Diana was inn a strangely contemplative mood the next day. She put it down to a dream she had in her sleep upsetting her and moved on. It came back in drabs through the day however, flashes of an ice rink and Stiles in a dumpster. She tried to shake it off but it stuck with her.
She saw Erica smirk at her, like she knew something that Diana didn't. Fury began to burn through her veins.
Whoa, what's going on? You okay? Stiles asked, Diana realising that she had been flooding the bond with her overflowing emotion. It registered mildly that she hadn't seen Logan all day; he was supposed to be in her every class but was nowhere to be found. He wasn't even answering his phone.
I don't know. I'm going to find out though. Diana answered hurrying to her locker. Luckily she had a free period so she could happily do this in her car without being interrupted. Wrenching open the metal door she reached in grasping the large clear quartz that resided permanently at the back of her locker.
"You know, Derek told me about you." Diana's head fell forward, Erica.
Diana turned, not letting go of the quartz, she breathed deeply centring herself. Finally ready she looked up into the self-assured eyes of the newly born Were.
"Oh yeah?" She challenged. Erica nodded toying her cheek with her tongue.
"Said you were not to be touched. Off limits." Erica moved closer to her, invading her personal space. "I'm willing to follow orders with you; you were always nice to me." She looked Diana up and down, "Now I see it was because you were week."
Diana nodded her lips pursed.
"Did Derek tell you everything about me?" She pressed, Erica's self-assured mask slipped a little, Derek had purposefully withheld information then.
"He said enough." Erica answered confidently, "Said you were powerful. Personally," She drawled, "I don't see it."
Diana gripped a handful of hair with her left hand pushing it back to scratch the back of her head. Knowing how to deal with this situation she turned and closed her locker door. Erica was so hopped up on her new found power that to ignore her would be the biggest insult. Diana figured this from her outfit.
"Maybe you should pay attention puppy." Diana sassed moving to pass the Were.
Erica growled shooting her right hand out to catch Diana's upper arm.
Heat scorched from her touch, Diana's dream coming back to her all at once. Stiles being hurt, Derek gaining power through another Beta at the ice rink and Logan standing with them.
Erica's claws pierced Diana's arm dripping dark blood to the linoleum of the corridor floor. Fortunate for the two the hall was mainly empty else the scene of a Witch rounding on a new Were would have caused a stir.
"Dimittas." Diana commanded coldly. Erica's hand pried open despite her efforts to the contrary. The quartz in Diana's hand cleared to a glass like form the jagged rock gripped tightly in her right hand.
"So that's what you do." Erica said with a smirk recovering quickly from the magic.
Diana glowered at the girl. Her left palm beating into the slightly taller girl's forehead. The scenes that filled her mind were of Erica's worst memories, her best, her pain, her joy all of it.
"I used to pity you because of your condition, now I pity you because of what you lack. Good luck." Diana announced removing her hand from the now stunned blonde.
"What was that?" Erica demanded. "What did you do?!" She called after Diana who moved past her and away to the car park doors.
"Don't' worry, the mark only lasts a day or two." Diana laughed. Erica growled. The wisdom bind rune glowing on Diana's left palm brought a small smile to her lips.
Stiles appeared by her in the corridor his feet falling in time with hers.
"Derek needs," Stiles began,
"Three wolves, I know." Diana answered with a smile.
"Right, so, we think he's going after," Stiles continued.
"Boyd." Stiles frowned in confusion. Diana just tapped her head with the quartz she was still carrying, Stiles nodded in understanding.
"You going over to his house?" Diana asked curiously. They had made it down to the cars now; she had taken to parking next to his Jeep as it was often easier than wasting time crossing the car park to her Audi.
"Yeah. Wanna come with?" He asked hopefully, Diana pressed her lips together pulling a face.
"Got some Witchy shit to do, sorry." She answered sadly leaning against her car. She frowned slightly, "You should know, I think Logan is up to something."
"Like what?" Stiles leant forward slightly intrigued. "He working for Derek? The Argents?"
"He wouldn't sell out the Coven," Diana mused, "You lot or Derek however." She shrugged. Stiles kicked her front tire, his anger evident through the bond as well.
"Just fantastic." He said sarcastically. Impulsively Diana launched herself into his arms hugging him. Her left palm against the base of his scull holding his face into her neck.
Instinctively he hugged her back, gripping her like she was a life line.
Call me at five. She directed, he nodded into her neck and she let go knowing full well that her scent lingered on him.
Stiles knocked repeatedly on the front door, not getting any answer. He was growing desperate now.
