Welcome to Mystic Hills

by Esm3rald

Mystic Hills may seem like a normal town but supernatural creatures have lived among its inhabitans for centuries. When strange animal attacks start to plague the town it will be up to a group of teenagers to protect it, teenagers deeply connected with the supernatural world themselves. This story will be an actual blend of the two shows but it will mostly follow the TW storyline.

2. Chapter 1

So, this is the chapter 1. It's massive, almost 20'000 words but I decided not to cut it because I want every chapter to follow one episode. Tell me if it's too long though and you find it difficult to read and I'll post it in two chapters instead. This chapter is about the events of the pilot, really hope you like it! Anyway, have fun and read & review!

BTW, this is a video trailer for the pilot episode of this fiction. Hope you like it, here's the link: h-t-t-p-s-:-/-/-w-w-w-.-youtube-.-com-/-watch?v=04U7acged1M (without the '-'), it's called 'Welcome to Mystic Hills(TVD/TW Crossover) Ep.1 Promo - Up in Flames'.

Chapter 1

September 2010 – Scott McCall's bedroom (Wednesday night)

Scott was in his bedroom, intent on threading the laces of his lacrosse stick. It was the night before his first day of sophomore year and he was both nervous and excited. He had decided that this year he would make first line in the lacrosse team and though he knew that a lot of people would think he was crazy, since he had asthma and all, he knew he could do it. He hoped so, at least.

Once his work was over, he left the stick on the bed and went to wash his teeth, ready to go to bed and wake up refreshed the next morning. Suddenly, though, he heard a strange shuffling noise coming from outside.

Scott left his room and peered through the hallway but everything seemed fine. He checked his mother's room but she was sleeping over the covers, fully clothed, after a long day at work. Scott closed her bedroom door and walked through the hallway and down the stairs.

He picked up the baseball bat they left near the entrance hall and went to open the porch door, ready to attack whatever or whomever was outside. He held his breath and took a few cautious steps forward.

He heard that sound again and stopped, holding still and peering left and right into the night, baseball bat raised and ready to swing. When his eyes wandered up to the side of the house, he saw a dark figure climbing the vine-wrapped trellis. Before Scott could realize what was happening, the figure broke free and came hurtling toward him. Scott screamed in terror as an upside down face appeared in front of him. The figure screamed too. He almost swung the bat before he realized who it was.

"Stiles, what the hell are you doing?" Scott asked with a breath of relief. Still, his heart was hammering a mile a minute in his ribcage. Fortunately it was just his best friend Stiles.

Stiles looked sheepish. "You weren't answering your phone." Then looking at Scott confused he asked "Why do you have a bat?"

It was Scott's turn to look sheepish "I thought you were a predator."

Stiles looked at him like he was crazy "A pre - I – what?" Then he shook his head and said "I know it's late, but you gotta hear this. I saw my dad leave 20 minutes ago. Dispatch called. They're bringing in every officer from the Beacon Department, and even State Police."

Scott looked both confused and intrigued "For what?"

"Two joggers found a body in the woods." He jumped into a somersault and landed in front of Scott before joining him on the porch.

"A dead body?" Scott asked partly intrigued, partly scared.

Stiles looked at him like he had asked the stupidest question he had ever heard "No, a body of water. Yes, dumb-ass, a dead body."

"You mean like murdered?"

"Nobody knows yet. Just that it was a girl, probably in her 20s."

Scott was half-smiling now. "Hold on, if they found the body, then what are they looking for?"

Stiles smiled enthusiastically "That's the best part. They only found half. We're going."

---

Same Night – Mystic Hills Preserve

Stiles' beet up jeep halted right in front of Mystic Hills preserve's wooded sign and Stiles left the car with a flashlight in hand. Scott hurried to follow him into the hiking path.

"We're seriously doing this?" Scott asked, suddenly unsure that this was the best idea.

Stiles smiled at him and patted him on the back "You're the one always bitching that nothing ever happens in this town."

"I was trying to get a good night's sleep before practice tomorrow." Scott said before following Stiles into the woods.

"Right, 'cause sitting on the bench is such a grueling effort."

Scott sighed "No, because I'm playing this year. In fact, I'm making first line." He said with determination in his voice.

"Hey, that's the spirit. Everyone should have a dream, even a pathetically unrealistic one." Stiles answered, his voice dripping sarcasm.

"Just out of curiosity, which half of the body are we looking for?"

Stiles stopped at Scott's words "Huh! I didn't even think about that." Then he kept walking.

Scott smiled slightly "And, uh, what if whoever killed the body is still out here?"

Stiles laughed nervously "Also something I didn't think about."

Scott rolled his eyes "It's comforting to know you've planned this out with your usual attention to detail." They began climbing a small hill, the mud rendering the walk more difficult.

Stiles smiled in answer "I know."

Scott's breath started to shorten. "Maybe the severe asthmatic should be the one holding the flashlight, huh?" He stopped to use his inhalator and regain his breath. Then he followed Stiles who was laying belly down on the ground observing the police officers searching through the woods, yellow tape marking the perimeter under floodlights.

Stiles grinned at him and Scott couldn't help but smile back. Crouching low, they circled the crime scene looking for the best vantage point. At the sound of a zipper being pulled up on a body bag, though, they both froze in place. They saw two bare feet before the police officer closed the bag completely. Another officer helped the first one lift the body bag up into the Medical Examiner's van.

"Is that the second half of the body?" Scott asked.

"No, they would have called off the search." Stiles got up suddenly. "Come on." He said running to get closer.

Scott got up too, trying to keep up "Stiles! Wait up! Stiles! Stiles!" He soon run out of air and pulled his inhaler out once again. While he paused to take a hit, Stiles disappeared ahead. When he realized Scott wasn't behind him anymore, he stopped and looked around for him when barking close to him made him jump.

He turned around to be faced with sharp teeth snapping ferociously at him. He tried to retreat slowly from the searching dog but ended up falling on his behind on the muddy ground.

"Hold it right there!" An officer said to him, flashlight pointing at his eyes.

Scott looked at the scene from behind a tree.

Suddenly, a voice was heard above the rest. "Hold on, hold on, this little delinquent belongs to me."

Stiles got up with a smile. "Dad, how are you doing?" He tried to appear nonchalant though his father's frowning gaze made it difficult.

"So, do you, uh, listen in to all of my phone calls?" He asked sternly.

"No" Stiles replied, then amended "Not the boring ones."

The sheriff looked around him "Now, where's your usual partner in crime?"

Stiles faked surprise "Who, Scott? Sc - Scott's home. He said he wanted to get a good night's sleep for first day back at school tomorrow. It's just me. In the woods. Alone."

Sheriff Stilinski didn't appear convinced. "Scott, you out there?" he called out into the night "Scott?" When no answer was forthcoming he turned his gaze towards his son. "Well, young man, I'm gonna walk you back to your car. And you and I are gonna have a conversation about something called invasion of privacy."

---

Scott watched irritated as his friend was escorted out of the woods by his father, wondering how he was supposed to return home now.

Starting to walk again, Scott tried to retrace his steps to find a way out of the woods, but the more he walked the more he found it difficult to see through the darkness around him. At a fork in the path he paused uncertain, trying to decide where to go when suddenly he heard rustling among the trees and he turned around in confusion and fear.

Scott stayed still, breath stopping for a second, waiting. He took his inhaler from his jacket pocket and he was about to use it once again when he heard an odd rumbling. Suddenly, from the darkness half a dozen deer charged through the trees, soaring past him, hooves trampling the ground. Scott dropped the inhaler and fell on his back, startled. The deer horde passed by him, almost stepping on him various times. Scott stayed completely still and waited for them to pass.

Then, once again alone in the dark and breathing a sigh of relief, he knelt down to the leaf-covered ground to search for the inhaler. Pulling out his cell phone and moving it around him, he used the light of the display to illuminate the ground. Suddenly the light from the phone landed on a face, dead eyes peering up from the pale, yet beautiful face of a young woman torn in half.

Crying out in shock, Scott lurched up, tripping on his own feet and tumbling over the unearthed roots of a tree. Suddenly, he was propelled down a leaf-covered slope, his body hitting a tree and then continuing to fall until he hit the ground hard. He got up with a wince and started to walk again when he heard a low growl that stopped him on his feet.

Scott slowly began to turn around when a dark shape, looking like a very large wolf, hurtled towards him.

For the briefest instant there was a flash of razor-sharp teeth on his side, covered by his sweater, then he was able to disentangle himself from the animal attacking him and he scrambled to his feet, running as fast as his legs could carry him. Whipping through branches tearing at his skin and clothes, he raced blindly through the forest until he reached the ends of the trees and finally a road.

---

A few minutes earlier – Road near the Mystic Hills' preserve

A couple was driving, headed towards Mystic Hills town centre, the only light coming from the highlights piercing through the fog and heavy rain. The fog was so thick that it was really difficult to see the road ahead but Darren drove carefully while chatting with his girlfriend about the concert they saw that evening in a town an hour away.

"An hour's drive to hear that crap. You know, it wasn't even a band. A guy with a guitar. An hour each way."

Brooke laughed "He wasn't that bad."

"He sounded like James Blunt."

"What's wrong with that?"

"We already have a James Blunt. One's all we need."

Brooke laughed again "So why did you come?"

Darren smiled and turned towards her "Because I love you."

"Nicely done. What's with all the fog?"

"It'll clear in a second."

Suddenly a figure emerged from the trees right in front their car and Brooke cried out in warning "Watch out!"

They swerved to avoid the figure, horn blaring at him. They drove for a few seconds before stopping.

"Do you think he's okay?" Brooke asked, voice trembling.

"I didn't hit him."

"I know, but maybe we should check just to be sure."

---

Scott, in the meantime, after being almost hit by a car, stopped in the middle of the road, a look of confusion on his face. Then, he looked at the blood on his sweater and raised it to look at the skin underneath. There was a vicious, bleeding bite marring his skin and Scott looked at it for a few long seconds when he heard howling echoing through the hills and over the trees.

He stood in the middle of the road for a few moments longer before making his way home on foot, light rain hitting his skin and drenching his clothes. So much for a good night sleep.

---

Darren, that had walked the few steps towards the place where they had almost hit the boy, stopped and looked around but the boy was gone.

He suddenly heard rustling noises coming from the woods and turned around, only to be met with purple veins under black, bloody eyes. He felt hands gripping his shoulders and a mouth full of sharp teeth biting his neck.

---

Brooke, meanwhile, waited in the car for a few minutes but when she didn't see Darren coming back, she got out of the car.

"Darren! Darren?" She called out into the night but she received no answer. Suddenly a thud made her turn around and she found the body of her boyfriend on the hood of the car, neck bleeding from a bite on his neck. She screamed at the sight and started to run but before she could make more than a few steps, she was dragged up into the sky.

---

The next day (Thursday) – Elena Gilbert's bedroom

Elena woke up with a scream trapped in her mouth, heart slamming against her ribcage, breath abnormally fast. She had another nightmare about the night of her accident, the burned body she had dreamt when she had been unconscious on the road tormenting her thoughts and nagging at her mind. She was afraid of what it meant, that and the fact that she had continued to feel the emotions of the people around her since that night. Sometimes, when she couldn't stop her mind from wandering down unknown roads, she wondered if she had actually died that night and then come back somehow. She knew it was impossible but nobody could explain to her how she got out from a car in flames while she was unconscious either. None of this should have been possible. She wasn't supposed to survive and yet, here she was, completely unharmed.

Elena shook her head and looked at the time. It was six am, too early to get up and yet too late to fall asleep again. She sighed and went to the bathroom to have a shower before getting ready for the first day of school.

---

Two hours later – Gilbert House, Kitchen

Elena poured a cup of coffee for herself while Aunt Jenna prepared toasts and Alaric made waffles. Jeremy stole the cup from her hands when she was about to drink for it, grinning at her. She glared at her little brother before taking another cup.

