Everybody tries to deal with the news about Stiles in their different ways. The dead werewolf and his backup also needs to be taken care of. Allison seems strong and confident, and the others do as she tells them. When Lydia gives her a piece of her mind, she almost fall apart, but Scott is there to hold her.

Stiles was partially conscious and managed to lift his arms to wrap them around Derek's neck. Derek lifted him off the ground and carried him towards the house. They didn't look at any of the others. Scott threw a quick peek at them before he turn his head towards Allison. He was still holding on to Joy's arm; his claws dug deep into her flesh. Joy seemed to be frozen in her position staring down at Troy's body. Chris held the gun firmly pressed against her head as he followed Derek with his eyes.

The intoxication Isaac had felt when they arrived back in the woods was completely gone now. Everything had happened so fast, that he was still a bit confused though. Allison didn't try to get up from the ground, but she lifted her head for a second; her face contorted as if she was in pain. Tears and blood were running down her chin, dripping down, making an abstract pink pattern on her shirt.

Isaac turned towards Derek again. He was on the porch now, and Lydia was holding the door open so he could get inside. He could see her mouth move, but Isaac could not hear what she said. Derek reacted by pushing her away with his shoulder, before he disappeared into the house. She closed the door, but stayed put on the porch.

Alex had stopped in the middle of the yard; his head slumped down, and his shoulders shuddering as if he was crying. Isaac wanted to run over and comfort him, but he didn't want to be the first one to move. He worried that any shift in the scene could cause reactions that none of them wanted.

Eventually, it was Joy who broke the silence. "I came to stop him. I was too late. I'm sorry." Her voice was trembling and she sniffled a little. "Did you..." she hitched her breath. "Did you kill Eric also?"

Chris moved to stand in front of her and pointed the gun towards her heart. "No, but maybe we should've?" He cocked his head and stared into her eyes. "I told you all to stay away from Beacon Hills, and promised to kill you if I ever saw any one of you again." He moved the gun up to her throat. "Alex vouched for Eric, and made us believe that his intentions were good. That was obviously a mistake."

Isaac could see that Joy swallowed hard. Snot and tears were running, but she didn't try to wipe it away. "No, no it wasn't. Please believe me. Eric was only bringing Alex' things here. We didn't even know that he'd been here before, uh, until today."

Alex had obviously heard every word, and Isaac watched as he sunk down to the ground. "It's true. She's telling the truth. Eric didn't know that he was followed." He looked pleadingly at the hunter who now had turned his head towards him. Chris scoffed. "Why should we believe you? You could be in cohorts with them. Maybe we should have killed you instead of bringing you here."

Isaac was about to interfere, when Allison suddenly raised her voice. "Dad! Stop it!" She got to her feet and walked towards her father. "I believe them. Let the girl go, she's no threat to us." Staring into Joy's eyes, she continued addressing her dad. "Thank you for snuffing out the guy that killed... I mean, almost killed Stiles, but I'm taking over now."

Chris lowered his hand, but didn't move away. Allison nudged Scott, and got him to release his grip on the girl. "We will bury him, and you will never find his remains." She nodded towards Troy, before she continued talking to Joy. "I'm sorry I had to kill your aunt, but she threatened my family. She threatened the peace."

Surprisingly enough, Joy seemed to nod as if she agreed, but that was the only reaction. Allison took a step closer. "Do you want peace?" She waited until Joy nodded again. "And your sister?" Another quick nod followed before Allison stepped away. "She's not lying." She turned around and started to walk towards the house. "Dad? Can you get rid of the body?" She didn't look at him as she spoke. When she got to where Alex was sitting on the ground, she grabbed his shoulder and practically lifted him up. "Get it together, everything will be fine." She waved her hand towards the others. "Will you please escort that girl to her car. I don't want to see her when I come back."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott stared at Allison's back as she entered the house. Then he turned quickly to look at Mr Argent. He was also staring towards the door, and he looked somewhat baffled. Then he shook his head and walked over to the dead body on the ground. "Alex! You heard her. Do as Allison said."

