"Sorry about this kid," Charlie said for the fifth time since they began hauling boxes from the spare bedroom to the basement. Chalie's been using it as a storeroom. He'd call it a work out room due to all of the work-out equipment but a lot of it went unused a lot of the time. Now that they knew Bella was coming over sooner, Stiles had to move rooms.
"It's fine, Charlie. She's your kid, that's been her room, it's only right I move. And hey, it's not like you're shoving me off to the basement or the couch. I still get a proper room...I just gotta sleep in a sleeping bag for a while."
"Look, we'll clear out the workout stuff from the spare bedroom but you'll continue to sleep in Bella's room until she gets here. In the meantime, we'll try to find a bed. I know a few good sellers who can give us a good deal." Charlie told him.
"I'm paying. Or my dad is." Stiles replied.
"Like hell. I should have foreseen this. But I didn't. Let me deal with this, okay? I only ask for one thing in turn."
"What's that?" Stiles asked.
"No hitting on my daughter. You're becoming like a son to me and other than I'm not ready for my little girl to start dating, I don't need it getting weird in here."
Stiles laughed a bit, "I've had zero luck in the love department, Charlie. Don't worry. But if it makes you feel any better, I am promising you now...I won't let things get weird."
Charlie managed to find a good bed for a deal the day after, so Stiles was properly settled in the guest room. He even added an Iron Man poster he bought when he went to the local Walmart for new sheets. Just to make it somewhat home and to inspire him with Rule 64, 'If it exists, Tony Stark was able to build it in a cave from a box of scraps'.
His room was still a little bare without his books, figures, and game systems. Since he was going to apply to Forks High, he knew that in a weekend or two, he'll have this room looking much like his old one.
As much as he knew he should put some distance between himself and werewolves, he couldn't help but print out a Lunar Cycle poster and hang it next to his calendar. On said calendar, he's marked when the Full Moon was. Since he still hasn't heard from any of the pack he tells himself that he's only using this to check up on his dad. Call him before to remind him to be careful, and after to make sure he was.
A knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts.
"You okay, kid?"
"Hm? Yeah...just uh...trying to mentally organize what I want my dad to bring me." Stiles lied.
"Right. Anyway. I'm going to pick up Bella. You want to come?" Charlie asked.
"I would love to, but I promised Jake I'd help him with something on the Rez. His other friends are busy and his dad needs a stump removed or something."
"So you'll be at the Black's then?"
"Yeah, but I got my cell with me," Stiles told him.
"If you're going to be in the woods, it won't have the best reception. Try and be back for dinner? I can take you and Bels out to eat."
"You don't have to take me." Stiles felt awkward enough, he didn't want to impose.
"Nonsense...I'm actually begging you here. Talking with you is sorta easy cos you're a guy. Sports and police stuff is what you get...I don't know the first thing about speaking to teenage girls."
Stiles smirked, "And I do?"
"You have a better chance. So help me be a buffer with the reminder of your promise not to flirt with my daughter?"
Stiles laughed at that, "Alright. I'll remind Jake that I gotta be home by a certain time."
Stiles drove the pick-up to the Reserve and tried to let the scenery calm him. It was about a week or so till the next full moon and he couldn't deny that he felt anxious despite being miles and miles away from Beacon Hills. When the mountains interfered with the reception and killed the radio, he lowered his window and let the wind fill in the silence.
Looking over to the forest, he had to blink a few times when he thought he saw a shadow running along the side of the road. He slowed down to a near stop since there weren't any other cars around, but he didn't see anything.
He shook his head and kept driving. He had to remind himself that there were signs on the way over that warned drivers about deer crossing. These woods were home to a lot of wildlife. Still dangerous but very normal and natural wildlife.
"Get it together, Stilinski." He told himself.
And it worked...for a quarter of a smile.
He did a U-turn and made it back to where he thought he saw a shadow and parked the truck. He got out of it and went towards the forest and looked for footprints. Or more precisely, paw prints.
"See Stilinski? No prints. No wolves. There are no wolves in Forks." He told himself out loud as he went back into his truck.
Thankfully there aren't any cameras on the way there so no one knew just how fast he was going.
