** Posting today, Friday, because I have a busy day tomorrow and won't be able to. Hope you enjoy. **

SONG: And I know that look in your eyes…It's like I've seen you before…About a million times…In another life, in another life maybe…You must have been mine ~ In Another Life by Ashlee Simpson

Chapter 5

Stiles:

Malia was struggling. She has been good the last few days in, but today she's looking as anxious as if we were back on the first day. Both Allison and Scott told me that she's been unfocused and jumpy, but she would say she was fine, just thinking.

We were heading in the opposite direction from each other when I saw her. She was definitely in a daze. she didn't even look in my direction. I hooked an arm around her and pulled her to the nearest room, which happened to be a storage closet. Pulling her inside, I closed the door.

"Stiles, what are you doing? We are going to be late for class." She said finally noticing her surroundings.

"Tell me what's wrong." I said.

"Nothing. I'm fine. We have to get to class." She turned and tried to open the door. I shoved my hand against it holding it closed. "Stiles."

"Malia." I said turning her back around and backing her against the door. "Tell me what's wrong. And don't say nothing because I can see you are worried about something. So, talk to me."

"Nothing. It's stupid. I'm freaking out over nothing." She said playing with a button on my shirt.

"Okay, so share it with me so I can help you un-freak out."

"That's not I word." She laughed. I put a finger under her chin to force her to look at me.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm nervous." She blurted.

"About what? Tonight?"

"Yeah."

"What are you nervous about?"

"Everything. It's my first date. And this feels important. I don't want to do anything stupid or embarrassing. There should be guidebooks on this stuff."

"There are." I chuckled. She looked hopeful for a minute. "But you don't need one. I think I know what the problem is."

"What?"

"You're letting the word date scare you."

She flinched but said nothing.

"It's just a word and it has so many meanings, it's a noun, a verb and even a fruit." I smiled as she rolled her eyes. "This is just you and me being together like we always are, just in a different setting."

"So, it's not a date now?" She asked.

"No, it is definitely date. And I'm going to treat it like such. But you think that that one word is somehow monumental, but it's not. It's just a word. The important thing is that we are together, right?"

"I know. I told you it was stupid."

"It's not stupid. Most people get nervous for a date, any date. I don't want you to be so nervous that you don't enjoy it."

"I always enjoy spending time with you." She said giving me a rare shy smile.

"That's good to hear. We are not doing anything major. Very casual. You can wear whatever you are comfortable in. Show up in yoga pants and a holey shirt if you want." I joked. She slapped me in the stomach and smirked. "I just want to spend time with you, no parents. No friends. Just us. Okay?"

"Okay. That makes me feel better." She sighed. The bell rang. "We should go."

"One more thing."

"We're going to be late."

"No, we're not but I have hall passes if we are." I told her, caging her against the door.

"You have a hall pass?"

"I have several. But that's not important right now. Just in case there are still any lingering nerves." I pressed my lips to hers in what I meant to be a simple kiss to take the edge off, but her hands gripped my hair, and I ended up pressed firmly against her.

Groaning I broke contact, banging my head against the frame behind her.

"You're killing me here, Malia. It's getting so much harder to control myself when you kiss me like that."

"I don't want you to control yourself. I want you to want me."

If she only knew.

"You have no idea. We have to go. We got maybe two minutes."

"Fine. But you started it." She pouted.

"I don't regret it either." I said opening the door. Be both rushed to class, and I just made it before the late bell rang. Receiving a stern look from the teacher and I smiled blithely back. I opened my notebook when Scott leaned in.

"You were almost late, and we were in the same class. What happened?" Scott whispered and Isaac perked up to listen.

"I was talking to Malia, lost track of time."

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she was just nervous. She's okay now." I told them.

"She's been doing well. Is it something we need to work on?"

"Nah, this is more a personal issue." I told him. He nodded and turned back to pay attention but of course our resident blabber mouth spoke up.

"Is it because of your date tonight?" he asked, turning in his seat.

"Dude, come on. Seriously?" said louder than I meant too. Scott shook his head.

"Something the matter Mr. Stilinski?" Mr. Brecht asked.

"No sir, just a lively discussion on this amazing topic today." I said brightly. Scott and Isaac both coughed to hide a laugh.

"Perhaps paying attention with spark even more discussion. After class."

"Yes sir."

He turned back to the board, and I flicked Isaac in the back of the head.

"Sorry, Allison just text it to me before class." He whispered.

"Whatever. Since bigmouth here already let the cat out of the bag. Yes, she's nervous about the date because it's her first. But we talked and she's fine now."

Scott tapped me with his pen and bent his paper so I could see.

First date, huh?

I nodded with a smile.

"Good, I'm happy for you." He whispered. He wasn't saying it in relief that I had moved on from Lydia, he was genuinely happy for me.

JAMJAMJAM

Practice was way too long, and I practically sprinted to the locker room, in full gear when it was over. I usually just dressed and took a shower when I got home but I was leaving straight from here to pick up Malia. The rest of the team looked curiously at me as I styled my hair and put on aftershave.

