I do not own Teen Wolf
Chapter One
"River," Stiles' voice whispered, causing her to groan. "River."
"Go away," she said, burying her head under her pillow.
"Someone found a dead body in the woods," Stiles said.
"Good for them," she grumbled.
"No. They only found half of it," he tried again.
"Which half?" she asked, sitting up and hitting Stiles with her pillow.
"No clue," he said, placing the pillow on her bed. "Let's go."
River groaned, flopping back onto the bed. She felt something hit her chest and opened her eyes just in time to catch the jeans that were flying towards her.
"What the hell, Stiles?" she asked, sitting up.
"Come on!" he repeated, opening her top drawer and rifling through it until he found a pair of mismatched Star Wars socks.
"Get out of my dresser!" she yelled jumping up.
Stiles froze, realizing what else was in the top drawer. She grabbed the socks from his hand, pushed him back, and slammed the drawer closed. She pushed him out of the room, slamming the door in his face.
"I'll be out in a few minutes!" she called through the door, grabbing the clothes he had thrown onto her bed and changing out of her pajamas quickly.
She put the socks on and then pulled her Converse on, tying them before running a brush through her hair and tossing it up into a messy bun. Looking into the full-length mirror on the back of her door, she noted the outfit that Stiles had pulled out for her. Dark skinny jeans paired with a black tank top, perfect for sneaking around in the woods at night.
She opened her door, half expecting Stiles to still be standing where she had left him in shock. She heard the horn of the Jeep honk and rolled her eyes, grabbing two flashlights from the entry closet, along with Scott's lacrosse jacket that he had left behind the night before, and heading out the door. She threw the jacket on and climbed into the passenger seat of the Jeep, Stiles taking off towards Scott's house immediately.
River watched from the Jeep as Scott almost attacked Stiles with a bat while he hung upside down, a weird image of Stiles as a pinata popping into her head as Scott went back inside to change. She had climbed into the backseat once Scott came back out of the house, ready to follow Stiles anywhere. She handed Scott a flashlight the moment they reached the woods.
"He only ever grabs one," Scott smirked.
"Which is why I always grab two," River matched his smirk as they followed Stiles into the darkness ahead. "Should we split up?"
"If this was a horror movie, you would be dead," Stiles said from ahead of them.
"Good thing that this isn't a horror movie then, huh?" River responded.
"I don't know," Scott sighed. "Three dumb teens wondering around the woods in the middle of the night looking for half of a dead body? Sounds like a horror movie."
"In that case, I'll wait by the car so that I can drive away the moment everything goes sideways," River responded, turning back and heading to the road. "Call if you need me."
"Scaredy cat!" Stiles called, causing River to roll her eyes and smile as she continued.
Once at the Jeep, she pulled the extra key from above the back tire and unlocked the driver's side door before placing the key back in its hiding spot. She climbed into the driver's seat and pulled the door closed, relocking it before climbing into the backseat. She grabbed Stiles Chemistry book from his bookbag and used her flashlight to begin reading it. She had already read through it over the Summer, but she remembered hearing that the teacher was a hard-ass and wanted to try to make a good impression. She had read through three chapters when there was a tap at the window, causing River to jump and look around.
Noah smirked at her from outside the Jeep and she put the schoolbook back into Stiles' bag. She climbed into the front seat, unlocking the car and watching as Noah pushed Stiles into the driver's seat. Noah looked to River.
"Where's Scott?" Noah asked.
River shrugged, honestly unsure.
"Why were you in the backseat?" Noah continued his questioning.
"That's where the books are," River shrugged, trying to look innocent.
Noah sighed as he stared into her blue eyes.
"Get home," he told them. "When I get home, you both better be in bed."
"Yes, sir," River agreed as Stiles started the Jeep.
Stiles turned the Jeep around and, as soon as they were on a different road, River turned in her seat.
"Where's Scott?" she asked, worry working its way up her body.
"We split up," Stiles shrugged.
"You said not to split up," River growled out.
"Don't worry," Stiles told her. "He has his phone and we aren't going far. I'll call him in a couple of minutes and we'll go find him."
River sighed as an SUV passed them, leaning back in her seat.
"If something happens to Scotty, I'm feeding you to bears," River threatened.
