I know who you are

Come up off your colour chart

I know where you're comin' from

Call me (call me) on the line

Call me, call me any, anytime

Call me (call me) I'll arrive

You can call me any day or night

Call me

Later that night, Scott Skyped her in tears about how scary Derek was and all the threatening he'd done while Stiles tried not to laugh.

Yes, she might've failed and Scott might've been upset with her for laughing, but he had forgiven her the very next day as they had morning practice, and he couldn't stay angry at her when he needed Stiles to cover for him.

Plus, she told him she was working on figuring out a way for them to play that Saturday.

Which was... true, in a way.

Stiles would be the first to admit that she didn't remember everything from the show, let alone the first two seasons. She'd been a tween when she first watched it, then when the last season came around she had lost interest, already.

Oh, she knew the gist of it; something about how Stiles got forgotten, which, worrying, by the way, but there was also something about riders? Or were they the doctors from the season before that?

Either way, that was something to deal with later. Maybe.

She knew more about the third and fourth season, as they had been her favorite ones and that Stiles might have watched more than once. But the first season?

Again, Stiles could remember the main things.

Derek wasn't the bad guy, his uncle was. Jackson finds out about Scott some time by the end of the season, Lydia gets bitten and turns into a Banshee, or she was already a Banshee which was why the bite didn't turn her.

What else- Oh right, Kate? Bad news.

Like terrible, disgusting news.

Scott is a shitty boyfriend, because he keeps lying to Allison, which Stiles understands to a degree, but can't get over how he'd still rather lie and put himself in danger than just break up.

There was also that night at the school, she's hoping to avoid that altogether.

She's sure there are more things, but she can't remember episode by episode, especially not when things moved that fast.

Putting on the timeline, the Winter Formal, which indicated the end of the season, was at the latest a month and a half away, since they were about to enter half of January, already.

Too many things happen in too short of a time, and Stiles knew she would have a hard time trying to predict and catch up to them.

It was the single main reason as to why she was throwing her denial in the backseat. She'd mope soon, when things calmed down, if they ever did, but Stiles had things to work with.

But, one day at a time.

First, stop Derek from breaking their bones even though she offered it the night before. The rest can wait for their time.

Or not.

She should really sit down to discuss stuff with Scott.

The point she was trying to make was that even if she had a somewhat idea about the Supernatural from what she could remember, it didn't really meant anything when she had no idea what to do with all that information.

The thoughts about supernatural and her situation were suddenly flung from her mind at the sight of Isaac picking up the equipment left behind; the coach had shouted to a few of the players that hadn't made first line to clean up everything after practice was done, and the poor boy had the unfortunate situation of being in Finstock's line of sight.

"Dude, you going?" Scott shoved at her shoulder, forcing her eyes away from the scrawny boy trying to hurry in picking up everything.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just gonna- You go ahead, I need to do something, first." Stiles her to push him away when he stood there with narrowed eyes, studying her with suspicion until finally relenting and moving away for the showers.

Thank God, because boy was he stinking.

She approached him carefully, nose twitching at the constant scent of distress and anxiety that surrounded him.

"Hey, Isaac, right?" The boy jumped a little, even though she had given him a wide berth and moved until she was standing in front of him. Either too focused on what he'd been doing or not expecting her to address him. "Need any help?"

Isaac studied her for a few seconds, eyes constantly flicking up to her before avoiding her gaze altogether, guardedly peering at her.

"It's fine." Her lips twitched, well, that could be taken two ways, so... Stiles nodded and moved closer, kneeling in his line of sight and helping with picking up the balls that had been thrown by that spot, instead of the net bag that they should've been put in. "I said it's f-fine."

Stiles smiled at him with a nod, dropping her gaze again when he looked flustered.

"I'm Stiles, by the way."

Isaac took a quiet deep breath, eyeing her distrustfully but still with red cheeks from her 'misinterpreting' his words.

"I know." His face darkened even further when she raised a brow at him, ducking his head away and with his heart beating so fast Stiles was scared he'd have an attack right there and then. "W-we have chemistry. Um! Together! We have chem together!"

Oh, poor thing.

"Right, and algebra." Isaac didn't seem any less embarrassed with her playing dumb, but moved faster either way. "So, how good are you at Harris' class?"

The wariness returned, but he at least looked a little curious about where she was getting at before answering slowly.

