word count: 16,095
polyvore: username is 'sarcasticfina' - check under Collections for one named after this story to see all of Malia's fashion choices
episodes: between 1x07 and 1x08

XXI

The mall food court was loud. It always was, but today in particular, it felt like Malia could hear every single sound from every direction. From rubber soles on the polished floors to metal utensils scraping against grills to fingers stabbing cash register buttons. Worse than that, however, was the smell. Grease, body odor, perfume, and a variety of foods mixing together. The headache she was suffering was by no means small. Which was why she was trying to do what she'd always told Scott to do when he was struggling. Find one thing and focus on it. For Malia, that was Allison.

Instead of the noise, stacked on top of each other in the most grating way, she focused on how Allison's earrings gave off the faintest ring when she moved. How the necklace she was wearing kept knocking against the buttons of her top. Even her hair, brushing against her back, made a noise. And all of that was better than the excruciatingly loud noise that filled every space around Malia. It took a few minutes, but her hearing went from a fog horn to a dull roar, until she was finally able to just be present. And to eat without feeling like she might vomit from the too-strong smell it was giving off. In fact, once she got control of her hearing and scent, she quickly realized just how hungry she really was.

Malia polished off two burgers and was stealing some of Allison's fries when she noticed the wide-eyed look her friend was giving her. "What?" Brow furrowed, she dipped her fries in her milkshake, popped them in her mouth, and dusted her hands of any lingering salt.

"Two burgers? You must've been starving."

She shrugged. "I guess trauma doesn't affect my appetite."

Allison's face softened. "I'm not judging." She pushed her basket of fries into the center of the table and took one for herself. "Totally embarrassing to admit, but I asked Kate to stay in my room with me last night. I felt like such a baby. I mean, I was scared, but it was different. We hid and we were mostly safe and I wasn't hurt or anything…"

"I don't think trauma works that way. You were chased around, scared out of your mind, and you weren't sure what was going to happen." Malia stirred her milkshake. "Scott and Stiles stayed over at my place. I don't think I would've fallen asleep if I was alone. I was too wired. So, they shared an air mattress on the floor. But... I had this nightmare." She shifted in her seat and chewed the inside of her cheek. "I woke up freaking out and I... I thought I was still trapped."

"In the school?"

She paused. It was moments like these that she wished she could be completely honest with Allison. "Yeah. And I couldn't get out. I was being chased or I was chasing someone, it flipped back and forth. And I thought... I could taste blood. I thought it was Trisha's." Or the Alpha's.

"Wow." Allison reached across the table and took one of Malia's hands, squeezing gently. "That sounds intense."

"Yeah." She frowned. "It was."

"You know you can talk to me, right? I know I said we didn't have to talk about it anymore and you said you didn't really want to, but... I'm here."

"I know." Malia half-smiled. "Sometimes I do and sometimes I just want to forget the whole thing ever happened."

"Me, too. I just don't think I can." Allison shook her head. "I've never felt that powerless before, you know? I was running from something I couldn't see. And when we called for help, they just... hung up on us. They didn't even send anyone. I can't help but wonder what might've happened if Danny didn't go to the police and convince them it was serious." Allison's gaze grew distant. "So much could've gone wrong."

"It could've," Malia admitted. "But it didn't. You're okay. We're all okay."

"Physically..." She tipped her head side to side. "Psychologically and emotionally might be another thing."

"How was Kate about the whole thing?"

"Surprisingly good. I thought she'd tease me a little." She rolled her eyes. "Seventeen and I need her to stay with me. But, she got it. She said she understood what it felt to be weak and she never wanted me to feel like that again." Allison swallowed tightly. "I don't either."

"You're not weak." Malia stared at her seriously. "It's okay to be scared. It doesn't feel like it, but it is."

"Yeah." Allison pinched her mouth together as her chin trembled. "I just hate it."

"Me, too."

Letting out a thick laugh, Allison shook her head and reached up to dash at her eyes. "Okay. I promised we would do fun things and get our minds off everything, not cry in the food court."

"Danny and Erica will be here soon. I don't know if they're staying. They just wanted to check in."

"That's good. I know the feeling. I was freaking out all night wondering if you got out." She waved dismissively. "I know you were just processing everything and it wasn't personal, but it's scary. I knew you were in the school and you turned on the music, and then Stiles was texting you and he was worried because he didn't hear back from you. I just feel like I didn't completely relax until you called me this morning."

"I'll be better next time. Or, I guess I hope we never have a next time, but... you know what I mean."

"Yeah." Allison's smile was soft and small. "I get it."

"Malia!"

She looked up and turned in her seat, scanning the food court. She caught a flash of frizzy blonde hair and stood to meet them. Danny and Erica were weaving through tables to get to her, with Erica picking up her pace the closer they got. Malia could hear Erica's heart uptick. Instinctively, she held her arms out, and could feel Erica let out a sigh of relief as their bodies collided in a hug.

"You scared the shit out of me," Erica mumbled.

"I'm hearing that a lot lately." She nodded. "You made it though. That's what matters."

"Yeah, except I wasn't sure you did." Leaning back, Erica stared at her searchingly. "What the hell happened?"

"Before we launch into that story..." Danny bumped Erica's shoulder gently and held his own arm out for a hug.

Malia smiled. "I've been hugged more today than in the last month." Probably not true, seeing as Scott was particularly affectionate over this last month, but her point remained.

Danny was a good hugger; he had a way of wrapping his arms around her that felt like she was being completely blanketed in him. It helped that he smelled amazing. She buried her nose against him and inhaled. Considering the riot of smells she'd been trying her best to ignore, it was nice to breathe in something pleasant.

"Armani," he told her, grinning as he stepped back. "I brought you something."

"If it's not Skittles, I'm going to be seriously disappointed…"

Snorting, he shrugged the bag off his shoulder and held it out to her. "Your bag, which you'll be happy to know is still full of Skittles."

Taking it, Malia gave it a shake, and grinned at the rattling noise the candies made when they knocked together. "Just what I like to hear. Thanks." She waved at them to join her and Allison at the table they were sharing and retook her seat. "Allison, this is Erica. Erica, Allison."

Allison smiled politely and raised a hand in hello.

Erica's brow furrowed. "You were in the school too, weren't you? I think I saw you after everybody got out."

"We should start a club," Malia said. "As founder, I vote we immediately demote Jackson to club mascot. He might be less irritating if he's wearing a suit that muffles his ability to speak."

Allison folded her lips to smother a laugh while Erica snorted.

Danny sighed. "I thought we agreed you guys were going to hang out and try to get along."

"A pipe dream, but I appreciate your dedication to both of us." Malia winked up at him and then turned to face the others. "Look, long story short— after you guys got out, I went to the office and dug around in their desks until I found a CD. Miracle of miracles, someone had AC/DC, so I turned that on as loud as the PA system would let me and then I left. I figured that would draw out whoever was chasing us and give Allison and everyone a chance to get somewhere safer. I was on my way to them when I saw someone in the hall, so I ran in the other direction, slipped on, uh, blood, hit the floor and..." She shook her head. "I don't know. It's a little foggy after that. I remember hearing the sirens, but I was in the showers. I needed to get the blood off and I wasn't really thinking straight…"

Danny wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Any idea whose blood it was?"

"Yeah." She looked up at him grimly. "Trish's. I... I saw the body."

"The police can't find one. Not for her or the janitor." Erica looked around at each of them nervously. "That's weird, right? I'm not the only one that thinks that's totally nuts."

"It's definitely weird." Malia frowned. "Stiles said the police can't charge anyone with murder without the bodies. Or they can't really prove it, anyway."

"Who thinks of that?" Allison's forehead wrinkled. "I mean, that takes planning, right? They had to get those bodies out before anyone showed up and not be seen. It's just..."

"Sociopathic," Erica muttered.

"Yeah."

After a beat, Erica wondered, "So, does everyone believe it was Derek Hale?"

Allison shook her head. "Not really. I mean, I trust Scott. I don't think he would lie. I just don't understand why. It doesn't make sense."

"It was dark and adrenaline was up. Maybe he thought it was Derek and it wasn't." Malia shrugged. "Whoever it was, they're dangerous."

"Right, but dangerous to us specifically or in general?" Danny sat back in his seat, frowning. "You and Erica were both attacked at the video store—"

"By a mountain lion."

"Isn't that a weird coincidence?" His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "And then the mountain lion attacks the school, too."

"I don't know… That's a weird trigger for a serial killer to have. Like, what's the motivation behind it?"

Danny shook his head. "My psych classes haven't covered serial killer psychopathy yet."

Malia snorted. "At least when it does, you'll already have a good topic for a paper."

He rolled his eyes. "I guess my education isn't suffering."

"Except that school's out until next week," Allison pointed out.

Malia perked up. "Hey, you think I could get out of the quiz due to mental stress?"

"Possibly, but you shouldn't." Danny nudged her shoulder. "Before we were unceremoniously locked in the library, you were doing great with the flashcards."

"So my bag of Skittles says." Malia leaned forward, resting an elbow on the table. "I just don't want to freeze when it comes to actually doing the test."

"You'll do fine."

His confidence was simultaneously reassuring and annoying. For Danny, these things were just natural. For Malia, she couldn't help but think her math-hating brain would turn on her at the last minute.

"Scott said you were hurt," Erica said.

Malia looked up, her brow furrowed. "Huh?"

"When we stopped by McCall's looking for you, he said you were okay, but that you were back home, healing," Danny explained.

"Oh."

Allison frowned. "You were hurt?"

"Not really." Malia wanted to face-palm; why didn't Scott warn her he let something like that slip? "It's just my stitches," she lied. "I landed hard when I slipped and my side was pretty bruised. There was some blood, but I don't think the stitches completely popped. I'll be fine." At their unconvinced expressions, she rolled her eyes. "Guys, seriously. I'm okay, you're okay, we're all okay. But these fries are getting cold and I want to do something that will take my mind off last night, so... Ideas?"

