And it came to me then that every plan,

Is a tiny prayer to father time,

As I stared at my shoes in the ICU,

That reeked of piss and 409,

And I rationed my breaths as I said to myself,

That I've already taken too much today,

As each descending peak on the LCD,

Took you a little farther away from me,

Away from me,

Derek

Four different pictures of Avery and the blonde are held within the large black frame. The first shows them side by side on a beach, both in bikinis with matching smiles on their faces.

But other than the smile, they couldn't be more different.

The blonde is a head shorter with barely anything on her.

Avery stands well above the blonde on a pair of long, well-muscled legs. Her stomach shows faint outlines of abs; her arms give similar faint lines of muscle.

"She's a grade older than us, plays on the girl's lacrosse team; I think she's committed to play for Maryland."

She's an athlete and she obviously is in shape….assuming she wakes up she'd have the makings for a pack member.

But if she ends up like my uncle….

But if she survives the bite and if she does wake up, angry and twisted…. Then I'll have to kill her anyway.

I'll bring her back only to kill her again.

I set the picture frame back down and turn back to see the blonde girl still sleeping heavily. I doubt she'll wake up any time soon. I look over to the window to see rain steadily pouring down outside. I walk over to the open window and pull my phone out of my pocket.

Scott and Stiles didn't know her very well, but I can't just change her because of a couple…..interesting dreams. I need to know more.

I dial the number quickly and wait for an answer. After one ring, Isaac comes on the phone.

"What's up?" he asks quickly.

"How well did you know Avery Chastings?" I ask as I watch the rain pour down on the few news vans that still remain in the lot.

"Ugh, she's a bitch!" Erica's voice interjects.

"Isaac, is this on speaker?" I sigh.

Isaac

I motion for Erica to shut up, "Just because the damn phone is on speakerphone doesn't give you permission to actually speak." I say angrily.

Erica sits on one of the abandoned subway train's seats; I'm lying down, with my phone on my chest. I was trying to catch some sleep, but one thing I've learned is not to ignore Derek when he calls. It doesn't end well.

"Enough." Derek says grumpily.

Boyd is leaning against the subway's door with his arms folded across his chest; he just lets out a short laugh. "Uhh, yeah I know her, she helped me sometimes in Algebra last year," I remember pretending to listen to her to sneak looks at her boobs, "I mean, uh, she's….smart?"

Erica lets out a small growl and rolls her eyes, "Oh, please…" she runs a hand through her dirty blonde hair and flips it to the side. "She's nothing but a jock," Erica says as she begins staring at her nails, "saw the news this morning, what a shame, wait-" Erica looks suddenly back to me before walking over and snatching the phone off my chest, she turns away before I can grab it back. "Why do you want to know?"

Derek lets out a sigh on the other end, "That's not important right now," Erica pushes her tongue against her cheek, her grip on my phone suddenly tightening, "look, do you have anything useful to say or was this call just a waste of time?"

Erica opens her mouth to speak again but Boyd steps up, grabs the phone from her hands and steps outside the train car, "What do you wanna know?" he asks evenly.

"He's not considering-" Erica begins.

"I don't know, now shut up; I'm trying to listen." She sits back against the train seat with a huff; she folds her arms across her chest as Derek speaks.

"I've heard she plays lacrosse," Derek says flatly, "is she any good?"

Boyd lets out a dry laugh, "I've seen her play a couple games; she's fast," Boyd pauses, "really fast. She seemed like one of the better players, but I haven't seen many games…."

"Anything else you know about her?" Derek's voice is curt; to the point. Which means he has something in mind….

"He is!" Erica says with a shocked voice. I give her my best 'shut the hell up' face.

"Afraid you won't be the only she-wolf in town anymore?" she rolls her eyes and turns her head to the side with a clenched jaw.