"I'm... alright, I guess... Why?"

"Oh, you know, apparently I killed his firstborn or something because it seems nothing I answer is right, so I was hoping someone could tutor me for the next test." Stiles studied him carefully, watching for his reactions and trying to convince herself that she couldn't just sweep him away to safety. She'd just have to follow the plan the Sheriff and her came up with. Get a way of taking him to her house, offer him someone he can trust and open up to, work through getting some proof of abuse happening, get him to safety. Give Isaac somewhere he can turn to when he needs it. Right, she could do that. "So? Think you're up for it? I'll pay you."

"I..." He tightened his lips, finally rising to his feet when she did and fiddling with the net bag, shooting her suspicious looks that Stiles chose to ignore in turn of smiling kindly.

"Please? I'll cook for you and everything. We can go after school next week and I'll drive you home the moment you ask me to." When she could see his resolve cracking, Stiles did something she wasn't all that proud of. She used Scott's puppy eyes, scrunching her brows pleadingly and trying to look heartbroken. "Please, Isaac?"

She would've laughed at how quickly he crumbled after that if Stiles didn't feel so bad, but the werewolf tried to tell herself it was a necessary evil, and it didn't hurt him.

"A-alright. I probably won't be much help, but, um- I'll see when I'm free and... tell... you?"

"That's great! Thank you so much, Isaac! You're a lifesaver." He ducked his head down again, suddenly shy after all the suspicion. "Oh, uh, here."

"You d-don't have to-" Stiles didn't give him a chance deny her as she plucked the bag from his hands, throwing over her shoulder and sending a wave with her free hand as she walked away with it to drop the equipment in the shed on her way to the showers.

"Bye, Isaac!"

Alright.

Alright! She was doing things!

She was so excited about it that she almost missed how Allison was trying to start a conversation with her during their shared French class.

If Stiles was honest with herself, she'd admit she didn't really want to be friends with Allison.

It wasn't that Stiles didn't like Allison. She didn't know her as a person to dislike her, and Stiles was trying not to let her memories of the show get in the way, no. If anything, she was just being practical.

It didn't matter that Allison didn't know about werewolves at that moment, she'd learn about them soon enough and her first reaction would be to hunt them. Sure, she heard it from a crazy bitch herself, but after knowing it was Scott, she still agreed to hunt him. To capture him.

As if she hadn't seen Derek getting tortured earlier.

Either way, it really was just her trying to be practical and keeping her distance from the girl whose family would kill her without thinking twice. Stiles was just hoping to prolong her life and avoid any torture in the near time future.

She smiles awkwardly at Allison when the girl sent a shy one her way along with a wave, praying that Scott's new girlfriend didn't try to befriend her just because she was Scott's friend.

Oh, Stiles knew that one day they'd be forced to interact, but hopefully it'd be after she found out about Scott and not before.

Yes, yes. It was sketchy, and maybe even a little bitchy, but Stiles didn't feel like having to constantly lie to a girl who liked to prod, so yeah, perhaps Stiles walked fast enough that it could be considered a jog when their class was done and it looked like Allison wanted to chat with her, but it was all in the name of not getting strung up and tortured.

Alright, another thing to ask Derek. How not to get captured and tortured. She'd very much like to avoid that.

Oh, but just look at her go! Making plans, as if she wasn't crying herself to sleep and wishing to return home every time her head touched the pillow.

Well, at least she was trying.

"Dude, did you talk to him yet?" Stiles cursed, jumping in surprise and slamming her locker closed so hard that the metal showed the indents from her fingers at the edges, making her glare heatedly at her friend, who shrank with an apologetic face. "Sorry, I thought you sensed me."

"Sensed you?"

"Yeah? You always know when I'm around-"

"That's because you stink."

"Hey!" His weak protest made her snicker while forcing the door open again to unbend the metal. "But, well... Did you?"

"Talk to who? Derek?"

"Yeah! You said you were going to find a way to keep him from killing me for playing!"

"Alright, first of all, he's not going to kill you-"

"I doubt that."

"Second of all, no I haven't. I spent the afternoon at the station, then I had to do the disgusting amount of assignments they gave us- by the way, did you finish the chem one for tomorrow? Can't be slacking off, you know-"

"Stiles!" Scott snapped, earning a golden narrowing of eyes from his friend that made the boy flinch back and immediately mutter an apology. "Just- I can't worry about my grades when the father of the girl I like might kill me if I shift when I'm playing, if Derek doesn't kill me first!"

