Despair sank into the very pit of Danny's stomach as he watched everything he'd worked on the past eight years dissipate. Now, he was frozen in place as his little sister, his one job rode away to be a fugitive with Derek Hale's beta and the alpha himself. This was worse than what he'd been fearing the past week. No; this was a nightmare turned into reality.

I am so irrevocably screwed I don't even have the option of fleeing right now.

His lips pulled into a frown, the gravity of the thought pulling it further than the muscle could reasonably allow. While his body stayed paralyzed, his mind ran at top speed, expanding itself as much as possible; weighing the odds of his choices, of his chances of amending his mistakes. He grit his teeth as he struggled to justify his actions. He knew how simple it was; they weren't his actions, and therefore needed no justification. However, he also knew who he was dealing with, and that wasn't going to fly. No, he needed to think of a better defense than casting off the blame.

First, if he really thought about it, there were way worse people than Derek Hale to break this news to her, given family alliances. Plus, with this out of the way, their parents would lose a major factor of the divorce. They could all be together again, and figure it out as a family. However, with this, and knowing his sister's impulsiveness, it was only a matter of time before she did something stupid that would reveal everything they were hiding. With how she treated him tonight, even his guesses at Steph's reactions weren't something he wanted to dwell on.

To know what he knew, to remember what he did, it was a burden he never wished for her. There were reasons for what Tess did, important ones. With his sister's volatile genetics and the unknown results when she came of age, mitigating the trauma was the only option. And while he agreed that his mother's methods were a bit extreme, at least she did something to try and protect her. Who knows what would have happened otherwise.

The alarms went off in the building behind him, his phone buzzing in his pocket simultaneously. Shaking away the war his thoughts liked to replay far too often, Danny sighed, pulling the device out. Seeing that Stiles had successfully annoyed and distracted the police, making everything all clear, he started towards his truck. One day he'd stop having to worry about what he hid from Steph. That day was coming close, but he wasn't sure if he was ready for the consequences of listening to his parents would have on his bond with his baby sister.

As it was, he was certainly glad he wasn't the one breaking the news to her currently. He could only imagine what she had to say to the Hale Alpha.

"I'm sorry, I must be really tired or something," I stuttered, looking at the dour expression of the only 'adult' in the room. When I got no reaction, I let out a nervous laugh. "Because, for a second there I thought you said you guys were werewolves."

"That's because your ears are better at hearing than your brain is at processing." Derek crossed his arms over his chest, exasperation pinching his features. "I am, what else do you think I would be an Alpha of?"

"I mean from a psychological standpoint, you scream alpha male personality." I defended, shaking my head. "But I suppose that's a fair point. Werewolves, huh? That's what I saw tonight."

I paused in my pacing to sit down on a trunk next to Isaac. I still couldn 't quite look him in the eye just yet, and had no way of knowing what he was going to ask me before Danny showed up. So, to say that I saw some tension release from his body as I allowed the close proximity would be an understatement. If I wasn't trying to wrap my mind around the fact that he was a werewolf I'd probably be happy to unpack the effect I had on him. Unfortunately, denial and the supernatural tend to go hand in hand, even from its biggest fans. I sighed, scratching at my ear in thought.

"I mean, it's not like I can deny what was right in my face; and it certainly makes more sense than Danny's bullshit about me being stressed from school. What other explanation is there?" I looked at the two of them, pointing to Derek.

"I watched you physically change in front of me. Normal people can't just magically grow canines, or have their eyes glow red. And you...well you went from what you look like now, to a halloween Mask gone wrong...no offense..."

Isaac avoided my gaze, looking as embarrassed by my description as I was for saying it, while Derek nodded. Confirming my thought process, his lips twitched into the faintest of smiles.

"That's one way to put it, yes."

I nodded, staying still, working through it all with the rotation of my hands, "But then, what about Scott and Stiles? How do they fit into this? Does it have to do with why he's been so weird the past few months? Or why they seem to never be at school or work?"

"In a manner of speaking." Derek sighed, tilting his head as if weighing his options. "Scott got turned by my uncle, and Stiles has been trying to be his mentor before I intervened."

"If anyone was qualified to have their best friend turn into a werewolf, it's Stiles." I mused, thinking of other details I'd heard or seen. "Does Lydia have something to do with this? I know they were talking about her in class and mentioned something about body parts. And what about that Cop...he was gonna drug Isaac."

