"Ok, what's so important?" Hamish drew a hand through his sleep-tousled hair and slipped further down into the couch, almost dislodging the share size bag of cheetos nestled under the crook of his elbow. Randall, Lilith and Jack watched as he chased a stray orange puff across his chest and then gave up as it lodged itself in the gap between the cushions.

"Uh-" Lillith faltered. Usually she'd have a witty retort on the tip of her tongue but seeing Hamish lying listlessly in the living room knocked any attempt at snark or sarcasm out of her mind. She looked at Jack and Randall, both seated in the armchairs facing the sofa, her eyes silently pleading for their help.

Randall sighed, leaning forward in his chair. "We need to talk about…. This." He waved an arm towards Hamish, gesturing in his general direction.

Hamish frowned. "What?"

"Dude, you've been really down lately. We're concerned."

Hamish laughed mirthlessly. "I'm fine." He focused his attention back on the bag of snacks. "Hey, did one of you eat some of my cheetos? I swear there were more this morning."

Jack pointed towards the floor beneath the couch where dayglow dust coated the wooden panels. "You dropped them when you fell asleep."

"Ah." Hamish shrugged his shoulders.

Lilith exchanged a concerned glance with Randall. Hamish had been in a nosedive since he'd spent the night with Bela. At first he'd been moody and stressed, but recently things had taken a turn for the worse.

"Haim," Randall tried again. "You've been lying in that spot for two days."

"It's comfortable." Hamish replied.

"You haven't been to your apartment since Bela was there."

Hamish winced as Randall said her name. He raised his chin, staring at his friend. "The Den's closer to campus."

"You're day drinking."

"Since when is that a bad thing?"

"You're wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt."

"Laundry day."

Lilith slammed her hand down on the table between them. "You're fucking depressed." She growled. Her voice softened as she took in the surprise on Hamish's face. "We're trying to help you. We care, Haim."

He stiffened almost imperceptibly. His eyes glassed over as he looked around the room, avoiding their faces. "You shouldn't. People who care about me - who I care about - they get hurt."

"Look," Jack said, his voice low. "What happened with Cassie, it wasn't your fault. We can help you keep Bela safe."

Hamish shot up in his seat, sending cheetos cascading across the floor and across his lap. He didn't seem to notice. "No, I can't - she can't be part of this, please-"

"Ok," Randall held up his hands, his eyes wide as he took in Hamish's distress. "It's ok." He exhaled slowly, watching as Hamish's shoulders relaxed a little.

The three wolves looked at their leader. An awkward pause fell between the group.

"Listen," Randall chose his next words carefully. "We know you've been tracking Bels, Hamish."

Hamish's eyes widened. He momentarily considered denying it and then quickly discarded the idea. "How?"

"I followed you" Lillith raised her hand as if answering a question in class. She shrugged when Hamish glared daggers at her.

"That's not-" Hamish hesitated. Looking around the room he could tell that he didn't have the moral high ground in this situation. "- I was just trying to make sure she was ok. I thought if I followed her when she went out at night I wouldn't feel so…" He trailed off.

"And... has that been working?" Randall asked.

Hamish shook his head, his face sombre.

"Ok." Randall breathed. He clapped his hands together, startling everyone in the room. They needed to come up with a game plan fast, before Hamish totally lost the plot or Vera noticed that their fearless leader had been MIA for weeks and decided to erase all of their memories.

"Right. Bela is leaving for summer break at the end of the week. She'll be in LA, nowhere near us or anyone from The Order. You need to make a decision. Either you declare your undying love, or you let her go. For real this time."

Hamish stared at Randall. His face wrinkled as he tried desperately to think of a third option. After a moment he nodded, just once.

Randall's expression softened. "It's for the best Haim, for both of you."

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "Whatever you choose, we'll support you."

Lilith mutely took a seat next to Hamish, placing her hand on his arm. He gave her hand a grateful squeeze, drawing what little strength he could from his friend.

He had a decision to make.