Ignite Our Dreams of Starry Skies - Aibyg98 (2024)

Chapter 1: Four Werewolves and a Funeral

Chapter Text

If Maude and Patrick notice the turn in Evelyn's mood they don’t say anything, but she would have to be dumb to miss the way Maude looks at her as she mopes around the house. That and the extra-large hot chocolate she’s presented with in the afternoon let her know that Maude sees all and even if Evelyn’s not ready to talk just yet she'll be there when she is. The warmth of the chocolate is comfort enough for now.

She’s been expecting the text from Stiles and Patrick drops her off at the front door of the hospital with a soft kiss to the forehead and a wave. By the time Evelyn manages to find her way to the ward that Lydia's on a half an hour has gone and she's becoming fidgity.

The smell of bleach and disinfectant is burning her nose and she really just wants to turn heel and leave, just go home and cry into her pillows like she'd done the night before. The only thing keeping her here is the fact that she promised Stiles that she would spend the evening with him.

He’s spent the last few nights here and she knows he needs the company and so she steals herself and keeps wandering through the disturbingly quiet halls of the hospital trying to catch any sight of her beleaguered friend.

Eventually, she spots Stiles a ways a way but before she can call out to him something zips up her spine and she straightens completely, her body tensing in preparation for something that she can neither hear nor see. Then a moment later the stillness of the hospital is rocked by an ear-piercing wail, so loud she has to lift her hands to block her ears and drops to the ground with a soft groan.

“Naked? As in nude?” John asks Melissa as they pace through the halls in front of Stiles and Evelyn. Melissa looks like she’s about ready to go home for the evening now, having had just about enough of whatever is happening. Stiles had found her a few moments after the scream rang out, on her knees and on the verge of freaking out. He helped her up and they raced towards Lydia's room where the sheriff was already waiting.

“I'm pretty sure they mean the same thing, but yes-- as far as we know, she left here clothing-optional.”

“All right. You checked the whole hospital, right?” John asks her and she’s definite in her answer.

“Every last corner.”

“Nothing suspicious?”

“Nothing. She just took off.” Melissa turns as if to ask Lydia’s father to back her up and he simply nods once.

“All right, let's get an APB out on a sixteen-year-old redhead.” He tells his deputy who heads off to make the call to the station before turning back to Lydia’s father. “Any other descriptors?”

Stiles then takes it upon himself to break into the middle of their emergency huddle. “Five-three, green eyes, fair-skinned, and her hair is actually strawberry blonde.” He tells John and Evelyn can’t help but bury her face in her hands. If she wasn’t so panicked about Lydia's disappearing act she might find this incredibly funny but as it stands she wants to whack Stiles over the head.

“Is that right?” John asks him sarcastically and Evelyn knows that Stiles is in trouble now and as per usual doesn’t seem to realise this himself.

“Yeah.” He replies earnestly to his dead and Evelyn moves to follow the pair to wherever John has dragged them off to.

“What the hell are you two still doing here?” Evelyn didn’t realise that his annoyance had also extended out to cover her presence until now as she balks a little when he throws his patented exasperated sheriffs stare in her direction as well.

“Um... providing moral support?” Stiles replies awkwardly not sounding at all sure of himself and Evelyn really has to resist the urge to punch him in the face.

“We just want to make sure Lydia’s ok.” She tells John earnestly and his face softens a little.
“Uh-huh. How 'bout you provide your ass back home, where you should be? And take the girl wonder with you.” He leans in close to grumble in his ear before looking back to stare pointedly at Evelyn.

“Yeah, okay. Fine, we’re going.” She grumbles and grabs Stiles by the arm to start dragging him towards the lift.

“Good.” John huffs after the pair and they slump their way to the lift, she catches Stiles eyeing a downed vending machine nervously. She also cops that Stiles in the chaos of Lydia bolting has managed to grab Lydia’s hospital gown and she quickly snaps it off him and shoves it into her bag, hoping to God no one has seen him.

They get to the jeep and she’s not surprised to see Scott waiting for them in the front seat. He doesn’t even acknowledge the pair he just turns to Evelyn as she removes the gown now that they’re away from prying eyes.

“This is the one she was just wearing?” He doesn’t talk to her, instead he pointedly directs his question at Stiles, who doesn’t seem happy to be caught in the middle of whatever this weirdness is. Stiles doesn’t say anything just nods. “I’m not gonna let anyone hurt her. Not again.” He promises and Stiles looks at him more than a little skeptical.

“All right, just shove the thing in your face and let's find her.” He starts the jeep up and the headlights illuminate the bundled up figure of Allison Argent, standing in front of the jeep.

“Wow!” Stiles jumps, more than a little on edge about this whole thing as she rounds the car, heading to where Scott has his window rolled down.

“What are you doing here? Someone's gonna see us!”

“I don't care-- she's one of my best friends, and we need to find her before they do.” Allison is adamant and Evelyn shoves over in the back to make space for her but she makes no move to get in.

“I can find her before the cops can.” Scott sounds almost co*cky and Evelyn feels her eyes roll before she can stop them. Allison's next revelation is enough to knock all back all of Scott's confidence back a peg though.

“How about before my father does?”

“He knows???” Stiles thumps his head back against the headrest and she immediately squeezes his shoulder to remind him to try and keep calm.

“Yeah. I just saw him and three other guys leave my house in two SUVs.” She tells them. Evelyn of all people knows you can’t pick your family but she can't help but wonder how much easier her life would be right now if Chris Argent had decided to become a teacher instead of a monster hunter.

“...Search party?”

“I believe it’s pronounced hunting party.” Evelyn sighs from the back and they all turn to look at her and she just shrugs petulantly. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

“You definitely aren’t.” Allison agrees, knocking their shoulder together.

“Get in.” Scott reaches behind him to open the door and Allison crawls in next to her so Evelyn reaches out her hand and Allison takes it and squeezes it as Stiles pulls out of the car park. They go as fast as the limit allows them out to the preserve, not wanting to draw any sort of attention to themselves.

“All right, but if she's turning, would they actually kill her?” Stiles asks the question that’s on all of their minds as they drive and Evelyn turns her gaze to Allison who looks more than a little frazzled.

“I don't know. They won't tell me anything, okay? All they say is, "We'll talk after Kate's funeral, when the others get here."

“What others?” Evelyn asks and Allison lifts her head and frantically shakes it in frustration.

“I don't know, they won't tell me that yet.”

“Okay, your family's got some serious communication issues to work on.” Stiles snipes back at the pair and before she can give him a snippy reply he turns his eyes away from them. “Scott, are we going the right way?” She glances over at him and it shouldn’t surprise her that he’s hanging his entire upper half out of the car, like an actual dog.

“Take the next right!” He yells back at Stiles.

“Him? Really? Him?” She asks Allison in exasperation but Allison simply shrugs and watches her boyfriend almost fondly as he dangles outside of the car. Evelyn thinks they’re probably made for each other.

They drive through the preserve for a while and it takes her a while to notice but she eventually cops onto the direction they’re traveling in.

“She’s headed for the Hale House.” Evelyn's now fully focused on her surroundings. Watching for any sign of either Lydia or Derek in the trees.

“We don’t know that.” Stiles tells her and she takes a deep breath but decides against arguing with him for her own sake rather than his. Sure enough, Scott tells Stiles to make a left and then another and they find themselves parked up in the driveway of the Hale House. She doesn’t say I told you so but she is sorely tempted to.

“She came here. You’re sure?” Stiles asks as he flings the door open and makes for the house.

“Yeah, this is where the scent leads.” Scott tells him and Evelyn follows, watching for any signs of life. The forest seems still but there are noises so she assumes that Derek isn’t nearby.

“All right, but has Lydia ever been here?” He puts the question out there and Evelyn realises that she probably hasn’t been.

“Not with me.” Allison tells them.

“I think she might be looking for Derek.” Evelyn speaks up and the three turn to stare at her. “It makes sense, Peter was her alpha but Derek took the mantle when he killed him. So if she wants to find her alpha she has to find Derek.” She reasons and while Stiles and Allison seem to agree with her deduction Scott shakes his head.

“Wolves need a pack, right?” Allison pipes up and Evelyn nods in agreement but Scott gets quiet.

“Not all of them...” She wants to grab him by the shoulders and shake him, tell him that there’s more on the line now than his stupid posturing with Derek but for Lydia’s sake she keeps it to herself.

“But would she have been drawn to an Alpha? Is it an instinct to be part of a pack?” Allison asks and Scott responds quietly.

“Yeah, we're-we're stronger in packs.”

“Like, strength in numbers?”

“No, like-like, literally stronger, faster... Better in every way.” He says it like he’s letting them in on some sort of trade secret, as if they didn’t already know this.

“Is that the same for an Alpha?” Allison asks and this time Evelyn speaks up.

“I think so. I think that’s why Peter was so adamant that Scott followed him. He wanted the power a pack would lend him.” She explains to Allison who purses her lips. Scott’s gone further up ahead, still scenting the air every now and then for signs of Lydia.

“Whoa, hey! Look at this! You see this? I think it’s a tripwire.” Stiles pipes up before crouching down in front of it and plucking the string gently between two of his fingers. She hears a rush of air from beside her and when she turns she can’t see Scott anymore. Then his voice rings out from just above her.

“Stiles—”

“Yeah buddy. Oh…” He turns to find Scott dangling awkwardly by one foot from one of the trees.

“Yeah maybe don’t go around tripping random wires in the woods.” Evelyn pats his shoulder and Scott readily agrees with her.

“Yeah, noted...” Allison sends Evelyn a fond if a little frustrated smile at the pairs antics before they all make their way over to let him loose.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Someone's coming! Hide!” Scott snaps in a panic and the three freeze in front of him. They don’t move quick enough apparently so Scott let’s out a frantic “go!” and with that the three scatter into the forest. Evelyn somehow loses sight of the other two and she ducks behind a tree leaning against it to try and catch her breath.

Voices break the silence and she realises the person that Scott had heard was Chris and she relaxes a little knowing that he wouldn't kill Scott. Probably. She can hear the mumbles sounds of voices but can't make out what they're saying so she moves to peak her head out from behind the tree. A hand wraps around her mouth and yanks her back into a firm chest before she makes it very far.

Panicking, she's just about ready to let out a shout when the strangers' other hand drops to her waist to clasp her tight and squeezes twice. Then the smell of leather and pine fills her nose and she knows exactly who’s holding her so tightly. Evelyn glances up over her shoulder, trying to catch Derek's eye but he's looking in the direction of where Scott and Argent are, head co*cked, fully invested in whatever the pair are discussing.

Eventually he must realise that Evelyn has calmed in his hold and he moves his eyes away from Scott and Chris to meet her withering gaze. He lifts a finger to his lips and she narrows her eyes even more at him and hopes her thoughts of 'go f*ck yourself' can be read loud and clear.

Chris and the other hunters turn to leave and she watches Stiles and Allison appear from the brambles a few feet away, heading back up to try and help Scott down. “What are you doing here?” She hisses at him, struggling in his hold but he doesn’t let her get very far.

“It’s my property Evelyn, I’ve every right to be here.” He huffs into her ear and she has to stop herself from shivering at the feel of his warm breath against her freezing skin.

“No, I mean what are you doing here right now?” She pushes and he sighs but moves his arms so she can turn around and face him. The bags under his eyes are larger than they had been the day before and he looks a little paler too. Worry flits through the pit of her stomach at the sight and fights herself to keep her hands at her side instead of raising them to cup his face like she wants to.

“I heard about Lydia.” As if that’s a reasonable enough explanation as to why he's stalking them and she really wants to scream at him in frustration. Instead she just bites her tongue and pulls away, nodding once before heading back to join the others, resisting the urge to turn back to him all the way.

“Why do you smell like Derek.” She's greeted by a hundred and fifty pounds of pissed off wolf in her face as she reaches the clearing, apparently having been put back right side up on two feet. His nostrils are flaring and his eyes are flitting all around the forest beyond them.

“Because he’s loitering in the woods over there somewhere.” Pointing behind her, Scott and Stiles stare into the distance wearing matching scowls while Allison just looks at her with pity, which makes Evelyn want to punch something.

“He knows about Lydia as well then?” Stiles pipes up and Evelyn nods, lifting his arm to tuck herself in under it. He doesn’t argue, just holds her tight and glares into the forest. They spend a good few hours traipsing around the woods but by the end all they’ve managed to find is exhaustion.

The next morning John’s dropping them to school when the police scanner rings out a call with a number that Evelyn doesn’t recognise. Stiles does, spinning quickly to look at his dad who looks more than a little perturbed. “I’ll ring the school and say you’ll be late.” He huffs and Stiles and Evelyn share a secret smirk at each other. John eventually pulls into the cemetery and when they get out Evelyn is more than a little surprised by the amount of police present.

“So what does a 22-3303 mean?” She asks Stiles out of the corner of her mouth as they follow the sheriff a little ways behind him, shivering a little as the cold October air hits her arms.

“Grave robbery.” Freezing she turns to Stiles with wide eyes and finds him looking around the graveyard, his fingers thumbing the sleeves of his hoodie and she knows why his interest was so piqued in the car. They come to a stop in front of a pair of men she assumes to be father and son. The younger, seems vaguely familiar and it isn’t until he gives the sheriff his name that she knows Isaac Lahey from her maths and her chemistry classes.

“You work for your father Isaac?” John asks and before Isaac can reply his father buts in.

“When he’s not in school. Which is where he needs to be in twenty minutes.” Evelyn doesn't like Mr Lahey, she makes up her mind as soon as he's opened her mouth. John seems to agree with her as he throws Mr Lahey the stink eye before turning to look at the pair of idiots standing behind him who attempt to look back at him as if wouldn't melt in their mouths.

“Yeah I understand that. I’m on my way there anyways. Isaac can ride with me and if we’re late I can explain why to his teachers.” Evelyn beams at the back of Johns head before shifting and sending a smaller smile to Isaac, who seems taken aback for a second before he quirks his lips to return it. It’s then she notices the shiner he’s sporting and he drops his head as she sees him catch her face contorting into an expression of worry. “I’ve got a missing teenage girl, and our K-9 unit led us here. She’s not wearing any clothes and if she’s out here tonight, and the temperature really drops—"

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see anything.” Isaac speaks up and his dad scoffs from beside him, throwing him a sneer.

“Trust me, if he saw a naked girl outside of a computer screen, he’d remember.” Evelyn has to hold her tongue to keep herself from lashing out as Isaac’s father begins to laugh at him. Isaac doesn’t try to defend himself and just lets his father laugh, she has a terrible inclination that she knows where the black eye came from.

“How’d you get that black eye, Isaac?” John asks him, not once taking his eyes off of Isaac's father. The man stiffens, his jaw clenches and he turns to stare down Isaac with something akin to malice in his eyes.

“School.” Isaac responds quickly, as if it’s been rehearsed.

“School fight?”

“Nah, lacrosse.” He tells John and Evelyn and Stiles both glance towards each other. Isaac hasn’t been in any fights recently.

“Lacrosse, you play for Beacon Hills?”

“Yeah.”

“My son plays for the team.” He turns to point at Stiles and at that moment she sees that Isaac completely forgot they were there. She can see the fear bubbling up on his face and she puts as much reassurance as possible into her gaze as she looks right back at him. “Well, I mean, he’s on the team. Aren’t you Stiles.”

“Benchwarmer three years running, but you knew that already didn’t you Lahey.” He beams proudly and she watches Isaac relax as Stiles feeds into the lie. John continues to ramble about Stiles lack of prowess on the field much to Stiles horror but Isaac isn’t listening anymore. Instead he’s gazing at something over her shoulder and she turns her head to find a familiar shape standing amongst the trees. She turns back to Isaac eyes narrowed and Isaac doesn’t meet her gaze, still looking into the distance. She then cops that the sheriff has stopped talking and is now looking at the exact spot Derek had just been in which is now thankfully, Derekless.

“Something wrong, Isaac?” John asks him, brows raised and Isaac just about manages to stutter out a response.

“No. Oh, no, sorry. I was just remembering; I actually have a morning practice to get to.”

“Just one more question and we’ll be on our way. You guys get many grave robberies here?”

“A few. Usually they just take stuff like jewellery.”

“What’d this one take?” John asks and both Evelyn and Stiles are now listening intently to the conversation in front of them.

“Her liver.” Isaac says it so calmly that it almost doesn’t register with Evelyn for a second, but when it does she turns to look into the grave at John’s side. She cant see a body but the wood of the coffin is warped and broken. Something had wanted into that coffin and nothing was going to stop it.

John thanks Isaac’s father for his time before leading Isaac to the back of the squad car. He doesn’t hesitate to get in and Evelyn hops in after.

The car is deathly silent the entire drive to school. Isaac won’t even meet her eyes and she glances sadly up at John in the rear-view every few minutes. She then turns to look Isaac over carefully and though she knows it would be almost impossible to tell, she can’t pick out anything particularly wolfy about him. Once the car pulls in Isaac thanks John and is gone like a shot leaving Evelyn and Stiles to wave John off and stare after him as he hurries into the door.

“How long do ya think I’d get if I shoot Mr Lahey.” She ponders out loud and Stiles lets out a sigh.

“Dad would make it look like an accident.” He shrugs and she nods in agreement just as Scott makes his way over to the pair. Stiles wastes no time in telling him exactly what had just happened.

“She ate the liver?” Scott sounds appalled at the thought and Stiles scoffs at him angrily.

“No, I didn’t say she ate it—I just said it was missing. And, you know what? Even if she did, so what? It’s the most nutritious part of the body.” He folds his arms across his chest defensively and Evelyn pinches the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

“Jesus, Stiles I know she’s pretty but not pretty enough to excuse cadaver chomping.” She hisses and before Stiles can round on her to argue Scott interrupts with his own musings.

“I never ate anyone’s liver…"

“Yes because you were a real modicum of self-control when you first turned. You remember lifting me off the floor by my collar don’t you. Cause I certainly do.” She snaps at him and he loses his sense of smugness immediately.

“Well, he is the test case for this, so we should be going over what happened to him.” Stiles points out and Evelyn is unfortunately inclined to agree.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, like what was going through your mind when you were turning, you know? What were you drawn to?” Stiles asks and Evelyn knows what the answer is going to be before Scott even opens his mouth.

“Allison.” He’s sure in his answer.

“Okay, nothing else? Seriously?” Stiles is more than a little incredulous and Evelyn can’t help but think back to Peter’s reaction to Scott’s very secure password in the car park and she has to stifle a snort behind her hand.

“Nothing else mattered. But, no, that's good, though, right? Cause the night that Lydia was bitten, she was with you.” Scott’s trying to get Stiles hopes up and she admires him more than a little for it but Stiles deflates at that point.

“Yeah, but she was looking for Jackson."

She watches as Stiles mopes away through the front door, Scott just watches after not sure what he’s said to offend Stiles and she claps him on the shoulder. She doesn’t pretend the way he shrugs away from her doesn’t hurt her before she follows Stiles through the doors. There’s a headache forming at the base of her skull and when she reaches her locker she lets her head thump back against the locker. The cool metal isn’t enough to dull the thumping behind her eyes and she wonders if she has any Tylenol left over in her bag from her last period.

The hallway is full of the usual low, constant murmur of conversation but it’s starting to pick up a little as she puts her books away. She starts as her history books slip from her grasp and hit the floor with a thud that just about deafens her. Groaning softly she quickly drops to her knees to pick them up. She’s just about gathered everything when another person’s hand passes her history book over to her.

“Thanks.” She lifts her head to smile at the good Samaritan but it slides off her face as soon as she makes eye contact with him.

“Anytime Evy, You okay? Do you need me to walk you to class?” The initial look of concern on Derek's face has twisted into a smug grin as she scrambles to her feet. She knows she’s looking at him with something that feels close to horror scrawled across her face and the smugness he’s radiating seems to fall away a little. Then he reaches out to touch her arm and she whirls to shut her locker not even bothering to reply. Walking away instead ignoring the whispers and murmurs she now knows for a fact are being directed at her.

She thinks she’s managed to shake him off but suddenly there’s a presence by her shoulder and she knows who’s shadowing her down the hall. “Come on, I need someone to show me to my classroom.”

“Why don’t you ask Jackson?” She snaps and she doesn’t know exactly what Derek says under his breath but she can’t imagine it’s pleasant.

“Evy,” Derek starts and she feels his fingers glance against her should but he stops in his tracks and her confusion only lasts long enough for Scott and Allison to leave the same classroom together at the same time looking like the lovesick teenagers they are with all the discretion of a bull in a china shop. Allison and Evelyn pale at the same time and throw each other matching apologetic looks just as Scott spots Derek.

“What the f*ck are you doing here?” Scott snarls, eyes flashing as he steps in front of Allison, who looks less than enthused by his protective show.

“Heading to homeroom.” In comparison to Scott, Derek seems downright comfortable, so much so that it feels like he's taunting Scott. Who is now seething, hackles completely raised as he glares at the older boy.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“You gonna tell me where I can and can’t go to school now McCall.” She can hear Derek’s raised brow behind her and she drops her head into her hands at exactly the wrong moment. Scott snaps and steps forward and every iota of Derek’s cool and aloof attitude goes out the window as Evelyn finds herself facing a row of lockers, with a furious alpha at her back. She can hear Allison trying to diffuse the situation in front of and she really, really wants to just skulk away now but she knows they’re about a minute from tearing each other’s faces off.

She grabs both of them by their wrists and drags them into the empty classroom, shoving them in and motioning for Allison to follow. “Both of you need to calm the f*ck down right now.” She snaps and she watches Scott turn to look at her incredulously.

“Me, he’s the one who decided to follow me to school.” Derek goes to open his mouth and Evelyn shakes her head, once fast and sharp and he doesn’t say anything.

“Scott I love you, I really do, but the entire f*cking planet doesn’t revolve around you. Did it ever cross your mind that maybe Derek is here because, oh I don’t know. It’s difficult to finish high school when you’re, and make sure I have this correct now, on the run from the cops?” She watches as Scott gets angry with her and then seems to realise what exactly she’s been trying to tell him. He contemplates her words for a solid three seconds before he goes right back to being indignantly mad.

“Oh what and you just went running like a little lapdog when he called?” He snaps back at her and she feels her mouth drop open as Allison moves to scold Scott. Derek speaks before Evelyn gets a chance to right herself.

“No, I went looking for her. Screw me I guess for wanting to see a friendly face in a sea of people who still think there’s a chance I murdered my sister.” He speaks plainly and for the first time all morning Evelyn turns to actually look at him. Behind the show of bravado he’s putting on to annoy Scott she can see the way he’s holding himself, smaller than usual. He seems a little paler than usual and he definitely has more scruff than he did yesterday.

“And if I hadn’t been absolutely fuming with him I would have gone looking for him.”

“Good to know where your priorities lie then.” He glares at her and then pushes out of the room, Allison goes to follow but before she leaves she turns back to the other pair.

“I’ll talk to him, I hope you have a good first day Derek. Stick with her, she’s a great find on your first day.” She winks at the pair and then quickly moves to follow Scott.

“I’m still mad at you.” She grumps, turning to face him only to find him with that stupid fond smile on his face and she feels her face flush bright red. “Where’s your first class?” She holds out her hand for his timetable and he hands it over, still grinning.

“Right, let’s go, you’re not gonna be late on your first day.” She huffs and swans out of the room with Derek hot on her heels.

Stiles somehow manages to land himself in detention for the evening and can’t make it to the funeral and she’s not about to ask Scott to take her. So she asks Maude, who isn't happy about it but reluctantly takes her when Evelyn says she doesn't want Allison to have to got through this alone. They reach the cemetery after an almost silent car ride and the amount of people present surprises her, at least until she opens the door and hears the jeering and taunting and realises pretty quickly that these people aren't here to mourn. They watch as the Argent's are swarmed by people as they make their way to the police barricades and Evelyn turns to Maude.

“You can stay here, there’s no point in you getting involved in all this.” Maude tries to argue but Evelyn just takes a deep breath and heads for the throng. She makes it half way in before people catch onto the face that she isn’t there to protest like the rest of them but John manages to grab her arm and draw her through the barricade so they cant get to her.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing here?” He’s furious, she doesn’t think she’s ever seen him this angry but she refuses to back down now.

“She’s my friend John, I won’t let her think she’s alone in this." Evelyn can count on one hand the amount of times that she's called John by his first name and it startles him enough that he drops her arm. "That bitch can roast in hell for all she's done but I love Allison more and right now she needs to see a friendly face who chose to be here.” She tells him and with a grimace he reluctantly lets her go.

“You’re a good friend.”

“I know.” She leans up to press a soft kiss to his cheek as a thank you before heading towards the Argent family. She immediately wraps Allison in a hug and as soon as she has her arms around her, Allison collapses against Evelyn, who is more than willing to take some of the weight. A large hand drops to her shoulder and she looks up to find Chris looking down at the pair with something soft in his eyes.

“Thank you.” Evelyn doesn’t say anything, just nods in response and goes to sit down in the second row, directly behind Allison so she can stay close. She's looking around the graveyard when she spots movement from behind a tombstone and for a second she thinks that it might be Derek. At least she does until the figure stumbles a little and she realises that it's Scott and Stiles who are hunkered down, well out of sight.

Then as she looks back around she catches sight of Matt Daehler, a kid in her history class crossing the barricade to start photographing the scene. All of a sudden a hush comes over the crowd as a man, old and balding, flanked by two security guards comes up behind Matt. She can’t hear what they’re saying but she knows it isn’t good by the look on Matt’s face as the old man takes the camera from him. The old man takes what looks to be the memory card from the camera and snaps it in half before letting the pieces fall into the grass. He hands Matt back the camera and beyond pissed Matt lowers himself back under the barrier. The old man then strides towards them and Evelyn feels every molecule in her body tense and turn to shards of ice.

He makes his way to Chris first and gruffly calls him by his first name. Chris calls the old man Gerard and they hug each other so stiffly Evelyn worries they’ll snap each others arms off. He then makes his way to Allison's mother. Evelyn has always found Victoria Argent to be a beyond imposing woman and she much prefers Chris’ softer demeanour. The old man, Gerard, swoops in to press two silent kisses to her cheeks before pulling away as Victoria extends her condolences before sitting back down.

Gerard then turns to look down at Allison, who seems just as confused by this persons arrival as Evelyn is. “Do you remember me?” He asks, his voice softer now that he’s speaking to Allison, who gives an almost imperceptible nod up to him. Allison then turns her head to the spot where Scott and Stiles are crouching and she hopes that the old man’s eyesight is poor enough that he didn’t see those two morons trying to duck back out of sight.

“Considering I haven’t seen you since you were three I don’t suppose I can assume you’ll call me grandpa.” That explains a lot Evelyn thinks to herself as Gerard looks almost fondly down at Allison. “So if it’s comfortable, call me Gerard for the time being.” He smiles down at her, but his eyes are hardened. “But I’d prefer grandpa.” He then turns his dark beady eyes to Evelyn and she finds her spine straightening as he looks her over. “And you are?”

“This is Evelyn O’Hara, she’s one of Allison's friends from school.” Chris introduces her and she glances over to find him looking between her and his father with schooled apprehension.

“I’m very sorry for your loss Mr. Argent. I can’t imagine what it must be like to lose a daughter.” She stands and puts out her hand, Gerard stares at it for a moment too long, and Evelyn thinks he’s going to leave her hanging there. He doesn’t though, instead he grabs her hand and shakes it with a strength she didn’t expect the elderly man to have.

“Thank you Ms. O’Hara. It’s a trying time, one where close friends are more than necessary to have on side.” He looks down at her and she feels her skin start to crawl. He turns from her then and takes the seat next to Allison.

Once the service has ended she kisses Allison on the cheek and watches as the Argent's pile into a jeep and head out of the cemetery grounds as a unit. Once she’s one hundred percent sure she’s alone she makes her way to the other side of the graveyard.

It’s a pretty humble plot, just some names on a stone in the ground, the only sign of any activity is the mound of freshly turned soil next to it and the flowers she left the last time she visited. The bright yellow marigolds have wilted and dulled and she makes a note to ask Derek what flowers his mom liked. Then she sits herself down on the cold ground next to the headstone. "It didn't feel right to go to her funeral and not come here. I'm sorry I didn't bring anything this time, I thought that it would be weird to show up to a funeral with flowers that weren't for the person that's dead. As if I'd show up to her funeral with anything." Evelyn snarls but quickly reigns herself in. "Sorry, I'm not here to talk about her I'm here to talk to you. I'm mad at him at the minute, he bit Jackson and yeah I agreed with him biting Jackson but only when I didn't know that the Argent's might kill him for it. And then that dumb ass son of yours went and did it!" She huffs, pulling her knees up to her chest she stretches her hand out to thread it through the grass.

"He started school again today though, which I think will be good for him. Give him some semblance of normalcy again. "I showed him around and yeah I know I said I was mad at him but really how long was that gonna last for anyways." She smiles ruefully up at the sky. "And even though I'm pretending to be pissed at him I'll still keep an eye on him." She stays on for a while, watching the evening roll by in silence before she decides it's time she goes home. She pats the stone gently and stands only to find herself being dragged towards the forest.

“What the f*ck Stiles!” She hisses as they reach the tree line but he keeps them marching forward as the light begins to wane. They meet Scott who is furiously smelling the air in the middle of a clearing before lurching to the left.

“Something just tore through an ambulance to get to a heart attack victim.” He says by way of explanation and at that revelation she finds her footing and follows them swiftly through the trees.

Eventually in the last light of the evening they spot the flashing lights of the ambulance in the distance and make their way towards it. Hunkering down in a ditch, Evelyn catches sight of the back of the ambulance and her heart begins to race for all the wrong reasons. There’s blood everywhere, it’s up the walls of the ambulance and it looks like someone smeared it there. The victims chest its just a horrifying crimson mess and she doesn’t particularly want to look any closer at it.

“What the hell was Lydia doing?” Stiles asks from beside her and Evelyn shakes her head.

“I don’t know if this is Lydia.” Evelyn replies.

“What kept you from doing that, was it Allison?” Stiles asks Scott, as if he hasn’t heard her and she turns to look at her friend, curious to know his answer.

“I hope so.” Scott says under his breath and Stiles doesn’t seem at all soothed by this so Evelyn puts her hand on his shoulder and he grasps it in his own.

“Do we need to get closer?” Stiles asks and Evelyn furiously shakes her head.

“I don’t think we should be any closer to whatever is happening over there than we already are. Look it’s swarming with cops. We can’t get caught.” She tries to reason and the pair readily agree. Scott lifts his nose to the air and sniffs and if his expression is anything to go on he catches a whiff of something.

