Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I make her do or say."

So, in order to avoid making the last chapter insanely long (at least in my opinion), I opted for doing this bit as an intermission. Kind of how I did in Season 5b. Just a heads up.

Also, when I wrote this story previously, I gave a warning. This is where Naomi Bennett first comes into play, the first time we see her. And it's not pretty. So if the idea of a parent losing their mind, attacking their children... if anything like that is too much for you, then I suggest skipping it. Jump down to the next line break, or just look for the part where Jordan is picking Nixie up to take her back to the car, if you don't want to skip all that far ahead. You have been warned!

Also, I reveal the last portion of the dead pool in this chapter. I just wanted to go ahead and reveal that the individual that I took out, in order to put Nixie in, was the name Angelique Fain. It was hard to pick who had to go, but somebody had to. So, just FYI, she's not there anymore.

Sorry for the interruption. Enjoy!

Chapter 7: Intermission

Jordan isn't sure what's happening right now. He just knows it can't be good.

He'd told Nixie she had ten minutes with Meredith, and she technically still had three left. But orderlies were running around now. Frantic, like they were trying to find something. Or someone. And Nixie was still in the building, which was definitely not good.

Frowning deeper, he decides to hell with the other three minutes. Turning to Stiles and Lydia, he says, "I'm gonna go get her. Head to the car and we'll be out soon." But as he moves to go and find her, towards the left of the building this time, though he's not sure why he thinks that's the best way to go right now, he glances back when he hears Stiles and Lydia following him. Looking at them again, he asks, "Really?" Stiles flails and says, "Yes, really! I'm not standing outside beside your cop car while there's a chance Nixie is in here, getting attacked and hurt by some psychotic nut in this place! Hell no!"

Jordan stares at both of them for a second, and then sighs and says, "Just… stay behind me. And stay close. No wandering off." They both nod to that, and then follow as Jordan leads the way down several halls, trying to locate Nixie.

Meanwhile, Nixie rounds a sharp turn and stops just around it, leaning back against the wall to try and catch her breath. It had been a long time since she'd had to run from her mother. She'd forgotten just how fast that woman could be. And she has a new cut on her left side, from where Naomi had managed to catch her with the knife once. It wasn't deep, by any means, and might not even leave much of a scar, if it left one at all.

Sighing in relief, thankful for that, Nixie freezes up again when she hears Naomi shout, "Sweetheart?! Where are you?! Come out, come out, wherever you are! You know you want to play!" For a moment, Nixie presses back harder against the wall, trying to sink into it. Closing her eyes, she listens for any sounds Naomi might be making, trying to determine where she should go next to get the hell out of this place.

That's when Brunski appears from another hall. He passes by Nixie in a flash, not even seeing her, and then faces Naomi and says, "Ah! There you are, Naomi. Come on. Let's get you back to your room." Naomi hisses at him, actually hisses, before saying, "I don't want to sleep. I want to play! She's here, and I want to play!"

Nixie doesn't have to look to know that the sound of a metal object slicing through the air was made by Naomi, trying to slice at and cut Brunski. Which… okay, Nixie wasn't going to cry over, if it happened.

But then, Nixie's eyes snap open when she hears Brunski curse and say, "Alright, that's it! I don't care what the damn agreement says. It's high time we put you down!" And Nixie gasps when she hears the sound of electricity crackling from the hall. Brunski had an electrified baton, and he was planning on using it on her mother. And Nixie had been on the receiving end of those before.

And as crazy as her mother might be, hell would freeze over, before Nixie let Brunski touch her with that thing.

Jordan was at the other end of the hall, watching this mad woman and Brunski fight and argue. And even though she did seem nuts and she was the one carrying the knife, he wasn't about to let Brunski just up and shock her to death. Drawing his gun, he motions for Lydia and Stiles to stay back while he handles this.

But the voice that shouts, "NO!" It's not his. Brunski turns in surprise, but isn't anywhere near fast enough to stop her as Nixie launches at him. Knocking one knee out from under him, kicking him in the gut and then slamming his head against the wall nearby, she drops him on the ground like a sack of potatoes.

With him out of the way, Nixie looks up at her mother, only to find Naomi already trying to charge at Nixie again. Spinning out of Naomi's way, holding up her hands in a peaceful gesture, Nixie says, "Mom, look at me." "Come on, sweetheart! Let's play!" "Look at me! Please!" Naomi charges again, but Nixie dodges. Grabbing her and slamming Naomi against the wall, pinning her there as well as she can, Nixie screams, "Look at me! Remember me! Mom, please!" "I WANT TO PLAY!"

She kicks off the wall, forcing Nixie back, and then Naomi trips her and pounces on top of her. Finding a new grip on her knife, lifting it with both hands, she smiles insanely down at her daughter. Nixie pleads, "Mom! Please!" "LET'S PLAY!"

And at this point, Nixie was braced for it. It was a sad and wrong fate, to be killed by her own mother, after all she'd faced in the past two and a half years. But as she was trying to fend her off, Nixie was honestly still braced and prepared for it, all the same.

