Author's note: Hi guys! I wasn't even going to put some Malia in this chapter, but I was convinced by you. We love us some Stalia.

Guys, I have some ideas for this fic, I hope I can pull it right. More information next chapter, I promise.

I love all the reviews and I see your favorite/follow, it's just amazing (but just imagine if only half of the people who follows this fic reviewed it? it'd be twice as amazing.)

I'm surprisingly out of words today and I really hope you guys like this new chapter, I really liked to write it.

Friendly reminder that my english sucks.

And here you go.

Chapter six: Such a precious jewel

"Afterlife, I think I saw what happens next.
Oh, it was just a glimpse of you."
Arcade Fire

"What do I have to do?" Malia had asked, holding his crosse unsure. He picked a spare crosse and a ball, putting some distance between them.

"You just have to do three things:" Stiles had answered and counted on his fingers "make sure you catch the ball right, make sure you pass the ball right and make sure you run to the right side of the field to score."

She thought for a second, nodding.

"Doesn't sound very challenging."

"Doesn't it?" he echoed and before she could reply, he tossed her the ball. For a second, he thought she'd flinch, but at the last moment, she stretched her arm and missed it from an inch. "Woa!"

"I wasn't prepared!" she complained, looking for the ball and tossing it back. He got it with his crosse easily – and very proudly, if you may wonder.

"At a game, you are never prepared. It took me very long to get good, my sport used to be baseball." Stiles said and tossed the ball again. This time, she got it.

"Why it had to "use to"?" Malia asked. "Why did you have to stop?"

"Because…" he started do answer and caught the ball she tossed. "Because my mom put me in it. I tried to keep on practicing it, but it turned out I wasn't so good without her cheering me up. So I stopped. And when Scott decided to start in lacrosse because of his respiratory problems, I though… why not? New sport, new airs."

Malia lowered her crosse, looking at him lovingly. Every time he talks about his mother, she's surprised. Claudia Stilinski was a fragile subject at the Stilinski house, and to know that Stiles trusted her enough to share bits of his mother with her, she was flattered. Quickly, he tossed the ball again, making her squeal before catching it.

"I played baseball too, when I was little. But I liked soccer better. It's more violent."

"You should try handball, then." Stiles said, then thought better. "No, you're too strong, it wouldn't be a good idea."

She gave him the tongue right in the moment Coach Finstock was heading towards them. Well, to her.

"I know I told you to try for the track team," he started, pointing to the werecoyote "but I was watching you play and maybe you should try for the lacrosse team."

"But there's no female lacrosse team." Stiles interrupted, getting closer.

"She can try to the boys' team, Stilinski." Coach answered annoyed without looking at him and continued before Stiles could say anything else. "How many times did you play?"

"Hm…" Malia replied, wondering if she should lie or not. "None. I played baseball when I was little."

"Good, you pick up quickly. You can make that bunch of monkeys run for their money."

"HEY!" Stiles protested and Malia laughed.

"I don't know, Coach, I'm gonna think about it." Was her answer and he nodded.

"Great. Now get out of the field, we have practice." He demanded and she shook her head one time.

"Sir, yes, sir." Malia said, handing the crosse to Stiles.

He held her wrist, pulling her closer and kissed her lightly on the lips, making her smile.

"Are you gonna wait?" Stiles asked.

"No, I think I'm gonna go home, I'm tired."

"You are never tired." And she gave him that look that usually came with his first name. "Okay!" he added quickly.

"I have to study."

"Okay, I get it."

She smiled and reached for his face, cupping his cheeks and pulling him for another kiss, this time deeper.

"Can I get you at nine?" he asked and she nodded. "Good." And kissed her one more time, before letting her go. "Careful with the big bad wolf!"

"Shut up." Malia replied, laughing, and jogged out of the field, before Coach could say anything else.

"When did you became a thing with such girl again?" Coach asked Stiles, suddenly beside him.

Stiles shrugged.

"At a nut house." He answered and the Coach looked at him, nodding.

"Makes sense." He commented and turned around, blowing his whistle to call everyone.

-X-

After a good practice, Stiles was ready to go home, finish his homework and then head to Malia's, but ever since a werewolf bit his best friend, all his plans seemed to be useless - at least most of the times.

The moment he stepped outside, he saw the familiar blue Ford of Lydia parked right next to his jeep, and the banshee was waiting outside, a Cornetto in her hand. The sun was shining down, turning her hair a couple of shades lighter and making her look almost ethereal. When Lydia saw Stiles, she smiled her dimpled beautiful smile and his heart skipped a bit, as it used to do when it was about Lydia's smiles.

"Hey." She greeted and he waved, coming closer.

"Hey, Lyds."

"I got you a Cornetto." She said, reaching inside the car through the open window and then handing him the cone. Fully chocolate, his favorite.