“I got it.” He pushes back off the dirt to go but Stiles catches him by the collar and pulls him back down.

“I just, I just need you to find her.” Stiles is almost pleading, whiskey eyes huge in his head and she wants to cradle him close. “Please. Just—just find her.”

“I will.” Scott promises and Evelyn really wishes he hadn’t. She’s being realistic and hoping that Lydia’s ok but if she’s not then she doesn’t want the two of them to fall apart after this ends, however it ends. Scott takes off then, leaving Stiles and Evelyn in the ditch. They don’t speak, and for the first time in maybe forever the silence is awkward as it hangs above them. There’s a lot that neither of them are saying that they very much want to say and so Evelyn decides to play it safe.

“Allison's grandad is terrifying.”

“Holy sh*t yeah, what’s that about?” Stiles turns to face her eyes still wide but now out of curiosity rather than fear.

“His names Gerard and Chris called him that. Like it was completely normal to call your dad by his first name!” She explains quickly and Stiles immediately screw his nose up in disgust. “His vibes were also all the way off, like the way I felt when I first met Kate but soohoo much worse.” She shivers and Stiles looks downright worried about that.

“You mean shoot first ask questions later right?”

“I mean lock a few people in a room and fling in a hand grenade, no questions asked.” She tells him and Stiles looks as freaked out as she feels. The beam of a flashlight interrupts them and they freeze as they look up to find John looming over them. “Uh, evening.” She smiles up at him, he just silently offers her his hand which she takes. He yanks her off the ground and then does the same to Stiles, looking at the pair in pure frustration.

“We’re just worried about Lydia.” Stiles starts but John cuts him off with a hand.

“Yeah and did ye ever stop to think that maybe I’m worried about you two?” He asks the pair and that feels like an arrow to the gut. She drops her head and John lets out a ragged sigh. “Let’s get you to the car before ye both freeze.”

Evelyn is just stepping into the cruiser when something instinctually makes her turn around and when she does she finds Lydia Martin appearing from the woods, dirty and shivering. She obviously says something aloud because Stiles turns to where she’s looking and immediately calls out for her before running towards her. Evelyn follows and then sees that Lydia is completely naked. There’s also no sign of blood on her and Evelyn doesn’t think she could have done that to the man and kept herself clean.

“Well... is anyone gonna get me a coat?” Lydia’s voice is shaking but it still holds all her petulance and Evelyn feels herself release a long held breath. She watches in equal parts horror and amusem*nt as Stiles scrambles to take Johns jacket off before hitting the ground face first. As he does she can’t help laughing out loud at him.

Laughter that’s only made worse as John steps forward, a muttered “Jesus” on his lips. “Yep here you go.” He quickly steps forward to hand Lydia his coat and she thanks him with a jerky nod. Evelyn steps up then as John backs away and Lydia takes one look at her before pulling her into a very quick hug.

“Thank you.” The words are whispered against her shoulder and Evelyn nods squeezing her tightly before letting her go, trying to stifle her tears against the sleeves of her dress.

Chapter 2: I'm not saying he deserved it, but...

Chapter Text

“So you genuinely don’t remember anything?” Evelyn asks Lydia carefully as they make their way up the steps towards the front door of the school.

“They called it a "fugue state," which is basically a way of saying, ‘We have no idea why you can't remember running through the woods naked for two days.’” Lydia explains, somehow surprisingly upbeat about the whole thing. “But personally, I don’t care.” Allison scoffs at that and Evelyn has to agree with her skepticism as she turns to face Lydia, brow raised. “I lost nine pounds.” She sings brightly and Evelyn rolls her eyes but pushes the door open regardless.

“Are you ready for this?” Allison asks her softly and Lydia stares at her with something bright and almost cruel twisting in her eyes.

“Please, it’s not like my aunts a serial killer.” And then she’s gone through the door with a flick of her perfect red hair leaving Allison and Evelyn speechless in her wake.

“Good to know that being mauled by a werewolf doesn’t reduce your bitchiness levels.” Evelyn grabs for Allison's hand and squeezes it before making her way through the door. When they get through the door they find the entire student body frozen and staring at Lydia, who is frozen and staring right back. They throw each other a furtive glance before stepping up to either side of her.

“…Maybe it’s the nine pounds?” Allison asks, a hint of a tease playing in her voice and Evelyn bites back the smile that tries to push through as Lydia raises her eyes to the sky before strutting off up the corridor. Leaving the other two to follow, matching smiles on their faces.

Later in the day, just as she's settling down and setting up her things for chemistry, she’s flanked by both of the boys. “Did you know Derek turned Isaac?” Scott asks her gruffly under his breath and all she can do is blink owlishly up at him.

“He did what?” Her voice is strangled and pitchy which seems to be good enough for the pair as they sit down on either side of her.

“Why would Derek choose Isaac?” Scott asks, almost whining and if Evelyn didn’t know that it would get her yelled at she would have said that Scott sounded jealous.

“Peter told me that if the bite doesn't turn you, it could kill you... Maybe biting teenagers means that they’re more likely to survive?” She poses the question, flicking through her notes and when she doesn’t get a response she realises that she has just spilled vital as yet unheard information.

“When did he tell you this?” Stiles voice is deathly quiet and she keeps her head firmly in her book when she goes to reply.

“The night of prom. After he bit Lydia he decided to kidnap me and force me to help him find out where Kate had taken Derek.” She explains softly, stopping to take a deep breath before she can continue. “He offered me the bite. I obviously said no.” She finishes quickly and once again there’s silence.

“And what? You didn’t think that was worth telling us?” Scott snaps and she slams shut her book, whirling to throw a scathing glare at him.

“If my memory serves me correctly, you didn’t give a damn, you never even asked if I was okay when I turned up covered in blood.” Scott doesn’t respond and when she turns back, Stiles looks like he’s seeing her for the first time and he’s paling rapidly so she decides to put them back on track. “How did you find out he’s been turned anyways?”

“I caught his eyes flashing at Lacrosse practice, he’s a hell of a lot stronger now too.”

“That’s not the worst part. My dad just arrested him on suspicion of murdering his dad.” Evelyn pales and she turns very slowly to look at Stiles who is now grimacing into his own chemistry book.

“Can your dad hold him if he’s a teenager?” She asks him and he shakes himself out of his own head before he answers.

“Well, not unless they have solid evidence… or a witness…Wait—Danny, where’s Jackson?” He whirls to ask the goalie.

“In the principal’s office talking to your dad.”

“What? Why?”

“Maybe because he lives across the street from Isaac.” Danny’s tone is condescending and she throws him a glare which he responds to with a sunny smile.

“Well, there’s our witness.” She huffs.

“We have to get to the principal’s office.” Stiles is getting more than a little frantic now.

“How?” Scott asks and with that Stiles balls up some paper and aims it at Harris' head. Evelyn grabs his wrist to stop him.

“Um Mr. Harris. I’m not feeling well, can I please go to the nurse.” She asks and Mr Harris simply nods at her and then turns his gaze to Scott.

“Mr. McCall, please walk Ms. O’Hara to the principal’s office.” Scott immediately jumps up and the pair slowly make their way out of the room. It takes Stiles about thirty seconds to catch up to them.

“You threw it didn’t you.”

“Worth it.”

So they wait and eventually watch as Jackson leaves the office followed by John and another deputy. John immediately spots the threesome and raises a brow. “ Explain.”

“I wasn’t feeling well in chemistry so Mr Harris asked them to walk me up here.” She tells John and he seems to take her word for it, sparing a second to give Stiles a withering glare before moving off. The two boys then manage to get accosted by the principal and Evelyn decides now is the best time to stalk after Jackson.

She catches up to him at the end of the hall and stops him with a gentle hand on his shoulder. He doesn’t resist, just turns to look at her with his usual haughty stare, one eyebrow raised as if to ask why she thinks she has the right to stop him.

“What did you tell the sheriff about Isaac?”

“The truth.”

“Which is what?” She steps up closer and Jackson shrugs, a nasty smile rippling across his lips.

“That the night his dad died he and Isaac had an argument in their front yard and then Isaac cycled off. His dad sped off after him in their car.” Her stomach plummets as he speaks and she knows in that moment that John has more than enough evidence with that statement to be able to keep Isaac for at least the night.

“Oh for f*ck sake Jackson! You couldn’t have kept your mouth shut for once.”

“So what, I should have lied to the police?” He snorts and she flexes her hands to try and curb the urge to smack him across the face but he really isn't making that easy.

“You could have forgotten about it until after the full f*cking moon you moron.” She folds her arms across her chest and as she does something dark crosses and twists up Jackson’s face.

“So Derek bit him then.” Watching closely she notices his bravado falter for a moment, he almost seems to shrink back into himself but only for a breath before he's standing up straighter again. “Well that sounds like a problem for you an your alpha.”

“Jackson he’s your—” Her words end in a sharp gasp as Jackson gets up in her face, pointer finger jabbing harshly into her sternum. She has to take a step back and it takes him a second but he realises that the look on her face is fear and he pulls back his finger with a grimace.

“Derek is nothing to me. Get that straight Evelyn.” The words are harsh, leaving his throat in a snarl before he turns heel and stalks away. She takes a few seconds to let her body relax, for her heartbeat to settle before she goes to find Scott. It doesn't take her long, she leaves the hallway and spots him running like a madman towards the back door and she sprints to catch up with him.

Scott and Evelyn burst through the door just in time for them to watch as Isaac gets driven away in the back of the sheriffs police cruiser, panic obvious in his eyes. She can feel her own panic rising just as Derek pulls up to the kerb with his window rolled all the way down.

“Get in.” He’s wearing a dumb pair of sunglasses that she’s loathed to admit along with the car make him look stupidly, stupidly attractive.

“Are you serious. You did that, that’s your fault.” Scott starts to yell at him from the top of the steps like a complete and utter mad man.

“I know that.” He huffs and at least, she thinks, he’s become maybe just a teensy bit more self-aware. “Now get in the car and help me.” He snaps and Evelyn folds her arms across her chest in a huff.

“Say please dickhe*d.” She grouches and he tips his glasses down so he can make direct eye contact with her, bright anxious green meeting hardened hazel which are quickly softening.

“Please.” He deadpans and she calls him a f*cker under her breath before shrugging and heading for the car.

“Evelyn!”

“What, he said please.” She opens the front passenger door and slips into the seat, steadfastly not looking at Derek, even though she can feel his eyes burning holes in the side of her face.

“No, I've got a better idea. I'm gonna call a lawyer, because a lawyer might actually have a chance of getting him out before the moon goes up.” Scott rambles, coming down to speak into the window and Derek is now starting to get impatient.

“Not when they do a real search of the house.”

“What does that mean?” She asks and he turns to look at her sadly.

“It means whatever Jackson said to the cops, what’s in the house is worse—a lot worse.”

The car ride to the Lahey’s house is silent and she just spends it staring out of the window. It’s dark out as they pull up at the kerb outside the house. It’s just a house, two storey with a red brick façade and large windows. Completely normal, but as they make their way to the front door, ice begins to crawl up Evelyn's spine and some small voice in the back of her mind begins to cry out in fear. It’s enough to stop her in her tracks just before the steps up to the front door and she has to close her eyes to try and stop the voices echoing in her head.

A warm hand lands on her shoulder and she startles until she realises that it’s Derek, standing next to her and watching her with worry clearly written across his face. “I’m okay. I just need a second.” She tells him softly and he nods but doesn’t move his hand from where it's resting lightly on her shoulder. Eventually she settles and starts walking towards the door, Derek at her side. They open the door and carefully cross the yellow police tape to head into the house.

“If Isaac didn't kill his father, who did?” Scott asks as they make their way through the front hall, the house is shrouded in complete darkness and Evelyn can vaguely make out Scott’s form moving ahead of her.

“I don't know yet.” It isn’t until he speaks that Evelyn realises Derek hasn’t left her side since they entered the house. Eventually they reach the kitchen and she, as stealthily as humanly possible, (which is to say with no level of stealth at all) manoeuvres closer to him so she can feel the warmth radiating off of him and let it settle her a bit more.

“Then how do you know he's telling the truth?” Scott scoffs at him and she can hear Derek’s impatience beginning to grow from beside her.

“Because I trust my senses. And it's a combination of them-- not just your sense of smell.” They pause and she knows for a fact Derek is looking at Scott pointedly and she swears she hears Scott swallow in the darkness.

“You saw the lacrosse thing today...” He asks sheepishly and Evelyn hides a smile behind her hand knowing the two of them can see her.

“Yeah.”

“Did it look that bad?”

“Yeah.” She hears a thumping sound but before she can register it something brushes against her shin in the darkness and she lets out a muffled shriek.

“It’s just a blanket, calm down.” Derek tells her and she rolls her eyes and then narrows them at the vague shape of him in the darkness.

“Oh, I’m sorry is my lack of dark vision annoying you?" She hisses, shoving past him to follow Scott through the house. She’s following him so closely that she bounces off his back as he comes to a stop in front of a door and without warning something is once again buzzing in the back of her brain. Derek stops her from stumbling with two big, warm palms on either of her hips, his chest pressed firmly against her back and this somehow seems to dim the buzz.

Scott carefully pushes the door and it opens with a low, groaning creek. The three of them loiter in the doorway, Evelyn looking down into the inky blackness and a small shiver tears through her so she presses back into the firmness behind her.

“You wanna learn? Let's start now.” Derek says lowly and with that Scott starts down the stairs, something scratches at the back of her brain but she doesn’t know what it is. She can’t help the soft noise she lets out and she throws her hand down to grab at one of the hands on her hips. There’s no hesitation on his end as he quickly interlaces their fingers and pulls her in closer, so there’s no space between them from her shoulder to her knees.

“Derek, what's down there?” She whispers and he responds with one word.

“Motive.”

“And what am I looking for?” Scott asks as he reaches the bottom of the stairs and steps down onto the concrete floor of the basem*nt, Evelyn instinctually goes to follow him. Derek stops her with the grip on her wrist but instead of keeping her at the top of the stairs he takes the lead and keeps her close. The wooden stairs creak beneath the combined weight of their feet and she drops Derek's hand for a second so she can wrap her arm and the rest of her upper body around his arm before clasping their fingers together again. Derek doesn’t say anything but he does squeeze her fingers tightly in his grip.

“Follow your senses.”

“This place is like something out of a horror film.” She mutters mostly to herself but Scott responds with a little noise of agreement. “Seriously, what the hell is down here?” She eyes a porcelain doll, sitting upright in a chair warily, keeping her grip tight on Derek’s hand.

“The kind of thing that leaves an impression.” He states tightly. Scott then seems to notice something on the floor, he crouches and begins tracing his fingers against something before his gaze moves upwards. She looks down and her stomach drops as she sees the scratches on the floor before looking up to see what’s caught Scott’s attention.

The chest freezer is about six feet by four and in the faint glint of the moon beginning to rise she feels her breath catch as she notices the rusted padlock. Her heart cracks and she knows she lets out some sort of mournful noise because Derek immediately pulls her into his arms and she locks her hands around the lapels of his leather jacket.

“Open it.” Derek takes a flashlight from somewhere and she really wishes he hadn’t. She shakes her head almost imperceptibly, Derek must feel her and he runs a hand through her hair to try and calm her. The lock makes a loud thunk as Scott removes it and the lid creaks as he opens it. There’s a sharp intake of breath and she’s almost positive she knows what Scott’s looking at but she knows she’ll have to look herself to know for sure.

Taking a deep breath she removes her head from Derek’s chest and looks to find exactly what she’d expected. The scratches are all exactly a fingers width apart, dark and rust stained in places. She can almost hear the sounds of Isaac trying to claw his way out of the darkness. Her knees wobble but she doesn’t get far, Derek has a hold of her waist and she feels a violent sob tear up through her throat.

“He’s lucky something got to him before I did. God, I knew there was something off about him, but I didn’t think… And Jackson just watched on.” She’s shaking now, anger and sadness wracking her body in equal measures.

“This is why he said yes to you.” Scott doesn’t ask, he knows and Evelyn has a funny feeling that if her home life looked like this she would have said yes too.

“Everyone wants power.” Is Derek’s simple but honest reply.

“If we help you, then you have to stop. You can't just go around turning people into Werewolves!” Scott implores and Evelyn is inclined to agree with him, mostly to keep the Argent's off Derek’s back.

“I can if they're willing.” Derek argues and Evelyn prepares herself for a full scale blowout.

“Did you tell Isaac about the Argents? About being hunted?” Scott asks, in a low and furious tone, obviously assuming that Derek’s left out some of the finer print when selling Isaac on the pros of being fuzzy sometimes.

“Yes. And he still asked. I wouldn’t have done it if he didn’t want it.” He turns to look at her in the torch light and she knows he wants her to believe him. He’s lucky she has a massive soft spot for him and she tells him as much.

“I know you wouldn’t.”

“Well Isaac must be an idiot then.” Scott deadpans and Evelyn rolls her eyes at the pair but something keeps drawing her attention towards the open freezer.

“And you're the idiot dating Argent's daughter.” Derek points out, clearly exasperated by the whole thing and Evelyn sucks a breath in through her teeth.

“Hey, low blow.” She whacks him on the shoulder but he doesn’t apologise for it.

“ Yeah, I know your little secret...” He raises his brows and pointedly stares at Scott. “And, if I know, how long do you think it's gonna take for them to find out?” He asks the question she’s been keeping to herself all week and she has to commend his lack of tact sometimes. “You saw what happens to an Omega. With me, you learn how to use all of your senses. With me, you learn control-- even on a full moon.” He leans over Evelyn to put a hand on Scott’s shoulder and looks directly into his eyes as he speaks, trying to get his point across.

“If I'm with you, I lose her.”

“You're gonna lose her anyway. You know that.” Derek lets Evelyn go then and starts towards the stairs leaving Scott and Evelyn looking at each other. Again he makes good points but he doesn’t have to be so mean about it.

“Wait—” Scott calls out and Derek turns back to give him his full attention a look of surprise on his face.” I'm not part of your pack... But I want him out. He's my responsibility, too.”

“Why? Because he's one of us?”

“Because he's innocent.” Scott states and Evelyn has to agree. The two then start trying to figure out how to spring Isaac from lock up without getting him or themselves caught. Evelyn tries to focus on what the pair are saying but she can't seem to drag herself away from the freezer. She runs her fingers across the lip of the chest, following the dips and bumps of it all the way around. She places her fingers on the spots where Isaac had scratched to get out, the raw feeling of it, of him begging not to be put back in, screaming for his dad to come back and to let him out. That he’d never do it again. The scream contorts then, getting louder, shriller, howling now in the silence of the basem*nt.

It's everywhere, it’s all around and she feels the pain ricochet down her hands and as she looks back at the fingernail impressions gouged into the freezer, the lid slams shut with a horrendous crash. Scott and Derek both whirl back to face her but she keeps staring at the freezer, mouth open like a fish before she bolts for the stairs and out the front door ignoring both boys as they call for her to come back.

Once she’s outside the feeling lessens, she can breath again and she falls to her knees, gasping for air in the cold misty evening. Derek's outside with her in a couple of seconds, on his knees next to her and reaching towards her before pausing.

“Evy?” He’s panicking, she can hear it clearly in his voice and she knows, she knows that they don’t have time for her to have a nervous breakdown right now but she can't help the sobs that bubble up her throat. She moves and curls herself up in Derek's lap and he immediately winds his arms around her, holding her deftly to his chest.

“It’s like I can hear him crying Derek. It’s in my head and I can’t get rid of the sound of it.” Her teeth are chattering in her head and he buries his nose in her neck, mumbling sweetly into her ear to try and calm her down. Eventually it works and when she realises she’s still curled up on his lap she tries to pull out of his arms but he doesn’t let her move.

“Has this happened before?” He asks her softly, green eyes focused intently on her and she shakes her head quickly.

“No, well never like this and never this intense.” She whispers and he nods once before standing with her in his arms and settles her on the ground once he’s upright. He keeps her close though, brushing a strand of chestnut hair that had fallen from her bun back up over her ear, before moving his hand to cup her cheek.

“Stiles is gonna meet you at the station.” Scott snaps, breaking the moment in half and Evelyn throws her head back and grumbles into the sky before pulling away from Derek and stalking towards the Camaro. Derek joins her a couple of seconds later and in complete silence they’re off towards the police station. As they drive Evelyn starts getting frantic messages from Allison who has apparently just shot a hunter with an arrow as he was on his way to the station to 'deal' with Isaac. She relays all this information to Derek who doesnt say anything but she does notice the speedometer in the Camaro gradually increasing the closer they get.

Derek and Evelyn spot the jeep as soon as they pull into the lot and they quickly hop into the jeep, Derek in the front seat and Evelyn into the back. “Okay.” Stiles starts turning to face Derek in the front of the car, Evelyn flitting her eyes between them and the main doors of the police station. “Now the keys to every cell are in a password protected lockbox in my dad’s office, our main problem is going to be getting past the officer at the front desk.”

“I can distract her,” Derek starts and with that incredibly terrible idea voiced into the open the pair begin to argue about Derek’s ability (inability in Stiles’ opinion) to seduce Tara, the deputy Stiles says is on desk duty tonight. Evelyn chooses to ignore them, focusing instead on the movement inside the police station and that’s when she notices who’s actually sitting behind the front desk as the station door swings open and shut behind a very disgruntled looking man, holding what looks to be numerous tickets of some description.

Letting out a soft huff, she pops open the first few buttons of the flannel shirt she’s wearing and then pulls her hair out of its bun and begins to fluff it up. She then goes rooting around in the bottom of her book bag for the tube of lip-gloss she usually stashes there before coming up empty.

“Stiles give me your ChapStick.” She produces a hand between the seats, still rifling through her bag.

“Your crusty lips are the least of our priorities right now Evy!” He snaps and she raises her head out of the bag to reach out over the seat and aggressively flick his ear.

“Actually, you’re gonna need me at maximum pout for this one baby.” At this both Stiles and Derek whirl to face her and she can’t help the chuckle that bubbles up at the matching looks of confusion on both of their faces.

“What are you doing?” The confusion on Derek's face melts quickly into something else, something heavier and she can almost feel his gaze brushing against her skin as it drops from her eyes to her lips, her stomach twists in on itself and her heart must do something wacky as his gaze immediately flits back to her eyes.

“Tara’s not the deputy on tonight, but I’ll give you one guess who is.” Evelyn winks at the pair and Stiles brow creases in confusion before a look of understanding and then pure unbridled fury cross his face in quick succession.

“No!” Stiles glares at her in the rear view mirror. “This is not happening. Absolutely not.”

“Oh, and you have a better idea, do you? We have half an hour, max, before Isaac changes and I’m not letting that happen to him in there by himself. Are you about to let that happen?” She raises a brow pointedly and Stiles huffs flopping back into his seat with a resigned groan.

“If we had more time this wouldn’t be happening!” He hisses, “now pull your top down further, you may as well go all out.”

“Good call,” she snaps her fingers at him and pulls her tank down until the lacy top of her bra peaks out over the opened buttons of her shirt. She's never been more thankful she did laundry the night before.

She catches Stiles gaze in the rear-view mirror and it's very obviously not on her face, "that wasn't an invitation to look Stilinski" and he squeaks out an apology before turning his eyes away.

“S’not my fault you have phenomenal boobs. They’re the main reason you’re going in at all instead of me or Derek.” He argues and at that Derek lets out a soft cough to remind the pair of his presence in the passenger seat of the car.

“Do either of you want to explain to me what’s happening right now?” He looks like he’s swallowed several bugs and Evelyn also notices he’s now making intense eye contact with her.

“Deputy Haigh has a proclivity towards jailbait and he’s had Evelyn’s boobs in his sights since he met her two years ago at the annual department barbecue.” Stiles explains and Evelyn pauses putting the ChapStick on to smack him across the back of the shoulder. At that revelation Derek’s eyebrows meet his hairline and he's out of the car and in the back seat with her before she can say anything, before she can blink.

“No.” He’s in her face now, seething, leaning over her until she’s almost fully pressed against the door, the heat of him seeping into the front of her shirt. He smells like leather and cedar and she desperately wants him to move closer so he’s pressing her against the door completely and she has no room to do anything but lie there and…and dear god she needs to get a hold of herself. She tries to sit up but Derek stays where he is so the only thing she succeeds in doing is bumping their foreheads together.

“Der, we have to get Isaac out of there! So, unless you have a better plan this is what we have to go with.” She reaches up to gently push on his shoulder. He looks at her wildly for a few more seconds before he relaxes against her with a resigned huff and she cautiously throws an arm around his neck and strokes his cheek.

“I don’t like this plan.” He grumps.

“Believe me, I’m not happy about it either but needs must and right now we need to get Isaac out of there. Besides, I’m not all that worried, you’ll maim him before he gets a hand on me.” She pats his cheek smiling smugly up at him and he growls in agreement.

“You’re damned right I will.”

“I f*cking hate it here.” Stiles whines from the front seat and she leans over to press a soft kiss to his cheek before doing the same to Derek and then hopping out of the jeep.

She gets inside and the minute Haigh spots her a large wolfish grin splits across his face and she wants to just let Derek come in and punch the sh*t out of him on principle.

“Ms. O’Hara, how can I help you this evening.” He’s not even attempting to look at her face, no his creepy little beady eyes are firmly glued to her chest and she puts on her sunniest smile, hoping the sound of her grinding her teeth is covered.

“Officer Haigh, I’m here to report a missing wallet, it has all my cards and things in it and I just wanted to see if there was any chance someone had handed it in here?” She asks, leaning across the desk to really give him an eyeful.

“Sorry sweetheart no one’s dropped anything in. Tell you what though, I’m finished my shift in about ten minutes so I can come help you look.” She feels panic start to simmer in her chest. She tries to come up with some sort of excuse on the fly but when she can’t she simply tightens her smile and nods serenely.

“You really don’t have to, I’m sure you’ll be shattered after your shift ends.”

“Nonsense, helping out damsels in distress is a perk of being a police officer.” He has the audacity to throw a wink her way and she has to hold back quite a lot of vomit. He looks like he’s about to round the desk to join her on the other side but before she can move away a loud crash echoes from the alley outside the building.

Haigh grimaces in the direction of the sound before turning back to her with a tight lipped smile. “You wait here, I’m just gonna check that out.” He tells her and she nods sweetly up at him, the smile falling away to a mocking impression of said smile as he leaves.

“Have I mentioned how much I adore your nosiness recently?” She says softly, aloud and then quickly makes her way towards the sheriff’s office. Stiles hasn’t made it in yet so she skulks quietly through the corridors, hoping to stay out of sight and not have to explain the aforementioned skulking. This all comes to a screeching halt though as she comes face to face with a grimacing deputy.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she squeaks “I was just looking for…” The words fall away as she spots blood seeping from a hole in his trousers and she realises with a panicked start that this is the hunter that Allison had sent her the panicked text about. She then notices the glint off of a syringe she thinks is most probably filled with wolfsbane. “Well f*ck—" she turns to run but doesn’t get far before a large arm coils itself under her arms and the other covers her mouth before she can yell out for Derek’s help.

She struggles intensely to try to get him to let go of her but he holds firm. Even as she swats at his face, scratching the skin there and on his hands. He drags her back towards the holding cells, and as she flails about her hand whacks something cool and hard and she pulls down on the lever with all her might. The fire alarm immediately starts to wail and she knows that if her thundering heartbeat hadn’t already gotten Derek’s attention then this definitely will.

He lets her go once they’re at the cells and he looks down at where she’s fallen with a smug, self-satisfied grin on his face. As if manhandling a teenage girl to the ground is some sort of feat. The grin quickly falls away though when he and Evelyn realise at the same time that the door she assumes Issac was once behind has been smashed open and is hanging on its hinges.

She hears Isaac before she sees him, growling as he leaps at the hunter, slamming him down against the table before turning to shove him against the far wall. Evelyn freezes in place, watching as Isaac, fully transformed snarls at the hunter before he slams his head against the wall and lets him fall with a resounding thud. The syringe rolls out of his hand and before she realises what she’s doing, she’s on her feet and the glass of the syringe is crushed beneath her shoes.

Isaac roars again, it’s closer this time and soon she finds herself backed up against the wall. He looms over her, eyes bright and large in his head. He’s almost on top of her when she puts her hands up to put something between her and the majority of his body. “Hey, hey. Isaac it’s Evelyn. I’m not here to hurt you, I’m here to get you home.” This stops him from moving forward, he tilts his head, left, then right. Then he looks up and makes direct eye contact with Evelyn, which seems to settle something in him and he ducks his head to press his cheek gently against the palm of her hand. She stifles a coo and gently cups her hand over his cheek and she can't stop the giggle that echoes around the cell as he nuzzles in close. The giggle is cut off though when he lurches forward and buries his face in the crook of her neck, lifting her until her feet aren’t touching the floor anymore.

“Smell good.” Isaac somehow manages to get the words past his maw of fangs and she can’t help but throw her head back and guffaw at the way it comes out all garbled and grumpy.

“Thanks buddy, now put me down before your alpha kills you.” She strokes a thumb gently over his furry cheek and he nods, gently setting her down. Footsteps echo in the hallway then and as soon as Stiles turns the corner she knows they’re in sh*t. Isaac immediately turns, crouches and snarls at Stiles, who backs up against the wall, hands up to protect himself. Isaac only manages to make it a singular step forward before a bellowing roar stops him in his tracks. Evelyn covers her ears and glances up to find Derek in the doorway eyes crimson as he stares down a now fully human Isaac, cowering against the wall next to her.

“How did you do that?” Stiles stutters out, head thumped back against the wall and Evelyn lets herself slump down and sprawl out next to Isaac, who buries in closer as soon as she’s within arm’s length.

“I’m the alpha.” Confidence, she thinks, is a wonderful thing as he smirks down at Stiles before crouching down and eyeing Isaac and her warily. “You okay?”

“Yeah, yup. All good…Is that…Is that growly thing new or….” She trails off and he lets out a snort before helping her to her feet, arms drifting to the spot they usually fall to on her hips to hold her steady.

“Okay, we’ve rescued the pup, now let’s get the hell out of here before someone comes snooping.” Stiles starts frantically pushing them towards the exit and they all make a break under the cover of darkness towards the hidden jeep.

Chapter 3: Evelyn's Home for Wayward Werewolves

Chapter Text

This is without a doubt Evelyn’s worst nightmare, gym is bad enough but Coach has now decided to add the element of height to it and she can feel her palms begin to sweat at the sight of the rock wall in front of her.

