In the sleepy town of Beacon Hills, where the Californian sun waged a futile war against an ever-grey sky, Lucy stirred from her sleep at half-past two in the afternoon. Her childhood home, steeped in a comforting solitude, sheltered her from the biting chill that seemed to seep into everything around; a stark contrast to the warm beaches and city life she had grown accustomed to. She was alone, save for the ghosts of family relationships left untended – her mother's diligent shifts at the local hospital, her younger brother's mysterious school life – all mere specters of a connection she barely understood. Yet, in this eerie silence of a household paused in time, there was a strange allure that kept drawing her back from L.A., even if it meant leaving under the cover of darkness to avoid any confrontation with her unsuspecting boyfriend.

Lucy was determined to actually make a change this time. After a shower and getting dressed, the first thing she did was get onto her phone and start swiping through job postings for Beacon Hills. A year out of nursing school and she had yet to put her degree to work. He who may not be named had maken sure to take care of her, but that came with restricting almost every bit of the outside world from her.

The thought sent a shiver through her spine. She would have to get a new phone soon. Even more reason for her to get a job as fast as possible. Lucy made sure to google jobs that were urgently hiring. The first thing that caught her eye was a post for the Beacon Hills High school nurse. That would definitely work.

There was no hesitation as she filled out the application, linking her credentials and writing down her mother who was a resident nurse at the hospital as her number one reference. No way she wouldn't get this job. There had always been a shortage of official nurses at the hospital and no one was going to take the much shittier pay that the high school was offering. Well, that was what Lucy would be here for.

The mornings after an arguement were always so weird for her- she felt so out of it like the world surrounding her was fake. Especially when she stood in front of the mirror- light on this time. Her lip would heal soon, the bruises would take a lot of makeup but it was doable. Doable. That's what she had to keep thinking to herself about this new direction she would take. All of this was doable.

It had to be.

"Wait, Lulu is back? You do realize this is the worst possible time for her to be back- right? Like I actually can't think of a worse time for Lucy McCall to have come back to town." As Scott and his best friend Stiles strolled through the high school hallways, Stiles was in full-on rant mode, fired up and going off on a tirade.

Scott rolled his eyes, throwing his head back as he thought of all the problems that just didn't stop stacking on his plate. "Yeah, I know, Stiles. After she came I started to hear him."

"Him?"

"The Alpha!" Scott whispered aggressively through his clenched teeth. "Like, he was howling for me specifically… I could barely fight it."

Stiles let out a frustrated groan, his rough hand rubbing over his stubbled face. He could feel the weight of stress and confusion pressing down on him, just as heavily as it was on Scott. They were both drowning in the constant pressure of their supernatural responsibilities, and it was taking its toll. But amidst all the chaos, there was one bright spot for Stiles – the chance to see Scott's older sister once again. Memories of her babysitting them flooded his mind, and he couldn't help but smile at the thought of her. She was his first crush, after all.

Scott's voice trembled with worry as he pleaded with his best friend, Stiles. "Can you do me a favor and swing by my house while I'm at Allison's? I need to make sure my sister is still there." He had promised to study with Allison after school, but he couldn't shake off the anxiety that his sister might sneak away again without anyone to keep an eye on her.

"Bro, you want me to go hang out with your sister?" Stiles made a face, thinking about being alone with Lucy even if it was for a second. Nothing would probably come from this, but it would in his mind. "Hell yeah!"

"Stiles," Scott warned through a grimace, "Don't be weird. And don't bring up the thing. Just make sure she is doing okay."

Knowing Lucy was struggling with her abusive relationship was very sobering for Stiles. He had a special bond with Lucy from childhood that wouldn't make it awkward between them. Wouldn't be the first time that he had to try and keep her from running off back to her boyfriend.

"I got, I got it," Stiles said. The two of them continued to walk to their next class, each with the girl on their mind.

Lucy received a call from Beacon Hills High that afternoon, securing herself an interview for the next morning. It was a small but satisfying victory. With limited funds, she knew she needed to purchase a new outfit for the occasion.

Lucy's boyfriend insisted that she keep her hair long, so it cascaded down her back, reaching her waist. During her teenage years, she had preferred to keep it at a more professional collar bone length and sometimes added blonde highlights for fun. But now, it was just black and lacked any personality. She felt like a child with this style.