"Dude, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." Jacob commented as Stiles arrived.
"I'm just really pale," Stiles replied. Hide the pain behind humor and sarcasm. Usually, it went ignored.
Jacob frowned at that, "You sure you're okay?"
"I am...I promise." He lied again. He was getting rather good at it too.
"Well, I don't believe you. But I'm not going to force you...but I'm here if and when you do."
Stiles smiled a bit at that, "Thanks. So, what am I helping with?"
Jacob went to grab the pair of axes. "Putting you to work. Come on."
They needed to collect proper firewood and once he knew which trees were okay to chop down, Stiles began to work. He and Jacob began to work farther and farther apart until Stiles couldn't see him anymore. The work itself helped Stiles unless some stress and pent up feelings, so he may have gotten a bit overzealous. So when he looked up...he was a bit lost.
"Jake!"
No response.
He tried to retrace his footsteps but these were unfamiliar woods. Suddenly he felt like he was being watched. He spun around and he thought there was something in the shadow of his eyes. He gripped his ax tighter as he walked backward until he bumped into something. Or rather someone.
"AHH!" Stiles yelled as he jumped back and lifted his ax to attack
"WHOA! Stiles, it's me!" Jacob cried out as he jumped back too.
Stiles's eyes widen, his heart pounding, and his blood racing...he lowered his ax. "Sorry. I...I thought I heard something out there."
"You wondered off and I got worried. These woods are pretty cool, but can also be dangerous if you get lost. Charlie will kill me if anything happened to you."
"Think we have enough wood? I should probably get back. He's picking up his daughter and we're going out to eat...and maybe I've had enough forest exposure for one day." Stiles said.
"Not scared are you?" Jacob asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Not scared exactly. But some of the bad memories I have of the last year involved a lot of getting lost in the woods. So yeah, I can't say I'm too much of a wood's fan."
"What about the beach?"
"I like the beach," Stiles replied.
"Cool. We like to hosts parties, bonfires. Maybe you and Swan's kid can come to one." Jacob offered.
Stiles smiled at him, "Sure. Well, if Charlie agrees."
They carried their pile of woods and placed them in their proper place before Stiles went into the house to say goodbye to Billy. Giving Jacob another bro-hug, he drove back to town. Again, very glad there weren't any cameras on the way because he drove like a mad man.
Bella was rather ordinary.
Stiles didn't comment on it out loud, but she was. She wasn't ugly but she wasn't a bombshell. She was also very chill. Considering the extremes back in Beacon, she was a welcomed change. They had small talk and the awkwardness between the three of them was clear but as the evening went on and Charlie told them a bit about Forks High. Apparently, the Newton's already chatted to Charlie about Stiles and him joining the lacrosse team.
"You play lacrosse?" Bella asked.
"Yeah. I would make the team but more often than not I stayed on the bench." Stiles replied as he took a bite of pizza.
"I've seen you practice. You're pretty good. You should try out here." Charlie encouraged him.
"I don't know if I should..."
"The lacrosse team here ain't the best, but maybe you'll change that. No pressure, but just think about it okay? A small town can be pretty slow. Being a team might make things less dull."
"I'll think about it," Stiles promised.
"I'll go and cheer you on," Bella told him.
"You planning on trying out for something?" Stiles asked her.
Bella immediately shook her head. "No way. I've got two left feet. No team should be cursed with it."
"Well never say never. You might find something you might like. A book club or science club or something." Stiles suggested.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to see what clubs they have," Bella said.
After that, they eased into a conversation of retelling Bella their fishing trip with Billy and Jacob which resulted in them having to order a pizza afterward because only Billy caught something, but let it go free because it was a bit small.
"Here, this is yours," Stiles said as he handed Bella the keys the next morning.
She frowned at them. "But they're the keys to your truck."
"Correction, your truck. Charlie was gonna fix it up for your visit in the summer. I was an unexpected surprise. I'll help spruce it up while I'm here though."
Bella shook her head and tried to give them back. "You should drive it."