“You look like you’re going to throw up.” She looks up to find Derek sidling up next to her and she throws a sharp glare in his direction but she doesn’t say anything in response for the fear that when she opens her mouth she’ll end up introducing him to the bowl of cornflakes she had for breakfast . “Evy, don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights.” He snickers and she moves to step away but he just follows her like a shadow. “Hey, come on. I’m just teasing. You really don’t like heights?” His voice is soft as he asks her and his hand drops to the small of her back, Evelyn all but melts into it before she can stop herself.

“It’s not a fear of heights so much as it’s a fear of falling.” The words just about make it through her thinned, pursed lips and she feels him step closer. Suddenly, his voice is at her ear and the feeling of his warm breath against the sensitive skin there sends a shiver racing up her back.

“Being afraid of heights is completely rational. Being afraid of falling on the other hand—” She cuts him off with a sharp bark of laughter, laced with hurt.

“Derek not all of us are indestructible, some of us are soft squishy humans with very thin skin and breakable bones, falling is a completely—” Her rant dies a swift death in her throat when she’s cut off by a sharp nip to her earlobe, thankfully with what feel like dull human teeth. The bite pretty much leaves her completely incapacitated and at the mercy of the smirking wolf behind her.

“I’m not disagreeing with you, you are very fragile.” The word falls from his lips like a curse, “And while falling is a very rational fear for most people, it shouldn’t be something you need to worry about.”

“Why cause you’re gonna be there to catch me whenever I fall?” She mocks and waits for his teasing response but he doesn’t say anything. The need to look into his eyes like right the f*ck now completely takes her over and she turns to find him observing her with a level of intensity she should really be used to. She is very much not used to it though and her stomach seconds that as it flips and quivers under his gaze. “Derek you can’t be serious.” She’s aiming for an incredulous tone which she manages but it’s breathless, he hasn’t said anything else but somehow he’s managed to knock the wind out of her with the look in his eyes alone.

“You want me to promise you?” There’s no teasing in his voice when he asks her, his tone is completely serious and she can’t find the words anywhere in her head to make a joke out of this or to even respond to him. There’s also the fear niggling at the back of her skull that if she opens her mouth she’ll ask him to hear those words and that scares her more than anything.

Derek is impressively, scarily good at reading Evelyn though and so there, in the middle of gym class while she’s wearing an old pair of ratty shorts and a top she’s pretty sure once belonged to Stiles, Derek Hale grabs her around the waist and draws her in close. He takes a quick glance around and she does the same, thankful that everyone seems to be too busy watching the wall to notice whatever the f*ck is happening back here. Looking back she finds him leaning in, so his forehead is touching hers, there’s something soft in his eyes and she wants to squirm away. It’s too much, way too much for a Thursday morning but the grip on her waist is like iron and won’t let her budge. “Don’t think I won’t. I’ll do it. You just have to ask me.” It sounds much more like a threat than a promise.

She’s saved from having to rewire her brain enough to come up with an answer by coach calling her name and she quickly yanks herself out of his hold, trying to correct her breathing as she goes. The wall seems like the easier option right now and so she lets herself be harnessed, aware of green eyes boring into her back the entire time but she keeps her gaze firmly on the wall. Matt’s been called at the same time and he smiles awkwardly at her as he gets harnessed up beside her.

“You look like you’re gonna be sick.” He says and she sends him a small nervous smile, he just looks at her with understanding in his brown eyes. “Yeah, I’m not big on heights either. But hey at least we have each other up there.” He tries a warmer smile this time and she nods in agreement before coach sets them off with a harsh blow of his whistle.

Evelyn manages to make her way up in good time, one foot in front of the other, pulling herself up the wall, taking deep breaths as she goes and refusing to look down at her feet. It isn’t until she reaches the top, at the exact same time Matt does that she accidentally casts a glance down and freezes. She knows in theory it’s not that high, she can’t be more than a storey off the ground but the rest of her class feel like ants from where she’s looking down at them.

“You okay?” Matt asks, worry evident in his voice and she nods once, sharply.

“Yeah, no, I’ll be fine, you head on down I’m just going to need a second.” She tells him honestly and he reaches over to gently grasp her shoulder.

“I can stay up here if you need me?” He says it like it wouldn't be that big of a deal if he did and she knows he’s being completely serious but she can also feel the way his hand is trembling where it's sitting on her shoulder so she just shakes her head.

“There’s no point in ruining both of our grades over my breakdown, but thanks for offering.” Her voice is trembling a little but Matt nods and Evelyn watches on as he makes his way back down the wall. She steels herself then, takes a deep breath and slowly begins her own decent. She’s actually pleasantly surprised by the time she’s making until, just as she reaches the halfway point her foot slips on one of the rocks.

Frantically she tries to keep her hold but gravity has different ideas and so she finds herself plummeting towards the safety mat with a loud scream. She doesn’t really have time to think about it, she feels the air rushing around her, preparing for the pain that she’s going to feel. It never comes though, instead her fall is halted by a pair of very familiar arms. The force is enough to jostle her slightly but the arms that catch her don’t even flinch, they just hold her firmly to his broad chest.She can’t catch her breath, and she isn’t sure if it’s from the fall or the fact that Derek’s looking down at her like she hung the moon itself.

“Excellent catch Mr. Hale.” Coach’s call just about registers with her and when she pulls her eyes from Derek's she realises to her horror that everyone is indeed now staring at them. She squirms and tries to get him to drop her but he just holds her fast.

“Thanks coach.” Smug isn’t even close to how Derek sounds and she thumps him on the shoulder with a specific kind of glare that has him putting her down in an instant with a placating smile. She goes to step away from him but he simply continues his new favourite hobby of following her like a large smug shadow as she turns to watch Scott and Allison begin to scale the wall. From the scoffs Derek lets out under his breath she can only assume they’re being gross as they’re scaling the wall.

Then like her and without warning Scott is plummeting to the ground but unlike her he doesn’t have a big strong werewolf to catch him in midair. No, instead the harness tightens around his chest as he comes to a sharp stop inches from the foam mat.

“McCall, I don't know why, but your pain gives me a special kind of joy... Right?” Coach laughs manically at Scott before turning to the crowd looking for his next two victims. “All right, next two! Stilinski, Erica, let's go! The wall.” He points at Stiles who groans but complies.

Erica looks worse than Evelyn had felt when she was going up. She and Stiles get hooked up at the same time and start off together. Evelyn’s more than a little impressed with Stiles as he gets up and down with seemingly no bother. It’s a different story when she turns her gaze back to Erica, who is now stuck clutching the wall about halfway up.

As soon as Stiles reaches the bottom he looks back up to Erica as she begins to panic and mutter softly to herself.“Oh, please—"

Everyone moves in closer and Coach moves to stand under her “Erica? Dizzy? Is it vertigo?”

“Vertigo's a dysfunction of the vestibular system of the inner ear. She's just freaking out.” Lydia speaks snidely from Evelyn’s shoulder and she quickly reaches out to thump her on the arm.

“Not the time Lydia!”

“Erica...” Coach calls again and Erica manages to answer this time but her voice is soft and shaky.

“I'm fine.”

“Coach, maybe it's not safe. You know, she's epileptic.” Allison says and Coach begins to stutter in frustration.

Evelyn meanwhile turns and as subtly as possible she pokes Derek in the side to get his attention. “Would you catch her if she falls please?” She asks and he throws her a long suffering glance before nodding and she clutches his arm in thanks.

“Why doesn't anybody tell me this stuff? Erica, y-you're fine. Just-just kick off from the wall. Th-there's a mat to catch you. Come on.” She watches as Erica takes a deep breath and pushes herself off the wall, landing softly on the ground. “See? You're fine. You're on the ground. You're all right. Let's go. Shake it off. You're fine.” Coach coaxes her softly and she quickly scurries to the back of the room as some of the other students begin to titter loudly in her direction.

“Hey,” Evelyn catches up to her as she goes, “you okay?” Erica doesn’t respond, she just throws a glare at her before continuing into the locker room.

“She’s probably jealous there wasn’t a big strong hunk of a man waiting to catch her if she fell.” Lydia sidles up beside Evelyn smirking broadly and she can feel the flush starting to work its way across her cheeks. She starts to head towards the lockers, doing her best to ignore Lydia's teasing.

“Shut up.” Groaning, Evelyn opens her locker and starts rummaging about for her clothes while Lydia just giggles wildly at her pain.

“Oh, I really won’t, it was incredibly romantic. How long has this been a thing for?” Leaning against Evelyn’s locker she pins her with a pointed stare and Evelyn's answer is to duck her head back into her locker.

“There is nothing. He’s just a friend.” Her voice is firm as she speaks and Lydia lets out a sharp cackle, before realising that Evelyn’s not actually messing with her.

“You’re actually serious right now. I’m sorry I refuse to believe there’s nothing going on between you and Mr. tall, dark and broody.” Evelyn really hopes that the concrete walls between the boys and girls locker rooms are enough to keep Derek from hearing this conversation but she’s not hopeful.

“Well, believe it, Derek and I are just friends.” Closing the locker she finds Lydia still focused on her, one perfectly manicured eyebrow raised higher than the other.

“Does he know that?” Evelyn feels herself flush an even darker shade of red and she really wants to slink away into the darkness and away from this conversation.Thankfully, distraction comes a knocking just as Lydia stops speaking when there’s a yell from the gym and they all turn tail and sprint towards the noise.

They get to the wall, just as Erica falls and Scott leaps forward to catch her, her body violently shaking in his arms. It takes her a second but Evelyn realises that Erica is seizing and she and Allison make a beeline for Scott.

“Put her on her side Scott! Put her on her side now and take your hands off of her!” Evelyn barks and he does as she says just as Allison moves to kneel next to them.

“How'd you know?” Allison asks Scott and he looks a little perturbed as Erica continues to seize in front of them.

“I just felt it.” He doesn’t seem to have a proper response but before he can think any further on it, Erica slowly stops convulsing and starts to come around. She panics a little when she sees everyone cloistered around her so Evelyn quickly stands and turns to face the crowd, a severe look crossing her face.

“Back up and give her some space, come on she doesn’t need all of you gawking at her!” Evelyn barks and watches as Derek comes to stand beside her, flashing his own severe look at their classmates and she throws him a grateful smile. He’s not focused on her though and she really doesn’t like the sharp look that’s taken over his face as he keeps one eye firmly on Erica's prone form.

The image of Erica being whisked away in an ambulance stays with Evelyn all the way through the day. She tries to push it out of her head but it’s just replaced by the dark determined look on Derek’s face as he left the gym shortly after. It takes her a while as those images keep floating through and she tosses and turns for a long time before she eventually drifts off to sleep.

The sound of soft tapping on her window slowly wakes her from her restless sleep. She reaches over to her bedside locker and when her phone lights up and tells her that it’s past midnight she knows that the person on the other side of the glass is most definitely a werewolf.

So, she creeps to the window, her curtains blocking any view of who it might be. When she draws back the fabric, she's left a little surprised that the wolf isn't either of the ones she expected.Isaac resembles a lost puppy as he waves awkwardly at her from outside the window and she blinks slowly for a second but then carefully and quietly opens the sash.

“Isaac? Are you okay? Is Derek okay?” She asks him in a rush and he shakes his head once, eyes firmly on the painted wood of her window frame, hand on the back of his head looking more than a little sheepish.

“I’m fine. We're fine. It’s just…Derek’s away this evening and he told me that if I was worried about spending the night by myself that I should come here.” He sounds like he’s repeating what Derek told him word for word and she rolls her eyes but steps back so he can crawl in through the window and land silently on her carpet.

“Jesus what is this ‘Evelyn’s home for wayward teenage werewolves’.” Her grumbling obviously panics Isaac and he opens his mouth, she can only assume to say he’ll leave or to apologise but she just grabs him by the arm and pulls him towards her bed.

“I don’t mind sleeping on the floor.” Speaking so softly his voice is barely above a whisper, Evelyn just shakes her head at the veritable martyr in front of her.

“Isaac, I’m not going to make you sleep on the floor.” She pauses for a second before she rounds on him with wide eyes. “Has Derek been making you sleep on the floor? I swear to god I’ll kill him. What kind of asshole would make you sleep on the floor.” Isaac looks like he’s biting back a laugh as he speaks again, this time trying to calm her down.

“No, no. He uh actually bought me a pull out couch for his living room.”

The softness in Isaac’s eyes quickly washes away most of her ire, “that’s actually surprisingly thoughtful.” Evelyn smiles softly up at the ceiling before schooling her features back into something less fond before Isaac spots it in the darkness.

“Yeah well I thought he was gonna make me sleep in the old train depot so anything beats that.” He chuckles, mostly to himself and Evelyn narrows her eyes but decides it’s not worth asking about right now so she decides to park it for a later conversation. Evelyn lays down first and once she’s settled, Isaac lowers himself to the other side of the bed, laying stock still on his back, eyes on the ceiling as he pulls the covers up and over himself.

There's silence for a while before Evelyn works up the courage to speak, “so…How are you holding up?” There’s no response at first and she just assumes he’s fallen asleep until a soft sniffle somewhere above her head lets her know that’s not the case and as she turns to face him she catches the glint of tears falling down his cheeks.

“Oh Isaac.” She coos softly, rolling to her side she opens her arms, hoping he’ll take the hint and he does immediately. His blonde hair is downy soft as she buries her nose in it and he nuzzles his face into her collarbone. Time passes and they don’t move, curled around each other as Isaac falls apart in her arms, she only pulls away in the end to get a good look at his face then moves a hand to cup his cheek.

“He was a piece of sh*t. He was never kind, never cared about me, not really. The softest part of him was his teeth. So, so I keep asking myself why I’m even upset that he’s gone.” His cries are loud and violent and she worries he’s going to wake up Maude and Patrick but she doesn’t stop him from crying it out.

“It’s cause he’s your dad. Yeah he was awful. Like such a piece of sh*t I can’t even put it into words how much I wanted to kill him myself Isaac. But we can’t help who our families are and those feelings of love we have for them are hard to kill. No matter how much pain the person you love has caused you.”

Isaac doesn’t say anything, but she feels him shift away for a moment so she lets him go to give him space. They lie like that for a while, in complete silence, just listening to the sound of each others breathing. Then in the gloom, sudden movement as Isaac's fingers twitch where they're now splayed out next to hers. She doesn’t even think about it, just closes the distance slowly, giving him time to pull away if he needs to and when he doesn’t she gently laces their fingers together.

“Derek was right about you.” Isaac tells her and she turns to face him quick as a flash.

“What did he say about me?”

“That you were the person to come to if I needed to get all this off of my chest.” The fact that she can’t see him doesn’t mean she can’t hear the smile in his voice so she huffs and kicks out at him as he lets out a snort.

“Yeah, well. I’m a good listener that’s all.” She blushes and Isaac lets out a soft breathy chuckle, then she feels a soft kiss being pressed gently to her brow.

“Thank you.” He murmurs the words against her skin and she gently headbutts him with a breathy chuckle of her own.

“My window's always open, apparently.”

The next morning she wakes up to an empty bed and wonders if she’d just imagined Isaac spending the night but as she shifts to shut her alarm off her hand grazes a piece of paper that definitely hadn’t been there night before. Groggily she lifts it to her face and smiles fondly as she makes out the words ‘Thank You’ scrawled down across the page in chicken scratch.

As the day goes on though, something keeps gnawing at Evelyn. She wonders how Derek plans on taking care of the teenage werewolf fugitive who’s now in his care. Derek's the alpha, she gets that, she gets he has an urge to protect his pack but he’s barely an adult himself. Then she has a thought, a thought that makes her more than a little upset the more she thinks about it and how she doesn't have an answer. if the alpha protects the pack then who protects the alpha.

Her musings are rudely interrupted as Scott and Stiles sit down in front of her, both glancing furtively around the room and when they seem content their gazes snap back to her. “Have you read anything about a lizard shapeshifter?”

Evelyn blinks once, twice, slowly chewing on the bite of sandwich in her mouth, swallowing and letting out a slow breath.“I’m sorry what?”

“Scaly shapeshifter? Ever come across one in your google deep dives?” Stiles asks her quietly and Evelyn's eyebrows have definitely disappeared into her hairline now.

“Noooo…” She drags out the word and then lets out a forlorn sigh. “No I can’t say I have. Please, for the love of all that is good, tell me there isn’t something new wondering about in the dark out there.” Stiles says nothing, just purses his lips with a shrug and Evelyn lets her head thump against the table. “I f*cking hate it here. Let’s just up sticks and move.”

“Maybe you should ask your boyfriend if he’s heard of it.” Speaking for the first time since they sat down Scott’s lips are twisted into a snarl and Evelyn decides to ignore the biting comment and turn back to Stiles.

“What does it look like? Exactly. I’m gonna need more than scaly shapeshifter if I’m looking this up.”

“Human height, completely covered in scales with bright yellow eyes. I didn’t get a long look at it though.” Scott speaks again, this time a lot less sour.

“Okay, well I guess I know how I’m spending my evening while you two are off being romantic at the ice rink. God if only my books would take me on romantic little dates.”

“Pretty sure someone else would take you on romantic little dates if you looked at him the right way.” Stiles leans his head in his hands and stares up at her with big whiskey eyes and she shoves his hand out from under his chin so his face hits the table.

“You suck.” She smiles fondly down at him as he reaches up to try and wrestle her to the table. “So about this date? What’s happening? Tell me more. Tell me all!”

“It’s not a date, I just want to take Lydia out to help her get her mind off of everything that’s happened over the last few weeks. I just want her to go out and have a good time.” He grumbles into the table and she reaches down to gently pet his spikey buzz-cut and boops his nose when he lifts his head to grimace up at her.

“Well this not date, date, I think it’s a really sweet idea Stiles. She’s gonna love it.”

“Well, she will if I can convince Boyd to give me the keys to the rink.” Stiles huffs and with that he’s up and making his way over to talk to Vernon Boyd, the quiet boy who sits in the back of most of Evelyn's classes.

She watches in amusem*nt as the pair clearly argue over the price of the keys, turning she goes to make a sarcastic comment to Scott only to find him blatantly ignoring her and concentrating on the food in front of him like it contains the answers to the meaning of life. So instead of speaking she just slumps down in her seat and fiddles with the sleeve of her jumper waiting for Stiles to come back.

He does just that a minute later keys secured and a bright smile on his face, “Got em! Pick you up right after work tonight and we’ll meet at the rink, cool?” He asks Scott, who’s too distracted looking to where Allison is sitting to pay any attention to Stiles. He just shrugs it off and turns back to Evelyn now marginally more excited about this evening.

There’s nothing in her books about bipedal lizard people. There’s nothing on the internet about bipedal lizard people. Evelyn’s beginning to wonder if Scott had a moon fueled hallucination and imagined a bipedal lizard person. There’s plenty of river monsters and lake monsters but unless they’re dealing with the New Jersey Gator man there isn’t a single reported sighting of any cryptid that matches what Scott’s talking about.

Leaning back in her desk chair she rubs her fingers across the bridge of her nose and decides she’s had enough cryptozoology for the evening and maeks her way to the kitchen. After an hour she realises that in her stress fueled cooking blackout she’s made way too much of Maude's favourite ragu recipe and that she’s somehow stress baked two batches of blondies while thinking about freaking bipedal lizard people.

She asks Maude if she can borrow the car and when she gets the go ahead she heads out towards the warehouse district of Beacon Hills before she can overthink what she’s about to do. She knows she’s heading in the right direction as the buildings get older and more decrepit the further into the industrial estate she gets.

It’s just started to rain as she pulls up to the front of the old railway station which is lit by a bright orange streetlight and somehow that makes it entirely more creepy than it would have been if it had just been shrouded in darkness.

Grumbling at the sound of the rain plinking against her windscreen, Evelyn flings her coat over her head and bolts for the door. She wonders, as she sprints for the door, water splashing up and dampening the bottoms of her jeans, if she should knock but then the rain starts to fall harder. 'Screw that they mightn’t even be here' she thinks to herself so instead she just shoves the heavy metal door open and throws herself inside, jumping as it shuts with a reverberating thud behind her.

It's pitch black and smells like rust and damp. Evelyn lets out a groan, “You couldn’t have picked a nicer super-secret hideout?” She asks the space and when there’s no response she thinks that the boys must be at Derek's apartment. Curiosity as often is the case, gets the better of her and she turns the flashlight of her phone on, starting off very slowly down the stairs so she doesn’t wind up in a heap at the bottom of them.

It takes her a second but eventually she reaches the last step, warily eyeing the shadows the old, rotted train cars throw around the room in the light of her phone. There are oil barrels and some old pieces of wood dotted around the floor but nothing that’s very obviously Derek’s and Evelyn keeps an eye on what’s at her feet to make sure she doesn’t trip over anything.

She’s just stepped into the first train car when the door at the top of the stairs snaps shut with the same loud bang it gave out earlier.

The sound startles her so bad she drops her phone though she doesn’t need the light to spot the pair of crimson eyes burning through the darkness at her from the top of the stairs. Panic has her in its grip and she can’t move, fearing for a second that it’s Peter she’s seeing coming down the stairs, that he’s come back and he’s out for her throat this time. It isn’t until a familiar voice rings out from the top of the stairs that the panic subsides and she relaxes.

“This is private property.” She can hear the smile in his voice as she lets herself drop back against the cold metal of the train car shell behind her, a small shaky sigh leaving her lips before she can stop it.

She hears the sound of him hit the concrete floor, it almost reverberates around the entire building and she rolls her eyes at it.“You could use stairs the way god intended you know, being a werewolf doesn’t stop you from doing that.” The annoyance is clear in her voice and Derek has the nerve to laugh at her, which would have annoyed her more had it come from where she expected it to but no. No, instead the deep, rich laugh comes from right in front of her and she opens her eyes to find his crimson ones directly in front of her.

It's dumb, it’s really dumb but she has to be sure that the man in front of her is definitely Derek. So she gingerly lifts her hand and places it softly on his cheek, catching some of the scruff growing in on his chin with her pinky. She feels him step closer, then feels his breath brush against her face and the smell of pine and leather finds her nostrils. Her thumb is stroking his cheekbones softly almost reflexive now and she can feel the way the apples of his cheeks have risen as he smiles.

“It’s me.” He says it so simply, so earnestly, allaying all of her fears with two words and she feels her own fond smile rise before she tries to dampen it down remembering that he can see everything in the low light.

“Just had to make sure.” It sounds like a pathetic excuse even to her own ears but he doesn’t laugh. No, instead she feels his own fingers brush against her cheek and she can’t help but let her head drop into his palm.

“Why are you two weirdos standing down there in the dark?” Isaac's voice sounds like a bulldozer in the silence and Evelyn jumps away from Derek. Then winces as the lights come on in the room and she sees Isaac looking panicked at the top of the stairs so she turns back to look at Derek and finds him glaring up at his Beta. Isaac then proceeds to take the stairs in the same way Derek did, jumping from top to bottom in one go, landing perfectly in an almost practiced crouch.

“You’ve been a werewolf for fifteen minutes, use the stairs like a normal person.” She can't help but roll her eyes at his antics but Isaac just laughs loudly at her.

“Where’s the fun in that.”

“There isn’t any, but I wouldn’t have to deal with this stupidity.” Grumbling, to herself Evelyn walks around Derek, heading straight for Isaac. “I don't know what he's been feeding you so I decided to make sure you were being taken care of myself.” She pulls the Tupperware box from her backpack and watches with unfiltered glee as Isaac's eyes immediately light up.

“Hey!” His hands land on her hips from behind and she can feel the heat of him against the whole of her back. “I’ve been feeding him. Tell her I’ve been feeding you.”

“I mean you’ve been feeding me, but half raw steaks don’t really compare with whatever this is.” Isaac is almost drooling just holding the box of food but Evelyn’s not concentrating on that, instead she's more than a little concerned about what he’s just told her.

“When was the last time either of you ate a vegetable?” They both look like they’re thinking way too hard about the answer to that question and now she really regrets asking them. “Alright, other than your apparent impending death because of scurvy” She pointedly stares at the pair who are looking anywhere but at her. “How have you been?” The question is clearly directed at Isaac who blanches for a second so Evelyn steps forward to squeeze his hand and he falters a little, the smile on his face wobbling slightly.

“Yeah, as good as I can be given the circ*mstances.” He tells her softly but he’s not looking at her now so she yanks him into a hug burying her face in his chest.

“Isaac.” She murmurs his name and he folds his arms around her and lets out a rattling breath that’s just a little too close to a sob for her liking.

“Yeah, no. No I’m still not great.” He mutters into the top of her head and she squeezes him as tightly as she can.

"No one's expecting you to be. You know where I am if you need to talk or anything. Just don’t get yourself caught trying to scale my walls.” She tells him, pulling away but not before squeezing his shoulders tight. Then she reaches into her bag and pulls out the other Tupperware that’s full of blondies. “Don’t expect this all the time.” She warns Isaac and then turns to Derek. “That goes for you too Mr.” There’s that fond grin she thinks as he nods his agreement.“Great, Derek, will you walk me out?”

He seems a little surprised by her request but he immediately follows her up the stairs and out the door. “First question, Jackson?” At the sound of his name rolling off of her tongue Derek’s smile falls away, his eyes harden and he pulls his shutters down.

“What about him?”

“What do you mean what about him? You bit him and as far as I can tell nothing happened. He didn’t turn and he really didn’t like it when I called you his alpha.” At this piece of information Derek steps in close again and there’s a hand on her arm stopping her from going anywhere even though she had no plans to move.

She thinks that he almost looks scared as he asks her, “when did he say this too you?”

“The other morning after he went to the sheriff about Isaac. I confronted him about talking and he really didn’t want to talk about you and I can only assume cause you weren’t worried about him at all the night of the full moon you knew he wasn’t going to change.”

“Did he touch you?” Derek completely ignores the majority of what she’s just said, his voice turning to a raspy snarl now and she catches his iris’s flash deep scarlet so she grabs the hand on hers and squeezes it softly.

“No, he didn’t. He wouldn’t, and even if he did, that would be my problem not yours.” Derek looks like he wants to argue but she continues before he can start.“Next question. What the f*ck is going on with the Argent's? Scott told me what happened to the omega so don’t you even think about bullsh*tting me.” Derek’s features darken and the grip he has on her hands tightens to the point where she thinks it might be bruising. She must flinch or wince at the feeling because Derek’s grip loosens but he doesn’t remove his hand from hers.

“Gerard wants revenge for what happened to Kate and he’s thrown out the rule book to get it. The code doesn’t apply anymore, they catch a wolf they kill it, no questions asked.”

“But you didn’t do anything wrong. You’re just kids!” She’s panicking now, she wants to pull away and pace but the hand on hers keeps her close.

“He doesn’t give a sh*t. As far as he cares wolves killed his daughter so he's gonna kill any wolf he can get his slimy hands on until he thinks he’s solved the problem.”

“Okay, moving on, before I have a nervous breakdown. Have you ever heard of a bipedal lizard creature before?” She feels dumb even asking the question.

“Have you?” He asks her worriedly so she shakes her head and goes onto explain .

“The night of the full moon when Scott stayed back at Isaac’s he saw something, something different and it attacked him and Allison. I tried to look it up but there’s nothing that matches the description of the thing he saw in any books I’ve read or internet sources I’ve looked at.” She explains and Derek nods along but she gets the impression that he thinks she might be losing it. She also thinks she might be losing it. "Just, if you hear anything let me know please."

"Course, I hear anything and you'll be the first to know."

“Okay good, final question. Where were you last night?” If he’s surprised by the blunt question he doesn’t show it, but the worry that was on his face has disappeared and morphed into a wolfish smirk.

“Busy.” He answers simply, shortly but the way the smirk continues to grow lets her know that Derek’s being purposefully vague. He wants her to push him for answers, to ask for specifics and she’s not going to. God she wants to, there’s nothing she wants more than to ask him where he'd been but the way he’s looking so self-satisfied lets her know that nothing good can come from asking him.

“Cool. I have to get home.” She drops his hand and turns to towards the car, she gets about a step away before she thinks of something else. “Keep an eye on Isaac for me will you? If anyone knows what this is like it’s you and right now he needs someone in his corner. Being his alpha isn’t enough you need to be his friend. Promise me you’ll be his friend Derek.”

He’s definitely taken aback by her request but nods and she gives him a small smile before hopping into the car. She feels his eyes on her back until she drives around the corner from the warehouse and he disappears from her rear view mirror.

“Well? How was it?” She asks as she sits down next to Stiles at lunch the following day, ready for all of the gossip from the night before.

“Good. It was good.” Stiles says stiltedly and Evelyn gets the distinct feeling that it really hadn’t been good at all.

“Stiles?”

“What does it mean when the girl you’re attempting to woo by bringing to the ice rink ends the evening by screaming bloody murder into the ice?" Stiles asks picking away at his PB&J and Evelyn opens her mouth to answer but thinks better of it and stops, thinking of a different question to ask first.

“What kind of Scream?”

“The blood curdling kind.”

“Yeah, okay, that’s not great.” She admits and Stiles looks at her as if he’d come to that same conclusion several hours and a full freak out before Evelyn had. Scott appears then and starts to tell her about the amazing evening he and Allison had the night before, completely ignoring the way Stiles’ face sours as he continues.

“You had a good time too though right, ignoring the whole, you know…?” Scott mimes a scream as he turns to ask Stiles who doesn’t get to answer as the boisterous crowd in the cafeteria quietens down to a low buzz and the sounds of heels echo through the room.

The blonde is gorgeous, there’s no two ways about it as she purposefully struts through the room, attracting glances from all over. Her hair is perfectly curled and her legs go on forever in the tiny black skirt she’s wearing. It takes Evelyn a second but as she glances towards their table she realises that those perfectly painted red lips belong to Erica Reyes and in that second she knows exactly where Derek was two nights ago.

“What…The holy hell…Is that?” Evelyn glances up to find Lydia's arms perched on the back of her chair as she stares indignantly at Erica, back arched like an angry cat. Evelyn just nods along, mouth still somewhere on the floor, unable to form full sentences yet.

“It’s Erica.” Scott states dumbly and with that the three of them are on their feet and not so subtly following her out into the hallway. They scramble to the side doors together and Evelyn watches frozen as Erica smirks and elegantly lowers herself into the passenger seat of the Camaro.

The driver, once again wearing those stupidly attractive sunglasses throws them a sunny smile, flashing his bunny teeth before squealing out of the car park and leaving the three of them frozen at the top of the steps.