"Well, I know her parents are divorced and she lives with her mom; I saw her at some of Avery's games, she is…..off putting? I've only seen her once or twice." Boyd's footsteps echo through the subway as he paces. "I've talked to Avery only a couple of times; she used to come by the ice rink with her friends," I lift my head up to look out the train car's dirty window, Boyd has the smallest of smiles on his face as he paces with my phone held out in front of him, "She's nice, but that's all I know."

"Thanks." Derek says after a few moments. I look over to see Erica's eyes turn to gold. This time it's my turn to roll my eyes.

"So you're gonna-" Boyd stops and waits for Derek's answer.

After another couple of moments, "I'm considering it."

"They said on the news she was in critical; you think she'll survive it?" Boyd's voice is flat, but his heartbeat skips just a bit…..concern maybe?

"I guess we'll find out." I can practically feel Erica's claws dig into her jacket as she clutches her arms. "I'll be there soon, no going out tonight; I still haven't found him." We all know he means the alpha.

"Training tonight?"

Dumb question, Boyd; there's always training.

No answer comes, just the sound of Boyd's footsteps as he steps back into the car. "He hung up on you, didn't he?" I ask, Boyd just tosses my phone to me and I catch it easily.

I look over to see Erica staring at the ground, her eyes are glazed over, and her mouth in a pout. "Awww, don't worry, Erica," her eyes flash up to me in anger, "you'll always be our favorite bitch!" I give her a smart-ass smile.

She lets out a roar as she jumps from her seat towards me with both her claws and fangs outstretched.

Shit.

Sheriff Stilinski

I slide my pen across the document sloppily; I hardly got much sleep and now the press is all over my ass about this case. I toss my pen down on my desk and reach up to pull my glasses from my eyes as I rub them.

A sudden smack nearly makes me jump, but I recognize the sound, "Whatcha got for me, Kelly?" I ask as I yawn and lean back to stretch in my chair.

Kelly just gives me a smirk as she rolls her eyes, "Read it and see." Her short black hair gently sways forward as she motions toward a manila folder.

I sigh and put my head in my hands, "Oh, God, not more reading, c'mon, Kelly I'm begging ya'."

She gives me a smile and flips the folder open before turning it so she can read it, " 'Upon further examination of the totaled 2004 black Toyota Camry, blah… blah…. blah…. Unimportant." she says as she drags her nail across the lines of the page, I can't help but let out a little chuckle, "ah! Here we are… 'fingerprints not belonging to Chastings were found as well as DNA - in the form of blood- inside the vehicle.'" Kelly shuts the folder and leans on my desk with both hands, a smile on her mouth as if she's got a secret.

"And that's not even the best part." She says as she quirks a dark eyebrow.

"And that would be?"

"There was a blood spot on the handle on the ceiling of the car. And the forensic examiner says it could be consistent with someone hitting their head, which I'm willing to bet money that's where Avery's head trauma came from."

"Where would I be without you?" I ask with a chuckle.

She sticks her finger out, "But I'm not done yet, the fingerprints were found on the steering wheel mostly, but also on the seat belt buckle on the passenger side. The injury diagrams show there were no wounds on Avery's arms-"

"She was unconscious when the crash happened." Kelly gives a nod.

"We already knew she was well above the legal limit for alcohol, but this means whoever was in that car with her tried to make it look like she was alone that night."

I open the folder and flip through the pictures of the car's interior. "Well, they did a shitty ass job, didn't they? Has Jackson given us that list yet?"

Kelly purses her lips and looks up, "I don't think so, I'll get Davis back on his ass." She says with a wave as she turns and begins walking away.

"Hey, Kelly," she turns with her lips open, as if asking 'what', "nice work." I say as I look back to the folder, sensing the smile on her face as she turns again and walks away.

Derek

Amongst the vending machines and year-old magazines,

In a place where we only say goodbye,

It stung like a violent wind that our memories depend,

On a faulty camera in our minds,

And I knew that you were a truth I would rather lose,

Than to have never lain beside at all,

And I looked around at all the eyes on the ground,

As the TV entertained itself

I slip my phone back into my pocket and walk back to the side of the bed. I pull back some of the long brown hair from across Avery's shoulder and shift the tubes and hospital gown to show the base of her neck.