"It's your truck, Bella. My dad will be bringing my Jeep over with some of my stuff this weekend. I'll have my own vehicle, don't worry. Come on, we're gonna be late for our first day." Stiles knew she wanted to argue, which is why he chose his moment well. He grabbed his bag and walked out and get into the passenger's side.
Bella followed soon after and locked up behind her. She sent him a light glare as she got into the driver's seat and drove off to school.
After they found parking and made their way inside, Stiles and Bella felt just about every pair of eyes on them.
"Not creepy at all," Stiles muttered.
She nodded and actually reached out to hold his wrist. He promised Charlie nothing romantic or else would happen, and that wasn't what he felt. The protectiveness he felt for Bella was reminiscent of what he felt for Scott. Thinking about Scott still hurt since he still hasn't gotten back to him and it's been close to a full week since he's moved. He forces the thoughts back as he leads the way to the office.
"Hello, can I help you?" A bubbly woman asked from behind the desk.
"Uh hi. This is Bella Swan and I'm Stiles Stilinski. We're new." Stiles introduced them.
"Ah yes, Swan's kids." She said before typing things up on her keyboard.
Stiles and Bella shared a look before they shrug and didn't correct her. They stood there until something was printed and then she came back up to the counter and handed them each their own piles.
"These are the handbooks of the code of conducts, a map of the school, your lockers and their combinations, and your schedules. If there's any problems, feel free to come by at any time. But such a handsome young man and a beautiful young lady shouldn't have any problems. Now, off to class."
Out in the halls, they shared a look before going into a giggling fit.
"Oh god...I am too snarky and sarcastic for people to be this nice around me." Stiles said.
Bella chuckled, "I'm not cheerful on a regular day, but that was way over the top."
"What's your first class?" Stiles asked her.
Looking through her schedule. "Biology. You?"
"Literature," Stiles replied.
"Guess I'll see you at lunch?" She said as she looked at their schedules side by side.
"On the plus side, I won't have to worry about eating alone. I'll see you there."
Stiles did his best to just smile and be 'normal' with each new class where he had to introduce himself all over again. Part of him thought it was a pretty good way to reinvent himself and start a new as most kids did but...he was still so damn tired. He didn't' know who he wanted to be. So he stuck with the simple, "Hey I'm Stiles from California."
People whispered as he passed by, but rather than mocking or teasing, it was with awe and with pairs of girls they ended in giggles. Still wasn't sure if that was good or bad, but the blushing and slapping themselves made him think...maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
In the class before lunch, he was talked to by...a lot of people. The conversations were the types he expected of being the new kid. 'Where did you come from?', 'why did you move?', 'Is Stiles really your name?'.
The class had a sub who after she took attendance didn't really care what the kids did. So Stiles was pulled into a conversation by a guy named Mike and a girl named Jessica.
"So you're the lacrosse dude, huh?" Mike asked. Stiles raised an eyebrow in question so Mike elaborated, "My parents own the sports shop. In a small town like this, any news is big news."
"Ah. Well, I used to play back in my old school." Stiles replied.
"Look at those muscles, of course you do. Are you going to try out?" Jessica asked, with clear flirtation going on. Even Stiles couldn't be blind to it.
"Uh, people keep telling me to so I might. If I can. I think I'm a bit late for track and field?"
"Try-outs were over the summer, so yeah, sadly," Mike answered.
"Well then, maybe I'll try out for lacrosse just to say I did," Stiles replied easily. He was tempted to be a bit more confident, and he planned to be. But he didn't want to be like Jackson. The more he thought about trying out, a lot of the reason he was benched was that the best players of the team were super-powered teenagers. Here the playing field might be a bit more even, and Stiles might play more if he makes the team. The last thing he wanted was drama...but the way Jessica was giving him googly eyes and Mike was giving him irritated glared, though trying to be discreet, he realized that sometimes in high school...drama was unavoidable.
He stopped by his locker to switch some books around when he felt a shiver run up his spine. He looked around and being the new kid he had many people looking at him. Shaking his head he finished what he was doing before heading towards the cafeteria. The feeling he felt was similar to every time he had been in a dangerous, supernatural adventure with Scott.
