Scott stood at the door of the Stilinski house. It was weird for him, feeling nervous in place that he usually felt so comfortable. Stiles had been avoiding him ever since the anniversary of his mother's death; they'd only seen each other briefly around town for the past few days before Stiles darted off with some excuse. His best friend wouldn't even invite him over when his dad was gone, like he usually did, nor would he answer Scott's calls or texts. He was worried that he'd come on too strong, and now Stiles was freaked out. Stiles had never even really given him an indication that there was more than anything but friendship between them, and Scott started feeling stupid for seeing more than was actually there. He was making up signs in his head that Stiles was in love with him, and had gone too far in his pursuit of the boy. Now he just wanted to hold on to their friendship. Squaring his shoulders resolutely, he knocked on the door.

After a few moments, Stiles swung the door open, looking both excited and distracted. Scott was taken slightly aback. "Hey, Scott!" Stiles said, enthused. Scott wondered if his best friend had gotten into drugs recently. "What's up?"

"Er-nothing," Scott said, having expected Stiles to be angry to see him, or to try and avoid him.

"You've got great timing, come in," Stiles said, backing out of the doorway to allow his friend entry. Scott cautiously entered. The air smelled different, with a bunch of faint herbal smells mixing together in the air. He doubted that he would've noticed without his wolf senses.

"Is everything... okay?" Scott asked as he followed Stiles into his bedroom. He sat on the bed and Stiles sat in his computer chair.

"Okay?" Stiles asked, looking into Scott's eyes for the first time. "Yeah, why?"

"I mean... I've barely seen you around lately, and you haven't been returning my calls or anything," Scott said, trying not to betray his hurt. Stiles turned around, picking up his cell phone from the desk. He noticed the numerous messages and missed calls. His frenetic energy seemed to die down as he realized how much he'd been neglecting his best friend.

"I'm fine," he said, smiling softly. "Sorry I've been AWOL, I've just been really busy with... studying. But I'm done now, so I'll have more time."

"Studying for what?" Scott asked, annoyed. He figured his friend was lying, since they didn't have school for months. Stiles opened his mouth to reply, the words catching in his throat. His eyes searched for a way to explain, and looked pained at having hurt his best friend. Scott mollified. "Does this have to do with your mom?"

"Er... yes," Stiles replied, surprised that Scott had known that much.

"Listen, I know it's hard, but this isn't the way to deal with it," Scott said, his eyes fully of sympathy and worry. Stiles looked confused. "I know that going to her grave alone was tough. But you can't just hole yourself up in here. You have to keep living."

"Her... death?" Stiles asked, still a bit confused.

"And I know that she wouldn't want you to turn to any... illegal substances to deal with the pain," Scott said, deciding to broach the subject.

"You think I'm on drugs!?" Stiles asked, laughing. "No matter how much I miss my mom, I'm not gonna go coocoo for cocoa puffs. I've just been busy with a kind of... project. But I think I'm done with it now, so we can hang out."

"Are you sure?" Scott asked, worried. "So everything is okay?"

"Everything is fine, Scott. I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't really even realize I was doing it," Stiles said, kind of embarrassed, both for worrying the boy he loved and for ignoring him. "My dad isn't coming home until the morning, you wanna spend the night?"

Scott smiled broadly, the crooked little grin melting Stiles' heart. "Sure."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

All day and all of the night, Stiles had been trying to find the right moment to explain to Scott what he'd been doing. Somehow, it never quite worked out. When he opened his mouth to tell him, Scott always seemed to say something first. He'd managed to actually whisper it to him shortly after they'd both gone to bed, but his only response was a gentle snoring. They were having fun, and Stiles didn't want to ruin the mood by bringing up serious subjects. Instead, they had a good time, like they used to, before Stiles found out he was a witch, before he had realized he loved Scott, and before he'd taken an entire week to study the grimoire.

He hadn't realized how much time he was spending reading the old spellbook until Scott had shown up. His past week had been comprised mostly of reading the old text, which he was surprised to find he could read. Something in his blood understood the words that his brain couldn't comprehend. A lot of it was about different uses for different herbs, minerals, and substances. The parts which he was more interested in were the chapters on reading and harnessing the natural powers of the earth. Looking deep inside of himself, he'd found that this was definitely one of his stronger points. In fact, he'd accidentally been conjuring heat from his panic over his love for Scott when he melted the mirror. When Scott had smelled Christmas cookies, he'd actually been smelling anise. Most spells let off a scent much like a plant, and they usually smelled like particular herbs or flowers. Stiles noticed that most of his spells had a hint of anise in them, though there were more layers of scent as his spells became more complex. The grimoire had taught him how to listen to the earth and become one with the natural flow of the elements. Through this, he'd managed to conjure fire, move the wind, make plants grow, and a host of other talents.

