I had jumped off the top of a waterfall and was bracing myself for the splash at the bottom. All the secrets that I had tried so hard to conceal were about to come spilling out.

Isaac kept eyeing Derek warily as if he was going to pounce at any moment - Derek himself had been staring at Isaac for a long time… Not angrily, almost… I don't know- curious? I don't blame Isaac for being scared, not after what he's just been through. He kept a clenched hand on his stomach, and I swallowed as I reminded myself that he was probably covered in bruises underneath his hoodie.

Before I can even start to explain, we hear a car pull into my driveway. I tense up as the engine shuts off and silence invades.
"Must be my parents," I say, wildly looking from Derek to Isaac and back to Derek again. Derek. I suddenly remember that he's a wanted criminal. Crap.
"You need to go and check on Scott, Derek," I order him, but he doesn't take his eyes off Isaac. "…Derek? Anyone home? You need to leave."
The man cocks his head to one side and steps towards Isaac, who freezes and widens his eyes in terror.
"W-what?" Isaac splutters out, gulping and he grabs my hand, digging his fingernails into my palm for support. A car door slams shut outside. Everyone winces.
"…You know, Isaac," Derek speaks slowly and carefully, "I could get rid of those injuries for you now. And the injuries you'll get during the rest of your life. You would never be weak again."

My whole body goes on high alert. I know what he's asking. Anger starts to bubble in my stomach.
Isaac doesn't have a clue what he is talking about, obviously. He blinks at Derek in surprise and lets the silence hang in the air. I hear a key turning in the lock of the front door and leap to my feet quickly.
"Don't you dare," I growl at Derek, making myself a barrier between him and Isaac. "Get out of my house right now. I don't want to see you anywhere near him ever again, you hear me? Get. Out."
Derek gives me one last lingering glare before fleeing from the room towards the back door.
"What did he mean? Emily?" Isaac's quiet, pained voice crushes the rage inside me and all I can feel is pity.

Before my parents could enter the room, I turn to him and brush his hair back from his face, a forced smile on my face. I couldn't read his expression at all which terrified me to no end.
"He wanted to- um- I need time to explain – But I won't let him. You're safe now, okay? My parents will help you and you can stay here and-" I have to stop before my voice breaks and I start to cry again.

"Emily?"

My Dad's voice startled me so much that I whipped around with a gasp – but I didn't have time to react, because my Dad was already rushing towards the sofa, dropping his coat and keys on the floor.
"What the hell has happened here?!" My Dad cried, kneeling down and gripping Isaac's shoulder.
I stumble to the side to give him more space and tried to stutter out, "H-he- I-Isaac-"
Isaac starts to violently cough from the shock of my Dad gripping him. I watch in terror as he curls himself into a ball. My Dad is saying things to me, I can see his mouth moving and his arms waving but it's like I'm in a bubble. No. No. No. Isaac was acting like he was fine a second ago.

"Emily!" Someone grabs my arm and spins me round. I stare blankly at my Mom who is dragging me gently out of the room by my wrist. She sits me down on the bottom of the stairs and disappears, returning with a glass of water almost moments later.
"Drink," She orders, a sense of urgency in her voice.
The glass is too heavy in my hands. I feel sick.
"Drink!" My Mom cups her hands under mine and lifts the glass to my lips, a tight smile on her lips. There is a crinkle between her eyebrows. She's worried. Worried about me? But Isaac is the one who's hurt. They need to help him!

A yell from the living room causes me to leap to my feet, almost hitting Mom in the face when I do. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac.
"Sit! Emily, give them space!" She's using her 'doctor' tone on me. Then places her hands on my shoulders and forces me down to sit again.
I can't focus. Nothing is real. Isaac is not okay. But he was acting fine. What's going on?
"Sally!" I hear my Dad calling for my Mom's help and my stomach churns. She reminds me to drink the water before doing a small jog back into the living room.
My head falls onto my knees and I sit like that for a long time, in my bubble of numbness, waiting and waiting.

