Disclaimer: teen wolf does not belong to me in any way, shape or form :( thank you so much for the continued support and a big shoutout to guest, Jesscc98, guest (yes, Stiles and Kayla will train together still :) ) guest and Linda96 for reviewing it means the world, hope you enjoy.

Wednesday was uneventful, at least in Kayla's eyes.

She went to school, being the dutiful daughter her mom expected all the while hating the strict regime she felt controlled by.

She understood - to a degree - why her mom was so untrusting of her. Honestly, if she was in her mom's shoes she would probably be the same, but it didn't mean she had to like it. If anything, wasn't positive risk taking supposed to be encouraged? It wasn't like she was going to go off the deep end again. She was stronger than that now, more resilient. Didn't her mom see that? Didn't she see the effort she was putting in?

She had long since accepted the move to Beacon Hills. At this point, she wasn't even bitter about it anymore. She had come to terms with the change, with starting a fresh and leaving behind everything she had known.

She still missed home though.

She missed the way of life there.

The food, so flavoursome and plentiful, with spice and seasoning like no other. Fresh and locally sourced, with portions to feed an army. Here it was a lot plainer, mass produced and dry, and filled with chain restaurants. Not much sense of individuality.

The music and festivals was another thing that wasn't the same here in sunny California. The streets weren't lined with buskers or bands playing on the sidewalks or in the parks, nor did she hear of any festivals. Near enough every week back home there was a festivals full of Indy singers and bands, the kind that could last days and meant you had to camp out at it. She and her friends would often go on the weekend, sneaking in drink and smoking the odd spliff. But here? Non existent. The most they did was play some overused song from a pair of speakers.

Even the oppressing heat she found herself craving. The smothering humidity that made breathing hard and caused you to sweat through your clothes in minutes. It was different here, a lot more sun but less humidity, able to get a cool breeze.

Beacon Hills was a beautiful place, it really was. The scenery, the lakes... stunning. Not that far from the beach either, but back home... oh back home it was indescribable. Stunning bodies of water, beautiful old trees and incredible sunsets. Buildings full of history with many stories to tell.

It was home.

... Except now it wasn't.

So she settled for the cards she had drawn. Accepting her fate.

She spent Thursday after school getting back into running, carving a route around the preserve. She even ran all the way to the tops of the cliff at the lookout point overseeing the entirety of Beacon Hills, spending a while there and enjoying the peace and quiet.

It wasn't quite home beautiful... but it was beautiful none the less.

She enjoyed the tranquility of the outdoors, the bliss that it offered. Out here she didn't have to pretend. She could just be herself, not someone she was expected to be.

When the sky started to darken she headed home, not wanting her mom to blow her top, and spent the rest of her evening in the basement, setting up her gymnastic training equipment.

It was nothing special. Just a balance beam, a pommel horse and a bar, also setting up some weights and a salmon ladder, preferring to exercise more outside. Maybe getting back into this would give her something to focus on. A way to burn off some much needed energy.

By the time she sorted out the basement though it was nearing midnight so decided to head to bed.

What she didn't expect though was to get woken up before her alarm to someone clumsily climbing in her bedroom window.

Without thinking she shot up, grabbing the bedside lamp and pulling it free from the plug, raising it above her head in an attempt to knock out whoever was intruding but at the very last second she recognised the outline through the hazy darkness of her room.

"Derek?" she shrieked, loosening her grip on the lamp as she let her arms fall to her sides, "what the hell are you doing climbing through my window at... five in the morning?" craning her neck to see the time on her alarm clock.

"I was shot"

"Wow, blunt as ever" she remarked before helping him stand and move him to sit on her bed as she turned her other lamp on in which Derek cringed, jerking his head in the other direction.

"Is that a necessity?" he bit out, annoyed and cranky.

"Not all of us have heightened werewolf senses" she retorted, rolling her eyes, "are you healing?"

"That's the thing... I'm not"

She frowned, "you're not healing?"

He held out his arm, rolling the sleeve of his leather jacket up so she could see the circular bullet hole that had caved a good chunk of his arm out, spider like veins beginning to branch out from the wound.

"Nasty" she stated, ignoring the roll of his eyes, "who shot you?"

"Argent"

"Chris argent?" she demanded, "he did this?"

"No" Derek shook his head, "the other one. Kate"

The name rung a bell, but she couldn't place where she heard it from.

"His sister" Derek clarified at her confused look, "she's come back to town"

"Oh great... another one" she muttered sarcastically, "just what we need"

Derek winced a little, trying to straighten out his arm but she could tell it was hurting he just wasn't wanting to admit it.