The TV turned on at the local news talked about the body found the night before in the woods – half of it actually – and Elena looked at it curiously and a little disturbed. She noticed Alaric following the news with a frown on his face. Elena could feel the suspicion coming from him and wondered what he was thinking.

"Toasts anyone? I managed not to burn them this time." Jenna asked with a smile.

Alaric grinned at her. "In a year you'll probably be able to make pancakes, who knows?"

Elena laughed while Jeremy said, "Sure, and I'll become president of the United States".

They sat at the table to eat before Jenna asked again, "Lunch money?"

"I'm good." Both she and Jeremy answered.

"I'm good too." Alaric answered cheekily. "Lunch for the professors is free"

Jenna smiled at him and kissed him.

"Hew, not in front of us." Jeremy said with a fake air of disgust.

"Jeremy, I thought you knew about the birds and the bees but maybe you need another lesson." Alaric asked with fake concern.

"Ah, no, no. Thanks, I'm good." Jeremy said with a shudder. Elena laughed.

She liked these moments with her little family, it made the absence of her parents easier to bear.

"Anything else you need? What am I missing?" Jenna asked again.

Elena grinned at her "Don't you have a big presentation today?"

Jenna checked her watch "I'm meeting with my thesis advisor at...now. Crap!" She got up quickly and gulped her coffee before kissing Alaric goodbye and waving at them.

"Bye" She waved at her and exchanged a look with her brother. Her brother grinned back.

"Luckily you're here Rick or she would have burned the house down by now…" Jeremy said with complete seriousness.

Elena rolled her eyes and threw a piece of toast at him. "Oh, come on, she's not that bad."

Alaric laughed. "Yeah, she is. But I love her anyway."

The car horn from outside interrupted the moment and Elena got up.

"Jer, Bonnie is picking me up, you need a ride?" Elena asked.

"Nah, I'm going with Rick." Jeremy answered, still sitting at the table with Alaric.

"Okay, see you at school then!"

---

A few minutes later – Bonnie Bennett's car

"So, Grams is telling me I'm psychic." Bonnie prattled on with her usual enthusiasm, but Elena could feel the concern behind it, her worry for her making her dizzy in its intensity.

"Our ancestors were from Salem, witches and all that, I know, crazy, but she's going on and on about it, and I'm like, put this woman in a home already! But then I started thinking, I predicted Obama and I predicted Heath Ledger, and I still think Florida will break off and turn into little resort islands..."

Then she turned her head towards Elena and noticed her friend was staring vacantly out the window. "Elena! Back in the car."

Elena snapped out of her daze "I did it again, didn't I? I-I'm sorry, Bonnie. You were telling me that..."

"That I'm psychic now."

Elena startled at her words, the situation hitting too close to home for her comfort. She hadn't told anyone about what was happening to her since the accident, she didn't know how. She shook her head and plastered a smile on her face. "Right. Okay, then predict something. About me."

Bonnie smiled "I see..." but her words were interrupted by a crow hitting the windshield of her car. Bonnie swerved before regaining control of the car. She stopped at the side of the road and turned to look at Elena who looked pale and scared.

"What was that?! Oh, my god! Elena, are you okay?"

Elena took a deep breath to calm herself "It's okay. I'm fine."

Bonnie shook her head confused "It was like a bird or something. It came out of nowhere."

Elena shook her head "Really, I can't be freaked out by cars for the rest of my life."

Bonnie looked at her intently, her worry again hitting Elena in the gut. Then Bonnie smiled and said "I predict this year is going to be kick ass. And I predict all the strange, sad and dark times are over and you are going to be beyond happy."

Elena smiled at her, feeling Bonnie's optimism like it was her own. She smiled, infected by her friend's good spirit and said "Come on, drive or we're going to be late for school".

---

Mystic Hills High School, Outside – Same Time.

Scott stopped at the bike parking in front of the school and tied the bike with chain and padlock. Suddenly a door belonging to a silver Porsche hit his legs and Scott turned with a frown. Jackson Whittemore got out of the car.

"Dude - watch the paint job." He said to Scott, glaring at him darkly. Scott looked at him in indignation but Danny Māhealani's voice interrupted him. "Yo, Jackson, let's go, bro." With a last glare towards Scott, Jackson left to reach his friend.

Scott shook his head and reached Stiles' side.

"Okay, let's see this thing. " Scott lifted his shirt and Stiles said "Ooh!" before extending a hand to touch the bandaged bite.

Scott retreated slightly with a "Whoa!" before explaining while they started walking towards the school entrance "It was too dark to see much, but I'm pretty sure it was a wolf."

Stiles laughed "A wolf bit you?"

"Uh - huh." Scott said, sure.

Stiles shook his head "No, not a chance."

"I heard a wolf howling."

"No, you didn't."

"What do you mean, no, I didn't? How do you know what I heard?"

Stiles laughed once again "Because California doesn't have wolves, okay? Not in like 60 years."

Scott looked at his best friend confused "Really?"

"Yes, really. There are no wolves in California."

Scott shrugged, giving up for now. "All right, well, if you don't believe me about the wolf, then you're definitely not gonna believe me about when I tell you I found the body."

"You - are you kidding me?" Stiles said excitedly.

"No, man, I wish. I'm gonna have nightmares for a month."

"Oh, god, that is freakin' awesome. I mean, this is seriously gonna be the best thing that's happened to this town since –" He looked to the side and saw Lydia Martin walking towards the school door, "since the birth of Lydia Martin. Hey, Lydia - You look –" Stiles tried to talk to her but Lydia passed right beside him without paying him the slightest attention, "Like you're gonna ignore me," Stiles continued with a sigh. "You're the cause of this, you know," he said to his best friend, joking.

Scott nodded in mock agreement "Uh - huh."

"Draggin' me down to your nerd depths." Stiles continued while climbing the stairs towards the school entrance. "I'm a nerd by association. I've been scarlet - nerded by you."

Scott laughed while the two crossed the threshold and finally entered the school.

---

Mystic Hills High School Hallway – A few moments later

Elena and Bonnie were walking through the school hallway, waving at people they knew or at people that greeted them.

Elena smiled when she saw Lydia Martin with her boyfriend standing in front of her locker and waved at them.

Lydia and Elena weren't exactly friends but they were friendly acquaintances and they got along rather well.

However, Elena being a cheerleader with her two best friends being another cheerleader and the other one the head of the cheerleaders, she usually spent most of her time with the cheer team and the football team.

Lydia, on the other hand, usually spent time with her boyfriend who was the captain of the lacrosse team and other girls who were girlfriends of other lacrosse players, though the two of them were usually invited at the same parties and shared a few classes together.

Elena and Bonnie kept walking towards their locker, Bonnie looking around herself and commenting randomly, mostly to distract Elena from the incident of that morning. "Major lack of male real estate. Look at the shower curtain on Kelly Beech. She looks like a hot — can I still say 'tranny mess'?"

Elena laughed "No, that's over."

They stopped in front of their lockers that were right beside each others, Bonnie fake sighing, "ahh, find a man, coin a phrase. It's a busy year." She looked over Elena's shoulder and a strange expression crossed her face.

Elena immediately felt the awkwardness Bonnie was experiencing and turned around confused before sighing. She waved but like she was expecting, Matt Donovan, her ex-boyfriend, just turned around without returning the greeting. Elena turned around again and dejectedly said to Bonnie "He hates me."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "That's not hate. That's 'you dumped me, but I'm too cool to show it, but secretly I'm listening to Air Supply's greatest hits'."

Elena smiled at little at her words but she still felt guilty. Unfortunately, after her accident the uncertainty she used to feel and tried to hide about her relationship with Matt reached a boiling point after she started to feel exactly how Matt felt about her. His love for her was strong and Elena had realized then that whatever she had thought she had felt for him wasn't the same as what he felt for her. That was why she broke up with him, unable to pretend anymore and unwilling to end up hurting him in the long run.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of her other best friend Caroline Forbes.

"Hey guys, have you heard? We'll have two new students this year. Sophomores, both of them." Caroline said as a way of greeting.

"Two? Really?" Bonnie asked surprised.

"Yeah, weird right? Why would someone want to move to Mystic Hills is beyond me. I think one of them was born here though so it makes kind of sense that he would want to come back."

"He? One of them is a guy?" Bonnie asked slyly.

"Ah, ah! If he's hot, I call deeps." Caroline said with a fake glare.

Elena raised her hands in the air. "He's all yours. I'm not interested in guys right now. I think I'll enjoy being single for a while."

"Sure, you say that now. Just wait until you find the right guy, then we'll talk." Caroline replied with a wink.

"As if." Elena said with a light laugh. They started to walk towards their first class, until they noticed a guy inside the school office.

Bonnie stopped and Caroline and Elena followed her lead.

"Hold up. Who's this?" Bonnie asked curiously.

Elena shrugged "Must be the new guy. All I see is back though."

Caroline giggled "It's a hot back."

Elena and Bonnie laughed.

---

Mystic Hills High School Office – Same time

Stefan Salvatore stood in front of the secretary while she examined the documents he presented her with. "Your records are incomplete. You're missing immunization records, and we do insist on transcripts."

Stefan internally sighed, not exactly happy to use compulsion but in this case it was necessary. He took off his sunglasses and looked intently into her eyes before saying "Please look again. I'm sure everything you need is there."

The secretary looked at him for a few, long seconds then she smiled and said "Well, you're right. So it is."

Stefan breathed a sigh of relief.

---

Outside the school office

"I'm sensing Seattle, and he plays the guitar." Bonnie said in fake concentration.

Elena laughed "You're really going to run this whole psychic thing into the ground, huh?"

"Pretty much." Bonnie shrugged.

"What psychic thing?" Caroline asked curiously.

"My grandmother thinks I'm psychic. It's supposed to be hereditary or something." Bonnie explained with another shrug.

Caroline grinned. "Sure. And I'm a fairy."

Elena laughed "You certainly have the looks for it Care."

Caroline winked "Why, thank you Elena."

Bonnie laughed at their antics. "Come on, you two or we'll be late for class."

They left the new guy behind and together they made their way towards their first period.

---

Government Class – First Period

Scott sat at his usual seat, the second aisle closest to the window at the left of the class with Stiles in the one closest to the window on the back.

The professor started to write on the board while saying, his back to the class "As you all know, there indeed was a body found in the woods last night." At those words, Scott looked at Stiles and they shared a grin.

"And I am sure your eager little minds are coming up with various macabre scenarios as to what happened. But I am here to tell you that the police have a suspect in custody, which means you can give your undivided attention to the syllabus which is on your desk outlining this semester."

Scott looked at the paper in front of him when he suddenly heard a phone ringing and looked around himself in confusion. Nobody had the phone in their hands, everyone was checking the syllabus on their desks and they were apparently unaware of the loud ringing that was so distracting for Scott.

Suddenly he heard a voice and looked at the window. There was a girl outside talking on the phone while sitting on a bench. "Mom, three calls on my first day is a little overdoing it."

Scott listened with a dazed look on his face, wondering how he was able to hear so perfectly what the girl was saying. "Everything except a pen." The girl was saying, searching through her bag. "Oh, my God, I didn't actually forget a pen."

Then, hearing footsteps coming closer, she raised her head and said on the phone "Okay, okay. I gotta go. Love ya." The vice-principal joined the girl's side and said "Sorry to keep you waiting." The girl got up and followed him.

Scott watched and listened as the two talked. "So you were saying San Francisco isn't where you grew up?" The two left Scott's line of vision but he could still hear what they were saying. The girl answered "No, but we lived there for more than a year, which is unusual for my family."

The voices kept coming closer and Scott followed them to the closed door of the classroom. "Well, hopefully Mystic Hills will be your last stop for a while." Then opening the door, he continued "Class, this is our new student, Allison Argent. Please do your best to make her feel welcome." Scott couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was, dark, wavy brown hair and warm brown eyes with fair skin in a square face that made her appear fragile and strong at the same time.

Scott could hear Allison's heartbeat, fast in her nervousness and became more and more confused. Allison went to sit directly behind him and Scott looked at the pen in his hand for a moment before turning around and offering it to her. Allison looked at him with a confused smile but replied with a "Thanks" anyway. Scott turned around, smiling satisfied.