"Em?" A voice brings me around. I lift my head drowsily and focus on Dad's face. He knees down in front of me so that our eyes are on the same level.
"H-how-?" I breathe out, all choked up.
Dad lifts one of his hands and strokes my hair, "He'll be okay. Just needs to rest."
I nod and bite my lip, "Really?"
"Really," he kisses my forehead, "I'm sorry if we scared you, princess."
"It's okay. You and Mom were the first people I thought of to help him. He doesn't-" My words lodged in my throat. How do I even begin to make up a story about how Isaac got in that state? What has he told my parents already?
"Shhh, it's okay, Isaac's told us already. You did a brave thing, princess. And apparently he'll be staying with us for a while, if that's alright with you?" My Dad smirked at the end and gave me a nudge to make me smile. I wondered if Isaac had told them the whole truth or not.
My mouth tugged up at the side and all of a sudden, I blurted out, "I broke into his house through the back window."
Dad's face looked like he had bitten into a lemon for a second before he relaxed into a laugh. "Okay, let's just keep that part quiet for now. Come on, your Mom and I are going to grab some take out for us all, so can I trust you to keep your eye on Isaac?"
Relieved and thankful, I look into my Dad's eyes and feel myself go all wobbly again. I sniffle and nod, "Thank you. Thank you so much. I love you guys."

Before they left, Dad helped Isaac up the stairs while my Mom carried up his bags. Then they left and I stood in the doorway of the guest bedroom, leaning on the door frame. Isaac lay propped up on the bed, bandages clearly wrapped around him under the t-shirt he now wore. The bruises on his face had been applied with some sort of cream and the cuts on his knuckles and elsewhere were treated with antiseptic stuff. I had no idea what my parents had done, but the strained, distressed look had gone from Isaac's face – he now sat with an embarrassed sort of smile on his face, unsure of how to act now that we were alone again.

"Hey," I whisper, clasping my hands and wringing my fingers slightly.
"Hey," Isaac whispers back, glancing up at me for only a moment.

Without speaking, I tread over to the bed and carefully lay down next to him on my side, curling up my legs slightly and gazing up at him with wide eyes. Isaac twists his head and I look in his blue eyes, feeling so… full.
"How are you feeling?" I ask quietly before wiggling my fingers to intertwine with his nearest hand.
Isaac's face flushes, "Better than I felt before, thank you… Emily, listen…"
"Isaac, you don't have to-"
"Listen, please. I can't thank you enough for the kindness you've shown me. And your parents too. I don't know how to-"
I cut him off by leaning my head closer and kissing his lips lightly. I linger next to his face and feel his breath mixing with mine. Isaac's words falter and he just sighs out an, "Oh," before swallowing and smiling at me shyly.
"Just as long as you are okay," I say softly and give his hand a squeeze.
"I'm sure I will be," Isaac replies, a tiny hint of uncertainty, and rests his forehead on mine.

We stay like this for a while, eyes closed, breathing in time with each other, until the nagging side of my mind pulls at the untold truths that I was going to tell him when Derek was here.
"Isaac, I need to explain to you what's really going on here. In Beacon Hills, I mean. You deserve to know the whole story, with Derek and Scott and everyone," I speak clearly, trying to not come across nervous.
He flicks open his eyes and nods once, "Okay."
"Just… don't freak, please. You need to be… open minded about this."
This time, he raises an eyebrow and drawls out a more confused, "…Okay?"

It took a while to get through the whole story but I didn't want to leave any detail out – Isaac deserved the whole truth. I didn't avoid telling him exactly what I thought about the events of the past few weeks and how he fit into the story. This wasn't the time to be coy, now that people's lives were at stake. The first mention of 'werewolf', Isaac raised his eyebrows in disbelief, as much as he could with his bruised eyes. Eventually, I caught up to the present day and concluded my story with an uncertain, "Um, so yeah, that's it, really."

"So that explains the school then," Isaac breaths out, shakily.
"Explains a lot of things, really… I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I just-"
"And your visions… the one on the lacrosse pitch…" Isaac's eyes suddenly widened and he bolted up to sit- regretting it immediately afterwards and clutching at his chest. As he cried out in pain and screwed his eyes up, I flew up to kneel next to him and clutched at one of his shoulders.
"Isaac? Isaac? Are you okay?"
He winced and breathed out through gritted teeth, "Yeah. One sec…"

