Authors Note:

Thanks for sticking with me - again. I'd really love to hear some thoughts. Also, I started an AU. Maybe I'll be posting it soon-ish. I'll be away for the next two weeks, so no updates, but I plan to come back!
Happy Christmas and enjoy the silent days.
love
xnathiagrey.

P.S.: See the meta I did there? ;D
P.P.S.: while writing, the hints became more present, so I had to update the tags on AO3. It's not a crossover crossover but certain characters will be mentioned and some will actually be at the scene.

CHAPTER FIVE

.it's the darkest hour, in our forest home. [Sevdaliza – Darkest Hour]

When Malia Tate was forced back into her human body after eight years as a coyote, she was mad. Mad didn't even begin to describe it. She was angry. Annoyed. And overwhelmed. Looking into her father's eyes every day struck a nerve. Seeing him, after thinking she was responsible for the crash, made her sick to her stomach. And then she met Stiles at Oak House and fell in love with him. Hard. She fell hard and fast. It was a rollercoaster. Trying to come to terms with her transformation, adjusting to the human world, not leaving anyone behind. She was like a child taking her first steps. He was there for her. Through it all. He was her anchor. He taught her to control her shift. He taught her to be human. She loved him and he loved her.

And when they broke up, it was as if a limp had been ripped from her. When they forgot about him, she struggled to control herself. But she managed. She was strong. Fierce. She was getting used to being human. Watching Lydia and Stiles fall in love with each other hurt her a little. It would be a lie if she didn't have a little bit of jealousy under her skin. After all, he was the first person she had connected with in eight years. But she was happy for them. It was human to feel such emotions, after all, and she was proud that she was getting the hang of it. What she didn't expect was to slowly fall in love with her ex-boyfriend's best friend.

What did Peter once say? Don't fall in love with a dead man.

As it turned out, falling in love with Scott McCall was the best thing that ever happened to her. It was different from her relationship with Stiles. Her relationship with Stiles was fast, full of tension, lust and awkwardness. They cared deeply for each other, but if Malia was honest with herself, she knew that Stiles was never going to be hers. No matter how hard she tried. They weren't meant to be. Even if she had almost created that rift to get him back. Key word being almost.

She remembered how Scott had held her after she got out of the machine, frozen to the bone. She remembered how his hands had lingered on her cold skin and how warmth had spread. She remembered that this was the moment she realized there were more feelings involved. Which made it awkward when they tried to bring her ex-boyfriend back to the living world. But in the end, it worked out pretty damn well for them. They even talked about the awkwardness of being together because she was Stiles' ex-girlfriend. They both had some concerns, but none of them turned out to be true. Stiles was her first shipper, so to speak. Maybe because he was with his first and only love, Lydia.

But when Stiles slipped away, Malia was hurt. She thought their friendship was stronger. Their connection deeper. She tried to reach out to him, tried to track him down, but to no avail. So she gave up. He abandoned her, and no matter how good she was with human emotions and complications, she went back to the animal kingdom in situations like that.

When Scott told her about the meeting, she was silent. "Say something", Scott begged her. Malia shrugged with her shoulders. "I don't know what to say. I don't want to see him."

"He might have an explanation for why he has done what he did", Scott vowed for his best friend, but Malia wasn't buying it. Stiles taught her to not leave anybody behind, just to leave her behind in the end. "Malia, he's important to you too, I know that."

"Maybe", she replied slowly, "however, I'm still mad. He always told me that we are not leaving anyone behind. And then he did exactly that."

Scott grabbed her hands and pulled her to him. He gave her a small peck on the lips and she rested her head on his torso. Being in Scott arms was good. Felt amazing even. He grounded her. Malia purred and closed her eyes, while Scotts fingers traced her spine. A shiver run down her back and she felt home. There are only two places where she felt like this.

The woods, turned into a coyote and with Scott. She looked up with her doe eyes and Scott chuckled, giving her another short peck. "I don't get you", she said, "you were hurt how he withdrew himself from us. Now you act like all of this didn't happen."

"He's still my best friend, Malia. No matter what happened. We've been through worse. And I think after all the second chances I got with him, I owe him this", Scott sighed and Malia was confused.

"When did he give you a second chance?", she wondered.

"A few times. I was a crappy friend, tangled in a messy relationship with Allison. When Gerard beat him, I wasn't there for him. And Theo. I didn't trust him. I believed a guy I barely knew over my best friend", Scott explained.

"But that's… different?", Malia replied, "our pack had been under stress. We had so much on our plates… He shouldn't hold you accountable for that."

"He never did, which is why I am reacting like I am. Stiles never said anything about the stuff that happened between us. And I never said anything either. Maybe that's the reason, why he cut down the contact. I was a crappy friend; I know that now. And Stiles never said anything about it. He just kept going, for me. He deserves to be heard", Scott said, letting his hands run over Malia's skin.

"Hmpf", Malia grunted, "but does this mean I have to talk to him as well?"

"No", Scott said, "not at all. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. I won't pressure you into talking to him. But maybe, if he'll reach out to you, don't drive him away and hear what he has to say?", he kinda begged her and Malia thought about it for a second.

She didn't understand. Or she didn't want to understand. However, it seemed like it was important to Scott.

"I'll think about it. Maybe. I know it's important to you, but right now I don't want to make a decision", she settled, what Scott acknowledged with a small nod. Malia loosened the hug, got on her toes und kissed Scott. He immediately kissed her back, pulling her a little bit closer. Being in his arms was a feeling Malia never got tired off. She loved him. Even though a little voice in her head told her that this might not be forever.