---

History Class – Second Period

"Good morning everyone. I hope you had a good summer." Mr Tanner said, the sarcastic tone in his voice showing that he couldn't have cared less if they had a good summer or not. "We have a new student here today. His name is Stefan Salvatore. He recently moved back here to stay with his uncle. I'm sure you'll make him feel welcome."

Stefan Salvatore stood awkwardly at the side of the professor's desk, uncomfortable with all the stares directed his way. Caroline looked at him in interest. His back wasn't the only thing hot about him. He was tall, but not too tall, with light brown hair and warm green eyes, a broody expression on his face that somehow suited him. Caroline looked at Elena on her left and they grinned at each other.

Stefan went to sit directly on her right, in the unoccupied place at the centre of the aisle.

Tanner started to drown on about some historic event or another but Caroline didn't really care, too interested in the new face next to her.

"Once our home state of California joined the Union in 1850, it created a tremendous amount of tension within the state. People in California's southern region had different ideals than those from the north. Then the California legislature of 1859 approved the division of California into two states, the northern half as the state of California and the southern half as Colorado territory. The citizens of California voted their approval, but the Federal government refused to allow the decision."

Caroline turned her head slightly to the side, trying not to be too obvious. She observed his face in profile for a few seconds, appreciating the strong jaw and the Roman nose. Then Stefan turned towards her, probably sensing her eyes on him. Caroline smiled at him and Stefan smiled back.

Caroline, satisfied turned around and pretended to listen to Tanner lecturing about California history during the Civil War. She could still feel his eyes on her when she felt the phone vibrate and took it from her pocket, an SMS from Bonnie lightening the screen.

She opened it and read it. "HAWT-E. STARING U" She smiled and turned once again towards Stefan. Yes, he was still looking at her. She turned her head towards the front of the class, smiling to herself.

---

School Hallway – A little while later

Scott watched Allison standing in front of her locker when she turned around, probably sensing his eyes on her. Scott smiled at her shyly and Allison smiled back. They looked at each other for a few seconds before Allison's line of vision was blocked by Lydia Martin, Stiles' long-time crush.

"That jacket is absolutely killer. Where'd you get it?" Lydia was saying and once again Scott could hear perfectly from a distance.

Allison looked at her jacket for a second before answering "My mom was a buyer for a boutique back in San Francisco." She said with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

Lydia smiled at her "And you are my new best friend." Then, noticing her boyfriend approaching, she said "Hey, Jackson" with a flirtatious smile. They kissed and Allison watched them with an awkward smile.

"Can someone tell me how new girl is here all of five minutes, and she's already hanging out with Lydia's clique?" Harley, one of his and Stiles' classmates and one of the few people they sometimes hang out with asked.

"Because she's hot." Stiles said like it was obvious. "Beautiful people herd together."

Scott mostly ignored them, too interested in the conversation going on a few feet from him. "So, this weekend, there's a party." Lydia was saying.

"A party?" Allison asked.

"Yeah - Friday night. You should come." Jackson answered this time.

Allison looked unsure "Uh, I can't. It's family night this Friday. Thanks for asking." Even to Scott's ears it sounded like an excuse.

"You sure? Everyone's going after the scrimmage." Jackson said, trying to convince her.

"You mean like football?" Allison asked, confused.

Jackson and Lydia laughed. "Football's a joke in Mystic Hills. There's only one player on the team that is decent - Matt Donovan - the rest is crap. The sport here is lacrosse. We've won the state championship for the past three years."

"Because of a certain team captain." Lydia said, with a smile at her boyfriend.

"Well, we have practice in a few minutes." Jackson continued "That is, if you don't have anywhere else…"

"Well, I was going to…" Allison started to say but Lydia interrupted her. "Perfect! You're coming."

---

Lacrosse Field – Early Afternoon

Elena, Bonnie and Caroline were in their cheerleaders' outfit practicing the new moves Caroline had wanted to add to the new choreography for the next lacrosse game. They watched Lydia walking to sit on the stand with a girl they didn't know.

"That must be the new girl. Come on, let's introduce ourselves!" Caroline said with a grin.

Bonnie grinned. "What about practice?"

"Later." The three of them made their way towards the stands.

"Hey Lydia!" Caroline said with a smile. "Who's your friend?"

Lydia smiled before starting the introductions. "This is Allison Argent. She's new here. Allison, these are Caroline Forbes, Elena Gilbert and Bonnie Bennett. As you can see, they're cheerleaders."

"I'm actually the captain." Caroline said before adding "Nice to meet you Allison."

Elena and Bonnie echoed her, the three of them shaking Allison's hand. Allison smiled at them. "Nice to meet you too."

"Do you want to join us?" Lydia asked.

"Sure, why not?" Elena said with a shrug. Caroline and Bonnie nodded and the three of them sat on Allison's right, waiting for lacrosse practice to start.

---

In the meantime, Scott and Stiles walked towards the field, dressed in their uniforms with sticks in hands.

"But if you play" Stiles was saying "I'll have no one to talk to on the bench. Are you really gonna do that to your best friend?"

"I can't sit out again. My whole life is sitting on the sidelines. This season, I make first line." Scott replied before turning around and catching Allison's eyes. She was sitting with Lydia and strangely enough, three cheerleaders, Elena Gilbert, Caroline Forbes and Bonnie Bennett. With all those girls watching Scott was once again determined to make first line this year.

Allison smiled at him and Scott looked at her dazed before smiling back.

"McCall!" Coach called out, distracting him.

"Yeah?" Scott asked, turning towards him.

"You're on goal."

Scott frowned "I've never played."

Coach smiled "I know - scoring some shots will give the boys a confidence boost. It's a first day back thing. Get 'em energized, fired up!"

Scott frowned even more at that, offended. "What about me?"

Coach laughed. "Try not to take any in the face. Let's go! Come on!"

Scott positioned himself in front of the net before glancing once again to the bleachers where Allison watched with Lydia, Elena, Bonnie and Caroline, eyes focusing on him.

---

"Who is that?" Allison asked, watching Scott.

Lydia frowned, confused "Him? I'm not sure who he is. Why?"

Allison shrugged "He's in my Government class."

"That's Scott McCall!" Elena said with a grin in Lydia's direction. "Seriously Lydia we share English, Math and Chemistry with him!"

"And he works for my uncle at the veterinary clinic." Bonnie added.

"Oh!" Lydia replied, looking even more confused. The other girls laughed.

---

Scott - that was listening to their conversation - was disturbed by a strong ringing in his ears reverberating through his skull. With his hands on his ears, he tried to block the sound of the referee's whistle, the sound unusually loud in his ears.

Suddenly the ball came hurling towards him without warning, catching him directly in his helmet-covered face.

"Hey, way to catch with your face, McCall!" Jackson called out, laughing.

The rest of the team laughed, even the coach snickered.

Cheeks burning under his mask, Scott steeled himself for the next player. When the whistle blew again, he was ready. The Assistant Coach passed the ball to the player who caught it and fired it right at the goal.

Scott moved startlingly fast, almost an instantaneous reaction. Then he noticed the player staring at him with a mixture of disappointment and surprise. Scott had the ball.

He caught it. When the next player took the shot, Scott caught the ball again. And then again. And again. Nothing could get past him.

"He seems like he's pretty good." He heard Allison said and smiled.

"Yeah, very good." Even Lydia seemed impressed.

"Wow, where did he learn to play like that?" Bonnie asked, surprised.

"Maybe he practiced this summer." Elena replied, also watching practice surprised.

"Who cares where he learned? He's amazing!" Caroline said enthusiastically. She didn't remember having so much fun at a lacrosse practice in…maybe never.

Intrigued, Lydia kept her gaze locked on Scott who now stood with a far more confident posture. Until Jackson pushed to the head of the line. Glaring at Scott, he practically strangled the lacrosse stick with his gloves.

Scott looked at the captain approaching with a gulp. "Oh God..."

The Assistant Coach tossed the ball up. Jackson launched forward, catching the ball and spinning around to fire it at the goal. But Scott moved with supernatural precision.

The ball landed right in the pocket of the goalie stick.

Stiles let out a holler, after a second of surprise, jumping on his feet and screaming "That's my friend!". In the bleachers, Lydia stood and gave a whoop as well causing Jackson to throw a look at her. She returned his glare with a sly smile, a warning to step up his game. The other girls merely smiled and clapped her hands, Allison smiling softly at Scott.

Grinning, Scott gave the goalie stick a whirl, spinning it with a flick of his wrist and sending the ball soaring right into the pocket of the stunned Assistant Coach's stick.

---

Mystic Hills Town Square – Just after cheer and lacrosse practice

Caroline was walking around the town, a bag of cosmetics in one hand and one with a new dress in the other when she spotted Stefan Salvatore leaving the local bookstore. She smiled and waved at him. Stefan saw her and waved back before starting to walk towards her. Caroline was jumping up and down in her head, excited that he seemed at least interested in talking to her.

"Hey." He said to her with a smile, his eyes warm.

"Hey." Caroline said, smiling back at him. "Stefan, right? The new kid?"

Stefan passed his fingers through his hair and said with a grin. "Yeah. I guess I should start getting used to be called that for a while." Caroline smiled and shrugged unapologetically.

"I'm Caroline. Caroline Forbes. Just in case you didn't know who I was."

Stefan reached his hand out to shake hers and said "Yeah, we have history together. You were sitting right next to me in class, I remember."

Caroline smiled, happy that she had made some kind of impression on him. "So, I have to bring this stuff home and I need to change but I was going to meet some friends at the local Grill, in about an hour. Do you want to join us?"

"Yeah, I'd like that, though I'm not sure exactly sure where it is."

"Oh, that's easy. It's right across the street." And she pointed to the sign that read 'Mystic Grill' just a few meters away from them, in front of Caroline's line of vision.

Stefan turned around and noticed the sign too. "Oh, right. Easy enough. See you in an hour then."

Caroline smiled brilliantly at him. "See you in an hour."

---

Mystic Hills Woods – Afternoon

Scott and Stiles were walking through the woods, directed towards the place where Scott had lost his inhaler the night before.

They were talking about what had happened that day at practice, Scott trying to explain to Stiles why he had suddenly become so good at Lacrosse.

"I don't know what it was. I mean, I felt like I had all the time in the world to catch the ball." He jumped from rock to rock while crossing a small river and reached the other side. "And that's not the only weird thing. I mean I can hear stuff I shouldn't be able to hear. And I can smell things."

Stiles looked at him confused "Smell things? Like what?"

Scott thought about it for a second before replying "Like the mint mojito gum in your pocket."

Stiles frowned and checked his pockets. "I don't have any..." but just in that moment he pulled out a lint-covered piece of wrapped gum.

Stiles looked at his best friend a little intrigued now. "All this started with the bite?"

Scott nodded, looking worried. "What if it's an infection? What if my body is flooding with adrenaline before I fall into shock? I knew I should have gone to the ER."

Stiles smirked while the two of them kept walking. "I've actually heard of this. It's a specific kind of infection."

Scott looked at his best friend, a little hopeful and a little afraid. "Are you serious?"

Stiles nodded, mock serious. "All the symptoms add up. I think it's called... Lycanthropy."

Scott looked really worried now. "What's that? Is it bad? It sounds bad."

Stiles' grin widened. "It is. But only once a month."

"Once a month?"

"On the night of a full moon." Stiles replied before howling playfully.

Scott frowned, getting the joke. "You're an ass."

Stiles laughed outright now. "Hey, you're the one who heard a wolf howling."

Scott wasn't amused in the least. "There could be something seriously wrong with me."

"I know! You're a werewolf!" At Scott's look he amended "Okay, obviously, I'm kidding. But if you see me in shop class melting down all the silver I can find it's because Friday's a full moon."

Scott ignored Stiles' witty comebacks and glanced around at the place where he had dropped the inhaler last night.