Staring at the scissors in her hand, she couldn't help but think about how angry he would be if she went through with it. But then again, why did his opinion matter if she was leaving anyway? Or was she really going to leave? She had convinced herself that she wouldn't, but now doubt crept in. Was it worth risking his anger just to find out if she could truly escape this toxic relationship? No, she couldn't risk it right now. But the urge to cut away her chains was almost overwhelming.

Lucy changed out of her old pajamas and into a pair of Scott's sweatpants and a hoodie to cover up her neck. She put her hair into a messy bun and grabbed her keys off the coffee table where she had left them last night. A quick trip to the mall for some work and interview clothes..,and maybe some heavier makeup for these bruises.

She swung open the front door to her house and was greeted by Stiles Stillinski, her brother's closest friend standing there with a fist up like he was just about to knock. Immediately she pulled her hair down to cover her face. It was an instinct she had developed around people she knew, especially people from her past. It was embarassing when people knew you let someone put their hands on you.

"Lucy!" Stiles acted aloof to her stance and let a huge smile cover his face. He went in for an embrace that Lucy accepted. She loved Stiles and the way he always treated her like she was the best thing on earth. He had been like that since he was young and she would babysit him while his dad spent time with his mother in the hospital. She had a lot of good memories connected to watching the boy and all the shit he would get her into due to his ADHD. Lucy gave him a squeeze as she imagined those times from years ago.

"Stiles." She gave him one last squeeze. "What are you doing here? Didn't yall just get out of school?"

"Well Scott told me you were here and I decided to come see you," Stiles knew better than to mention anything that had to do with making sure Lucy wouldn't leave. He thought it was best to let domestic violence victims not feel any more pressured by someone else. "Where are you headed?"

"I was going to go to the mall, I have an interview to be your school's nurse tomorrow morning." Stiles thought it was good that Lucy sounded excited about something. Maybe she was doing better.

"That's awesome- I get to see you everyday for free, then." They both laughed at his little attempt at flirting before standing in silence. Stiles finally studied her face, noting the purple marks that were being hidden by the oversized hoodie she had on. In a sobering tone he said, "I'm glad you're back. I hope it's for good."

Lucy definitely felt a sting in her heart at his words and in order to keep her composure she quickly changed the subject. After stepping past Stiles she asked, "Where's Scott?"

Stiles closed the front door behind her and stepped into place by her side as they walked off the McCall house' porch. "Well, Scott has this girl friend and they're studying."

"Studying?"

"Yeah, studying."

Lucy grinned childishly as she thought of her little brother 'studying' with some girl. Ew. She can't believe they are so grown up now. Lucy stopped and looked Stiles dead in his eyes. "My little brother has a girlfriend? Since when?"

"I didn't say girlfriend.. I said girl- pause -friend." That made Lucy laugh, rolling her eyes in annoyance. Typical Stiles.

"Well what about you? Any lucky girls?" Lucy asked, continuing her pacing to her car.

"You know I've been keeping my options open- not like I'm waiting for you or anything.." Stiles trailed off, raising a brow at his best friend's older sister. It was all playful banter but judging by the smile engraved into her usually sad face, he was doing a good job at keeping her spirits up.

Lucy was about to reply with her usual clever comeback when the blaring horn of Stiles' jeep interrupted them. He had completely forgotten about Derek Hale, who was feeling under the weather and sitting in the passenger seat. Stiles was basically Scott's lackey for the day, and while he enjoyed chatting with Lucy, he was irritated that he had to babysit Derek Hale.

Derek had been shot by some magic bullet and it was up to Scott to find it and keep him alive. Stiles had no idea why they had to help Derek right now, but he did know that it was getting on his nerves to be driving the dying, stinky, and way too agressive werewolf around.

"Who is that?" Lucy asked, squinting to look into the windshield. She couldn't get that good of a look at the person sitting in Stiles' passenger seat but she could easily make out the silouhetter of a slumped over man.

"Ummmmm, my cousin. He's in town for a little- like you."

Lucy sucked her teeth before she answered. "I hope you didn't bring him over here as some elaborate scheme to get me to like fall in love. That would be so whack."

"What? No!" Stiles protested immediately. "He's an asshole, I would never do that."

There was another, longer beep from the car that made Lucy snort. "I can see."

She kept her eyes trained on the windshield as they walked to their cars. It felt nice to talk to Stiles but now it was time to get back to forcing herself to readapt into the society of Beacon Hills. Starting with conquering the mall.