"Kill would be the more accurate term, but he wasn't a cop." He clarified, visibly controlling his facial expressions to remain as neutral as he could muster. "He was with the Argents."

"And the Argents are…." I paused, the name finally clicking into place for me, "Wait as in Allison Argent? Scott's ex?"

"Yeah, they're hunters." Isaac said, pinching his lips to the side, "Kind of ironic when you think about it. Takes the overprotective dad thing to a new level."

"I'd say…." I scoffed, looking between the two boys. "And do they typically go to such lengths to attempt murder?"

"Yes." Derek stated, his eyes nearly crossing in annoyance. Glancing at Isaac though, he sighed before admitting. "But there is something different. They aren't following their code. Isaac's still a kid, and he hasn't killed anyone."

"Maybe they just heard about Mr. Lahey's death and the arrest...made assumptions from there." I picked at my lip, my nose crinkling in confusion. "But whatever that thing was, it wasn't like you guys. And why did it attack Danny a few days before?"

Derek glanced between me and Isaac, his eyebrow raising at the mention of my second experience with whatever we were dealing with was. "I can't say anything about that, but I know that they have eyes all over town, especially with Gerard here. Right now, the main concern is keeping you two out of sight until we find out what it is, and how to stop it."

"Stop it? Us?" I laughed, the ridiculousness of the comment forcing it out of me. "A pair of teenagers against a mystery TMNT reject? I can barely live with the glimpses of this thing, and you want me to fight it?"

"I get that this is a lot to process, but you have the advantage;" Derek waited for me to look at him, not following his train of thought. "You've gone toe to toe with this thing twice and survived. We could use that."

"Yeah, except for the fact that I don't even know how I survived, and then had my brother telling me I made it all up." I argued, anger boiling in my stomach at my own mentions of Danny. "You know what, you're right; this is a bit much to process. I'm gonna need a minute."

Before either of them could stop me, I jumped to my feet and walked away from them. Seeing as we were in some abandoned substation, I couldn't get too far so I doubt they were all that worried. The place was a dump, with a broken down subway sitting on the inside and debris everywhere you looked. The only place that was probably clean was the manager's office up the stairs from where I left. I had fallen asleep in the car, adrenaline taking its toll on me before we got here. So to make things worse- which wasn't hard, I was already in a less than inhabitable living space- I was in some undisclosed location in town. Oh, and werewolves were real, let's not forget that revelation.

I'd always enjoyed those stories, of the supernatural and paranormal worlds within our own. I thought they were a cool take on things, and explained some of the weirder things in life. Did I actually think they were possible? No, but at the same time, it seemed to soften the blow for me. Yeah those books you love to read and movies and shows you watch until you can quote it in your sleep? Yeah, it's all real, just with some creative liberties. It felt like someone had taken my boring and normal life, and made a Warner Brothers Tween Drama out of it.

How was I supposed to just accept all of this? Werewolves are real-hell I'm friends with them- and they were being chased by werewolf hunters. Better yet, Allison's family, adding yet another layer of Romeo and Juliet tragedy to their already strangly matched relationship. I barely had a chance to unpack all of that when Derek, an alpha I just met tells me I could be the secret to fighting off this mystery figure that has been haunting me for the past week. I pinched myself, at the off chance this was a bizarre Adderall Dream like my preserve one. Unfortunately, it wasn't, and my phone rang in time with my hiss of pain.

Jumping at the noise, I pulled it from my jacket, frowning when I saw an unknown number. Looking toward where the boys were, I weighed my options. It could be the police, or it could be some sort of trap by the police to find me...or the Argents. It could be Danny on a blocked number, or worse; my mother. Biting my lip, I decided to risk it, clicking the answer button and pulling it to my ear.

"Hel-"

"Oh good, You're safe!" Stiles' voice burst through the speaker at a volume that forced me to pull it from my ear, "You had me worried when Danny said you took off with Derek."

"Stiles? How did-where did you-" I stuttered, sighing as I tried to manage a complete query, "How did you get my number?"

"I asked Scott...how else would I get it?" I leaned against one of the pillars as he posed the question. "I mean I asked your brother, but he didn't answer, so I went to the only other source I had."

"I-You know, with the weirdness of tonight, I don't know why I didn't anticipate that. Fair enough Stilinski." I looked up at the ceiling, letting out a sigh, "I thought you could have been the cops trying to track me down."