"I swear this was it." Scott said. "The body was here." He pointed to a place a few feet away from him "The deer came running, I dropped my inhaler..."

"Maybe the killer moved the body."

"If he did, I hope he left my inhaler. Those things are like eighty bucks."

Scott's back was facing the figure walking towards them and Stiles tapped his best friend on the shoulder to bring his attention to it.

Scott turned around and looked at the man, a little older than them, standing not far from them with a frown on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Scott and Stiles were too stunned to answer. "This is private property."

Stiles got out of his shock first. "Sorry, we didn't know."

The man's eyes were fixed towards Scott, barely noticing Stiles.

"We were just looking for something." Scott said before shaking his head and continuing. "Forget it. Sorry to bother you."

They both turned to go but just in that moment an object came flying towards Scott. Scott caught it, once again feeling his body reacting before his mind did. He looked at the inhaler in his hand with confusion.

When he raised his eyes the man was walking away and he was once again alone with Stiles in the forest.

"Come on. I have to get to work."

Stiles was distracted though, still looking at the figure of the man getting smaller and smaller at every step he took away from them. "Dude, that was Derek Hale. You remember, right? He's only a few years older than us."

Scott looked confused at his best friend. "Remember what?"

"His family. They all burned to death in a fire like… ten years ago."

Scott frowned. "I wonder what he's doing back."

Stiles shrugged and the two of them started to walk once again, towards Stiles' jeep and away from the woods.

---

Mystic Grill – Same time

Jeremy watched Vicki Donovan wiping at one table with a rag, the other hand holding a tray.

He came closer to her, feeling nervous and awkward. "Hey Vick."

Vicki didn't even turn in his direction. "Working." She said brusquely before walking away.

Jeremy followed her, now a little angry and hurt with her. "Hey, what's your deal? I mean, summer you act one way and then school starts and you can't be bothered."

"Look, Jeremy, I really appreciate all the pharmaceuticals, but you can't keep following me around like a lost puppy." Her tone was harsh and cold.

Jeremy frowned. "When's the last time you had sex with a puppy?"

Vicki looked around the grill, embarrassed. "Hey, keep it down. I don't want to tell the whole world I deflowered Elena's kid brother."

Jeremy snorted. "Yeah, and deflowered and deflowered."

Vicki huffed. "We hooked up a few times while I was in a drug haze. It's over. You gotta back off ok? I'm not interested," and with these last few cruel words she turned around and away from him. Jeremy watched her enter the kitchen but he didn't try to stop her.

---

Bonnie entered the Grill and immediately spotted Matt working. He had a tray in hand and was directed towards a table a little away from him. Bonnie waited for him to serve the clients at the table and then approached him.

"Hey Matt!" She said jovially.

"Hey!" He replied with a smile. Then, unable to help himself, he asked "So, how's Elena doing?"

Bonnie shrugged. "You know how she is. She says she's okay but she's still a little freaked out, I can tell. She almost died after all. And I think the accident brought back memories of her parents."

Matt frowned and nodded in understanding. "Has she said anything about me?"

Bonnie shook her head and raised her hands. "Oh, no. So not getting in the middle. You pick up the phone and call her."

"I feel weird calling her. She broke up with me."

Bonnie sighed, not knowing what to say. "Give it more time, Matt."

Matt shook his head. "Whatever you say Bonnie, whatever you say." And with that he turned around and went back to work.

Bonnie noticed Caroline and Elena entering the grill at the same time and smiled at them before reaching an empty table.

Once they were all seating around the table and sipping their drinks Bonnie asked Caroline, "So, are you sure he's coming?" but she was mostly teasing her.

Caroline bit her bottom lip and shrugged, taking the question seriously. "He said he would."

"I'm sure he'll be here soon Caroline." Elena added, noticing her friend's nervousness.

"So, what did you find out about him?" Bonnie asked, to distract her a little.

Caroline immediately smiled. "His name is Stefan Salvatore, but of course we already knew that. He lives with uncle up at the old Salvatore Boarding House. He hasn't lived here since he was a kid. Military family, so they moved around a lot. He's a Gemini, and his favorite color is blue."

Bonnie looked at her, impressed. "You got all of that in one day?"

Caroline waved her hand. "Oh, please, I got all that between third and fourth period." Then she added jokingly "We're planning a June wedding."

Just in that moment the door of the Grill opened and in came the object of their conversation. Caroline smiled widely as soon as he saw him and waved with a hand for him to join them.

Stefan smiled back and made his way towards them with sure steps. "Hey Caroline." He greeted.

Caroline got up from her seat and said "Stefan, hi. I would like you to meet my two best friends." And with that she pointed first at Elena. "This is Elena Gilbert."

Stefan nodded at her and said "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Elena replied with a smile, though she found strange the fact that she couldn't feel any emotion at all coming from Stefan. It was like a blank space. Elena didn't know if she was supposed to feel relieved by that or concerned.

"And this is Bonnie Bonnet." Caroline continued and Stefan smiled at her too, once again repeating "Nice to meet you."

Once the four of them were all seated at the table Caroline started with her questioning.

"So, you were born in Mystic Falls?" Caroline asked, already knowing the answer.

Stefan nodded. "Mm-Hmm. And moved when I was still young."

"Parents?" Bonnie asked this time.

Stefan frowned. "My parents passed away."

Elena looked sad and understanding at that. "I'm sorry. Any siblings?"

Stefan shrugged and nodded. "One, but we don't really get along. I live with my uncle."

Caroline, trying to change the subject away from such glooming topics, said cheerfully "So, Stefan, if you're new, then you don't know about the party tomorrow."

Stefan smiled at her and asked "A party?"

"Yeah. It's a back to school thing at the falls." Bonnie replied.

"And I guess you're going?" Stefan asked her and Caroline smiled. "Of course. I'm the captain of the cheerleaders, I can't miss it."

"All right then." Stefan said, laughing at her enthusiasm. "I would love to go."

Elena and Bonnie exchanged a glance and a smile, happy for their friend.

---

Mystic Hills Animal Clinic – Later that evening

Scott was standing in the bathroom of the animal clinic, in front of the sink and with a bottle of disinfectant in hand. He lifted his shirt and looked at the reflection of the bandaged bite in the mirror. Blood stained the white bandage but when Scott took it off, there was no wound, not even a scratch, like he had never been hurt at all. Scott's mouth opened in disbelief, not understanding how it was possible.

He shook his head and decided to ignore this other strange occurrence on top of the other strange things that had been happening to him all day. He had work to do after all.

He flipped the sign on the door to 'closed' and then went to grab a few packages of cat litter off the reception desk.

He dragged the huge bag through a corridor until he reached the door with the cats inside. He had barely crossed the threshold when all the kittens inside their cages started to get agitated, hissing and baring their teeth, clawing at the cage doors with their paws, their backs arched and all of them focused on Scott.

Scott, completely bewildered at this new predicament, retreated quickly from the room and slammed the door shut.

As soon as he left the room, above the noise coming from the cats on the other side of the door and the rain hitting on the window glasses from outside, he suddenly heard someone frantically hitting the glass entrance door with their fist.

Scott went to see who was at the door and noticed Allison, completely drenched from the rain, crying and in a visible panic.

Quickly unlocking the door, Scott let her in as she tried to explain through her tears what had happened.

"I didn't see it. I took my eyes off the road for like two seconds to switch songs on my iPod and this dog…it came out of nowhere…"

Scott tried to calm her down. "Okay, it's all right. Do you remember where it happened so I can send out animal control to find it?"

Allison shook her head. "No." Then she amended. "I mean yes, I know where I hit it. But the dog…"

"Right. Where is it?"

"In my car."

Scott followed Allison to her car and she opened the seat door to reveal an injured stray. The dog was barking, clearly scared and in pain. Allison reached to pick him up but the dog growled at her. She flinched back and stepped away, right into Scott's arms. Scott looked at her in concern.

"You okay?"

She nodded, looking up at Scott behind her, his hands on her forearms, fingers lightly touching her soft skin.

"He's just frightened." Scott continued.

Allison smiled without mirth. "That makes two of us."

"Let me see if I have better luck."

Scott let her go and stepped toward the open door, oddly calm.

"Careful." Allison warned but Scott ignored her words. Instead, he looked into the dog's eyes. In that moment something strange happened. Scott didn't know but his eyes started glowing, turning yellow. In a few seconds the dog's frantic barks calmed down. The dog lowered his body in submission and Scott picked him up, half satisfied that he was able to calm it down and half confused because once again something strange had happened. Allison watched the scene in utter amazement from next to Scott.

Scott brought the dog inside the veterinarian office with Allison following behind.

He laid the dog down gently on the examination table while Allison stayed a little back, observing the proceedings. Scott inspected the dog and petted him to keep him calm.

"I think his leg is broken." Scott explained. "I can splint it now myself, give him a painkiller and then let the doctor take a look in the morning."

Allison stole a glance at him, looking on with admiration as he worked. Scott didn't notice though, too terrified to glance at the beautiful girl standing next to him. When he finally looked up, he saw her hugging herself, soaked and obviously freezing.

"I have a t-shirt in my bag." Scott offered, seeing her predicament.

"Oh, I don't want to trouble you." Allison said but Scott was already reaching into his bag for the shirt. Allison took it with a smile.

Allison stepped into the hall for privacy and Scott noticed her reflection in a wall mirror. As she was pulling the wet shirt off, he caught sight of her bare back. He stared at her for a long moment before averting his eyes. He noticed the dog staring at him and defended himself.

"What? I didn't see anything." He whispered, feeling a little stupid for talking to a dog.

Allison came back into the room a moment later, now wearing his shirt and no longer shivering.

"Thanks for doing this. I feel really stupid." Allison said with an embarrassed smile.

"How come?"

Allison shrugged. "I don't know. For freaking out like a total girl."

"You are a girl." Scott couldn't help but point out.

"I freaked out like a girly girl." Allison tried to explain. "And I'm not a girly girl."

"What kind of girl are you?"

"Tougher than that. At least I thought I was."

Scott smiled at her and said "I'd be freaked out too. In fact, I'd probably cry. And not like a man. I'd cry like the girliest girl. It would be pathetic."

Allison laughed at his words. "Yeah, right."

Scott finished wrapping the dog's leg before saying, "So it looks like he's going to live. And I'm pretty sure he'll even let you pet him if you want."

Allison looked unsure at the dog that not long ago was growling at her. "I don't think so."

"Come on." Scott encouraged. "You don't want him to sue. This breed is very litigious."

Allison grinned before approaching the dog and tentatively reaching out to stroke its neck. The dog, now calm, even licked her hand.

Allison smiled and Scott watched her, transfixed. "See? He likes you."

He couldn't seem to take his eyes off her and Allison noticed because she turned around and asked him, "What?"

Scott averted his eyes from her for a second before looking at her again. "Sorry. You have an eyelash on your cheek."

"Oh. From the crying." Allison nodded.

She wiped at her cheek but the lash was still there. Scott shook his head and reached with his thumb to brush the lash himself.

"Thanks." Allison looked at him with a smile.

He nodded at her, his hand staying suspended for a few seconds before he lowered it, not sure what to do with it.

They left the car inside a cage for the night and Scott escorted Allison to her car. Allison opened the car door and turned to look at him with a smile.

Scott, finally finding his courage, asked her. "Um…I was wondering…I mean…is it really family night on Friday or do you think maybe you'd like to go to that party with me?"

Allison threw him a curious look, wondering how did he know that she had said that.

"Family Night was a total lie."

Scott smiled at her. "So is that a yes? You'll go?"

Allison smiled back at him sweetly. "Definitely yes."

---

Mystic Hills Woods – The next day (Friday)

Scott went to sleep that night with a smile on his face, only to wake up in the middle of the woods with no idea how he got there.

He got up from the ground and looked around confused, noticing he was still wearing the clothes that he put on before going to bed the night before, meaning only a pair of sweatpants and nothing else.

Suddenly he heard growling coming from his left and he turned around, once again seeing the dark shape of the animal that had attacked him two nights before. He started to run, intent on getting away when he tripped and landed on…a pool? How the hell did he get here?

