Danny was the first one to move, he grabbed Jackson huffing what sounded like "No, no, no," as his hands ran over Jackson. Finally, he gripped his wrist and felt for his pulse. Derek eased Stiles onto the couch, listening to Jackson heartbeat at the same time as Danny whispered, "Oh thank God."

"We'll undress him," Karyna said, calling Derek's focus back to Stiles and his companions. Karyna was hovering just over Derek's shoulder while Marci hung back further, beside a nervous Isaac. "You'd probably end up tearing the leather and that will be a conversation Stiles swore he'd never have again."

Marci giggled a little as she leaned against Isaac. Isaac looked down at her in surprise before tentatively wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Remember the time with the pygmy goat?"

Karyna snickered. "Sensei never looked at us the same again." She knelt down by the couch and ran gentle fingers over Stiles's shoulders, pulling at hidden zippers as she worked.

Derek frowned at them for a moment, and then looked over at Jackson and Danny, "How is he?" Derek asked.

"I think he's healing," Danny said, "but it's so slow."

"Let me," Scott said, moving to kneel beside Danny, "maybe I can do something."

Derek hesitated, torn between Stiles and Jackson. Stiles, who had come crashing back into their lives with as much drama as he'd left, and Jackson, the first Beta Derek had made. With Karyna and Marci working to pull off Stiles's uniform, Derek turned to approach Jackson instead. "Put him on the table," he said aloud. "Kira, get the first aid kit. If he's healing slowly, we'll need to clean the wounds and Stiles will need the kit too."

"Right," Kira said, darting through the wall and into the downstairs bathroom.

Malia was hovering by the door, looking distressed. Derek glanced at Scott, who was pulling pain from Jackson. "Malia," Derek said, "can you order up some food? Chinese."

"Sure," Malia said, relieved as she headed to the kitchen.

Isaac was helping Karyna and Marci with Stiles's leather uniform, if by helping, Derek meant he was awkwardly trying to flirt with Marci as Marci helped Karyna pulled back the torso of his uniform. "Found it," Karyna said.

Derek glanced at Jackson, and then hurried over.

"Not that deep," Marci said, "probably grazed him when his jacket got cut, no stitches this time at least."

Stiles's torso was mostly unscarred, but there was one cut running from the top of his left hip to his navel, and a second that ran for about two inches over his heart. "This time?" Derek asked, barely keeping back a growl.

Marci shook her head, "Boys and their toys. Sometimes Stiles got a bit enthusiastic during katana practice."

Derek shook his head and drifted over to look at Jackson. The wounds were healing slowly, but they were healing. Kira and Danny were working together to deal with his wounds. Scott was hovering, no longer pulling pain, just watching.

"He'll be okay," Derek said, putting a hand on the back of Scott's shoulder. Scott looked up at him, startled.

"Where's Lydia?" Scott asked.

"Here," Lydia called from the kitchen, followed by a clang of metal. "Thank you, Malia."

"Welcome," Malia replied.

Lydia strolled out of the kitchen, the silver chains gone. "Sorry," she said with a sweet smile, "I just wanted to get my hands free."

"Sorry," Scott said.

"No, its okay," Lydia said, "I understand. Now, does anyone know what happened to my clothes?"

Scott winced, "I think the Sheriff has your car."

"Stiles took care of it," Karyna said. "He talked to his dad last night, told him that Lydia's car broke down and all. The car's at the impound, you'll have make a statement about how you didn't notice the mass grave and that you spent the night at our place to get it out. John said we'd have to give him a real statement over dinner tomorrow. There is a bag of clothes in the trunk though, some stuff Stiles picked out."

"I'll get it," Marci said, "sorry, I forgot." She darted up and away from the couch and was out the door in a heartbeat.

"That girl," Karyna said, sounding admiring.

"How did you meet Stiles?" Scott said, "Just out of curiosity."