Which is why it was so shocking that, one minute Naomi was preparing to plunge the knife into Nixie's chest… and in the next, she suddenly wasn't there anymore. Sitting up, feeling Naomi's body weight suddenly leave her, Nixie looks in surprise to see Jordan grabbing hold of her. The knife is soon discarded on the floor, kicked away, and then Jordan pins Naomi against the wall, pinning her wrists behind her back. With his other arm, he presses against the back of her shoulders and neck, and then glances over at Nixie.

She was just staring at them, and visibly shaking a bit from what had just happened. Then she jumps when Brunski manages to get back to his feet. Glaring at Nixie, he says, "You bitch! You…" But Jordan quickly snaps, "Hey!" Brunski looks over to him, and before he can say anything else, Jordan demands, "You want to explain to me why one of your patients is out freely roaming the halls and attacked one of my material witnesses? Or, should I ask the better question, and have you explain why you were planning to kill her?"

Brunski stares at Jordan for a moment. And then, though clearly not happy about it, he comes over and takes custody of Naomi. With another guard coming to join him, they wrangle her back up the hall, all the while she's screaming, "But she's here! I want to play! Sweetheart! Tell them you want to play!"

Nixie is frozen on the floor. So much so, that she doesn't even jump, or react at all, when Stiles asks from behind her, "Did you just call her mom? Nixie? Your…" But before he can keep badgering her, Jordan holds up a hand to him so he stops.

Her hands were clenching and unclenching again, and there were tears welling in her eyes, though she was clearly trying to hold them back. And her breathing was labored, as though she couldn't catch her breath, no matter what she did.

This is what she'd been so afraid of since they'd first arrived here. This is what Brunski had been talking about. This is why he'd called her Bennett, rather than Haven. Because Nixie's mother… she was actually a patient in Eichen House. A patient that most definitely needed to be there.

And her own mother had just tried to murder her.

Bending down to her height, Jordan slips a hand under her chin and gently turns her to face him. For a while, they don't say anything. He just looks at her, reading the emotions running across her face. Terror, fear, and sorrow… enough to break his heart for her, ten times over.

And when she finally speaks, Jordan hardly recognizes the soft voice that comes out, as Nixie says, "I… I forgot. I forgot how bad she was. How bad she could be."

Jordan doesn't ask her to explain it right now. He doubts that even if he, or even if her friends asked anything, that she'd even be able to speak to try and answer. And as Stiles looks like he might try to say something to her again, Jordan looks up at him and shakes his head sharply.

Nixie jumps a bit when Jordan's arm moves behind her back. Glancing up at him, she gives him a confused look. Jordan just takes her left hand and lifts her arm so it wraps back behind his neck. Then he slips his other arm beneath her legs and says, "Just hang on. I've got you." Lifting her up off the floor, cradling her close, he looks to Lydia and Stiles and says, "Let's go. We need to get back to the station."

The ride back is completely silent. Even Stiles doesn't know what to say. He only has questions… and Jordan had made it quite clear that neither of them were to ask Nixie anything right now.

As they pull up to the station, Jordan keeps the car running, the windshield wipers sweeping away the sudden rain that had begun falling as they left Eichen. So strange, since he recalls not a cloud being in the sky when they'd first arrived.

Finally, after a while of everyone just sitting there, Stiles says from the back, "I'll… I'll get Lydia home. We'll work on figuring out the code… some other way." Jordan watches Nixie out of the corner of her eye, seeing her nod just a bit at that. Then she closes her eyes when Stiles adds, "And… tomorrow. Tomorrow we're going to talk about… about all of this, Nixie."

She just nods again, and then Stiles leans forward between the seats. Putting a gentle hand on her shoulder, he says, "Hey. Nix, look at me." She turns slightly, a few tears still falling down her cheeks. For a moment, Stiles just looks back at her with new eyes. He'd never seen her so hurt before. This wasn't terror, like when he or any of the rest of them were in danger and Nixie was scared of losing them. No… this was sorrow. A sorrow that ran so deep, it was unfathomable.

And she had been carrying it alone for so long. Even before she had met him and Scott.

Squeezing her shoulder gently, Stiles says, "You always… always tell us that you have us. That you are going to take care of us, and that you have us." Nixie nods, and then offers him a small smile when Stiles says, "Now I have you. It's going to be okay, Nix. I promise. You hear me?" Nodding again, resting her cheek on his hand, Nixie whispers, "Okay."

Lydia reaches up to touch her too, and then kisses her cheek before leaving the car with Stiles and heading back home.

For a while, Jordan lets the silence continue between them. Nothing but the rain making any sound at all between them. Glancing over at her again, he finds that she's calmed slightly. Still worried, and still exceptionally sad… but calmer. Which also means easier to talk to.

"Nixie?" She tilts her head to let him know she hears him, and though she doesn't speak, Jordan takes it as a sign that he can continue talking. "That was your mom?" She nods once. And before Jordan can speak again, she asks softly, "Do you like the rain?" Jordan pauses for a moment, and then says, "Yeah. Yeah, I like it alright." Nixie nods again and says, "I like rain. I like the sound of it falling. It's kind of peaceful, in a way. Soothing. You think?"

