Just as I was about to fall asleep on that muddled Saturday night, I heard Derek's distinct howl. It sounded as if it was near. I quickly hopped out of my bed and peered through my window. I was surprised to see Derek outside until I remembered what he'd told me; he said that he would need help chaining up Boyd and Erica that night.

I groaned miserably and started to put my clothes on. I was mentally exhausted from earlier, and I did not need this werewolf drama to wear on me even more. I went down the stairs and opened the door to leave, but it caught me by surprise when I saw Stiles standing there with his fist up, presumably because he was about to knock on the door.

"Stiles?" I asked, stunned by his presence.

Before Stiles could explain himself, Derek came up from behind him.

"What the hell is he doing here, Scott?" Derek asked angrily.

"Uh, I don't know," I responded, dumbfounded.

"He's just gonna get in the way. Go home, Stiles," he said with a frown.

"Don't talk to him like that!"

I was surprised at myself for getting that angry. Derek and Stiles were looking at me with flabbergasted expressions. I looked at them frantically and pushed past Derek toward his Camaro.

As I sat in Derek's car, I watched the interaction between him and Stiles from afar. I could tell that he was talking to Stiles in a more humane manor, obviously minding my outburst. Stiles nodded in understanding, got back into his Jeep, and drove off.

"What did you say to him?" I asked Derek as he got in the driver's seat.

"I just explained to him that I needed you right now, and whatever he wanted to talk to you about would have to wait."

"Good," I said, looking at him with fierce eyes that warned him not to ever talk to Stiles that way again.

"What is going on with you?" he asked grotesquely. "Scott, look at your eyes."

I peered into the passenger-side mirror to see my eyes glowing a familiar yellow.

Derek was looking at me, appearing to be deep in thought.

"Do you have a theory?" I asked after he hadn't said anything for a while.

"Yeah, but it's too early to tell. Although, I do have a question. Your answer will be vital to me figuring out what was going on with your eyes."

I waited for him to ask.

"Uh, Scott, are you gay?"

"What? How is that gonna help?"

He looked at me silently for a few seconds, knowing that I'd figure out what he was hinting at.

"Well, I'm sure you'll be disappointed to know that your theory has an impairment: I'm not gay."

He shrugged and started to drive.

"That's all? A shrug?"

"Well, if you're not gay, you can't possibly be in love with Stiles, which was my theory. You know how you're always so protective over Allison? That's how you were acting about Stiles back there."

I pondered.

"Of course I'm protective over him; he's my best friend."

"Scott, me and you both know that you've always been protective over Stiles, but you've never become so malicious over him."

I analyzed my actions in my mind. It was true; I really hadn't ever become that rabid over Stiles before. I postponed trying to decipher what had happened and decided it would be best to focus on the task at hand: binding Erica and Boyd.

We pulled up to the building where Derek hid out. When we walked in, I saw Boyd and Erica sitting side-by-side.

"Finally. Now, let's get this over with," Erica said, standing from her chair and passing Boyd a handful of chains.

Derek started walking toward her. "You can do Boyd," he told me.

Boyd flashed me smile. I went over to him, took the chains from his hands, and started to wrap him in the first one.

"Scott, did you ever need this during the full moon?" he asked.

"Well, no, but only because I always had Allison."

"Wow. You must really love her."

His words made me freeze.

"Scott, are you okay?" He asked, bewildered at my sudden immovability. "If it's something I said, I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have been asking such personal questions anyway."

"No. No, I was just thinking about something." I smiled to let him know it was alright.

His words, what he'd said, they made me assess my feelings. He was right; I really must have loved Allison if she kept me from changing during the full moon. If I loved her, why did Stiles and I kiss? It was too much to think about at that moment.

"Derek, I have to go," I said hazily as I walked out.

"Scott, wait. You didn't even finish Boyd," I heard him call behind me.

I walked all the way home. Boyd's words rang in my head the entire way. After I got home, I got straight into my bed, only removing my shoes. I just laid there, looking at the white ceiling. That was when I remembered that Stiles was trying to talk to me earlier. I looked at my clock. It was past one o'clock in the morning. To call Stiles at that time would have been completely inconsiderate. I tried to fall asleep, to no avail. I changed into some pajama pants and a white t-shirt, hoping that indoor clothing would help me sleep. They didn't help. I wanted to call Stiles so bad to see what he'd wanted. The concern overtook me and I dialed his number. It took him longer than usual to pick up.

"Hello?" he answered, sounding like he had just woken up.

"Did I wake you? I'm sorry, dude. I was just dying to know what you wanted to talk about earlier before Derek sent you home."

It made me angry when I remembered how blatantly Derek had told Stiles to leave.

"You couldn't have waited until later to ask me?" He sounded puzzled.

"I don't know. Something came over me and I needed to know right now. So, what was it anyhow?"

Stiles was silent for a moment.

"It's not really something I can tell you over the phone. It's way too personal."

"It's not like anyone can hear us," I responded, confused as to why he was concerned.

"Yeah, but it's something that I'd rather say to your face, you know?"

"I guess so," I said, still questioning whether or not I truly understood what he meant.

"Try not to worry about it and get some rest."

"Okay. I love you." I found myself telling Stiles that I loved him without even thinking about it lately.

"I love you too, Scott."