Alex didn't hesitate any longer, but rushed over and grabbed Joy's wrist. "Come on." He pulled her with him and she followed willingly. Isaac looked at them for a split second before he too took off down the road after them.

As soon as the three of them had disappeared around the curve, Chris dragged Troy's body towards the SUV. "I guess the party's over now." He chuckled humorlessly as he maneuvered the dead werewolf in to back of the car. "It was definitely memorable."

He was about to get into the driver's seat, but then he came over to Scott. "Take care of her. She's gonna need all the support she can get." Again, he stared at the house. Scott had no idea what Chris was talking about. Allison seemed fine. Scott agreed with her decision to let Joy go, and he was pretty sure the others supported it also. "I'm sure Derek would have said the same, he trusts her judgment."

Chris shook his head and smiled a little. "I didn't mean..." He huffed. "I don't know what I meant." He started to walk towards the SUV again. "I'm really not sure what happened. I was too busy saving your ass."

Scott rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. I could have taken him." He wasn't quite sure about that; he'd been a little distracted with his concern for Stiles. What he knew for sure was that he was stronger than Troy, and if he'd wanted to kill the guy, he would have managed.

The hunter didn't reply. As soon as he was behind the wheel, he backed up almost into the woods, before he sped out of there.

When Scott turned to walk up to the house, Allison came out. She gestured for Lydia to follow her, and together they came towards Scott. "Everything is fine. Stiles will be okay, but they are gonna stay for a little while longer."

Scott would have wanted to check on Stiles himself, but there was something in Allison's voice that told him not to question it. There was a few other things he felt the need to address thought. "How can Stiles be fine? He must be seriously injured; I saw him fly through the air."

A shiver went through Allison, before she stopped and closed her eyes. "You didn't see what happened?" She sighed heavily. "I thought you all knew." She threw a quick peek at Lydia. "Except for you, maybe."

She swallowed before she straightened herself up. "Stiles was dying. Maybe he even did die for a moment. It was only one way to save him." Scott could feel his eyes widen; he knew instantly what Allison was going to tell them. He had suspected it, but when nobody said anything, he'd pushed it away. "Derek gave him the bite? Really?" He stared at Allison, and again he felt the need to check on his friend. Allison shook her head. "No! Derek didn't, I did. He begged me, and I knew it had to be done."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When they came to the crossroad, Alex gave Joy's arm a quick squeeze before he let go. The walk had gone on in complete silence, but as she was standing next to the car she looked at him and smiled, it didn't quite reach her eyes, but that was understandable under the circumstances. "I'm sorry Troy is dead, but he did this to himself. We, Jade and I, we were done. Revenge was off the table for us." She opened the door and nodded towards Isaac. "Is this your, your boyfriend?"

Alex looked at Isaac and eased an arm around his waist. "It is. Look." He held his hand out so she could see the ring. "I'm happy. I'm sorry about everything too, but this is where I wanna be now. I belong here with him."

Joy's eyes lit up for a second. "Oh, yeah. Thank you for the rings. I almost forgot." She looked at Alex' finger again. "I'm happy for you. Believe me on that. I'm sure Jade will be happy for you also." She reached into the car and picked out her phone. "I better call them and tell them what happened, and that I'm on my way back."

When Alex let his hand run over Isaac's back, he could feel that his boyfriend was very tense. He hadn't said a word since he came back to the woods with Mr Argent, but now it seemed like a was about to burst.

Just as Joy was about to close the car door, Isaac rushed over and grabbed a hold of it. "How can you be so calm about this? I feel there's something you're not telling us." Alex followed him and tried to pull him away, but Isaac held on to the door. "NO! We killed her mom, I mean, her aunt. She just lost another member of the pack, but still she acts like nothing bad happened."

Joy had the phone pressed to her ear, but then she lowered it and looked at Isaac. "It's done. We can never get them back." She threw a quick peek at the phone and lifted it to her ear again. "Sorry sis. I'll call you back in a minute." She hung up and turned back to Isaac. "You were just protecting yourselves. Hester attacked the Argent girl for no reason, and everything that followed was a result of that."