"Thank you!" he said excited.

"Don't get to happy, I got you something nice because I have news." Lydia said, trying to sound serious, but her eyes betrayed her, as she looked at Stiles unwrap his cone and give the first bite eagerly.

"Bad news?" he asked, his mouth full of ice cream.

"Sort of, I don't know. Maybe."

"Well, spill it out, then."

Lydia shrugged.

"I gave your girlfriend a ride today." She said and he looked at her, waiting for the explanation of why it could be bad. "I wasn't going to, but I had this feeling, you know?"

Stiles raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah, I know."

"She asked what's going on between you and me."

"Did she?" he asked, surprised, and leaned on his Jeep. Lydia nodded.

"Yep."

Stiles thought long and hard why Malia would ask something like that now, what would make her have such doubt.

"Don't you get it?" Lydia asked and he just shook his head. "She sounded casual, as if she was just curious, but I don't know, I think there's more."

"Like what? We've been together for almost two months." He wondered aloud.

"Really, Stiles? Can't you think about a couple of things that would trigger her?" and because she had no answer from him, she continued. "I have a few ideas. For once, we have history."

With the mention of this word, Stiles raised his eyes back to Lydia, frowning. He didn't know he and Lydia had history. Or, better saying, he did know, but he didn't know Lydia knew it as well.

"So what?" he finally said. "It's not as if we were a couple or something."

"I know. But think about it, that's when I get to point two: she spent half of her life in the woods as an animal. Last time she was human, she was just a child. To grow up with the conscience of both human and coyote must have been very confusing and I think she doesn't know what to do about you. I think she's terribly afraid of losing you, because she's afraid of screwing things up, for she doesn't really know how to do this relationship thing."

"Well, I'm not leaving her." Stiles said firmly. "We promised to help each other and that's what we're gonna do, it's what we do already. She's not going to scare me off easily."

Lydia shook her head in approval, chewing the last bit of her ice cream.

"So make sure she knows that." She said, after she swallowed.

"Okay, I will." He assured. "So? What did you said to her when she asked?"

Lydia looked away for a moment, bit the inside of her cheek and her dimple appeared again.

"I told her we kissed a couple of times and that we are friends now. Nothing else." She said and Stiles nodded. "So… now she knows. And you must be prepared, because she probably will ask why you didn't tell her about it."

"Why?"

"Because" Lydia said sighing, as if it was obvious "that's what women do."

He rolled his eyes.

"Okay, I'll be prepared." Stiles said, and then shrugged it off. "That's it?"

"No." she answered. "I gave her a ride because I had this feeling? And when we got to her house, Peter was there." Lydia paused, to let the information sink in. "She told me what you said, about her never talk to him alone again, and also that he's been following her around every other day. He's very interested in her and you can tell she's curious. No, listen." She cut, when Stiles threatened to interrupt her. "I don't know for how long she can avoid him, he's her father. And just like he did with me, I really think he can help her. She's just not ready yet, but any moment she'll be."

"I know. I just want her not to be alone with him." Stiles confessed, scratching his neck nervously.

"You're her boyfriend." Lydia said. "Of course you're worried. Let her know that you'll be by her side, whatever happens. That's what she needs."

Stiles nodded, knowing the she was right. She was always right.

"I'll do that." He assured. "Thank you, Lyds."

She nodded and patted his shoulder. With a hand wave, they said their goodbyes and Stiles finally entered into his jeep, starting the car to go home.

He only had to make a few turns when his plans changed again. On a corner halfway to his house, there was someone who looked familiar, a girl. Slowing down, he quickly realized who she was, and it seemed that she was just waiting for him, because as soon as he got closer, she signed for him to pull over.

Since Stiles knew that she could be some pain in the ass, he did as she said, stopping right in front of her and getting out of the car.

"You took your time." She said and he nodded.

"Hello to you too, Ms. Morrell." He replied. "And yes. Were you waiting for too long?"

Marin Morrell shrugged.

"Maybe."

Stiles smiled mockingly.

"Well, I must be some important fella, then."

"Don't make jokes, you're not good at it." And he immediately stopped with the silly laugh.

"Always so nice." He mumbled, and she pretended she didn't hear him.

"How's your life now, Stiles?" Marin asked. "It's been what? Two months now, since your divine move?" taken aback, Stiles just nodded, confirming. "How have you been feeling? Any nightmares?"

Stiles was quiet for a moment. The nogitsune was gone, but the nightmares were happening before the whole fox spirit thing; and it didn't go away so quickly. Memories of him waking up covered in sweat, tangled on his sheets, waking up Malia filled his brain.

"Yes. Sometimes." He answered, because it was least frequent than before, but it was still there. Sometimes it was related to the supernatural, sometimes it was just a random dream, but still. Marin just nodded.

