Selene POV: Scott was inside packing while Stiles and Selene were outside waiting until they could leave to go get Kira back. Stiles was under the hood of his Jeep pulling out parts and tinkering away.
Selene slid her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder.
"Getting her all fixed up?" she asked.
Stiles leaned his head on hers.
"Trying to do my best she'll run for now."
"You're doing a good job so far it'll get better" Selene said not just talking about his Jeep.
"Before or after it gets terrifyingly worse?" Stiles asked.
Selene's response was to hold him tighter. Stiles placed his hand on her arm and squeezed then he stroked lightly with his thumb.
"Liam's inside" Selene said after a minute.
"Yeah I know I saw him go in. You still mad at him?"
"A bit. Attacking your Alpha without a proper challenge pisses me off but it wasn't all his fault. What about you? You still mad at him?"
"Absolutely… but we need him."
Selene felt Liam's pain and regret and that was the only reason she didn't try and punish him or flat out attack him. She knew things were going to get bad and more than anything she wanted Stiles to be safe but she knew he wouldn't run not while his friends needed him. So she would stand beside him and fight whatever came their way together.
Scott walked out of the house leaving Liam inside and walked over to Stiles and Selene.
"So what did he want?" Stiles asked still working on the Jeep.
"To help."
"You gonna let him?"
"Eventually I guess."
"Okay but shouldn't he be a little higher on your priority list right now? I mean since he's the only other actual werewolf your only actual Beta?"
"You didn't see the way that he came at me. You didn't see the look in his eyes."
"Well I've been with you on a full moon so I've seen that look. You want to get the band back together Scott you don't leave out the drummer" Stiles said sighing.
"No but he needs to trust him again. Besides if I was taken from you wouldn't you come after me?" Selene said running her hand between Stiles' shoulder blades.
"Like hell on wheels" Stiles grinned at her.
"Speaking of wheels let's see if she works" Selene said.
Stiles got into the Jeep and turned the key. The engine roared to life. He jumped out and looked down at the engine stunned then he threw his arms up.
"Success! Yes!"
Stiles put the hood down grabbed all his tools and they all got into the Jeep. Scott went to put his bag in the back and stopped seeing over half a dozen cans of antifreeze.
"It's a minor leak. Very minor" Sties said holding up his thumb and forefinger.
Scott looked at Selene for the truth. She shook her head…not minor. Then they were on the road off to get Kira back. Stiles drove through the night sometime at which Selene fell asleep with his arm around her and her head on his shoulder.
"She must really trust us to lower her guard like that" she heard Scott say softly.
"I trust Stiles to protect me… but yeah I also trust you" Selene said before opening her eyes.
Stiles smiled at her. Then Selene realized how hot it was they were all sweating.
"Man I think the Jeep's overheating again" Scott said as he stretched out trying to get cool.
"Probably" Stiles replied.
"Should we pull over and put more antifreeze in it?"
"No we can just turn the heat on" Stiles said sighing as he did turn the heat on and Scott rolled his window down.
"You find anything yet?" Stiles asked Scott who held a book.
"They're mostly the same stuff you already know. 'Damnatio Memoriae was a Roman practice a government decree to destroy the images of the damned. And they would scratch off their names from inscriptions, chisel their face off of statues. The Romans believed it was a punishment worse than death."
"Being forgotten" Stiles said.
"Listen to this. 'Damnatio Memoriae was later used on a serial killer in 1598 known as the Demon Tailor. He lured children into his shop in Paris where he would kill them and boil the flesh off their bones to eat. The courts believed the crimes so horrible they ordered all the documents destroyed. To this day no one knows his real name."
"So the Dread Doctors resurrected a killer who was so bad that he had to literally be erased from history" Stiles said.
"A killer that became a werewolf" Scott said.
"Which probably made him a better killer. That's great" Stiles said shoving the gas pedal down.
Selene wanted so badly to tell them the whole story but she found she couldn't bring herself to tell it. Finally they pulled over so Scott could drive while Stiles slept but he didn't sleep long.
"Have you guys talked to Malia?" Scott asked.
"No" both Stiles and Selene said shaking their heads.
"I don't really think she's talking to anyone actually" Selene said.
"I think I know why. I think she found her mother" Scott said.
"Her mother as in the Desert Wolf?" Stiles asked slightly panicked.
"Yeah" Scott said.
"I knew she was still looking" Stiles said mostly to himself.
"She erased her name off my board but I just… I knew she hadn't stopped" Stiles said to the others.
"When I was at her house I'm pretty sure Braeden was there too" Scott said.
"Braeden?" Stiles asked.
Selene was shocked since the last time they saw Braeden she was leaving with Derek.
"Well it makes sense Braeden's obsession was the Desert Wolf" Selene said.
"How did you know Braeden was there did you catch her scent?" Stiles asked.
"Actually it was her motorcycle. I smelled her exhaust" Scott said.
"What the hell do you think they're gonna do?"
"Something Malia doesn't want to tell us about. So probably something bad."
"Oh my god. You already know don't you? It's like… it's the chemo signals right?" Stiles asked.
"Scott what did you pick up?" Selene asked.
"Aggression."
"How much?" both Stiles and Selene asked.
"I think she's gonna kill her. She's gonna kill her mother" Scott said.
"Yeah or die trying. There's a reason Braeden hasn't yet caught the Desert Wolf she's good at hiding and a very good killer" Selene said.