Alex knew that the woman had a reason for the attack, but it was pretty far fetched. He knew that Hester's urge to revenge her brother was the reason that she'd collaborated with that alpha pack in the first pace. She wanted to kill Chris Argent. His daughter was just collateral damage. Troy was the only one who had supported her mission unconditionally. Even Eric had been a little reluctant about it.

Joy folded her hands in her lap and sighed. "What seems to be a tragedy, can also be a blessing. I wanted revenge at first, and it does sadden me that she's gone, but new opportunities have risen." She looked down at her hands. "Does it make me a bad person if I say I feel free?" Both Isaac and Alex shook their heads, but she didn't seem to notice. "We had everything we wanted. We were spoiled rotten, but we were never truly free."

When Isaac let go of the car door, she looked up at him. "I have to call my sister again. She will probably cry a little when she learns that Troy won't come back, but now she can move on. She loved him, you know."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek laid Stiles down on the makeshift couch they'd made out of pallets and blankets. It was a little short, but it didn't matter. He sat down on the floor and, resting his head on Stiles' chest, . "I'm so sorry about this, but it was the only way." Stiles looked at him under heavy eyelids. "What do you mean? I thought I was going to die, but I feel... fine."

The little hesitation made Derek lift his head and stare into his lover's eyes. "Do you really?" He grabbed his hand. Stiles nodded a little. "I do, but... why?" Suddenly, Stiles moved to sit up and Derek scooted away to let him. "I couldn't move. I thought my back... or my neck was broken."

They both turned when they heard the door open. Allison came inside an hurried over to them. She looked horrible. Black streaks from her mascara made semi parallel lines on her cheeks. Her chin was partially covered in blood and her shirt was stained with it.

Stiles stared at her for a second before he chuckled a little. "Shouldn't you start wearing waterproof makeup?" He shook his head. "Sorry, sorry. I'm sorry." He managed to calm down when he obviously noticed that Allison was not humored.

She came over and looked down at them. "We're going to leave now. I think it's better you stay here for a while." She rubbed her chin, smearing the blood out even more. Stiles shifted his gaze between Derek and Allison. "What's going on?"

Derek got up and gave her a quick hug. "It's okay. Just go. We'll be fine. I'll tell him." He noticed that Stiles was about to get up also, but Derek pushed him back. "Please sit. Allison knows what she's doing. We will stay here for a little while longer."

Allison bent down and gave Stiles' cheek a quick stroke. "I'm sorry, but it was the only way." Then, she turned and walked away. Seconds later, the door slammed shut after her.

When Derek felt a tug on his shirt, he sat down next to his boyfriend. Stiles looked a little confused. "She used the exact same words. What are you talking about? The only way for what?"

Derek eased his arm around Stiles' neck and tugged him into an embrace. "You're not going to like this, but it was the only way." He could feel that Stiles tried to come loose. "And then again. The only way for what?" Stiles gave up, and rested his head on Derek's shoulder. "I died, didn't I? You gave me the bite, didn't you."

He wished that was the truth. Derek dug his face into Stiles' neck, and kissed the bloodstained skin. "I didn't. Allison did. She gave you the bite because... I couldn't." He raised his head and stared into Stiles' eyes. "My powers were spent, and I' don't know if they'll come back."

After a significant time of silence, Derek lifted his head. "Let's just stay here. I have a couple of blankets in the car." He took a couple of deep breaths. "This is still my house."

Stiles cocked his head. "So what your saying is that I'm going to become a werewolf? I'm going to become Allison's beta?" He sighed heavily, and rested his head on Derek's shoulder. "As long as we can be together forever, I'm fine with that."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"So I'm the only one left now." Lydia frowned as she walked towards her car. "Stiles is going to become a werewolf, and he's going to be the best one ever." She opened the door and turned to Allison. "I understand that he was dying and that you did it to save him, but did you ever stop to ask yourself: 'Is this what he wants?' I think not."

Allison stared at her friend. She was pretty sure Stiles wanted to live. She'd been through the same and in her position, the choice was even harder. "He's probably going to be angry, but when he realizes that we didn't have any other option, he's going to deal with it."