"Seriously?" I winced at his loud proclamation of shock. "Do you really think that the Beacon Hills Sheriff's Department has the timeor resourcesfor that?"

"How about we save the 'I know the inner workings of the BHPD like the back of my hand' speech for another time." I said, trying to make a joke, but feeling my nerves slip through, "And tell me why you bothered to get my number at all."

"Right...I was just seeing how you were, you know, handling everything. I mean, since I'm assuming they told you everything, and figured you might want someone to talk to about everything and just-." He sighed, making me smile at finally hearing something as normal as Stiles rambling. "How are you taking it all?"

"Well, that's an opportunely timed question, despite how loaded it is." I sighed, sliding into a seated position. "They only just finished telling me, so we can assess it together I guess."

"Oh crap! Sorry I can totally call back later if you want? I didn't mean to jump you right after the big reveal and whatnot… Yeah I'll call you back, give you some time to-"

"Stiles, Stiles! It's fine." I laughed, his energy ironically enough calming my mind with its hyperactivity. "I could use someone to discuss this with, honestly."

"Oh, okay…" He sounded confused, but willing. "Where did you want to start?"

"Oh, ya know, usual panic and denial." I joked, hoping my panic didn't show in my voice. "Because it was so easy already to be a low income, high school girl with one parent, in California. Yeah, let's just add the fact that werewolves and shit are real."

"Well when you put it that way, it does sound kind of bad."

"Yup, perfect, really;" I continued, just letting the word vomit happen so that I could get my emotions straight. "Just a few days ago, I thought there was something missing in my adolescent misery. Don't challenge the universe; she fights back."

"Heh-yeah, yeah she does." While he was joking there was something off in his voice, whatever it was disappearing behind typical pop culture references. "Gotta be careful with your force powers there, McGrath. It's clearly too strong in you."

I ran my hand through my hair, puffing out a burst of air through my lips. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Did he give you the whole 'the Bite is a gift' speech yet?" I let out a small choke of surprise. "Guess not. Well, spoiler alert, he will and he will be lying, I'm sure Scott can testify for you."

"Ya know, shockingly, speaking as someone who is now a fugitive of the law just for being associated with one of the Bitten, I figured that one out on my own." I groused, shaking my head at the insanity that was my life now. "I mean really, I only just figured out this stuff is real. The only thing I'm going to be accepting is more answers. Like how the hell Derek knows my brother, and how Danny knows about all of this."

"What makes you so sure he does?" The question seemed appropriate, I'm sure, since Stiles doesn't know about the Reserve, or what really happened with Isaac, but it still set me on edge. "I mean, he bumped into us when we were at Isaacs and he said he saw us on the way to you."

"Yeah, while lies seem to be a specialty of his, I'm realizing." I gulped. "You didn't see the way he and Derek were talking, Morgan….there was something else going on, I just can't figure out what."

"Well, you're sounding like yourself again." He observed, with humph. "Guessing my name incorrectly again."

"Well, gotta fall into the familiar right?" I joked back. "Pretty sure I've guessed that one already, so I knew it was wrong."

"Yeah, sure whatever makes you feel better about your repeated failure." He scoffed, and I could almost see him shaking his head, and clenching his jaw in annoyance.

"Speaking of failures…" I segued, asking what had been bothering me since he showed up at the station. "Is this why I've been covering for Scott at work? And why have I been letting you borrow notes for class? Because you need to be more aware of how suspicious that makes you two look."

"Yeah, well...as long as we turn inthe work it seems to be fine on the administrations end." He stammered, defensive of him and his friend. "You try being the Yoda to an unwilling werewolf."

"Okay, that's two in one conversation, there, Pip don't make me start breaking out the Tolkien." I warned, proud that my mind went there as soon as Derek used the word 'mentor'.

"No way, you are way more of a Pippin than me," He groaned, making me laugh slightly. "You don't get to be Merry, not when you just joined all this."

"Think about it," I argued, twisting a strand of my hair as I thought it out. "You have smart ideas but are really a lovable idiot, while I'm the one with common sense and is a secret badass who probably won't get noticed for it if a movie were to happen."

"You really need to get over that Riders of Rohan nerfing." He stated, making me roll my eyes. "The movies were already three hours long each."