She sees Stiles turning to question a seething Scott in her peripherals but that’s currently playing second fiddle to the way her eyes are suddenly burning and her throat is closing. She sees Stiles reaching for her but she’s down the steps and breaking for the treeline before he can stop her.

Surprisingly, it isn’t Stiles who comes to get her just before lunch ends. No, instead she looks up to find a pair of dainty booted feet appearing in her line of sight where she’s curled up crying and embarrassed at the bottom of a tree. “Come on. Get up. You’re not allowed to give them the satisfaction of seeing you cry.”

“You mean?” Evelyn is horrified at the way her voice pitches up an octave and Lydia nods solemnly. She can’t go back looking like this. She’s been running her fingers through her hair like a madwoman and sniffing continuously for the past half hour. She has to look like a psychopath right now, flushed, flustered and covered in leaf litter.

“The hottest couple in Beacon Hills just rolled back into school. Apparently they left to go hook up at his old house.” This for some unknown reason burns under Evelyn's skin and her sadness gets swept away by an indignant rage at the idea of him taking her there. For…That. She gets to her feet and sweeps some of the leaves off of herself, grumbling under her breath at the thought of them together. Which apparently is exactly the response Lydia was looking for. “Perfect.” She plucks a leaf from the crown of Evelyn's head and dusts off her shoulders. “Now you strut back on in there and show that idiot exactly what he’s missing.” Shoving Evelyn’s shoulders down, Lydia fixes her hair and gently dabs the tears from her face with the corner of her green cardigan sleeve.

“You scare me so much sometimes.” Evelyn breathes out in awe and Lydia just winks at her before linking their arms together and leading them out of the woods.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The sun has just dipped below the horizon and Evelyn is two thousand words deep into a history essay. Fueled by tears and a playlist that mostly consists of Joni Mitchell songs whose only purpose is to make her cry even harder. Then that stupid song from Love Actually starts playing and she once again gets mad at Alan Rickman for cheating on Emma Thompson and she’s about to start sobbing again when her window opens. She turns in a huff, fully expecting to find either Derek or Isaac on her bedroom floor. What she does not expect to see is a bruised and bloody Scott McCall gasping in pain, slumped across her window seat.

“What the ever living f*ck Scott!” She shrieks and collapses on the floor next to him, frantically patting him down to try and figure out where all the blood is coming from. She manages to strip what’s left of his t-shirt off of him and is horrified when she finds claw marks arching across the entirety of his chest. It’s so bad she can’t see any unmarked skin and she releases a very shaky breath.

She gently moves him from his side and onto his back and he looks up at her with big, sad, brown eyes.“We have to get you to Deaton’s.” Going to stand, Evelyn is stopped as he clasps her wrist in a vice like grip.

“He’s away, I need you.” He tells her softly and she can feel the panic beginning to well up in her stomach.

“Scott, I can’t. I don’t know how to…” Trailing off she glances down at the gore that’s smattered across his chest.

“Just sew me back together, it’s not that hard.” His tone is biting and she pulls her hand away immediately, her bottom lip trembling. He catches this and she sees his eyes soften as he reaches out to grab her hand gently in his.“Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. My healing should kick in eventually, I just need you to sew some of the bigger wounds shut so I don’t bleed out before that happens.” He speaks calmly and her own heart rate begins to tumble back into its normal rhythm as he does.

“Okay, yeah, okay, I can do that.” Speaking mostly to herself, she takes a deep breath before running to her wardrobe and throwing open the bottom drawer to grab the ancient sewing kit that lives in there. Her hands shake as she grabs the black thread and the sharpest needle she can find in the box. Then she sprints to the bathroom and grabs some hydrogen peroxide from the cabinet above the sink before rinsing out a mug she had on her bedside locker, filling it with water and grabbing a towel.

When she gets back Scott is paler than he was when he first came through the window and she rushes over. He’s groaning softly under his breath and she reaches up to stroke a hand through his hair as she gently starts to wipe the blood away from the cuts on his torso with feather light strokes of the damp cloth. It’s not easy going, as soon as she wipes the cut more blood begins to spill from them and pool on his chest but she lets out a sigh of relief as she watches the edges of some of his smaller cuts start to pucker.

Wiping once again she dips the needle into the hydrogen peroxide and pushes it tentatively through one side of the largest gash. Scott stifles a scream behind his hand and Evelyn frantically reaches behind him, grabbing one of the pillows from the window seat and shoving it into his mouth.

“I’m sorry, I promise I’ll be as quick as I can!” Stifling her own sobs she continues to sew the gouged skin back together. Gagging every now and then as muscle and bone peek through in places they really shouldn’t be peeking through from but she just keeps her head down and sews on. By the time she’s finished on the biggest cut her hands are violently shaking and Scott’s bitten through the pillow, downy feathers mixing with the cooling blood on his chest. She reaches up to stroke her hand through his hair again, dropping a gentle kiss to his forehead this time.

“How’s it looking?”

“Like a fourth grade art project. Which is to say I’m really glad you don’t scar.” They let out shaky laughs at the same time before her head snaps down to look over the rest of his wounds. “I don’t think any of the others need stitches. They’re already closing themselves up.” She tells him softly and Scott lets out a large sigh of relief.

“Oh thank god. Thank you but that was f*cking awful, let’s never do that again.” Nodding she readily agrees with that statement before turning to smile down at him.

“What are friends for.” She teases, watching as he gingerly sits back up against the window seat. “So…What the f*ck happened? Was it that new lizard thing again?”

Scott’s face darkens at this and he shakes his head before somehow managing to stumble to his feet. “No…” Pausing for a second, he chews on his words and so Evelyn waits patiently for him to finish his sentence, becoming more and more worried as the silence stretches on.

“Derek. It was Derek.” Evelyn slumps against the window seat, mouth drawn in horror as Scott says his name. The worst part is, she knows he’s not lying. She knows it was an alpha’s claw that cut Scott so deep that it wouldn’t heal and she believes him when he says that Derek's claw was the one to do it.

“Do you wanna stay here tonight?” She asks him softly after a few minutes of silence but Scott just shakes his head, already looking out of her window.

“I promised Allison I’d stay with her after you stitched me back together again, she worries.” Scott says by way of explanation, smiling at her as he does. “Thanks again.” His leg is outside the window now.

“Yeah, no problem, anytime.” She goes to smile softly up at him but looking back at the window, he’s already gone and Evelyn feels a sinking pit of loneliness start to form in her stomach.

Chapter 4: If I had a nickle for everytime I had to dig up a body...

Chapter Text

By the time Evelyn works up the courage to go to the railway station it’s completely dark out. She grabs her coat and heads out the back door, hoping that neither Maude or Patrick decide to check in on her as she starts the trek towards the railway depot. When she actually makes it there it’s an hour later but the sound of metal clanging in the distance lets her know that they’re still here and so she steadies herself a little before she pushes the door open. All the steadying in the world wouldn’t have prepared her for the sight in front of her, for the way that Derek’s holding Erica in his arms, the way her legs are wrapped around his waist and how their lips are all over each other’s. She’s Frozen at the top of the stairs only coming out of her stupor when Isaac calls her name brightly, clearly delighted to see her and utterly oblivious to the way that her heart is breaking.

The door slams shut behind her but she doesn’t even have the wherewithal to jump as the thunderous sound crashes over her ears. Isaac’s smile falls away as he takes in the fury on her face and he begins to walk towards the stairs to meet her. She can barely spare him a glance, it’s like watching a car crash, she just can’t look away from Derek and Erica’s entangled forms even as Derek drops Erica to the floor. She watches the realisation creep across his face, that she’s been here the whole time, seen the whole thing. He doesn’t say anything though, doesn’t try to defend his actions, no, instead he just watches her pale and trembling form where she’s still standing, feet feeling glued to the top of the stairs, frozen in that moment.

“Can we help you?” It’s Erica who’s voice eventually breaks the silence, sneering up at her, eyes bright and cold even from this distance and despite the fact that she’s still prone on the floor where Derek dropped her. The malice in her voice is just spark enough to reignite the pilot light on Evelyn’s fury. Just enough so she can get the words out without having her voice break or completely falling to pieces.

“If I see any of you even look in Scott’s direction again I will hand you over to the Argent's myself.” She hisses, voice barely above a whisper though by the horrified looks on the faces below her, she knows they’ve all heard her loud and clear so she turns to leave once more, nothing else left to say.

In her peripheral she catches sight of Isaac moving to follow her up the stairs but Derek stops him with a hand on his chest. The door closes behind her with a resounding bang but she can still hear his footsteps clatter up the stairs on the other side, frantic and fast. The door creaks open once again but she doesn’t turn around, she just continues on towards the gate. “Evelyn wait!” He calls out, a note of pleading in his voice and it takes a lot of effort to keep her back to him, tears already welling in her eyes again.

“No. Nope. You don’t get to talk to me right now. You don’t get to apologise to me. In fact you don’t get to say anything to me for the foreseeable future, cause you’re not going to have anything to say that I could possibly want to hear. I can’t believe you’d do something like that. That you’d hurt him like that.” She snarls and she hears his footsteps come to a stop behind her.

“That’s not fair.”

“Not fair, not fair.” She seethes, turning to face him. “You attacked Scott, three on one. What part of that is fair. What part of biting three new betas is fair to anyone Derek.”

He chuckles at that, and it’s a mean laugh Evelyn’s never heard him use before, it’s something that makes her stomach recoil and curdle. “Just because you’re jealous I bit Erica and not you—"

She doesn’t let him finish and she doesn’t cut him off with words. No, instead she reels back her fist and throws a punch right at in the corner of his jaw. It lands with the sickening crunch of her own knuckles against his skin but she refuses to flinch, she’s not going to give him the satisfaction. “Go f*ck yourself.”

He doesn’t try to follow her this time and when the metal door slams shut behind her she can't help but jump. She only starts to sob when she’s sure they won’t be able to hear her.

She isn’t sure how long she spends there, leaning against the side of an abandoned warehouse waiting for the ache in her chest to settle just enough that she can start the long walk home. She almost doesn’t answer her phone when it starts to buzz until she realises that it’s Stiles ringtone playing aloud in her pocket and she scrambles to pick it up.

It doesn’t take her long to spot them where they’re huddled together just beyond the police tape. Stiles and the sheriff are talking to each other in hushed tones in the back of an ambulance as the rain pelts down around them. Tara spots her as she rushes forward to the tape but just nods and doesn’t even attempt to stop her as she crosses it. As soon as she’s within an arm’s length of them she has herself thrown around Stiles and he clings onto her just as hard as she’s clinging to him.

“Are you alright?” She asks, pulling away to examine him closely and once she’s sure she doesn’t spot any life threatening wounds she goes back to holding him tightly.

“M fine.” He mumbles into her shoulder before she pulls away to sit on his other side and she quickly grabs his hand and holds it as he turns back to John. “I told you, I just-- I walked in, and I saw the Jeep on top of the guy. That's all.” Stiles is completely focused on their intertwined hands and Evelyn knows there’s something he’s not telling his dad. She knows there’s something else by the tense set of his shoulders and the way his hands twitch almost imperceptibly in her own.

“What's wrong with your hand?” John spots it first, the way it almost looks swollen and she leans in to take a closer look at it herself.

“Nothing. Can I just get out of here, now?” Stiles tries to shrug off the questioning but John’s not letting him go that easily.

“Look, if there's something you don't think you can tell me—” John looks at him earnestly, he’s sopping wet and Evelyn can almost taste how hard it’s hurting Stiles to keep having to lie to his dad.

“You think I'm lying?”

“No, of course not! I'm just worried about you. Now, if you saw someone do this, if you're afraid that maybe they're gonna come back and make sure you don't say anything about it—"

Stiles eventually looks away from Evelyn’s hands to stare up at his dad. “I didn't see anything-- at all. Can I go now, please?”

“Sure... But, not in your Jeep. We're going to have to impound it.” Stiles throws his hands up and John looks more than a little apologetic as he delivers the news. “Sorry, kid. Evidence. I'll see you at home. Make sure he gets there.” John turns a pointed stare to Evelyn who makes a little cross over her heart and he softens a little at that. John thanks her with a kiss to her forehead and the pair watch him turn and walk off into the miserable evening to deal with whatever the hell had happened there.

“All right, well... at least make sure they wash it!” He grumbles at his dads back and Evelyn scoffs out a little laugh before dropping her head onto his shoulder.

“So,” she starts, speaking so softly that she can see Stiles straining closer to hear her. “What actually happened in there?”

“Is Scott coming?”

“Yeah, I ran here as soon as I heard, he’s following with the car.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you both when we’re in the car away from prying ears.” She nods at the idea and curls herself closer against him, attempting to block out some of the wind. He smells like vanilla and something rich she can’t quite put her finger on it. She buries her nose deeper into the fabric on the shoulder of his hoodie and a laugh rumbles around in his chest as he looks down at her.

“What, you’re comfy.” She shrugs, smiling sleepily up at him and apparently it’s now his turn to start looking down at her with concern.

“Why do you look so tired?” He reaches out to softly brush the thin dark skin under her eyes and she lets out a stuttered breath.

“Derek and his mutts jumped Scott yesterday and he turned up at my window sill so I could patch him up a few hours ago.” She tells him softly and she can feel Stiles freeze up below her.

“That must have been after Erica knocked me with my own alternator.” Stiles lets out a humourless laugh and she pulls away so fast she almost gives herself whiplash.

“She did what! Is that why you’re here?” Her voice is so low that Stiles almost looks intimidated by her and more than a little sheepish. “I’ll f*cking kill her. She’s lucky I didn’t know that an hour ago.” She hisses and Stiles narrows his eyes and looks back down, eyes widening when he spots Evelyn's bruised knuckles.

It takes him a second to join the dots but a sharp inhale tells her he’s gotten there. “Did you punch Erica?” He asks her in disbelief, almost sounding a little giddy at the prospect.

“No…I punched Derek.” She admits softly and Stiles lets out a noise of bewilderment as a small smile curls up on her lips.

“That’s f*cking impressive.” He pulls her back in to press a gentle kiss to her forehead just as Scott’s car appears in their line of vision.

“You okay?” He’s watching Stiles carefully as he flops into the passenger seat while Evelyn slips into the back. Stiles nods once and that looks like all he’s going to say until he catches her pleading eyes in the mirror.

“Yeah. You were right. It's not like you. I mean, its eyes were almost, like... reptilian. But there was something about them.” The whole ordeal must have been awful but this, whatever this thing is it very clearly has Stiles on edge in a way that she’s not sure she’s seen before.

“What do you mean?” She asks, hand out to press a grounding touch to his shoulder.

“You know when you see, like, a friend in a Halloween mask, but all you can see are their eyes? And you feel like you know 'em, but you just can't figure out who it is?”

“Are you saying you know who it is?” Scott asks carefully and Stiles shakes his head.

“No... But I think it knew me.”

“Well. f*ck.” Evelyn starts as the car leaves the garage, now wondering which one of their friends has started to turn green.

“I'm so sorry about the other day. I'm trying. We'll get through this.” How Stiles is keeping a straight face Evelyn doesn’t know, just watching this entire exchange has her hiding giggles behind her hands. Stiles doesn’t let up, but now he’s talking all the while glaring at Evelyn the entire time. “Uh, I know, because I love you. I love you more than—Oh, my God, I can't. You and Allison just have to find a better way to communicate.” She snorts at the pair, moving to sit next to Stiles and bury her laughter in his shoulder as her own shoulders shake violently.

“Come on, you're the only ones that we can trust. Is she coming to the game tonight?” Scott’s pleading with those big brown eyes of his and she knows Stiles is gonna struggle to argue.

“Yes! Okay, message complete. Now, tell me about your boss.” Lowering his voice, he carefully looks around the room in an attempt to make sure no one else is listening in on their conversation.

“He thinks that Allison's family keeps some kind of, uh, records of all the things that they've hunted, like a book...” Scott explains and Evelyn takes her head from Stiles’ shoulder.

“He’s talking about a bestiary.”

“What?” Both of them ask her at the same time and she says it again.

“A Bestiary.”

“I think you mean bestial*ty.” Scott says and the pair fail to hold back their giggles at the word.

“Yeah, no. No, I don’t. A bestiary is a big ol book of monsters you pair of f*cking children.” She buries her head in her hands and groans.

“How am I the only one who doesn't know anything about this stuff?” Scott grumbles and Stiles butts in.

“Technically I didn’t know about it either.”

“You’ve been a creature of the night for what a few months now. Researching all of this sh*t’s become a hobby for me. I like being up with the times.” She smirks and the other two pull matching faces at her.

“Okay. If we can find it, and it can tell us what this thing is—” Scott starts and Stiles continues.

“And who.”

“...We need that book!” They say at the same time before Scott throws Stiles and Evelyn a pouting pleading look and the pair scoff but hop up to go ask Allison if she knows anything about this book.

“I think you mean—” She giggles when they eventually track her down.

“No, she means Bestiary. And the two of you? I don't want to know what's going on in your heads.” He gesticulates wildly and Evelyn just about refrains from telling him that he thought the exact same thing about twenty minutes ago.

“Okay, um... can you describe this thing?”

“A book, probably well used. Parts of it might be hand written.” Evelyn tells her and as she does she watches the recognition flash in Allison's eyes.

“...Like, bound in leather?”

“Exactly.” They say at the same time. And so begins a game of telephone so fast that Evelyn has to take a break in the middle of it to try and get her ears to stop ringing. “Seen her grandfather... with a book like that...” Stiles is attempting and failing to speak to Scott as she folds herself in two, trying to catch her breath. Stiles goes to grab her hand and pull her along again but the look she sends him has him recoiling and sprinting away at twice the speed he had before.

Standing there for another few seconds, breath eventually fills her lungs again. It’s only then it occurs to her that she’s completely alone in the hallway and that mistake comes back to bite her in the ass when a shadow passes just in front of her. “Are you okay?” His voice is soft, concern pouring out of his lips but she can’t even bear to look at him right now. There’s a flash of movement and she watches him drop his hand back to his side from where he’d been lifting it towards her. She doesn’t say anything, instead she chooses to dart sideways to continue her hunt for Stiles but the weight of Derek's stare stays on her until she reaches a corner.

She finds Stiles and this time he’s sucking harshly on an inhaler as he stands in front of Allison. “You know, drug dealers have been using disposable cell phones pretty successfully for years...”

“My parents check every call, email, and text message I get. Trust me-- they'd find it.” Evelyn’s going to agree with her on that, the Argent's strike her as helicopter parents but .

“All right, can you get the book?”

“Not without his keys.”

So then they have to start hatching a plan. It’s simple, fool proof even, Allison will go with her grandad to the lacrosse game and take the keys when he’s not looking. She’ll get them to Stiles and he’ll have until the end of the game to grab the book and get out. He should have a full hour of searching before there’s any risk of being caught. Evelyn can't get rid of the sneaking suspicion that somethings going to go terribly wrong but she says nothing as Stiles and Allison continue to work out the finer details.

Evelyn curls further into the banquette, glancing up to thank the waitress as she drops Evelyn’s third Nutella milkshake of the evening down on the table in front of her with a soft smile. Maude had called to tell her she’d got caught up with paperwork and she’d be late so Evelyn decided she’d treat herself to a snack from the diner while she waited. Evelyn looks up then to find her still smiling sympathetically down at her, Evelyn assumes that the waitress thinks she’s having some sort of boy troubles which she wouldn’t be totally wrong about but it’s definitely not whatever the waitress thinks it is so she thanks her wanly.She pulls her feet up under her thighs as the waitress walks away and continues to read her book, slowly continuing to sip away at her milkshake.

Time has definitely passed, how much she isn’t sure of when the door chimes on the far end of the diner. She doesn’t even glance up, far too enthralled by the incredibly graphic sex she’s reading to pay any sort of attention to her surroundings. It isn’t until she tips her chin to wrap her lips around the straw and finds the glass missing that she realises someone has slipped into the other side of the banquette.

A soft chuckle rings out from the spot across from her and her eyes flit to the other side of the booth where a pair of smiling pink lips are wrapped around her straw, sipping happily away at her milkshake.

“Was it the go, the f*ck or the yourself part of what I told Derek the other night that he didn’t understand?” She asks monotonously, her eyes going back to her book.

“What if I said I was really sorry.” Isaac whines and she makes the fatal error of glancing up, only to catch his big baby blue eyes at full pout, which is objectively adorable but mostly unfair.

“Then I would gladly accept your apology even though A.” She grabs the shake back from him, taking an aggressive sip before allowing herself to speak again. “I’m sure it wasn’t your decision to gang up on my friend and beat him to a pulp and B. I wasn’t the one who needed thirty stitches last night, though I was in fact the one doing the stitching and let me tell you.” Her voice trembling as she speaks and she tries to stop her lip from quivering but she fails miserably. “My running stitch looks pretty sh*tty on clothes and it looks even worse on my best friends flayed flesh.”

Isaac’s eyes widen incrementally as she continues to speak and they eventually become glassy. Evelyn has to use her sleeve to swipe her own tears out of her eyes. “Isaac, I can’t do this. I can’t be around someone who would do that. Who thinks that that’s the way to go about things and that there’s nothing wrong with what he did.” She tells him firmly even though she can still feel her lip wobbling. Isaac doesn’t waste a second he just rounds the table to wrap her up tightly in his arms and yank her into his broad chest.

“I’m sorry.” He sounds so lost and upset with himself that Evelyn immediately pulls away from him so that she can push his blonde curls out of his eyes so she can stare into them completely unimpeded.

“This was not your fault.” The words are firm and she has to say it bluntly so he knows for sure that’s how she feels. Then she’s snuggling back into his chest for a moment, squeezing him tightly around the waist before moving away to press a short, sharp kiss to the bolt of his jaw. Then she lets him go and sidles around him so she can get out of the booth. “I need to go home.”

“You want some company?” He asks her softly and she gives him a pained look which he returns with a soft smile and a shrug, “it was worth a shot.”She heads for the door then, turning to give Isaac a small wave before she goes and generously tipping the waitress on her way out. As soon as she’s out the door she catches sight of the Camaro in the parking lot and swiftly sticks up both of her middle fingers at it before popping her headphones in and walking away, hoping to meet Maude somewhere on route.

The sun is just setting as Evelyn reaches the school, she waves Maude off and then watches as Allison and Gerard get out of the Argent's jeep. She sends Allison a wave and she returns it wholeheartedly, then she makes the mistake of catching Gerard's eye and something in the way his calculating gaze bores into hers has her wanting to turn heel and run home.

“Evening Argent's!” She calls out as she makes her way towards them and sidles up next to Allison who quickly wraps her free arm around Evelyn's. “Ready for an intense game of sports?”

“I need to warn you two, by the way—you might need to be a little patient with me.” Gerard tells them and they briefly look at each other and turn to smile back at him.

“How come?” Allison asks a look of confusion crossing her face.

“I’ll probably have a lot of questions, seeing as I’ve never actually seen a lacrosse game before…”

“You’ll be fine, it’s mostly teenage boys running at each other with sticks, just cheer at the right time and no one will be any wiser.” The size of the familiar smile that Gerard throws her way stuns her a little bit until she looks at a little closely and recognises where she thinks she's seen that smile before. She has seen it before in every single shark documentary she's ever watched, it's so familiar because Gerard smiles like one of those sharks, all teeth with nothing behind beady black eyes.

They make their way to the field in the twilight and find a comfortable spot on the bleachers so that they have a clear vantage point of the game. Allison and Evelyn end up huddled up together, the cold air somehow managing to get in under Evelyn’s hat and scarf.

The game begins and Evelyn's eyes are immediately drawn to the absolute behemoth on the field, number 42 for the Brookside Beavers. The games only been going on for two minutes when the behemoth manages to take down number nine and she lets out an involuntary squeak at the sound of bones crunching with the force of the collision.

Allison voice interrupts her observation of the scene as she stutters out, “ I knew I should have brought a warmer jacket…”

Gerard immediately goes for his own coat. “You’re cold. Here, take my coat."

“Are you sure?”

“Oh, yeah.” Gerard has his coat off and quickly wraps it around Allison's, gently squeezing her shoulders as he does it.

“Thanks.” Evelyn's own fond smile at the pairs interaction falls a little as something sharp and cold gets placed into her hand. She realises after a couple of seconds of delay that Allison has handed her Gerard's keys.

“Good God! Is it always this violent?” Gerard asks, eyes quickly being drawn back to the game in front of them. She’s thankful for that because at the feeling of fingers on her thigh she jumps a little until it hits her that it’s Stiles who's standing below her waiting impatiently for her to hand over the keys. She quickly hands them off and then her attention is firmly back on the game.

“It’s always violent but this, this is an exception.” She shudders as there’s another sharp crack as two more of the boys collide in midair. She flinches away and as she does she catches sight of Matt pointing his camera in her direction and quickly raises a hand to wave awkwardly over at him. He drops the camera as if it’s burned him but doesn’t hesitate to wave back, a cheeky smile crossing his lips and she can’t help the flush that rises up her cheeks.

“What’s all that about?” Allison's voice is low in her ear and she stutters for a second before turning to face her friend who’s now smiling knowingly at her.

“Nothing.”

“Oh, nothing, really? Well he’s cute.” She tells her bluntly and Evelyn gives her a small smile before she quickly turns back to the game.

It's halfway through the game and there’s no sign of Stiles so Evelyn excuses herself, saying she has to use the bathroom and sets off in the direction of the school. She gets as far as the car park at the front of the school but before she can make it any further she notices a dim light coming from a car at the far edge of the lot. It doesn’t take her long to realise that the figure curled up and visibly sobbing in the front seat of her car is Lydia, her skin pale and her eyes red and puffy. Glancing back once towards the school she lets out a deep breath and starts towards the red heads car.

It’s obvious that Lydia hasn’t seen her coming so she knocks twice gently on the window with the back of her hand. Somehow Evelyn still manages to scare to crap out of her if the way she jumps in the front seat is any indication. Lydia frantically swipes at her eyes and Evelyn rolls her own before yanking once on the car door handle.

“Let me in.” It isn’t a question, and as soon as the car door lock clicks she’s hopped into the passenger seat and turns to face Lydia with her eyebrows raised.

“What?” Lydia doesn’t look at her, instead her gaze is burning a hole into the dashboard but Evelyn doesn’t respond, she just keeps looking at her, not taking her gaze off the side of Lydia's face. It takes a few seconds but eventually Lydia breaks and turns to face her with big hazel eyes just a shade lighter than Evelyn’s own that are full of tears. “You’re going to think I’m losing my mind. I think I’m losing my mind.” Her voice is soft almost as if she doesn’t want to say the words out loud and Evelyn reaches over to grab her hand and squeeze it.

“I can promise you, whatever it is you think it is that’s going to make me think that you’ve lost it. I’ve probably seen, heard or thought worse myself.” Evelyn tells her, not once taking her eyes off of Lydia's face.

Then after taking a deep breath, her expression crumples and she starts to sob again. “He won’t leave me alone Evelyn. He’s everywhere. He’s at home, he’s in school, I see him when I’m awake, when I’m asleep, he just won’t stop following me.” Her eyes are wild and they’re darting quickly around as if she expects whoever she’s seeing to appear as if from thin air in front of her.

“Who won’t leave you alone Lyd's?” She asks softly, her whole body now on edge as well and she knows, she knows before the name leaves Lydia's lips who she’s going to say is following her. So when Lydia does manage to force Peters name past her twisted lips, spit out like a bad taste, Evelyn is ready for it. Even in death he can’t seem to leave the poor girl alone. “He’s dead Lydia and that doesn’t mean I don’t believe that you’re seeing him!” Evelyn rushes to get the last part out as she watches Lydia's face start to twist up in preparation for an argument. “I watched Derek tear his throat out. He can’t hurt you anymore. I promise.”

Lydia’s clutching at Evelyn's hands so tightly she’s more than a little worried about her circulation. “I kind of hope I’m going mad Evy. It’s probably better than whatever the alternative is.” It’s obvious that Lydia is sure of every word she’s saying. Her green eyes big, wide and plaintive. “If he’s back…”

“He’s buried. Under the Hale House. He’s dead. Lydia, I watched him die…” Evelyn doesn’t look away as she explains this to Lydia but she feels a festering, creeping doubt beginning to grow in her own stomach. She saw Peter die. Derek’s the alpha now so Peter had to have died. She never asked though and now she wonders…If…If it’s possible that. She can see the burgeoning horror on Lydia's face when it becomes obvious that Evelyn’s now starting to doubt her own words.

“Evy?” The fear is clear in her trembling voice and Evelyn does her best to shake herself out of it.

“Okay, okay. Right new plan. You and I are going to the Hale House tomorrow evening and we’re going to check that he’s still under the floorboards, where he belongs.” She promises Lydia and that seems to take some of the weight off of her shoulders as her back straightens a little bit. That someone else was in this with her now, that she wasn’t facing down the ghost of Peter Hale alone anymore seems to let her breath a little easier. “Have you told anyone else about this?”

“No. I tried to tell Stiles earlier but he was rushing off into the school.” Evelyn starts at this and drops Lydia's hand.

“sh*t. Stiles!” Evelyn is more than a little ashamed to realise that she has completely forgotten the entire reason she’d been walking towards the school in the first place. “Pick me up tomorrow night at six!” She yelps as she throws herself out of the car. Leaving behind a very confused Lydia.

Just as she gets to the front doors of the school her phone starts to buzz and when she sees that it’s Stiles calling she picks it up immediately. “Hey, did you get it?” There’s no talking for a second, just the frantic sound of water splashing and she pulls the phone away from her ear in confusion. Just as she puts it back to her ear, Stiles lets out a loud yell that startles her so bad she nearly drops the phone.

“POOL!”

Then the call drops and she starts running. She sprints for the gym and doesn’t stop until the feint blue light of the pool comes into view. She’s out of breath, puffing, panting and sweating when she bursts through the swinging double doors. She could hear the ruckus before she opened the door but she isn’t prepared for the sight of Stiles struggling to keep an unmoving Derek from dipping below the rippling surface of the water.

“What the f*ck are you two doing?” She screeches, sprinting towards the edge of the pool and she hears the pair of them yelling frantically at her but she doesn’t catch onto why until something drops from the ceiling to the tiles in between her and the pool.

It’s big, that’s all she can think to herself for a second as the creature regards her curiously from the floor. It’s big, scaly, green and completely focused on her. Stiles and Derek are desperately trying to get its attention from the centre of the pool but it never takes its eyes off of her. If she didn’t know any better she would have assumed she was having a chlorine induced hallucination. But she does know better, and she does know that the thing crouched in front of her, staring up at her inquisitively with glowing yellow eyes is most definitely real.