Jordan nods again, and then just waits. Finally, Nixie takes a breath and says, "She… Her name is Naomi. Naomi Bennett. And she is the greatest woman I will ever know. She took care of me until I was… about eight or nine. She… started having episodes when I was about five or six. They don't… no one could ever tell me what was wrong or what happened. Something's just… broken in her mind. Something snapped. And whatever it was; it turns her into that."

Taking another breath, Nixie says, "Back then… she still had moments of clarity. I could scream at her; yell for her to wake up and things like that. I could beg her to see me… and eventually she would. But… she got worse. A lot worse. It turned into a thing where, it wasn't just episodes of her being like that. It was days where I would have to lock myself in my room… waiting for my mom to come back."

Wiping at her eyes in frustration, Nixie says, "One of the last times I saw her sane, she sentenced herself to Eichen House. She'd been working on it for a while, having all the papers drawn up with a special lawyer that could easily spot when she was sane. She made it so she can only ever be released if three different and separate psychiatrists look her over and all deem her cured, healthy, and fit for society again."

She turns to look at him, finding patient eyes watching her, and she says, "She… made me change my name. Didn't want me associated with whatever was wrong with her. Didn't want anyone else to find out that I was her daughter. And she… she made it so I couldn't even come to visit her. She never wanted me to see her like that. Not ever." Eyebrows coming together as she thinks back, Nixie adds, "I… I had honestly forgotten. Just how… how awful it could be to see her like that. To see her and know who she can be, who she really is… and yet not be able to reach her."

Silence takes over again, until Jordan asks gently, "And that's why Brunski said you had to be gone?" Nixie nods, "She never even wanted me to enter the building. I'm never supposed to see her." Jordan nods, and then asks, "And you've never mentioned her? Not to anyone? Not Stiles, Scott… anyone?" She shakes her head and says sadly, "She… she forbid it. I think it's even in writing… somewhere. I'm never supposed to tell anyone. Or… I wasn't. Can't really help it now."

Jordan nods in understanding, and then says, "Then I forgive you for not mentioning it before we went down there." Nixie looks up at him in surprise for a moment, and then smiles a little before letting out a tiny laugh. He smiles gently in kind, and then asks, "Are you alright?" Nodding, Nixie sighs and says, "Yeah. I mean… I feel rather shitty at the moment. I don't think I could ever do anything to really be prepared for that. But… I'm fine. This isn't brand new to me. I know what she was… what she is. I just… guess I needed to be reminded."

For a moment, Jordan just watches her again. And yeah, she looked like she'd be okay. In a little while… maybe. Probably by morning, she'd be alright again. But right now.

Hell no. And he wasn't about to let her go back to her apartment, sitting with herself all alone, after what had just happened.

Nixie blinks in surprise when he puts the car in reverse while asking, "You hungry?" As he pulls away from the station, Nixie says, "Um… well, yeah. I'm starving, actually. But…" Jordan cuts her off, saying, "Good. Because I don't mean to brag, but I'm quite a good cook. Well… descent enough, anyway."

Nixie stares at him for a moment, and then asks, "Wait… where are we going?" Glancing over at her, he says, "My house." "Oh, Jordan. You don't have to do that. I can…" Jordan gives her a look and says, "Don't argue with me, Nixie. Not tonight. You've had a very long day, and I can't just let you leave to go home by yourself after what happened tonight."

Heading them down the road, he says, "So, we're going to my house. And you are going to eat something… a sufficient meal for a change, since you seem to hardly ever give yourself real time to eat." He grins when Nixie finally laughs, and then he adds, "And maybe, if you behave yourself, I'll bring you back in the morning for your bike."

Eyes widening at little at his words, Nixie says sarcastically, "Oh, I'm always on my absolute best behavior." And Jordan's eyes widen so much, that Nixie can't help it. She bursts into laughter beside him, causing Jordan to chuckle.

Then, the last bit of what Jordan said hits Nixie. The part where he would bring her back for her bike in the morning. Which meant… he intended for her to remain at his house tonight.

Purely because he was an officer, performing his duty, trying to keep her safe and make sure she was alright. That was all it was. Of course. And yet… Nixie's heart starts racing at the thought of it.

Lord help her. It really was turning out to be an incredibly long and interesting day.

He pulled into the garage beside his house and had Nixie remain in the car until he could come around and open the door for her.

Nervous… was an understatement. If he were bringing anyone else into his home, he would've been fine. He rarely cared what people thought of his home, or of him. There were very few people he knew whose opinions really mattered to him.

But Nixie was most certainly one of them, even when they were in disagreement.

He opens the door leading in from the garage, and then says, "So… this is home. It's not much, but…" Nixie scoffs and says, "Compared to my apartment, this is an oasis." Chuckling, he gives her a brief tour so she knows where the bathroom is, the living room, and the kitchen. The kitchen is where they stay, Nixie sitting at the counter in the middle of the room while Jordan checks in his pantry for a moment to see what he has.

He would make her something better, if it weren't already so late. But she needed to eat, and he wanted to be quick about it, because she was finally getting a tired look in her eyes. So, in that light, he comes back out with a can of sauce and a box and asks, "You like spaghetti?" Holding her hands open in a wide gesture, she asks in return, "Who doesn't like spaghetti?" Laughing, he sets the pot of water on the stove to boil. Then he comes to her side and says, "You know… I'm not sure I appreciate the sarcastic tone. I think I might feel offended."