"And yet they are talking about doing the Hobbit in three! The smallest book, in three movies." I grumbled, "Not that this isn't fun we should probably get back on topic I'm distracting myself from."

"Only if you agree to let me quote you as calling me lovable." I bit my lip in annoyance, my neck flushing slightly.

"I was hoping you missed that." I grit out, knowing that wasn't my luck tonight.

"Well, keep hoping for things, maybe you'll get it one day." He laughed through the phone, a shift coming through as his voice took a more serious tone. "So, where do you stand on everything?"

"Honestly? I don't know. I feel like I should be freaking out, but I'm not. If anything, it explains some of the messed up stuff in my life. I'd have to do a little more research to file through what's legit or not, but who knows; maybe I'll figure out some things."

"And what about your brother?" While his voice was calm, there was an underlying curiosity to it that set me on edge.

"What about him?" I answered, my tone clipped as I pushed my own thoughts on the matter aside.

"What are you gonna do? Confront him? Try talking to your parents?"

"Yeah, Stiles I'm gonna talk to my delusional mother who works so much she barely raised me and my dad with a mystery job far away from me separately, about the existence of werewolves." I snorted, shaking my head. "Sounds like a great way to get the employee discount at Eichen."

"You say that like you're just gonna shoulder this alone, even when your family could possibly be a part of all of this."

"And when you say it that way, you are judging me for it." I retorted, not really liking how harsh either of us sounded right now. "Look, even if they were involved, they lied to me for years. Danny had me thinking I was crazy for something that was real and who knows what else he's been hiding from me. I don't see why I'm the one who has to open up conversation."

We both fell silent, an uncomfortable tension crackling through the phone. Sighing, I tried again, this time a little more diplomatic. "Look, it's not set in stone at the moment, and I'm not definitely not thinking rationally about it, but am thinking about it. I just don't know which side I'm going to end up on just yet."

"Just...be careful Stephanie." Stiles' voice was insistent, almost pleading. "I know I had you work with him to get out, but you can't trust Derek. Sure he's good in a fight, or if you need the brawn, but he's not really a trustworthy guy."

"I know..." I bit my lip, glad to know my initial weariness wasn't unfounded."He seems like he's on a power trip or something."

"Oh so you did notice that, good." There was a humorless chuckle, as if there was more to the story that Stiles wasn't sharing. "Yeah, he's more concerned with finding teens he can manipulate to make a pack than really leading one. Or at least, that's what Scott thinks. Me? I think he's just a lonely sour wolf who wants friends."

"I see…." I laughed slightly, "You always did have a gift for describing people."

"I wouldn't say it's a gift- talent maybe-but not a gift."

I shook my head, at his antics, pausing when I caught sight of Isaac on the edge of my vision. "Hey...listen, Stiles? I gotta get going, but I'll keep in touch? I can't handle missing much schoolwork so it would be nice to know what's going on. And I know it probably goes without saying, but don't tell anyone where I am? I don't want Scott or Doc to worry, and Meg would just freak."

"If that's what you want. Just... I meant what I said about Derek, Stephanie...be careful trusting him." I kept my face neutral so that Isaac didn't see the concern I felt as I heard that of Stiles'.

"Uh, yeah, yeah, I'll keep that in mind. Talk later."

"Right, bye."

I hung up the phone and slid it into my pocket, standing upright just as Isaac reached me. I could feel his tension more than I could see it; and he looked pretty cautious already, making me realize I still haven't talked to just him since we got here. All he's seen so far is my anger at my family, and my calm, yet irritated acceptance of the fact that he was a werewolf. A part of me knew that I needed to show him I wasn't scared of him, that I knew he wasn't going to hurt me, or at least not intentionally. You'd think that would make things easier, but no; I still couldn't shake the memory of when he wanted to last night.

I gave a small smile, the movement feeling more forced than I wanted it to. "Hey..."

"Hey…" He echoed, sounding just as hesitant as me.

I watched as he curled into himself slightly, hands shoved into his pockets. He always did that, bending himself to look less tall than he was. It was like he didn't want to intimidate the people around him with his stature. He even adjusted it to the person's height. Where I was on the taller side, he didn't have to slouch nearly as much as he would with Meg or Lydia, but it still made my smile warmer. It looked so much like the real him, that I couldn't help it. He always made it easy for me to relax, for my emotions to clarify themselves; even as kids. After a few seconds of silence, I gulped and took the plunge, realizing that was what he was waiting for.