Then like something from her worst nightmares, it starts to move, skittering around her looking every bit the large lizard it is. Evelyn has to move as well, turning in a circle to keep it in her eyeline at all times. Curiously though, it never comes any closer, just circles her at the same distance until her back is to the pool.

“Holy sh*t. Oh holy sh*t.” She whispers under her breath. “What the f*ck is that?"

“No clue, just don’t let it get any closer.” Stiles yells to her, he’s very obviously trying to keep calm but the furious splashing behind her clues her in to his struggle. Not letting it get closer is going to be easier said than done. It pauses again for a moment and then tilts its head to the side, like a dog regarding a strange noise. This gives Evelyn pause for a second, something in the creatures eyes is familiar and she thinks she knows these eyes, that she’s looked into them before. Then out of nowhere it leaps forward and Evelyn lets out a startled squeak, feels her heel hit the edge of the pool and no amount of windmilling her arms is going to keep her upright. So she resigns herself to her fate and closes her eyes. Her mouth opens involuntarily as she hits the ice cold water and she almost chokes on the liquid as it rushes in.

She surfaces, a few feet from the boys and swims towards them at breakneck speed. Once she reaches them she flings her arms around Stiles shoulders and buries her face in his neck. She’s careful to not put any more weight on Stiles but he manages to get one arm out from around Derek to curl her into his chest.

“You okay?” It’s Derek who asks and Evelyn genuinely has to think about it for a second but she eventually nods her head before removing it from Stiles’ shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah. I think so. You were right, that is not a wolf.” She turns to watch the thing continue to stalk the far edge of the pool but she does notice that it doesn’t get any closer. It’s pissed, she can see that from here, hissing every now and then when it gets too close to the water’s edge. “Do you need a hand?” She asks Stiles and he nods so Evelyn swims over to take half of Derek's weight and begins to tread water. “Jesus you’re heavy. Also why are you here?”

It's hard to tell under the dim pool lights but Evelyn almost thinks that Derek is blushing a little. It isn’t him who answers though. “Captain Furball here decided to try and intimidate a description of the creature I saw in the mechanics the other night out of me. Weren’t banking on a live recreation were you buddy?”

Evelyn immediately turns her narrowing eyes on Derek, who is now incredibly focused on the creatures movements. “Couldn’t f*cking help yourself could you.” She hisses and she can see him cringing and lets herself think ‘good, suffer.’ “I asked you for one thing Derek. One simple f*cking thing and you couldn’t even do that. God, why did I even bother asking? I should have known you wouldn’t listen.”

“It’s not that simple Evy.”

“Don’t you f*cking Evy me you dickhe*d.”

“I was just trying to figure out what that thing was.”

“Oh and the only way you could possibly do that was by intimidating my friends?”

“WILL YOU TWO SHUT THE f*ck UP!” Stiles yell startles a hiss from the creature and both Evelyn and Derek immediately quieten down and look back to Stiles who is staring at them with incredulous annoyance written plainly all over his face. “Jesus Christ, this is really not the time for a lovers quarrel. You two can continue to scream at each other when we’re back on dry land and Derek's the only wild animal about.”

“Fair point.” Evelyn grumbles. “Any ideas about how we get out of this?”

“Yeah, Derek and I had one half an hour ago, we’re just here cause we enjoy each other’s company so much.” Stiles pointedly stares at her.

“I get that you’re stressed and afraid for your life right now but that doesn’t mean you have to be a bastard about it!” She snaps and Stiles goes to yell back but he stops himself with a deep breath.

“There’s no safe way out of here until I get the use of my body back and according to Stiles that could be hours.” Derek manages to interject and as Evelyn turns back to eye the creature something sparks in the back of her head.

She watches as it carefully snakes its way around the edge of the pool, claws clicking against the tiles as it walks and then she spots it. Every now and then the creature gets within a foot of the pool, hisses and skitter away from the water’s edge. The damp floor isn’t bothering it though and so Evelyn decides that it isn’t the water but the creatures own reflection that’s scaring it.

“Okay, I have an incredibly dumb idea. I’m going to get out and distract it, you two head for the doors.” Green and whiskey eyes immediately flit over to look at her and neither of the boys seem overly impressed with her plan.

“Not a chance.”

“Not happening.” They both speak at the same time and Evelyn clenches her jaw but carries on.

“We don’t really have a choice right now. You get Derek out of here. I’ll be fine.” She really wishes she could make herself sound more believable. With that she swims towards the edge of the pool on the opposite side of the door and scrambles up the ladder. “Oi! Scaly!” She yells and her attempts to grab its attention work well, too well actually and she only has a couple of seconds before the creature rounds the pool and starts stalking towards her. She backs up, glancing behind her every now and then to make sure the mirror she had spotted earlier is still behind her. She waits until she can count every single tooth in the creatures mouth and then she drops down into a crouch.

One second the creature is bearing down on her and the next it’s screeching and scuttling up into the rafters away from her. Quickly she glances over and lets out a breath of relief as she spots the boys making their way towards the double doors. It’s a low rumble from above that draws her attention back to the creature and she watches stomach sinking in horror as it skitters across the rafters above the pool, bee lining for where Stiles is still hefting Derek across the slippery tiles, trying to keep them both upright. Bolting for the pair, she manages to get herself between them and it just before it drops almost silently to the ground in front of them.

“Not happening buster.” She’s going for levity but she can hear the way her voice trembles around the words. “You two go.” She rushes out under her breath and the rumbling growl behind her tells her exactly how well that idea’s going down.

“And leave you here alone, not f*cking happening.” Stiles murmurs and she feels them both shuffle up behind her, Derek seems to have regained some of the power in his arms because she knows the palm that’s now on her hip doesn’t belong to Stiles.

The creature flicks its eyes to Derek and something in its demeanour changes, its back arches like a spooked cat and it flashes teeth. She knows it’s going to lunge, she can feel it, see it in the way the creatures pupils start to narrow. Tensing, she waits for it to strike but the hit never comes, instead the creature whirls on its heels and growls at the wolf that’s just shoved his way through the double doors on the far side of the room.

“Scott!” Stiles yells out from behind her and she watches him startle a little at the sight of the thing now sprinting for him then she can only watch in open mouth horror as it picks Scott up like he weighs no more than a puppy and flings him against the far wall of the pool. Scott’s back cracks against the big mirror and it shatters under the force, raining shards of glass down on his prone form. She steps forwards, to go to Scott, to do something to help him but Derek's hold on her hip stiffens and she can’t go anywhere.

Scott somehow wobbles to his feet, clutching a shard of the mirror in his hands, swaying in place as the creature once again rushes him. This time, like with Evelyn, it spots the mirror and lets out an ear piercing shriek before hopping back up into the rafters. This time it doesn’t come back down though, no it decides it’s had enough and throws itself through the glass ceiling. The glass begins to fall and she stands there watching it mouth agape for only two seconds before she’s on her back in complete darkness. There’s still a hand on her hip and the other one has migrated behind her head and she can’t help but relax as Derek's pine laced leather scent washes over her and even though it’s been heavily covered in chlorine it’s enough to settle her stomach.

“Everyone ok?” Stiles calls from somewhere to her left and she lets out a muffled “yep” from where she’s buried in Derek's chest. He then pushes himself up off her, on noticeably wobbly arms and she can’t help the way her hands migrate to his cheeks and then up to gently brush away the shards of glass from his stupidly soft hair.

“Careful.” He mumbles, looking down at her with that soft, fond smile curling across his lips and she feels herself flushing wildly as one of his still trembling hands comes up to gently graze the top of her cheek bone. “You’re bleeding.” His smile falls away as he says it, worry creasing up his forehead and her heart tumbles over itself in her chest. They're close enough to each other that she knows he has to have heard it but mercifully he doesn’t let anything show.

She reaches up and winces a little as her fingers brush against the slice on her cheek, just above Derek's own fingers and pulls them away to find her fingers coated in crimson. “Could have been worse.” She shrugs. A shiver tears its way down her back and she quickly notices the only part of her body that’s warm are her legs, which, are still fully tangled up with Derek's.

“You need to get out of those clothes.” Stiles appears in her vision just over Derek's shoulder, eyeing the pair warily and she nods frantically.

“What happened?” Scott barks as Derek sits up, pulling Evelyn upright with him and she starts to shiver even more as Derek takes all of his body heat away.

“We got ambushed.” Stiles tells him and then explains what happened but he leaves out the part about Derek threatening him in the first place which confuses her more than anything but she decides to ask him about it once she’s gotten dry and warm again.

“I have spare clothes in my locker.” Derek says suddenly, close to her ear and she turns back to find him on his feet but leaning down into her space. “If you want…” He trails off and she can see the tips of his ears flushing. She doesn’t say anything, just nods and follows him towards the lockers, neither of them saying anything as they go. Derek pulls a t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts out of his locker and hands them to her. She takes them before thanking him quietly and heading into the back corner of the room to strip and change.

His t-shirt doesn’t swim on her, it doesn’t come down to her thighs. It’s tight across the chest and her stomach but she lifts the collar and buries her nose in it, sighing when she finds that pine and leather scent lingering there. The shorts catch at her hips but she manages to squeeze herself into them, thanking whoever is listening for elastic waist bands. She comes back from around the corner and where she expects to find Derek waiting she instead finds Stiles leaning against the lockers with a small smile on his face.

“Not a word.”

“I wasn’t gonna say anything.” She can hear the smile in his voice as she makes her way through the locker room and out into the hallway. The buzz of the fluorescent lights sets her teeth on edge as does the way she can feel Stiles smirking at her back. “He really is into you isn’t he?”

“They sounded a hell of a lot like words.” She fumes, continuing to stomp down the corridor as Stiles snickers behind her. They eventually make it out into the night and Evelyn feels herself start to shiver again under the bright moon and cloudless sky. The bright white screen of a laptop illuminates Scott’s face where it’s sitting on top of the trunk of her car and as she moves in closer she can tell that whatever he’s looking at it isn’t written in English.

“Is that even a language?” Stiles groans as he looks at it over Scott’s shoulder and Evelyn bullies her way closer to the screen to take a good look at the page.

“How are we supposed to figure out what this thing is?” Scott’s almost whining where he stands next to her but she ignores him and keeps scanning the page until she spots something she recognises.

“It’s Latin, the text is written in Latin. But, it’s old, not the stuff they teach nowadays. Like original catholic scripture Latin.”

“Again, how are we supposed to figure out what this thing is if we can’t read the text about it?” Scott grumbles and Evelyn thinks they’ll just have to find someone who speaks Archaic Latin.

“It's called a Kanima.” Derek has managed to sidle up next to her without her noticing and she jumps a little before scowling as Erica starts to laugh at her. She watches as Erica drags her eyes up and down her ill-fitting clothes so she folds her arms across herself. Stiles cops what she’s doing and quickly shifts himself in front of her to block her from Erica's view and she gratefully drops her head to the back of his shoulder.

Then he turns his head to start to talk to the newcomers. “You knew the whole time?” He grumbles incredulously and Derek immediately jumps to defend himself.

“No. Only when it was confused by its own reflection.”

“Why was it confused by its own reflection?” Evelyn asks lowly and it surprises her a little when Erica’s the one to reply.

“Maybe it’s just uncomfortable in its own skin.” She smirks, eyes never leaving Evelyn's form and she does her best to further shrink in behind Stiles.

Scott comes to the realisation first, “it doesn't know what it is.”

“Or who.” Derek buts in.

“Do you know anything else?” She asks softly and Derek looks perturbed by something but in the end he just shrugs.

“Just stories. Rumours.” She’s almost certain that he’s trying not to meet her gaze and she knows that that’s not a good thing.

“But it's like us?” Derek turns back to Scott.

“A shapeshifter? Yes. But it's-it's not right. It's like a...” He’s stuttering , like he’s struggling for the right way to put it but Stiles steps in before he can find it.

“An abomination.” His face is grim and set as he stares across at Derek who just nods once, something hard glinting in his eyes.

“Derek?” Scott speaks up next and though he’s grimacing, he’s definitely being earnest. “We need to work together on this. Maybe even tell the Argent's.” Evelyn is more than a little shocked that Scott’s the one to bridge the gap between them and Derek looks equally as shocked, and also more than a little appalled at the thought of asking the Argent's for help.

“You trust them?”

“Nobody trusts anyone! That's the problem! While we're here, arguing about who's on what side, there's something scarier, stronger, and faster than any of us, and it's killing people, and we still don't even know anything about it!” Scott’s exasperation and frustration are coming off of him in waves and Evelyn feels like she can taste it, bitter and acrid in the back of her mouth. Derek’s spine seems to lengthen as Scott continues to speak and as he finishes Derek takes a singular step forward, that cold something still glinting in his eyes.

“I know one thing-- when I find it...I'm gonna kill it.” It’s a promise that curls across his lips in a snarl and Evelyn believes him.

The air smells like ozone as Evelyn and Lydia make their way down the old drive, it’s so strong that she can smell it even though all of the car windows are closed. The song that’s playing on the radio is something new and bouncy but Evelyn isn’t paying much attention to it. Instead she’s watching Lydia, her eyes firmly on the house that’s just come into their view, her lips are chewed to sh*t and the circles under her eyes are worse than they were even yesterday.

Neither of them speak as the car crawls to a stop just outside the front door. Lydia puts the parking brake on and she immediately drops her head to the steering wheel, taking a deep shaky breath that whistles past her cracking lips. “What if he isn’t in there?” It’s so quiet that Evelyn wouldn’t have heard it had she not been staring directly at Lydia. A low rumble of thunder rattles in the distance and Evelyn moves her gaze from Lydia over to the Hale House itself.

“He’s still there.”

“What if he isn’t? You can’t just know that he’s there Evelyn. There’s no way you can know, that’s why we’re here.” She sits back up straight then, green eyes wild in her head, burning into Evelyn's own.

“You’re right I can’t know but if by some satanic miracle Peter isn’t under those floorboards then we solve the problem the way we did the first time.” Evelyn goes back to staring at the house even though she can still feel Lydia’s gaze upon her, unblinking. “We kill him.” She shrugs, unapologetic in her words and then she takes her seatbelt off and gets out of the car, grabbing the shovels from the trunk as she goes.

Lydia doesn’t reply but she looks a little more sure of herself as she rounds the car to stand beside Evelyn. They stand there, shoulder to shoulder just staring at the shell of the house for a good few minutes under the darkening sky. “Come on, let’s get this over with.” Lydia’s the one who eventually breaks the silence, turning to Evelyn who just nods and flicks on her flashlight as they begin to ascend the steps.

The smell of smoke hits her straightaway, like it always does when she gets close to the house. Something’s changed though, something’s off, the smell of smoke seems stronger, more cloying, like she’s breathing in actual smoke rather than the stale, lasting scent of it. It catches her a little off guard and she has to catch herself on the frame of the front door so she doesn’t stumble over the jam. Lydia whirls back quickly, eyeing her with a nervousness that’s somehow gotten ten times worse since she crossed the threshold into the house.

“Evelyn?” Her voice is so quiet, almost trembling as she moves back towards the door and towards Evelyn.

“I’m okay, just give me a second.” Tipping her head back she takes a deep breath, trying to bypass the smoke and catch some of the petrichor filled air from outside. The smoke and eventually the nausea dissipates and Evelyn thinks that she can move now without either passing out or throwing up. “Okay, I’m good, let’s get this over with.” Lydia looks at her with confused terror slapped across her face.

“You don’t look good. In fact you look like you're about to heave your guts up.”

“I was, I’m not going to anymore.” She promises and Lydia looks her up and down with a sceptical frown but she apparently decides she’s going to take Evelyn’s word for it and lets out an irritated sigh through her pursed lips.

“Fine, you’re right let’s just get this done.”

And so the pair trudge into the living room and dump their bags on the old couch which lets out a puff of dust as they do before Evelyn hands Lydia a shovel. Lydia takes it with a disgusted expression and Evelyn lets out a huff of laughter at the look on her face. “Oh, I’m sorry what were you expecting? You were gonna sit here while I dug up the decaying werewolf…Not a chance princess. Either we both do this or we don’t do it at all.” Evelyn smirks at her and Lydia lets out her own huff and mutters something under her breath that Evelyn’s going to try not to take offence to.

If Evelyn didn’t know that Derek had buried Peter under the living room floor the night he ripped his throat out she never would have guessed. The floor boards have been immaculately placed back into their positions as if they hadn’t ever been touched before. Evelyn does know where Peter is though and she kneels down to begin prying the boards up from the floor, they shift easily and soon the girls are faced with freshly turned soil.

Lydia lets out a shaky sigh as Evelyn rises to her feet, they both give each other a look and then they both start shovelling away at the earth. It doesn’t take them long, only about a half an hour of digging has them finding the tips of pale fingers sticking up from the ground. Evelyn pulls back her shovel as soon as the milky white digits appear but Lydia doesn’t stop until Evelyn puts a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Lydia, it’s him, he’s here.” Evelyn tells her softly, Lydia spins to face her, shovel wielded like a weapon in front of her chest and Evelyn hops back a step, hands up in front to defend herself.

“You don’t know that. I have to see his face. I need to know it’s him Evelyn.” She’s frantic, her hair is wild and her hands are stained brown from the digging.

“Lydia. It’s him.” Evelyn takes a step back towards her, trying to placate Lydia. It takes a few seconds but eventually Lydia drops the shovel and then drops to her knees, burying her face in her dirty hands as she begins to sob violently. Evelyn drops to her own knees and pulls her close, letting Lydia bury her snotty nose into the crook of her neck.

They stay like this for a while, so long in fact that Evelyn shifts so that they can sit more comfortably on the floor. She runs her fingers through the silky strands of Lydia’s fiery hair, speaking softly into her shoulder to try and comfort her.

Evelyn then leaves Lydia on the ground to try and catch her breath while she starts to fill in the hole. Lydia rights herself just as Evelyn is starting to put the floorboards back into place and wordlessly she scoots over to begin helping her piece the floor back together.

They leave the house side by side in a sort of mournful silence and it’s so dark that she doesn’t see the figure leaning casually against the tree in front of her. No, in order to get her attention the figure has to let out a loud cough and the pair let out matching shrieks of horror, turning their flashlights on to find a far too smug Derek Hale smiling at them from the treeline. “This is private property.”

“I’m going to sit in the car.” Lydia’s grabbed the shovel from Evelyn and chucks it in the car before scrambling into the front seat before Evelyn can stop her. She scowls at Lydia's retreating form before pulling in a deep breath and returning her gaze to Derek who’s now closed the distance between them so much that she can almost make out the freckles on his nose even in the dim twilight.

“Can I help you?”

“Explain.”

“Why should I? I don’t think I owe you an explanation.” She folds her arms across her chest and looks down his nose at her. Derek takes a step closer, his eyes dark and she gulps before she can stop herself.

“You just went into my house and dug up the rotting corpse of my uncle.” He leans down to make direct eye contact with her, his iris flashing crimson and she falters a little. “I think the least you owe me is an explanation Evelyn.”

“Fine but I’m only telling you this cause it concerns your family. Don’t say anything to any of the others. Please.” She waits until he agrees with a nod before she continues. “Lydia's been seeing Peter. Having hallucinations about him. We just wanted to make sure that she was just imagining him.”

“I told you I buried him. You didn’t believe me?” He snaps and Evelyn scoffs at his annoyance. “Of course I believed you, you idiot. I always believe you.” She admits begrudgingly. Her admission has a smile crossing his face and he steps forward with purpose this time. “No, nope. I’m still furious with you.” She tells him going to turn and head for the car but a hand on her arm stops her. It’s not harsh and she could definitely have broken his grip but she didn’t particularly want to. “Derek.” His name leaves her lips like a plea and she feels him step in closer.

“Evelyn can we please just talk about it?” He asks her softly and at that she finds it somewhere in her to yank her arm from his grip. She decides she’s better off not looking at Derek's face when she speaks to him so she just keeps her eyes on the back of Lydia's head.

“No, I told you I wasn’t ready to talk to you yet and I meant it. I’m not saying it’s forever.” She cuts him off before he starts to argue with her. “I’m just saying that I don’t want to talk to you right now. I need time. Please just give me that, just give me some space.” She tells him softly and she hears Derek's soft sigh from behind her.

“I can do that.” He tells her firmly and she nods sharply, once, before briskly walking towards the car and hopping into the passenger seat.

“Drive.”

“What did he say?”

“Just drive Lydia!” Her voice has gone up an octave but Lydia doesn’t argue, just puts her foot to the floor and takes off down the drive and Evelyn pretends that she doesn’t spend the entire trip down the driveway staring in the rear-view mirror.

Chapter 5: Mirror, Mirror in the cabinet

Chapter Text

The Beacon Hills Historical Centre is exactly the way she remembers it being the last time she had visited. Before she had met Scott and Stiles she used to take advantage of the free entry for kids under sixteen and spend hours wandering the hallways here. Gazing at the artifacts plucked from the surrounding countryside, flitting from room to room and thinking about times long gone before cozying up in the coffee shop with a large cup of hot chocolate and whatever book had taken her fancy that particular week. Back when she was still living with her mother, Evelyn used to spend time in whatever museums she could find wherever they were and she ended up taking a peculiar sort of comfort in knowing that Beacon Hills Historical Centre was now her forever museum.

The tour guide is droning on about some old piece of wood that washed ashore down the creek a year ago while at the same time somehow ruining the story of what is no doubt a very interesting artifact with their nasally voice. In fact, the voice is so boring that Evelyn fears she’ll fall asleep standing up if they keep talking about it for much longer.

The singular thing keeping Evelyn’s wits about her is Derek’s seemingly constant presence in her periphery. She moves and he follows like a shadow covered in glue, sidling up next to her or beside her wherever she goes. The only thing she can compare what’s happening to her with is some sort of demented game of hide and seek. She’s constantly glancing around, trying to spot him but not meet his gaze, mostly because she knows that the instant he gets close enough to touch her, or look into her eyes, she’s going to let him.

He had given her the space she’d asked for, for a whole week after that night at the Hale House he didn’t even look at her. Apparently he felt like that had been enough space though and for the last two days he’s been everywhere. She’s starting to get an idea of how Lydia must be feeling. He’s at her lockers in the morning, following her to her classes. He finds ways to sit next to her in the library, brushing his elbow against hers and making those dumb tingles run up her arm as he does it.

Last night he’d taken it a step further by appearing outside of her window, she spotted his shadow on her curtains and she’s not ashamed to admit that she’d know those shoulders anywhere. She thought he’d knock and she had steeled herself up for the interaction but underneath the surface layer of determination she knew that if he asked she’d let him in. He never knocked though, he just sat on the ledge for an hour and Evelyn felt comfortable enough to just read her book, occasionally glancing up to make sure he was still there. Eventually though she looked up to find the shadow gone and the rush of loneliness she felt when she noticed was as embarrassing as it was all consuming which is to say, completely.

She really doesn’t want to be a pushover but she knows the second she lets him speak, whether it’s to apologise for his behaviour or not she’s going to forgive him. She at least has to try to stay impartial in all of this nonsense, besides a few more days of grovelling probably wouldn’t do him any harm.

The group moves on then towards the next room and as they do she feels fingers brush against hers and the shock that radiates up through her hand and into her arm lets her know exactly who it is before she even has a chance to look at them.

They find themselves in the section of the museum that deals with the civil war and the guide starts to explain Beacon Hills involvement with the union. She can barely take in what they’re saying though over the sound of her heartbeat hammering away wildly in her chest. Steadfastly, she refuses to look up at him even as he starts to stroke gentle circles into the soft, sensitive skin on her wrist. She has to take slow, deep breaths to stop her legs from turning to jelly and falling out from under her.

She doesn’t know how long this goes on for but soon the group is moving towards the next exhibition and Evelyn quickly goes to follow but before she can take another step she finds herself pushed into a small alcove between the rooms, her back firmly pressed against the wall. The hand that had been caressing her own is now firmly gripping her waist, his other is resting palm down against the wall above her shoulder. He’s not crowding her, she has space but she thinks that that won’t last long.

“Would you just look at me for a second?” He growls lowly and she has the horrifying urge to bare her throat to him but somehow manages to keep herself together. She keeps her eyes firmly planted on her shoes, which is apparently not the choice she should have made in this situation. The hand on the wall slips down and she watches as his feet take an exaggerated step closer before fingers under her chin pull her attention back to his face. Trying to move her head from his grasp is also the wrong choice to have made as the fingers hold fast and tilt her chin up firmly so she has no other choice but to meet his steely gaze.

The hitch in her breath isn’t something she can control as his bright green eyes bore into hers. The intensity that he’s watching her with and the small cheeky smile on his lips is all too much and she can’t help the tears that begin to spill down her cheeks.

“Derek please,” she whimpers but he doesn’t budge, his eyes still firmly on hers and they’re so close she can’t help but think that he can probably see into her soul right now. The smile has fallen away and in its place there's a small worried frown. “Please, I can’t. I’m not gonna...” She tries in vain to pull out of his hold but his grip won’t falter.

“Come on Evy just talk to me. Yell at me. Tell me you hate me and you never want to speak to me again. Just say the word and I’ll back off, I promise.” The thought of not talking to him, of him backing off and leaving her alone feels akin to how she imagines being run through with a molten hot blade would feel and before she can stop herself one of her hands goes from dangling at her side to being curled up in his t-shirt. “I knew it! You can’t do it. You can’t tell me to leave you alone because you need to be as close to me as I need to be to you.” His eyes are stupidly soft as he has his stupid little realisation, his voice is also impossibly fond as he says it and all of the fight slips out of her like the ebbing tide. “Just say you’ll forgive me. Please.”

“Obviously I forgive you, you f*cking idiot.” She’s managed to fully burrow into his chest and she feels his nose softly glance against the skin of her neck as she speaks. “But I’m not the one who has to and I refuse to pick sides. So please don’t make me choose.” His nose disappears but it’s quickly replaced by a surprisingly soft pair of lips that begin to gently graze over her neck as he speaks.

“I’m not going to make you choose Evy. I know what Scott means to you, I wouldn’t make you do that.” His statement is punctuated by those soft lips pressing down firmly against her neck and the whimper that slips past her lips has a low growl rumbling around in his chest. The rumble snaps her out of her stupor and she manages to find enough leverage to push him back a little, his lips slipping from the spot they’d made their home in.

“What’s all this been then? You can’t just flirt with me to get me to join your pack.” She tells him earnestly, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. Derek takes a step back at that statement and if Evelyn didn’t know any better she’d almost say he looks offended by her suggestion.

“Everything alright here?” Matt’s voice finally fully separates the pair though Derek moves a lot slower than Evelyn, who takes her chance and runs with it. She’s gone before Matt can question the tear tracks on her cheeks or why Derek’s fists are balled up so tightly by his side.

She takes a few minute to catch her breath in the bathroom, frantically washing her face in the sink in an attempt to wash away her tears. Using the cold water to try and reset her ability to function like a normal human being without breaking down at the slightest inconvenience.

Opening the door she takes a good look around and when she’s pretty sure she won’t get accosted by the alpha again she steps out into the hall. She can hear the sounds of her class up ahead but before she’s able to head in their direction something stops her in her tracks.

It isn’t something physical, not a noise, not a sound, not even a smell. It’s just a feeling, deep in the pit of her stomach and it pulls at her. It pulls her away, away from the crowds, away from her class and she finds herself in front of a large ornate wooden door. It looks a little out of place and she can’t put a finger on why until she notices she’s across from the natural history section of the museum. Her favourite part of the museum, the part she most often found herself in and she could swear that in all of her trips here she’d never seen this door before. She finds herself inexplicably drawn to the large brass doorknob and as she reaches out to touch it it’s as if something touches her back and she has to stumble away for a second.

She can feel eyes on her but when she looks back down the hallway there’s no one there. She goes to leave, to head back to the safety of her group but the feeling keeps tugging at her and she can’t seem to ignore it. This time when she reaches for the door she pushes past the feeling of something reaching out for her and touches the cool metal of the doorknob, twisting it and pushing her way through to the other side.

The door creaks ominously as it opens, a low and baleful noise and at all once Evelyn is struck by the feeling that she really shouldn’t be here. She wants to turn heel and run, back to her classmates though if she’s being completely honest with herself she wants to get back to the safety of Derek. The pull is stronger though, now that she’s inside the room, almost as if the door was somehow muting it.

The room is empty save for a single case set up in the middle of the floor. There’s no light inside of it that she can see, which makes it seem like whatever’s in it is not set up for display. From here, she can’t make out what it is that’s inside the case but she really doesn’t want to move any closer. The problem is the pull is definitely coming from the case so she decides to push past the feeling of terror to try and find out what it is that the glass box houses.

She’s almost on top of it when she can finally start to make out the shape of the item inside. She’s almost let down to discover that it’s a mirror. It’s small, meant to be held in your hand with an ornate handle like the ones you’d picture a Disney princess using to comb her hair out. It’s silver but dull, tarnished like it hasn’t seen polish in years. The handle is inlaid with red stones that are smooth and rounded, they border the mirror in its entirety. She shifts closer to try look into the mirror itself but it’s so dark that it’s almost black, as if instead of reflecting the light, it’s swallowing it.

Another step. She’s closer now, close enough that she can finally make out her reflection in the mirrors dark surface. Except… As she goes to take her next step the reflection warps and for a moment, just a single moment someone else is looking back at her. Their mouth open in a horrified, silent scream.

That’s enough to break whatever spell the mirror seems to be holding over her and she takes a big step back only to collide with something. A hand clasps her shoulder and a voice asks her in a low and friendly tone, “what did you see?” Not something then, someone.

‘Lie’, a voice in her head tells her sternly, a voice that sounds suspiciously like Derek's. “I just saw my own reflection.” She tries to keep her voice even, but she thinks her ragged breathing and the tremble in her shoulders might give her terror away. The hand doesn’t let go and the voice speaks again.

“It was thought to have been a tool used by witches to scry on their victims. It was used to justify the murder of many innocent women. Salem is much more widely known but Beacon Hills had its fair share of witch trials throughout the centuries.” She turns then to find a tall, pale man, the curator, or at least that’s who the badge pinned to his lapel tells her he is. He’s not looking at her though, instead his focus is intently pinned on the mirror and she wonders if it calls to him like it does to her. She doesn’t ask him though instead, she keeps her lips shut tight, not taking her eyes off of the figure.