Scott spluttered water when he remerged and waved awkwardly at the man who was looking at him strangely while watering the plants.

---

Mystic Hills High School, Hallway – A little later that morning

Scott had just finished putting the books he would need for the day in his locker when he was literally ambushed by Jackson Whittmore.

Jackson grabbed his shirt and slammed him against the lockers hard. Scott flinched and said "Good morning!" sarcastically.

Jackson of course ignored him. "All right, little man. How 'bout you tell me where you're getting your juice." Jackson glared at him before releasing him.

Scott looked at him confused. "What?"

"Where are you getting your juice?" Jackson enunciated slowly.

"My mom does all the grocery shopping." Scott answered, having no idea why Jackson would ask him something like that.

Jackson glared, getting impatient. "Now, listen, McCall! You're gonna tell me exactly what it is and who you're buying it from, because there's no way in hell you're out there kicking ass on the field like that without some sort of chemical boost."

Scott widened his eyes in comprehension at that. "Oh, you mean steroids." And then he looked at Jackson suspiciously. "Are you on steroids?"

Jackson ignored his question. "What the hell is going on with you, McCall?"

Scott, getting fed up with him, finally blurted out. "What's going on with me? You really wanna know? Well, so would I! Because I can see, hear, and smell things that I shouldn't be able to see, hear, and smell. I do things that should be impossible, I'm sleepwalking three miles into the middle of the woods, and I'm pretty much convinced that I'm totally out of my freaking mind!"

Jackson looked at him for a long moment before scoffing and shaking his head in disbelief. "You think you're funny, don't you, McCall? I know you're hiding something. I'm gonna find out what it is. I don't care how long it takes." And with that last threat he turned and walked away. Scott breathed deeply trying to calm his racing heartbeat before going to his first class when he heard the bell ringing.

---

Mystic Hills High School – History Class

"The Battle of Willow Creek took place right at the end of the war in our very own Mystic Hills." Tanner was saying but like always Caroline ignored him, until she realized that Tanner was not lecturing this time but asking questions to the class, questions she had no idea the answers too. "How many casualties resulted in this battle? Ms. Forbes?"

Caroline startled at that and shrugged. "A lot? I'm not sure but a whole lot." Caroline said with a cheeky smile. The class laughed.

Tanner frowned at her and said. "I see you have no intention of dispelling the 'blonde and dumb' stereotype Ms. Forbes."

Caroline frowned at him, a little hurt and embarrassed when Stefan came to her aid.

"There were 346 casualties." Stefan's voice rang in the otherwise silent class. "Unless you're counting local civilians."

Tanner turned to look at Stefan with a frown. "That's correct, Mr. Salvatore. Any relation to the original settlers here at Mystic Hills?"

"Distant." Stefan replied with a tone that sounded strange to Caroline's ears though she couldn't say why.

Tanner smiled nastily at him. "Well, very good. Except, of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle." He was about to turn around and resume his questions to the class when Stefan's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Actually, there were 27, sir. Confederate soldiers, they fired on the church, believing it to be housing weapons. They were wrong. It was a night of great loss." He said seriously, then with a slight ironic grin he added "The founder's archives are, uh, stored in civil hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts, Mr. Tanner."

"Hmm." Tanner merely said with a frown.

Caroline tried to restrain her giggle behind her hand at Tanner's humiliation but Stefan, that was sitting right next to her, probably heard because he turned around and looked at her. Caroline smiled at him in thanks and Stefan smiled back warmly. Caroline was really starting to like his smiles, especially because she had the impression that Stefan didn't smile very often.

---

School Hallway – Just after last period

Elena and Bonnie were once again standing in front of their lockers, after classes were over for the day.

"So, have you heard about the couple that they found in the woods? It's already three bodies in three days, that's crazy." Bonnie was saying.

Elena frowned. "Really? No I haven't checked the news this morning. What happened?"

"Well, their names were Darren Malloy and Brooke Fenton. They found their bodies dumped in the woods like trash, on top of each other. They had big bites on their necks and their bodies were completely drained of blood. They're ruling it as an animal attack."

"Wow. What kind of animal could have done something like that?" Elena asked, completely freaked out.

Bonnie shrugged. "I don't know. It's so weird though. It's the first time we heard of animal attacks like this in Mystic Hills."

"Don't know." Elena shrugged, not knowing what to say. "Hey, there's tryouts today for the lacrosse team, do you want to go?"

Bonnie smiled in response. "Sure. If Scott plays as well as he did yesterday I can't wait for him to kick Jackson's ass."

Elena laughed. "Yeah. He's such a jerk, I don't know how Lydia can be with him."

"Well, Lydia can be kind of bitch sometimes…"

Elena nodded. "Yeah, that's true."

---

Caroline walked side by side with Stefan, thanking him for what he did for her in class with Tanner.

"It's okay. You don't have to thank me. Tanner deserved it." Stefan said with a warm smile.

"Yeah, he did." Caroline agreed immediately. "He's such a bully. Isn't a professor supposed to encourage his students, trying to find ways to actually make his subject enjoyable? Instead all he does is being rude and sarcastic, sometimes even insult them like what happened to me." She went on a rant and then realized how fast she was talking and she blushed a little. "I'm sorry, I'm talking too much. It's one of my biggest flaws."

Stefan grinned. "I like it actually. I'm not a big talker myself so I like spending time with someone who does."

"Really?" Caroline asked, feeling a little insecure and hoping he wasn't saying that just to please her.

"Yes, really."

Caroline smiled at him before remembering something she wanted to ask him. "So, how come you knew how many people died in the battle of Willow Creek?"

Stefan's eyes changed expression for a second before he smiled, feigning embarrassment. "I'm kind of a history buff. Especially when it comes to the Civil War."

"Really? I wouldn't have pegged you for one."

Stefan laughed. "Yeah? And what you would have pegged me for?"

Caroline shrugged. "Someone who looks like you do? I don't know…football player?"

Stefan grinned. "I do know how to play football so you're not completely wrong."

"Really? Than you should definitely join the team. They desperately need it. You should talk to Matt, he's the captain and the best player of the team, maybe the only actual good player on the team. Only, there's a bit of problem because the coach is Tanner so who knows if he'd ever allow you to join the team after what happened in class today." She took a deep breath at the end of her long speech and turned to look at Stefan.

"Hum, I don't know. I'll have to think about it. And anyway, talking about stereotypes, the cheerleader and the football player, really?"

Caroline shrugged, though internally she was screaming at the hint that maybe Stefan could be interested in her in the same way she was interested in him. "If the shoe fits, why change it?"

---

Lacrosse Field - Afternoon

Amid the players rushing the field, a very late Stiles found Scott in the crowd and hurried toward him.

"Scott, wait up! You gotta' hear this." Stiles called out to his best friend.

Scott, too focus on tryouts to listen to him, said "I'm playing the first elimination, Stiles. Can't it wait?"

"Just hold on." Stiles said, trying to stop him from running away from him. "I overheard my Dad on the phone. The fiber analysis report came back from LA and they found animal hairs on the body from the woods."

Scott, however, wasn't really listening. "Stiles, I have to go."

"You're not going to believe what the animal was…" Stiles started to say but Scott, helmet on, rushed away before he could finish the sentence.

"It was a wolf." Stiles continued to himself, watching Scott join the rest of the team.

---

Out on the field the Coach shouted for the players.

"All right, gather round..."

Scott glanced to the bleachers where students and parents sat to watch the special scrimmage. He spotted Allison once again next to Lydia, Bonnie, Elena, Caroline and a boy he didn't know. Allison gave him a quick wave and a smile. Scott help up a hand to wave back but Coach Finstock saw it and turned towards him.

"You got a question, McCall?" He barked in his usual tone of voice.

"What?" Scott asked startled.

"You raised your hand."

"Oh, no I was just…nothing. Sorry."

The coach turned around then, addressing the rest of the team. "All right, you know how this goes. If you don't make the cut, you're most likely warming the bench the rest of the season. But make first string and you play, your parents are proud, your girlfriend loves you, everything else is cream cheese. Now show me what you got."

In that moment the whistle blew and the game began.

The pace was fast and brutal. When the ball got passed to Scott, Jackson came right after him. Lacrosse sticks smacking down on his gloves, Scott tumbled forward and slammed to the ground, kicking up dirt around him.

The whistle stopped the play.

Jackson stood over Scott, glowering down at him as he picked the ball up with a gloved hand. Teeth clenched behind his mask, Scott pushed himself up off the ground.

Coach gave the whistle a sharp blow, starting the next play.

Scott and Jackson found themselves staring across from each other at the draw, crouched down with their sticks waiting for the Assistant Coach to drop the ball.

At the whistle, Scott moved with shocking speed, grabbing the ball right out from under Jackson.

At the benches Stiles stood, slowly moving to the sidelines to watch.

Scott charged the length of the field. The defense players lashed out with their sticks, but he parried expertly.

Jackson caught up with him and made a furious stab at stealing the ball. Then with the Defense converging on him, Scott twisted his lacrosse stick around, keeping the ball safely in the pocket while he literally flipped forward, leaping right over the heads of the defensive players. Feet landing on the turf, he whirled around, tossing the ball in an over the shoulder shot past the goalie…right into the net.

The crowd in the bleachers roared with cheering, Allison on her feet along with everyone else.

There were two people though, who had seen this amazing move and saw something else other than simple talent. One was Scott's best friend Stiles. He had started to become suspicious ever since his conversation with Scott's yesterday, but today he became convinced more and more that there was something different about Scott, supernaturally different. And it all came back to that bite.

The other person who looked at Scott with suspicion was Stefan Salvatore. Being a supernatural creature himself, he knew supernatural when he saw it and Scott McCall was definitely not a normal human student.

"McCall, get over here!" The coach called Scott.

Scott trotted over to him, all eyes on the two of them.

"What in the name of God was that?" Coach asked him sternly. "This is a lacrosse field. Are you trying out for the gymnastics team?"

"No, Coach."

"Then what the hell was that?"

"I don't know. I was just trying to make the shot." Scott answered, worried he had made a mistake.

"Well, you made the shot." Coach continued with a gruff voice. Then he suddenly smiled. "And guess what? You just made starting lineup."

Scott smiled widely while cheers erupted all around him from the stands. As team members slapped him on the back and knocked his helmet with their gloves, a deliriously happy Scott didn't even notice Jackson's furious glare, Stefan's suspicious stare or Stile's very worried look.

---

Stiles' room – Late Afternoon

As soon as he returned home Stiles started to search on the Internet for information on werewolves.

His fingers clicked furiously over the keyboard, eyes locked onto his computer screen, bouncing from one web page to the next. Words and images popped up on the screen, flashing across his face…

Wolfsbane, Silver Bullets, Lycaon, Aconite, drawings of werewolves in different forms, one mostly human, another a massive fur-covered creature and yet another appearing as a normal wolf. Image after image, page after page while through the window outside the sun can be seen setting on Mystic Hills, a full moon beginning to rise.

As his room darkened, an increasingly panicked Stiles watched a sheet of paper come out of his printer - a detailed wood carving of a medieval hunter standing over the body of a werewolf, aiming a crossbow at the creature.

He pulled the page out, staring at it with a look of escalating fear when someone suddenly knocked on the door.

Stiles practically leaped out of his chair. He rushed to the door, unlocking it to find Scott standing out in the hall.

"Get in." Stiles ordered, frantic. "You have to see this. I've been reading. Websites, books, all this information."

Scott took off his jacket while Stiles started to grab the sheets left on his desk. He pulled his computer screen, showing it to Scott.

"How much Adderral have you had today?" Scott asked, noticing the agitated state of his best friend. Stiles was often hyperactive but today was even worse than usual.

"A lot." Stiles replied, distracted. "Doesn't matter. Just listen."

"Is this about the body? Did they find who did it?" Scott asked, curious.

Stiles waved the question away. "No, they're still questioning people. Even Derek Hale…"

"The guy from the woods…"

"Yeah, but that's not it."