Allison shrugged. "We could go to a movie. There's probably a matinee playing."

Malia looked to the others, too. Danny and Erica both shrugged agreeably. "Movie it is."

…

"Dude, my dad's called me three times in the last hour." Stiles sat back against the arm chair, his feet perched on the coffee table. "I didn't answer one time because I was going to the bathroom, and he was ready to send the National Guard to my location."

Scott snorted. "You were trapped and almost killed by a homicidal werewolf."

"Yeah, but still…" He thumbed out a text before dropping his phone atop his stomach. "How's your mom?"

"Worried. She's napping right now. She's got a shift later. She almost cancelled, but I told her I was going out with you and Malia, so hanging around here wasn't going to do much."

His brow wrinkled. "And she was okay with that?"

"She was pretty freaked out, but she was asking a bunch of other questions, too..." He glanced at the stairs quickly and lowered his voice. "She wants to know why I've been missing school and acting weird. I didn't know what to say. It's not like I can tell her I'm a freaking werewolf."

"So, what did you tell her?"

Scott shrugged. "That I was trying to be better. I'm not sure how long that's going to work for, though."

"There's not a whole lot you can do about that."

"No, but maybe Malia had the right idea… About training."

"Can't hurt to work on those reflexes. I mean, your biggest obstacle is control. Part of why you're having trouble staying in control is because you don't trust yourself, which probably stems from not knowing what your limits are." He nodded thoughtfully. "So, let's find out."

"Find out how?"

"Well, we know your nose can sniff out a coyote half-way across the preserve just based on her, uh, markings…" Stiles scratched at his temple. "But we should find out how strong you are, how fast, even your healing ability."

Scott's brow puckered with uncertainty. "How are we going to test the last one?"

"Malia can be our lab rat for that one. She's got stitches and she was wounded by the alpha. She was only turned last night. If she's not healed yet, then we time it. Plus, we can find out if Alpha wounds heal slower than regular wounds."

"Why would they?"

"Well, if Alpha's are the strongest, maybe they cause more lasting damage." Stiles shrugged. "As for the other stuff... Usually, I'd say we should go to the school, but it's a crime scene right now. They'll have a police guard set up until they're done."

"We could still try sneaking in."

"Maybe. I don't know if Malia's going to want to be there, though. There are other ways. We can hang out at the field. I'll borrow a stop watch, and you two can try running around to test out your stamina." Stiles waved a hand. "You know what, leave it to me, I'll figure something out."

"Okay." Scott's phone buzzed then and he dug it out from his pocket. Not for the first time, he was glad that he'd been able to get a new phone that morning. Being disconnected from everyone left him feeling awkward, especially given how dangerous things had been lately. It wasn't the latest model, but it was still new, and he'd even been able to keep his old number. Seeing the name on the screen, a smile slowly pulled up one corner of his mouth.

"Malia?" Stiles asked knowingly.

"Yeah. She's been texting me off and on all morning." His brow furrowed and a heavy weight filled his stomach. After weighing it out, he said, "She told me she loved me this morning, when I called her because Danny and Erica were looking for her... I think it was just a friendly thing, because she's been so freaked out lately. And after the whole shifting thing, she's scared she's going to become the coyote again and she won't be able to get out."

Stiles nodded. "So, it was just friendly?"

Scott pressed his lips flat and stared at his phone. "It has to be, right? Malia... I know her. I'd know if her feelings changed."

"You sure about that?" Stiles raised an eyebrow. "Malia's never noticed you had feelings for her. Dude, I didn't even know. I mean, I knew you guys were close and... Your friendship's always been a little different from me and her, but... I don't know. I figured that's just how you were with friends who were, you know, girls."

Scott sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I tried really hard not to be obvious. I didn't want her to feel weird around me."

"And dating other girls was part of that or...?"

"I liked Allison. And I didn't think Malia would ever like me, so... Allison's a good person. I know her family has this really awful history, but she's different. Malia knows that, too. That's why she stayed friends with her."

"Yeah, that and she was looking out for you." Stiles licked his lips. "Look, all I know is that you and Malia have been thick as thieves since Hitchhiker's. This thing with Cole is about as casual as you can get. And your thing with Allison is over. So... Maybe it's time to stop assuming how she feels and just tell her how you feel."

Scott shook his head slowly. "She just found out she's a shifter. Her whole life just blew up. I don't want to add to that. Right now, I'm the only other person like her. We don't know if Derek's alive or hurt or dying. She's going to be need me. If I tell her and she doesn't feel the same way, that's going to mess things up. I can't do that to her, not now. Maybe when all of this is figured out. When the Alpha is gone or arrested or whatever."

Scrubbing his hand over his hair, Stiles blew out a sigh. "All right. Okay. Do whatever you think is best."

"Okay."

"But for the record—" He waved a finger around emphatically. "—I encouraged full transparency."

Scott rolled his eyes. "Duly noted."

"Now, what'd Malia say?"

Scott thumbed his phone open and checked his messages. There were three from Malia. —'your mom sent me a heart emoji so i assume you hugged her for me. thanks!'

— 'you didn't warn me my appetite would sky rocket. i've had two burgers, a milk shake, and most of allison's fries. this better come with super metabolism too or i'm gonna be spending a lot of time running'

— 'head's up, i'm going to a movie with allison, danny, and erica, so don't expect any texts for a while. i'll text you when i'm out though. i want to start looking for derek before it gets dark.'

Smiling to himself, Scott thumped in a response— 'i did hug her. she wants you to drop in and see her before she goes to work. or if you can't, we should stop by the hospital real quick.'

— 'also ya i'm pretty sure your metabolism helps cover the extra food. on the bright side, you can probably eat your weight in skittles if you really want to. just don't tell stiles i said that.'

— 'enjoy the movie. we'll come pick you up when you're done.'

He wanted to bring up the fact that he was pretty sure her friend Erica didn't like him, but figured it was better to talk to her about it in person. So, he finished off his texts with a heart emoji and then dropped his phone down. It buzzed a second later and he raised it, biting his lip when he saw she'd sent a heart in return.

"Hey, Casanova." Stiles snapped his fingers impatiently. "What'd she say?"

"Uh, nothing. Just that she's going to a movie and she'll call us after. She wants to start looking for Derek."

Stiles grimaced. "What do you think the odds of her forgiving us for the whole 'Derek's the killer' thing are?"

"Low. And it's not on you, I'm the one that said it." Scott grimaced. "I take full responsibility for it."

"Yeah, maybe. I know you panicked. Right now, she's just worried about him. If he's okay, then she'll get over it... And then all we really have to worry about is Derek killing us for telling the police he's a serial killer." He nodded. "That's gonna be fun…"

Scott groaned.

"Cheer up. Maybe he's dead."

Scott frowned. "How is that better? Then Malia's going to be heartbroken. And also… I don't know. He's not my favorite person, but, I don't him to be dead."

"Yeah, but he's such a dick." Stiles sighed. "All right, fine. So, I don't hope he's dead. I do hope he learns better interpersonal skills, though. You think a near-death experience might teach him some?"

Scott stared at him. "No."

Stiles shrugged.

"Hey, I have to make a run to the mall." Scott pushed up off the couch. "You wanna come?"

"You mean, do I want to drive you?"

"Yeah, that too." Scott walked to the door, tossing a grin over his shoulder. "It's for a good cause."

"Which would be...?"

Scott had already left though, so Stiles had to hurry to catch up.

"Hey! Scotty, what's it for?"

…

Somehow, Malia wasn't even slightly surprised to see Lydia waiting for them outside of the theater, looking immaculately put together considering the night before.

"I texted her," Allison said. "I didn't know if she'd come, but..."

"It's fine." The last time Lydia had been faced with a traumatic event, she'd buried herself in prescription drugs and drooled on her bed. Coming out for a movie was a pretty big step forward.

They slowed down as they reached Lydia, who turned to face them with a smirk more than a smile, her designer bag hanging from her elbow. "Every time I see you, you've added another misfit to your toy collection."

Allison rolled her eyes. "Lydia, this is Erica. Erica, please forgive Lydia for being completely rude."

"She can't help it," Malia said. "She was born with a silver spoon up her ass."

Lydia's gaze narrowed. "Remind me again why I should be happy you made it out of the school?"

Erica took a step forward, but Malia merely hung an arm around her shoulders and kept her in place. "It's okay. Lydia gets prickly when she doesn't want to admit she kinda likes me."

"I put up with you." Lydia cast a brief look in Erica's direction. "I refuse to be seen with her until she takes a brush to that hair."

"Good thing we're walking ahead of you. We'll try to put in a good word and see if they'll roll out the red carpet just for you." Winking, Malia tugged Erica along with her and started for the ticket booth.

"I'm still not sure if you two are friends," Erica muttered.

Danny snorted. "Neither are they."

…

"Sixty-five?" Scott's brows hiked and he turned to Stiles. "Is that... normal?"

Stiles shrugged. "What are you looking at me for? I've never done this. I'm not exactly a jewelry guy. The only necklaces I ever made or gave anyone were made of macaroni and cheap, neon beads." He grinned then. "Mom loved those."

Sighing, Scott dug his wallet out and thumbed through his cash. "I've only got forty on me." His gaze cut to Stiles hopefully.

Groaning, Stiles dug his wallet out and pulled out two tens and a five. "Fine. But only because you were right."

With a grin, Scott took the money and slid it across the counter. "How long should it take?"

"Three days. You can pick it up on Sunday. If it's done early, and don't count on it, I'll call." The vendor slid it into his palm, tucked it in a yellow envelope, and asked for Scott's name and phone number. Scrawling the information onto the bottom end of the envelope, he placed it with the others in his to-do pile.

"All right. Thanks." Knocking his knuckles against the counter, Scott stepped back and turned to Stiles. "What do we do now?"

Stiles shrugged. "I could go for some curly fries."