"So…" My hand found themselves shoved into my back pockets, hoping my open posture would help him to relax a bit in turn. "About how much of that did you actually hear, Superman?"

"Oh! Not...not much," He shook his head, tilting his head when I raised an eyebrow at him, clearly calling his bluff. "Okay, so maybe a little more than you probably wanted, but- how are you taking things...so far anyway?"

"Well if you heard as much as you claimed…" I tossed a hand behind me as if to physically indicate the past. "Then you'd know that-"

"Steph, I'm not talking about what you said." he raised a hand, to ruffle the pile of curls that sat at the front of his head, pulling it so it rested at the back of his neck. "You're forgetting that with my…my 'Superman' hearing, I can hear more than that and on the phone? You were lying to Stiles."

I opened my mouth and rapidly shut it, unsure of how to reply. A few seconds went by before I stupidly blurted. "Was I really, now?"

He nodded, "When someone lies, their heartbeat, it changes; spikes up, just enough for them to pick up on polygraphs, or in this case, it can be heard."

"So I'm surrounded by lie detectors after being told a reality shaking secret?" I scoffed. "Great, that's just...fantastic news that is."

"I'm sure that beats the fact that Derek is convinced you're gonna accept the Bite." He shrugged slightly, when my eyes widened. "I'm aware he hasn't offered yet, but he did mention it after you left."

"I don't even know what my ties to this world are, and he really thinks that I'm going to ust let him bite me?" He nodded, making me hide my face behind my hands. "That's...that's crazy!"

"And yet…" I peek through my fingers to look at him, "You're considering it, aren't you?"

I dropped my hands and jaw, shock running through my core. Could he read minds too? What the hell else is he going to tell me about myself?! "And just how do you know that? Did you hear that too?"

"Uhm...no...slightly weirder." He laughed awkwardly. "I can...smell your... indecision?"

"You can smell my- You know what? This whole werewolf super senses thing?" I pointed back and forth between us, "Is a complete and uncomfortably intimate invasion of privacy."

I looked down, skirting around him as I once again decided to run away from any real conversation. I wasn't ready to choose and I wasn't ready to have people telling me when I was lying to myself or otherwise, or that they can smell what I was feeling. Unfortunately, Isaac didn't take that for an answer this time. Just as suddenly as I'd made my retreat, his hand wrapped around my forearm, stopping me from going further.

"Wait, Steph," His grip tightened to be bruising, making me his in pain. He instantly let go, holding his hand back as his eyes widened. "Shit! I-I'm so sorry…I'm still getting...getting used to-"

"To what, being stronger than everyone else? Being the one with all of the power?" I ran a hand through my hair and let out a breath through my nose, shaking my head. "Yeah, maybe I don't want to get used to that. I'll end up like my mother, bitter at everything and hiding from the people in my life, or worse! I'll end up like Danny, lying to the people I care about and making them question their sanity in the process. I won't do that, Isaac! And if I take the Bite, it will give me the excuse to…"

"Stephanie" His face looked pained, but I was too focused on hearing the way he said my name, "You can't think like that...it's not something you'd do."

"How could you not think that way when he offered it to you?" I looked away, "I've thought about it for years….about if I turn into my mother when I grow up. If I were to have children and blow their lives up by falling into her patterns…"

"The Bite doesn't change who you are." He placed a hand on my shoulder, making me stiffen, but not pull away.

"Derek says it reflects what you are within...and Steph, you are a good person. Just like your brother, even if it doesn't feel like he is at the moment." He dropped his hand and shrugged again, "If you were anything like your mom, you wouldn't have tried to find me in that Alley."

I shake my head, a tight smile forming on my face, "But if I was, I wouldn't be having this conversation with you, would I? I wouldn't be scared out of my wits when I saw you shift… and I wouldn't really be debating undergoing the same goddamn change myself."

"Just- Just think about what it can do for you." He sighed, looking down briefly before continuing. "None of the weaknesses that serve as a daily reminder of your place at home. Nothing to hide from everyone else. No more feeling like no one cares."

I took in a deep breath, "Maybe that's why I'm overthinking it...it just sounds too good to be true...and there's no taking it back when I do it." I took a few steps back, pausing before finally leaving. "But thank you… for giving me more to think about it."

I didn't look back as I left, wishing that I could shake the feeling that that deep down? Something in me knew he was right.