"I'll clean it up" she said, "wait there"

She went into her bathroom, opening the storage cupboard under her sink and pulled out a box of first aid supplies, carrying it back and laying it on the bed as she perched next to Derek, reaching for his arm.

"Be gentle!"

She rolled her eyes again, grabbing the disinfectant.

"I always am"

She cleaned the wound, not too sure if it would help or not, then used a pair or tweezers to pull out any dirt or bits of fabric that clung to it, tapping it dry and applying a little disinfectant cream around it before sticking down some clean gauze to stench the gunk, blood and pus that slowly seeped from the wound.

"It looks bad" she observed, "is it wolfsbane? Because if it is... Derek..."

"I know" he sighed, rolling his sleeve back down, "I know"

"We need to find out what kind" she said, "wolfsbane works fast"

"I'm sure that's what they're planning on"

"If Kate is back then she'll be staying with Chris and Allison right?" she wondered out loud, "maybe between Scott and I, we could see if we could find the bullet?"

"Not you" Derek immediately said, "it's too dangerous"

"And so is leaving you like that" she exclaimed, "Derek... you'll be dead within two days if we don't fix this"

"You're a Hale" he said tightly, his pale face nearing on grey, getting clammy and sweaty, "they'll be watching you like a hawk, looking for any excuse to hurt you. You can't go"

"So, what? Leave it in the hands of Scott?" she chuckled, "I love the dude but he's a bit..."

"Impotent?" Derek suggested, a small smirk playing on his lips.

"Soft" she chuckled, realising that analogy wasn't much better, "what if he can't do it?"

"He'll have to" Derek shrugged, "I should go speak to him-"

"Uh, no" she stated, pushing on his shoulders to keep him on the bed, "you stay here. I'll speak to Scott at school. I'm sure he has a study date with Allison later so he can snoop around then"

She knew Derek mustn't be feeling like himself because he didn't put up much of a fight, laying back against her headboard and slowly lifting his legs onto the bed.

"He's not going to want to help me" Derek gasped, "he doesn't trust me"

"He trusts me" she stated, "uh... kind of. Don't worry, I'll make sure he helps"

There was no point getting a short nap in before school, especially considering she was worried about Derek, so chose to just get ready and let Derek rest in her bed as she did so, watching him slip in and out of consciousness.

Seeing Derek like this... it reminded her too much of her dad and brother.

They died by getting shot multiple times by wolfsbane bullets. Poisoned too quickly to save them.

Would Derek end up the same way?

She couldn't lose anyone else... she just couldn't.

She threw on a pair of faded denim jeans on and paired it with a simple oversized striped shirt tucked into the front of her jeans, leaving her hair down and wavy so it bounced around her shoulders.

"Stay here and rest" she ordered, "I'll let you know what he says"

"My phone's broken"

"Or course it is" she stated blandly, resisting another eye roll, "you're terrible with technology"

"It fell out my pocket!"

"A.K.A, you threw it at the wall in annoyance"

He glowered at her, "well, if they didn't make them so breakable"

"Anything is breakabale to you, you're a werewolf"

His energy was clearly getting sapped fast because he kept his mouth shut, his glare half as deadly as normal.

"Look... I'll sort it, alright?" she said softly, walking over to him and grabbing a blanket from the ottoman by her bed, giving it a shake and draping it over his lower body, "just rest"

"Don't be putting yourself in danger" he said quietly, "it's not worth it"

"You're worth it" she emphasised, "you're just about the only family I got left. If I say I'll sort it, I'll sort it, alright?"

"Be careful" he warned, "the Argents are dangerous. Make sure Scott knows that too"

"I will" she vowed, grabbing her bag from the floor and swinging it over her shoulder, "I'll be back by four. Help yourself to some food downstairs"

She left him resting, hurrying to school to try and catch the terrible twosome before class started, scurrying the halls in search of them and luckily it didn't take long, seeing them heading to the boys locker room for early morning practice.

She took off after them, pushing open the door and squeezing past the bunch of half naked guys that stared down at her in wonder, ignoring the few flirty remarks and wolf whistles she got as she poked each of them in their bare backs.

Stiles yelped, jumping at the sudden intrusion and spun around hastily, his eyes widening at the sight of her standing there and quickly grabbed his lacrosse top, bunching it across his chest to keep modest.

"K-Kayla. W-What are you doing here-"

"You're going to Allison's after school today, right?" she asked Scott, a desperate sense of urgency in her tone.