Scott's stomach grumbled agreeably.

…

If anyone were to ask Malia what happened in the movie she'd just watched, she couldn't begin to tell them. The group purposely picked a comedy to help lighten the mood, but as much as Malia heard a few chuckles here or there, she had a feeling her friends were still just as distracted with the previous night as she was. On top of that, it seemed everybody but her was on a short leash when it came to their parents. Allison had mandatory check-in times, letting them know where she was and when she expected to be done. According to Danny, convincing his dad to let him leave the house had been a small nightmare. Erica had the same problem with her parents and her cousin, especially since she'd already suffered one huge trauma that weekend. Lydia was texting someone too, but Malia wasn't sure if it was her mom or Jackson. Given the face Lydia was making, which wasn't at all pleasant, Malia assumed Jackson. That would be about the same face she'd make if she had to talk to him regularly. But then, Lydia actually liked Jackson, so maybe she was wrong.

By the time the movie ended, Malia was happy to be out of the dark theater. The blustery weather of the morning had tapered off and the sun was peeking out. Good. It would make searching for Derek much easier. The obvious place to start was the Hale House, and she did want to drop in there. But, given Scott's lie to the Sheriff's department that Derek was the perpetrator, she figured they'd have someone stationed at his house to keep an eye out for him. Which meant he had to be somewhere else. But, where?

An elbow knocked against hers then and she turned to see Erica staring at her. "You okay?"

Malia nodded. "Yeah. Just tired." She glanced around; Allison and Lydia were in the bathroom and Danny had walked away to call his dad and check in, leaving the two of them alone. "What about you? How are you feeling?"

Erica took a deep breath and rocked back on her heels, shrugging. "Last time, I was scared. I was having nightmares and my own shadow spooked me, but..." She shook her head. "Now, I just feel... angry. I want to know who did it. I— I want to stop feeling like this is just one more thing I don't have control over."

Malia nodded. "I get that."

"Do you?" Erica's brow furrowed. "You stayed. You risked your life to stay behind… I don't know if I could do that."

"You came back." Malia stared at her knowingly. "That took bravery."

"Yeah, or sheer stupidity." She rolled her eyes. "When you didn't jump, I wanted to be mad at you. I was mad at you. But, it was more than that. I know we're barely friends—"

"We are friends."

Erica half-smiled. "Then let me be your friend. Next time there's a life-threatening maniac running around, talk to me. Give me something to do." She blew out an irritated breath. "I know you were trying to help and I know I was freaking out. But, I can't always run and hide, right?"

"Assuming we get locked in another situation with something out to kill us, I don't know. Maybe running and hiding isn't the worst plan. I think we both know I keep barely making it out of these things."

"But you do and... I'd rather have your back then get away safe and know that I was a coward."

"Hey, no one's calling you that."

"I am." Erica nodded. "Staying behind was nuts. You could've been killed and you sent us away to keep us safe, but nobody was watching your back. And I just don't think that's what friends would do."

Malia chewed her lip. "Okay. Maybe you're right."

"So next time...?"

"Next time, we both get out or we go nuts together."

Erica grinned. "Deal."

Danny walked over to them then. "I don't want to break the party up too early, but my dad is in overprotective mode. I think I'm gonna head home. On the bright side..." He turned to Malia, a slow grin upturning his mouth. "My parents are out of town this weekend. I don't think they want to be, but it's a work thing. Which means… I have the place to myself."

"I hope this isn't the beginning of a proposition, because we both know I'm not your type."

He snorted. "No. But I am planning on having a party on Saturday. It's been a while and I think we deserve some down time. So... invite Cole or Scott or whoever you want. Just be there."

"Saturday. Got it."

"Cool." He turned to Erica then. "You want a ride home?"

Her brows hiked with surprise. "Uh, yeah. Sure, if you don't mind."

"It's like I said…" He started backing down the sidewalk. "Mutual trauma bonds us for life."

Erica turned to Malia. "You're gonna be okay?"

"I'll be fine. Scott and Stiles are coming to get me any minute now. I'll text you later."

"Okay." Hesitating briefly, Erica reached out for another hug before she abruptly let go and then joined Danny in the short walk down the road to where his car was parked.

Malia watched them go, waving as his car pulled away from the curb and they passed her by.

"We should go skating on Sunday." Lydia's voice made Malia flinch at its sudden and loud intrusion— she swung her head around expecting to find them close, but they were nowhere to be found. The sudden noise of a flushing toilet let her know they were still in the bathroom and her hearing was acting up on her.

"We as in...?" Allison asked.

"You, me, Tate. She can bring the blonde one along too, if she wants."

"Erica."

"Yeah, her." Lydia's voice was dismissive.

"What brought this on?"

"What do you mean? Nothing. I just think it'd be nice to do something and we had fun skating, right? So, why not?"

"We did... I'm just surprised you actively want to hang out with Malia."

"Maybe I like watching her attempt to skate."

"Or maybe you like hanging out with her." Humor bled into Allison's voice. "She's pretty much the only one that exists on the same level of snark as you."

"Please, my level of snark is far superior. And anyway, maybe I do. She's not the worst person you could've befriended. She just has questionable style sense and literally no interest in maintaining any kind of social status, which would immediately make her invisible to me, but you've forced me to acknowledge her existence, so now I'm stuck with her."

"Is that your roundabout way of saying that you like her?"

"Allison, honey, take what you can get."

With a lighthearted chuckle, she said, "Okay. Backing off."

"Thank you. And here, use this lipstick. You look washed out."

A knock to her shoulder sent Malia back to her present surroundings. She glared after the man walking down the street, her mouth pursed. Dick. As if there wasn't plenty of sidewalk space for him to walk on. Her phone buzzed then and she looked down, tucking her hair behind her ear with her free hand. Stiles had texted her— 'we're almost there. is there any leftover popcorn?'

Malia rolled her eyes. —'yeah right. i ate the whole bag and a good chunk of danny's.'

He sent her back a frowning emoji.

"Hey." Allison walked out of the theater, hands tucked in the pockets of her jacket, and lightly knocked her shoulder against Malia's. "What are you doing Sunday?"

"Uh… nothing that I know of. Except possibly nursing a hangover. Danny invited me to a party at his place. Why?"

"Oh." Allison's eyes widened. "I didn't know he was having one."

"I think it was a last-minute thing he just decided." Malia shrugged. "You should come. We can hang out together."

She grinned. "Okay, sure. But, for Sunday, we were thinking we could go skating."

Malia nodded. "Sure. I'm in."

The jeep pulled up to the curb then, brakes squealing obnoxiously. Stiles leaned out the window with an over the top grin on his face. "Malia, Allison... Lydia."

Lydia squinted her eyes at him and then abruptly turned to Allison. "I want to go shopping."

Exasperated, Allison shook her head. "Okay." To Malia, she said, "Text me later?"

"Sure. And butter your parents up so they'll let you sleepover at my place Saturday."

Grinning, she nodded. "I will."

"Excuse me..." Lydia looked between them, offended. "What about me?"

Malia pulled the back door of the jeep open. Hopping in, she smirked at Lydia through the window. "I'm sure Danny'll let you in if I ask nicely."

Lydia glared. "Hilarious."

Malia waved as Stiles pulled away from the curb.

Stiles' gaze darted from the road to the rear-view mirror and back, staring at her curiously. "Remind me again when you and Lydia became friends?"

"Not friends. Friendly," she corrected

Scott's brow knit. "Is there a difference?"

"Yes."

The boys exchanged a look. "Okay..."

Somehow, they didn't sound convinced.

…

The search for Derek began at the school.

"Can I just emphasize how important it is that we aren't seen? If one of my dad's deputies sees us and tells him, I'm dog food, okay?"

"Was that a not-so-subtle jab at Scott?" Malia kicked at loose leaves as she made her way across the grass, toward the school. There was still crime scene tape across the doors and a cop car was sitting in the parking lot, empty of the pair of deputies who were making the rounds to make sure nobody was around. The jeep was parked out of sight, but how much time they had to linger at the school was limited.

"Subconsciously, probably." Stiles shrugged, hands tucked in the pockets of his jacket. "Why are we coming back here, anyway? It's not like Derek's hanging out inside."

"No, but we might be able to piece together where he went." Scott's gaze found the dried blood against the brick wall of the school. "This is where he was thrown by the Alpha."

"Right, and while we were being chased around the school, he got into his car and drove away." Stiles' brows hiked. "He could be anywhere. And the last place he'd want to hang around is here, so..."

Malia sighed. "Maybe it's not as cut and dry as we think."

Stiles shrugged. "I thought you'd want to hit up the Hale House."

"I do." Malia walked ahead, crouching down in the grass, where a concentration of blood could be found. The smell was strong, pungent, and coppery. In comparison to the cool, fresh scent of the forest, it was hard to ignore. "This was the last place you saw him. And his car was over there..." She stared out at the empty parking lot and then shifted, turning her gaze toward the woods. "If the Alpha was still here, Derek would've tried to hide. He probably couldn't get to his car, but out here is too open."

Scott turned, following her gaze. "You think he went to the woods."

Standing, she nodded, and then her gaze searched the ground. "There. See it?"

Scott started walking, his head bowed. "A blood trail."

Together, Scott and Malia followed it with quick steps.

"Hey, geniuses. How do we know it's Derek's and not Malia's?" Stiles jogged after them. "She went into the woods too, right? And she was bleeding from a wound on her ribs. What if she found Derek here and then went after the Alpha. Derek gets himself to the car, takes off when the coast is clear."

"It's not my blood," Malia denied, in the same breath that Scott said, "It's not hers."

"Oh, cool, we're doing a twins thing now." Stiles rolled his eyes. "That's great."

"I smelled her blood last night," Scott explained. "It doesn't smell like this."

"Blood has a distinct smell? It's not all the same?"

He shook his head. "No. And werewolf blood is stronger. Werecoyote too, I guess."