But his grin tells Nixie there's no chance of that. Smiling back at him, she says, "Sorry. But you brought me here, so you should've known. Sarcasm is part of the awesome package that happens to be me. I was trained rather well." Chuckling, Jordan asks, "By who, exactly?" "Stiles, of course." "Right. Yeah, he would be the one."

He sets the sauce in a pot to heat up, and then comes back to lean across from the other side of the counter. Watching her for a moment, he then asks, "Favorite school subject?" Nixie raises an eyebrow, but then smiles and says, "Um… wow, that's tricky. I don't really have one favorite. Though, I guess biology would be one of the favorites. But… I have more of a least favorite." "And that would be history." "Right!"

Jordan checks on the water for a moment, and then turns back when Nixie asks, "So… where did you come from? Before you came to Beacon Hills, I mean." Leaning against the counter again, he says, "I'm actually originally from Virginia." Eyes widening, Nixie says, "Wow. That's… wow, that's literally the complete opposite side of the country. How on earth did you get here?" "Well, like I said. I stared in Virginia. Then I served two tours in the Army. And when I came back stateside… I went to the police academy in Colorado. I had an old college roommate that let me stay with him for a while. After I got back from the Army I… needed some space."

Nixie nods in understanding, and then Jordan says, "After that, I got my first job in Colorado, then moved to take a better position in Nevada. And then, I found my way here, to Beacon Hills." Tilting her head, Nixie asks, "Why'd you leave Nevada though?" Jordan ponders that, and then says, "I just… kind of felt called to come here. Besides, I looked at the statistics on this town, and it seemed like the place for me to be. A place that needs all the help it can get."

Nixie doesn't comment to him saying he felt 'called to come here'. That… was maybe the Nemeton's doing, since Jordan was apparently some supernatural creature. But, she does let out a huff of laughter while saying, "Yeah. Well, we most certainly do need a lot of help." Jordan nods to that, and then checks the water again.

After dumping in the noodles to cook, he comes back and asks, "So… you have plans for after high school? Plans for college?" Nodding, Nixie says, "Lydia and I are both applying for Stanford." Smiling, Jordan says, "That's a top rate school. Any idea what you guys will major in?" "Oh, Lydia will probably double major in the science and mathematics. I seriously can't fathom how there is so much room in her brain for all the stuff she just knows. As for me… I'm not sure yet." Nodding, Jordan gently rests his hand over her now fidgeting one. "There's nothing wrong with not knowing yet. You're a junior in high school. You've got time."

But as he turns back to the stove, he doesn't miss when she whispers, "But do I really? Seems every day some new threat arrives, threatening to kill all of us."

He stirs the noodles, and is about to come back and ask her what that was about… but Nixie's eyes are roaming over his entire house, and then she says, "You should paint a wall in here though." Blinking in surprise, he asks, "Why?" "Because everything is the same. It's all tan, everywhere. Even the counter is a tan sort of stone. It's too much. You need some color. A splash of pink, right over there, would be perfect."

And as the smirk appears on her face, Jordan just laughs and says, "I'm not painting any part of my house pink." "Ah, come on, Jordan!" Shaking his head, he drains the pasta and then serves up two plates of spaghetti. Putting one in front of her, he listens when she says, "I was just kidding though. I hate pink. But you could paint this wall behind us a nice yellow or something. Seriously, just one wall that isn't tan. The whole place would look more alive."

Handing her a fork, he then crosses his arms and asks, "What exactly are you trying to say? That I'm boring?" Eyes widening a little, she exclaims, "Not you! Just the walls in your house! Geez, don't get so emotional."

Nixie sticks fork into her spaghetti and is about to eat a bite, when Jordan pokes her in the side as a reprimand for calling him boring.

It was meant to be quick, and then over and done. But Nixie jumped and then couldn't completely hide the squeak of surprise and laughter that followed. She stays there after that, frozen, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

The smirk that appears on his face spells trouble, and Nixie quickly says, "No. Do not. I am seriously…" But as he comes at her, she shoots back off the stool she was sitting on in a flash, and then lets out a yelp of laughter when he continues coming after her anyway.

She was squirrely, he'd give her that. It was his house, and yet she managed to jump his couch, squeeze past open doors, and spin past him in a circle; evading him at almost all turns. But… it was still his house, and he knew it better. Nixie finally ran herself into a corner, and before she could backtrack, he had her pinned there, tickling her sides. She shrieked at first, and then dissolved into laughter while trying to shove his hands away.

It was when she reached out to try and tickle him in return that he finally quit. Gripping her wrists, pinning them gently on either side of her head, he lets out a chuckle before taking a deep breath and saying, "You're hard to catch." Laughing, Nixie says, "Yeah. I've been trained by the best. You did good though. You're terrible for making me run around like that… but you did good." "Oh, I'm terrible, am I?" "Yep. Without question."

But she's laughing, so he takes no offense at her words. His thumbs at her wrists begin rubbing in gentle circles against the inside of her wrists. Sighing, Jordan teases, "Well… that's what you get for insulting a man's home." "I wasn't insulting it! I was making a suggestion! A very strong suggestion!"

