When Erik stepped into the locker room to change into his new baseball uniform, he was startled to see Shawn Murphy there along with Anson Cooper. He had no idea they were on the team. They spotted him and turned away quickly, muttering. Erik could have listened in to their conversation, but he strongly suspected that it would set him off, so he didn't bother. A few of the other kids saw him, and sniggered under their breath, giving him amused looks. He ignored them (though his pulse had begun to beat a little faster) and picked a locker at random. He opened it, shoving his knapsack inside, and carefully hanging his leather jacket on one of the hooks. This was his first time in a team locker room, and he felt a little self-conscious as he pulled his shirt off. Having grown up with Pop's thin frame, he was a little embarrassed showing it in front of the kids who were more muscular during the living Hell that was Physical Education. Now though, he was on an even playing field. Heck, even Pop had gotten somewhat ripped since he was turned. Shawn and Anson, along with some of the other kids, were openly staring when he glanced at them. He tried to be nonchalant while desperately hoping his face wasn't burning red.

Anson slammed his locker shut, and stalked out of the locker room, leaving Shawn staring after him looking a little pissed. Erik pulled off his shoes and jeans and socks, before pulling on the rather itchy uniform. As he was lacing up his cleats, Shawn came over. Erik started growling low in his throat before catching himself. As Dad had informed them, with the full moon approaching, the wolf would be a lot closer to the surface than usual. They would actually have to be locked up for the night until they were able to get a handle on the sharp increase in aggression. For this reason, their birthday party had been postponed since the entire Pack would be on edge until after it was all over. Dad promised them they would celebrate this coming weekend. With the gift of the car, complaining was the last thing on either sibling's mind.

Shawn had an odd look on his face. Recalling Laurie's advice of playing nice until someone else played nasty, he merely said "What's up?" with just a hint of a warning Glare.

"Hey. Jimmy's gone, you know, and after what happened to his Dad… I decided to sit down and think about all the shit we pulled on you. I didn't really have a problem with you, but Jimmy had it in for you bad because of your…well, you know. Your Dads. I shouldn't have gone along with it, but Jimmy's been my friend since kindergarten. So, I just wanted to tell you that I'm not gonna mess with you anymore. And I'm kind of sorry about everything."

Erik felt uncomfortable; on the one hand, he really appreciated Shawn having the guts to apologize, especially since it pissed off Anson Cooper so much. Shawn was telling the truth, too. On the other hand, it made him angry that Shawn had no reason to join in on Erik's harassment aside from going along with Jimmy.

"You should be careful about what your so-called friends get you into. If Jimmy had left well enough alone, I wouldn't have put him in the hospital and my grandfather wouldn't have had to kill Mr. Porlock because he shot my father."

Erik leaned in close to Shawn, who backed up a few steps at the scowl on his face. "We could have all been killed. I almost lost my father that night, and that asshole Porlock actually pointed his gun at my sister and I. You know what? I'm glad he's dead…but in my opinion, he got off easy with that bullet. If my Dad had gotten to him first, it would have been slow and painful and there would have been a lot more screaming."

Erik continued to back Shawn up until the other boy hit the locker behind him.

"I accept your apology. But I am never going to give anyone who screws with me a second chance again. You can tell that to Anson. My days of taking his bullshit are so fucking OVER!" Erik slammed his fist into the locker next to Shawn's head, crumpling the metal door like aluminum foil.

"All right man! Chill out! I said I'm not gonna mess with you anymore!" Shawn practically shrieked. The other players in the locker room all turned to look, and fell silent at the drama playing out before them. Shawn looked terrified, and some of the other kids looked pretty scared too, even the bigger ones. None of them were laughing now.

Erik blinked rapidly a few times, and focused his mind on his calming image: the Van de Graaff generator in his room that he had gotten at Spencer's. Watching the lightning play about inside the sphere gave him a sense of child-like wonder that was at the root of his love for science. He had tinkered with the lightning ball (as Laurie called it) so that it would respond to the music he played on his stereo and sometimes just stared at it from his bed for an hour or two in a relaxing meditative state. In just a few seconds, the wolf impulses receded and he pulled away from Shawn.

"My turn to apologize. I'm having trouble controlling my temper lately." Erik rubbed his face, partially to make sure no Beta features were evident.