"What then?" Scott asked, getting impatient.

"Remember the joke the other day? Not a joke anymore." At Scott's irritated look he continued. "The wolf. The bite in the woods. I started doing all this reading and…Do you even know why a wolf howls?"

"Should I?" Scott asked, wondering why Stiles was telling him all of this.

"It's a signal." Stiles explained. "When a wolf is alone, it howls to signal its location to the rest of the pack. So if you heard it howling that mean there's others. Maybe a whole pack of them."

"A pack of wolves?" Scott asked, even more confused.

"No." Stiles replied, serious. "Werewolves."

Scott almost rolled his eyes at the answer. "You're seriously wasting my time with this? You know, I'm picking Allison up in an hour."

"I saw you on the field, Scott. What you did wasn't just amazing. It was impossible."

Scott shrugged, getting a little uncomfortable. "So I made a good shot."

"No, you made an incredible shot. The way you moved, the speed, your reflexes…people can't suddenly do that overnight. And then there's the hearing, the senses, and don't think I haven't noticed you don't need your inhaler anymore. You haven't used it since that night."

Scott shook his head, not wanting to believe it. "I can't think about this now. We'll talk tomorrow, okay?"

"Tomorrow? Don't you get it? The full moon is tonight."

"What are you trying to do? I just made starting lineup. I have a date with a girl I can't believe actually wants to go out with me." Scott said, feeling his irritation rising. "Everything in my life is somehow perfect. Why are you trying to ruin it?"

"I'm trying to help. With the full moon it's going to be too hard to resist and there's no going back. You're cursed, Scott. And it's not only that the moon causes you to change, it's also when your bloodlust will be at its peak."

"Bloodlust?" Scott asked, confused once again.

"Your urge to kill."

"I'm already starting to have an urge to kill, Stiles."

"You need to hear this. The change can be caused by anger or anything that raises your pulse. And I've never seen anyone raise your pulse like Allison does. You have to cancel your date. You have to call her." Stiles said before grabbing Scott's jacket and pulling Scott's phone out of its pocket.

"What are you doing? Give me that." Scott said, trying to grab the phone out of Stiles' hands.

"I'm just finding her number…"

"Give it to me." The tone of Scott's voice was enough for Stiles to raise his eyes and look at his best friend. Scott's eyes had flashed yellow for a brief second. His voice was low and guttural.

Scott yanked the phone out of Stiles's hand and shoved him against the wall.

Pulling back before striking him, Scott instead lashed out at the desk chair sending it flying across the room, tossing like it weighed nothing. Then, shaking with anger, he gazed up.

At Stiles' startled and frightened look, Scott was able to calm down. "I didn't mean to do that." He apologized.

He started to help Stiles up – who had fallen to the floor when Scott had shoved against the wall – but his friend flinched back.

"I'm sorry. Really, I didn't mean it." Then he retreated quickly saying "I have to go. I have to get ready for the party. I'm sorry." Scott grabbed his jacket and hurried out the door.

Still shaken, Stiles gradually stood up from the floor. He slowly picked up the desk chair, putting it back. But then he paused, noticing something.

With a shaky hand, he turned the chair around to reveal claw marks. The chair's fabric was slashed to ribbons.

---

Salvatore Boarding House – Before the party, Night

Stefan was getting ready for the party in the woods, his thoughts once again on Caroline Forbes when his good mood was spoiled by his 'uncle' Zach, entering his room without knocking and with a newspaper in his hands.

"You promised." Zach spat at him, throwing the newspaper on the desk and pointing at the article on the front page.

The article was about a couple that had been found dead in the woods very early this morning by a jogger.

Stefan looked at him confused. "This was an animal attack."

Zach scoffed. "Don't give me that. I know the game. You tear them up enough, they always suspect an animal attack. You said you had it under control."

Stefan frowned, not liking his tone. "And I do."

Zach, probably noticing his mood, sighed and calmed down. "Please, Uncle Stefan. Mystic Hills is a different place now. It's been quiet for years, but there are people who still remember. And you being here, it's just going to stir things up."

"It's not my intention."

"Then what is? Why did you come back?"

"This is my home, whether you like it or not. And I don't have to explain myself to you anyway." Stefan's tone was curt but he was getting irritated.

"I know that you can't change what you are. But you don't belong here anymore." Zach said, his tone apologetic but his words were harsh.

Stefan sighed, shaking his head. "Where do I belong then?"

Zach looked at him with a sad look, but he was firm in his resolve. "I can't tell you what to do. But coming back here was a mistake."

Zach left the room and Stefan watched him go without stopping him. Maybe Zach was right but Stefan wanted to believe that he still had a place in Mystic Hills. Mystic Hills was his home, the place where he was born and had lived in as a human, and though not all his memories of this place were pleasant – especially those of his father –, they were still better than most of the memories he had acquired in 150 years as a vampire.

Being back in Mystic Hills almost made him feel like he was human again, and though he was just pretending, it still felt nice anyway. He wasn't ready to give it up just yet.

---

Scott McCall's Room – Meanwhile

With a towel around his waist after having just gotten out of the shower, Scott left the bathroom and returned to his room, just to find his mother waiting for him.

"Mom!" Scott exclaimed, startled and trying to cover himself.

Melissa laughed. "Is this a party or a date?"

Scott smiled shyly. "Maybe both."

"And her name is?"

"Allison." He replied a little dreamily.

"Allison. Nice." Her mother said before giving him the car keys.

"Thank you."

"We don't need to have a talk, do we?" Melissa said a little sternly.

Scott almost rolled his eyes. "Mom, I'm not having the safe sex talk with you."

His mother looked scandalized at that. "Oh, my God. No, I meant about keeping the tank full. Give me those back." She said, indicating the keys.

"Are you serious?"

"You bet your ass I am serious. I'm not gonna end up on some reality television show with a pregnant 16 - year - old."

---

Half an hour later, Scott parked in front of Allison's house, having luckily convinced her mother to lend him the car for the night.

Scott smiled as soon as he saw Allison leaving the house. She smiled at him shyly and Scott left the car to open the door for her before returning to the driver seat. He still couldn't believe she had decided to go out with him.

---

Party at the Falls – Night

The party was in full swing when Stefan arrived. He noticed Elena and Bonnie – Caroline's friends – laughing and talking near the keg and Matt Donovan standing around with a glass in hand, his gaze fixed on Elena, though she didn't seem to notice. He vaguely recognized other people from school, some dancing, some drinking and talking with their friends, but he still didn't know their names. The one he was searching for though, he couldn't find at the moment.

The objects of his thoughts suddenly appeared in front of him though, her usual sunny smile on her face.

"Hey! You made it!"

Stefan smiled at her. "I did."

"Well, then, let's get you a drink." She offered immediately.

Stefan looked at her uncertain, not exactly sure that it was a good idea. He was a vampire so he couldn't get drunk, but the alcohol tended to worsen the bloodlust that he could always feel, dormant at the moment but always ready to come out.

"I don't usually drink." He tried to explain to Caroline.

"Oh." Caroline said, not looking disappointed, more surprised. "Okay, then. Would you like to take a walk? Just to the bridge there…" She pointed to the little bridge a little away from them that had been built over the falls. "It's away from all this noise, we can talk there and the falls look really pretty at night." She looked unsure but Stefan smiled at her, once again finding her tendency to talking fast – especially when nervous – really endearing.

"Sure. I would love to." He said with a smile that Caroline immediately returned. They started walking side by side.

---

Bonnie and Elena, that had noticed Caroline and Stefan together and directed towards the Falls, grinned at each other.

"They are really adorable, aren't they?" Bonnie asked, laughing.

Elena smiled. "Caroline is really taken with him. I don't think I've ever seen her like this before. I mean, she's always been a little boy-crazy but usually it's only about catching the most popular boy just because she can. This time she really likes him, does she?"

"Definitely. She's so nervous around him. And every time Caroline is around him Stefan doesn't seem to notice anything else but her."

"I must admit I'm a little envious." Elena said with a sigh. "I know I said that I'm not searching for a boyfriend but I wouldn't exactly mind having someone that looks like me like Stefan looks at Caroline." Then she amended at Bonnie's look, "I mean beside Matt. With him there just wasn't the spark that I'm looking for, you know?"

Bonnie sighed. "I know. You were never really in love with him. What you're actually searching for is someone you can fall madly in love with."

Elena laughed. "It sounds a bit silly but yeah…" Then with a mischievous look she asked Bonnie "Can you tell me if there's a tall, dark stranger in my future, oh psychic one?"

"Right, I forgot." Bonnie laughed then mock-seriously she said "Okay, so give me a sec. Grams says I have to concentrate.

"Wait," Elena stopped her, "you need a crystal ball."

She searched around them for something that could pass for a crystal ball and ended up choosing an empty bear battle.

Bonnie smiled and took it from Elena's hand.

In that moment something strange happened. Bonnie spaced out for a few seconds, with Elena not understanding what was happening but feeling Bonnie's fear like it was her own when suddenly Bonnie seemed to come back to herself, snatching her hand back from Elena's.

"Bonnie, what? What happened?"

Bonnie shook her head, a little shaken. "That was weird. When I touched you, I saw fire and a hooded figure, and there was fog."

"What?" Elena asked, a little freaked out.

"Yeah. And then I saw a crow. And a man." At Elena's confused and worried look she amended. "I'm drunk. It's the drinking. There's nothing psychic about it. Yeah? Ok, I'm gonna get a refill." And with that she turned around and left Elena alone.

Elena watched her go, unable to stop her and wondering what the hell had happened.

---

Scott and Allison reached the party hand in hand and watched the people around them dancing, drinking and generally having fun. They turned and smiled at each other, Allison moving a strand of hair behind her ear shyly.

"So what do you drink?" Scott asked her.

Allison looked uncertain. "Um... I don't know."

Scott grinned slightly. "Me either, actually. Maybe we should try beer? Wait here, I'll hit the keg."

Allison smiled at him. "Perfect."

Scott reached the keg and filled up two cups. When he raised his gaze he noticed Derek Hale a little away from him, standing against a tree watching him.

Scott gripped the two cups a little too tightly, unnerved by his stare. Then, not sure he was actually seeing what he was seeing, he watched Derek's eyes glowing blue for a second.

"Dude, you done?" One of the guys at the party asked him impatiently so Scott handed off the keg tap to him before looking back at the place where Derek was standing but he was gone.

Scott shook his head and turned around, intent on joining Allison's side once again.

---

"You know, you remind me of a girl I used to know." Stefan said, looking at Caroline with a smile while the both of them stood against the wooden bridge railing.

"An ex-girlfriend?" Caroline asked, a slight frown on her face.

Stefan grinned. "No, no." He tried to placate her worries. "She was my best friend. Her name was Lexi. She died a few years ago."

Caroline looked at him with compassion. "I'm sorry. I can't even imagine losing Elena or Bonnie. I don't know what I would do without them."

Stefan shrugged, but the pain was still very much there. "It happened a few years ago. It's easier now though. What they say about time, it's true."

Caroline placed her hand on top of his in a show of support but stayed quiet, not knowing what to say. Then a sudden thought entered her head. "Wait, when you say that I remind you of your best friend does it mean that you're interested in me only as a friend?" She tried not to show her disappointment but she didn't think she was being very successful.

"No, No." Stefan tried to explain, trying to rectify his blunder, "What I meant was that you have a similar way of looking at the world that she did. Lexi was always so cheerful and optimistic, always with a smile ready on her face. Nothing seemed to keep her down for long, she was always able to see the best in people and the world in general. From what I've seen so far, you are the same. I like that." He finished with a warm smile.

Caroline smiled shyly at him, feeling her heart beating faster in her chest. "You do?"

"Yes, very much." Stefan answered, looking intently into her eyes.

They were standing rather close so Caroline could see perfectly the moment when Stefan's eyes started to change. She noticed they were suddenly red-rimmed and with strange veins under his eyes.