They made their way into the trees, clustered together. Malia was suddenly overwhelmed with noise. Rushing water from a nearby creek, rustling branches, birds chirping, animal feet. And the smell— like compost, the earth living and dying all around her, feeding back into itself. Her nose wrinkled and she opened her mouth to try and limit the sensory overload.

"Are you okay?" Scott's fingers brushed her elbow. "Is it too much?"

"It's fine. Just takes some getting used to." Her foot landed on a twig, snapping it in half and drawing her eye. She paused; overcome with a sense of déjà vu. Frowning, she said, "I think Stiles was right."

Stiles' mouth kicked up on one side. "Words I'll never tire of hearing."

"I was here." She turned, her gaze washing over the trees. "I... I remember..." Turning around, she faced the way she came. "I saw Danny and Erica, they were out front, waiting for help to arrive. They wanted to see me." Her brow furrowed. "Tall Boy and Yellow Girl."

Scott and Stiles exchanged a look.

Stiles scratched his temple. "Uh, you wanna repeat that last part?"

Turning on her heel, Malia started walking, marching across the forest floor, hopping over a fallen log, her hand wrapped around an outstretched branch for balance. "I was chasing the Alpha. I was going to kill him, to protect everyone." Nodding, she picked up her pace. "I could smell him. He was bleeding still, from where I slashed him. He smelled like…" Blood, ash, death.

"Malia... You're too fast. Wait for us!"

But she didn't hear them, she kept running, her heart pumping hard. Visions of the night flooded her mind. The forest dressed in a blue, shadowy glow. Exhilaration and anticipation filling her up from her toes. She wanted to prove herself. To show the Alpha that this was her territory, her people, her home. She panted, every inch of her body covered in fur. When she licked her teeth, eager to sink them into the Alpha, she tasted— blood.

Malia stopped abruptly and whipped her head around, her eyes wide.

(A distraction, that was all it was. She should keep going, keep following. Only...

She knew this smell. Beyond the blood. There was something familiar.)

"What? What is it?" Scott stumbled to a stop next to her, searching her face, both curious and worried.

"I smelled blood."

"The Alpha's?"

"No. Not mine either. I..."

(She followed the blood. Not because her stomach rumbled with hunger, though it did.

Not because her teeth ached to sink into soft flesh, though they did.

Not because she was easily distracted, though she could be.

No, she followed the scent because it was one of hers.

One of Lia's people, but one of hers, too.

A boy. A man. A wolf.)

She blinked quickly, her brow furrowed. "It was familiar. It was special."

"Like another werewolf?"

Malia nodded and started walking. "I had to find him. I knew the Alpha would get away, but..." The trees parted to reveal a small clearing, a huge tree laid out across the middle, covered in moss. And there, beneath it, was a puddle of dried blood. Malia crossed the distance and knelt. "He was here. I... went to him."

"Who?"

(Sniffing at his boot, she followed his leg, nudged his stomach with her snout, and then met his face. He stared back at her, eyes at half-mast, skin pasty and damp. His eyes flared, lit a bright blue. Her own answered; she could see their yellow reflection in his eyes.)

"Derek. He was hurt, he wasn't healing yet. He was pale and sweating and—"

(A slow smile upturned one side of his mouth. "Took you long enough.")

Her eyes glowed and a low growl echoed from her throat.

"Uh..." Stiles eyed her worriedly. "Was that directed at anything in particular or...?"

Scott edged closer to her, carefully leaning down and touching her shoulder. "Malia?"

She whipped around to face them, baring fanged teeth in a snarl. "He knew!"

Yelping, Stiles jumped back a step. "Yep, okay, that's a lot of teeth."

Scott crouched in front of her and reached out; his hands gently wrapped around her forearms. "Hey, talk to me… What did he know?"

"He knew I was a coyote. He always knew." Her eyes darted, never quite landing on anything. Chest heaving, her lungs squeezed and ached as she struggled to calm her breathing. "H-He was waiting on something to trigger me."

"Wait, what?" Scott shook his head. "He said that?"

"When he saw me, he knew who I was. I..." She closed her eyes and frowned, trying to remember. "That's all I remember. What matters is he knew!" She stood then, vibrating with anger. "And he never told me."

"Well, he's not here now..." Stiles put his hands on his hips, gaze sweeping the area before returning to them. "So, that means he lived, right?"

"Maybe." Scott pursed his lips. "We still need to find him."

"Yeah." Malia scoffed and started walking. "So I can kill him myself."

…

Malia marched through the woods, batting branches out of her face aggressively.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine."

Scott's fingers gently folded around her wrist, tugging lightly to get her to slow down.

Malia cast her gaze upward, irritable, but let her feet slow. When she turned around, she was surprised to see they were alone. "Where's Stiles?"

"I think we lost him about ten minutes ago. You were walking fast enough he couldn't catch up." Scott stared at her searchingly. "Are you sure Derek knew?"

Taking a deep breath, she let it out on a loud sigh. "He had to. And it explains so much. That first time we met, in the room at Lydia's, when he asked me what I was, and I brushed it off because I thought he was talking about you." Her leg started bouncing and her fingers see-sawed between stretching and folding into a fist. "I let him stay in my house, in Kylie's room, and he kept that from me."

Scott's hands slid up and down her arms in an attempt to comfort her. "I know you're mad—"

"I am. And he deserves it. I told him over and over again that he need to talk to us, to tell us what was going on. And he made it seem like he was, that he was being honest with me." She shook her head. "How could he keep that from me? What if I turned somewhere else, in front of people? What if I hurt someone?"

"Malia, you're getting worked up."

Her eyes flashed at him and she felt her nails lengthen, her teeth sharpen. "Wouldn't you be? He was supposed to be my friend. I trusted him and he lied to me!"

His hands cupped her face then, thumbs pressed against the arches of her cheeks. "Hey, look at me."

Malia met his gaze, her own a vivid yellow, burning bright and angry.

A panting Stiles suddenly entered the area, bent over and gripping his side. "Oh, I got a stitch. It hurts, oh God. Jogging is the worst. Why do people do this for fun? And why did you guys leave me alone back th—" He cut himself off. "Holy Jesus. Malia? Facial hair is, uh, yeah, it's a look."

"Stiles," Scott snapped.

Stiles faced his hands around his face, his fingers twitching. "She has sideburns and her eyebrows are all wonky."

"She's shifting. Because she's angry..." He stared at her. "And she's hurt."

Malia clenched her teeth and growled at him.

"I don't know why Derek did what he did. It was an asshole thing to do. And I know that you want to tell him that to his face. But for that to happen, you need to calm down. We'll find him and then he can answer all your questions. But right now..." Scott's thumb gently tapped her cheek. "I need you to breathe and focus and come back, okay? I know you don't want to shift completely and I think if you get anymore upset, you're going to."

'Good. Shift, Lia. Do it! I can handle this. I can find Wolf-Man and the Alpha. I'll be fast and strong and they won't get away. I promise. Just let me out! Let me free!'

Malia squeezed her eyes shut and panted through her nose, her nostrils flaring. "I c-can't. I can't think."

"Yes, you can." Scott's voice was calm and sure. "Focus on one thing. Something that makes you feel safe. Let it guide you."

"I don't— I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing. Everything is so loud."

His hands covered her ears then, muffling the noise around her. He pulled her closer, his cheek pressed to her forehead. The world tilted for a moment, and then righted itself just as his smell enveloped her. Every deep, shaky breath was filled more and more with Scott's scent. She pushed herself forward, her nose buried at his neck. It wasn't cologne; he'd stopped wearing it once his senses went crazy. It was just him, his skin, and the faintest whiff of laundry detergent. His hands left her ears and found her shoulders, squeezing lightly.

It could've been seconds or minutes, she wasn't sure. But eventually, Malia's breathing slowed to a normal rhythm and her racing heart began to level out. When she opened her eyes, she was flooded with complete calm. Her hands gripped either side of Scott's shirt and she slowly became aware of just how close they were standing. The entire front of her body melded to his, her face tucked up close to his neck, nose and mouth buried in the crook.

One of his hands slid up, drawing her hair back from her face. "Okay?"

She nodded, but she didn't step back. Her body felt wrung out, her arms heavy and limp, and her legs like noodles, ready to collapse under her.

"I've got you." His arm wrapped low around her waist, stabilizing her, while his other hand swept up and down her back soothingly. "Just focus on your breathing, okay?"

"Not to be a buzzkill or anything, but what the hell was that?" Stiles wondered.

"She controlled it." Malia couldn't see his face, but she could hear the grin in Scott's voice. "She stopped herself from shifting. Well, mostly."

"Hey, good job." Stiles' voice was light and snarky. "Question… How close was I to being gutted and eaten out here?"

Scott snorted. "You were fine. She would've stopped at gutting you."

"Oh, ha ha. Real funny."

"I thought it was."

Malia tipped her head up, chin still hooked over his shoulder. She stared out into the forest, watching the wind rustle a bush, leaves swaying and dancing. And she thought of the coyote stuck inside her, so eager to get out, to take over. But she couldn't let it. She had to find a way to make sure it stayed where it was. At least until she knew how to control it.

A voice filled her ears then, and a fuzzy memory of the school parking lot followed.

There was Derek, sitting in his car. Wounded, bleeding, and pale.

'Wait...' he'd called to her. 'You can't hide. I know... I know that seems hypocritical coming from me. But you have to... you need to shift back.'

The coyote had disagreed, Malia remembered that. The coyote thought what she was doing would protect Malia and the rest of the pack. She planned to live in the woods and never turn human again.

'It's no way to live,' were Derek's parting words, before taking off in his car.

He got out. He got away. He was still injured, but he was alive last she saw him.

"We're not far from the Hale House," Stiles said. "Maybe a five-minute walk. Or a one-minute jog if you're a gazelle like Malia."

Scott snorted. "Are the police out there?"