Just then the engine started to sputter.
"What's happening?" Scott asked.
"Um… yeah we're out of gas that's out of gas" Stiles said.
"It says we have half a tank" Scott pointed out.
"Yeah not necessarily" Stiles said.
"You didn't fix the gas gauge did you?" Scott accused.
"Not necessarily" Stiles said wincing a little.
Slowly Scott pulled the Jeep off to the side of the road.
Stiles POV: After checking a map they learned there was a gas station a ways up the road. Stiles and Scott got out and Stiles held the door for Selene.
"No I'll watch the Jeep you two go ahead" she said with a smile.
Stiles got the message she wanted him and Scott to reconnect. He kissed her softly and closed the door. Stiles and Scott took off to get more gas. When they got there Stiles tried to open the doors but it didn't open.
"Locked" he told Scott.
"You got a twenty?" Scott asked.
Stiles pulled a twenty out of his pocket and slipped into the crack of the door. Scott held the container while Stiles filled it. They were both leaning against the pump neither one talking. When it was full Stiles put the nozzle back but didn't go to leave he was a little nervous.
"There was a pin" he finally said.
"There was one little pin attached to the scaffolding. He was trying to pull me down."
"He was trying to kill you."
"Yes and then I pulled the pin. And all these metal braces came down and one of them just… just went right threw him" Stiles said he could barely even look at Scott worried what he'd see.
"Why didn't you think you could tell me?"
"It was just the way you were looking at me that night. You know you… you were standing there with a wrench in your hand you were looking at me like I just bashed you in the head with it you know like I'd broken your sacred rule and that's it there's no going back."
"I know the difference."
"What?" Stiles said looking at him.
"I know what self-defense is."
With all that said they started to walk back to the Jeep. Back at the Jeep Stiles put the gas in the tank.
"Everything okay?" Selene asked.
Stiles smiled. "Getting there."
Scott fell asleep as Stiles drove the sun nearly set.
"Stiles" Selene said pointing.
In front of them was a huge rock structure and around it were storm clouds and lightning.
"Hey Scott. Scott. Take a look at this" Stiles said waking Scott up.
"What the hell do you thinks happening to her out there?" Stiles asked.
Scott stared stunned and shook his head. Stiles shifted gears and pressed down on the gas pedal. When they got to the cliff looking out at the big rock structure they go out and looked toward the rock and storm clouds.
"I don't know why I believed him. I don't know why we didn't just keep talking that night. Five more minutes and we would've figured out that there were two different stories. We would've filled in the blanks. We should've just kept talking" Scott finally spoke up.
"He knew you wouldn't in fact he counted on it" Selene said.
"God Selene you were right to say I was a terrible Alpha hell you should of kicked my ass" Scott said.
"You said that to him?" Stiles asked looking at her shocked.
"What I was pissed and you were hurt" she defended.
Stiles wrapped his arm around her hip and pulled her closing placing a kiss on top of her head.
"No you were right though I should've listened."
"Yeah well Theo was pretty good at manipulating so…" Selene trailed off.
"Well I didn't want it to happen like this" Scott said.
"Like what?" Stiles asked.
"I knew sooner or later one of us was going to get a little too much blood on our hands. I half thought it was gonna be Malia" Scott said.
"Well she definitely seems like she's working on it" Stiles added.
"Just always thought that if it were to happen then it should be me. I'm the one who's constantly putting you guys in danger risking your lives for people you don't even know. It should've been me."
Stiles put his hand on Scott's shoulder giving it a rub for a second before turning.
"Come on. We only got a few hours to sunrise. Come on let's go" Stiles said heading back to his Jeep his arm around Selene's hip.
"Hey guys do you see that? It's Kira" Scott said pointing to a flashing light in the storm at the rock.
They got back in the Jeep and Stiles drove onward toward the rock structure. Just a little after dawn they came a cross Kira and her mom facing off with three women. Scott jumped out before Stiles stopped the Jeep and he roared at the unknown women.
"Get in. Come on" Stiles yelled. Kira ran towards the Jeep with Scott behind her.
"Come on come on come on let's go" Stiles said pushing them towards the back of the Jeep.
Kira's mom cut a spear aimed at the Jeep in half before running and getting in the Jeep herself.
"Come on come on come on" Stiles said then stepping on the gas shooting away from the women quickly.
"Everyone okay?" Stiles asked.
Kira's mom nodded but Scott and Kira were too busy kissing to answer.
"You came back for me. I love you I love you so much" Kira said.
Smiling Stiles took Selene's hand linking their fingers and kissed her knuckles. She smiled back. Then they began their drive home. Stiles dropped Kira's mom off at her home and Kira at Scott's house before Stiles and Selene went home themselves.
Stiles kissed her deeply once they were home and in their room.
"I love you so much" he told her.
"Show me how much" Selene grinned.
"….We're out of condoms" Stiles said grabbing the empty box a panicked look on his face.
Selene pulled another box out of her bag.
"I figured I'd have to buy them since last time you tried you ran out and left me at the checkout."
Stiles turned red. "What they know my dad!?"
Selene laughed "You also drove away."
Then she opened the box stepping closer to him and slowly put it on the night stand.
"Aren't you glad I'm prepared?" she asked grinning at him.
"So glad" Stiles said pulling her close and kissing her hard.
He managed to grab a condom before they fell on to the bed where he proceeded to show her just how much he loved her… all night long.