"Hey, um, are you okay?" Caroline said, coming closer to look at his eyes better. "Um, Your eyes…it's just…"

Stefan immediately brought a hand to his eyes and turned around, trying to hide from her.

"Oh, um...Yeah, no. It's, um, it's nothing. Um, are you thirsty?" He didn't wait for her answer, instead he continued, saying, "I'm gonna get us a drink, Okay?"

"But you said you don't drink?" Caroline tried to call out to him but Stefan was already walking away from her hurriedly.

Caroline raised her hands to the sky and asked to the air around her "What just happened?"

---

Handing a cup to Allison, Scott kept throwing nervous glances at the place where he had last seen Derek but he was nowhere to be seen. He took a deep gulp of the beer and then coughed, nearly spitting it out.

"That tastes terrible."

Allison laughed at him, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Now I see what they mean about an acquired taste." Scott continued.

"I've actually never been drunk. I usually go to these parties and just stand there with a Diet Coke."

"Stiles and I got drunk on Tequila one night. The next morning I felt like I had a flamethrower pointed at my forehead."

Allison smiled at him before saying "Okay, since neither of us is any good at drinking, how are you at dancing?"

Scott grinned. "Much better. Infinitely better." Then, finding his courage, Scott took Allison's hand and led her to the rest of partygoers dancing around them.

---

"Looking for someone?" Elena was startled out of her search for Bonnie who still hadn't reappeared after the scene with the beer bottle by Matt's voice.

She turned to look at him, feeling awkward. "Hey."

"Look, I know that I said that I would accept your decision." Matt began, serious. "And I meant that at the time because I thought it was because the accident really spooked you and you needed time on your own and I did get that. But now, summer's over and it's been four months and still nothing. I just want to know why…I thought we were good together."

Elena sighed. "Matt, look, I…" She hesitated before deciding to be honest. "The truth is that I'm not in love with you okay? I thought I was but I realized that what I felt for you was yes, love, but it's similar to the love that I feel for Bonnie and Caroline."

At Matt's stricken look she continued, feeling horrible but knowing that some things needed to be said. "You're my best friend and you're very important to me but not in that way. When you started to talk about going to college together, and having an entire life together with kids and a white picket fence the night of the party when I had the accident, I started to having doubts and then the accident happened and suddenly everything changed even more for me. Life is too short for both of us to waste it on a relationship that is not how it's supposed to be. You deserve to be with someone who loves you deeply and completely and that's just not me."

Matt looked so heartbroken and Elena could feel the deep pain he was feeling in that moment. It was so strong that she brought a hand to her chest to try to alleviate the phantom pain but of course it wasn't of any use. Matt looked at her one long second before turning around without saying anything.

Elena sighed and let him go, feeling the pain diminishing the more Matt was further away from her.

---

Scott and Allison started to move together and when Allison smiled at him the usual shy and a little awkward Scott started to relax.

He brought both hands around her waist when the movements of the other teens around them brought them closer. Their bodies were pressed against each other, Allison's cheek brushing lightly against his.

Then through the crowd, Scott noticed Lydia making out with Jackson. Lydia's back was against a tree and the two were kissing passionately. When Jackson started to kiss Lydia's neck, bringing one hand very high on her thigh, Lydia's eyes that were closed suddenly opened and she looked right at Scott.

Unused to the attention of one beautiful girl, much less two, Scott found himself dumbstruck for a moment, unable to tear his eyes away from Lydia until the bodies of the dancing teens pushed together to leave him alone with Allison once again.

Allison smiled at him, their bodies even closer than before to each other.

Then the thumping beat of the music began driving faster, starting to sound almost like the quickening of a heartbeat, Scott's heartbeat.

The sounds around him intensified. His fingers clenched Allison's back, veins at the surface of his hands as he pressed against the fabric of Allison's shirt. His upper lip pulled up momentarily to reveal sharpened incisors.

Lights glaring in his eyes Scott took a hard swallow as his breathing tightened, sweat beading his temples. He lost the beat of the music, stepping back and pulling away.

"Are you okay?" Allison asked him concerned.

Scott almost felt sick. Everything seemed magnified and he could feel himself on the verge on losing control.

"I'll be right back." He said to Allison, feeling painful spasms wrecking his body. He left her side, stumbling more than once and feeling his vision blurring.

He vaguely registered Stiles' voice asking him if he was okay but he didn't stop, intent on reaching his car. He didn't even notice Allison following him, concerned. He simply got in his car and drove off.

---

Allison watched Scott go in bewilderment, wondering what had happened. Her musings were interrupted by someone calling her name.

Allison turned around to see a man, older than her and Scott, standing behind her. He was attractive, with dark hair and green eyes. He smiled at her.

"Allison. I'm a friend of Scott. My name's Derek."

---

Bonnie walked around the woods without paying attention to where she was going, still freaked out by the visions she had seen when she had touched Elena's hand and by the fact that she had had a vision at all when she suddenly noticed fog spreading on the ground around her and making it difficult for her to see where to go. She stopped, bewildered and a little scared when suddenly she heard a noise, like rustling leaves. Not like from the wind though, more like from someone who had moved them.

"Is there someone here?" She called out but nobody answered her.

Suddenly from nowhere, a figure appeared in front of her, a man in a leather jacket with black hair and the face of a monster, with long fangs instead of canines and red eyes with black veins.

The man/monster grabbed her by her arms and brought her neck close to his mouth before Bonnie could escape. She screamed when his sharp teeth pierced her tender skin, trying to pry him off of her but he was just too strong.

The more blood he sucked from her neck, the more her vision began to blur and soon she was losing consciousness.

---

Elena left the rest of the partygoers behind after the recent discussion with Matt, unable to locate Bonnie and knowing that Caroline was with Stefan. She was instead just walking through the woods and towards where she had parked her car, not feeling in the mood to partying anymore. She hadn't drunk much that night, just a few sips of beers so she was feeling secure in driving that night. She didn't intend on making the same mistake twice.

Suddenly the oddest sight she had ever seen in her life presented itself before her eyes.

There was a man lying in the middle of the road, looking at the stars. He was near her car and Elena was afraid of running him over if she used it now.

Elena didn't know what to do, wondering if he was hurt or simply crazy.

"Hello." The man said, suddenly turning his head to look at her. He looked young though definitely older than her. Probably a little older than twenty years old. He got up from the ground and stood a few feet away from her.

"Are you all right?" Elena couldn't help but ask.

The man laughed and Elena couldn't help but notice how handsome he was. He wasn't overly tall but he had dark hair, perfect features and amazing blue eyes, the likes of which she had never seen before.

"I'm not crazy, I promise." He said, probably reading the expression on her face. "I'm Damon."

"I'm Elena." Elena replied, relaxing a little at his smile, though she was still a little suspicious. She also noticed that, like with Stefan, she couldn't feel his emotions at all. "Not to be rude or anything Damon, but it's kind of creepy that you're out here in the middle of nowhere, lying in the middle of a road and at night nonetheless."

Damon shrugged. "It helps me think. It's quiet, like the world is standing still. And anyway, look who's talking, you are here all by yourself."

Elena once upon a time would have answered that they were in Mystic Hills and nothing bad ever happened in Mystic Hills. Now though, after her accident and the recent animal attacks she wasn't so sure. Instead she said. "There's a party in the woods tonight. I came from there."

"Oh." Damon nodded. "And how come you left? It's not very late, is it?"

Elena sighed at that. "I got into a fight with my ex-boyfriend."

Damon took a few steps closer to her and asked, "About what? May I ask?" He raised his hands in the air in a sign of surrender.

Elena shrugged. "The reason why I broke up with him, ironically enough. Life, future…He had this whole life planned out for us and I just…"

"You didn't want it?"

Elena shook her head, not in denial but in uncertainty. "I don't know what I want."

Damon smirked at her. "Well, that's not true. You want what everybody wants."

Elena smiled at him, maybe a little flirtatiously. "What? Mysterious stranger who has all the answers."

Damon turned his head away from her, laughing in amusement. "Well, let's just say I've been around a long time. I've learned a few things."

Elena continued smiling, very intrigued now by him. "So, Damon tell me, what is it that I want?"

Damon came closer to her while talking. "You want a love that consumes you." He kept walking until he was standing right in front of her before stopping and continuing speaking. Elena looked at him mesmerized. "You want passion and adventure and even a little danger."

When Damon stopped talking, the two of them looked at each other for a few long seconds before Elena asked, "So, what do you want?"

Damon was about to answer when a loud scream interrupted the moment. Elena immediately turned around, recognizing the voice.

"Bonnie!" Elena said frantically.

"I want you to get everything you're looking for, Elena." Damon said to her in a whisper, his breath close to her ear while Elena was still with her back to him.

Elena turned around, intent on telling him that she had to go because something had happened to her best friend but when she did, there was no one there. Damon was gone.

---

Scott McCall's Bedroom

Scott stumbled into his room, slamming the door shut. But even as he locked the door another wave of pain wracked his body. He stumbled to the bathroom, getting rid of his shirt; he opened the showerhead and sat on the tub half dressed. He felt the water cascading down his head and body but he could still feel the pain. His ears hurt too, it was like every sound was magnified inside his head.

He raised his hand against his face and noticed with horror the claws sprouting from his fingers in the place of nails.

He got up from the tub to stand in front of the mirror and noticed two glowing, yellow eyes staring at him and fangs in place of teeth on his mouth.

The horrified observation of his face was interrupted by someone knocking at his bedroom's door.

"Scott, it's me." Stiles called out from out the door.

Hearing the panic in his friend's voice, Scott left the bathroom and stood in front of the door. He unlocked it but he only opened it an inch.

"Let me in, Scott I can help…" Stiles said but Scott immediately interrupted him.

"Go away!"

"No." Stiles replied stubbornly.

With eyes still glowing, Scott stayed hidden behind the door and said "Listen, you have to find Allison. Take her home…"

"She's fine. I saw her get a ride. She's totally fine."

Scott nodded to himself, a little relieved. "Stiles, I think I know who it is."

"Just let me in and we can talk."

"It's Derek. Derek Hale's the werewolf. He's the one who bit me. He's the one who killed the girl in the woods."

Scott listened, waiting for Stiles' answer but there was only shocked silence coming from the other side of the door until…

"Scott... Derek's the one who drove Allison from the party."

At those word Scott threw open his bedroom window and launched himself out from the second story fifteen feet up. When his feet hit the pavement, his crouched figure slowly drew up to reveal he was no longer struggling with the transformation. He had given into it.

His yellow eyes glowed in the night, his incisors reformed into fangs, ears tapered to points over thickened, wilder hair and fingernails grown to razor sharp claws.

Changed for the first time Scott charged down the driveway and into the darkness in search of Allison and the danger she faced.

---

Party in the Woods

Elena stumbled in the dark, one foot after another through the woods in search of her friend. She walked in the direction Bonnie's voice had come from, her path illuminated by her phone.

It wasn't easy but after ten minutes of search she heard another voice. Jeremy's.

"Bonnie?" He called out, his voice very close to her. "Oh, my god, Bonnie!"

A few steps later Elena saw Jeremy crouched on the ground near a figure laying prone and unmoving on the forest floor. It was Bonnie.

"Oh, my god! Bonnie!" Elena rushed to their side, noticing the deep, bleeding gash in Bonnie's neck. She was unconscious.

Between the two of them they were able to bring her up to where the rest of the party was still going.

"Somebody help!" Elena cried out and immediately other people started to surrender her.

"Bonnie?" Matt asked with shock clear in her voice. "What the hell happened?"

"Oh, my god! Bonnie!" That was Caroline, tears in her eyes.

"What happened to her?" Someone in the crowd asked.

"Somebody, call an ambulance!" Matt called out, noticing all the people gawking but doing nothing to help.

"It's her neck." Elena explained. "Something bit her. She's losing a lot of blood."

"Put this on her neck." Jackson offered, taking something that looked like a bandana out of his pocket.

Elena took it and nodded at him in thanks.

In the commotion nobody noticed Stefan looking at the scene before disappearing quickly through the crowd.