"Yeah, probably. My dad thinks Derek is a serial killer, so... He's probably got a couple cars posted there."

"Should we risk it?"

"If they don't see us, we should be fine. You can probably sniff him out, right? Hey, maybe there's another blood trail we can follow."

"Can't hurt to try. If he's not there though, we're running out of options."

"So, what do you suggest?"

"What about the training stuff?" Scott wondered. "What if we worked on that?"

"What— now? Here?"

"No better place, right? Nobody will see us out here."

"We could do it at Malia's. She's got that long stretch of dirt road off the highway. We can see how fast you guys run. And there's plenty of things to test your strength. Trees, that broken-down truck her dad's never going to move. Plus, if she does fully shift, we're close to where her clothes are so she's not running around naked again."

"Okay, that'll work." Scott squeezed her waist. "What about you? Are you up for that?"

Her legs were feeling steadier and her mind less fuzzy. She was still distracted and upset, but she could stand on her own two feet. Then again, leaning against him like she was felt kind of nice. "Mm-hmm."

"You want me to carry you?"

Her mouth ticked up faintly. "I can walk."

"Are you sure?"

She leaned back from him and met his eyes, staring down at her with all the warmth and sincerity one person could muster. "I'll be okay."

His brow furrowed. "Actually… That reminds me. How are you healing?"

Malia shrugged. "What, like, physically? I haven't really been thinking about it."

"Does that mean your side is okay?" His hand brushed against her hip and she jumped at the contact. "Like your stitches or where the Alpha scratched you?"

Malia stepped back and shrugged out of one half of her jacket before hiking her shirt up. She peeled the bandage off her ribs and angled herself. "Can you see?"

Scott helped pull the bandage down. Grinning, he looked up at her. "The stitches are almost healed."

"Seriously?" Stiles hurried over and took a look, too. "Hey, they are. But, uh, you got five holes that are still pretty gruesome… You think they'll scar?"

Scott shook his head. "No idea." He pressed the bandage down against her skin and smoothed down the edges. "You should put a clean bandage on this when we get back to your place."

Malia nodded.

"Does it hurt?"

When his fingertips grazed her skin, Malia's breath caught and she shivered. "I…" She paused and looked down.

Black lines were running up Scott's arm.

"Hey." She pursed her lips. "It wasn't that bad."

"No, but it still hurt." He drew his hand back. "I should've asked though."

Malia stared at him a beat and then let her shirt drop. "It's fine. I just wasn't expecting it."

"Uh, yeah, neither was I!" Stiles held a hand up for attention. "What the hell was that?"

"He can take pain," Malia informed him blandly.

"Take pain…" Stiles' brows hiked. "Wh-What? Are you freaking serious? That's like, superpower territory."

"Isn't most of this stuff?"

"Well, yeah, but… still. I mean, how cool is it that you can take someone's pain away? Does it work on everyone? Or everything? Like, if I had a headache—"

"I'm starting to feel one coming on right now," Malia muttered.

Stiles ignored her. "—or even a papercut, you think you could absorb it?"

"Probably, yeah." Scott shrugged. "I don't think it's a permanent thing though. Like, it only really lasts as long as you're touching someone. At least, I think that's how it works. We're still kind of figuring it out."

"How did you figure it out?" Stiles wondered, gaze bouncing between them.

"After the video store," Malia offered. "My stitches hurt more than I was expecting."

Stiles nodded. "So, you've only taken Malia's pain then? Have you tried it on anyone else?"

"Haven't really had a lot of people offering." Scott half-smiled. "Why, do you have a papercut I don't know about?"

Stiles rolled his eyes. "No. I'm just… I mean, if you never try it on anyone else, maybe it's just a… You know, a you two thing."

Malia's brow furrowed. "What, because we're shifters?"

"Yeah. Or because you're, you know…" He waved between them. "Close."

Scott's mouth pursed. "You think I can only take her pain because she's my friend?"

Stiles sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair. "You know what, let's just head to Malia's and figure out how we're going to test all of it. We know Malia's stitches, which were, what, three days old? Those are almost healed and she only shifted for the first time last night. She was healing normally before that. The Alpha wound was last night and it's healing, but nowhere near as quick. Is that because it's worse or because the Alpha made it?"

Malia shrugged. "I don't know. But I'll keep an eye on it, see how long it takes."

"Good." Stiles nodded. "All right, so let's get back to my jeep, which is…" He glanced around. "What direction?"

Malia pointed. "That way."

"Uh, yeah, what she said," Scott agreed.

Malia rolled her eyes, amused. "Let's go."

…

With a fresh bandage on her ribs, Malia stood at the makeshift line Stiles had drawn in the dirt at the beginning of the road just outside her house.

"Okay, rules are you run all the way to the very end, turn around, come back." Stiles, sitting in a foldable lawn chair, had a timer in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. "All right?"

Malia looked to Scott, who grinned back at her. They nodded.

"Ready… set… go!"

Malia loved running. She always had. Since she was a little girl and found her once wobbly legs were stable enough to stand on. Track was a given; she'd gravitated toward anything that let her run. The wind on her face, the muscles moving in her arms and legs, the squeeze of her lungs; it was exhilarating. But in all the years she'd spent running, crossing finishing lines well before her teammates and other contenders, she'd never moved quite this fast. The world seemed a blur around her, sound dulling in her ears. There was only the crunch of dirt and gravel underfoot and her body moving as gracefully as it ever had or could. She felt the ground skid under her as she reached the end, pivoted, and started back. She knew Scott was close— she could hear his heartbeat and his panting breaths. But she was ahead— she was faster. Her vision narrowed down to Stiles in the distance; a shock of red from the plaid shirt he was wearing. She focused on that, watching it grow and grow, until it was right in front of her and she came to a skidding stop just short of his chair.

"Holy shit…" He stared up at her, wide-eyed. "That… was… amazing!"

Malia laughed, adrenaline rushing through her system. She put her hands on her hips, a grin spread wide across her face. "Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

Scott came to a stumbling stop next to her then. "I couldn't keep up."

Malia shrugged. "You gave it your best shot."

Brows hiked, Scott nodded. "I did. How do you feel?"

"Pretty great, actually." She turned to Stiles then. "What else did you want to test?"

"Everything." Stiles nodded eagerly. "How high you can jump, how strong you are, your hearing."

"All right, okay. Let's just try one thing at a time," Scott suggested.

"But we can text your refractory period, too." Stiles' eyes widened. "How long after you've done something intense before you can do it again, you know? Do you even have downtime?"

"The fact that we need to heal kind of shows we do, doesn't it?" Malia's brow furrowed. "Unless it's not time that affects healing."

The boys turned to her. "What do you mean?"

"Derek said that the more betas an alpha has, the more powerful they are. What if that's not just for strength or speed, but for everything? And what if it's not just for alphas? I mean, he said packs are like a family. What if it's all inter-connected? So, like, the bigger the pack or maybe just the more connected a pack is, the faster a beta will heal."

Stiles stared at her a beat and then scrubbed a hand over his mouth. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish Derek was around to confirm or deny that."

"Yeah." Malia pursed her lips. "There's a few questions I'd like him to answer…"

Scott reached for her, his fingers gently cupping her elbow. "Wherever he is, I'm sure he'll find us when he's ready. For right now, why don't we focus on figuring out what we can?"

"So, strength then?" Stiles nodded, clapping his hands. "All right. Who wants to lift up an old truck? Huh?" He looked between them excitedly.

Malia and Scott exchanged a look and sighed.

…

For the record, they could pick up the truck. It was by no means easy and they weren't lifting it over their heads or anything, but they definitely picked the front end off the ground. After testing their limitations there, Stiles had them attempt a supernatural version of long jump. They took a running leap and saw how far they could get before they landed. The amount of space for a starting run shortened each time, until they were eventually just testing how far they could jump without any build up whatsoever. And it was… exhausting, but informative.

"Okay, look, I've got an idea." Stiles started pacing. "Coyotes versus werewolves, right? The Alpha ran off when Malia chased him. Maybe that means something. Or maybe not. I'm not really sure. But, what I do know is that you two are different. Which means we should see what kind of differences there are."

Scott frowned. "Like what?"

"Like, what if one of you is stronger? We know Malia's faster, but maybe that's just because she was already fast, being a track star and everything."

"How do we test it?" Malia wondered.

"Well, you can both pick up a truck." He drummed his fingers against his chin. "But what about… Okay, here me out, you guys fight each other."

"What? Why?"

"No. No way."

"It doesn't have to be an all-out brawl. I'm just saying, we can test reflexes. We know for sure you're going to dodge a punch if I throw one." To prove it, Stiles took a swing at Malia, who not only moved her head out of the way, but grabbed for his wrist and yanked him forward.

Unprepared, Stiles hit the ground abruptly, landing on his chest and giving out a struggling groan. "Okay, ow."

"Sorry!" Malia reached for him, helping him back onto his feet. "I just sort of reacted."

"Yeah, I noticed." He glanced at her, dusted himself off, and then turned to Scott. "Look, I'm human, so that hurt. But with you two, you should be quick enough to block each other."

Malia looked from Stiles to Scott and then shrugged. "We can try."

"I don't know…" Scott chewed his lip. "I don't want to hurt you. I'm still learning how to use my strength."

Her gaze narrowed. "Who says you'll hurt me? Maybe I'll hurt you."

Scott stared at her searchingly. "What if it triggers one of us?"

"Then we talk each other down." She shrugged. "At least we're out here. The only one who might get really hurt is Stiles. And the other person can protect him… You know, unless we're both triggered."

Stiles let out an awkward laugh. "Uh-huh, great. That's super encouraging."

Malia tossed him a grin and then turned back to Scott. "It doesn't have to be anything big. It's like what Stiles did. We test out our reflexes." She shrugged her jacket off and tossed it to the ground in a heap. Bouncing from one foot to the other, she shook her arms out and rolled her neck. "We can come up with a safe word if you want."

