.

"I paid thousands of dollars to learn how to play an instrument." she sighed, giggling nervously. "I got the fines teachers in all of Spain and Italy - basically anywhere you can think of! None of them could teach me. But, when I went to prison, I joined the all women choir and, boom, that's where all this awesome came from!"

We didn't do a lot that day. Nothing really happened. The real action came on the Tuesday - June 3rd.

Charlie had to visit someone just out of town for work, so Sam was with us for the day. We had caught wind of a rogue werewolf - something simple to deal with - so some went out to take care of it, the rest of us staying home.

Sam had gone out with the group, whilst I had stayed behind with Harley. She was all up for it, ready to kick some ass... She came back to the house with claw marks running down her back! It was nothing bad, but she would hurt for a few days. Peter had carried her into the house, his protectiveness over her shining through and so obvious, stitching her up and wouldn't leave her side, at all.

She wasn't happy when Derek called Charlie, letting her know what had happened - Charlie was pissed off because Sam was 'supposed to be retired!'

Charlie was relatively mad when she walked into the house that afternoon, seeing the bandages covering her torso and the specks of blood on the back. The two argued back and forth, back and forth, but - obviously - they made up in the end, leaving both of them happy.

Relationships were confusing.

Thankfully, the conversation moved on from the awkward fight to Sam and Charlie's wedding! Sam was telling us what they both wanted, the whole thing sounding so extravagant and expensive! It sounded lovely, don't get me wrong, but just didn't see how they were going to pay for it - we had seen where they lived, we had seen how small their place was... Would they be able to afford it?

"Hey, Stilino? You'll come house hunting with me, right?" Sam asked, running a hand through Charlie's hair. "Charlie's not gunna be here when we're supposed to go looking for houses."

"Um, I suppose..." I trailed off, awkwardly. "Where, exactly?"

Now, the place Sam told me? It was this really nice neighbourhood - secluded, away from people, expensive!

I was very confused.

"Not to be rude, but uh..." Peter coughed, sounding awkward for the first time ever. "But, um... How are you paying for all of this?"

Sam looked so confused - her and Charlie both. They just kind of stared at us, before looking to each other, neither seeming to understand.

And then Sam seemed to realise something.

"Oh, I suppose I didn't tell you!" she giggled. "I'm rich."

She explained how the Agency she worked for were...well, very generous with what they paid their employees. She told us that, even though she was technically retired, she was sometimes sent the more delicate or difficult cases - only rarely - so she was still on their pay roll.

When asked why they live where they do, Charlie explained how it was always temporary - until something they both liked opened up.

It was one of the weirdest moments I think I had ever experienced, and that was saying something coming from me!

It was just after lunch that everyone got a little bored. We were just sitting around, not really knowing what to do with ourselves, when Sam jumped up and asked if we wanted ice cream.

Harlequin asking what ice cream was made everyone say yes.

Everyone rushed to get ready, following Sam's car - because, of course she wasn't just going to go to the store.

We drove for an hour. Yeah. An hour, for ice cream. All I could think was it better be fucking worth it! But, after an hour, we pulled up to this little diner - it looked like crap on the outside, but inside it was so cosy!

I was in love.

No one knew who any of us where, so everyone was pretty nice to us, treating us all like the people we were.

We were seated quite far into the diner, menus in hand as we all squeezed in around some tables. As we sat there, everyone had to put up with Sam and I pissing about. We were throwing things at each other, having menu fights, tickling each other... We just went hardcore goofing off! We were acting more like children than the actual child sitting on my other side.

It was fun, though. Everyone was getting a laugh out of it!

Of course, when our waitress came back to take our order, she made it even better!

Now, obviously, she didn't know Sam or me and we didn't know her, so of course she wouldn't know Sam and I were both gay. That's never someone's first guess - unless you're a really girly looking guy or a very masculine looking girl. So, we had to cut her some slack...

"Aw! What a cute couple you two are!" our waitress grinned at Sam and I, after she had written down our orders.

She didn't stay around long enough for us to correct her, walking away to put our order in. I just sat there, wide eyes and stuttering, trying to make sense of it all. I mean, we were definitely not a couple! How could anyone think that?

But, whilst I was trying to figure it all out, Derek was glaring and everyone else was laughing, Sam just grinned.

"WE HAVE REACHED PRO FRIENDSHIP - PEOPLE THINK WE ARE HETERO FOR EACHOTHER! HOW CUTE!" Sam semi-yelled, giggling.

Now, she could have stopped there. But no.

Sam decided that, as well as saying 'love you, babe', it was necessary to kiss my cheek, smiling as I growled as her.

The next day - June 4th - it was just Harlequin, the Pack and me in the house. I had walked into the living room, sat down on the couch with a huff, Harlequin following behind me and sitting on the floor next to my legs.

"What's wrong?" Isaac asked, taking note of my scowl.

Putting my head down, I ran my hands over the back of my head.

"Just, please don't make fun of me?" I sighed. "I'm wondering... What the hell is a hashtag and what is Instagram?"

Of course, everyone - bar Harlequin - had to fight back their giggles. I just looked up, glaring at each and every one of them. I knew I shouldn't have asked, just gone to my laptop and looked it up - but it was all the way upstairs.

"Oh, come on! Haven't you ever heard of them?" Jackson snorted.

"No! Ok? No, I haven't!" I squeaked, arms flailing. "I wasn't really allowed the internet back in Dallas; you guys and Sam and Charlie are the only ones that would know - you're the only ones I can ask! You're the first friends I ever had, remember?"

"I don't know, either." Harlequin mumbled, raising his hand slightly.

Still laughing, they all explained how a 'hashtag' was this thing people used on social media. A word or phrase preceded by a hash sign, used on social media sites such as Twitter to identify messages on a specific topic. They also explained how Instagram was an online mobile photo-sharing, video-sharing and social networking service that enabled its users to take pictures and videos, sharing them either publicly or privately on the app, as well as through a variety of other social networking platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Flickr.

"Oh my God." I groaned, once they had finished. "I'm done with this generation!"

LINK TO THE PLAYLIST, ALSO ON MY PROFILE (JUST TAKE OUT THE SPACES WHEN PUTTING IT INTO THE SEARCH BAR): www. youtube playlist?list=PLMRDqLy-uJI6ffUYhLv0QrZHVdCipm8MP

FUN FACT: This chapter and the one before it were, originally, just one chapter. It was 48 pages and 20,575 words long! Thought it would be better to split it up for you XD

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Thanks XD