"Don't whine, it's not attractive." Stiles slammed the locker closed again with a roll of her eyes, grinning when he pouted. "And I'll try to find him after class, alright? Don't worry."

"I'm always worrying, Stiles." She smirked at his grumble, walking with him to their shared class and successfully avoiding the teenagers rushing to their own classrooms. "And I'll still worry with you alone with him. He's just so... scary!"

"No he isn't, you just make him extra growly."

"Yeah? And how would you know, huh?"

"Because he treats me alright?"

"Alright," Scott mocked, copying her voice and making Stiles shove him into the classroom while he snorted, playfully glaring at her. "He nailed your hands to the ground- Am I the only one who remembers that?"

"I asked him to! You weren't there, I almost killed him, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah, so you say."

"Exactly, I do say that." He grinned at her when she pushed past him, catching sight of Allison watching them and happily dropping behind her while Stiles moved back until she could hide behind Danny. "Morning."

The human boy sent her an odd look, but nodded once before ignoring her completely, pointedly looking at his notebook and making Stiles grin in amusement.

Oh, but to be at the bottom of the social ladder and simply not care.

"That's a really nice cologne, Danny." She rested her chin on her hand, leaning over and waiting to see what he'd do, curious as to if he'd ignore her or be nice as he was with everyone else.

He paused, keeping silent for a few minutes before slowly looking over his shoulder with a suspicious look.

"Thanks, it's Armani."

"Fancy, where did you buy it?"

At this point Scott was sending her weird looks for interacting with the popular boy, but Danny himself was slowly turning to her.

"At Macy's... Why?"

"Just wondering." She shrugged, hiding her smile behind her hand at his confusion. "How's Jackson? Good enough to play this Saturday?"

Contempt suddenly filled his face, and it took a few seconds for her to remember that Stiles had been pathetically crushing on the piece of shit, forcing herself not to curse at her mistake.

"Yeah," He snorted, closing off and turning around again with a sneering smile. "he'll be there."

She had to bite back a growl when Scott sent her an amused grin, still not believing her when she said she was no longer in love with Jackson.

And how embarrassing it was to say that Stiles had been in love with a boy who apparently only loved to shit on her. God, when real Stiles comes back, she better appreciate all the work the trespasser is putting on her life.

She'd been trying to find Isaac during lunch, so she could start getting closer to him, but either he was very good at hiding from her, had another block for his lunch, or just didn't eat at the cafeteria, because Stiles couldn't catch scent of the boy, and believe her, she tried.

Literally.

But sadly, Isaac wasn't the only one that reeked of anxiety and despair, plus, all the food and people moving made it harder to focus on just one person. As it stood, Scott was the only one she could find by scent or presence alone, though she's very sure there are other shifters at school.

There was a boy from English, two girls from chem, another kid from gym class, and plenty other she caught at the halls.

It was in equal parts scary and interesting.

She might not know all of them, but Stiles was sure they all knew about her and Scott.

They just... stood out.

Not just in terms of shining at Lacrosse, but more with the fact that it seemed they were due to a concealing lesson.

But it seemed they had either an unspoken rule not to acknowledge one another, or they simply couldn't bother to warn her and Scott they were displaying what they were too much.

Stiles lost count the amount of time a supernatural kid or teacher would hone in on them the second they entered a room, just to make a face and pretend they hadn't felt anything.

Scott hadn't noticed, but she didn't really expect him to. Not when most of his focus was either on her or on Allison.

Plus, she had a feeling that even if he had noticed, that Scott would stubbornly choose to ignore it, just as he did every other sign he wasn't human anymore.

Either way, not finding Isaac midst the eating teens gave Stiles the opportunity to make a mental list of what to ask Derek.

First, how does she control the shifting?

Yes, she knows about anchors, but what makes an anchor? Just a strong emotion? It didn't make sense and she needed Derek to dumb it down for her.

How can they hide themselves? Because the whole neon sign of 'new werewolf' was getting annoying. Stiles could feel how she was exposing herself, like she was walking around naked. It was uncomfortable.

How does she slow down the werewolf powers?