"Hey Boyd?" He called to the empty house. "Hey Boyd? It's Stiles."
Erica came up the stairs behind him quietly. He turned to leave,
"Oh wow!" He blurted, Erica was right in front of him on the porch.
"What are you doing here Stiles?" She giggled. Stiles backed up to the door.
"Uh, nothing, I was just looking for, um…" He fumbled.
Help me. Stiles pleaded. Diana was in a prophetic trance with her Aunt in the library of their house however and was unavailable.
"Boyd?" Erica prompted.
"Yeah, yes. Boyd." Stiles nodded, he focused on the bond with Diana, his lifeline. His lifeline that wasn't ringing however.
"You know what you're doing right now that's kind of funny?" Erica said swaying back and forth in front of the nervous boy.
Stiles shook his head no.
"You're only looking in my eyes." She smirked.
"That's funny?"
"Well, yeah. Because it's that kind of look where you're trying not to look anywhere other than my eyes." She said with a smile, "Probably because of that freak, you know her scent is all over you."
"But you want to don't you?" She continued. "You want a nice, long, hard look."
Play it cool. Deny everything. He could have cried, Diana had answered him. He thought.
Erica moved slowly closer to him. He turned his mouth down at the edges and shook his head in what he hoped was a convincing manner.
"No, not really." He said.
"Oh so it's just my eyes?" Erica pouted,
Dear god this girl, who is she trying to kid. Diana said in his mind, he could almost hear her eye roll.
How are you seeing this?
Scrying, pay attention. Diana answered quickly, her Aunt needed to pee so she had cast a quick spell in the small pool of distilled water that had lain between them.
"Yes." Stiles answered Erica. She moped in response mockingly. "You have beautiful eyes." He continued.
Seriously? Diana deadpanned, See you later Stiles. Diana waved away the connection as her Aunt re-entered the room.
"I have beautiful everything." Erica frowned. Stiles scoffed,
"And a new found self-confidence. Congratulations Erica." He said before going to move past her. "I should get going. Diana will be looking for me." He dropped her name hoping that Diana's relationship with Derek would have been mentioned.
"You're not going anywhere, and that Bitch isn't looking for you." Erica said her hand landing heavily on Stiles' chest.
Stiles' face pinched in anticipation of pain, "Why not?"
Erica hoisted an important looking car part in her right hand,
"You're having car trouble." She promptly beat him round the head with the cylindrical part of Stiles' Jeep.
Diana's eyes shot open.
"You have to go don't you?" Her Aunt sighed. Diana looked guiltily at her crossed legs.
"I'm sorry." Diana confirmed, her Aunt hadn't opened her eyes,
"It is fine, you have more to learn before you turn twenty one. You're magic is still emerging, we just thought you had all of it, it just means that you are going to be one of the most powerful the community has ever had."
Diana studied her Aunt, her eyes were still closed, her dark hair pulled back from her face tied at the base of her head, her long eyelashes resting gently on her high cheek bones. She was still in the trance.
"Thank you." Diana said carefully getting up, she moved away from the small alter set up in the centre of the room between the two large squishy sofas perpendicular to the fireplace.
Diana hurried to leave the house throwing on her sneakers and grabbing her keys. It was nearly half four, if she broke a few speed limits she would be able to get there in time.
Fifteen minutes later she pulled up to the skating rink. She noticed Logan's car in the lot but didn't think too much on it busting into the building hurrying to the side of the rink.
Scott stood victorious in the centre of the ice his partial transformation highlighting the recent change in his life.
Scott turned at the sound of her laughter.
"Go Scotty!" She laughed happily. She walked over to Derek who was holding back near her looking at his defeated Beta's.
"This is what happens when you listen to a freeze." She said quietly, raising her eyebrows at the beaten boy leaning against the ice cleaner behind Scott.
"Also, the mark on your Bitch's forehead is from me. Don't let her start things she's not ready for, I will not be so lenient next time." Diana nodded once standing exiting the ice,
"You're going?" Scott called. Diana waved without turning round,
"You seem to have this down Moon Moon, I got to pick up Stiles." She said tossing her car keys in her left hand.
Diana wrenched the dumpster lid up revealing Stiles lying prone amongst the refuse bags. She crossed her arms leaning against the rim looking down to him as he gained consciousness.
Stiles sat up his hand reaching behind his head in pain,
"Bitch." He groaned. Diana nodded,
"She is, female wolves are always worse than the male ones." She said sagely. Stiles' eyes shot open meeting hers.