"Uh…no problem dude."

Erik stood aside, and Shawn practically ran from the locker room.

Moose Bradley came over and clapped him on the shoulder, almost making Erik stagger. "That was awesome, little dude. I have mad respect for a guy that stands up for himself. You trying out today?"

Erik looked up at the 6 foot 3 athlete, and was grateful that the wolf gave him the extra confidence to speak without stuttering. Moose had never given him a problem, but Erik felt pity for anyone the giant did set his sights on.

"Yeah. Never played before. I'll probably suck." he admitted.

Moose looked at the dented locker, and ran his fingers over the metal, whistling.

"You know, somehow I doubt that. I'll ask you this just the one time, and if the answer's yes, then don't take offense… I'm gonna ask you not to play. You taking anything? Anything at all that would explain this?"

Erik swallowed drily. "No. Just genetics. Um, I mean…late bloomer and all that."

Moose nodded. "Glad to hear it. I'm Captain of this team, and I really hope you make the cut. See you on the field. Moose walked out of the locker room, his bat on his shoulder. The other kids followed him out, most glancing back at Erik as they left. He closed and locked the locker and sat down on the bench. Every guy out there would be watching to see how he did. 'Way to go, Hale, nice job avoiding attention.' he thought to himself.

Sighing, he put his cap on and left the locker room and made his way out onto the field.

Erik glanced out over to the stands, and felt simultaneous dismay and joy. Both of his fathers were sitting there, waving excitedly at him. Laurie was there too, though she looked mildly upset for some reason. Erik sat on the bench with the other players, purposefully near the end to delay the inevitable as long as possible.

Coach Fenton bounded up. "Okay, today we're going to be seeing which of you has what it takes to be on the greatest High School baseball team in history: the Beacon Hills High Wolverines! Hale, you're up first!"

Erik looked up so quick, he almost gave himself whiplash. "Huh? Already?"

"Yeah, boy! Your Dad's here, and he's an old buddy! No reason making him wait to see his son follow in his footsteps! Let's have you pitch, first! Up on that mound!"

Coach Fenton herded Erik in the direction of the pitcher's mound. It suddenly occurred to Erik that he had no idea how to throw a ball, except from what he saw on television. Coach tossed him a baseball so suddenly that the wolf took over for a second and he snatched it from the air.

He arrived at the little mound and looked over at home plate. Moose Bradley was there, doing some practice swings. Erik looked at the ball in his hand. It seemed big and heavy, and ridiculously easy for someone to hit. Erik threw the ball awkwardly, overhand. It struck the ground midway between the mound and home plate, and rolled to Moose's feet. He looked down at it surprised, and a few of the boys laughed. The catcher flipped him the bird, and Erik realized it was Anson Cooper under the mask. Pop was gaping at him, and Derek was face-palming himself. Laurie was covering her mouth with her hands, no doubt trying to hold in shrieking laughter. Had the ground suddenly opened at his feet, he would have dived in gratefully. He could literally feel his face burning with embarrassment.

The coach retrieved the ball and jogged over to him.

"I'm sorry, son. You did say you never played before. Let me show you real quick how to throw this…you've just gotta whip your arm forward like that…that's it. If the pitch is fast, it's harder for the batter to hit, so give it all you've got. Ready to try again?"

Erik nodded. "Can I get a practice throw in before the real pitch?"

"Sure thing son. Moose! Practice throw, don't swing!" he called. Moose stepped back from the plate, leaving a direct line of view to Anson. The coach moved away as well.

Erik threw the ball the way the coach showed him, and it zipped straight down the line and neatly into Anson's mitt. It wasn't the fastest pitch by any means, but at least it went the full distance.

"Much better son. Maybe just a little harder next time. Ready?" Coach asked. An unmistakable look of disappointment was on his face. He was thinking that Erik obviously hadn't inherited his father's talent. Erik couldn't look over at the stands. He didn't want to see Dad's face. Moose moved back into position at home plate, while Anson tossed back the ball.

