"Get Allison," Derek said over his shoulder to Stiles as he pulled Scott off of Ana. Stiles briefly disappeared into the hallway, nearly tripping as he rushed for Allison waiting in the lobby. She met him halfway, passing him without even asking. She already knew.

It took a good three minutes for Scott to calm down, and the sudden and vicious loss of control shook Stiles. He came back in the room, and helped Ana up from where Scott had thrown her to the ground. Sonya held her niece tightly, whispering to her as Ana bit her lip until it bled.

The rest of the pack who'd been waiting nearby in a perimeter came rushing back. What followed was a chaotic cacophony of snarls, confusion, and shouts and it rang painfully in Stiles' newly sensitive ears. He covered them and closed his eyes briefly trying to drown it out before shouting for everyone to shut the fuck up.

There was a lull, but when Derek wolfed out and practically roared, everyone hushed. "That's enough," Derek said, letting the wolf slip away. He glanced at Scott beside him and up to Allison, and she nodded, pulling Scott closer to her and burying her head into her boyfriends' neck. Derek crossed the room until he was staring down at Ana, who looked lost and like she wanted to melt into the floor.

"You know her best. What is she doing?" he asked her, his voice calm.

Ana's face snapped up, confusion playing across her feature. "Is this Marla serious?" Derek asked again.

Ana took a deep breath, and stood a little straighter, but her voice remained quiet, "she's serious. She's more than capable of doing something like this but-" Ana stopped, struggling with something.

"The crazy bitch is fucking with us," Stiles said, the words slipping out almost without him noticing.

Derek glanced over to Stiles but returned to Ana, who was nodding. "Stiles and I set her on fire back at the school. She's injured. Even she couldn't heal to full strength so fast."

"Right," Stiles stood up, his mind racing ahead of him but he was catching up. "She's injured and alone. She said it herself, she wants a pack. She's in unknown territory, although it's clear she's been watching us for some time but… wait. Scott, where is your mom supposed to be right now?"

Scott was slumped against Allison, looking a bit dazed, but responded that she should be at work.

"Ok, so she'd be at the hospital. Could a burned woman just waltz in and take your mom from the middle of the ER?"

Derek tossed his phone to Scott telling him to call the hospital.

Melissa took the clipboard from a man with a bloody rag wrapped around his hand while another nurse tore open a fresh pack of gauze.

"Melissa?" someone called from across the hospital lobby.

"Yeah?"

"It's Scott, he seems pretty upset."

Melissa frowned and quickly grabbed the phone from the other nurse, "Scott? What's wrong?"

Marla watched as Scott and Derek got into the Camero and drove off in the direction of the town border. The rest of the pack left two or three at a time, running off in two groups, heading in the same direction the two alphas were heading in. She grinned. It was almost too easy.

"So…" Stiles said, hoisting himself on top of the examination next to Ana, "What happened again?"

Ana huffed, "you had a plan and it got you killed."

Stiles sighed and poked at the bandage around his gut. "Sounds about right. Hopefully this turns out better." They were alone for the time being, and a quiet moment passed between them.

"I'm sorry," Ana said, breaking the silence.

"What?"

"I'm sorry about… everything," Ana was concentrating on the floor beneath her dangling feet.

Stiles frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Ana, this isn't your fault. If anything, this is my fault. I didn't stop to think, I just led that crazy woman right to you."

Ana shook her head. "I shouldn't have run. I was a coward. I mean, it was so stupid to think I could actually hide forever but-"

"What else could you do? I'd've done the same probably."

"But it has dragged all of these people into my mess. Fuck, you're a werewolf now and that wouldn't have happened if I didn't-"

Stiles laughed, and it made Ana stop mid thought. "Ana, this is stupid. We can keep trying to blame ourselves until we run out of should'ves and could'ves. The werewolf thing? Can I let you in on something? That was gonna happen someday, one way or another."

"What?" Ana asked, her turn to gape at him.

Stiles leaned back, stretching his spine and relieving a stressed spot at the base of his spine. "Yeah. It's not something I really want for myself, but when Scott got bit, somehow I knew it was gonna be my turn eventually. I mean, all the people I hang around with, people that have become family, are all freaking werewolves or something. Except me. I'm the one without the superpowers, always running around trying to save these idiots from themselves or whatever is chasing them this week. I've been doing the only thing I could, playing bait and running off to do some dumb shit that'll likely get me killed so I can keep everyone else alive. And I've been ok with that. I'd die for any of them now. If it keeps them safe it's worth it."

"Is that why you're Batman?" Stiles tilted his head at Ana, and she smiled softly. "The only one without superpowers? Has a complex about saving people and self-sacrificing to a fault?"

He shoved her shoulder gently and declared that he could neither confirm nor deny the accusations. "At least now it'll be harder to die. Also less breakable in general."

"Are your really ok with it?"

"I… don't know. That was scary, earlier. I know Scott was trying to be a good alpha but god it pissed me off. It was like he was completely disregarding what made him an alpha in the first place. It was like a vision of bad, ends-justify-the-means alpha Derek of Christmas past or something."

"Yeah, but I don't blame him. Although he could've redirected his anger a bit," Ana said, wincing.

"He didn't really hurt you did he?"

Ana shook her head. "Just bruised a little I think."

There was a lull in the conversation, and the two sat thinking for what felt like a long time. Eventually though, they both heard commotion outside the clinic that signalled the plan going into action. They glanced at each other and got up to assume their positions.