That was more of a curiosity than anything- no, that's a lie. She just... wants to gaslight everyone into believing she was still human. Plus, she figures if she can stop the quick healing and pull back the strength, she could tire herself at the gym enough that wolfing out wouldn't be an option.

And lastly, everything else.

She wasn't leaving until he explained every bit of detail about being a werewolf.

The only way he'd be able to get her to leave would be to drag her out and Stiles had it on good word that she was stronger than most.

She had to go home and make a few stops before finally going to Derek's, packing two containers with the leftover zucchini lasagna she'd made for them that Sunday, hoping a home cooked meal would soften the older werewolf's resolve about teaching her.

Tuesdays the Sheriff forgot to pack his lunches, which was just an excuse to have Stiles visit him for a few minutes.

Cute, if only a little annoying.

But mostly cute.

The Sheriff had yet to call her out on her sudden change of personality or the fact she had yet to address him as 'dad', but Stiles knew he had taken note, but either attributed it to her worry for Isaac, or was just giving her time to come out with it on her own.

He was pleased when she told him of Isaac tutoring her in chemistry, updating her on his front that he was still in talks with a few contacts to find a place for him and that if she noticed something more worrying, that damn the plan, he'd take the boy out of the house himself.

He was a good man.

Their plotting ended with Stiles silently wondering where the hell she could get a job and just how Stiles had paid for all the maintenance of the car. The little shit probably just sent her father the bill.

God, she hated teenagers.

Stiles had more time to look at the burned house, that time. Free from the moon hazing her vision and from her wolf trying to claw its way out.

Her head tilted to the side with Derek moving around from the inside, leaving her to imagine what the hell he could be doing in the empty house before shaking away her thoughts and walking up to stop in front of the steps.

"You coming out or do I have to play pretend and knock?" She grinned at his annoyed huff, shifting her weight to the balls of her feet and waiting for him to step around the house into the porch. "What's wrong with the door?"

He gave her a blankly annoyed look, unimpressed with her tone.

"What do you want, Stiles?"

At that acknowledgment, the she-wolf walked up the steps and shamelessly entered the house, ignoring Derek's grumble as he followed her in.

"I know you already said you wouldn't do it, but I'm going to be really honest with you and say that I don't care." She glanced over her shoulder at him, smiling almost apologetically when he glared at her, fully turning around to face him after dropping her backpack to the ground. "We need you to teach us not to shift on the field, Derek. You have to help us, c'mon-"

"I don't have to do anything." Derek spat angrily, uncrossing his arms and stepping closer to Stiles in his anger, baring his teeth when she looked at him head on.

"You're right, you don't have to, but I need you to, either way." She pleaded, moving to connect their eyes when he tried taking his own off her now that she was being earnest. "Alright? We didn't ask for this, we don't want any of this, but we have it, and you're the closest thing we have to answer about us that isn't a hunter. So please- please, just help us."

"You want a tip? Get angry." Derek snapped, letting her stew in silence for a few seconds, face carefully blank despite his vicious tone, but he couldn't hide his scent; guilt and his wavering resolve hit her hard. So, she pleaded again, putting the best puppy eyes she could and watching his face twitch interestingly before he slumped in defeat. "Fine," he bit annoyedly, scowling down at her when she grinned widely. "But if I help you, you have to help me, and do as I say."

"Within reason and with an explanation attached." Stiles immediately haggled, raising a finger that he glared hard at until she slowly put it down with a sigh. "I mean it, Derek. There's no use telling me to jump, then when I ask how high you just glare at me, alright? And you have to explain things, not just- just expect me to know, because I most likely won't."

The werewolf made a face at her, the murder brows lowering as she returned his annoyed stare, waiting for a verbal confirmation and smiling mockingly when he rolled his eyes and grunted in response.

Good enough.

"So, I already know that anger equals strength." She waved away her hand as if swatting away a fly, turning around for her fallen backpack to finally pull out the Tupperware with lasagna and the fork she had shoved in there, lips pulling down a little at the fact that it was all scrambled from all the tossing around, but shrugged and hoped it didn't change the taste, turning to shove it on his hands and walking away to look around in curiosity. The shell of the house looked alright, surprisingly, something she hadn't noticed when she had been there during the full moon. "So why are you telling me to use it to stop shifting? Wouldn't it just make me, you know, easier to wolf out? Especially since when we get angry during Lacrosse, we tend to lash out?"