Karyna smiled, "The Academy puts a lot of emphasis on group work, and students are split into triads early on. Sometimes the original triad works, and other times it doesn't. When it doesn't work, the students are moved around until it does work. Stiles had one partner that he somewhat got along with, but then she switched to a better triad and Stiles tricked everyone into getting Marci. They went through five different thirds until they got me."

"You know we love you," Stiles said weakly.

"Are you okay?" Karyna asked.

"Yeah," Stiles said and carefully pushed himself up. "Lydia," he turned.

"I'm here," Lydia said, "and we need to have a talk."

Stiles grinned, "I've told you, I've been in love with you since the third grade. That's why I claimed you as mine and got passed the Elf Lord. Thank you for screaming."

"Yeah, why did I do that, exactly?" Lydia said.

Stiles shrugged, "It allowed me to tap the part of my brain the Nogitsune affected without seven hours of meditation and way too much vodka."

"Which is always so much fun," Marci announced as she bounced back into the loft with a backpack. "Here are your clothes Lydia."

"Thanks Marci," Lydia said.

"I'm still confused on how you all know each other," Isaac said.

"Lydia threatened him with her brain," Marci said as she bounced over to lean against Karyna, "so Stiles chatted with her on Facebook, and they met up for campus visit day to rebuild their friendship and Stiles took Lydia to the Bat Brewery for some Bat Beer and me and Robin and Greg were already there so that's how we met Lydia and then Stiles and I brought Karyna to see Lydia's guest lecture thingy last year even if we didn't really understand the math stuff."

There were so many questions in Marci's rushed statement that Derek couldn't figure out which one to start with, Stiles standing up from the couch, twisting to look at his side, distracted him. "I bet the whole suit is ruined," Stiles said, he wrinkled his nose. "It was expensive too."

"I'm sure it can be fixed," Karyna said.

"I don't have the money for that, you know I've sunk everything into the brewery," Stiles said with a sigh.

"We'll figure something out," Marci said as she reached out and pulled Stiles into leaning against her. "How's your side?"

"Moderately painful," Stiles said, "they weren't kidding though."

Karyna joined their lean, as if they'd forgotten there was anyone else in the loft. They even stopped talking, just leaning to each other with Stiles's head resting against Marci while he had his other arm over Karyna's back. There was something intimate in their gathering; it was more than a hug. Derek turned as Jackson groaned, grateful that he didn't have to stare anymore.

Jackson jerked upright and stared around the loft for a moment, eyes flashing a few times before he saw Derek. "I knew I made it to Beacon Hills," he said.

"What happened?" Scott asked.

Jackson twisted to look at him a minute, "It was hunters," he said finally. "They weren't acting right even before they grabbed me. It was almost like…" he swallowed, "It was like they were being controlled."

"Hunters dragged you here from England?" Stiles asked.

"No dumbass," Jackson said, clearly coming out of his shock. "I live in Portland. Where have you been, under a rock?"

Stiles threw his head back and laughed brightly while his friends giggled, they held onto each other as they laughed until finally Stiles calmed back down. "Not a rock," he snorted, "just busy with school type stuff. I just moved back to Beacon Hills actually."

"I thought they'd have to pry you out with a crowbar," Jackson said.

Stiles's grin faded as his shoulders drop. "I had my reasons Jackson. Maybe one day I'll explain."

Karyna and Marci leaned into him. Derek blinked as he realized they reminded him of his family. How many times had he seen two or more of them leaning into each other, disregarding more than basic modesty in the summer and freely rubbing backs and hugging. They'd never scent marked each other, because they did it casually every chance they got.

Derek turned back to Jackson, "You need to call your Alpha, don't you?"

"My wife," Jackson said, "and she's probably worried."

"Phone's in the kitchen," Derek gestured.

"Don't mind the werecoyote," Stiles said with a slight grin.

Jackson rolled his eyes as he slid off the table, and as he walked past, Derek could hear him mutter, "A werecoyote? Of course they have a werecoyote, it's Beacon fucking Hills."