"Got a date Stiles?" Mitchell asked.

"Yeah."

"I bet McCall's happy about that since he snatched up Lydia." He joked. I stopped, Scott stopped, Liam stopped, and Isaac stopped. Isaac and Liam were quick to grab Scott when he growled.

"Sorry, just kidding. My bad." Mitchell said, raising his hands in surrender.

"Did you not see what he did to Johnson a few weeks ago?" Isaac said, shaking his head, talking about the senior Scott knocked flat on his ass the day we finally cleared the air.

"Try not to shed blood Scott." I said, grabbing my bag and heading out.

I pulled up to her house with 10 minutes to spare. Checking myself in the mirror one last time, I popped a tic-tac and hoped out. Her father opened the door before I could finish the first knock.

"Mr. Tate, how are you sir?" I asked, offering a hand.

"Stiles, right?" he asked shaking my hand.

"Yes sir."

"Hmmm. She said you were just friends."

"It's actually our first date." I told him. Still standing on the porch. He nodded slowly looking me over. Then stepped aside.

"Come on in."

"Thank you."

"Tell me something. I'm genuinely curious, how did you get the name Stiles?"

I smiled. I get that question a lot for anyone who doesn't really know me or my dad.

"It's a family nickname actually."

"Really? What's your real name?"

"Uh…" I didn't hate my name, but it wasn't normal. And explaining it only brought up memories. "It's Mieczyslaw Stilinski, sir."

He looked to be having a stroke trying to pronounce it then gave up and shook his head.

"I see. Wait, Stilinski? You're the sheriff's son? The one who found Malia?"

"Yes sir. Me and my friends."

He smiled and then pulled me in for a hug. I was shocked but eventually hugged him back.

"Thank you." He rasped thickly.

"You're welcome. I'm just glad we found her and could get her home safely."

He nodded and stepped back.

"I'll go get her." he said stepping back, turning, and going down the hall. I sighed in relief that it wasn't the inquisition I was expecting. I hadn't considered how grateful he would be. I heard heels before I saw her and wow.

"Hey." She greeted and I blanked. My mouth moved but nothing came out. Words, I need words. Any words, all the words. Something.

"Do I look okay?" she asked. The doubt in her voice snapped me out of my trance.

"You look… amazing." I told her stunned. She always looked beautiful but tonight… wow. She smiled and ducked her head. I couldn't stop staring. Her father cleared his throat behind her, and I shook my head, clearing it.

"Right, we should get going so we aren't late for the movie." I said, opening the door for her.

"11 pm, no later." Her father said.

"Yes sir. Have a good night." I said.

In the car Malia was telling me about her impromptu call to Lydia and Allison for help picking something to wear and I just couldn't stop taking looks at her.

"Stiles, you're staring."

"Yeah, sorry. I can't help it."

"Do I look that different?"

"No, you look as beautiful as you always do. I'm just used to seeing you in jeans and a t-shirt. This is a very different look."

"Do you prefer this look?"

"I prefer you, regardless of what you are wearing." I told her honestly. She reached over and took my hand, lacing our fingers together.

"So, what are we seeing anyway?"

"Suicide Squad. I thought of what you said about the superhero lessons. Maybe that's not the best way to learn about each universe. So, I thought movies and shows would be better."

"So, it's a superhero movie?"

"No, it's actually an anti-superhero movie."

"Villains?"

"Yes and no. You'll see. I think you will like it though."

"So, no making out during the movie?"

"That's what the previews and credits are for." I chuckled.

"Can we cuddle?"

"It's a requirement to see the movie." I told her seriously.

She laughed.

Malia:

"I think I want to be Harley Quinn when I grow up." I said as we exited the movie theater, holding hands and strolling down to the diner. He laughed.

"That was a romanticized version of her relationship with the Joker, you know that right?"

"I'm not talking about him or them. I'm talking about just her, how she was in the movie. She was badass. And yes, I know he was an abusive jerk who basically tortured her mentally and physically and she kept going back for more."

He stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk, his mouth gaping.

"How did you know that?"

"Because you told me, during all that superhero stuff."

"And you listened and remembered?"

"I listen to everything you say Stiles." I told him smiling. "I may not always remember it all, but I listen. But her, I remember because I was thinking when you were talking about her complicated relationship that I felt so sorry for her. She was this brilliant psychiatrist and she let this guy, who was a complete and utter psycho charm her and then use her. Ruining her whole life."

He stared unblinkingly at me then gave me a wide grin.

"God you're so hot right now." He said, grabbing me and crushing his lips to mine. Right in the middle of the sidewalk. "I can't believe you actually remembered."

"It seems important to you."

"It is. It may be silly, but it is important to me." he breathed almost reverently. I waited for the itchy feeling to come but it didn't.

"Get a room." Some idiot yelled. Laughing we pulled apart. Taking my hand again we walked a few doors down to the diner, taking a booth in the back of the nearly empty diner.