Knowing it was wrong, Erik closed his eyes and called up his trigger image: Jimmy, Anson and Shawn all leering and grinning and trying to gang up on him. Nothing was happening. His nervousness was preventing the image from being effective, especially since he knew he could demolish the bullies if he wanted. They were about as scary as a box of kittens now. He felt panic rising up in him, and became desperate. There was only one other option left. Hating himself, he thought deliberately on the night Hank Porlock had tried to murder his Pop. Before the image of Stiles lying there in a pool of blood had even completely formed in his mind…Erik felt it begin.

He looked down at the hand clutching the baseball, and watched new claws emerge and embed themselves in the hide. He felt the strength and power run cleanly through his body. The ball seemed tiny now, like a pebble. If he wanted to, he could crush it to powder. He turned glowing amber eyes on Moose Bradley, clicking the new fangs in his mouth together while he concentrated. He drew his arm back and snapped it forward. The ball flew from his hand and practically whooooshed towards home plate. By the time Moose swung the bat, Anson had already been knocked backward into the chain link fence from the force of the pitch.

"YES! GO, ERIK! WOLVERINES RULE!" Dad screamed his head off from the stands, jumping up and down. Pop was shaking his head in disbelief, and Laurie's mouth was an 'O' of surprise. The other team members clapped, two of them whistling.

"Way to go, Hale!" two feminine voices screamed. Erik looked over at the stands and saw the Barton twins waving and cheering. Erik banished the wolf quickly as the coach came back and clapped him on the back before sending him to home plate to try out batting.

Erik walked over to Moose, who promptly stuck his bat into Erik's hands and trotted off to the mound.

"Okay son, even though this is practice, I'm gonna ask you to run the bases if you make a hit. Go as fast as you can, no matter what you hit even if you get tagged out. I need to see your speed so I know whether or not to let you steal during an actual game. Um, you want me to show you how to swing?"

"No, I've got it."

"Slow or fast?" Moose called out.

"Surprise me." Erik called back. Moose grinned. Erik repeated his trick from before, vowing that after today he would never step foot on a baseball field for as long as he lived. The bat nearly cracked in half, and the ball flew over the rear fence leaving its skin behind. Erik dropped the bat and tore around the bases. Forgetting to banish the wolf, the freaked out basemen jumped back from their positions as the yellow-eyed demon raced past them at top speed. Giving himself up as damned to hell regardless, he ended it by making a showy slide into home plate that raised a cloud of dust and left everyone hacking. Erik chanted 'lightning-ball, lightning-ball, lightning-ball' out loud and managed to banish the wolf before the dust cleared.

Dad and Pop were yelling and screaming, but they could still barely be heard over the cheering of the other boys who picked Erik up and whammed him on the back, congratulating him for the spectacular homer. Moose kept shouting "Man, that was so awesome!" Amy and Clarissa were screaming too, holding hands as they jumped up and down. Only Anson seemed upset, though he was now careful not to show it lest the whole team turn on him.

Coach Fenton almost had tears coming from his eyes. "You had a rough start Hale, but you killed that ball just like your Dad used to. You made the team, son! Love that name you picked out for yourself! Everyone, I give you Erik 'Lightning-Ball' Hale!"

"Oh no, he didn't." Erik muttered to himself. "Please tell me this is a horrible dream."

"Lightning-Ball! Lightning-Ball! Lightning-Ball!" everyone chanted.

{}{}{}{}

Derek whisked them away after Erik was allowed to leave, and took them to their favorite high-end steak house, where as a family it seemed they ate an entire cow. Erik gratefully dug into his steak…shifting so much in so short a time had quadrupled his usual appetite. For once, Pop was able to indulge himself as well and ordered a second steak after the first was gone.

"Erik, that was fantastic to see. I blame myself for the slow start; I should have taught you before letting you out onto that field. The catcher actually flew! That was really your first time playing, wasn't it?" Derek's face was glowing with pride.

"Yeah, Dad. About that…"

"And oh my God! You murdered that ball! They'll never find it! Way to go! Lightning-Ball! I love it! Ah, I wish I was back in High School sometimes. I have to get Joe Fenton to see if he can get the old gang together again so we can have a few games."

Erik was trying to figure out the best way to tell his Dad he never wanted to play again, but the thought of wiping that look of joy off of his face was more than Erik could bear. It would break his Dad's heart.