Stitches cover a long red line across her neck to her shoulder. I sigh and pull the gown back up. I do the same to the other side, but find more stitches.

The only unmarked places are her arms. I undo the Velcro holding her wrists to the bed rail and push up the sleeve of her gown. Small bruises cover her arm, but other than that there are no wounds I could open up….besides the bite itself.

I lift her arm and for a moment, I hesitate. I try to push any hesitations out of my mind and sink my fangs into her skin. Blood drips into my mouth, I can taste the cocktail of antibiotics and painkillers….as well as the mix of a couple different bloods… though which is hers I can't tell. The taste is disgusting, a mangled mess of medicine and different tasting blood.

I lower her arm back to the bed and reach the roll of gauze on the small metal tray. If the nurses find a bite mark on her it would raise suspicion.

I quickly wrap the gauze around her arm and tear the piece off with my claws.

Suddenly, a man's voice down the hall catches my attention, "So you just decided to go home and take a nap, I guess?" The man says angrily as multiple footsteps practically jog down the hallway.

"Don't you dare chastise me, Joseph! You have no idea what I've been through today!" The woman's voice is familiar, I recognize it as the woman who passed me in the hall….Avery's mother, I think.

I move to the other side of the room and pull the dividing curtain to hide behind.

"What you've been through!? Our daughter is in a coma! And I'm supposed to feel bad for-" the man's voice cuts off abruptly as his footsteps enter the room and slowly draw near Avery. "Oh, God," the man says in a whisper.

Cause there's no comfort in the waiting room,

Just nervous pacers bracing for bad news,

And then the nurse comes round and everyone lift their heads,

But I'm thinking of what Sarah said,

That, "Love is watching someone die."

The blonde girl lifts her head and clears her throat, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize- excuse me." Her footsteps make their way quickly out of the room, but I still hear her heartbeat outside the room. Seems I'm not the only one interested in what's going on here.

I look through the netting at the top of the curtain to see a tall man with tan skin and short brown hair by Avery's side, his hands clutching one of hers tightly. Tears slowly begin forming in his eyes as he looks down at her. "Damn, her hair got long." He says, his voice getting heavy with grief.

Her father maybe? Uncle?

The woman stands at the foot of the bed with her arms crossed over her chest, her deep red hair damp, yet her make up seemingly without a flaw. A man with longer brown hair stands beside her with his hand on her hip.

Avery's mother keeps her head high, "She ran off, Joe," she says in a defensive tone as he looks at the tubes and machines keeping Avery alive, "I couldn't have done anything to-"

"Quit the 'It's-everyone-else's-fault' bullshit, Cheryl! I've been hearing it for years and I'm sick of it!" Joe says as he turns back to the two. Both of them jump back slightly, "If you weren't such a controlling…." The man catches himself, and reigns himself back in, "Avery wouldn't be here right now!" His hand motions toward the bed.

The other man puffs out his chest as he speaks, "Don't you talk to her like that!" Cheryl seems to shrivel up against the man's chest for protection, "You have no right!"

"She's my ex-wife." Joe says with a humorless laugh, "I have every right." His face goes cold as he turns back to Avery. "Get out," he says flatly.

Cheryl's eyes gloss over, her body seems to be drained of all pride she'd held when they walked in, "I have every right to be here; she's my daughter too-"

"Then why don't you start acting like it?" Joe says flatly.

So who's gonna watch you die?

The other man suddenly takes a step towards the curtain, and I realize he's been staring at my shadow for almost a minute now. I quickly move to the window and climb through the frame before jumping to the street below.

I take a hard landing on my feet, but it hardly matters. I run through the rain back to my Camaro and pull out of the hospital lot.

Whether she lives or dies….it's out of my hands now.