Stiles continued to walk Lucy to her car before he handeled the Derek situation. As long as Scott hadn't responded to his texts there was nothing he could do for Derek anyways. Besides, talking to Lucy was way more fun than Derek freaking Hale.

"Is he alright?" Stiles looked down at Lucy, following her gaze as she stood at her car door looking directly at Derek who was pale and leaning over like he was dying. Well he was, but why did have to go and look the part, too?

"He's fine! Don't worry about him!" Stiles said quickly, reaching over to open Lucy's car door. But she didn't even pay attention to him trying to rush her out of there. Stiles wasn't even thinking when he parked directly beside Lucy's sedan.

"Are you sure? He looks like he is about to pass out!" Lucy couldn't help but feel worried- she was a nurse afterall and she did have a caring nature about her. All she did when she was growing up was look after two boys who were constantly getting hurt and into trouble. She had to check up on this guy.

Stiles couldn't prevent her from walking to his car and opening the passenger side door. Her eyebrows were furrowed with concern as she looked Derek up and down, unable to hide her worry.

"Hey, you okay?" Lucy tapped the man's broad shoulder, shocked at how buff and toned he looked through his grey t-shirt. Even as pale and sickly as he was slumped over in the car she could tell he put a lot of effort into his body. She was shocked that Stiles had family that looked like this- it must've skipped him in the genetic code.

The man looked up at her, his eyes like stone, devoid of any warmth or emotion. She couldn't help but study his features - the thick, furrowed eyebrows that gave him a perpetual scowl, the clenched teeth that accentuated his sharp jawline, and once again, the taut muscles and pronounced veins that rippled beneath his fair skin. He exuded a sense of masculinity that she couldn't deny.

"What's wrong with him?" She asked Stiles once she realized the guy was going to ignore her. Stiles was standing at the driver side door scratching his head. He looked just as perplexed.

"He's fine! Trust me," he tried, but that wouldn't fool Lucy.

"I'm a nurse, Stiles." She glanced back at the man in the passenger side and then back up Stiles. "Does he do drugs? Is he withdrawing?"

In almost a growl, Lucy finally heard the gritty voice of Stiles' cousin. "I don't do drugs. Stiles, hurry the hell up!"

Stiles nodded furiously and got into his Jeep. Lucy was still more worried than she would've liked to be… but she just couldn't help it. "You're taking him to the hospital, right? He looks like death."

"What's it to you!?" Finally, Derek had had enough of this girl holding up Stiles. He needed to get out of here and somewhere where he could rest- outside of Stiles' uncomfortably cheap Jeep seats.

He noticed right away that his yell made the girl jump, stepping back so far from the door you would think he had shoved her. It was something trivial that was not his business- but that didn't mean he didn't feel bad.

"Derek- what the hell? Chill!" It was the most secure and passionate that he had ever heard Stiles before. It just added onto the guilt- usually the kid was a little pussy. Derek looked back up into the brown doe eyes of what he had overheard was Scott's sister.

"Sorry." He mumbled. He stared into her frightened eyes and focused his hearing on her pounding heart. Was he really that scary?

Stiles jumped out of his car and grabbed onto Lucy, pulling her into his chest. She shook her head and broke eye contact with Derek. It was so embarrassing for her to be so scared by such little signs of aggression. She didn't want to be treated like some fragile baby.

"I'm fine," she tried to laugh off the encounter and pulled away from Stiles. She would just mind her business, now. It was her fault for trying to insinuate that he was a drug addict anyway, "I'm sorry, Derek?"

Derek's heart skipped at the way she said his name. She had the sweetest and smallest voice now. Her breathing and heart rate was calm now, too. He felt so shitty about that… Even though she had stopped looking at him he was still staring at her. He noticed the bruise on her face, the way her lip was a little more swollen on one side, the way her skin was lacking color, and of course the bruises covering her neck. Like she had just been choked in the last two days.

Outside of her bruises she was a gorgeous girl, way too pretty to be Scott's sister. She had to be about Derek's age, too. He wondered if they went to school together during high school. Derek was okay, but not that popular… and he was way too fascinated with his first girlfriend to have noticed her- maybe. Either way, she wasn't his problem and he wasn't hers. He had to worry about his own life, and she seemed okay now.