By some miracle, or more likely the overactive senses of an overprotective alpha werewolf, the door creaks open and Derek steps into the room haloed in a pool of light from the hallway behind him. “There you are, tours nearly over.” He smiles brightly at the pair but she can see how hard his hand is clenching down on the handle of the door.

“Sorry, I just got myself a little turned around.” Evelyn smiles back at him and the curator steps aside to let her pass with a polite smile. The door closes behind the pair and Evelyn forgets the fact that she’s meant to be mad at him still in favour of grasping for his hand. He takes hers immediately, holding it so tight she might just bruise but she doesn’t care she just wants him to hold her close and get her the hell away from here. “Well that was f*cking weird.” She lets her head fall against his shoulder and he uses the hold he has on her hand to drag her around to face him.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. I can’t explain it. Just a freaky mirror.” She glances back towards the door and wraps her free arm around her chest to keep out the sudden cold she feels. Derek doesn’t question her further but he keeps her hand in his until they get back to the school.

The next morning she plonks herself down in the seat in front of Scott, smiling warmly at him. He’s not paying any sort attention to her though, instead he’s focusing really hard on something to her right. She goes to look for herself but before she can a chair in front of her scrapes across the floor and there’s an arm resting across her shoulders.

“Morning Evelyn.” Isaac grins broadly at her and she can’t help the fond smile that breaks across her own lips in return before she unceremoniously shoves his arm off of her.

“Morning pup.” She drops her eyes to her books then and keeps them there, at least until Stiles comes skidding into the room.

“Dude, I just talked to my dad, who just talked to Jackson, and I've got really terrible, horrible, very, very bad news...” He sits behind Scott and she has to stop herself from laughing aloud.

“...I think I already know.” Scott throws his eyes to where Isaac is very obviously smirking smugly at the whole situation he’s created and Evelyn reaches over to smack the back of his head, only shrugging when he turns to face her with a look of betrayal on his face.

“It’s rude to listen to other people’s conversations Isaac.” She tells him simply and he scoffs before going quiet as the teacher walks in. Isaac’s gaze doesn’t leave the side of her face until the bell rings and before she can escape he’s in front of her.

“Do you wanna have lunch with me today?” He asks her softly, eyes big, blue and utterly endearing. She can feel Scott watching her closely, his annoyance tangible even from six feet away.

“I can’t today Isaac, I’m doing research for a history project in the library. Maybe tomorrow?” She asks and he nods, the smile that had fallen away when she said no now replaced by an even brighter smile.

“It’s a date.” He winks down at her and before she can stop him he’s pressed a kiss to a her cheek before disappearing out the door, leaving her scowling in his wake.

“You shouldn’t entertain him.” She turns and finds a much harsher scowl on Scott’s face, he says it loud enough that she’s sure Isaac can still hear him and that he’s done it on purpose.

“I didn’t realise you were in charge of who I spend my time with.” Stiles stifles a laugh at the look of horror that crosses Scott’s face and once Evelyn thinks he’s been thoroughly cowed, they head off down the hall.

“All right.” Stiles decides he’s going to be the one to break the tension. “I only found one thing online called a Kanima-- it's a Werejaguar from South America that goes after murderers.”

“That thing was not a jaguar...” Scott states the obvious and Evelyn has to let out a little snort at that.

“Yeah, and I'm not exactly a murderer.”

“Yeah, but you did see it kill somebody, which is probably why it tried to kill you. And it's still trying to kill you, and it probably won't stop until you're dead.” The pitch of Scott’s voice gets higher and higher until it crescendos and then he turns to find both Stiles and Evelyn staring at him incredulously at his lack of tact.

“You know, sometimes I really begin to question this friendship.” Stiles scoffs, more than a little offended and then stalks off ahead of them as Evelyn tries to hold back her laughter at his disgust. Scott follows him as they head for their economics class and she turns left for biology.

She can tell somethings happen from the look on Stiles’ face alone when she meets him in the hallway outside the chemistry lab. “What now.”

“Your boyfriends gone rogue.”

“ What did he do now?” There’s a migraine brewing between her eyes and she really doesn’t know if she wants to hear what Derek's done.

“He called Jackson to the train depot last night and paralysed him with Kanima venom. According to Derek that means Jackson can’t be the Kanima.” His voice is low as he speaks and Evelyn wants to whack her head off the door frame in frustration.

“So we’re working with the theory that the creatures venom can’t be used against it.” She says it mostly to herself but Stiles nods along with her.

“That’s the working theory apparently. Their gonna test Lydia next.” Her eyes dart to Stiles and she knows that this is what has him so freaked out, the thought of them hurting Lydia.

“What if she’s immune, like she was to the bite?” Evelyn's chewing on her lips as they reach the door and Scott wanders up behind them.

“Derek’s not gonna kill her without proof.” Scott’s pulling at the straps of his backpack and she knows that he’s not exactly sure of his own words.

“All right, so he tests her like he did with Jackson, right? But when and where?” All three turn their eyes to where Lydia’s perched on a stool at the top of the classroom, flicking through the pages of her copy. Evelyn’s eyes are drawn to the back of the room then, as two figures clothed in black appear through the other door into the lab and she feels her stomach start to twist.

“Right, now. Like right now.” She says it under her breath but she knows from the toothy smirk that Erica throws her way they’ve heard her talking. Scott and Stiles gaze flits back to the empty seat next to Lydia and when they look back Erica and Isaac have focused in on it too. They all move at once but Scott’s closer and manages to drop into the seat next to Lydia, Stiles drops into the one on the far side and manages to smile at her despite the dubious look she throws his way. Erica and Isaac pause for a second before they drop into the bench behind the other three. Evelyn sits at the bench opposite Scott and Allison drops into the seat next to her.

“What’s happening?”

“The pups are trying to figure out if Lydia's the Kanima via dubious. We’re trying to not let that happen.” She says under her breath but once again she catches Erica smirking in her direction.

Mr Harris starts to talk but Evelyn can't focus on what he’s telling them with the way Erica’s now glaring into her back. She does however hear him mention group work and she knows they’re all about to embark on a frantic game of musical chairs. “Erica, you take the first station. You'll start with—” Mr Harris has to pause as almost every single male hand in the room goes up and Evelyn tries very hard to school her facial expression but the smug smirk Erica throws in her direction lets her know she’s failed miserably. “I didn't ask for volunteers. Put your hormonal hands little hands down.” Harris rolls his eyes and looks around the room before his gaze stops on Scott. “Start with Mr. McCall.”

“All right, next two! Ms O’Hara go sit with Mr Lahey.” Evelyn has to let out a little breath and stands before sitting down in the seat that Erica just vacated. Isaac greets her with his usual bright sunny smile but she just levels him with a glare.

“What’s the plan here Isaac? You’re going to dose her right here in the middle of chemistry. How the f*ck are you gonna pass off her losing the power of her limbs as something normal.” Mr Harris throws her a glare as she aggressively clinks the glassware against one and other and she can see Isaac wincing out of the corner of her eyes.

“We have to find out if she’s the Kanima or not.” He quietly explains to her, but he’s flinching away from the noise and she puts the conical flask gently down on the desk as soon she realises what she’s doing.

“Sorry.” Her voice is barely above a whisper but Isaac just nods and seems to relax a little more even going so far as to lean into her shoulder. “I know we have to figure this out but there has to be a way that isn’t this.”

He doesn’t get to respond though as Mr Harris moves him on and as he gets up he winces when Erica takes his place, mouthing a heartfelt sorry as he goes. She watches him sit next to Stiles who immediately stiffens and Isaac's grin turns smarmy in the face of her best friend.

“I’m really sorry about the other night Evelyn I had no clue you were there.” Evelyn doesn’t need to have super hearing to know that Erica is lying through her grinning teeth.

“It’s not your fault. You two can do whatever you want in your free time.” She doesn’t look up as she speaks, eyes boring holes into the glassware in front of her even as Erica lets out a grating high pitched giggle.

“Oh but you don’t actually mean that do you? You want him all to yourself don’t you Evelyn. You’re so desperate to have him and he doesn’t even know that you exist does he.” The words snake their way into her ear and she can’t help the way she curls into herself but she continues to do her best to try and ignore Erica. “I’d be embarrassed if I were you, hanging on to him the way you do when it’s completely obvious he’s not interested in you at all. Seriously though imagine, someone like him next to someone like you.” Evelyn watches from the corner of her eye as Erica looks her up and down from where she sits beside her a dark smirk curling across her lips. “Well it just wouldn’t look right would it? Besides he needs someone who can keep up with him, someone who can match him in every aspect of a relationship.”

“Time! If you've catalysed the reaction correctly, you should now be looking at a crystal. Now, for the part of that last experiment I'm sure you'll all enjoy... You can eat it..” Harris’ voice breaks Evelyn out of her own head and when she glances down she’s pleasantly surprised to find a fully formed crystal in the bottle of the glass in front of her. Glancing up she cops that Erica, Scott and Stiles are all focused on something on the far side of the room and when Evelyn turns to see what they’re staring at she’s horrified when it hits her that at some point Isaac had managed to get seated next to Lydia.

He's holding their crystal out towards her with a sunny smile but Evelyn can see the viscous liquid dripping from it all the way from her desk. She takes it from the tongs that Isaac has it carefully placed upon and lifts it slowly towards her lips. Scott spots this at the same time she does apparently, standing and barking Lydia’s name out across the room.

“What?” She asks him sharply and when Scott can’t find the words to respond, she turns back to the task at hand and proceeds to take a bite out of the crystal. Evelyn waits with bated breath, a second passes, then another until finally. “Ughh, it’s so bitter.” Lydia’s face scrunches up and Evelyn flops back into her seat. Well…sh*t.

Chapter 6: Oh Help, Oh No, It's...a Lacrosse Bro

Chapter Text

Once the bell rings to end the class the three of them scramble for the coaches office, Evelyn checking behind them as they go for eavesdroppers before quietly shutting the door and turning to face the others. “Derek's waiting outside for Lydia.” Scott doesn’t waste any time letting them know the stakes and Evelyn rubs her temples trying to fend off the migraine that’s brewing behind her eyes.

“Waiting to kill her?” The dim light that the small window at the top of the wall lets in shrouds Allison in darkness as she asks the question they’re all thinking about asking but already know the answer to.

“If he thinks she's the Kanima, then yes-- especially after what happened at the pool.

“It's not her.” Stiles is adamant, he’s pacing the floor of the room and looks about ready to lash out at a seconds notice.

“Stiles, nothing happened to her when she touched the venom. She didn’t pass their test.” He turns his glare on Evelyn but she puts her hands up to stop him from yelling at her. “That doesn’t mean she’s actually the Kanima, I mean she didn’t turn when Peter bit her either so maybe she’s just completely immune to the supernatural.” She poses the explanation to the others who look at her as if she’s lost all of her marbles. “That’s not the problem right now though, the problem is that Derek thinks it’s her.”

“So, either we can convince him that he's wrong, or we've got to figure out a way to protect her." It's Allison who speaks up next and Evelyn and Stiles nod their agreement.

“Well, I really don't think he's gonna do anything here. Not at school.” Evelyn scoffs at Scott’s naivety he whirls and pins her with a glare. “You think he’s gonna kill her here in broad daylight?”

“I think he seemed pretty dammed determined to kill the Kanima the other night and he didn’t seem like he was pulling the piss." Snapping back she flashes him a glare of her own.

“What about after school?” Allison once again breaks the tension by making yet another good point and Evelyn stares at Scott pointedly. Allison lets out a deep sigh and bows her head for a second before it snaps back up again. “What if we can prove that Derek's wrong?”

“By three o'clock?” Stiles sounds more than a little sceptical about the idea and Evelyn can’t help but agree with him until a thought crosses her mind.

“Allison's got a point, what if there’s something in the bestiary that could help us?” Evelyn’s on her feet now, trying to come up with some sort of plan which proves difficult to do when there’s three sets of eyes completely focused on you.

“Oh, you mean the nine-hundred-page book written in archaic Latin that none of us can read? Good luck with that.” The sarcasm is rolling off of Stiles in waves so thick that she can taste them. He’s panicking, she can see it in his eyes so she shifts closer to put a hand on his shoulder which has him settling a little.

“Actually, I think I know someone who might be able to translate it...” and when she turns back to face her Allison has this look in her eye that lets Evelyn know that she’s coming up with a plan of her own.

“Uh, I can talk to Derek, maybe convince him to give us a chance to prove that it's not her?” Evelyn can’t help but laugh at the genuinely sincere expression on Scott’s face.

“He’s not gonna listen to you. I’ll talk to him.”

“Oh, cause he’s going to listen to you.” Scott snorts and looks around but no one else is laughing along with him.

“She’s got a point Scott.” It’s Stiles who backs her up first and she throws him a soft smile to say thanks.

Scott looks like he wants to argue but he bites his tongue and manages to just let out a snappy, “fine,” before he continues. “If anything happens, you let me handle it. Okay.”

“What does that mean?” Evelyn and Stiles both give each other identical winces and watch on as Scott just keeps speaking, not realising that he’s made a big mistake.

“That you can't heal like I do. I just don't want you to get hurt.” He tells her softly but she just reaches for her bag and much to Evelyn's glee pulls a pistol crossbow from her backpack.

“I can protect myself.” She holds the crossbow aloft and Evelyn lets out a low wolf whistle that has Allison throwing a smirk back in her direction. Scott ducks his head and swallows but it’s very obvious that he wants to say more. “What? Did something else happen?”

“I just don't want you getting hurt. Seriously, if anything goes wrong, you call me, okay? I-I don't care if your dad finds out. Call, text, scream, yell, whatever. I'll hear you and I'll find you as fast as I can.” They’re standing almost nose to nose and Evelyn feels like she needs to turn away, that this is way too private for her to be watching. “We have until three.”

Scott turns to leave the room and then whirls around to catch the crossbow bolt just before it hits him dead centre in the face. “...Ah, sorry. Sensitive trigger on that.” They all turn to look at Stiles who has somehow managed to get his hands on the weapon and Evelyn fails to bite back her laugh at the look of embarrassment on his face.

Scott and Evelyn make their way to the lacrosse field in an awkward silence until Boyd steps out from underneath the bleachers. They know Derek's out here because Scott can smell him but Boyd is right between them and where they need to be. “I want to talk to Derek.”

“Talk to me.” Boyd snaps back.

“I don't want to fight.”

“Good, 'cause I'm twice the size of you.” Boyd smirks as they come to a stop in front of him and Evelyn has to admit that he definitely has the size advantage over Scott.

“True. Really, really true. But, wanna know what I think?” Scott asks, a small smile on his lips and Evelyn can already tell this is going to end badly. “I'm twice as fast.” And with that Scott’s tackled Boyd to the ground and they continue to roll around the field as Evelyn watches on with a grin.

“Kick his ass!” She hollers out loud only to be startled by a large hand landing on the centre of her back and words being spoken directly into her ears.

“Who are you even cheering for?”

“Gahhh. Stop popping up behind me you creep.” Derek looks far too happy with himself as she whirls to face him clutching her chest. “You can’t kill Lydia.” She decides not to beat around the bush and gets straight to the crux of the matter.

“She failed the test.” He shrugs and she narrows her eyes and steps forward into his space.

“Test, schmest, you don’t know if that means anything, Lydia was somehow immune to the bite so maybe she’s just immune to all sorts of supernatural venoms?”

“Or and just stay with me on this one. At night, she turns into a homicidal walking snake.” Derek has bypassed the finger she’s stuck out in favour of getting completely all up in her personal space. This means her pointer finger is now pressed across his pec and it’s as if he’s got some sort of dumb magnetic field around him because the rest of her hand follows the finger to splay out against him.

“So you want to kill her, on what? A hunch that she might—” Derek opens his mouth to argue but she closes the tiny gap between them and shuts him up with a furious glare. “Might, be a murderous lizard person. Not happening Hale.”

“Who said I was gonna be the one to do it?” His smirk is downright sinful as one of his palms splays out across her hip and she throws her head back to let out a groan of exasperation at the alpha now apparently trying to posture in front of her. “I don't know why you think you have to protect her Evy... Lydia has killed people, and she's gonna do it again. And next time, it's gonna be one of us.” Then his other hand is in her hair and he starts running his fingers deftly through the chestnut strands and she’s left desperately trying to remember the point of this whole conversation.

“What if you're wrong?” She asks him quietly and Derek sighs, before pulling her into his arms.

“I’m not, I know I’m not. Peter bit her.”

“Yeah and you bit Jackson.” She pulls away to look up at him and catches something that could almost have been hurt flashing across his eyes.

“Peter was tainted. That means Peters bite was tainted. The bite tainted Lydia. That’s what happened.”

“How could that happen though. You’re a wolf. Surely the only thing you can turn someone into is another wolf?” Evelyn is still so confused about this whole situation and Derek’s not looking like he has any more understanding that she does.

“Sometimes, the shape you take reflects the person that you are. Even Stiles calls her cold-blooded and he’s in love with her.” Derek explains with a small smile on his face and Evelyn jabs him in the side.

“Well, what if you’re wrong? What if Peter’s bite never took in the first place and she’s just immune?”

“No one's immune! I've never seen it or heard of it. It's n-It's never happened!”

“Oh I’m sorry Mr Alpha Werewolf. I think someone being immune to turning into a creature of the night is probably slightly more believable than the presence of creatures of the night themselves.” Evelyn scoffs, looking at Derek incredulously and he at least has the common courtesy to look a little put down by that statement. “You said the bite either turns you or kills you but that can’t be it. There has to be some weird unknown third option considering we have two outliers in our midst. At this point even a werewolf STI would make more sense.” She giggles to herself and then stops short. “Holy sh*t.”

“What?”

“HOLY sh*t!”

“What Evelyn?” Derek looks a little freaked out and she pulls out of his arms to start pacing.

“What if Lydia’s immune, naturally. Some sort of bacteria or something in her system produces some sort of weird werewolf antibody so she can’t be turned. So then what if, when her and Jackson started having sex she passed on that immunity, like a weird STI!” Evelyn’s mostly speaking to herself but when she doesn’t hear anything from Derek she turns to find him looking at her like he’s seeing her for the first time.

“Well whatever is happening, I can’t let her kill any more people.” Derek's tone is final as he says it and she knows she has no wiggle room.

“Yeah, I was hoping to change your mind but I wasn’t banking on it.” Her lips twitch into a smile and Derek narrows his eyes at her. “Playing the distraction with you is much more fun than it was with Deputy Haigh.” She beams up at him, before swanning over to press a gentle kiss to the underside of his incredibly clenched jaw before heading towards the car park, smirking as Derek lets out a furious howl behind her. “Think of it as payback.” She calls back.

Somehow she manages to get to the house before Derek's pack and Stiles and Allison pretty much yank her through the part way open door. Just in time too, because as soon as she turns around she watches the Camaro pull up to the kerb in front of the house.

They all pile out of the car and then a waiting game begins. They don’t do anything besides just standing there, watching the house quietly, not making any moves towards them. Evelyn wants to run out and smack all four of them over their heads before telling them to piss off home but she’d probably end up flung over someone’s shoulder and locked in the trunk of Derek's car or something equally as outrageous. Eventually, Allison decides she’s had enough, takes her phone out and begins to tap it frantically against her palm.

“Oh, geez. What are you doing?” Stiles asks before Evelyn gets a chance to and Allison lets out a deep sigh.

“I think-I think I have to call my dad.” She bites her lip and Evelyn's heart plummets, she knows what Chris will do if he finds the others stalking them.

“No!” Evelyn lets out a screech and Allison turns to look at her, pained and anxious but resolute in her thinking. “Allison, please.” She hopes that Derek can hear her begging from where he’s loitering outside.

“I know, I know. But what are we supposed to do? They're not here to scare us, okay? They're here to kill Lydia.”

“I got an idea-- just shoot one of 'em.” Stiles says as they keep staring out of the curtains at the menacing pack of werewolves outside.

“Are you serious?” Allison asks incredulously and Stiles nods furiously.

“We told Scott we could protect ourselves, so let's do it! Or at least give it a shot, right?” Allison looks to Evelyn who shrugs but doesn’t disagree. “Look, they don't think we're gonna fight, so if one of them gets hit, I guarantee they'll take off. So, just shoot one of 'em.”

“Who?” Allison asks at the same time Evelyn says “Erica.” The pair look at her shrewdly and she once again shrugs. “What? It’s no secret, she’s got a real shootable face.” She says it loud enough that she's sure Erica can hear it, completing the look with an innocent smile on her face.

“Uh, Derek. Yeah, shoot him. Preferably in the head.” Evelyn opens her mouth to argue but Stiles stops her with a glare.

“If Scott was able to catch an arrow, Derek definitely can.” Allison makes a valid point and Stiles takes it on board, much to Evelyn’s relief. Allison goes back to looking out the window

“Okay, uh, just shoot one of the other three, then.”

“My vote’s still Erica.”

“You mean, two.” Allison says, ignoring Evelyn and an icy shard of fear starts creeping down her spine.

“No, I mean three.” They both turn back to the window at the exact same time and Evelyn spots that one of the figures is missing and she knows who it is almost immediately.

“Where the hell is Isaac?” She squeaks and as she says it all hell breaks loose in the front hall of the McCall house. Isaac has the crossbow bolt out of Allison's hand and Stiles on the floor in less than twenty seconds. Evelyn sprints for the stairs but a big hand on the back of her jumper keeps her firmly in place.

“Let me go.”

“Where’s Lydia?”

“I’m not telling you anything.” She yelps and somehow manages to scramble out of her jumper and up the stairs as Allison takes on Isaac below her. She reaches the top, lungs burning just as Lydia appears wide eyed and white faced from the bedroom.

“What was that? What's happening?” Her breathing is fast and Evelyn quickly grabs her arm, pushing her back towards the bathroom.

“Someone’s trying to break in! Lock yourself in here and don’t come out unless Allison, me or Stiles say it’s okay. Okay.” Evelyn doesn’t give her a chance to answer, just shoves her into the bathroom only breathing a little easier when she hears the sound of the lock clicking from the other side of the door. Then she hears the sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs and she sprints for the bedroom slamming the door shut behind her and clicking the lock into place.

The room is pitch black, the faint light of the moon is just enough to brighten the spot under the window, leaving the corners shrouded in darkness. It takes her a second, but when her own breathing calms she hears it. A second set of breaths coming from somewhere in the darkened corner of the room and she feels her hackles begin to rise.

“Jackson?” Her whisper may as well be a shout in the darkness but even so there’s no response. “Jackson, it’s just me.” She tries again this time a little firmer and she gets a response but it isn’t the kind she’s after. There’s a low ominous hiss from the back left corner and Evelyn backs up into the door quick as a flash. “Oh. Holy. f*ck.” She whimpers and she’s left to watch on in horror as something rises from where it had been previously crouched against the wall.

It doesn’t move, it just watches her, amber eyes glinting in the gloom and she knows. She doesn’t know how she knows but she can feel it in her chest. The thing looking at her is Jackson and she is now locked in a room with him. It’s tail swishes and she could have only looks away for a second to try and find the door handle in the darkness but when she looks back he’s standing not a foot from her, never having made a sound as he moved. She can see the saliva dripping from his open maw, teeth glinting in the moonlight, his claws dripping that viscous liquid across the floor of Scott’s room.

She opens her mouth to speak, to say something to the creature but all that leaves her lips is a soft whimper. The creature tilts his head at this and takes a step back as if trying to stop Evelyn from panicking. Isaac somehow manages to hear her whimper from out in the hall as well and he calls out her name, worry obvious in his tone. This seems to freak Jackson out and he drops into a crouch, hissing loudly again as his eyes now focus on the door and the voices beyond it.

She takes the opportunity and bolts for the open window, hearing the creature turn to follow her, claws clicking on the wooden floor of Scott’s room as it gets closer. She doesn’t look back, she knows she’ll loose her nerve so as quick as she can she pulls herself out onto the ledge before hopping down and starting to walk across the roof. She doesn’t make it more than three feet into the walk though before her foot slips on the tiles and just as she goes to let out a terrified scream a warm scaly hand clasps her wrist and stops her from tumbling off the roof.

She quickly looks up to meet the creatures gaze and finds him looking back at her with what seems to be fear in his eyes. “Thank…you..?” It feels weird to speak to it like a normal person and they stay like that for a moment just staring at each other. That is until she hears Scott calling up to her from the ground panicked and she glances down to find him, Stiles, Derek and the others looking up at her in horror. Jackson too seems to notice they’re not alone anymore and he lets out a piercing shriek before releasing her from his grip and bounding off the roof and into the forest below.

She stares after him for a second before her legs go from under her and she drops to her knees onto the cold slate of the roof, burying her head in her hands. The sound that leaves her lips is some sort of a combination of a sob and hysterical laughter.

There’s silence from the ground until she hears Lydia speaking from around the corner, outside of Scott’s front door. “Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on?”

“It’s Jackson.” Scott retorts quietly, almost under his breath and Evelyn lets out a noise she hopes sounds like ‘yeah I f*cking noticed’. Then without warning her knees give a wobble and she realising with a start that her hand has gone completely numb and when she looks down she can see it’s glistening with viscous mucous in the moonlight.

“Incoming!” The yelp gets out just in time as her knees give way completely and she tumbles off the roof with a loud thud and a shriek, landing not at all gently in someone’s hold and she doesn’t need to look up to know exactly whose big muscular arms have taken the brunt of her fall.

“Can you feel anything?” He asks her softly and she goes to shake her head, grumbling when she can't.

“Absolutely nothing.”

“Okay that’s enough excitement for one night. I’m taking you home.” He gently cups her face and she attempts to scowl up at him but fails miserably as soon as she catches the look of worry on his face, instead she chooses to flash him a watery smile. Derek goes to start walking towards his car but he's stopped all of a sudden and Evelyn doesn’t have to look to know exactly who it is that’s in the way of them leaving. “Scott.” Derek snarls but before Scott can say anything back Evelyn lets out a long suffering groan.

“I. Am. Completely. Paralysed right now” She hisses lowly and both of them immediately stop arguing. “Derek let Scott take me home I’m not in the mood to be some sort of f*cking chew toy tonight.” Derek looks justly chastised and quickly hands her over to Scott who doesn’t hold her half as close as Derek did and she immediately misses the warmth of his chest.

“Fine, but you’re in charge of keeping her safe McCall.” His voice is low and it sounds a lot like a threat to her ears. It should piss her off but instead it makes Evelyn feel a little warm and fuzzy inside and she therefore has to question her taste in men just a little bit more. She hears Derek and his pack leave and then Scott turns back to the others that are still in his yard. “Allison you take Lydia home. Stiles you take Evelyn. I’m gonna try and follow Jackson.” He barks out the orders and then unceremoniously dumps Evelyn into Stiles waiting arms. He lets out an oomph at the added weight but other than staggering a little it doesn’t really seem to faze him.

“Have you been working out?” She asks as they reach the jeep and Stiles looks quizzically down at her, raising a brow. She can feel a flush work its way up her neck and it hits her then that it’s been a while since she’s had this kind of reaction to her best friend.

“Yeah, actually I have.” He admits, gently placing her in the front seat, propping her up as best he can and buckling her seat belt for her.

“Impressive.” She giggles and is pleased to note the colour rising in his cheeks as he starts the engine and pulls out of Scott’s driveway. She’s never been more thankful that Maude and Patrick have both got the late shift on the same evening as she is now. Stiles can carry her no issue on the flat but the stairs prove to be a harder battle and he eventually gets to her room before flinging her onto the bed face down while panting frantically.

He quickly flips her around and then disappears, she hears him rooting in her drawers and it relaxes her to know that he hasn’t gone far. He proves this a few seconds later by appearing back at her bedside, wearing a pair of her flannel pjs. He gently takes off her shoes and then moves her under the covers before following her and pulling her head onto his shoulder to stroke his hands through her hair.

“How long were you like this for?” She asks and his brow creases in thought for a moment before he answers.

“No longer than two hours.”

“Cool…This f*cking sucks.” He lets out a choked off laugh at that and smiles that dumb bright smile of his and it hits her then, all of a sudden. She hasn’t seen that smile in weeks. She’d give anything to pull him closer and hold him but she cant. Instead he holds her and she realises that he’s acting like he has a cat on his knee. He really doesn’t want to move in case he disturb her resting so she can ask all of her questions and he can’t escape.

“Hey you.” She starts and he looks down at her inquisitively, whiskey eyes bright and open. “What happened to us? We used to do this for fun, now the only time you hold me is in life threatening situations.” Her voice is barely above a whisper and she watches as his eyes begin to shimmer and tears threaten to spill over.

“I was actually just thinking the same thing. I’ve missed this.” He bends down to press a kiss to the top of her forehead and she curses the fact that she can barely feel it.

“When was the last time we had a full on bitching session, just me you and a supersized tub of Ben and Jerry’s?”

“Before our life became a poorly written young adult novel.” He replies honestly and she lets out a soft chuckle at that. “Dad’s on the late, do you mind if I stay here tonight? I don’t wanna be home alone right now and I don’t want you alone either.” There’s a genuine anxiety in his eyes, like he’s worried she might tell him to get lost and she curses Jackson again for not letting her pull him into a hug.

“Course you can. You don’t ever have to ask.” He lets out a sigh of relief and settles back further against the bed. “So the bulking…? You don’t have to explain it, there doesn’t even have to be an explanation but you would have chosen death over going to the gym a few months ago. What changed?” She asks him softly, hoping she’s not pressuring him too hard into telling her.

She hears his head thump against the headboard and the fingers in her hair twitch a little before he lets out a soft sigh. “It’s dumb.”

“Probably, doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear about it though.” She can feel him shuffling in the bed and she watches as he wrings his hands before eventually letting out a bone deep sigh and starts to speak to the ceiling.

“Since Scott got bit I’ve kind of been feeling like I’m…Less. I mean he’s an athlete now and he’s got the girl and yeah I know everything goes to sh*t every now and then but once this ends, he’s got it made. And I just... I’m just Stiles, I’m just about a functional person and without my medication I’d be useless. The girl I love has never noticed me once and the one girl I had a chance with is now head over heels for a man I could never even attempt to be. So I just thought that maybe if I worked out a little more, maybe I’d look different, feel better about myself. Maybe I'd just stop feeling…Less.”