He raises an eyebrow at her, but Nixie just smiles and shrugs again. And they stay that way for a minute… Jordan's thumbs rubbing gentle circles, and Nixie not fighting him to get off the wall.

Jordan had known this would happen. Nixie was good; very good, at keeping things bottled up. But he'd known this would happen eventually. It's why he hadn't let her go home alone tonight. Because it didn't actually matter that she was perfectly aware that her mother was broken. It didn't matter that Nixie knew her mother might try to kill her if they saw each other again.

It didn't matter… because the fact remained that she had still nearly been killed tonight. And if that were all, then that part might not have phased her. He'd seen too often how close to death she and all of her friends came, and that never seemed to really affect them. But this… the fact that it would've been her mother that had killed her. That was the thing that was upsetting for Nixie. That was the thing that had her breathing shakily once again, and her hands trembling a bit.

And now Nixie struggles a little, before asking, "Um… can I have my hands back?" But as he watches the tears build a bit in her eyes, he shakes his head and says, "No, Nixie. Not yet." Biting her lip, she ducks her head down and says, "Please. I… I don't want…"

He doesn't let go, but he does pull her off the wall. Drawing her arms so they wrap around his waist, he wraps his arms around her and says, "I know you don't like falling apart, Nixie. I get that, I really do. But… every now and then… this is what you need." Cradling her head against his chest, he can't help himself. He presses a kiss to the top of her head and says, "So let go, Nixie. Just for a few minutes, let it all go. I promise it'll be okay. I'll be right here, making sure you don't fall. It's okay. Just let it go."

The first sob comes out of her as if torn from her body. Her shoulders jerk harshly from trying so hard not to. But after that, it becomes a flood that never stops. Her hands find purchase against his back, clinging to him as if he was the only thing keeping her grounded in reality. And Jordan just keeps a tight hold on her, resting his cheek on top of her head, whispering to her softly to comfort her, and to hopefully soothe the ache he knows she must be feeling.

When he feels her legs begin shaking, he removes one arm from around her. Shifting gently, slipping her arms around his neck once more, he bends down enough to scoop her legs out from under her, and then carries her to the living room couch. Sitting down, keeping her against him, he rubs one hand up and down her arm, trying to warm her suddenly even colder body.

The rain outside has begun pouring even harder than before, which Jordan still can't understand. But if Nixie liked the rain… then he was grateful for its presence.

It takes a while, but she finally settles down again. Sighing against Jordan's chest, she says, "Sorry." He just squeezes her tighter and says, "Don't apologize, Nixie. It's not your fault." She nods a bit, and then lets out a tiny huff of laughter before saying, "Geez. Now I'm tired." Smiling, Jordan says, "Come on. You need to eat something first. Then we'll get you to sleep." She nods in response, and doesn't argue when he carries her back into the kitchen.

He sticks their plates in the microwave for a bit, and then sits them back on the table. As Nixie takes a bite, she sighs and says, "This is good." Smiling gently, Jordan says, "It's not much, but thank you. I slaved a whole twenty or so minutes over the stove to hear you say that." Laughing, Nixie says, "Well, consider it a success then." "Thank you."

Once it's all gone, Jordan finds a pair of sweatpants and another old police academy t-shirt for her to put on to sleep in. In the bathroom, as she takes off her own shirt, she finds the blood stain from when her mom had cut her with the knife. It was small, barely even noticeable, compared to other times. But she would definitely need to wear something else tomorrow when she went to see Lydia.

Maybe Jordan would let her keep this shirt as well.

When she's ready and out of the bathroom, Jordan leads her into the bedroom. And he chuckles when she quickly tells him that she's not about to kick him out of his own bed. He'd suspected as much of an argument from her. So he told her it was a spare room, and she calmed and climbed into bed.

He was tucking her in, making sure she was comfortable, and was about to leave, when she put a gentle grip on his wrist. Drawing it in, holding his hand close to her, her eyes droop tiredly as she says, "Stay. Just a minute. Please? Just… just till I fall asleep." Smiling softly at her, Jordan takes a seat on the edge of the bed and says, "Whatever you need, Nixie."

It doesn't take her long. She was exhausted. And as soon as Jordan hears her breathing even out, he stands up from the bed and carefully extracts his hand from her grip. And before he can hesitate or overthink it, he leans over and presses another kiss to the top of her head. Brushing some of her hair from her face, he whispers, "Goodnight, Nixie."

In his own living room, in a different pair of sweatpants, he removes his uniform shirt and the t-shirt he'd been wearing underneath. Then he settles down on the couch to go to sleep.

He didn't have a spare room. The room meant to be a spare bedroom was what he used for extra storage, and it didn't even have an extra bed in it. But he was not about to actually have Nixie sleep on the couch. Hell no.

Yawning, he grabs a blanket from the back of the couch, and is already almost asleep, when his phone rings. Answering, he says, "This is Parrish." "Deputy Parrish? This is a courtesy call from Eichen House. We just wanted to inform you that Meredith Walker has committed suicide tonight. We found her an hour ago in her room. We understand you were questioning her about a murder investigation, and we understand that this will make things harder on your case."