"Erik…what did you think? Did you like playing today?" Pop asked. Before Erik had a chance to answer, Derek exclaimed "I know he did! Did you see the way those girls were cheering him on? Maybe he should be allowed to go to Make-Out point, just once or twice…"

Stiles had an inkling that his son was not sharing Derek's passion for the game, and was intending to find out for sure so that he could talk Derek down from his cloud, but at the mention of the infamous spot where kids went to park, Stiles got completely distracted.

"No way! Remember those early grandchildren we were worried about? That might almost be preferable to the other possibility; Erik losing control and trying to eat his date! Derek, we really need to talk about these things before we let-"

Laurie interrupted them.

"There's something no one seems willing to mention. Erik totally used the wolf to play! Isn't that cheating or something? Not to mention dangerous…"

Laurie looked at him defiantly, but right then Erik could have hugged her. Unintentionally, she had given him an 'out' that would let him quit the team without everyone getting upset. Well, except for the actual team.

"Laurie's right, Dad." he said, surprising her. "It's not fair that I have this advantage the other guys don't have."

Derek deflated a bit "Son, everybody is born with different levels of talent. There are plenty of players who can do what you did, and are completely human!"

"But Dad, they worked at it, spending hours and days doing nothing but practice! All I have to do is piss myself off and suddenly I'm a pro!"

Derek shook his head. "Look at your memory and ability to learn things. Is it easy for you? Yes. Can other people do it? No, not everyone. I'm an Alpha, and I don't understand half the things you say sometimes. Son, it's like saying you should drop out of school because the work is easier for you than other students! Look at Laurie; she could put an arrow through a bird's eye and cartwheel from here to Red Falls if she wanted, all without the wolf's help. If she did let the wolf out, she could probably try out for the Olympics. Or she could practice for months, and increase her ability the slow way. She'd get to the same goal in the end though. The wolf only pushes you to the limits of your own potential, which makes it completely fair. I know… it may seem like I'm putting a lot of pressure on you, but the real reason I was so happy today is because so many other people got to see you the way I see you; as my incredibly talented son."

Erik was silent. He didn't know how to respond.

"Erik, why did you sign up for the team?" Pop asked.

"I wanted people to look at me differently." Erik responded in a low voice.

"You got what you wanted, Lightning-Ball." Laurie muttered.

"Forget everything else for a moment. Did you like playing?"

Erik thought about it hard. He tried to remember the feeling he had when he tore around the bases, and sent that baseball to the moon. Bleakly, he realized that under all the anxiety, it had been fun. The game, the praise, and the attention.

"Yeah, I did." He mumbled.

"Then keep playing until the moment it stops being something you want to do." Pop said simply. "You kids…you make everything seem like some awful teen dramedy from the eighties! Can you imagine one about teenage werewolves? What the hell would they call it, 'Growling Pains?" Pop finished off his steak in a huge bite, and the topic was dropped for the evening.

{}{}{}{}

The night of the full moon came and went. Laurie spent hers in an extremely grouchy mood, before finally shifting against her will in one of the locked basement rooms their fathers prepared for them. Erik lay in the cell next door, and let the wolf have full rein as he tore up the walls and floor, working out the stress the last few days had caused him. The Barton twins had somehow gotten his cell phone #, and were now sending him texts, asking him extremely personal questions that he either ignored or responded with very neutral answers. Erik was mindful of sending them anything that could embarrass him, and became less interested in the girls as possible dates the sillier they became.

The next few practice games were an interesting phenomena for him; as his anxiety decreased and his skill level increased, he had to rely less and less on the wolf to help him play. His Dad had been right, he must have had some natural skill that the wolf had given him access to earlier than he should have. The basemen were no longer terrified when he tore his way around towards home plate. Dad came to his practice sessions, and gave him and even some of the other players pointers. With the exception of Cooper, the kids even started looking up to him as a mentor, especially after he and Coach Fenton gave them a few demonstrations. He became a fixture on the field, and Fenton was even trying to talk him into becoming an assistant coach. Erik found himself getting a little jealous, but did his best not to show it.

Laurie wasn't happy with him, and called him 'Lightning-Ball' to piss him off every chance she got, but stopped when he reminded her of her end of the bargain. She had to let go for a single day and have fun with her wolf.