The book said that every witch has a point in his or her life in which he or she taps into their true power. Stiles was beginning to think that his mother had foreseen this point in his life. Clearly, it had something to do with Scott. He hadn't even realized that he was in love with the boy, but his feelings were strong enough to break his mother's binding spell. The book mentioned several other creatures in the world, including both the werewolf and kanima with which he was familiar. His family had written a few notes in the margins of the book throughout the years, and Stiles felt connected with them as he read each one. Some were in languages he couldn't read, but he managed to understand their meaning through some power he didn't yet understand. Many of the notes on evading hunters were written during the Trier Witch Trials in Germany, which he'd come to learn were an integral part of his family history as well as the largest execution of witches in European history. Many of those killed were true witches, though the majority were poor souls convicted without reason. Real witches were better at hiding and evading hunters, though they were still frequently caught.

Stiles wished he could just tell Scott all of this and get his opinion on it, but he couldn't bring himself to do it all night. Finally, in the morning, he decided he'd tell Scott before he left. Usually, Scott slept on the floor, but tonight Stiles suggested that they sleep in the same bed, like they had the other night. Scott seemed completely willing to go along with this suggestion, much to Stiles' joy. Scott woke up first, awakening Stiles as he fumbled out of the bed. They both got dressed, and Stiles was in a good enough mood to change in the same room as Scott. Both checked the other out without his friend's knowledge.

They both went downstairs, and Stiles sat at the table while Scott started making breakfast. He checked his phone while he cooked.

"Hey Scott?" Stiles said nervously, finally wanting to tell him what he'd been doing the past week.

"Yeah?" Scott responded, still cooking.

"Can I tell you something?" Stiles asked, circling the issue.

"Can it wait?" Scott asked, looking worried. Stiles furrowed his brow. "I just got a text from Derek saying that I need to go to his place immediately. He's probably just gonna ask me to join his pack again, but I still should make sure it's not something more urgent."

"Uhm... yeah, sure, it can wait," Stiles said, deflating. He probably should've told Scott that it couldn't wait, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

The tanned boy have his shoulder a reassuring squeeze as he headed out of the front door, his bare feet scraping on the gravel as he made his way to the nearby woods. Stiles went to the door and watched him walk away. He watched as the boy's lean, tanned form disappeared around the corner, his heart aching to watch the boy leave. With a wistful sigh, Stiles pushed himself out of the doorway and walked along his front lawn, a wary eye on the dark clouds overhead. This was one of those days when you could tell that there was going to be heavy rain on and off throughout the day, making the temperatures go from stifling humidity to chilly wetness. It was the kind of day in which it would be too warm to wear a rain coat, but cold when the rainfall hit your warm, bare skin. Turning the corner, Stiles saw where his mother's herb garden started in the back yard. He walked through the plants for the first time in years, naming them as he did. Many of them were choked with weeds, but some had taken over their area, like the mint. He'd learned the names of most of the herbs by now from the grimoire. Somehow, the information stuck in his mind better than anything else he'd ever read. He stopped in front of a dead patch. There was a little round circle of dirt, where no weeds were growing. For some reason, everything refused to grow in a circle around a foot in diameter. Everything, that is, except one lone plant in the exact center of the circle. Leaning close, Stiles' heart dropped. He recognized the new little plant reaching out from the earth, with its distinct dark leaves and little white spires of flowers. It was a black snakeroot.

Suddenly, the obvious puzzle clicked in Stiles' mind. Scott was the wolf with whom he was running in his mother's prophecy, this had been clear to him. He'd also had a sneaking suspicion that Derek was the bigger wolf. The fact that the ground cracked open in front of him clearly meant that he intended to do some sort of harm to Scott. His mother had told him as much in his dream. He would need to save the one he loved. In her vision, he was holding a black snakeroot. She'd assumed that the only significance it held was its meaning. But Stiles saw the poignancy of the plant. It meant that Scott was in danger right now.