Stiles didn't need to speak louder, but did so out of habit, still looking around in curiosity before finally returning to Derek when he didn't answer her, finding him still looking down at the Tupperware like he didn't know what to do with it.

"So?"

The older werewolf shook his head, finally opening the container and sniffing carefully, sending her a warning glare and taking a bite while Stiles waited.

Again, he kept his expression blank, but he was smelling nice, so she'd say he enjoyed the home cooked meal, something that pleased her greatly. She always did love seeing others enjoying her food.

"It's what works for me." He shrugged, digging in while she watched and sent him an urging look.

"And? Is it something like- like you're the Hulk where you're angry all the time, so it grounds you, or is it something like anger reminds you that you can be in control?" Derek actually paused at that, narrowing his eyes and appraising her slowly. "What? I'm not stupid, you know. I have all my AP classes to prove it."

The werewolf judged her silently for a few more minutes before rolling his eyes and continuing eating.

"Both." She nearly groaned in frustration at his short replies, moving to the stairs and sitting on the dirty steps, watching him judgingly until he caved. "It's- Anger is something I've always had. Anger makes me strong. Makes me... human."

Stiles frowned a little, pursing her lips and picking on her jeans, deep in thought and trying to understand why.

Derek's life had been pain after pain, feeling responsible for the death of his first love, losing his family to a fire that he still blames himself for after being groomed by the main killer, then he lost the last pack he had in a gruesome way to another family member (not that he knows yet).

What do you hold on to when you have nothing left?

The one thing that kept him going.

Anger.

But why was Scott's anchor Allison, then? Did it mean he focused on love? Was it even that, already? Yes, Allison would technically be the thing to pull him back during the game, but was it love already?

Alright, love is an emotion but why-

Oh.

Oh!

"It's the thing that reminds you the most of being human." She breathed out, snapping her eyes back at Derek and noticing that several minutes had passed in which he seemed to have finished off the lasagna, and was silently watching her work it out. "Scott's anchor is Allison because she's his first love! Because she makes him feel normal, just a goofy teen figuring out his first relationship!"

And anger reminded Derek of what he lost. Of grief, something so human- what was it that Vision had said? What is grief if not love persevering?

"So, now I just have to find what makes me human." She deflated, curling on herself and pressing her face on her knees with a groan. That was so unfair.

Stiles can't use the people from that universe, because they're a reminder that she isn't human and even with all of Stiles' memories seemingly rushing to her, it didn't feel enough, and there had been no-one from her real life aside from her friends that she had a strong feeling for, but even then, the thought of them didn't exactly calm her.

"Or I could just chain you up during the full moon. Again." She sent him a dirty glare at his deadpan joke, trying to bite back a grin, amused despite it all.

"You know what? I might take you up on that offer." He quirked a tiny smirk before his face blanked again, making her sigh quietly and stretch, cracking her neck and looking around again, this time warily. "You're not sleeping here, are you?"

She honest to God could see him building up his walls again as he crossed his arms defensively, raising an impressive brow with a near sneer.

No, seriously. Stiles could picture him in a construction helmet, glaring at her and putting the bricks up one by one.

"And if I am?"

Stiles sniffed a little, trying to understand why he was there. It didn't even smell of anything other than dust, burnt wood, animal droppings and despair.

Was he really punishing himself?

"This is seriously some of the most fucked self-flagellation I've ever seen." Derek growled lowly at her words, and were Stiles anyone else she would've cowed, but she found that she could make the same goddamn noise, so she did all while glaring at him. "Go to a goddamned hotel or rent an apartment, Derek. This isn't a home."

"Mind your own business, Stiles." He snapped as she huffed a growl before holding her breath and closing her eyes to count to ten. She was still very much not in control, and she didn't want to get into a tussle with Derek, even if he would most definitely win despite her superior strength.

"Look, take it or not, but I have a spare bedroom that you can crash into if you sneak in and out without the Sheriff noticing." Derek didn't answer her on it, making the girl sigh and shake her head. "Whatever. You might want to find somewhere to sit down, big guy, because I'm not leaving before you answer every single question I have."

His mask cracked to show a tiny pleased smirk.

Well, might as well make use of the man.