Evelyn knows she’s crying as she watches Stiles quietly rub at his eyes with the back of the sleeve of his stolen pyjama top so she swallows back her sob and tries to settle herself even just a little before she answers. “You’re right.” She starts slowly. “You’ll never be the man Scott or even Derek is.” Stiles head drops at that and she chuckles a little at the look of acceptance on his face, which has its intended effect. He looks back down at her, bottom lip wobbling and she smiles softly up at him. “You’re never going to be the kind of man they are because you’re your own man. And, to be honest you’re one of my favourite men in the entire world and I wouldn’t change you for anything. So you can’t manage without meds, I love that your brain is moving twice as fast as mine at all times, I love the way you think. Maybe you’re not a born athlete but Scott wasn’t either and sure you could probably just ask Derek to bite you. But you won’t. Because you want to have earned what you get and I f*cking love that about you. You’re brave and sweet and handsome and funny and whip smart and- and someday some girl is going to fall ass over tit* for you. She’ll love you because of all that, not in spite of any of it and she won’t see someone less. She’ll see someone more… Like I do.” She lets the last bit go in one breath and Stiles half laughs, half sobs, dropping his forehead to rest against hers.

“I’m so f*cking mad at Jackson right now. I really wanna hold you.” She grumbles and he lets out another snotty laugh at that and then shifts them so she’s now curled in as close as possible on his chest.

“So… You didn’t dispute the fact that you’re in love with Mr. Macho Alpha.” He says it softly into her ear and she lets out a low forlorn groan when she figures out that he’s onto her.

“Is it that obvious?” She asks his chest and his resulting laugh shakes her a little.

“Oh absolutely—Lucky for you he seems to be into that.” He smirks down at her and she notices she’s managed to turn her head to look up at him.

“He’s just such a moron. And Scott hates him but…God he’s just so good and sweet and he holds me like I’m someone that’s worth something and I kind of adore him.” She babbles and Stiles starts to run his hands through her hair again and this time she starts to fade out to the feel of it. Which has an unintended side effect. Brutal Honesty. “Sometimes, I think he might like me back, in more than a protective platonic alpha kind of way but then there’s this little voice in the back of my head that says it can’t be true. That I’m not pretty enough or skinny enough or cool enough to catch his eye.” She admits into his collar bone and the pressure of the grip on her waist gets tighter.

“That’s not you talking though is it. Those aren't your words in your brain and I’m telling you now that Derek’s the one punching above his weight here.”

“You have to say that, it’s article twenty two of the bro code. 'Thou must talk a bro up when they're feeling low.'” She grumbles and she can feel his laughter as it continues to shake her.

“Yeah I do but that doesn’t make what I'm saying any less true though. Also if he hurts you, I will find him and fill his ass with wolfsbane bullets.” He promises and Evelyn finds enough strength to nudge him in the side with her arm, Stiles simply reaches down to grab it and squeeze it tightly in his own.

“I’m counting on it.”

She wakes later surrounded by complete darkness while the sounds of muted voices swirl around her room. Stiles still has a firm hold on her but he’s speaking softly to someone over her head.

“So she’s ok?” Derek's gruff but soft voice echoes from somewhere across the room and Stiles nods his head.

“Yeah, she just started kicking me in her sleep so I think she’s fully functional again.” He chuckles and presses a soft kiss to her hairline and she snuggles into his chest out of habit.

“Good…good, I’m glad she’s okay.” Derek almost sounds like he’s feeling a little awkward which she hasn’t seen since the morning he met Maude and Patrick and she’s very tempted to glance over at him just to see it again, it's an embarrassingly good look on him. “I’ll just go then.” She hears her window squeak as it opens just before Derek speaks up again. “Thanks for staying with her Stiles.”

“My pleasure, I’d do it for any of my friends.” She can hear the emphasis he’s putting on the word and if she wasn’t trying to pretend to be asleep she’d reach up and slap him for it. “Thanks for coming to check up on her Derek.”

“Always.”

Chapter 7: Nothing Bad Has Ever Happened in the Preserve...

Chapter Text

As she wakes the first thing that crosses her mind is that she’s left her window open. The second is that the last time she’d had that thought she found a very unimpressed werewolf lounging on her bed. So taking a deep breath she readies herself to be met with red eyes that are pissed at her for God knows what reason but when she reaches out her hand to push herself up off the bed it’s not her mattress that she presses down upon.

Whatever it is, it’s damp, that’s the first thing that registers in her brain, the surface of it is cold and slimy to the touch and when she plucks up the courage to open her eyes, she doesn’t find the ceiling of her room above her. Instead she’s met with the endless open night sky, stars twinkling like bejewelled eyes and speckled across the inky blue as the moon just hangs there ominously above her.

Evelyn couldn’t say how long she lies there for, just staring up at the sky in complete and utter bewilderment at the predicament she’s found herself in. Eventually she sits herself up, only now noticing that her back is completely soaked through and she’s freezing cold. She’s sure she’s in the preserve but where exactly is a mystery. Her feet don’t ache, they’re not cut up or even red when she folds them into her lap to look at them but they’re covered in leaf litter and debris from the forest. She reasons with herself that because of this she can’t be far from home but she thinks she’d remember if there was a substantially sized stone circle somewhere near her house.

It's old, the moss and ragged lichen that grow across and cover the stones in their sickly green hue tell her that much. There’s something else, something disconcerting, and it takes Evelyn a second until it hits her, there’s no noise here, it’s dead silent and that realisation alone gets her on her feet. Stumbling, a little wobbly on her feet, she manages to make her way to the edge of the circle, wanting to put as much distance as possible between the structure and her.

Outside the circle the woods come back to life and Evelyn begins to panic when it hits her that she has no idea where to go. She has no phone and right now not a singular clue where she is in relation to anything. Panic begins to fizzle up inside her and her hands start to tremble not from the cold but from the fear.
The fear that no one will know she’s missing for hours, at least until morning. That no one knows she’s gone. She can feel her heart-rate spiking and her breathing is so heavy that she knows she’s very close to passing out.

“Evy?” It’s then a voice calls out of the darkness like some sort of angel in the distance and she tries to speak but all that comes out through her trembling lips is a soft pitiful whimper. “Evy!” The voice is louder now, a little more frantic as it makes its way closer and she hugs herself tighter, waiting for him to break through the treeline. There’s a lot of crashing to her left and as soon as the head of dark blonde curls pushes into the clearing she flings herself at him. Isaac’s phenomenal reflexes are in fact phenomenal and he doesn’t even stumble at the force of her throwing herself at him, just catches her under the arms and pulls her close.

“What the f*ck are you doing out here?” He has his arms curled all the way around her, nose snuffling into her neck as he scents her. He obviously likes what he smells so he pulls her closer, her own hands gripping the collar at the back of his jacket as tightly as possible.

“I don’t know.” Her teeth are chattering so loud it sounds like gunshots echoing around inside her head. Isaac pulls away from her slowly and when his eyes meet hers she immediately knows what he’s thinking. “No. I’m pretty sure I’d know if I was going green. I mean one minute I’m falling asleep in my bed the next I’m waking up on the forest floor.” She’s violently shaking now and before she can stop him he has her scooped up bridal style and is striding off through the forest.

“Where are we by the way?” Evelyn asks face fully buried in Isaac's shoulder, cosying in as close as possible to try and warm up her icy nose.

“About five miles into the woods. Nowhere near your place.” He tells her, ducking down under a low lying branch.

“Well that’s not good is it.” She sighs and then it hits her and she slowly raises her head to get a good look at Isaac who’s intently focused on where he’s going. “So why are you so far out here?” He fumbles her a little at the question and she knows she’s digging her nails into his shoulders but she’s not going to apologise. “Are you on Patrol?”

“No.”

“Did Derek tell you to follow me?”

“No, he prefers to do that himself.” He snorts and she reaches up to flick him on the ear but stores that information away for a later date.

“Isaac?” The question hangs softly in the air, she runs a hand through the curls at the nape of his neck in a way she hopes is soothing. Judging by the way his shoulders drop it seems to do the trick and he lets out a soft sigh, she can feel him shaking a little so she continues to mess with his hair.

“The new foster home…” He trails off looking for the words to try and finish his sentence and at once she knows that somethings more than a little off so before he can continue she drops her hand to squeeze his shoulder carefully.

“You don’t have to say anything else. You know you can come and stay at mine whenever you want to, right?”

“But Scott-”

“Screw him. This has nothing to do with packs, this is one friend trying to look after another, Isaac.” He flushes and doesn’t say anything but the happy little smile he can’t seem to hide is reward enough. Eventually they reach a part of the preserve that Evelyn recognises and just as they do Isaac’s phone starts to ring. Digging in his pocket he grabs the offending item just as it stops ringing.

“There isn’t signal in the preserve is there?” He asks her, paling by the second as he flicks though his phone and she shakes her head. A sharp, baleful howl rings out from somewhere surprisingly close by and Evelyn freezes up Isaac's arms.

“Please tell me that isn’t who I think it is?” Isaac looks sheepishly down at her and she throws her head back so it’s hanging down behind her, resigned to her fate now. “How many missed calls?”

“Twenty.” He admits and she winces in his hold.

“God he’s gonna be so pissed.” She wails.

“Pissed is an understatement.” Isaac freezes and Evelyn’s head snaps back up and the pair stare down a fuming red eyed Derek like a pair of rabbits in the headlights. She feels Isaac’s hold on her loosen slightly and she snaps her head to catch his eyes.

“If you do what I think you’re about to do I’m going to murder you.” She hisses but as she finishes her sentence he unceremoniously dumps her into Derek’s waiting arms. “I hope you enjoy the taste of wolfsbane.” She snaps at him before turning her big hazel eyes on Derek who now seems a little calmer that she’s settled in his arms.

“I’ll see you tomorrow!” He squeaks at Evelyn before nodding at Derek, who nods back and then Isaac has disappeared back into the forest. Then once Isaac’s gone Derek turns his full attention back to Evelyn who’s wincing in his ever tightening grip.

“Evening.”

“It’s morning.” She hadn’t noticed the sky beginning to lighten and this only makes her wince harder.

“That is…” She can’t come up with a single excuse so she just decides to bite the bullet and tell him everything. “I woke up a while ago, out here, alone. No phone, no nothing. I definitely went to sleep in my own room, in my own bed and I have no idea how I got here.” Derek looks more than a little perturbed and he opens his mouth to ask her something but like with Isaac she stops him before he can. “No I’m not turning into a creature of the night, this is the first and hopefully the last time this has happened.” She watches something close to relief settle across his features.

He dips his head then and presses his nose gently against the crook of her neck just like Isaac had but her heart didn’t attempt to leave her chest when he did it and she has to tighten her arms around his neck. He scents her carefully, his warm breath tickling the soft skin of her neck but eventually he removes his nose and presses a kiss to her temple which startles her a little.

“You don’t smell like anyone else.” He tells her softly and she straightens a little in his arms, paling at that thought.

“That hadn’t even crossed my mind.” She shivers and he holds her closer than she would have thought possible. Neither of them speak again for the rest of the walk home, Evelyn keeps opening her mouth to try and say something but can’t bring herself to actually say anything to him. Instead she just twists her fingers into his jumper and lets him carry her home. When they eventually reach the treeline just behind her house she readies herself to be let down. To her surprise though, Derek doesn’t let her down, he just holds her tighter and all of the air leaves her body as he hops up through her window on the second floor, keeping her close all the while.

“Jesus Christ warn a girl before you fling yourself two storeys off the ground.” She hisses, nails scraping against his skin and she feels his huff of laughter against her neck before he gently puts her down. Then he begins to sniff around her room, looking for some sort of clue as to what happened and it takes Evelyn far too long to notice that he is in fact actually sniffing around her room, with his nose. She sends out a silent prayer that she decided to pick up all her dirty clothes from the floor yesterday after standing on the prongs of a plug hidden amongst the mounds of jumpers.

“Anything weird?” She’s perched herself on the window seat, watching as he meticulously picks her room apart, then she watches on in horror as he goes for the bottom drawer in her wardrobe and she leaps from her seat and kicks the drawer shut so fast she almost catches his fingers in the process. Derek tilts his head to look up at her from where he’s kneeling at her side, brow quirked, smirk pulling up his lips and she refuses to look at him. “Nothing in there explains why I would leave the house.”

“No? You sure?” He jiggles the knob of the drawer again and she presses down harder with her foot.

“Derek.” Her tone is low and her glare seems just severe enough that he pulls his hand away but he does it with a wolfish grin on his face that gives her a quick flash of his teeth and has her heart beating just a little bit harder in her chest.

“Alright, alright. No more snooping.” He tells her softly and when he stands, she follows him, sitting next to him on the side of her bed. “No one’s been in here.” Evelyn lowers herself back down onto the bed and lets out a shaky sigh staring at the ceiling and hoping that the answer will come to her but aside from the first sounds of the dawn chorus breaking through the end of the night her head is completely empty.

“Ok, so what I just walked into the woods by myself. Why would I do that? What possible reason could I have had for doing that. I wasn’t heading to Stiles, Scott’s or even your house. Somehow I walked myself into the middle of a stone circle I didn’t know existed and didn’t once wake up the whole time.” One of his hands wholly encompass her own and she didn’t know she’d started crying until he swipes the tears off of her cheeks.

“We’ll figure it out, we always do.” She shifts her gaze and finds him sprawled out next to her, on his side head in one of his hands, frowning so deeply at her that she worries the furrows in his brows might become permanent. Turning back over she gnaws on her lips and focuses her attention back to the ceiling and not at the incredibly handsome man sprawled out on top of her bed sheets.

“This kind of thing happens to other people. Not me. I’m the normal little human one that rounds out this group of supernatural weirdos.”

“You think you’re normal?” Raising a brow, he interrupts and she turns back to him, finding him regarding her with very poorly hidden amusem*nt.

“Haha, you’re real f*cking funny. Please, feel free to laugh at my expense while I continue to freak out.” She snips and rolls over so all Derek can see is her back. He chuckles to himself for a second before she feels the bed shift and he puts his warm hand on her waist, curling in closer so she can feel the pure line of heat that is Derek Hale pressed up against her back.

“Look, right now we have no way of knowing what just happened, you're tired, we'll figure this out later, just get some rest for now.” Flipping over she once again finds him looming over her but this time the furrow in his brow is gone. “I’ll come back to check on you later.” And with that he stands up and heads towards her window, figure illuminated in the first pink and orange rays of the sun climbing into the sky.

“Derek.” She doesn’t even realise she’s called for him out loud until he turns around to look at her quizzically.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for coming to find me.” She has to be bright red but if he notices he doesn’t comment on it, just smiles softly and shrugs.

“Anytime.”

Chapter 8: The Worst Plan, in the History of Recorded plans.

Chapter Text

Stiles is silent for a long time after she explains that the reason she’s not going to school today is because she woke up halfway through the night in the preserve and spent the rest of it being carted home by Isaac. She thinks he’s hung up on her until there’s a loud thud on the other end of the line which is followed by a soft swear. “Well, that’s not normal is it?” He sounds like he’s got his head in his hands and she can’t help but nod along with him. He hangs up with a promise to come over later and get the whole story.

She thinks that’s the end of it so she’s more than a little surprised when about an hour later she gets the world’s most cryptic text from Stiles telling her that a drive up to make out point might take her mind off of everything and that the weather looks nice enough for a picnic, she’s suspicious to say the least but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea.

It’s Baltic when she reaches the centre of the forest and pulling her coat tighter does very little to keep the cold out. The trees in this part of the woods have all died back, all of their leaves littering the floor of the forest and her footsteps crunch as she trudges through them. Something catches her ears then and she stops moving to take a closer listen, at first she just assumes it’s the wind, twisting weirdly through the barren branches of the trees but eventually it becomes loud enough to make out the sound of someone yelling.

“Stiles! McCall! I’m gonna kill you!” The barking voice comes from just beyond where the tree line thins and when she spots the white prison transport van she balls up her hands, throws her head back and lets out a furiously frustrated scream into the forest. The yelling stops for a second but she only has to wait for a moment before he speaks again, just barely loud enough for her to hear him. “Evelyn O’Hara.” His tone is so soft, too soft really and sinister enough that she considers just turning around and walking back the way she came.

“I just want to say, before I open this door that I had absolutely nothing to do with this.” She tells him honestly.

“Yeah I guessed that. You have at least two brain cells to rub together.

At that she flings the back door of the van open and steps in to glare at him, hands on hips. “I have at least four brain cells asshat. I brought you food.” Jackson just stares plainly up at her from where he’s sitting in the cold metal cab of the truck in a pair of tracksuit bottoms and nothing else but he seems way too pissed off to notice that he should be cold.

“Great, would you mind getting me out of these so I can eat.” She watches in thinly veiled horror as he raises his arms and she now sees that he’s also been cuffed to the floor of the van via a pretty long looking silver chain.

“I’m going to kill them.”

“Get in line.” He snorts ruefully and she sits down beside him, digging around in the bag she’d brought with her. Jackson watches her closely, carefully with darkened eyes and for the first time she begins to see the similarities between the boy sitting next to her and the creature she’d met the week before. Eventually she finds what she’d been looking for and stands to drape the old blanket she’s bought to sit on across his shoulders. “Thanks.”

“Literally the least I can do.” He turns to her then and she knows exactly where this conversation is going to go.

“No, the least you could do is let me out of here.” He waves his wrists in her face and the resulting wince lets Jackson know that’s not happening. “Evelyn, you can’t just leave me here.”

“As strange as it sounds this is as much for your protection as it is for everyone else’s.”

“What the f*ck is that supposed to mean?” The confusion is clear in his voice and Evelyn is going to murder the pair of them for leaving her to explain this entire thing to a half-naked, locked up and clearly freaked out Jackson.

“Alright cowboy saddle up, this is going to be one hell of a story.” So, he pushes himself back against the wall of the van and settles there before fixing his steady gaze on Evelyn to prod her to go on. “Okay, first things first what happened to you the night of the first full moon after Derek bit you?”

“Nothing. I woke up the next morning and nothing had happened.” The words are spit out through gritted teeth and though he refuses to make any sort of eye contact with her, she knows he’s holding something back but decides she won’t ask him what it is just yet.

“Mhmm. Well. The bite worked and you shifted but you didn’t shift into a wolf.”

“Oh what I shifted into a hamster or something?” He sneers and Evelyn lets out a snort of laughter.

“Believe me, that would be a whole lot easier to deal with for everybody. No. You’ve been turning into a big green lizard monster and straight up killing people for like the last two weeks.”

Silence. Complete and utter silence permeates the back of the van as Jackson stares at her utterly bewildered. “Yeah, it isn’t actually any easier to believe when you see it.”

“But there wasn’t anything on the camera?” He says it so quietly that she almost misses it and it takes her a second but once she comprehends what he’s said she can’t help the guffaw of laughter that leaves her lips. Flushing, Jackson drops his eyes to his hands and she watches as he begins to scratch at the beds of his fingernails.

“Hey, no. Stop that right now.” She chastises him, grabbing his hands and holding them carefully in her own, it’s complete habit when she starts to draw small circles in his palms with her thumbs. “Why the hell were you filming yourself?” She carefully asks the question and he lets out a sigh before he raises those sharp blue eyes to meet her gaze. “I’m not making fun of you.” He raises a brow at her and she snorts again. “Okay, I am going to make fun of you but I probably won’t judge you for it. Unless it’s sexual in which case… Heavy, heavy judgement coming your way.”

“It wasn’t sexual. I just wanted to see what would happen.” He tells her and she nods in understanding.

“That’s a reasonable and pretty non judgeable defence there buddy.” Nudging him with a shoulder he flashes a small smirk her way and she never thought she’d be happy to see it.
“You know what else would be reasonable.”

“No.”

“Evelyn.”

“Jackson. Derek wants you dead. The Argent's want you dead. Here is the safest place you can be right now!” She promises him and at this new volley of information he pales. Before she can start to comfort him though her phone starts to ring and when she realises that it’s Stiles calling her she gives Jackson an apologetic smile before leaving him in the back of the van and pressing the green button once she’s a few steps away.

“What the f*ck have you two done.” She snarls and she can feel Stiles recoiling on the other end of the line and there’s silence for a few seconds before he lets out a deep sigh.

“Yeah, it wasn’t our best idea.”

“You got that right moron! How did you even get him here?”

“We followed him to jungle last night and managed to shove into the back of the jeep.” Stiles says it like that’s how he always spends his Thursday nights and she thinks she might be able to chew through steel with her jaw so tightly wound.

“Why would he be in jungle? I’m pretty sure he’s the straightest man I have ever met so unless the bite has a second transformative effect, I don’t understand…” She cuts herself off once she has a second to think about it. “Danny. Oh. f*ck. Is he..?” She can’t bring herself to ask the question but Stiles knows what she wants to hear.

“He was paralysed but he’s fine, he’s in the hospital and Scott’s gone to check on him?” Her jaw relaxes at that and she lets out a deep sigh before rubbing the back of her hand against her forehead.

“Why would he want to hurt Danny?” She asks him softly, hoping that Jackson can’t hear the conversation from the back of the van.

“No idea, Scott’s going to work on Danny, maybe you could ask Jackson while you’re there?”

“I can try but as best I can tell he has no idea what’s happening to him. It isn’t like when the wolves change, when Jackson turns back into a human it’s like all of the Kanima’s memories disappear too. It’s probably why he can be affected by his own venom when he’s in human form.” She hypothesises before a loud cough from the back of the van pulls her back to the conversation. “You have bigger problems that that right now. Stiles, someone’s going to miss him eventually, you can’t keep him in here forever.” She furiously whispers down the line and he clucks his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

“Relax I texted his dad from his phone to let him know he’s fine. We’re covered.”

“Oh, you are absolutely not dragging me into this Stiles Stilinski. As far as I’m concerned this has nothing to do with me. Figure something else out.” She snaps, hanging up before he can respond, she pauses then taking a deep breath before heading back into the van.

“Do I have scales?” Evelyn’s face must be doing something odd because Jackson tries to elaborate, “when I change, do I have scales?”

“Yeah, yeah you do.” He looks to her as if he wants her to go on. “You’re about the same height, same width as you are now but you’re covered in these dark green scales and you have these bright yellow eyes that kinda stare into your soul. You’ve got a mouthful of razor-sharp fangs and these really longs claws that drip this clear viscous paralytic liquid.” She doesn’t see that the more she talks the more horrified the look on Jackson’s face becomes until she just so happens to glance over at him. Wincing she decides it’s probably not a good idea to finish with, ‘you also have a tail,’ but she does it anyways.

“I have a tail?” Jackson’s more than a little incredulous and she hands him over a bottle of water with a nod.

“Yup, big ole tail.”

“Mhmm and does this tail do anything?”

“Well.” She pauses and thinks about it for a second. “No, no not that I’ve seen but it’s definitely not vestigial, it could be for balance, maybe to help you climb and hang from things?”

“I see and do you think I could strangle someone with it?”

“I mean I’m not sure if it’s flexible enough for that but I suppose if you-” She raises her eyes to explain further and finds him looking back at her wryly. Her mouth snaps shut with a clack of her teeth and she can feel the redness creeping across her cheeks. “You’re a dick.” He just smiles and takes a big gulp of the water. “Look, I get that you don’t believe me. I get that it sounds ridiculous but I’m not lying to you.” She pauses for a second before a thought crosses her mind and she snaps her fingers and points wildly at him. “Ok, the night of the semi-final, what did you do after the game?”

“I went home to bed.” He’s watching her carefully now and she knows that he thinks he’s not lying to her.

“So you genuinely don’t remember trapping Derek and Stiles in the pool?” He looks taken aback at that so she continues. “Yeah, you did that and then I had to rescue them. You stopped me from falling off the roof at Scott’s the other night! You don’t remember any of that?”

“No and if I did all of that I’m sure I’d remember it!” He’s yelling at her but she thinks they’re making progress now because instead of shrugging off and teasing her about everything she’s telling him he’s beginning to look scared.

“Jackson, you nearly killed Danny last night in Jungle, that’s where Scott and Stiles found you.” She tells him softly and he looks horrified.

“Why would I do that? Why would I try and kill my best friend” He asks her and she shakes her head, reaching for his hand again.

“No clue. That’s what those two idiots are trying to figure out right now.” Pausing for a second she decides to take the plunge and keep going. “Jackson there were others. A mechanic and a hunter.” She tells him and he deflates at this, dropping his head into his hands. Evelyn scooches closer and drops her head to his shoulder, Jackson turns his head to get a closer look at her.

“Evy, I don’t remember any of that. How could I have done it if I don’t remember any of it?”

“Well I woke up five miles into the preserve last night and I don’t remember walking out there but I still did it.” She says it offhand but Jackson’s answering scoff lets her know that he’s not letting her away with that. Looking up she finds him staring at her head tilted and she shrugs.

“No. Absolutely not Evelyn. You can’t just not finish that story.”

“That’s just it though. There’s no more to the story, I woke up in the middle of a stone circle in the woods and Isaac found me and brought me home! I have no idea how the f*ck I got there but I still got there.” She tells him and it takes her a second to realise that he’s trying to hold back laughter until he fails miserably when it spills from his lips in loud chuckles. “I’m being serious here!” The seriousness of her statement is ruined by her own giggles.

“Well aren’t we a pair.” He smiles and then as quick as it comes its gone. “I’m still gonna have to have your friends arrested though.”

“Yeah I assumed you would.”

Evelyn's night in the woods starts to up to her then and when she next wakes up she’s curled up on the bench with her head in Jackson's lap. He’s passed out as well, with his hands buried in her hair and the blanket she’d wrapped around his shoulders has been thrown over her. She’s not sure why she’s awake until the door rattles again and she looks up to find Stiles in the doorway framed by the fading light of the day.

“…Do I want to know?” He asks her and she shrugs, glancing up at Jackson to find him blinking himself awake.

“Being stuck in the back of a truck all day is tiring.” She deadpans and Stiles grumbles something under his breath before hopping into the back with them.

“I’m gonna kill you.” Jackson as good as growls and Evelyn freezes in place, only breathing a sigh of relief when she looks up and finds a still fully human seething in his spot.

“You know, I put those pants on you, alright buddy? One leg at a time. Being all up close and personal with your junk wasn’t exactly a highlight of my day. So don’t think this is fun for me either.”

“What an image.” Evelyn smirks as she lifts herself up off of Jackson.

“You would enjoy that image wouldn’t you.” He turns his own wry smirk on her and she flicks him on the ear before turning back to Stiles, who’s watching the pair with a horrified look on his face.

“What the f*ck is this, are you two friends now?”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t aware I was expected to sit here and babysit our hostage but never actually speak to him?” Stiles goes to give her an undoubtedly snippy response but is stopped by a loud bang on the side of the van. They both look frantically to each other, paling quickly as Jackson sits up straighter a big grin on his face and opens his mouth to let out a yell. Stiles jumps forward and slams a hand across his mouth as Evelyn makes for the door. Sticking her head cautiously out of door she relaxes when she sees Allison on the other side. That only lasts for a second before she notices how stressed Allison looks and she knows somethings up.

“Stiles!” She calls out, hopping down so that Stiles can follow her out of the van and close the doors behind them.

“They know.” Allison's voice is low and Evelyn's blood freezes in her veins.

“What?”

“They know Jackson’s missing.”

Stiles lets out a scoff but she can still see the tension he’s holding in his shoulders. “No, they can't. I've been texting his parents since last night. They don't have a clue.”

Allison shakes her head rapidly and steps in closer. “My grandfather told me his parents went to the police-- they know.” She says the last part slowly and as she does Stiles looks down at the phone in his hand before holding it out in two fingers like it’s something rotten. Before handing it over to Evelyn with a garbled yelp. Then he’s scrambling for the front seat of the van and he opens the door just as the radio begins to beep.

“All available units, proceed to Beacon Hills Preserve as instructed. Proceed with caution until Sheriff Stilinski's arrival. Proceed with caution.”

With that Stiles is piling into the front seat and the other two follow him quickly shutting the door as Allison asks, “where are we going?”

“Somewhere very far from this.” Stiles snatches the phone back from Evelyn, frantically typing something before chucking it out the window and driving off further into the preserve. Eventually they come to the craggy cliffs that overlook the town just as Scott does, panting heavily.

“Jackson was after Danny’s tablet!” Scott tells them as they get out of the van and it leaves the three of them confused.

“Why would he do that?” Allison asks and Stiles turns to Evelyn expectantly.

“What makes you think I know anything?”

“You were passed out on his lap earlier, forgive me if I thought you might have built up a little rapport with everyone’s least favourite lacrosse player!” He flaps his arms in the direction of the van with a stern look on his face. Evelyn knows that the tablet must have something to do with Jackson recording himself on that first full moon but that doesn’t mean she wants to share that information. Jackson had told her something private and until she’s sure it’s relevant she decides to keep it to herself.

“He doesn’t even remember changing, he’s definitely not going to remember why he stole the tablet.” It’s not exactly a lie more of an omission of the truth so she hopes Scott won’t pick it up and thankfully he doesn’t question her.

“Why would he steal the thing if he doesn't even know what's on it?” They’re now huddled around each other at the edge of the cliff and Evelyn has to work to keep her face flat.

Allison speaks up next and asks a question that Evelyn never even considered as an option. “What if someone else took it?”

“Then somebody else knows what he is.” It’s the only explanation and that sends a frisson of fear up her back, that someone could be helping Jackson to kill complete strangers in the night.

“Like the Bestiary says, "The Kanima seeks a friend," right?” Allison tacks on and they all turn to look at her now.

“Okay, hold on-- so, somebody watches Jackson make a video of himself turning into the Kanima, and then just erases part of it so he wouldn't know? I mean, who would do that?” Evelyn blanches at that and watches Stiles from the corner of her eyes wondering how he had found out there was a video at all.

“What if that somebody is trying to protect him?” Evelyn answers Stiles’s question with her own question and she can’t help but quietly wonder if maybe Lydia might know more than she’s letting on.

“There's something else. You said the only thing you found online about the Kanima is that it goes after murderers. What if that's actually true?”

“No, it can't be. It tried to kill all of us, remember? I don't know about you three, but I haven't murdered anybody lately.” He turns to look at Scott just as something clicks in Evelyn’s head.

“But I... I don't think that it was actually trying to kill us. Remember when we were at Isaac's the first time, it just went right by us, didn't it?” Scott asks Allison and she agrees readily.

“You're right-- it just ran off.”

“And it didn't kill you in the mechanic's garage.” He then turns to Stiles who begrudgingly agrees but continues.

“Well, yeah, but it tried to kill me and Derek in the pool.”

“I don’t think it was.” Stiles turns to look at Evelyn incredulously. “Honestly, it could’ve killed me when I hopped out of the pool that time but he didn’t. I think it was maybe just trying to keep us in the pool.”