She has to fight.

So who's gonna watch you die?

Later That Night….

Nurse Shirley

I make a quick knock on the frame of the door, " 'Scuse me, it's time to change out her IV," the middle-aged man with short brown hair turns and gives a quick, saddened smile.

"Of course," he says as he pushes himself up from his chair and backs up so I can reach Avery's arm.

Oh God, I just hate things like this.

I quickly slip the needle from her arm and replace it with a new one.

The good news is this girl has really good veins, so it's easy to give her the medicine and get out of this awkward silence as soon as-

A wrap of gauze catches my eye on her other arm.

The man must notice my confusion, "What? What's wrong?"

I look to him to find a worried face staring at me, searching for an answer. I flash him a quick smile, hoping to calm him, "Nothing, nothing," I turn back to the gauze and lift her sleeve to see it's wrapped tightly around her arm, "I just don't remember…." I walk to the foot of the bed and look at the diagram of where her wounds are.

"See, I have to change the gauze every night and I don't remember changing that one."

Let's see…. Laceration to right thigh; got that one. Laceration to abdomen; got that too. Large laceration and swelling on forehead; yep. Minor cuts across shoulders, only needs disinfecting.

I look to the right arm of the diagram, but no one ever marked a wound there. "Hmm.." I say as I walk to the side of the bed and quickly unwrap the gauze.

"Well, that's odd," I say as I peel off the bloody gauze.

"What?" he asks frantically.

"There's nothing here…..huh, well, one less to change I guess, right?" I look back to him with a smile, but find a cold, humorless stare looking back at me.

I really hate things like this.

One Month Later…

Stiles

"C'mon, man, you can't leave me hanging on this again." I say into my phone as I pull out of my driveway and begin down my street, "I'm coming to pick you up and you're going with me."

"Stiles," Scott sighs on the other end, "look, we don't even know her! You don't even know her! How many times have you been there anyway!?" The sun hangs low in the sky, washing orange light over Beacon Hills as the sun sets.

"Only seven…." I mumble.

"Stiles….?" Scott prods.

"Alright, nine, but the one doesn't count because I just came to say hi to your mom."

"And why would you stop by the hospital just to say hi to my mom? You see her like every day."

"She's a charming woman, am I not allowed to just stop in and say 'hi' to your mom? She thinks of me like a son and I'm offended that you'd try to cast your own brother out of the family like this. Now I'm coming to pick you up and we're going!"

Scott

Allison's lips trail kisses down my stomach, leaving lip gloss smudged on my skin, she looks up and gives me a wink as her tongue slips out between her lips; I barely manage to hold in a moan. "C'mon, man, you can't leave me hanging on this again."

Suddenly, Allison pulls away from my stomach and leans in to give me a quick kiss on my lips before leaning in to my ear, "I'll be in the shower." she breaths in my ear before turning away and pulling her shirt over her head. She turns and coyly hides her body behind the door frame as she gives me a wink and turns away.

"I'm coming to pick you up and you're going with me."

Naked Allison….? Stiles.

Naked Allison.

"Stiles, look, we don't even know her! You don't even know her! How many times have you been there anyway!?"

Stiles lets out a small mumble before answering, "Only seven…"

Stiles does that mumbling thing when he's lying. "Stiles….?"

"Alright, nine, but the one doesn't count because I just came to say hi to your mom." I stop listening as Allison steps into the frosted glass shower. Steam rises from the water, fogging the frosted glass and making it impossible to see anything but a tan blur.

"-Now I'm coming to pick you up and we're going!" Is all I hear as I realize I'm still clutching a phone to my ear.

"What? Uh-no, Stiles I gotta go." I say as I hit end and push myself off Allison's bed. I scramble to get my jeans off as fast as I can.

I pull the door open and step under the hot water, Allison doesn't bother turning around, but I notice a smile spread across her face as I lean in and kiss her neck. "Mmm…what was that about?"