"Di? How did you fine me?" He looked about them at the random parking lot. She pulled his arm forward pushing up his hoodie sleeve, his watch said five past five.
"I had a dream last night, only remembered when Erica grabbed at me this afternoon. Figured it would be her that would do this."
"That's why you hugged me? Your scent?" He demanded sounding a little disappointed.
"It's one reason." She held out her hand to help him from the dumpster. After a moment looking at her hand he took it and got out of the bin. He followed her round the corner to where she had parked her Audi behind his Jeep.
"Erica pulled part of the engine out." He groaned putting his hands over his head. Diana nodded slowly.
"I had a look before and called a tow, by now they should be twenty minutes out. Wanna wait in my car?" Stiles yawned nodding already moving to the black Audi.
They sat in companionable silence, the radio playing quietly, the heater on full.
"What were you doing before?" Stiles blurted, it had been playing round his mind.
"I told my Aunt about my dream and she insisted that we do a ritual to see if it was really the Sight emerging." She explained reaching over the console to the back seat.
"You still get emerging things?" He asked confused as to what she was doing.
"Yup, will do until I'm twenty one apparently." She said returning to her seat with a huge bag of sour patch kids.
She pried it open and offered it to the boy next to her.
"I can hear your stomach rumbling, eat." She commanded, Stiles laid a hand on his belly and smiled. He scooped up a large handful stuffing a few into his face.
Stiles groaned slamming his head back into the leather headrest.
"What now?" Diana queried. Her attention once again caught by him in the deepening dark of the night.
"Just thinking about how much this is gonna cost." Diana nodded her lips pursed fishing out a green piece of candy,
"I got it." She shrugged. Stiles shook his head,
"I couldn't ask you to do that." He said shaking his head vehemently.
"Shut up." She batted off his comment with a wave of her hand, "I'm in your head, will be till we die, this is the least that I can do."
"Still." He protested but fell silent under Diana's determined gaze. He let out a small smile accidentally, his eyes caught by her green irises.
"You know you look fantastic when you fix your mind to something." He admitted, gesturing his hand towards his chest, "Powerful, you know…"
"Magical? Witch like?" Diana said slightly mocking, she smiled. Suddenly she was grateful for the darkness as it hid her blush.
"Yeah." He said softly, he reached out moving a small lock of hair from her face.
Diana froze, he had been so flustered before with Erica, not knowing where to look, now he seemed genuinely caught in her eyes.
"Stiles?" She said softly. He nodded letting his hand drop,
"I think the tow is here." She finished, Stiles looked round as the yellow truck pulled up next to them.
"Hey? Hey!" Stiles shouted moving towards his Jeep in the garage. He and Diana had both been sat in the small oil smelling office for the past two hours. Now she leant against another car by the office door no longer able to sit on the plastic chairs in the office.
"Wha-what do you think you're doing? All I needed was a starter." He bent next to the mechanic,
"Yeah, but it looks like your whole exhaust system's gotta be replaced too." He answered.
"Why do I get the feeling you're slightly overestimating the damage?" Stiles said testily,
"Probably gonna run you around, like, $1,200 in parts and labour." The young mechanic estimated. Stiles squinted in disbelief.
"Are you kidding?" He exclaimed, "This thing doesn't even have a catalytic converter. And, yes, I know what a catalytic converter is."
The mechanic put his arms down; Stiles now had his full attention,
"You know what a limited slip differential is?" He shot back,
"No." Stiles sassed back dejectedly, the mechanic returned to the underside of the Jeep.
"Yeah, could run you more like $1,500. But your girl said she was good for it." He shrugged.
"Okay, just finish." He sighed; Diana had beaten him down on the ride over about who was paying for the repairs. "I'll be back here, seething with impotent rage.
What a jerk.
"Yeah you're telling me." Stiles replied out loud to the red head.
"I left my keys in the office." Diana realised moving to return and pick them up, Stiles stopped her with his hand on her arm,
"I got it." He mumbled.
The door handle was covered in some weird kinda goop.
"Oh nice." Stiles said finally having had it with the night. "Real sanitary, quality establishment you're running here.
"Ew." Diana said echoing Stiles' proclamation; her hand had drifted back landing in a pool of goo on the bonnet of the other car.
While Diana wiped her hand on her jeans Stiles entered the office spying a framed picture of the mechanic as a lacrosse player.
"Figures." He scoffed.
Diana's phone rang out with her text tone for her Aunt. Sitting forward she reached to pull it from her back pocket. Only her fingers wouldn't move.