"Yeah..." Scott replied, looking around in confusion as he tugged on his top, "and I know, werewolf hunters-" he whispered, "-but there's no need to worry"

"I'm not" she said, "but I need a favour. We need a favour"

"We?" Stiles asked, clumsily pulling on his top as she tried to hide as much of his chest as he could, "who's we?"

"Derek and I"

"No" Scott shook his head, "no way. I'm not helping him"

"He's hurt Scott" she said, "badly"

"Awwww, did the big bad wolf get a splinter in his paw?" Stiles mocked, a small chuckle escaping his lips at his own joke. Kayla simply glared at him, completely unamused, as Scott whacked his friend over the head.

"Are you not done with the dog jokes?" Scott demanded as Stiles just shrugged with no shame.

"Kayla, look-" Stiles stated, "-Derek's a big boy - I'm sure he can look after himself"

"Usually, yeah" she agreed, "but not this time. He was shot with wolfsbane"

"That's a shame" Stiles remarked, "not really seeing how this is our problem?"

"Because Derek is your one ally against the Alpha Scott" she warned, "he knows more about being a werewolf than you can even imagine. If he doesn't teach you, you'll get found out, caught and die" she said bluntly, "usually by getting chopped in half"

"Pleasant image" Stiles muttered, his face screwing up at the gory thought.

"So please..." she continued, "go to Allison's today and find the bullet. If not for Derek then for me. I can't lose anyone else"

Scott's eyes softened, his expression wavering between sympathy and sadness.

"Okay. Okay I'll do it" Scott nodded, "but he owes me for this"

"Thank you" she beamed, surprising even herself as she brought him into a hug, "thank you. We're both grateful"

"Uh... sure" Scott mumbled awkwardly, "it's no problem"

She smiled at him, readjusting her bag and spinning around to leave the locker room just as Stiles called out, "what? So I don't get a hug too?"

"I still think it's ridiculous" Stiles stated, rolling his eyes as he took a bite from his apple , "we have better things to do than save Derek"

"We?" Scott asked, raising an eyebrow from across the lunch table, "I don't remember you being a part of this plan"

"Moral support" Stiles quipped, "ruining, what was to be, an eventful study session I'm sure"

He watched as Scott blushed a little, digging his fork into the plate of goo that was meant to be food.

"I'm sure studying means studying" his friend said and Stiles just scoffed at that, sometimes wondering how on earth he had survived all these years of friendship with someone so dense.

"Dude, everyone knows studying is code word for third base"

"I don't think Allison is like that..."

"Is she inviting you over when no one's home?"

"Yeah"

"Then you're getting to third base" Stiles smirked, "or maybe second. But definitely some sort of base"

"So what do I do?" Scott asked cluelessly, "do I... like... take a condom?"

Stiles winced, "see, that's tricky. Take one and you're expectant, don't take one and that's how you end up a teen dad"

"Stiles" Scott groaned, "you're not helping"

Stiles tried to hold back his laugh, enjoying his friends uncomfortableness and all around awkwardness.

"Dude, how the hell would I know? In case you're not already aware, I've been to no base. Nada. And the likelihood is I won't get to any base - ever. I'm going to be a virgin forever"

"You could always pay someone" Scott joked under his breath and Stiles just leaned forward to flick his forehead in annoyance.

"Like I have that kind of money"

Scott rolled his eyes, "so, condom or no condom?"

"You just really like rubbing it in my face don't you?"

Scott resisted another eyeroll, deciding to bench the conversation about him and Allison's potential sex life and watched as his friend perked up a little, his gaze softening slightly as his eyes followed the direction of something slowly, seeming captivated by whatever the sight was.

Scott was beyond sure it would be Lydia, having seen Stiles drool over her since third grade and had become accustomed to his fantastical stares but, to his surprise, as he swivelled around in his seat, he saw Kayla walking to the other side of the canteen towards the vending machine.

He frowned, turning back to look at Stiles who seemed to shake his head a little, focusing his bleary gaze back on him as he shrugged.

"What?"

Scott smirked, knowing straight away what was going on with him.

"You like her, don't you?"

"W-What?" Stiles asked in a high pitch tone, his voice breaking a little as he fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat, "what do you- like-like who?"

"Kayla" Scott said knowingly, "you have a thing for her"

"T-That's ridiculous" Stiles stuttered, becoming flushed as the tips of his ears burnt a bright red, "she's... she's uh... you know... she's..."