My hands wind around her hips as I pull her against me, "Just Stiles." I say as I kiss my way up her neck.

"And what did Stiles want?" She asks with a hum in her voice. She always likes to keep me waiting.

I turn her around and lift her against the shower wall, her eyes flash with surprise, but they turn to excitement as she sees my face. She always says it's 'cute how impatient' I am. "Does it really matter?" I ask as I dip my head and kiss my way down to her breasts.

"I-I guess not." She stammers as I take her nipple into my mouth and gently suck on it.

"Good," I say, bringing my face back up to hers, "now, back to earlier…." She gives me a wide grin before she pulls herself from my grip and pushes me against the wall in her place. She gives me a deep kiss before she steadily dips her head lower and lower down my stomach, leaving more lip-gloss coated kisses as she goes.

Stiles

"No Scott wait-" I pull the phone away from my ear and look at the screen.

Call ended

Scott 2:21 mins

"Great," I say with a sigh, "thanks, Scott." I toss my phone into the passenger seat as I drive by Scott's street. "Probably with Allison...Whatever happened to 'Bros before ho-'….lovely young women?"

I look up to the sky as the full moon comes into view as the sun disappears from the sky completely.

Derek

"I need some coffee." Joe mumbles to himself. I listen from the room next door as his footsteps leave the room and make their way down the hall.

I walk out of the empty room and step into Avery's.

She's been healing slowly, though I can feel the pain in her leg is still there.

I can sense her body is healed, but when I've tried to focus on her…It's like there's a black cloud covering her… I can't get anything.

I heard the doctors when they talked to Cheryl and Joe, who I know now is her father, about her odds. They said the longer she remains in the coma, the less chances there are for her to pull through.

But it's a full moon tonight. And if she's ever going to wake up, it would be tonight.

It's been a month. A whole fucking month of these damned dreams. Every time I close my eyes I see her staring back at me.

And then I come here.

Where her eyes are never open.

I can't tell which is more frustrating.

I come to stand by the side of the bed and try to focus on the wolf inside her. I try to pull her out. My vision goes red as I try pulling her through.

"Wake up." I say firmly, nothing happens.

Her pupils shift slightly under her eyelids. "Wake up, Avery." Nothing.

I take a deep breath and let out a low growl, too low for humans to hear.

Her eyes snap open.

But they aren't the deep blue eyes I yearned to see. Instead, fiery gold eyes dart around the room. Her eyes lock onto me with a hungry look for a brief moment.

Suddenly, she closes her eyes again and begins gagging on the tube in her throat. Her coughs are muffled by the plastic, making her cough more. Her hands desperately try to rip themselves from their restraints. One of the machines she is connected to is beeping wildly.

With her strength, she should be able to break free….

When she opens her eyes again; deep blue eyes stare up at me through a blur of tears that stream down her face.

A flash of guilt strikes through me before the sound of fast footsteps dash down the hall.

Avery

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to clear my eyes, trying to see anything. I can't see anything….

I can't breathe, oh God, I can't breathe. Help me!

I scream up at the dark figure next to me.

Help me!

I open my eyes to find no one. There's no one.

Coughs wrack through me, I can't breathe. My throat- something's in my throat.

Where am I?!

"Avery!" a woman's voice says. I open my eyes to see the blur of a dark haired woman beside me, her cool hands find either side of my face, I stop struggling and just look up at her. "I need you to calm down, I'll get it out; do you understand? Don't move. I need you to stay very still."

I just nod, and do my best to stop the gagging. "Okay, honey," I squeeze my eyes shut; I don't want to watch this… "relax your throat." I shake my head as another gag comes, "honey, please, I need you to relax."

I try to do as she says, "Alright, now open wide." I open my mouth and keep my eyes closed as the tube is pulled from my throat.

As the last part is pulled out I sit up and I lose it.