---

Argent Residence

Stiles drove fast with his jeep till he reached Allison's house. He quickly got out of the car and to the front door, ringing impatiently the doorbell. A few moments later a woman with short red hair and a stern expression opened the door.

"Hi, Mrs. Argent." Stiles rambled quickly. "Um…You have no idea who I am. I'm a friend of your daughter's. Uh, Look, this is gonna sound kind of crazy, um…Really crazy, actually. You know what? Crazy doesn't even begin to describe…"

He was interrupted though by Mrs. Argent calling out to her daughter. "Allison! It's for you."

Stiles watched a little disbelievingly and a little relieved Allison showing up at the top of the stairs, perfectly safe and looking at him with a confused expression on her face.

---

Mystic Hills Woods

Scott run through the woods, his vision red, when he spotted a jacket hanging from a tree branch. Both the smell and the fact that he saw her wearing it told him that it was Allison's.

"Where is she?" He growled to the night, knowing Derek was close.

"She's safe. From you." Derek growled back.

Scott jumped him and they wrestled for a while until Derek gained the upper hand.

While pinned to a tree by Derek's hand, Scott asked him "What did you do to her?"

"Shh, quiet." Derek said, appearing to be listening for something. Then a moment later he said. "Too late. They're already here. Run." He ordered before leaving.

Scott tried to run too but a arrow pierced his arm, trapping him to a tree. Scott tried to struggle, watching the men around him with a little fear.

One of them, a man with graying hair and bright blue eyes, probably the leader, ordered "Take him."

Just in that moment though Derek came to the rescue, quickly dispatching of them by throwing them around like they were ragdolls.

He grabbed Scott and brought him to safety.

"Who were they?" Scott panted, back against a tree and features back to normal.

"Hunters." Derek explained while standing in front of him. "The kind that have been hunting us for centuries."

"Us?" Scott shouted in anger. "You mean you! You did this to me!"

Derek studied him before asking, "Is it really so bad, Scott? That you can see better, hear more clearly, move faster than any human could ever hope? You've been given something that most people would kill for. The bite is a gift."

"I don't want it." Scott replied, piqued.

"You will." Derek replied with certainty in his voice before coming closer to him and bending so their faces were at the same level. "And you're gonna need me if you want to learn how to control it. So you and me, Scott…We're brothers now."

---

Salvatore Boarding House

Stefan returned home and slammed the door shut in a fit of both worry and anger. Zach, appearing from his study, asked him, "What's going on?"

"Someone else was attacked tonight, Zach, and it wasn't me." Stefan replied before stopping, going up the stairs in quick strides.

Stefan entered his room at a fast pace. In that moment a crow flew into his room from the open window and Stefan turned around, already knowing whom he was going to find there.

"Damon."

In that moment a man appeared, seemingly out of thin air, standing on the balcony.

Damon smirked at him. "Hello, brother."

"Crow's a bit much, don't you think?" Stefan asked him sternly, not a hint of a smile on his face.

"It was for dramatic effect. I thought you might appreciated it."

Stefan ignored his brother's sarcasm and asked him instead. "When'd you get here?"

Damon shrugged while entering the room. "Well, technically speaking I just came back two days ago. But I've been visiting on and off all summer. You, on the other hand, what on heart made you decide to come back and enroll in high school?"

"I wanted to start afresh." Stefan replied, a frown on his face. "But of course, how can I ever hope to live a normal life with you always here, ready to ruin it?"

"Don't be so melodramatic Stefan. I haven't come here to ruin anything. I didn't even know you were here until a few days ago."

Stefan glared at him, not believing him. "Why are you here?"

Damon smirked. "Would you believe me If I said I missed my little brother?"

Stefan wasn't amused. "You hate small towns. It's boring. There's nothing for you to do."

Damon shrugged. "I've managed to keep myself busy."

"You know, you left that girl alive tonight. That's very clumsy of you."

"Ah, you flatter me Stefan. But I'm very sorry to disappoint you. That wasn't me. Elena can confirm it. I was with her while her friend was attacked."

Stefan scoffed. "Why should I believe you? You've been leaving a trail of bodies for days now."

Damon shook his head and sat on Stefan's desk. "Once again, that wasn't me." He turned serious and looked Stefan in the eyes. "I'm not killing anymore. I haven't killed a human in…" Damon made a quick calculation in his head and whistled "more than thirty years. I can't believe how time flies."

Stefan took a real look at him this time and frowned, surprised at what he saw. "You have your humanity back. When did it happen?"

"When do you think?" Damon asked rhetorically.

"Lexi…the guilt. It was enough to make you flip your switch back on?"

Damon smirked self-deprecatingly. "You mean having killed my brother's best friend, someone who was only trying to help me? Yes, that was enough." Damon paused a little before sighing. "I'm sorry I left her to fry on a rooftop, brother. If it makes you feel any better, feeling all that guilt really sucked."

Stefan grinned despite himself. "Fine. I'm not saying I forgive you, but I suppose this apologize is a start. You still haven't told me what you're doing here though, or why you were with Elena Gilbert tonight."

Damon rolled his eyes. "I came back in May. I wanted to…I don't even know what I wanted to do. Maybe see this town again, stay for a little while? It was our home after all. Maybe I was simply feeling nostalgic. Anyway, I was laying in the middle of the road…" At Stefan's raised eyebrow he explained, "I like to do that sometimes…it helps me think…anyway, I was looking at the stars, having deep thoughts about eternity and our existence as vampires when I heard a car accident not far away from me. I got up and went to investigate. I supposed I wanted to help, if I could.

"Anyway, that's when I saw that the car was in flames. I hesitated…vampires don't get along with fire after all…there was a girl trapped inside though, unconscious and I couldn't just leave her there." Damon stopped for a second before continuing. "As you might have guessed it was Elena Gilbert."

"So you saved her from the car?"

Damon shook his head. "That's the thing. I didn't. I didn't have to…"

"What?" Stefan asked confused.

"Look, she was there, okay? I could see her, trying to get out but she was trapped. I tried to get to her but I was trying to figure out a way for me not to die too so I was kind of slow in getting to her. She lost consciousness a few seconds later, though, because of the smoke and I was about to get her out, flames be damned, but then the car exploded, right in front of me. Because of the explosion, she was thrown out of the car and she ended up on the asphalt.

"I thought I was too late to save her, obviously. Anyone else would have died in her place. I mean, her body was completely burned, she was unrecognizable. And then, all of a sudden, she started to heal, like a vampire, right before my eyes. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. In a few minutes she was completely healed. Her heart, that had stopped beating, started again, loud and strong. I called the ambulance at that point and left before they arrived. The fact that she's completely okay now, and without any scar at all, is impossible. And yet…"

"How can it be?" Stefan asked wonderingly. "She's not a vampire. I met her. She seemed a perfectly normal girl to me."

"Well, she's obviously not. How do you explain how she survived an accident that should have killed her otherwise? I'm telling you, there's something strange about that girl. She's…supernatural. I don't know what she is but I intend to find out."

"So, that's why you're here? To stalk a sixteen year old girl?"

"I wasn't stalking her. I kept an eye on her a few times this summer, with my compelled crow, and she seemed perfectly normal, though definitely still shaken about the accident. I finally couldn't resist today. I had to meet her." Damon smiled, remembering his conversation with Elena. "She's something all right…"

At his brother's look Stefan raised an eyebrow. "You like her."

Damon became defensive immediately. "She's hot, and smart, and kind, and she has a fire in her that I don't think many people actually realize she has. I was…pleasantly impressed by her."

Stefan smirked. "So you like her."

Damon glared at his little brother but he didn't deny his statement. Instead, he teased him back. "I'm not the only one spending time with a sixteen year old teenager."

Stefan looked embarrassed for a moment but then he shrugged. "Caroline is…like a ray of sunshine. She's cheerful and bubbly and optimistic and she likes to laugh and be happy in general. I like spending time with her. She almost makes me feel…"

"Alive? Human?" Damon asked understandingly.

Stefan nodded with a smile. Then he became serious once again. "If what you're saying is true, that you haven't killed anyone…"

"It's true." Damon said but Stefan continued without actually paying attention to him.

"That means that there is someone else who is killing humans. Another vampire."

Damon nodded but he also said "Another vampire, yes. But the body that they found three nights ago, the body of that girl torn in half? That wasn't a vampire."

Stefan nodded. "I don't think we are the only supernatural creatures here. There's a boy in my same here. His name is Scott McCall and I'm pretty sure he's a werewolf."

Damon grimaced. "Huh, werewolves. I'm not overly fond of those. Do you remember George Lockwood?"

Stefan nodded. "He was a dick even before becoming a werewolf so I don't think we should judge all werewolves by his standards."

"Huh, true I suppose. So do you think this kid is the one responsible from this murder? Maybe he lost control on a full moon or something?"

Stefan shrugged. "I don't know. He smelled rather young. Too young for being the one responsible."

Damon hummed in thought. "So maybe the Alpha who turned this kid is also the one responsible for the murder."

"It seems like the most logical explanation."

"Great. This means that we have a rogue vampire and an Alpha werewolf to worry about."

---

Mystic Hills Hospital

Elena and Caroline were sitting in the waiting room of the hospital, hoping desperately for news about Bonnie. Her grandmother Sheila and her uncle, the veterinarian Alan Deaton, were also there.

Caroline hated the silence. She had the sudden urge to just start babbling nonsensically just to fill the silence with noise. She wasn't like Elena, always proper and knowing how to behave when it came to this kind of situations. Caroline remembered how Elena was at her parents' funeral: 8 years old but not one tear on her solemn face, shaking the hands of the people that had come to tell her how sorry they were for her loss.

"Hey, you want to go get a coffee?" The object of her thoughts asked her. Caroline nodded and together they walked towards the vending machine just around the corner.

"I can't believe this happened." Caroline said in the end, sipping her double espresso.

"I know." Elena replied, "but she'll be okay. Bonnie's strong."

"Of course, she's going to be okay." Caroline said, trying to convince herself. "It's Bonnie we're talking about here."

Elena nodded as well and the two fell again into a tense silence.

Then, as an obvious way to lighten the mood, Elena asked, "So, you and Stefan Salvatore, huh? Good catch."

Caroline grimaced, not the expression Elena was expecting. "Did something happen?" Elena asked.

Caroline shrugged. "It's more like what didn't happen." At Elena's curious look, Caroline explained, "We were talking, I thought things were going well, I even thought for a second we were about to kiss but then…something happened…his eyes changed or something and then he literally bolted."

"What do you mean, his eyes changed?"

"I don't know. They suddenly became outlined with red and strange veins appeared underneath them. Or at least that's what I think I saw, but I'm not too sure. And then, when I asked him what was wrong with his eyes, he said he was going to get us drink – when before he had said he didn't drink – and he just disappeared. I haven't seen him since, I think he left the party after that or, at least, he made sure to avoid me after that. I don't even know if he was there when Bonnie was attacked."

Elena frowned in confusion. Too many strange things were happening all at once and she didn't know what to think.

---

Near the Mystic Hills Reserve - Early Morning the Next Day (Saturday)

Scott walked slowly, following the road under his feet, one harm holding the other.

In that moment Stiles' jeep pulled up beside him and Scott got in it.

He sat defeated on the passenger seat, head against the glass window.

"You know what actually worries me the most?" He asked rhetorically to Stiles.

Stiles looked at him a moment before asking "If you say Allison, I'm gonna punch you in the head."

"She probably hates me now." Scott sighed.

"Ugh. I doubt that." Stiles replied, trying to cheer him up. "But you might want to come up with a pretty amazing apology. Or, you know, you could just…tell her the truth and revel in the awesomeness of the fact that you're a frickin' werewolf." At Scott's dark look he amended, "Okay, bad idea." He conceded before trying to reassure him once again. "Hey, we'll get through this. Come on, if I have to, I'll chain you up myself on full moon nights and feed you live mice. I had a boa once. I could do it."

Scott smiled slightly at that, happy that he, at least, had his best friend at his side.