"Listening to this is painful" Scott joked, "what a terrible liar you are"

"Urgh" Stiles groaned, dramatically throwing his head down on the table, "is it that obvious I'm crushing on her?"

"Kinda"

"Crap" was the muffled reply he got.

"Dude" Scott chuckled, "she would eat you alive"

"I know" Stiles' faint groan was almost whimsical, imagining the scenario in his head as he lifted his forehead off the lunch table, "but, come on, can you blame me? She's hot. I mean... insanely hot" Stiles emphasised, "and she's actually said more than two words to me which, y'know, automatic boner alert"

Scott scrunched his face up, "I didn't need to know that"

Stiles waved him off, glancing sideways to see Kayla grab her pack of Reese's and head back to the lunch table with Lydia and Allison, sitting back casually in the chair with her legs slightly opened in a relaxed stance, opening the packet and breaking one in half before putting it in her mouth.

"Doesn't matter anyway" Stiles shrugged, "I definitely don't stand a chance with her"

"You never know" Scott replied lightheartedly.

"Oh, I know" Stiles muttered, "girls like that don't go with guys like me. They go with guys like Jackson or Brian"

Scott smirked at the obvious bitterness towards Brian, knowing it was simply because he had been all up in Kayla's business multiple times now.

"Kayla hates Brian"

"Didn't stop her going to second base with him though did it?" he grunted, completely unamused, "like ew, he definitely did not deserve that"

"Just ask her out"

Stiles let out an exagggeated laugh, "haha, yeah, funny Scott" he remarked sarcastically, "let my pale, 147 pound nerd ass ask out the hottest girl in school. Sure. That doesn't spell disaster or anything"

Scott quirked a brow, "oh so... Lydia isn't the hottest girl in school anymore?"

"What? I-I don't know" Stiles spluttered, "why are you talking about Lydia?"

"Because you've barely mentioned her in the last few weeks" Scott pointed out with a smirk, "you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because you're crushing on Kayla - hard"

"I... I wouldn't say hard" Stiles muttered, "she's... she's a friend. A friend who's hot. I have a small crush okay? Of course I do; I have eyes"

"Sure Stiles, a 'small crush'" he quoted with an eye roll, "just ask her out"

Stiles swallowed nervously, "y-you're right though. She'd definitely eat me alive. She seems like the dominant type. God... I would let her do whatever she wanted to me" he daydreamed, staring off into the distance.

"Dude, stop" Scott kicked him under the table, jolting him from the day dream he was in, "don't drag me into your perversions"

The end of the school day came around too slowly for her liking.

As soon as the bell went she headed out to meet Scott and Stiles outside by his jeep, waiting impatiently for them to arrive.

Five minutes later they turned up and she sent them a thundering look, chastising them as if she was their parent.

"Derek's dying you know. You could've walked a little quicker"

"That would then be classed as running and I'm not running for Derek Hale" Stiles snorted sarcastically to which she just sent him a mocking look.

"I get you two are new to this but this is serious" Kayla stated, "an Argent shot him. If he dies... it's war. I'm sure you don't want that Scott"

"Uh... why the hell is Derek here?"

"What?"

She spun around at Stiles observation, seeing Derek stumbling towards them before collapsing in the middle of the parking lot in front of a moving car.

"Shit" she cursed, quickly racing over to him, "shit shit... what did I say about staying in bed?"

He was flat on his back on the tarmac, blinking up at her blearily as Scott and Stiles skidded up behind her, looking around nervously.

"It's the Potpourri" Derek exclaimed, "it stinks"

"What?" she asked, beginning to wonder if this wolfsbane infection had truly gone to his head, "what the hell are you talking about"

"Your mom's Potpourri" he said through gritted teeth, "I can't stand it"

"What? That little bowls of dried plants she has?" she snorted, "that's what you ran all the way here from?"

Derek shot her a glare, "werewolf senses, remember?"

Before she could retaliate, a bunch of horns started blasting at them impatiently, a queue of traffic behinning to build.

"Crap" Scott said, bending down to grab Derek from the ground, "you can't be seen here"

Kayla grabbed the other side of Derek, helping Scott lead him to Stiles' jeep, bundling him inside the passengers side and shutting the door.

"W-Wait, what are you doing?" Stiles hissed, "why is he going anywhere near my jeep?"

"Scott, go to Allison's. Get that bullet" she said, "Stiles and I will deal with Derek" ignoring Stiles' astonished face and Scott's affronted expression by getting ordered around.