Suddenly my hands are free and the woman clutches me to her as sobs pour from my sore throat. The woman just holds me tight and strokes my hair and before long, a voice comes from the doorway, "Avery?!" a man's voice asks in disbelief.

I squeeze the tears out of my eyes as the woman lets me go and I'm swept up in another hug. After a few moments the man steps back, but keeps his hands firmly on my arms. "I thought-" the man starts.

"Baby, you remember me don't you?" the voice sounds so damn familiar… The man looks at me with worried eyes. Stubble covers his chin and cheeks, though I could swear…

"Dad?" he breaks into a smile as tears fill his eyes.

"That's right, baby, that's right." He gives me another tight hug as dread fills me.

"Wait, if you're here- where's mom? Is she alright?" Suddenly, his grip loosens and he leans back again to look at me. His eyes look over to the woman, who I can now see is a nurse.

"Avery," the nurse says as she steps forward, "my name is Melissa, listen, do you remember how you ended up here?"

I look down at my hands to find a paper wristband.

Avery T. Chastings

Beacon Hills Hospital, ICU

Patient # 552390

My head suddenly feels heavy, and before I know it, I'm looking up at the ceiling of the room as Melissa shines a light in my eyes. "Where's my mom?" I ask.

"She's fine, Avery, now listen-"

"No, no, where is she?" Suddenly my dad grabs my hand and holds it tightly.

"Avery, listen to me, she's fine." He says in a calming whisper as his thumb rubs my knuckles.

"Then where is she?" I say in a half sob as tears fill my eyes again. "Where am I?" I ask, fully knowing from my arm band where I am. "How did I get here!?" More sobs escape my lips, my head hurts and my throat is sore and I just want everything to stop.

Suddenly, I notice Melissa doing something with the IV bag, and before I know it, everything goes fuzzy. "Avery, I've given you something to calm you down, can you hear me?"

I just nod as I feel my head stop aching suddenly. "Good, that's good," she says with a smile. Now listen, this isn't going to be easy to hear, but you have to promise me you'll stay calm, okay?"

She sounds distant, like I'm underwater, but I just give her a nod, her voice is nice, and I just want to hear more of it. "Alright, about a month ago, you were in an accident. Do you remember the accident?"

I try to think back, back to before I woke up here, but everything beyond Melissa and my dad is fuzzy, I can't think straight. I shake my head slowly against the pillow. "You were in a car accident, they brought you here, and you've been here ever since."

"How come I don't remember?" my words sound slurred, and my eyelids seem to be getting heavier every minute.

"It's okay, baby, you just get some sleep." My dad's voice says, his hand holds mine tightly as everything goes dark.

No, no.

I try to say.

Not the dark again, it's always dark.

I try to tell them. I can't even hear my voice, am I even talking?

Please no.

Derek

"No, no." Avery's voice says weakly, "Not the dark again, it's always dark." Her voice fades more and more, "Please no." I look down at my shoes and try to distract myself from the echo of her cries in my head.

I tried to wake Avery up. But it wasn't her that woke up first.

Guilt rushes through me again. "She doesn't remember anything about the crash?" Joe's voice asks.

"Not necessarily, sometimes these things take time." Melissa says evenly, "The best thing to do right now is let her rest. I gave her a sedative; she should be out for at least five or six hours. You should go home and get cleaned up. If you want I can give you a call when she comes around again."

"I have a house nearby; I'll just be a couple hours-"

"Mr. Chastings, excuse me but you look like an old hobo. You've been here round the clock for a couple weeks now, go home. Get a nice, long shower in your own home. And maybe a shave too. She'll be fine. I'll stay here with her and make sure she's okay."

The man sighs but gives a hum of agreement. A few minutes later, his heavy footsteps leave the room. "Be right back, honey," Melissa says, "I'm just gonna grab my dinner." And with that, she makes her way quickly out of the room.

I walk slowly back into the room, slightly unsure of what to expect. But when I walk in, I find it's just the same as every other time I've visited. Her eyes are closed again; she's asleep again.