"You know why do you still have them?"

"Because of the sacrifice." He answered quickly and Ms. Morrell confirmed.

"Yes, because of the sacrifice you and your friends did at the lunar eclipse. It'll get weaker, but it'll never go away, just like the darkness in your heart."

Stiles made a face.

"No tell me something I don't know." He said, irritated and she narrowed her eyes.

"I will." Marin replied, more calm then he'd expect. "Do you have any idea why the nogitsune chose you?" she asked and Stiles looked confused.

"Because it was convenient?" he answered questioningly. The time being possessed wasn't his favorite subject to a normal conversation, but since it was Marin, he wasn't very surprised.

"Convenient in which ways?"

"I don't know, because I was closer and I was the only human around? I mean, that's how we were able to kill it, because it can't be two things at the same time."

"Yea, it wouldn't go to Scott, but what about Kira? She's a fox too. It'd fit just fine in her."

She had a bit of a point, but not a very convincing one.

"Also," she continued, "her mother was the one who called on the spirit. Wouldn't it be just the kind of joke a nogitsune would like to make?"

"Maybe, I guess." He shrugged. It was a better argument, he knew because he had the nogitsune's mind in his for quite a long time. "But it chose me, so what's the big deal?"

"How's your little coyote girlfriend?" she suddenly asked, not answering his question.

"Fine."

"Did she learn how to turn back and forth already?"

"To full coyote form?" he answered. "Not yet. But she's learned some pretty cool stuff and can turn like the other wolves. We'll see her real progress the next full moon."

"I see…" she commented, her posture changing so something between relaxed and alert. "Have you noticed anything strange about her?"

For that one, he had to think for a bit longer, trying to sum up the memories of the past couple of months.

"I don't know. Last month, she turned like Scott, with him helping her and all, but she got really frustrated she wasn't able to fully turn. I thought she'd get real mad, but the moment we met, by the morning, all I saw was that little frustration of hers. Scott is surprised and worried that she seems always unbelievable calm about things, even in stressful situations, like when those girls were bullying her. I think it's fascinating, even though no one knows how she does that. It's like she's got this really effective anchor, but she doesn't know what it is either."

Marin just nodded all along his speech.

"No one has a clue what's going on with her?" she asked again.

"Nope. Even though it's pretty awesome."

Finally, she kind of smiled. Or, at least, Stiles liked to think she was almost smiling. He couldn't know for sure, she was always so serious and hard to read.

"Did you know that no one was able to completely shift to animal form? It demands some real power and control, and the last person we met that could do such thing was Talia Hale."

Stiles swallowed.

"I heard something about it."

"When Malia first turned, years ago, she wasn't supposed to go straight to animal form; do you remember Scott's first full moon?" Stiles nodded. "She would normally coyote up, but it went further. No wonder she almost went crazy and kept on its form for so long, she had no training."

"Where do you want to go with it?" he asked, a little afraid of her point.

"I'm telling you that things look very connected to me." Was her answer. "Why would Talia whip the kid from Peter's memories – besides the fact we already know, that he's quite the sociopath? Why is this girl so important she had to be hidden?" she stepped closer, looking into his eyes. "And what are you, Stiles? Not just a normal human being, I'm sure. I know for a fact that your sacrifice to find your father triggered something inside you that made you valuable even to the dark fox. Something, I think, that has to do with Malia's unnatural control."

"What does that mean?" Stiles asked, suddenly out of breath, stepping away from Marin. She continued stepping further.

"I have many theories, but I don't have all the answers, even though I know who might have."

"Well… who then?" he asked, feeling the metal of his jeep on his back.

"My brother." Morrell said casually. "He was Talia's emissary for a start. He might know Malia's full story. Add it to your list of questions, I know you've been taking your time to visit Alan."

Stiles swallowed, feeling more nervous than he thought he should be. It was Marin's effect in him, because she was so damn intense, always with that candy voice of hers.

"Now, I'm in need of a chat with my big brother too, Stiles, for I have a few things to talk. Mostly about you. I feel like he knows things, things that I think I know. And I don't like to have doubts, you see? So yeah, you definitely should talk to him too, because I know you are the type who doesn't like to have doubts either."

He nodded, agreeing.

"But how could everything be connected?" he asked, the moment Marin turned around.

"You'll see." She said, turning her head to look at him, now a real smiling forcing its way on her lips. "I'm glad we didn't need to put you under, Stiles. There's so many things you can be useful now."

And with a very confused Stiles standing on the sidewalk of that corner, Marin turned back and followed her path in the next street, disappearing from view.

A/N: That's it. Do you guys miss Deaton? I miss Deaton. I think we deserve some Deaton in our lives.

Please review, it's very important to me.

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