"I'm sorry, did you just say 'Stiles and I' - since when do I want any part of this?" he asked, foot tapping against the ground.

"Since your best friend got turned" she shrugged, "come on, let's go"

"No we are not taking my jeep, I'm not some personal taxi service for dying werewolves, werewolves who want to personally rip my throat out" He exclaimed, running in front of Kayla as Scott watched the two of them argue like an interesting tennis match.

"Stiles, please? I need your help on this one" She said, jutting out her lower lip for extra effect - it usually always worked, she was known to have a certain charm about her. Stiles' jaw worked from side to side, as if he was ingesting a frigging crocodile instead of his own saliva. A few seconds later he relaxed his position, throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation.

"Fine, fine - but you're buying me a cheeseburger after this... actually, make that two - with extra fries" he warned, opening the door for her and letting her climb into the back, quickly jumping in too as the impatient honks of the horns got louder.

"We save him..." she smirked playfully, jutting her head forward between the seats, "I'll buy you a hundred" She promised.

"I'll hold you to that" he warned with a small smile, putting the jeep in gear and flooring it from the parking lot.

"So where are we going?" Stiles asked, "gonna need directions here"

"Back to my house. The place you-" throwing the back of Derek's head a pointed glare, "-shouldn't have left"

"I'm not going back there" Derek objected, as stubborn as ever.

"Oh my god, enough with the potpourri" she exclaimed, "it doesn't smell that bad. Stiles, you remember where I live?"

"How does he know where you live?" Derek interjected rudely, throwing them both a suspicious glare.

"Because I invited him over for hot kinky sex" she retorted back without missing a beat as Stiles started choking at her words, "obviously"

"W-What? I... no... we didn't-"

"I was being sarcastic" Kayla said, smirking as Stiles fidgeted uncomfortably, "why do you think Der? It's a small town. Anyway, do you remember?"

Stiles raised his eyebrows, meeting her gaze in the rear view mirror as he swallowed nervously, feeling the hot sweat trickling down the sides of his forehead

"Uh... yeah, you live, like, a few streets away from me"

"Do I?"

"Yeah... we're like neighbours. Maybe. Ish. Well, not really-"

She found his stumblings and stutterings oddly cute, holding back a smile in amusement.

"No" Derek interrupted, "if I go back there... they'll know" he said, "it'll be one of the first places they'll check"

"Do you have any better ideas?"

Derek sighed and stayed quiet, clearly accepting the fact he had no plans.

"Exactly" she smirked, "so my house please Stiles"

"Uh... so am I just dropping you all off or...?" Stiles asked, hesitant and wondering.

"No, you're gonna come in and help in case we need to cut his arm off"

"In? Like... in your house?" Stiles asked slowly, "me? In your house...?"

"Yes Stiles, in my house" she smirked, "why, do you not want to?"

"What? No, of course if I do. Yeah. I've always wondered - well not always, that would be weird. I just wonder what your house would look like. And your bedroom. Not in a creepy way" he rushed out, started to sweat again, "oh god"

"Stiles? Chill" she advised playfully, "no need to get your panties in a bunch. And Derek? put away your k-nines"

She watched, amused, as Stiles sharply looked to the left to eye up Derek cautiously, making the jeep swerve to the other side of the road.

"You better not try anything cause the way you're looking a nine year old could take you down" Stiles threatened, "and I punch harder than a nine year old"

"Just drive" Derek demanded, eyes flashing blue again.

"You know what? I'm getting fed up with your 'attitude' - I'm driving, you answer to me now buddy" Stiles replied back and Kayla leaned forward between the two of them, like a referee in the boxing ring.

"Drive and shut up before I rip out your throat... with my teeth" Derek threatened and Kayla rolled her eyes. Honestly. They couldn't even perform one simple task of getting from point A to point B? Men.

"That threat would be more effective if you didn't look like those zombies from 'thriller'" Stiles replied back sharply and Derek hands clenched, his jaw set rigidly in frustration.

"Okay, there is seriously too much testosterone going on here" Kayla complained as they rounded a corner, Stiles deliberately yanking the wheel of the jeep harder than necessary so Derek's head hit off the glass of the passenger side window.

"That was to establish who's in charge here" Stiles pointed his finger in Derek's face who just glowered back in response as she blew out a long exhausted breath, sagging back in her seat with her arms folded.

This was going to be a long day.

A/N) yay another update, I'm really enjoying this hahaha, love Scott noticing Stiles crushing and the banter between them all haha so please please review and I shall see you all super soon :)