Lydia jumped into her car, and turned the ignition key before she leaned out the window. "I'm happy he's not dead, but it should have been his choice. Until I get to talk to him myself, we are not friends."

Allison chest tightened, and the pain in her heart was excruciating. She knew she'd saved Stiles' life, but she too was concerned about the outcome. She nodded towards Lydia as she wiped her eyes. "I know. I agree, but I didn't get a chance to think." When Lydia started to back up her car, Allison ran over. "Give me a chance. I love you. You're my best friend."

She didn't get a reply. A few seconds later, it was only the dust lingering over the road that showed that a car had just left the premises.

She turned to Scott, hoping for a better response from him. He held his arms out for her to dive into them. "Let's go. Let's go to my place. My mom is at work." He wrapped his arms around her and tugged her close.

"You're not angry?" She dared a quick peak at her boyfriend. Scott tugged her even closer, and gave her a kiss on the ear. "I am. Maybe a little but, but I love you. I believe you did it to save him. I'm not so sure that he will understand immediately, but I will do my best to make him understand."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A half moon was hanging over Beacon Hills. The streets seemed almost abandoned. There were still a few people out – it was after all a Saturday night – but until the clubs closed in a couple of hours, it would usually be reasonably quiet.

Allison was in bed waiting for Scott. He had to go to the loft to help Alex and Isaac with the dog. She was fine with that. Having a little time for herself was good. It was impossible to relax; she knew exactly what would be expected of her from now on. It was kind of scary, and she didn't know if she was up for it.

On the other side of town, in the posh neighborhood where the Martins resided, Lydia sat on her bed crying. She didn't want to lose Allison as her friend, but she was angry about what had happened. Deep down, she also knew that if she was the one who had to make this choice, she would have done everything in her power to save Stiles. She wouldn't have stopped to ask herself if that was what he wanted. She would selfishly have given him the bite, making the same decision as Derek and Allison did.

It had been an unusually quiet Saturday night so far. At the police station, Mr Stilinski printed out all the information he'd found about Sonya Johnson and her daughter. He slipped outside, and tucked it into the glove compartment of his car before he went back inside. He didn't know how to break the news to Alex; they guy didn't even know about the search, but there was no way around it.

Isaac slumped down on the couch as soon as they came to the loft. He was exhausted. The events of this evening had taken it's toll. The happiness he felt struggled with the concern he had for Stiles. The fact that Stiles got the bite was – for Isaac – a good thing. He wanted them to be all equals at the house, and a human in the pack could've stirred things up. Not that he ever doubted Stiles' commitment, but now it was done and it couldn't be taken back.

The fact that Derek himself hadn't done it, was a bit disturbing for Isaac. He pondered a little over the reason for that, but didn't get a chance to continue his train of thought, before Scott and Alex urged him to come with them to walk the dog.

A few miles down south, Joy was playing softly on the piano. Eric and Jade were cuddled up on the couch. The news about Troy's death had saddened them, but none of them felt any urge to avenge it. The three inhabitants of the mansion had – without uttering many words about it – agreed to let it go and move on.

Chris Argent was sitting on a rock overlooking the small lake. Troy's body was burnt and buried, but he needed a moment before he went back home. His daughter had possibly taken over the pack; he wasn't quite sure. The dynamic between her and Derek after this incident told it's own story. The only question now was if Derek would challenge her to get it back. Chris didn't think so, but he could feel a lingering worry regarding this.

He looked up at the moon. In about two weeks it would be full. What happened with Stiles during these weeks would probably have a huge impact. If he accepted Allison as his Alpha, it would probably not be an issue for any of the others; not even Derek.

I managed to lose a whole chapter, and are doing my best to piece it together again. Frustration level is high here. I need some time. I was ahead, but now I'm not. I think I was a little too cocky about my progress to notice that I forgot to save it. It was ready for my beta, but I managed to overwrite with notes for my next chapter. The only comfort I can give myself, is that I wasn't completely satisfied with it in the first place.