Thinking about his adventures with Scott pulled him back to some of those moments of fear and adrenaline. To those horrifying moments he wasn't sure he wasn't going to make it. Even worse...the survivor's guilt he felt because he did.
Then it was gone.
All those memories were still there. Alpha Peter, the Kanima, Derek's wolves, the Alpha Pack, the Oni Demons and his own possessed face smirking back at him. They were all there but the feelings weren't.
"Are you alright?"
Looking over he saw a beautiful blond man with a short girl in a pixie hair cut behind him. Both of them looking with him with curiosity and concern. Fuck. Had he had a panic attack?
"I...yeah. Just...first day jitters. I...my friend's waiting for me, excuse me." He dashed through the line, not paying attention to what he got before he made it over to Bella's table.
She was sitting with Jessica and Mike and some other people. Bella introduced them but he was hardly paying attention.
"Who are they?" He heard Bella asked.
"Hm? Oh, those are the Cullen-Hales." Jessica replied.
Stiles's attention was captivated. "Hale?"
Jessica looked over at him and smirked when she realized she had his attention now too. "Yeah, they're the super mysterious rich kids with perfect grades. They're the adopted children of a doctor. Emmett, Edward, and Alice are Cullens, and Rosalie and Jasper are Hales. They moved here a few years ago. They stick to themselves and almost never interact."
Loners. Rich. Beautiful. Mysterious.
Hales.
Stiles's mind was like a loop after that, and it wasn't good. All of the events, every Hale he's encountered and trying to decide how he should handle this. Miraculously, he made it through to the end of the day. Once the last bell rang he was supposed to meet Bella at the truck. He tried to ignore it so badly but in the end, he gave in and made a call.
"Derek, hey. Look...I know you don't like me. Hell, you're all ignoring me but I have one question I need a simple yes or no to...do you have family up in Washington?" After he left the voicemail, he pocketed his phone and went outside.
He hated that he just froze when he saw it happen. Bella was walking to the truck with her headphones in, a truck was heading her way and the truck tried to stop but it was too slippery and the driver lost control.
"BELLA!" He yelled. Rushing to her, he arrived Bella was safe. The Cullen guy was protecting her and stopping the car. Others were being blocked by the trucks themselves, but Stiles saw it perfectly. As well as the dent the guy left on the other truck.
Not wanting to discuss the supernatural right now, he focused his adrenaline induced fear on the driver.
"What the fuck is the matter with you? You've lived here how long and you can't remember how to drive in this condition?"
"Stiles!" Bella came to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him.
Stiles looked around and couldn't see the Edward guy...super speed huh? Maybe the Hales and Cullens were a pack of mixed wolves. Or some remaining Hales joined the Cullen pack. But he shook his head back into focus, "Are you alright? Come on, let's get you to a hospital."
"I'm fine." Bella insisted but then she groaned when she put some weight on her foot.
"Let's get you checked out." Stiles insisted and helped her into the passenger side. Stiles gave one last look around the parking lot as he tried to find any of the Hales or Cullens, but he spotted neither.
Charlie arrived and was told the same thing Bella and Stiles were told.
She was going to be fine.
She had a few bumps and scrapes, but nothing that'll last. Charlie ripped into the kid and revoked his license, then thanked doctor Cullen. Said doctor came over and introduced himself to Bella. Since Stiles wasn't blood family, he was asked to wait outside once Charlie showed up.
The chat didn't last too long since Dr. Cullen had other patients to see, but he stopped by Stiles.
"Hello. You're the other Swan child correct?"
"Sort of. Sheriff Swan is housing me, but we're not related." Stiles answered. There was a pause before Stiles blurted out, "I know what you are. I know what you all are."
Chapter End Notes
Later in the future, I might make a Teen Wolf/Twilight crossover where it takes place after the events of the books, but right now I think I'll have Stiles go on Bella's journey...but with his usual Stilinski flare.
So, though most Teen Wolf and Twilight fans may know the meanings of the moon phases, I'll just put this here anyway. A Blue Moon isn't referring to the color of the moon, but it's when two full moons happen within the same month. And that's representing Stiles and Bella being in Forks at the same time...the single child of a sheriff dad who is thrusted into the supernatural.
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