After a few deep breaths, he continues, "The vision on the lacrosse field- you saw… you saw my Dad and… my house?" Isaac was getting that wild glint in his eyes in again and it was putting me on edge.
"Well… yeah…" I knew this was going to be a really sensitive subject to talk about. I had no idea how he was going to react, "I saw the, um, basement… But- it wasn't you in the vision. It was me. It was happening to me… Not you. I did not see this coming."
"My Dad was hurting you?!" Isaac's words catch in his throat and one hand suddenly flies out to grip the bed sheets as if the bed was going to fall away beneath him.
"Isaac," I whimper and try to pry his fingers away and into my own. He stares at the wall as if imagining the scene in his head, over and over and over. "Isaac," I repeat, getting the scared, tight knot in my stomach again.
"So it's going to happen. You see the future. You are going to be in that situation at some point," He says.
I hadn't really thought about it like that before. I hadn't considered any impeding threat from Isaac's Dad having been so concerned with the Alpha and the murders. But now that I did think about it, I never wanted to leave my house again. I have his son in my house. I essentially kidnapped his son and am not planning on letting him go any time soon. Shit. I've just given Mr Lahey cause to lock me in his basement.

"-But you changed the events at the school, you said, so you can change this," Isaac continues, after letting out a little shudder and relaxing slightly.
"…I guess," is all I manage to say. Isaac's Dad is a dangerous guy and I was only just coming to terms with this.

Shit. What about school? When Isaac is well enough to go back to school, his Dad is going to know exactly where to find him. And what if he goes to the police and blames me for everything. My parents will get in trouble too. Oh my god. Oh my god. Isaac would not be able to testify against his Dad if things got serious.

My cell phone buzzed to life so suddenly that I let out a tiny scream and jumped half a foot in the air.
Wrestling it out of my pocket, I checked the caller ID and answered, "Stiles? Everything okay?"
"Yeah, totally, except for Derek chasing us down like a mad man after school!" Stiles chimes sarcastically.
"I sent him to look after Scott in case Kate showed up," I replied and rolled my eyes at Isaac.
"Well, she hasn't showed yet and it's been hours since you first called me about it."
"Really? She seemed so proactive about finding out about Scott, I thought she'd go straight for him…"
"Yeah, everything is quiet. I'm gonna stay at Scott's overnight and I'm sure Derek will be lurking nearby- hey- ouch!" Stiles yells before carrying on, "Derek apparently does not like the adjective 'lurking'. What do werewolves do then? Prowl? Ow! I get it, I get it, okay? Stop flicking me, Derek!"
"Stiles!" I groan and wipe my fringe back off my face, "Back on topic, please?"
"Sorry, Em. Hey, how's Isaac?" He asks, lightly.
"Alright, yeah, he'll be fine," I say, for some reason feeling slightly weirded out that Stiles was asking about Isaac – they hardly know each other.
"Seems like the calm before the storm," Stiles sighs.
"Definitely… Let me know if Hurricane Kate comes calling, okay?"
"Will do."

I hang up and throw my phone onto the bed, then rest my head in my hands wearily. There are too many things for me to worry about right now, I don't know how to prioritise. If only I knew exactly how to turn on my ability. If I could just paint out an entire book of events, I would know how to fix everything and make sure no one got hurt in the process. I want to do everything in my power to help.
"Emily," Isaac whispers and rests his chin on my shoulder, rubbing my arms with his warm hands, "Are you okay?"
I lean into him carefully and smile sadly, "I'm really not sure. There's so much going on, I don't know how to handle it all."
"You're only one person, you can't carry the weight of the world," He assures me and gives my cheek a soft peck.

I find all the breath swept from my lungs as he moves down to breathe into my shoulder and then kiss my neck lightly. The small gesture makes me tingle with electricity. I want to turn and grab him and kiss him roughly, but I have to be careful with Isaac – I don't want to hurt him, especially in the state he's in right now. Although to be fair, he's probably really drugged up.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Isaac asks tenderly, as I sit there full of so many emotions.
I twist slightly and place a gentle hand on his heart. My lips find their way to his and I begin to kiss him slowly, working my other hand into his curly hair. Isaac puts both of his hands on the back of my waist, like he usually does, and pulls me closer towards him. He is the one who deepens the kiss, so I know that his injuries aren't bothering him so much anymore. For the first time, Isaac finds the confidence to roam his hands around my hips, down my thighs, up my back, across my jaw, in my hair, tugging and grasping almost urgently.