Scott's mouth quirked in a smile. "You're sounding pretty confident."

"Is that a nice way of saying I'm getting cocky?"

He grinned. "Yeah."

She startled circling him then. "You better prove me wrong then."

Scott turned with her, watching. "How are we gonna—"

Malia took a jab at him, her fist coming in quick. But Scott ducked it, his eyes wide. She smiled, showing off teeth. "Dad put me in those self-defence classes, remember?"

"Right now? Vividly." Scott pivoted so he was facing her better, his gaze watching her fists.

Malia dropped down and kicked her leg out, sweeping him at his ankles.

Arms wind-milling, he landed hard on his back. "Oof."

Malia leaned over him, hands on her hips. "It's not always going to be obvious."

"Yeah." His voice was a stressed squeak. "Picking up on that."

Taking his hand, she pulled him back up. "This is fun."

Glancing at her, he suddenly yanked at her hand, pulling her forward, so her feet stumbled. She came to a stop face-to-face with him, her eyes wide. Scott grinned. "Element of surprise, right?"

She stared at him a beat. "Yeah. Don't forget to follow through, though." She reached her leg out, hooked her ankle behind the back of his, and pulled.

Scott's leg caved under him and he started falling sideways. Catching himself, he stood back up, and turned to her.

"C'mon, Scotty, you're getting your ass kicked here." Stiles was sitting in his lawn chair again, eating a bag of chips.

"Yeah, thanks, I noticed." Scott kept an eye on her, his hands out as he started circling her, trying to keep his distance.

Malia raised an eyebrow. "You can't fight me from over there."

"I'm not sure I want to."

She rolled her eyes. "You won't hurt me."

He grimaced. "You think."

"Scott…" She leaned forward. "We're the same now. I'm not as weak as I was before."

He frowned. "You were never weak."

The words hit her harder than she expected. Taking a deep breath, she tried to shake it off. "Fine, not as vulnerable then." She waved her fingers at him. "Come on… Show me what you got."

Scott glanced at Stiles and then back to her. "I don't know what I have."

Malia grinned. "Run at me. Just… let instincts do it for you."

Hesitating, Scott bounced back on his heels for a moment and then launched himself forward. She could see from the uncertain look on his face that he wasn't entirely sure what he was doing or where this was going to end up. Truth be told, neither did Malia. What she did know was that as soon as he was close enough, she leaned forward, pushed off, and slammed her shoulder into his stomach. Scott went up and over her, flipping in the air and landing hard on his back.

Malia turned around to see him, then winced. Stepping closer, she leaned over him. "Are you okay?"

"Uh-huh."

"You don't sound okay..."

Scott shook his head.

Worried now, Malia reached for him.

Scott grabbed her hand and pulled. Suddenly, everything was spinning, until finally, she was on her back, staring up at a blue, cloudy sky. And then Scott was there, hands pinning hers down above her head, his body flat on top of hers. He was panting, but his face was lit with excitement and his eyes gleamed with triumph. "Like that?"

She stared up at him. "Not bad. But not everybody is going to check on you."

She leveraged herself up, thrust her hips against his, and turned them over, so he was the one splayed out on the ground beneath her. Her knees dug into the dirt, thighs framing his hips, and their stomachs pressed together. She could feel his heaving chest meet hers with each indrawn breath. Her hair had fallen out of its ponytail and was curtaining either side of their faces, the ends gently ghosting against his cheeks.

Scott stared up at her, his expression wide and tense, until suddenly it wasn't. His face relaxed, a slow smile spreading across his mouth. "You're good at this. I should've expected that."

"Maybe it's easier for me. I have you."

His brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… when you first changed, you couldn't do this stuff. You didn't have anyone to practice with. We were trying to control you. We never thought about what it would be like to let you loose… To enjoy your new abilities."

"Are you? Enjoying them?"

"Mostly it's been loud and scary and— and I don't know how I even got here. But… I know I'm lucky." Her hands squeezed his, their fingers folding together. "You talked me down out there. When all I wanted to do was find Derek and… And I don't even know. I was just so angry and I could feel her, the coyote, she wanted out so much. But then you were there and your voice, even just the smell of you, it made me feel safe."

"I'm glad." He stared up at her searchingly. "You've done that for me from the start. I… I'm glad I can do it for you, too."

"Yeah." She swallowed tightly. "I don't know what I'd do if I was alone in this."

"Good thing you aren't."

"Scott, I—" She paused. "You're vibrating."

He blinked at her. "Huh?"

She looked down between their bodies; he was comfortably tucked in the cradled of her thighs, which meant their lower halves were plastered together and— "Your phone, I think. It's vibrating."

"Oh. Oh!" He released one of her hands and reached down, digging in his jeans for his phone.

Malia sat up and back, reaching up to pull her elastic out entirely and scrape her hair up into a ponytail again.

Scott cleared his throat and lifted his phone to his ear. "Hello?" his voice came out in a noticeable strangle.

Worried she was putting too much weight on him, Malia stood, climbing off him and walking toward Stiles to give Scott some space and privacy.

Knees up, Scott was rubbing a hand over his forehead, his eyes closed. "Mom, hey…"

Malia focused on Stiles. "So, how was that?"

"The fighting was good. The weird sexual tension while you two dry humped on the grass wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but to each their own." He waved a hand at her. "Is it weird I'm not at all surprised you're the aggressive one in the relationship?"

Malia rolled her eyes. "We weren't dry-humping. We were talking."

"Sure, yeah. I always have to pin my friends down and sit in their laps while we talk. Totally normal and not sexually motivated at all."

"Whatever." Malia took a seat in the grass and crossed her legs at the ankle. "We did pretty good though, right? I mean, our reflexes are quick."

"Yours more than his. But I can't tell if that's the self-defence stuff or because he's hesitating."

"Because he doesn't want to hit a girl?" Her gaze narrowed. "I'm just as capable as any—"

"Hey, I know. And so does he. I mean, come on. It's Scott. No, he was hesitating because it's you. As in, there's almost no reason on the planet Scott would ever purposely hurt you." He stared at her searchingly. "You know that, right? I don't just mean in a physical fight sense, I mean that in every sense." He glanced at Scott to make sure he was still busy on the phone. "Malia, you need to tell him."

Malia tensed. "Hey, ix-nay on the eelings-fay, all right? This isn't the right time."

"Yeah, because there's never going to be a right time." He leaned forward in his chair, planting his elbows on his knees. "I need you to trust me on this, all right? You need to be honest with Scott, and yourself. This werecoyote stuff is crazy as hell and I know you've got a lot going on right now. But isn't that the best time to figure out something easy? You and Scott make sense. You're best friends, you're both shifter-whatevers, you're each other's favorite person—"

"Hey, don't demote yourself in my life, okay? You're my best friend, too."

"I know that, I do." He nodded. "Just like I know I'm Scott's. But you and him, you're different. And I don't just mean that on the 'you can turn into a coyote and he can track your pee trails' kind of way. I mean…" He paused and ground his teeth together. "Malia, Scott is—" He cut himself off and then looked past her. "Hey, Buddy! What'd your mom have to say?"

"Not much. She just wants me home before it gets dark." He shrugged. "I thought we could pick her up some dinner, too. Drop it off at the hospital."

"Yeah, sounds good." Stiles stood from the lawn chair and stretched, raising his arms above his head. "I could totally eat. It's been a long day."

Malia stared up at him, her mouth pursed. "What've you even done today?"

"Hey, thinking up all this stuff was exhausting." He dug his keys out of his pocket. "So, what are we thinking? Burgers? Ooh, tacos!"

As he walked off to the jeep, Malia pushed up from the grass and dusted herself off.

"Here." Scott handed her jacket to her.

"Thanks." She smiled as she pulled it on. "Your mom's really okay?"

"Just worried. She didn't really want me to leave the house today."

Malia nodded. "I get it. I feel like everybody I know has their parents breathing down their neck." She shoved her hands in the pockets of her jacket. "Makes sense. You could've died."

Scott glanced at the jeep, where Stiles was fiddling with the radio and drumming a hand against the steering wheel. "Malia… Where's your dad?"

She frowned. "I don't really know. I, uh… I haven't seen him since Monday."

"Monday?" His eyes widened. "You mean, he hasn't stopped in at all? He hasn't even called?"

"No. We had that fight and he just… left, I guess."

Scott took a deep breath. "Maybe we should tell someone."

She cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. "Like who? Stiles' dad? If he finds out, he'll have to report it to social services." She shrugged. "Look, he's probably on a bender. He'll show up in a day or two and act like it never happened."

"What if this is different? What if something happened to him?" He stared at her searchingly. "With the Alpha—"

"No." She paused. "No way. He took off because we were fighting. Anyway, his work would've called if he didn't show up." She shook her head. "No, he's just doing his usual avoidance thing. He doesn't want to admit he messed up, so he waits until I cool off, and then he'll come home."

Scott stared at her. "One more day. If he doesn't show up by then, I'll go to the Sheriff."

Malia chewed the inside of her cheek. "Okay. Fine."

Nodding, he reached out and squeezed her arm.

HONK!

They jumped and turned to see Stiles waving at them impatiently. "Tacos!"

Snorting, Malia shook her head. "Come on. Now that it's in his head, it's not going anywhere."

Ducking his head as he laughed, Scott walked with her to the jeep.

…

Melissa greeted them with an exhausted sigh, her eyes wide with appreciation as she saw the bag Scott was holding up. "My hero!" She took the bag and grinned at him. "Tacos— that's different."

"Yeah, well." Scott shrugged. "Stiles had a craving."

She turned to Stiles. "So, I have you to thank for this."

He shrugged with faux-modesty and smiled. "Didn't take much to order a little extra before we left. You know, for all the hard work you do around here."

"Uh-huh." Melissa's gaze bounced between them, but then paused on Malia. Her expression softened. "Hey, you."

Malia stared at her a beat. "Hey. Sorry I worried you."

