Not everyone in the world is alike. And some of us are a lot more different than others. Some of us were born like this, some of us were changed. But no matter how this happened to you, if you are here it is because this is your destiny. It was chosen for you. The truth is that your whole life can change with one split-second decision, and it doesn't matter if you told yourself you'd never do it or if you stepped into the moment with no intention of doing it. All it takes is for that one second of absolute panic when the solution shines right there in front of you, and you grab it... only to have it turn into ash in your hand.

You can blame it all on fate and the universe, but in the end you alone decide if you're going to lie down and let hell take you under, or if you're going to stand strong in defiance of it all with your middle finger raised. If you muster that courage to stand under fire and not go down, you will amass an inner strength that no one can touch. You won't be another faceless, nameless, forgotten human in a long historical line of the defeated. You will be a steeled warrior, and a force to be forever reckoned with. And beneath the pain that lingers, you will have the comfort of knowing that you are strongest of all. That when others caved and broke, you kept fighting even against hopeless odds.

We don't have a choice in how or when our bad days will blind side us. But what we do choose is how we allow them to leave us once they're gone. You can use those moments as a catalyst to spur you on to greater things or you can let it be the event that breaks you and leaves you shattered and forever lost in darkness. But there was only so much worrying you could do before you just had to accept what life throws at you and move on, because some things were going to be out of your control, and others can't be fixed or changed. And for everything she'd lost over the last couple of months, she still had a lot. More than she expected, actually.

She missed the smell of him, missed his lips and strong arms but most of all she missed him.

But she wouldn't allow herself anymore grief.

Not when there were four other Alphas that needed to be taken down.

When Claire opened her eyes, she came face to face with Isaac's.

She nearly dove off the couch in surprise.

"Holy shi-" She stopped herself when she saw Isaac open his eyes. "Hi."

"Morning." He replied.

Claire glanced down at her body.

Yep.

She was still clothed.

Glancing up at Isaac, she noted he was still clothed, too.

"What-uh, what happened?"

Isaac sat up, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean, we - we didn't, uh, you know. It's impossible since you-you're clothed and and and, I'm clothed and obviously that can't happen if we're both clothed. It's not-"

Isaac interrupted her. "Claire?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Claire blinked at him. "Thank you."

Isaac returned the favor by flashing her a bright smile and then laughing. She acted like a total noob just then and he was laughing at her.

She smacked him with a pillow she'd grabbed from the couch.

His phone vibrated on the coffee table and he answered it.

"Hello?"

"Can you meet me at Derek's?"

Scott.

"Yeah, sure, why?"

"You'll see. Bring Claire with you too, will you?"

Isaac looked at Claire when Scott mentioned her name. "Yeah, we'll be there." He hung up the phone a moment later.

Half an hour later, Claire and Isaac were walking into Derek's loft. Scott and Stiles were already there.

But the third person that was there, nearly took Claire's breath away.

There stood Derek, all six foot of him. Maybe it was just the thrill of seeing him, but he looked better than she remembered. He was patched up, and dressed differently.

But he was alive.

He smiled. Hesitant at first, then a blazing grin broke through that made her heart stop. She recovered and grinned back and went to throw her arms around his neck, then stopped, blushing. Before she could pull back, he caught her elbows and put her arms around his neck and pulled her into a hug. Her skin came alive under his fingers, every touch an electric crackle through her veins. Her knees nearly gave out as she buried her face in his chest.

"I thought you were dead."

His breath was warm on her neck as he bent his head, resting his cheek against her hair. Her heart beat so quickly, and yet she felt utterly calm - as if she could have stayed there forever and not minded, stayed there forever and let the world fall apart around them.

With each day he felt the barriers melting. He let them melt. Because of her genuine laugh, because he caught her one afternoon when they were kids, sleeping with her face in the middle of a book, because he knew that she would win.

Too much was between them, pulling them together at the same time as it pushed them apart. Their need for each other would always be in constant battle with the need to keep the other safe. Love wasn't forged by circumstance or changed by sorrow. It simply was. Fierce and free as the wolf within her.

"I'm sorry." He whispered near her ear.

She pulled him closer to her, as if it would never be enough for her and replied, "It's okay."

She'd forgive him over and over if it meant he'd stay with her. Hell, she would write it in blood if it made him feel better. She would do anything and everything.

She leaned forward, up on her toes and kissed him. His eyes widened, then his lips parted and he kissed her back, mouth warm and firm against hers and that floating feeling washed over and through her, and it was so amazing that when it ended, she just stayed there, her face so close to his that she could feel his breath, see those incredible eyes, and that was all she could see, all she wanted to see.

Author's Note: ... annnnnnnnnd Derek and Claire are reunited! I'm seriously torn between Derek/Claire and Isaac/Claire because they are both so fucking adorable. ajksdlfjkalsdfjkalsdf. So conflicted. | Anyway, a big thanks to the new followers and favorites! Reviews are always appreciated, obviously. :)