"Anyway, what I was saying before you kissed me, is that I liked her character in that movie. I wish I were that badass."

He snorted.

"You are that badass. Don't forget what you survived. 8 years Malia, living in the wild."

"Yeah, but after the accident, it was all I knew. it was more survival than anything." I told him. He reached for my hand, holding it over the table.

"Are you still having nightmares about that?"

"Yes and no. I still remember it but, I don't know. Something is different in them."

"How so?"

"Remember when I said I thought I had killed my mother and sister and caused the crash?"

"Yeah, but that wasn't your fault. You were probably startled into shifting."

"I know. But in the dreams, I see this silhouette standing in front of the car when my mom slammed on the brakes, and I think they were pointing something at us, but I don't know. They could have just been raising their hand in fear of being hit."

"Could be. Do you think that's what happened or just something you conjured up in the dream?"

"I don't know. But I don't think I want to know either. I'm working through my issues with the crash. Dad and I both are going through therapy. I'm feeling a bit more settled with what happened, but I will always feel some guilt I guess."

"Survivors remorse?"

"That's what the therapist said. She also told dad to stop trying to figure out where I have been the last 8 years. That, me forgetting was probably hiding some trauma and I would deal with it when and if I were ready. To just focus on the fact that I am here now. I think he's trying but he will always wonder."

"I get that. How is it being back home with him?"

"It's great, still a bit weird though. He spent the last 8 years in a set routine, just working, eating, and sleeping. It's a hard habit for him to break. But we have bonding time when we just talk. I like it."

"That's good."

Fortunately, he changed the subject then, because it was a bit of morose topic to begin with. I didn't want to spend this date talking about my issues. We do that enough on a daily basis. Instead, we talked about school and friends. He told stories about Isaac and Allison getting together, Isaac and Scott's rescue of Liam. I laughed so hard at the thought of Scott and Isaac sprawled at the bottom of the stairs holding onto each other while Liam ran away.

Eventually moving on to stories of growing up with his dad. He stayed away from talking about his mom a lot and didn't ask about mine. But I understood. I can't really talk about mine or my sister without getting lost in the past. Food was ordered and eaten and at one point he moved to my side of the booth.

"See," he said playing with my fingers. "This wasn't scary at all was it?"

"No, not at all. I guess I just worked myself up overthinking it."

"I'm an expert in that." He snorted. "Think you can handle another one?"

"You want another one?"

He rolled his eyes and huffed a breath.

"When are you going to start seeing how great you are?"

I shook my head.

"Malia, you have no idea how amazing you are. Forget the past 8 years. I mean right now. In these last few weeks, you have gone from being scared and unsure to this confident, smart badass." He grinned. "You worked so hard to get to where you can go to school and start living your life again. That's not a small thing."

"If I am any of that it's because you were always there cheering me on and encouraging me when I wanted to give up. I couldn't have done any of this without you."

He kissed the side of my head and I leaned into him.

"I should get you home. Don't want to break the rules on the first date."

"Right, let's save that for the third date." I told him.

"That's my girl."

"So, the movie was a good idea, right?" he asked on the drive back.

"I loved it. Are all superhero movies like that?"

"Not all. But I think most of them are pretty good. Most are filled with action."

"I think I could remember more if they are like that."

"I think we need a marvel marathon. And you can see all of them in order."

"How many are there?"

"Not that many, only 6… and counting." He shrugged.

"And counting?"

"They are still making them."

"And they're all just from one universe? How many superheroes are there."

"Oh Malia, you have no idea." He laughed.

At a quarter to eleven, Stiles was walking me to my door. The porch light was on, and I could hear the TV from the living room.

"Thanks for tonight, Stiles. This was the best first date I ever been on… you know what I mean." I said shaking my head.

"Yeah, I know. But you know how every date usually ends, right?" he said stepping closer.

"Well, my research showed me…" I joked.

He laughed, wrapping arms around me.

"Let me guess, these were from those sites with XXX in the name."

"No, not this time."

"Really, where was this research done?" he asked whisper close.

"Purely from cheesy romance novels." I admitted.

"You actually read cheesy romance novels?"

"I was curious." I defended.

"You and your curiosity." A brush of lips.

"It led me to your doorstep, didn't it?"

"And I am glad it did." another, longer.

"Stiles?"

"Hmm." Another.

"I'm feeling itchy." I whispered.

"Why?"

'Because I'm feeling things and I don't know what to do with that.

"Okay, and what are you feeling?"

"I really like you."

"I really like you too." Deeper kiss.

"And I don't know what to do or what happens next."

"What with us?" and another.

"Yes?"

"What do you want?" he asked pulling back, brown eyes searching my face.

"I… I want you." I whispered.

"You have me."

I smiled. The itchy feeling was replaced with something else. My heart stuttered and I felt this happy buzzing course through me. My hands moved into his hair as he pulled me impossibly closer. The porch light flickered, and I groaned and dropped my hands.

"I guess that's my cue." I sighed.

"Mine too. Goodnight Malia."

"Night."