Melissa shook her head. "Don't be sorry. I'm just glad you're okay." She stared at her searchingly. "You are okay, right?"

Nodding, Malia assured her, "I am. Totally okay."

"Nothing I need to know about? No psychological damage you want to share? How are your stitches holding up? You want me to take a look?"

"No!" both Scott and Stiles exclaimed.

Melissa looked at them, her brow furrowed.

"Ignore them. The salsa's gone to their heads." Malia waved dismissively. "My stitches are fine. I put a new bandage on a couple hours ago. And as for psychologically, I'm fine. I, uh, I didn't have the best sleep, but… It helped, having Scott and Stiles there. I know you were probably worried, but—"

"I was. I still am. For all of you." Melissa put the bag of food aside and reached out, inviting them in for a hug. "Come on, come here. Bring it in."

Scott grinned and hung an arm around his mother's shoulders as her own ringed his waist.

Malia didn't bother hesitating, moving forward to hug Melissa back.

And Stiles slung his arms around both Scott and Malia's shoulders, grinning at Melissa.

"What happened last night, that kind of trauma, it doesn't always hit you right away, okay? I know you guys all feel like you're doing okay, and I'm not going to argue different. I just want you to know that you have people, you have resources; we can help you if anything comes up." Melissa looked at each of them seriously. "I know it feels like we're suffocating you right now with all the phone calls and checking in, but that's just because we care."

"We know." Scott nodded at her. "And we appreciate it."

Melissa smiled up at him. "All right. Go, get out of here." She rubbed Scott and Malia's backs quickly before she let them go. "I don't know how late I'm going to be here. Things are busy and we're waiting to see if who we have scheduled actually shows up. If it's another double, I might not be back until the morning. So just… Keep the doors and windows locked. Don't go out alone. Don't answer the door and—"

"Mom." Scott caught her shoulders gently. "It's okay. We'll be okay."

Melissa let out an unsteady breath and nodded. "All right. Yeah."

"Enjoy your dinner." He let her go and nodded. "I'll text you later, okay?"

"I will. And thank you, guys. I needed this." She grabbed up her bag of food appreciatively before turning on her heel and walking away.

Scott stared after her a moment and then looked back at them. "So? What now?"

"Uh, my dad texted. He wants me home." Stiles shrugged. "Malia's place first?"

Malia nodded. "That works."

"Are you sure?" Scott frowned. "If your dad's not home…"

"It's not the first time I've been home alone." Malia shook her head. "I'll be fine. I'm also supernaturally strong now, remember?"

"Yeah." His lips pinched. "I just want you to be safe."

Stiles started back up toward the door. "Let's figure it out on the way."

Scott and Malia followed him out.

…

By the time they reached her house, Scott still wasn't sure Malia staying home alone was the right thing to go. "I just think with the Alpha out there we should be more careful…"

"Scott, seriously." Malia sat forward and leaned in between the two front seats. "Even if my dad was here, there's not a whole lot he could do against an Alpha. And, I should probably get used to it."

"To what?"

"Being on my own again." Chewing her lip, she shrugged. "I can't stay over at your place every time something goes wrong. If things continue the way they're going, I have a feeling they'll be wrong a lot more than right."

Scott frowned. "You could… I mean, mom doesn't mind you staying over."

"As long as you stay on the couch. And that's not fair to you."

Stiles looked from Malia to Scott and back. "Not to rush you guys, but my dad might actually put me on house arrest if I'm not home soon. So… What are we doing?"

"You're taking Scott home." Malia pushed her door open. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." Hopping out, she closed the door and crossed the driveway, climbing the stairs to her dark porch.

"I know she'll be okay." Scott pitched his voice low, even though he knew that if Malia wanted to, she could hear him easily. "Physically, anyway."

Stiles stared ahead at the house, his brow furrowed. "You think she'll have another nightmare?"

"Maybe, yeah. But… It's not just that." He sighed. "All day, mom was texting me, your dad was texting you. She said the others were hearing from the parents a lot, too."

"That happens when you get locked in a school by some homicidal freak."

"Right. But no one was calling her. No one was checking in." Scott dragged his gaze from the dark and empty house and turned it on him. "Her dad took off and she has no idea when he'll come back… And she's out here, alone, after her whole life turned upside down, I— I'm just worried about her."

"Then stay."

Scott blinked. "What?"

"Malia doesn't want to go back to your place because she feels like she's putting you out, right? Then why don't you stay here? You can be home before your mom's off work. We both know she'll end up working that double, she always does. So, stay. Take care of her. And… you know, if the mood strikes, maybe you make a certain confession."

Scott rolled his eyes. "It's not about that."

"Oh, trust me. It's always about that." Stiles leaned back in his seat. "I know you're tired of hearing me say it, but… This doesn't have to be a bad thing. You two are more alike now than ever before. With the shifter thing added on top of things, you know a side of her that just about nobody can or will know. It's kind of perfect, actually."

"Except for the part where she's emotionally unstable right now." Scott looked back to the house, where the lights had flicked on. "I don't want to put any more pressure on her."

"All right, fine. No confession." Stiles rolled his eyes. "But you can still stay."

He chewed the inside of his cheek. "What if she doesn't want me to?"

Stiles waved a hand toward the house. "Look, you tell her you want to stay, if she kicks you out, I'll be right here. I can drive you home and it's no big deal. At least you'll know you tried. And if she lets you stay then… Great. She's not alone and you won't spend the whole night worrying."

Scott weighed his options a few seconds before eventually nodding. "All right, yeah. I can offer, but it's up to her."

"Cool." Stiles reached out and clapped his shoulder. "Go get 'er, Tiger."

Scott sent him a brief look and then pushed the jeep door open, hopping down to the ground. He crossed the distance quickly enough and then stood, hesitating in front of the front door. Raising a fist, he knocked before he could talk himself out of it. A few seconds passed before he heard the combined padding feet of Shiloh and Malia. And then the door swung open.

Shiloh immediately started sniffing his legs, her tail wagging cheerfully.

Malia stared at him, an eyebrow raised. "I'm not staying over."

"I know. Actually, I was wondering if I could stay here." He half-smiled. "Kind of eliminates the couch issue, right?"

She paused, her mouth parting. "Are you sure? You mom's not going to freak out?"

"Yeah, I… If you're okay with it, I'd like to stay. I'd rather be with you than… pretty much anywhere else."

"Pretty much?"

He ducked his head to hide a grin.

Malia pushed her door open wider. "Okay. You can stay."

Scott looked up, met her eyes, and then nodded. He looked back over his shoulder, to the jeep.

Stiles raised a hand in a wave and nodded, grinning back at him.

Headlights flashed then and the jeep pulled out of the driveway.

Walking into the house, Scott shrugged his jacket off.

"How's a movie and popcorn sound?"

He nodded. "Great."

…

After eating entirely too much popcorn, Malia was sprawled out on the couch, her feet in Scott's lap and her gaze on the television. Shiloh was curled up on the floor, snoring lightly, her head perched on her paws. Scott's arm rested across Malia's legs, the sleeve of his shirt pulled up, so his skin was warm and bare against her own. Briefly, she wondered when the last time she shaved was. "Hey, how prickly is it down there?"

Scott laughed, his chest shaking. He rubbed his arm against her legs. "You've been pricklier."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

He smiled. "Could be worse."

"How's that?"

"Last night you had a full coat."

Eyes narrowing, she pulled her leg back and shoved her heel down against his thigh.

"Ow." He laughed, caught her ankle and tugged, straightening her leg out again. "All right. Sorry."

"Anyway, I bet I had soft fur."

He nodded. "You did."

She paused. "Was it weird for you…? Seeing me like that."

His gaze fell for a moment and then moved to meet hers. "Not weird. Just… I was worried. I wasn't sure what you were thinking or if you were okay. I remembered you chasing the Alpha out, before I… I changed."

"It was controlling you. Anything you did after it roared, that wasn't your fault."

"I don't know how much I'd believe that if I did hurt someone… At some point, I have to take responsibility, right?" He shook his head. "I got control back and I stopped myself, which means that I can. That anything I do after this, it's on me."

"I'm not sure it works like that." Drawing her legs back, she folded them under her and sat up. "When I was the coyote, she wanted to do things I never would've done. She… She wanted to live in the woods and build a den and…" She snorted. "She thought that's what was best for us, you know? That it would keep me safe that way."

"The wolf, the animal that I turned into, all it wanted was to hurt. To kill. Stiles, Allison, Lydia, Jackson— it wanted them dead."

"But you stopped."

"Yeah, I did. But what if I hadn't?"

"I don't think that's possible."

He stared at her. "Why?"

"The Alpha changed you. It forced you to do something you would never do. And even though you're still learning how to control the shift, even though you had almost no control over your thinking or what you were doing, you still stopped."

"Because I heard Stiles."

"Because you cared." Malia reached for him. "You heard the voice of someone you love, someone you consider family, and it was like hitting an override switch. You took your control back because some part of you— deep, deep down— knew that it wasn't you. It's not something you would or could do. So, you stopped."

"So did you."

Malia's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"You were chasing the Alpha, but you knew Derek was hurt. You smelled his blood and you went back for him. You, the coyote, whichever— you gave up the Alpha because someone you cared about needed help."

Malia swallowed tightly. "Yeah. Maybe."

Scott licked his lips. "Hey, uh, this is gonna sound dumb, but… When we were in the school and you called Allison…"

"Yeah."

"Why'd you ask to talk to Stiles and not… not me?"

Malia stared at him searchingly, her brow furrowed. "I guess it was because Stiles has been helping me pull everything together. Ever since you were turned, we've been trying to figure out how it all works and making plans to help you. It wasn't that I didn't think you could. I know you can. I guess I just expected Stiles to already kind of have a plan, so I wanted to make sure we were on the same page."

"Yeah. That makes sense."