'Yeah, yeah. I know," Stiles waved his hand, pulling over and pulling his phone from his pocket.
A few minutes later, Stiles' phone rang.
"Scotty, you okay?" Stiles asked, putting the phone on speaker.
"No, dude! Something bit me and I almost got ran over!" Scott answered. "Where are you?"
"We're coming right now," River spoke up. "We parked on the side of the road to wait for you. Stay where you are."
Stiles turned around and they found Scott a few minutes later holding his side. River opened the Jeep door and slid into the middle, Stiles resting his elbow on her thigh so he could still switch gears. Scott climbed in, shutting the door and leaning into River a bit.
"What bit you?" she asked.
"A wolf," he whispered.
"To the hospital," River said.
"No," Scott argued. "Then Mom will know that I snuck out."
"You were attacked by a wild animal," River stated. "You could be bleeding out or have rabies."
"Please, River?" Scott asked, turning his puppy-dog eyes on her.
"Fine," River ground out, noticing that Stiles was already driving towards Scott's house, causing her to send him a glare.
He smiled widely at her glare as they pulled into Scott's driveway.
"Let's get you cleaned up," River sighed, following Scott out of the Jeep.
Stiles and River cleaned Scott's wound and wrapped it before heading out. They beat the Sheriff home and both ran up to their rooms, throwing on their pajamas and climbing into their beds. Stiles' voice came from her nightstand drawer and River rolled her eyes. She reached over and pulled out the walkie talkie.
"Repeat that? Over," she released the button, waiting for Stiles.
"Are you okay? Over."
"I'm fine. I was safe in the Jeep. Over."
"I know your anxiety goes up when one of us gets injured. Over."
"I'm okay," River promised. "Go to sleep, Sti. Love you. Over and out."
"Love you, too," River heard Stiles' sleepy voice respond before you put the walkie talkie back into the drawer.
River thought back to the day that the Sheriff had brought her home. They hadn't been able to find her family, but there was an open case for her missing person throughout the state. The group home that she had been placed in had been rough and, when Noah had come to check on her, he had pulled her into "police custody" for fighting. The fight had actually been her defending one of the younger kids to three older ones. When she had told them to leave the little boy alone, they turned their attention to her.
River had fought all three of the older, bigger boys at once, defending herself quite well. Noah had come in at the end of the fight, right when River had knocked the third boy out. He pulled her from the room, wrapping her in his arms and demanding an explanation from the adults that should have been around. He took her home that night, setting her up in the guest room that was beside Stiles' room.
Stiles had come flying through the front door ahead of Melissa and Scott when Noah had called her to come check over River. He had been shocked to see her to say the least. Or maybe the shock was due to the black eye and split lip that she had been sporting. Melissa had cleaned the blood from her face and given her an ice pack. When River and Melissa went downstairs, they found Stiles pacing back and forth in the kitchen, ranting about how terrible group homes were and telling his dad that River was staying with them, as if it was completely up to Stiles and no one else.
"I already made a few calls!" Noah yelled over his son's raised voice. "She's staying."
"Well. Good," Stiles had run out of steam and flopped down into the dining room chair beside Scott.
Scott just looked amused at the whole thing before making eye contact with River. His face dropped when he saw the bruising on her face before his eyebrows furrowed.
"Well, it's a good thing she's staying, or else I would be giving mom the same lecture you just gave your dad," Scott had said.
River had rolled her eyes and opened her arms. Both boys had run straight into her arms, causing a very tight group hug between the three of them. Since that day, the two boys had sworn to each other to watch out for River. They knew she could handle herself from the bruises on her knuckles, but that didn't mean that they wanted her to.
Six years later and River fell asleep with a smile on her face, not even waking when Noah checked on her when he got home. He walked into her room, brushing the hair from her face and kissed the top of her head. He left the room, checking on Stiles next. He held in a laugh when he saw Stiles, his limbs all over the place. Noah stepped into the room, picking up the walkie talkie that he wasn't supposed to know about from the floor and setting it on Stiles' desk. He moved Stile's arms slightly, making his son more comfortable and unwrapping the blanket from Stiles' legs. He laid the blanket over Stiles before kissing his head and leaving the room