I tell myself they'll be plenty of time later, but that doesn't make this any less frustrating.

I look closely at her; since her features are no longer hidden under a plastic mask. The tan in her skin seems to have come back a bit within minutes of her waking up; a light blush gives color to her cheeks, though her lips are chapped from months of being forced open because of that tube.

I carefully reach my hand out and push the brown hair from her face, and gently cup her face in my hand. "I'm sorry."

"Stiles no!" Melissa says sternly down the hall.

"But you just said-"

"Yes, she woke up, but no, she's not awake." Melissa's voice echoes.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Stiles does that whining voice that always pisses me off.

"She had a bit of a panic attack when she woke up, the tube, well, it- it freaks people out when there's something in their throat and they can't pull it out. It sends people into a panic. I gave her the sedative more for her to rest than anything."

"She's been asleep for a month…I think she's good."

Melissa scoffs, "Stiles, come back tomorrow. Your dad will wanna talk to her tomorrow anyway." Melissa's footsteps come closer down the hallway. I look back to Avery one more time before heading to the window and jumping to the road below.

I turn and start heading back to my Camaro in the parking lot.

It'd been two weeks since the last time I caught the scent of the other alpha through Beacon Hills. But the scent is still on the edge of my territory…like the alpha is lurking there...waiting for something.

Maybe now with Avery awake I can get somewhere with finding out who it is and not spend so much time checking in on her.

Sheriff Stilinski

A loud ringing sound wakes me up, I lift my head and see only yellow. I reach up and pluck the sheet of paper from my forehead before reaching for the phone on my desk, "Hello?" I ask as I fight a yawn. "Beacon Hills police department, Sheriff Stilinski speaking."

"Hey, Sheriff, it's Melissa McCall, Avery Chastings just woke up a few minutes ago."

"What? That's great!" I say as I stand up and grab my gun from my desk and slip it into my holster, "I'll be right there-"

"No, no, no, that'll have to wait till tomorrow, at least." My shoulders fall as the yawn wins out, "She was delirious, and she didn't seem to remember anything about the crash, or how she got here. Maybe things will be different tomorrow, but for now she's under some sedatives and she's resting."

"Mmm….that sounds like a good idea. I'm a little jealous at the moment." I say as I look over to the clock.

11:42 P.M.

Melissa chuckles over the phone, "Weakling. I've been working the graveyard shift for three years now, I'd say I'm practically a creature of the night by now."

"Well, you are a bit of a witch," I say jokingly.

She laughs before adding, "Alright, well, call before you come talk to her tomorrow, and make sure you don't tell anyone she's awake before you're ready to deal with the reporters. I know they'll be all over your ass about her waking up before you've closed the case."

"Well, I was hoping that by the time she woke up I'd have a suspect and she'd be able to confirm who was with her, but if she can't remember…." I sigh.

"Well, like I said, maybe she just needs a bit of rest. Goodnight Sheriff."

"Goodnight, Melissa. Go make a brew somewhere won't you?"

"Oh ha-ha, veeerrry funny." She says with a light tone before hanging up. I set the phone back down and turn my desk light off before making my way to my door and turning the light off behind me. I pull my keys out of my pocket and lock my office.

I walk through the maze of desks where only a handful of graveyard shift cops remain, the rest are out on patrol. "You on your way home, Sheriff?" Donnie asks as he snacks on his box of Chinese food.

"Yep, it's time for me to head out." I say as I make my way to the lobby of the station.

"Finally!" he calls after me jokingly. I chuckle.

"'Night Sheriff," Donnie says as he looks up from his newspaper with a smile on his face. Donnie always has a grin on his face and a joke on his tongue, so the nights when he works, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, I always leave with a smile.

"'Night Donnie, hey take tomorrow off on me!" I call as I push the door open and step out

"I don't work tom-Oh" I let out a laugh as I make my way to my cruiser in the parking lot.