"It's fine. Stiles, come on." Stiles gave Lucy one last pat on her back and ran to the drivers side again.

Derek's behavior was incredibly embarrassing and it infuriated him that he would yell at Lucy in such a manner. Couldn't he pick up on the tense atmosphere? Or use his wolf abilities to realize that Lucy was Scott's sister? Derek felt utterly useless in that moment.

As Stiles drove away he couldn't contain the annoyance he was feeling towards Derek. He turned to him, "Why'd you have to go and yell at her? Are you trying to give her some type of PTSD?"

Derek groaned in pain and kept his eyes trained on the road. "Just find out where Scott is! Do you see this?"

Derek lifted his arm, the skin now a sickly shade of grey as the veins bulged and pulsed with a dark, venomous liquid coursing through them. His fingers twitched involuntarily as the poison continued to spread through his body, causing a burning sensation in every nerve. He could feel his life slipping away, each second bringing him closer to death. A thin sheen of sweat covered his brow as he struggled to stay conscious, fighting against the overwhelming toxicity flowing through his veins.

His life literally depended on Scott and he wasn't feeling so confident in him right now.

He glanced at himself in the rearview mirror and noticed right away that his eyes had sunk deep into his skin. He did look like some kind of drug addict. He thought back to Scott's sister… Lucy. She had seen him like this. Not that he cared that much. It would be okay for him to feel shitty after he wasn't sure he would have to cut off his arm.

Stiles pulled over on the side of the road and took out his phone. As he dialed Scott he began to rant, "You don't so shit like that to people like Lucy. She was just trying to look out for you, you know? If you go around showing her that all fucking guys are douchebags than why wouldn't she just go back to the one she already knows? You couldn't use any wolf charm or some shit? Hello!"

Stiles began to talk on the phone, completely disregarding anything that Derek might have had to say back. Looks like Stiles was not going to let this one go. All he could do was roll his eyes- the intense burning in his arm would be his punishment for now.

Later that evening, the scent of rice and chicken filled the air in the McCall house. Lucy was in the kitchen over the stove cooking dinner for her family. She hadn't spoken to her mom since she had been back home so her idea was to make her a nice dinner when she got home from work. One of the first things that her mother had taught her to make was Spanish rice and beans and it was something she barely got to make because it wasnt' 'healthy.'

Lucy was so used to making fish dinners with rice and greens because she was dating a 'gym bro,' so she was feeling really good about indulging in something a little different this time.

She stood there, turning her pot of rice over when Scott pushed through the front door, panting. She watched him drop his bag at the door with a sigh of relief and stand pressed against it for a while. He looked to be lost in his thoughts about god knows what.

Truth was, Scott had just had the most stressful encounter of his life; dinner with Allison's family where he had to steal a bullet to save Derek's life. Watching Derek almost die crushing werewolf poison into his arm wasn't even the most disturbing thing that happened to him that day either- it was Derek bringing him to see his uncle who had third degree burns over half his body- courtesy of the Argent's. To say it had him shook and confused was an understatement.

"You okay, buddy?" Lucy called to her brother from the kitchen. Her kind eyes helped to calm his nerves a little at least. He sauntered over to the kitchen and sat at the table.

"No. I'm freaking losing my mind right now!" Scott put his head in his hands as the whole night continued to replay in his mind over and over.

"Do you want some arroz y frijoles?" Before he answered, Lucy was making her brother a plate of food. The sense of familiarity gave her a nice warm feel of satisfaction. She could easily picture young Scott running around- with almost the same exact haircut - and a young her trying her hardest to live an actual teenager life while dealing with her annoying little brother. She would never let that show to him, though. Lucy had always been a very loving older sister- that wouldn't change now.

"What's going on? We haven't got the chance to catch up," Lucy said as she placed the food on the table in front of him. Scott had just eaten but ever since he became a werewolf his stomach felt like a bottomless pit. He started shoveling food into his mouth right away.

Through his food he said, "I don't know- I never had to like think about what I was doing and if it was right. I'm just kind of stressed."

Lucy was puzzled about this and let it show in her face. "You know every problem when you're a teenager feels like it will be the end of the world."

"This is a different."

"Like how? What is it about?"

"Lacrosse! Allison! School! The problems never end!"

Lucy laughed. "Sports, a girl, and school? Seems like teenager stuff."