"Scott…" She rubbed her thumbs over the top of his hand. "I wanted to talk to you. And when I saw you later, when the Alpha was hurting you, I…"

"I know." He nodded. "It was the same for me. I didn't know where you were and I couldn't focus until I did."

"Look, in future, we're a team," she decided. "All of us. Which means we all plan and we all get to decide. That way no one's left out and everyone gets a say."

"I like that."

"Me, too." She yawned then and reached for the remote. "It's been a long day. I'm ready for bed. You?"

"Yeah. After getting my ass kicked, I think I could definitely sleep."

Snorting, Malia turned off the movie and stood from the couch. "You just have to learn not to hesitate."

Scott followed her down the hall to her bedroom. "You think I was hesitating?"

"I think you were worried you'd hurt me."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"In general, no." As her bedroom door closed behind them, she turned on her heel to face him. "But if we're really going to learn how to do this, then we have to trust each other. You have to believe I'm just as strong as you are—"

"I know you are."

"Then trust I'll block a hit or duck it or that I'll hit you back just as hard." She stared at him. "I'm not going to break."

"It's not about that. I know you can fight." His brow furrowed. "It's not a gender thing, either. I just… I never want to hurt you. Even if it's not serious."

"But it could be. You're the only one I can train with. The only one I know can match me. So, if I plan on learning how to do this, and I do, then I need you to push just as hard as I do. I don't know what the Alpha is going to do or how we're going to stop it, but if we want to stay alive and keep the people around us safe, then I think we need to push those boundaries. I think we need to embrace this. And I want us to do that together."

Scott swallowed tightly. "I'm scared that if I let go, if I embrace it completely, I'm not gonna know who I am when I do."

"Exactly who you've always been, just… faster and stronger." She shrugged. "We're not fighting to hurt people, not even the Alpha. We're fighting because we have to. Because if we don't, the Alpha will keep hurting and killing and we have the ability to stop them." She stepped closer then and pressed a hand to his chest, flat over his heart. "I know who you are and nothing will ever change that."

Scott nodded slowly. "Okay."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow, I won't pull my punches. I… I'll fight for real."

She grinned. "Good."

…

After showering, changing her bandages, and pulling on some pajamas, Malia left her bathroom to find Scott sitting in her bed. He was wearing a pair of sweat pants she'd borrowed from him in the past, and nothing else. Bare, brown skin was on display. When she swallowed, her throat was especially dry, and she felt something warm and heavy settle deep in her gut. Lingering in the doorway to her bathroom, she tried to shake it off. Turning the light out, she padded across the floor and circled her bed.

He watched her, his phone resting in his lap. "My, uh, my mom has a double. She's not gonna be home until tomorrow."

"Oh." Malia pulled the blanket up on her side of the bed and climbed in.

He put his phone on the end table next to him. "How was today? With Allison and everyone?"

"Great." She nodded. "Except they don't seem to think Derek's the killer. Erica's kind of in detective mode; I think that's how she's dealing with everything."

He hummed. "Yeah, I'm not sure she likes me much."

"She's kind of prickly in the beginning, but she warms up. Kids at school aren't exactly nice to her."

Scott nodded. "You guys are getting close."

"Closer than I expected. But I can probably say that about almost everybody I'm friends with these days."

Scott smiled. "They seem like good people."

"Yeah?"

"Danny's a nice guy. We're not really friends, but I know that much. And Erica, she was really worried about you. Suspicious, but worried."

Malia sighed. "I don't know how I'm going to get them to forget all about this mess and leave it alone."

"You think they'll figure it out?"

"Somehow, I don't think werewolves are going to be their go-to answer" She frowned. "But I don't want them doing anything that might get them hurt. And digging into everything with the Alpha probably will."

"Maybe it'll just take some time. Something else will happen and they'll get distracted."

"Maybe." She laid down and tucked an arm behind her head. "Danny's having a party on Saturday, he asked me to come."

"Yeah?" Scott shuffled down the bed too and stared at the ceiling. "Are you gonna go?"

"Yeah, probably." She bit her lip. "You should come."

He turned to look at her, his brows arched. "That'd be okay?"

She smiled. "You're not a pariah, Scott. You made first string. You'll probably be invited to plenty of parties."

"Yeah, but… I mean, Danny's your friend, so…"

"He said I could invite you." She paused. "Allison's coming, too."

Scott's gaze fell. "Did I tell you Allison and I are over?"

Malia's brow furrowed. "What?"

"Yeah, uh… Yesterday, at the school, she said we were better off as friends."

"Wow. Talk about timing."

"She was right, I think."

"Really?" Malia frowned. "But, you were so into her."

"I did like her. I mean, I do. But I think we'll make good friends."

"Are you sure?" She turned over onto her side to face him. "You're not heartbroken or something?"

His lips quirked. "Not really, no."

"I guess I thought it was kind of serious."

"We were mostly friends-with-benefits near the end…" He shrugged. "I don't know if I'm cut out for that."

"What? Friends-with-benefits?"

"Yeah, I…" He sighed. "I want more than that. I don't just want benefits. I want… a partner."

"Scott McCall, secret romantic."

He rolled his eyes. "Hardly."

Propping her head up on her hand, she stared at his profile. "You'd make a good partner."

He turned to look at her, his expression doubtful. "Yeah?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Definitely."

He licked his lips. "Thanks. Uh, you would, too."

Malia snorted. "No, I really wouldn't."

"Why?"

"Because I..." She took a deep breath, shook her head, and let it out on a sigh. "I'm me."

"Yeah. I know." He stared at her. "Which is why I know I'm right."

"Scott..."

Propping his own head up, his gazed at her a moment, hair falling across his forehead. "Look, uh... I should've said something before and I don't really know why I didn't. I guess I panicked, so I just..." He blew out a sigh. "This is gonna seem really dumb in retrospect."

Malia's brow furrowed. For some reason, her heart was beating a little too quick. Maybe it was just Stiles' hinting from earlier, but Scott's words seemed heavy with something. "What is it?"

He stared at her searchingly. "I, uh... You..."

She waited, her complete lack of patience practically bursting at the seams. Until, finally—

"You're my anchor!"

Malia blinked. "I... What?"

Scott winced. "I told you it was my mom because, well, I'm not sure. I thought maybe it would weird you out or something. But, the truth is, I think you were always my anchor. Because you've been here for me the whole time. You got me through my first shift and you're just... You're always there, no matter how hard things get. So, when Derek said I had to pick something or someone that made me feel safe, it was just really obvious. Not that my mom doesn't, she does. But she also doesn't know about any of this." He met her eyes briefly and then his gaze moved to her shoulder. "I don't think you've ever really seen yourself the way I do. Even when we were ten years old, you were so fearless and strong and... I always admired that about you. I— I wanted to be just like you. And when we became friends, I felt like I was. You have this way of making everyone around you feel like they can do anything." He shook his head. "I'm a better person because I know you."

"Scott, you're basically the best person I know."

"Well, maybe that's because I have you." Taking a deep breath, he searched her eyes. "I just, I want you to know that when I feel weak or scared o-or lost, I think of you and I... I know who I am and what I'm doing and... I know I'll be okay."

Her heart squeezed in her chest and she nodded unsteadily.

"Uh..." He shook his head and smiled awkwardly. "We should probably sleep, so we can be our best when we train tomorrow."

"Yeah. That makes sense."

Scott turned over onto his back then and reached for the lamp on the bedside table. The room was flush with darkness then, the house unnaturally quiet outside of Shiloh's snoring and their heartbeats.

Malia shifted around, chewing on her lip for a good, long minute. "Scott...?"

"Hm?"

"In the woods, when I was freaking out and you calmed me down..." She stared at the blue-lit ceiling. "I think I'm still figuring the whole anchor thing out, but... I felt safe with you. And I don't just think it's because we're both shifters and I wouldn't be able to hurt you as bad as like, Stiles or something. It was just... It was like the rest of the world just kind of stopped. All the noise and the smells and even my anger. Everything went away and there was just you and... You've always been this stable part of my life, you know? I think I've always kind of been scared that I'd lose everything again, everyone I loved. But... you've always been there and I like to think you always will." Her throat burned as emotion swelled. "I know that's corny and emotional and whatever, but... I was falling apart and you held me together and... You do that a lot. You kind of always have my back."

"You have mine, too."

"Yeah, well, I guess we're a good fit that way."

The blankets moved then and Malia felt the warmth of his arm against her own, a beat before she felt the tips of his fingers climb her palm. His thumb dragged along hers as their fingers met and twined. "So... We'll anchor each other then. Through everything."

Malia bit her lip to hide a growing smile and hoped he couldn't hear how loud and unsteady her heart had grown. "Yeah. That works for me."

Scott squeezed her hand and Malia squeezed back.

tbc

author's note: sorry for the longer wait. to be completely honest, i ran into some writer's block. i noticed a pretty big decrease in reviews for last chapter and since i was already feeling kind of iffy about it, i guess my motivation just kind of plummeted. i got about halfway through this chapter before i got stuck and spent a good five days only writing a paragraph or two and not really feeling good about it. and then, yesterday, i really settled in and started writing again. and i'm happy with it, so i hope you are, too.

there's probably only going to be one more interlude-esque chapter, maybe even half a chapter, before we move into the next episode. i was just looking at the timeline and noticed there was a few days unaccounted for in the show and given what happened to malia i felt like it gave me some time to really explore that change and what it means for each group she's a part of. so i hope these interludes are enjoyable, as i feel like they help piece apart how everyone is growing and dealing with the fallout of the school attack.

and finally, i tried my best to edit this, but i've read it so many freaking times at this point that i feel like my eyes gloss over and i'm probably missing some really obvious errors. so if you see them, let me know and i will do my best to fix them asap!

things to look forward to next chapter: more scalia training and some lines start to blur; cole makes an appearance; we find out what's going on with malia's dad; and malia has a curious dream.

thanks for reading. please try to leave a review!
- Lee | Fina