Stiles drummed with his fingers on the steering wheel, while he hummed Taylor Swift's ALL TOO WELL, which was currently playing on the radio. His colleagues were always teasing him that the guy playing HIM in the short movie could be his twin. He didn't really see any similarities. And sue him for being a Swiftie. She's an amazing artist and musician. Everyone has their guilty pleasures.

He used the little time he had before he had to meet his father to drive around, the jeep feeling a little different than it had years ago. But it was like riding a bike. Once he got the hang of it, it felt amazing. Derek really did a phenomenal job with it. Roscoe purred like a kitten, no leaks, the brakes were strong and the engine sounded like heaven. For the first time since he had been back at Beacon Hills, he felt truly at peace.

As he drove, he found himself admiring Beacon Hills. He forgot how peaceful this town was, when there weren't any supernatural or human mass murderers on a killing spree. It was autumn, a time he really loved. He didn't like summer, too much heat. He disliked winter, too cold. And spring was his own personal nightmare, because he had so many allergies - if he still had them - but autumn was different. The foggy mornings, the sun peeking through the leaves. The colors. Nature was amazing sometimes.

The conversation with Derek was still on his mind, though. It wasn't as easy as it sounded. Telling someone what had happened was hard. Finding the right words to explain when you don't understand everything was also something he wasn't very good at. The bits and pieces he'd gathered over the years gave a pretty good picture, but on the other hand it raised so many questions that Stiles didn't even know where to start. And it bothered him. He was the one who figured everything out, but when it came to himself, he couldn't. Absently, his hand reached for his shoulder and he sighed. The image of Lichtenburg was still there. It had never gone away after it had appeared by chance after his breakdown. His colleagues in Chicago kept asking him about it, but he never told them the story. No matter how much he trusted them during the investigation and with his back out there, certain parts of his life were just too personal. His possession was one of them.

"I remember it all too well", he whispered the lyrics, while the song was coming to an end. Oh, he did remember. Every little thing. It gave him PTSD and trauma for another life.

Talking with Derek had helped him a bit. It was nice to get it off his chest without being judged. He knew that Derek wouldn't do that. Even though he didn't want to see him. He had to thank his father later for being so pushy. And to his surprise, Derek had an advice. He didn't ask for it but Derek being Derek, he just said it so casually that Stiles hadn't even realize it at first.

"I must admit, Stiles, there are still a lot of things I don't know about the supernatural. Having survived a possession by an old trickster spirit is pretty much one of a kind. We've encountered so many creatures that we never considered there might be more. But don't blame yourself for being possessed twice. As you said yourself, you're not fully human anymore since Nogitsune. And then there was the trip to the train station. It's not unusual for supernatural creatures to latch onto that. That doesn't make you any less human. You are not a monster, no matter how often demons keep telling you that. You have to be kind to yourself and forgive yourself for what you have done. If you don't, it'll eat you from the inside. You told me you broke and lashed out, but it didn't help you in the end. The lines on your back are a reminder of that. We're all tempted by darkness, human or not. Some of us are more susceptible than others. You just need to remind yourself to forgive yourself. And to forgive others for not realizing how much you've been hurting too. Let it go, Stiles. All the hatred and guilt will only tear you apart. You've seen what it does when you met the hunter in Kansas. Don't follow that path…"

"I know, Derek." Stiles whispered to himself as he concentrated on the road. A quick glance at his watch told him it was time to head home. He was actually looking forward to spending the rest of the day with his father. Noah had been surprisingly calm when Stiles had told him what had happened between leaving and returning to Beacon Hills. Calmer than Stiles would have thought. Maybe Joan had done that to Noah.

He changed the station on the radio because the next song was a funky techno tune, and while Stiles listened to a lot of music, techno just annoyed him. He didn't understand that kind of music. But whatever you like.

Satisfied with the new radio station, which was playing Too Close Too Touch's Sympathy, he turned right to get back home. He was humming the song, drumming his fingers on the wheel, when something on the side of the road caught his eye. For a second, he thought his mind was playing tricks on him, that it was just a strange flash of lightning, but when he looked in the rear-view mirror, he saw someone tumbling out of the woods nearby. He slammed on the brakes, Roscoe scooting a little and turning as soon as he came to a stop.

"HELP!"

Stiles fumbled with the seatbelt and groaned in annoyance until he finally got free and jumped out. He almost fell, but thank God for his training. Thank God, too, that he was in law enforcement and had his gun with him. He never left his house without it, and in Beacon Hills, some precaution was definitely necessary.

"HELP!" The person cried. A small sob escaped her lips as she struggled to stand upright. He could see how much pain she was in and Stiles ran faster.

"I'm here, hey, look at me." He grabbed her shoulders and lifted one of her arms around his shoulder, so he could steady her a little more. "I'm here."

"You… it… it hurts", the young woman sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks, "where am I?"

"Beacon Hills", Stiles replied, trying to gather his thoughts. He helped the woman to his car and as they stumbled over to Roscoe, he heard her wincing. "Where does it hurt?", he wanted to know and she leaned against the jeep, holding her side.

"Everywhere." Her voice was almost a whisper, all energy gone. Stiles hoped that Derek hadn't taken out the first aid kit while he opened the trunk and searched for it. When he found it, he rushed back to her, but froze when he saw the state she was in.

Black blood was running down her thigh, mixing with red blood as she began to vomit.

Mistletoe. She started to vomit mistletoe and her eyes went wide until her lids closed and she fell to the ground. It took Stiles a minute to realize what had just happened. When his head finally caught up, he fell on his knees beside her and tried to feel for a pulse. But there was none. "Shit," he yelled, pulling his phone out of his pocket and dialled his father's number, putting it on speaker and starting chest compressions. He couldn't call 911. Because while he was doing CPR, he saw the runes.

Runes and mistletoe.

It was supernatural.

And Stiles wanted to scream.