Laurie didn't want to use the wolf for gymnastics (she kept saying that the sport was 'just hers'), so after much discussion, they elected to go running through the forest surrounding the Hale property and just let themselves go wild. Laurie wore her 'commando' outfit and Erik met her behind the house wearing just his black running shorts, even forgoing his sneakers when he realized he could run faster without them. Erik was fully shifted already, continually getting better with the constant practice. His burning eyes looked mockingly at his sister, waiting for her to shift.

"Can't do it, can you? You bottled it up so tightly, you can't let it out even when you want to!"

"Shut up! Give me a second." she snapped.

"Stop being so uptight! Just let go for once!" he growled.

She fumed, and remained human.

Erik approached her and suddenly pushed her backward to the ground. "Girls suck!" he called as he took off into the woods.

Laurie gave a deep growl, and her eyes flashed a bright blue. "Oh, you are so going to pay for that, Lightning-Ball!" she spat through her new fangs. She flowed to her feet, and the full change rippled through her. Snarling, she took off into the forest after her brother.

Erik taunted her and laughed at her as he bounded through the forest. He had a slight edge over her, she had to admit. He had been at the whole wolf thing longer than her, and he gave himself more freely to the changes. Even transformed as she was, she kept the full influence of the wolf from overtaking her thoughts, holding its instincts and urges at bay. She resented the way it forced itself on her during the full moon, and this was her petty revenge. However, it was not helping her overtake her jerk of a brother.

After an hour of running non-stop at full speed, he began to slow. Finally, he stopped altogether and looked around, while Laurie spied a sudden opportunity. Leaping for an overhead branch, she spun around and around, building up her force until she flung herself through the air and hurled her body feet first directly at his back. He shouted in surprise as he was thrown forward, the wind whooshing out of his lungs. Then Laurie caught the scent, and began to panic. This part of the forest, which had already begun to peter out as it met the base of one of the local mountain ranges, was the lair of a mountain lion. It gave a ferocious yowl, and hurled itself on her stunned brother, raking him with its claws and savaging him with its teeth.

"ERIK!" she shouted. Without thought, she was over to the mountain lion in half a second, and lifted it up by its corded neck. She squeezed and twisted as it clawed at her arms and face, until with a resounding snap the creature was still. She tossed its body aside, and went over to help her brother. He had reverted to human, and was hyperventilating. His eyes were wide, and he seemed to be in shock. Blood poured from the double dozen wounds, the bites and scratches gaping open. Tears started flowing down her cheeks as her Beta shift reversed itself. Guilt ate at her. She had knocked Erik right into the thing's jaws, and left him defenseless while it attacked. She had to get help.

Erik didn't have anything in his pockets, but Laurie opened one of the numerous Velcro pockets in her outfit and hurriedly pulled out her cell phone. She pressed the speed dial button for the house phone, and Dad picked up on the first ring.

"Yeah, sunshine, what's up?" he asked.

"Dad, Erik just got attacked by a mountain lion! I killed it, but he's torn up pretty bad! I'm so scared, I don't know what to do!"

"Stay where you are! We'll be right there!" he shouted. The phone went dead.

The Alpha appeared in half an hour. It snarled and sniffed at the dead mountain lion before transforming back into her father. She looked away while he put on his shorts that he'd been carrying in his teeth and went over to examine Erik. By this time, Erik's wounds had stopped bleeding and begun to close, though he still seemed to be in shock. Laurie's own less severe wounds were nearly faded. She had not stopped crying and shaking the whole time. Derek gently picked up his son.

"Laurie, he'll be fine. So will you. Come on, let's get you guys home. Pop will meet us on the way. Even he's not quicker than a rampaging Alpha."

"I heard that!" he said, jogging up. He put his arm around Laurie, and they made their way back to the house. As the trees started to crowd in again, Laurie looked up at one that seemed vaguely familiar and saw that a heart had been carved into the bark.

'L.H. & A.H.' it read. Well, that was one mystery solved…though she felt the price of the knowledge had been entirely too high.

A/N - And finally I get to my plot. I rewrote this chapter about 6 times...I just can't agree that wolfy superpowers should be considered cheating! I promise Turning Bites to everyone who reviews...providing I get one first of course.