Blinking in surprise, Jordan asks, "Suicide? Are you sure?" "Yes sir, quite." Sighing, he says, "Um… thank you, for the information. I'll be sure to tell the sheriff, first thing in the morning." "Goodnight, deputy."

After hanging up, Jordan sits there, trying to understand why that would've happened. Nixie was the last person with Meredith. And though he'd given her ten minutes, he knows she would've never left at all, if she hadn't thought that Meredith would be fine. You probably couldn't have dragged Nixie away, if she'd thought Meredith was even close to suicidal. So… in light of that… what the hell?

Then his phone rings again, and Jordan answers, "This is Parrish." "Jordan! It's Lydia. Listen, we need to go back to Eichen House." Blinking in surprise again, Jordan asks, "What? Why?" "Because I figured out the last cipher key. I have the rest of the dead pool. And Meredith's name is on it. We have to warn her. She needs…" Jordan cuts her off gently by saying, "Lydia, listen to me for a minute."

And because he can't really think of a nice way to break this to her, he sighs and says, "Lydia… Meredith's gone." "What… what are you talking about?" "Lydia, she's gone. They found her about an hour ago in her room. She hung herself." When Lydia doesn't respond to that, Jordan says gently, "I'm sorry."

More silence, and Jordan is a little worried and is about to ask if Lydia's even still there. But then Stiles gently takes the phone from Lydia and says, "Thanks, Parrish. I've got her." Nodding, Jordan hangs up, and then figures he'd better go ahead and call Noah to let him know what happened.

After that, he settles back down on the sofa and closes his eyes. The day had been too long, and he needed to rest. Plus, he was hoping to wake up before Nixie did in the morning. Heaven help him if she figured out that he'd slept on the couch while she slept in the bed.

At Lydia's house, after Stiles had managed to calm her down after learning about Meredith, they both sit in front of the computer, looking at the rest of the dead pool. Why? Because Meredith Walker's name, along with Liam Dunbar's, wasn't the most shocking of names they'd actually seen on the list. It went as follows…

SATOMI ITO – 9

MALIA HALE – 3

LIAM DUNBAR – 2

MEREDITH WALKER – 1

LIZ MOORE – 1

PATRICK CLARK – 1

BREE LEVERETT – 250

KAITLYN SCHAAR – 250

GENEVIVE CARY – 250

LORILEE ROHR – 250

BRITTANI KEGLEY - 250

NIXIE HAVEN – 25

Lydia and Stiles stare at that last name for a long while. Not only was it Nixie, who shouldn't even be on the list. But… she was worth a lot. She was worth the same as Scott, who was a true alpha.

Shaking his head, Stiles says, "It… doesn't…" But try as he might, he couldn't honestly say that it didn't make any sense. Nixie could hear what she shouldn't be able to. Sure, she'd always been able to do that… but she still shouldn't be able to, if she were just human. And she was always cold, entirely too cold, for just a normal human being. And her glare… well, maybe that could just be chalked up to everyone knowing that she was more than willing to kick the ass of anyone that didn't leave her friends the hell alone.

He didn't want it to make sense. Lydia didn't either. Neither of them wanted Nixie to be on this list. But she was. And she was worth a lot. And somebody was going to try and kill her, same as they were everybody else.

Finally, after a moment more of silence, Lydia says, "We don't tell her." Stiles glances at her and says, "She won't like that." "I don't care. We'll… we'll tell her later. Not now. Certainly not tonight. Not after… after everything. No… we'll just, we'll wait a while." "How long?"

Taking in a breath, staring at her best friend's name, Lydia says, "I don't know. I just… I don't know."

Nixie lets her head drop down onto the counter when Kira asks, "So, wait? Your mom is a patient at Eichen?" Lifting her head, she says, "Yes." Silence is the response she gets over the phone. In the interest of only having to explain it once, Stiles had put through everyone in a conference call on the phones, so everyone was listening at the same time.

Finally, Scott asks over the line, "Why didn't you tell us?" Running a hand through her hair, Nixie says, "I was never supposed to tell anyone. It's part of whatever agreement she had her lawyer put together before she signed herself into the facility. I was too little to really understand it all at the time. I just know I wasn't supposed to say anything."

Lydia sighs and says, "Well, from now on, the secrets have to stop. And I mean about everything, Nixie. Understood?"

Nixie knows that Lydia is referring more to the scars on her body than anything else… and Nixie feels certain that Lydia will make that known to everyone at some point. But for now… the thing that comes to Nixie's mind first is the fact that… well, that she's homeless.

She compares the two in her mind, and decides that for now, she'd definitely rather deal with them finding out she was homeless. For her, that one seems like the one people would freak out about the least. It's also the easier problem to fix. So she says, "Fine. In the interest of that, we all need to get together later to talk about another secret of mine. But that can wait until after you guys take the PSATs."