She frowned and tried again. Still not moving.
Diana's eyes shot to Stiles, his eyes on hers through the glass.
I can't move my hands. He said terror filling his voice in her mind.
I can't either. She replied decidedly more calm than him. Her training with the coven had covered paralytic agents; she knew what was going to happen.
Try to call 911; what will happen next is that you will lose motor function below the neck, probably. Diana said moving to the floor carefully.
Probably?!
Each is different. Diana reasoned.
There's something out there with you. Stiles said looking past Diana to his Jeep.
What does it look like? She asked collecting the information about the paralytic would help with determining what it is.
Scally. Big claws. He shot back quickly, panic filling his body.
"Hey." He called, the glass blocking the sound, "Hey!"
The agent had taken hold of his legs now causing him to fall to the floor. He crawled towards his phone which lay on the ground by the door. Through the glass panel at the base he could see Diana, her hair a bastion of colour in the dark garage.
Diana couldn't see Stiles anymore; she could see the creature however. She saw it cut the gas line to the car lift slowly lowering the device onto he frozen body of the mechanic.
"Help!" He called weakly. Diana closed her eyes to the horror she was about to see. All the while Stiles fought to dial 911.
Suddenly it roared and Diana's eyes flew open only just catching a glimpse as it scampered away into the night, the silhouette the only thing she saw.
"You should really listen to your Aunt you know." Esma told Diana sternly, Diana nodded at her Aunts colleague,
"I don't know what happened." Diana shrugged. The paralytic had finally worn off as the paramedics and police had arrived. Now Stiles was sat with his dad in another ambulance while Diana was in hers.
"Either way, I'm gonna tell your Tia." The Hispanic woman said definitively.
"Snitch." Diana joked, Esma laughed heartily, Diana liked Esma, she had a warm personality coupled with a harsh face emphasised by a stiff bun she wore her hair in to work.
Stiles made his way over to where Diana sat in the ambulance's bright white interior. Esma had gone to talk to the other paramedics about the body of the guy they had found crushed.
"Ready to go home?" Stiles said, his eyes tired.
"Yeah. You okay?" Diana frowned taking in his appearance.
"No. Stupid wolf shit always getting me into crap. Now they've impounded my Jeep. Evidence." Stiles groused.
"Okay sour patch. Let's get you home." She said, she'd managed to snag her keys from the office before the major police cordon had blocked everything off. Luckily she had parked a little way off down the road not wanting the mechanic to do anything to her car.
Diana put her arm round his, pulling him after her into the rain. Stiles slung his arm around her shoulders and squeezed a little. She had somehow become his comfort blanket over such a short period of time.
When they reached his drive way Stiles pulled out his phone and dialled Scott.
"You were right. It's not like you. I mean its eyes were almost, reptilian. But there was somthin' about 'em." Stiles shook his head,
"What do you mean?" Scott asked, the line crackling slightly, he was sat in his car a little way off from the crime scene.
"You know when you see, like, a friend in a Halloween mask, but all you can actually see are their eyes, and you feel like you know them, but you just can't figure out who it is?"
"You saying you know who it is?" Scott demanded,
"No," Stiles said meeting Diana's eyes, "But I think it knew me."
Diana's eyes widened.
Stiles bid Scott goodnight and hung up the phone.
"I'm staying with you tonight." Diana said decidedly. Stiles shook his head rubbing his forehead.
"No, your Aunt will notice if you're not there in the morning or if you don't come home."
"Stiles, I'm not leaving you alone after something like this. I will go home and come back through glass." She said turning the engine over. "I take it you have a mirror?"
"Yeah." He said softly. Diana nodded once.
"Then at ten thirty I will be arriving in your room."
"Thank you." Stiles said tiredly getting out of the Audi and slowly moving up to his house. Dina stayed on the drive until he was well inside the house.
She shot back to her house and readied herself for bed, it was not unusual for her at this time, and ten was her regular bed time.
Stiles waited in bed staring at the red letters on his alarm clock as they steadily moved.
10:30 precisely was when he heard her light footsteps moving towards the bed. He was bone tired and didn't react when Diana lifted the bed covers and climbed in.
She lay facing him for a long moment as he decided what to do. Eventually he moved forward and into her arms.
He breathed in her deep, rich, flowery scent finally feeling safe.
This world was shaping to be hellish, but here in his other half's arms he felt like nothing could harm him and he began to drift into a heavy sleep soothed by her rand on his hair and the steady rise and fall of her chest.
He didn't even hear her leave in the small hours of the morning as dawn broke.