Taking strength from his assurance, I suck in a deep breath and fling my leg out from underneath myself, swivelling round so that I was straddling his thighs. We look into each other's hazy eyes for only a moment before I grab the back of his neck and pull his mouth onto mine again. Isaac's hands slip under my t-shirt and grasp my waist, his fingers digging in slightly. I don't leave any space for fear about my lack of experience in this kind of situation – all I can feel is the warmth from Isaac's body and the taste of his lips.
My weight shifts and Isaac ends up falling backwards onto the bed, with me on top of him. Before I can throw out my hands to brace my fall, I land right on Isaac's bandaged chest and crash my teeth onto his. Isaac lets out a sudden painful cry and rolls his head backwards. In a flash, he grabs my arms, his fingernails pinching my skin sorely and throws me off to land on the bed next to him.

"Oh my god! Isaac!" I push my hair back and scramble to my knees. Isaac seethes through gritted teeth and clenches his fists in his hair, his injuries obviously flared up and aching.
My heart drops as he rolls onto his side facing away from me and shudders into a ball. "Isaac, Isaac," I whimper, stroking his hair gently, "Are you okay?"
His hand shoots out, seizing mine suddenly and gives it a slight squeeze to answer yes.
"Emily," he pants, slowly, catching his breath before rolling onto his back again to stare at the ceiling. My thumb caresses the back of his hand.

"Do you remember what Derek said?" Isaac finally asks me, once his face is a normal colour again.
"When?" I reply, not really understanding where he's going with this – I'm more concerned with how he is feeling that Derek Hale.
"Just before he left," Isaac breathes out, gently placing his free hand on his bandaged chest. I pull my hair around over one shoulder and lick my lips, listening. "He… said he could make my injuries go away… Was he, um, now I know everything about- did he mean- was he asking-" Isaac seems to not be able to get his words out. I sit there watching his wrestle with the idea, with an ice cold feeling trickling down my back.
I decide to get it over with and finish his sentence for him, "Was Derek asking you if he could turn you into a werewolf? Yeah. He was." I keep playing with Isaac's hand and didn't stop looking at his wounded blue eyes.
He sighs and moves his gaze from the ceiling to my eyes. "Em…" Isaac whispers, twisting his mouth to the side uncertainly.
"But you can't," I remind him, "You can't ruin your life like that for the sake of- what? Speeding up the healing process?"
"But, Em-"
"But nothing! Do you not understand the pros and cons of this decision?" I find my voice getting higher as my frustration begins to rise. "Scott could be murdered any minute and almost killed all of his friends and you're considering that life?"
Isaac pushes himself up to sitting and stares at me, his eyes shut off, "No, I never said that! I just-" He suddenly crumples before me and brings his knees to his chest, "I'm just sick of being weak! I'm sick of this! I'm sick of having to depend on other people all the time. Of running away and hiding! My life is so shit, Emily! This, here, these injuries are a tiny glimpse of every day of my life," Isaac shouts angrily, trying to push himself off the bed, but he can't quite find the strength. "And then imagine someone comes to you and offers you something different? You wouldn't have to constantly babysit me anymore! Emily, just put yourself in my shoes, please. I just want you to look at me like I'm not a wounded animal! I want to be better!" He grabs both my hands and shakes them, frantically. There is a look in his eyes that I really don't like.

All I can do is shake my head, again and again, "No, no way. This is not something that I will ever agree with. You haven't seen the Alpha. He's dangerous, and so is Derek!"
"I know that! But I'll handle it! I'll be strong!"
"No! You can't possibly-"
"Emily, this is my life! It's my choice," Isaac interrupts, furious and confused at my reaction.

I stand up and storm towards the door, angrily whipping round before I reach the hallway.
"Then you and your choice are having nothing to do with me."

On my way downstairs, I pass my parents coming through the door with take-out boxes for our dinner.
"Hey, you're back! I've got to go help Stiles with something, I'll be back later. Isaac's fine. Enjoy your food."

And I slam the door behind me.

A.N.

Hey guys, thank you to everyone who has followed or favourited this story since the last chapter, I'm really happy you're loving it! Chapters should be more frequent now that my work load is less over winter.
Please review with any comments or thoughts you have, I love to hear what you have to say!
See you soon x