Another pause follows that, and then Scott says, "Fine." Then Stiles cuts in, "But just so I can be aware, are you about to tell us that you're some sort of supernatural creature too, and you just never told us?" Blinking in surprise, Nixie says, "Um… no. Why would you even think that? I definitely would've already told you guys about that. Considering everything else we deal with on a daily basis; that would probably seem like a rather normal issue to bring up. So why…"

Stiles cuts her off, and she can practically see him flailing his arms as he says, "What? I'm not allowed to speculate and wonder about stuff like that?! We have assassins to deal with people! Assassins! I'm allowed to speculate."

Grinning and rolling her eyes, Nixie says, "Fine, you're allowed to speculate. But no, I'm not supernatural. Anyways… now, someone else go. Scott… I remember you had something to tell me. Is that a thing still?" A pause, and then Scott says, "No, not a thing anymore. And because I know you're going to ask, yes, Liam is fine. And I already said that. Five times." "Well, nobody called me last night to inform me! That is definitely information that should be given immediately!"

Everyone laughs a little at that, and then Nixie asks, "Malia. How's Braeden? Do you know?" Malia answers, "She's not dead, which is good, I guess. Derek is staying with her, which is why he's not on the call. Also, Derek wanted me to tell you that Satomi wasn't among the dead members of her pack. So, she might still be alive somewhere." Nodding to herself, Nixie says, "Good."

Then Lydia says, "Um… well, I have two things. One is… well, it's good and bad, I guess. I figured out the rest of the list. I'll send you a picture later. I already sent one to Scott."

And in truth, Nixie was the last person called to attend this conference call. Stiles had gotten everyone else on it first, including Derek at the time, and had explained to all of them that Nixie was the last name on the list, and that she was worth the same as Scott. And everyone had also been told not to mention anything about it to Nixie. Lydia had already edited the picture she'd send, so Nixie wouldn't receive her own name, and so she wouldn't see that Malia was actually on the list as 'Malia Hale'. They would worry about what she was later. Hopefully after they'd taken care of all the assassins.

Nixie nods and says, "Great. I knew you could do it, Lydia." "Thanks Nix. And the other thing is… um…" She takes a breath, and then says, "Meredith is dead." Nixie freezes at that and asks, "What?" Nodding, Lydia says, "I called Jordan last night to tell him that we needed to warn her about being on the dead pool. But he had apparently gotten a call not too long before that, and they told him that she'd hung herself in her room."

Frowning deeply, Nixie shakes her head and says, "No. That… doesn't make any sense. She was fine when I left. I never would've left if she hadn't been fine. She…" Lydia says, "I know. And Stiles and I both figured that, so we think…" Sighing, Nixie pinches the bridge of her nose while saying, "Someone got to her first. Great. Just freaking great."

More silence, and then Nixie asks, "Anybody else got anything to add to these glorious revelations." Everyone says no, so Nixie says, "Then good luck on your tests today, guys. I know you're all going to do great. You too, Malia. Don't stress." "Thanks, Nixie." And after everyone says their own little goodbye into the conference call, Nixie hangs up and then turns to face the living room, which is across from the kitchen.

When she'd woken up earlier, she'd had half a mind to kick Jordan off the sofa and into the floor. Simply for the fact that he'd lied to her. He didn't have a spare room. He was on the couch. But then he would've been awake, and she would've had to hide in his bathroom to have this conference call with her friends, and she wasn't in the mood for that. So… she let him continue sleeping.

And as she walks around the couch to see him again, she admits that he looks rather peaceful in his sleep. Handsome too, but that wasn't new information. He was handsome all the time. Literally, Nixie thought he was, all the time.

Lord help her. She was going to get herself in a lot of trouble one day.

She briefly considers waking him up now… but then decides against it. Instead, she goes back to the kitchen, digs around in his fridge and cabinets, and finds bacon, eggs, and biscuit mix. Nixie wasn't what she'd call a great cook. She could get by, and no one complained about the food she made when she made it. But when it came to breakfast… Nixie knew what she was doing. It was the most important meal of the day. And even if she did have to settle for just eating a protein bar… she always managed to eat some type of breakfast.

When she's nearly finished with the food, she comes back to the living room and stands by the couch for a minute. She pondered briefly, simply shaking Jordan awake, making it a rather peaceful wake-up call. But then she remembered she was annoyed with him, so instead she kicks the sofa, jostling it and him.

Jumping a bit, he glances around and then looks up at her, arms crossed over her chest and eyes narrowed as she's looking down at him. "What?" Her eyes, if possible, become sterner, so Jordan straightens up a bit and asks more seriously, "What? What's wrong?" Pointing to him, Nixie says, "Several things are wrong. The first one being that Meredith is dead, and you didn't wake me up to tell me that."

Sighing, Jordan drops his head back onto the pillow for a moment. Lydia must've told her at some point. Looking up at her again, he says, "You were already asleep. I was gonna tell you now, in the morning, after you'd gotten plenty of rest after yesterday."

Then he catches a whiff of cooked bacon, and realizes that she didn't just wake up. Raising an eyebrow, he says, "But you apparently wake up rather early, even without an alarm." Nixie shrugs and asks, "Don't you wake up early?" He chuckles and says, "Not without an alarm. And not when it's my day off."

The sternness of her gaze slips a bit when she hears that she woke him up on his day off. She was at least a little sorry about that. But then she moves her hands to her hips and says, "Well, that just leads us into the next problem I found this morning. You told me I was sleeping in the guest room. If that's true, then why the hell are you on the couch?"