Scott groaned. He had to leave out the most important thing that was making all his 'teenager' problems actually feel like the real end of the world. He didn't even want to talk anymore after that. He settled on changing the subject. "How about you?"

Lucy literally felt her heart drop. Immediately she broke eye contact and got up to go serve herself and her mother. There was a moment of silence in the room as Scott stared at Lucy's back. It wasn't like her to open up anyway but it was always worth a try.

"You going to tell mom tonight?" He tried again. Lucy ignored him some more and it allowed him to actually take in the fact that she was wearing his baggy clothes that covered her from almost head to toe. He didn't need an answer after that.

"Did Stiles ever take his cousin to the hospital? That dude looked like he was on drugs- I hope you're not doing that type of shit.'

"His cousin?" Scott didn't know what the hell Lucy was talking about and it showed all in his voice. He really hoped Stiles didn't bring Derek around Lucy; he had to keep this werewolf secret from her too and he didn't need Derek interfering with anymore of his life after the mess he caused that night.

Lucy turned to face him. "I hope drugs aren't what's playing a part in all your drama. You have a girlfriend and you play lacrosse, thats great and I would love to hear all about it but make sure you're going about these things the right way." Lucy paused. She was the last one to talk. She couldn't and wouldn't pass judgement on anything Scott was doing. If he was into drugs she would love for him to open up, though. The older sister ended with, "I guess we both will have our problems."

Scott was completely confused on what she was talking about, and they both looked completely lost in their expressions like true siblings. The McCall siblings were good at keeping their secrets and problems private, and as close as they were- there wasn't anything coming out of either of them that night.

Thankfully, their mother, Melissa, walked into the house and broke the stare down going on. Usually she came home from work to nothing but a dark house and a mess for her to clean up but the car outside and the aroma in the house made her cheerful. From the door sheh shouted. "Wow, it smells good in here!"

Scott took his mothers presence as his cue to get up and dropped his plate into the sink. He had every intention of leaving his mother and sister to talk without having to hear the drama- even though he knew he would still be able to hear from upstairs.

"Hey, mom," Scott greeted as he walked into the foyer and past his mother, "someones in the kitchen for you."

Lucy had to mentally prepare herself for talking to her mom. As much as she did love her, she always thought Melissa was kind of clueless- on one hand, she loved her dearly, but on the other, she couldn't help feeling frustrated with how clueless her mother could be at times. Lucy knew it was partly her own fault for not reaching out for help sooner, but she couldn't shake off the resentment towards her mother for always putting so much responsibility on her from such a young age. As a nurse, Melissa should have noticed the signs of domestic violence in her daughter's behavior, but instead, she remained oblivious to them.

Melissa walked into her kitchen, noticing her daughter standing there right away. She was glad she was right about her being there. Melissa had accepted that her daughter was a big city girl who was too big for Beacon Hills. She just had trusted her daughter's long time boyfriend to take care of her.

With a hug she greeted, "Lucy! I thought I saw your car outside."

"Yeah, I've been here since last night." The women ended their hugged quickly and then stood there, Lucy not trying to make eye contact. The tension was thick and they both could feel it.

"You cooked?" Melissa finally asked, stepping back and looking around the kitchen.

"Yeah." Lucy handed her mom the plate that was prepared for her earlier with a small smile. "I want to stay here for a while."

Lucy paused. In a second her throat got tight and her eyes began to sting. So many times in her life she just wanted to break down and confess everything to her mom but she never could. Both parents had thrown themselves into their separate jobs and left Lucy to take care of Scott. They were never around for moral support so she didn't know how to even start this.

"Of course you can stay here. Did you guys get into a fight?" Melissa was blind to the distress her child was in and sat at the table to indulge.

Lucy swallowed hard at the thought of it. She didn't want to think about or process that night yet. Instead she lied her ass off. "An arguement. It wasn't bad, though. We just need space."

"Sometimes space is important- this is really good by the way!"

Lucy angrily raked her fork through the rice, frustrated with the cramped space she was in. She couldn't pinpoint what she wanted from her mother, and Melissa's distant behavior only added to her irritation. At her age, Lucy felt like she should have a better handle on these things, but she supposed it all boiled down to fear. Fear of change, fear of consequences, and fear of being judged

As the conversation drifted into something non-important. Scott (who had been listening from upstairs the whole time) and Lucy both realized that Lucy was just scared. She had been living her life in fear for way too long now for anything to change.