Huffing, Jordan wipes a hand down his face, trying to wake himself up a little bit more, and then answers, "I say again, you wake up entirely too early on a Saturday." "Jordan, that does not explain why…"

He sits up finally, and as the blanket slips down from his chest and pools at his hips, Nixie feels her throat lock up for a moment. Shit, she was in trouble. The man was fine. He was toned and muscled and ripped and… Lord, she was in trouble.

Jordan, oblivious for now, rises to his feet and simply says, "No, I don't have a guest room. Yes, I put you in my bed. I was of the hope that you would get a decent night's sleep after what I'm sure was a rather crummy day, yesterday. And yes, I slept on the couch. It is not nearly as uncomfortable as you seem to think it is."

Leaning closer towards her, he says, "And I'm not sorry for any of that, either." Nixie stares at him for moment, and then says, "You're infuriating." But Jordan just grins at her response, and then glances towards the kitchen. Tilting his head, he asks, "Did you raid my kitchen?" Ducking her head a bit and blushing, she says, "I… sort of. I made breakfast. I figured… I mean… well, I owe you something. Granted, it's still all your own food, but I did all the cooking this time, so you wouldn't have to."

Smiling gently at her, Jordan says, "Well, thank you. I admit, I don't usually eat breakfast." "What?!" And with that, she grabs hold of his hand and drags him into the kitchen, sitting him down to eat, while going into a tirade about how skipping breakfast is an absolutely terrible idea, and one of the worst thing's for you.

For his part, Jordan just sits at the counter and eats what she gives him, watching her walk around in his kitchen, finishing cooking her biscuits and brewing a cup of coffee. Her tirade never stops, even as she sets a biscuit on his plate, more eggs, and also a cup of hot, black coffee. She was fixing a plate for herself when Jordan finally stood up and moved to the coffee pot. Nixie glances over at him and then adds to her tirade, "And it makes you gain weight. There are studies about this, I'm pretty sure. Your body starts trying to store up extra fat and stuff because when you skip breakfast, your body begins to think that you're starting to starve."

Jordan nods to show he's listening, and as he pulls down another mug from the cupboard, he says, "I just don't usually have time to make breakfast." Scoffing at him, Nixie asks, "Then why do you have bacon?!" Glancing over at her, he answers, "I like bacon."

Nixie narrows her eyes at him, and Jordan grins before saying, "Come on, Nixie. Besides, I work out to keep myself in shape. I have to, or you can't pass the annual fitness tests to remain on the force. I think I'm okay." "You think that now. Wait until a year goes by, and you haven't eaten any breakfast. We'll see if you still have a six-pack then." Jordan glances down at himself, and then pauses for a moment before drawing his eyes back up to her.

She was turning away from him, but her blush was spreading all the way to her neck, so it was impossible to miss.

Yep, she was in trouble. She hadn't meant to say that. Lord, the man was going to be the death of her. She felt like she must look like the twitchiest person alive, with how her hands kept fidgeting. She wanted to touch him, and she seriously could not let herself do that. The man just needs to put a shirt on. She'd regain her sanity if he would just do that. Then she wouldn't be bombarding him with how important breakfast was, and spurting out that she'd seen his six-pack and would probably never forget it.

She's fidgeting around the pan of eggs, trying to make herself look busy, when Jordan reaches around her and puts the mug of coffee on the counter before her. He was entirely too close. Nixie was actually very conscious of the fact that she was holding her breath, praying he'd move away from her soon so she could breathe again.

Still entirely too close, he says gently, "If it concerns you that much, I'll work on trying to eat breakfast as least once every week." Jumping a bit, Nixie says, "That doesn't help. You have to eat breakfast every day. And not having time to cook is no excuse. You can eat protein bars." "Nah. I like bacon too much."

Nixie snaps her head around to look at him, still directly beside her. He grins down at her, and then laughs when she throws up her hands helplessly and says, "I give up." "Doubtful. But nice try." Nixie bites at the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling at that, and then says, "By the way, thanks for the cup, but I can't drink my coffee black." "I am well aware." She glances up at him, and then back at the mug he'd sat before her.

And it wasn't black. And as she leaned closer… she got a whiff of what smelled exactly like the coffee Stiles always made for her. Eyes widening, Nixie looks to Jordan and then says, "You do not! You do not seriously have all of that here!" Jordan shrugs, and then chuckles when Nixie takes a sip and sighs as though she's in heaven. Munching on another piece of bacon, Jordan says, "By the way, this is all wonderful."

Smiling, Nixie says, "Thanks." "Anytime, Nixie."

She's taking another sip of her coffee, a ridiculous smile on her face, when she freezes as Jordan asks, "Now, about my abs. Do you really think I should worry about them?"

And as she nearly chokes on her coffee and Jordan rubs a soothing hand up her back, a deep chuckle escaping his lips, Nixie nods to herself. Because yes, this man was going to kill her.

But hey… at least she'd die happy.

Intermission complete! Chapter 7 to follow as soon as I'm able. Hope you're enjoying it so far. :)