“Why do I feel so violated all of a sudden?” Stiles groans with a shudder and she agrees readily.

“Because there's something else going on. We don't know what it is. We don't know anything about what's going on with Jackson, or why someone's protecting him...”

"Know thy enemy." Allison mutters under her breath and when she realises they’re all looking at her, waiting for an explanation she continues on. “Just something my grandfather said…” She trails off and Evelyn watches her for a second before turning back to Stiles as he comes up with his next plan.

“All right, I got it-- kill Jackson! Problem solved.”

“No.” Evelyn steps in immediately and Scott backs her up.

“He risked his life for us, against Peter. You remember that?”

“Yes, but what did we just find out? He got the bite from Derek. It's funny how he just got exactly what he wanted by supposedly risking his life for us. It's funny.”

“That doesn’t mean we kill him Stiles.” Evelyn snaps and he scoffs at her loudly.

“It's always something with him, though.”

“Stiles that’s not fair. He has no idea what he’s doing!” More than a little worried at the level of contempt that Stiles obviously has for Jackson.

“So what?”

“So, I didn't either. You remember when I almost killed you and Jackson? I had someone to stop me. He has nobody.” Scott tells him in a low tone.

“That's his own fault.”

“Doesn't matter. If we can save him, we should try.” Scott’s adamant now and Stiles grumbles but stops his arguing.

“I’m gonna head back to the shop to get some more things, do ye want anything?” He asks and she shakes her head before heading back to the van, opening the door, and sitting down next to Jackson, dropping her head back against the cold metal.

“My friends are morons.” Jackson doesn’t immediately agree with her which has her on alert and she turns to him only to find him hunched over with a sheen across his eyes.

“Evy?” Fear creeps up her spine as Jackson's voice has taken up a trembling vibrato. She turns slowly, without any sudden movements to find him staring at his hands in horror. She takes a glance herself and her heart stops as she watches the dark green scales begin to spread from his hands up his arms.

“Oh this cannot be good.” She crouches in front of him, he’s panicking and she supposes that being told that you’ve been turning into a giant lizard monster doesn’t really prepare you for the moment it actually starts happening to you. “Jackson, Jackson, look at me!” Evelyn’s trying her best to keep her voice level, to keep her panic to herself but it’s very clearly not working.

“Evy, I can’t stop it.”

“Okay, you need to find a centre, something to anchor your brain in Jackson's body and not in the Kanima’s.”

“How do you expect me to do that?”

“What’s the strongest emotion you can feel right now?” He looks down at her, his eyes wide and disbelieving. “Besides panic.” She sputters.

“The panic’s not really leaving room for anything else right now.” He tells her honestly and she knows as she watches the scales creep over his shoulder and up his neck like a poison that she’s now fighting a losing battle.

She bangs on the side of the van to try and let the others know that somethings wrong.

“Evy, you need to get out of here. I don’t-I don’t think that I’ll remember that I actually kind of like you when I’m a human.” His smile is wobbly and she chokes on a laugh.

“Of course the only time you’d be sweet is in the moments before you change into a mythical beast that wants to rip out my throat.” He gives her a wan smile before his body suddenly lock up and all she can do is watch on in horror as his eyes begin to glaze over.

“Jackson?” She calls out to him quietly but it doesn’t even flinch in her direction, instead it throws its head back opening its mouth to reveal the Kanima’s rows of sharp, piranha like teeth. It drops its head and she’s completely frozen as its bright yellow eyes drop to where she’s still crouching in front of him. He’s all beast, with Jackson's face and that scares her even more.

It bares its teeth and lets out a loud hiss that breaks Evelyn’s stupor and has her wheeling back to the far side of the van to watch in unabashed terror as he rips his hands free from the shackles.

It stands and takes one stride for the door before Evelyn manages to scramble and get herself upright, reaching out to grab his wrist in a very stupid attempt to get him to stay put. He turns, snarls and that’s it, lights out.

The next thing she knows, Stiles is calling her name, panicked, somewhere above her and when she cracks her eyes open she finds him leaning over her. Her head is in his lap and she’s immensely glad for that because she has the world’s worst headache right now.

“Jackson!” She goes to stand but Stiles stops her with a firm hand on her shoulder. “He’s long gone.” He’s grim as he tells her and she turns her head to find the hole that it’s left in the back of the prison van. Then she catches sight of Scott and Allison peering in from the other side of the wrenched metal.

“You didn’t hear any of this happening?” She asks the pair incredulously; Allison shakes her head apologetically while Scott just shrugs but won’t look directly at her.

“They were busy.” Stiles grumbles and from the way he says it she knows that’s the exact opposite of what they were doing and it’s so nice to know that you are in fact lower on your friends list of priorities than a quick make out session in the back of Scott’s car.

“I have to tell my father.” Allison voices the obvious but Evelyn’s not ready to hear it.

“Allison—"

“Evelyn, he's going to kill someone.” She’s right, Evelyn knows that but it doesn’t make it any easier to put a target over Jackson’s head.

“Okay, tell him.” Scott’s wandered away from the van before he turns back, eyes wide and worried. “Tell him everything.”

“Scott, I gotta tell mine, too...” Stiles looks dejected at the thought of having to tell his dad, but there’s also a determined glint in his eyes.

“This is all my fault.” Scott whines and Evelyn really doesn’t consider herself a violent person but she genuinely wants to punch Scott’s lights out at this very moment in time.

“Yes. It is.” Evelyn tells him honestly but Allison steps in with a sharp side eye that has Evelyn taking a quick step back.

“It's not. But, we have to tell them. We're just a bunch of teenagers. We can't handle this.”

“You’re not wrong, this is way too much for teenagers to be dealing with.” Evelyn replies absently, plucking at the sharpened edges of what was once the back door of the van. “How the hell are you gonna explain all of this to your dad?”

Stiles just puts his hands in his pockets and shrugs. “I don’t know.” Scott chooses that moment to turn back around and flash bright amber eyes at them.

“...He'll believe me.” And Evelyn has to admit, it’s hard to dispute the existence of werewolves if there’s one standing in front of you.

So they split up, Stiles and Scott head for the sheriff's office and she and Allison head for her house. Evelyn’s almost a little glad that Chris’ jeep isn’t there when they get back to the house but Allison is definitely feeling the exact opposite.

“Let’s just make some hot chocolate and relax until he gets back, hmm?” Evelyn puts out the suggestion and Allison nods before leading them into the house. They head to Allison's room to dump their stuff and neither of them notice the figure on the bed until Allison has the lights on and they let out matching yelps.

“You scared the hell out of us!”

“I've been sitting here for an hour, waiting for you...” Lydia snarks, as if they’re the weirdos but Evelyn chooses to bite back her snippy retort in favour of trying to catch her breath again.

“I can't hang out right now, Lydia.” Allison tries to brush her off, going back to putting away her stuff but Evelyn’s facing her and she can see the way she’s almost spacing out as she speaks so she goes to sit beside her on the bed.

“I don't need anyone to hang out with-- I need someone to talk to.” It’s quiet and Evelyn doesn’t know if she can remember a time where Lydia seemed so unsure of herself.

“Lydia, is this ab—"

“I-I understand that it's important, but if it can just wait—" Allison interrupts her before she can ask if this is Peter related and with that Lydia’s on her feet, face tightened in frustration at the whole situation.

“Why is everyone always telling me to wait? Why can't anyone have "right now" available?”

“Because you can't have everything right now. You know what I need? I need someone to translate five pages of archaic Latin. Obviously, that's not gonna happen anytime soon...” Allison snaps as she unwinds her scarf from around her neck, glaring at Lydia as she does it.

“...I know archaic Latin.” Lydia folds her arms across her chest and Evelyn sits up ramrod straight on Allisons’ bed.

“I’m sorry, did I hear you right? You just happen to know archaic Latin?” Scoffing, she watches as Lydia turns back to face her, her expression completely uncaring as she admits.

“I got bored with classical Latin.”

“...Just how smart are you?” Allison asks the question Evelyn’s dying to know the answer to but Lydia doesn’t treat them to a reply. Instead she holds out her hand.

“Just show me the pages.”

So they crowd around the laptop, completely silent as Lydia reads through the section of the bestiary on the Kamina. She pauses for a second, narrows her eyes, rereads the passage a second time and then leans back in the desk chair.

“Like the wolf, its power is greatest at the moon’s peak. Like the wolf, the Kanima is a social creature but where the wolf seeks a pack the Kanima seeks a master.” She reads aloud and she feels Allison tense the second she does.

“Are you sure? Ms. Morrell said that word means ‘friend.’ ‘The Kanima seeks a friend.’”

“She was wrong-- it means ‘master.’” Lydia tells them and Evelyn's heart plummets.

"The Kanima seeks a master..." Allison repeats the words slowly, looking to Evelyn who’s now completely focused on the page in front of her.

“Why? Is that important?” Lydia asks as she stands and Evelyn drops into the empty seat, staring at the screen, hoping it’ll give up something else if she just stares at it for long enough.

“Yup, it means that someone’s not trying to protect him, they want to control him.” She hisses to Allison, who’s now leaning fully in over her shoulder and they both look at each other with matching panicked expressions.

Chapter 9: The One with the New Sibling

Chapter Text

“Legal guardians I’m home.” Evelyn calls out into the hall of her house only to be met with silence, suspicious silence, especially since she saw both of their cars parked out front of the house as she walked up the drive. She pauses then in the dark corridor and every sort of horrible scenario that could possibly have happened begins to run through her mind, she’s so panicked she has her phone out and ready to call Derek when Maude’s soft voice rings out from the kitchen

“Hey baby, could you come in here for a minute?” Maude’s voice is firm, but the concern that’s intertwined with it is audible and Evelyn scrambles for the kitchen, stomach in her throat now, expecting the worst.

“Hey, is everything alright.” She asks Maude, who’s standing under the warm lights of the kitchen, favourite mug in her hands, Patrick stands next to her, face curled up into a pinched grimace but it’s the stranger, holding her own mug that throws Evelyn off. She opens her mouth to ask what the hell is happening but her voice catches in her throat when she spots a mop of dirty, blonde curls hunched over her kitchen table, a cup of something still steaming placed in front of him, completely untouched.

“Isaac?” She’s more than a little confused, until he lifts his head with a wan smile and she gets a proper look at the angry black eye that he hadn’t been sporting the night before. Her school bag hits the ground with a dull thud and she immediately follows it, dropping to her knees before him, clutching for his hands. They find hers straight away and they hold on tightly to each other. “What happened? Who..?” She tries to ask the whole room but her voice is small and shaky as she speaks.

“I got caught sneaking back in this morning.” Isaac is very obviously trying to keep a brave face and smile through his explanation but Evelyn knows him better and she watches as his lips start to quiver around his quickly fading smile.

“Oh, my God.” She whispers and it’s only then that she remembers there are three adults in her kitchen so she turns to the third figure who she assumes has to be a social worker. “You’re dealing with this?” Her assumption is proven to be correct when the woman nods at the pair, keeping her eyes firmly on Isaac as she does. “Good, and he’s moving in with us? That’s why you’re here right?” She gets up off her knees with a huff and once she’s upright she’s pulling him close to her chest and winding her arms around him.

“Yes, Mr & Mrs O’Hara have agreed to take Isaac in on an emergency foster care basis.” The social worker explains.

“Okay. Perfect, I’m gonna need a couple of hours to move all of my stuff out of my room and into the spare room.”

“Evy...” Isaac’s eyes are wide as he tries to argue with her but she immediately shuts him up with a soft pinch to his unbruised cheek.

“Don’t argue with me right now Lahey. The box room is tiny and it only has one window. If you’re gonna stay here I need to know you’re happy and comfortable. You will need to share closet space with me though.” She smiles down at him and he buries his face into her stomach and she feels his lips move against her t-shirt but she can’t hear what he says.

“I think I can handle that.” He says that a little louder and she feels his shoulders relax under her hands so she decides now is the best time to get a better look at his face. Gently, she pulls away slowly raising her hand to stroke the mottled side of his face and she frowns when he hisses as she prods a particularly tender spot. “It’s not as bad as it looks.” He shrugs up at her but she just faces him down with an icy glare.

“It looks pretty friggin bad Isaac and it shouldn’t have happened in the first place. ‘It’s not as bad as it looks’, is not good enough Isaac. There was no reason for anyone to lay their hands on you!” He rolls his eyes at her fussing but he doesn’t just sit there and take it this time, instead he stands and engulfs her in a hug, now dwarfing her with his ridiculously tall frame.

“Well Mr and Mrs O’Hara, I can see that this house is going to be a wonderful fit for Mr Lahey. I’m sure he’s in good hands here.” The social worker stands then, eyeing the pair with a soft smile on her lips. “I’ll call next week to see how you’re settling in Isaac.” She turns to Maude and Patrick then who nod and go with her to the front door to show her out. Isaac and Evelyn stay where they are, curled around each other, her hands now stroking through his hair.

“Are you sure you’re really okay with this? You don’t have to give up your room for me.” And with that protest she grips his shoulder and yanks him down so she can press her forehead to his and leaves him with absolutely no choice but to look at her as she speaks to him.

“Isaac Lahey. In the short amount of time we’ve known each other have you ever known me to do something I don’t want to do? If your answer to that question is never then you would be very correct.” A sheepish smile pulls on his lips and he nods in agreement.

A small cough rings out from behind them and the pair turn in tandem to find Maude and Patrick smiling fondly at them from the kitchen door. She turns back and watches in glee as Isaac’s face flushes to a brilliant red and she lets out a sharp chuckle at his panic.

“Maude and Patrick please allow me to introduce Isaac Lahey. He doesn’t like shouting or enclosed spaces, which really shouldn’t be an issue here.” She turns back to him, hoping he takes her word as the promise she means them to be before turning back and casting a glance to Patrick. “Unless it’s game day and the Kings are playing like crap.”

Patrick scoffs but Isaac chooses to ignore her and instead turns his attention to the grown-ups in the room. “Thank you again for this, I really hope I’m not intruding.” Isaac doesn’t look up as he speaks and Evelyn immediately looks to her parents who are eyeing the boy with an intense amount of worry, hoping they’ll do something to allay his fears. Maude is as per always, the one who breaks the heavy silence first.

“Isaac, sweetheart, how would you feel about a movie marathon and some pizzas from Luigis?” She asks him, gently squeezing his shoulder and his eyes brighten when Maude mentions food.

“As long as I get my own you’ve got a deal.” Evelyn watches in horror as his playful smirk falls away when he realises the tone he’s taken up with his new guardian and he takes a step back preparing to apologise for his smart mouth.

“Great, whatever you don’t eat tonight you can take for your lunches tomorrow.” Maude smiles broadly at him, cupping his unblemished cheek in the same way Evelyn had a few moments ago and he melts into her touch in the exact same way he does when it’s Evelyn who holds him. She thinks to herself as he follows after Maude into the living room that if he had a tail it would be wagging so hard right now.

“Heh, it’s cute that you think we’re gonna have left overs.” Evelyn snorts and Isaac throws her a half-hearted glare over his shoulder that she returns with an angelic smile of her own, linking Patrick's arm and dragging him after them.

With Isaac’s help it doesn’t take them long to move all of the things she has to move from her old room into the box room. Isaac stopped apologising for taking up her space after the third time she flicked him on the ear and by the time they’re finished they are ravenous for the pizza that Maude yells up the stairs for them to come down and eat.

They’re curled up next to each other on the two seater sofa in minutes and Evelyn finds her attention straying from the movie and falling onto Isaac, force feeding him pizza he definitely wants but won’t eat because he assumes he’s being rude if he takes the last few slices.

Maude and Patrick head off to their respective night shifts then, Maude dropping a kiss on Evelyn’s forehead and running her hand through Isaac’s curls as she goes. Isaac and Evelyn finish the movie and once the credits role Evelyn grabs the remote to turn off the television. “Come on, we’ve had a day, let’s get to sleep.” She stands and reaches out for him and he gladly takes her hand and follows her up the stairs. Once they reach the landing, the pair separate and head to their respective rooms but not before Evelyn folds Isaac into one last bear hug which he happily returns.

She wakes a few hours later her room still shrouded in darkness and she doesn’t know why she’s woken up until she hears the sound of soft snarling coming from the room next to hers and that has her bolting upright in her bed. She realises with a jump in her pulse that she’s left Isaac alone in her room and that whatever had taken her to the woods the other night must have come back judging by the noises he’s letting out. She doesn’t think too hard about it before grabbing the baseball bat Stiles had gifted her in the aftermath of their last bout of supernatural weirdness and sprints for Isaac’s room. She throws open the door, flicks the lights on ready for a fight and instead finds herself howling with laughter at the sight she’s greeted with.

Derek’s on top of Isaac in her bed, pinning him in place with his teeth bared as Isaac snarls back up at him. Once the light’s on though, they quickly realise who they’re snapping at and roll away from each other as Evelyn bends at the waist to try and catch her breath, laughter still trickling from her lips.

“Have you ever actually touched a baseball?” Isaac grumbles at her from the far corner of the bed and she takes a deep breath but she can’t quiet kill her laughter as she answers.

“No, I keep it under my bed in case of emergencies, which is what I thought this was.” She waves at the sight in front of her before lifting the bat and waggling it in his face. “I was coming in here to save your ass, you should be thanking me, not making fun of me.” He doesn’t say anything, he just flops back onto the bed.

“You crawl through her window a lot?” He turns then to eye up Derek this time, who doesn’t seem to want to dignify the question with a response, instead he just throws a frosty look at Isaac before getting off the bed as fluidly as always and starts stalking towards Evelyn.

“Where the f*ck have you been all day?” She isn’t expecting the animosity in his voice and the look in his eye has her taking an involuntary step back.

“What’s with the attitude, why do you need to know where I was?”

“Because Evelyn, I came by this morning to check up on you and you had disappeared, again!” Her name rolls off of his tongue coated in pure vitriol and Evelyn goes to take a step forward and give as good as she got but she’s stopped in her tracks by a soft whimper from the bed.

Her eyes track to the side and she feels the fury that had been licking through her veins like fire slip away as she takes in the way Isaac has curled himself into a ball, arms curled over his head defensively.

“Hey, hey. It’s okay. You’re okay Isaac.” She ignores the still growling Derek and quickly strides to kneel on the floor at the side of the bed where Isaac lies. One fear filled blue eye peaks out from the protective circle of his arms and so without thinking too hard about it she starts to gently run her thumbs over his temples, her own concern dimming when Isaac’s breathing begins to slow.

She can hear Derek moving behind her and she tries not to let the surprise show on her face when he drops to his knees beside her and slowly reaches for Isaac’s thigh. “Sorry.” The apology is so quiet she almost misses it but that doesn’t make it any less sincere and she watches out of the corner of her eyes as he flashes crimson Irises at Isaac.

Isaac doesn’t say anything but judging by the way his rounded, stiffened shoulders soften she knows they’ve managed to stave off the beginnings of a panic attack. She turns her head to throw a half-hearted glare at Derek who is paying absolutely no attention to her and is instead completely focused on Isaac. His jaw is tense as he takes in Isaac’s still trembling form and she lets her own shoulders drop and sits back a little before focusing back on Isaac.

“I was with Jackson.” She says it into the stillness of the room and she feels the exact moment Derek’s attention shifts from Isaac’s prone form to hers. The force of his gaze is so intense she thinks he might actually be trying burn a hole in the side of her face closest to him. His responding why is unsaid but rings in her ears like he’d screamed it at her, so she continues. “Stiles and Scott had the bright idea to kidnap him last night after he went after Danny in Jungle and shoved him into the back of a police van and kept him there for like the whole day.” The revelation has completely opposing effects on both boys, Isaac shakes off his dissociation and sits up in the bed, eyes bright and buzzing. Derek on the other hand looks just about ready to commit murder but she’s not sure exactly who it is he wants to murder.

“That was actually the least interesting part of my day. You know the way we thought the entry in the Argents’ bestiary said that the ‘Kanima seeks a friend’?” It’s Isaac’s dead eyed stare that clues her into the fact that she hadn’t actually gotten around to mentioning this titbit of information to either of them over the last few days. A fact that’s punctuated by the low rumbling growl that escapes Derek’s chest. “Okay, well there’s this entry in the Argents’ bestiary—”

“Evelyn.” A hand on her chin cuts her off instantly and as he turns her face to his she really can’t help but admire how beautifully green his eyes are as they stare murderously into her own. “If the bestiary didn’t say the Kanima seeks a friend what did it say?” He asks her pointedly and it takes her brain a second to reboot itself and formulate an answer to that question.

“‘The Kanima seeks a master.’” She says it so softly she’s not sure that even werewolf hearing will pick it up but judging by the way Derek stands and begins to pace the floor he’s heard her loud and clear.

“What does that mean?” Isaac asks softly, eyes now full of worry.

“It means that someone’s controlling Jackson and having him kill people for them.” Derek snarls and he doesn’t spare either of them a glance before he hops back out of her window.

“What’s his problem?” Isaac asks the room and the best answer Evelyn can come up with is a half assed shrug and a heavy sigh.

An hour later Evelyn is still awake staring at her ceiling, listening out to make sure Isaac’s still alright in the next room. Sleep isn’t coming for her anytime soon so as quietly as she possibly can, she grabs her laptop. Opening it she mindlessly stares at it for a second before glancing up and catching sight of her own reflection eerily backlit from the blue light of the screen, in her dressing table mirror across the room.

Looking up scrying mirrors is a mistake because she’s inundated with mountains of information and each source contradicts exactly what the last source said. It’s pretty easy to determine that the mirrors were and to some extent still are an important part of a witches ritual kit but she has no specifics on how it’s used or if it’s associated with black or white magic. She looks up the rituals themselves and is once again met with the vaguest descriptions about potions for love, spells for revenge and a tonic that’s supposedly able to cure lycanthropy which she bookmarks with a chuckle.

She’s one more dumb Wikipedia article away from shutting her laptop when she comes across an archived article from the local paper. It's old, from the early seventies and the more Evelyn reads the colder the air in her room seems to get.

The girl is beautiful, tiny and frail like a pixie with pale skin and ice blue eyes haloed by a shock of auburn curls. The caption on the photo names the smiling, striking figure as Agnes Dupont and she was only twenty-two when she was found dead in the preserve. Evelyn reads on and is pretty positive that murder is far too soft of a word for what happened to her. The article describes in vivid, lurid detail how a hunter found her in the woods, wearing nothing but a ruined silk slip, her throat slashed from ear to ear, her heart gone with no blood left in her body but none found at the scene.

It's words on a page, just words on a page but Evelyn's whole body is trembling at the description of Agnes’ fate. It’s made worse when she finds the second picture attached to the article and the familiar moss-covered structure it shows. She shuts her laptop straightaway and freezes for a second but when she hears nothing from the next room over she knows her panic hasn’t roused Isaac. She thinks about going over there and crawling into the bed next to him but talks herself out of it and instead curls up into a ball under her own covers, trying to think about anything but the words she just read.

Chapter 10: Trauma Dumping: Bringing Friends Together Since Forever

Chapter Text

Blinking slowly, Evelyn comes around once again to the stars winking down at her from above. The cold quickly settles into her chest and she thanks her past self for throwing on Patricks old fleece before she went to bed last night. The whimper that leaves her lips when her eyes eventually attune to the darkness and reveal where she’s laying is not a noise she’s proud to admit she can make but as she warily eyes the pale stones standing in the ground there’s very little else she feels she can do.

When she manages to get her head around her situation, she checks herself over and once she’s confident that’s she’s not going to completely fall apart if she moves she sits up, startling when something thunks off her lap and onto the ground. Glancing down the sight of her phone glinting in the pale light of the moon loosens something in her and she thanks God for small mercies. Her hope is short lived though when from somewhere behind her in the darkness of the woods she hears the sounds of sticks begin to crack and break.

“It’s probably one of the wolves” she mutters the words to herself but doubt nags in the back of her head because she knows they would have called out to her instead of creeping up on her. That thought has her on her feet in an instant, knowing that whatever is out there probably means her more harm than good.

There’s definitely something watching her, just beyond the treeline but all she can make out in the dim light of the waxing moon is a shadowy figure obscured by the trees. Backing up slowly she keeps her eyes on it but it makes no other movement and with that she opens her phone. Scott’s rings for a few seconds before it unsurprisingly goes to voicemail, Stiles is still under house arrest and she refuses to get him into any more trouble. She’s already decided not to ring Isaac either because she really doesn’t need that on her back.

Then out of the corner of her eye she spots the shadow dart forward, this time taking a noticeable step towards her and Evelyn freezes. “Balls.” She hisses aloud, eying the shadow, knowing for a fact that it’s doing the exact same thing to her. She doesn’t take her eyes from it as she carefully clambers into the lowest branches of the closest oak tree, the rough bark digging into the palms of her hands and the bare soles of her feet she scrambles up as high as she dares without looking away from it. “I really hope you can’t climb.”

It stays there, silent and unmoving, just watching her for another hour before whatever it is just disappears back into the trees but she stays on her perch for another thirty minutes just to be sure that it’s gone. But once she’s sure whatever it is isn’t going to gut her as soon as her feet are back on solid ground, she hops down and slowly starts to trudge her way back to her house, thankful for the light of her phone as she struggles over the debris on the forest floor.

It takes her a little while, definitely a lot longer than it took Derek the other night but eventually she makes her way into the back of her garden over the fence, snagging her flannel on the barbed wire as she climbs. The house is empty, both Maude and Patrick are on the late this evening and she can see the light is still off in Isaac’s room, so she doesn’t even attempt to be quiet as she rifles around in the flowerpot for the backdoor key that’s been left there. Once she’s in, she quickly strips off the fleece and flannel throwing them into the wash basket, leaving her in a sports bra and shorts as she trudges in through the kitchen.

The silence is almost eery as she makes her way to the press, grabbing a spoon as she goes and snatching the large glass jar of Nutella from the middle of the shelf. She then hops onto the counter and heaps a spoonful of the chocolatey goodness into her mouth before lifting her head to find seven sets of eyes watching her from the kitchen doorway.

It’s probably down to the fact that she’s spent far too much time with werewolves that she doesn’t even startle, instead she just spews out a garbled hello from behind the glob of Nutella and watches the various reactions of her friends. Stiles and Isaac look pissed but relieved. Erica is trying to hide her smirk behind her hands and she’s failing miserably. Boyd just looks indifferent about the whole thing. Allison and Scott are standing to the side, Allison like Erica is trying to hide her laughter but Scott just looks pissed off about the whole thing.

The final pair of eyes are the ones furthest away and Evelyn thinks that this might be the angriest she’s ever seen him as his red eyes pierce through the dim light of the kitchen directly into her own and she immediately has to drop her gaze to her bare feet. No one says anything for a moment until Scott steps forward and she swallows the remainder of the Nutella so fast she’s afraid she might choke for a second.

“Where the f*ck have you been?” He snarls at her and she can immediately feel the others turn to look at him in various states of shock but it does have the added benefit of letting her breathe again when Derek’s fury is quickly directed elsewhere.

Excellent, she thinks, a pissed off Scott is definitely something she can handle right now. “Went for a midnight stroll. I find the feeling of twigs embedding themselves in my feet oddly soothing.” She sneers, glaring at him and folding her arms across her chest, her breath hitching when she remembers that she’s sitting in front of everyone in nought but her bra. The panic doesn’t catch anyone but Erica’s attention and her smirk gets bigger as she watches Evelyn squirm.

“Why the hell didn’t you call me?”

“What time did Stiles call you at Allison?” Ignoring Scott’s question she turns to look at Allison who’s now looking between the pair in wide eyed confusion.

“About half an hour ago, Isaac called him to say that he’d gone looking for you but you weren’t in your room.” She immediately looks to Isaac, who’s a startling colour of red and she softens a little as she takes in his stance.

“Cool, were you with Scott?” She asks, trying to make it sound like curiosity but the edge peaks through and she can see when Allison realises where she’s going with this line of questioning.

“Yeah, yeah we were together.” She almost sounds apologetic but Evelyn just nods and smiles at her before turning her attention back to Scott who’s still frustrated but now with the addition of being incredibly confused, which is only heightening his frustration and Evelyn finds it simultaneously hilarious and infuriating.

“Yeah I thought so. What time did your phone ring at Scott?” She asks and she watches as he pales considerably in front of her and goes to take a step back.

“Like half an hour ago.” He’s lying through his teeth and she doesn’t need to be a wolf to know that, but the snarl that erupts from Derek confirms it for her.

“Bullsh*t. When did it ring the first time?”

“It’s not bullsh*t—”

“You said that call wasn’t important.” Allison interrupts him, taking all of his attention away from Evelyn and she swears in that moment you could have heard the sound of a pin drop. Her shoulders slump a little, it’s one thing knowing that one of your best friends has stopped giving a damn about you but it’s a whole other ballgame to have it said out loud in front of you. There’s a hand on her thigh then and she looks up to find Stiles standing next to her while glaring furiously over at Scott.

“Are you ok?” He asks and she shrugs, going for another spoonful to try and stave off her trembling.

“Not really no. My feet are in bits and…” She pauses for a second, wondering how the hell to tell them about what she’d seen before she decides to just go for it. “There was something else in the woods with me, I couldn’t make out what it was, it never got close enough for me to see anything more than the shadow of it. It must have watched me for like an hour before it just up and vanished into the woods again. I called Scott but obviously that was a mistake.” She doesn’t have the energy to snap anymore just resigns herself to being let down and Stiles just leans in closer.

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“I didn’t want to get you into any more trouble with your dad than you were already in.” She tells him and he doesn’t hesitate before pulling her into a tight hug.

“Dad would have driven me himself if he knew you were in trouble.” He tells her and she finds herself letting out a laugh that’s really more of a sob.

“And you didn’t call me because?” She hears Isaac's voice pipe up and she’s not surprised to find he’s migrated to her other side.

“I was really hoping to save myself from a lecture, at least until the morning.” She winces, chancing a glance over at Derek who is thankfully still fuming in Scott’s direction.

“Ok everyone who doesn’t live here get the f*ck out.” Derek obviously imbues the order with some sort of alpha mumbo jumbo because Erica and Boyd are gone in an instant. Scott pulls Allison from the room and Evelyn waves her off and nods when Allison mimes out making a phone call at her from behind Scott’s back. Stiles and his lack of self-preservation skills obviously last the longest looking between the pair with narrowed eyes as Isaac watches on from beside her.

“I’ll be fine, go home before your dad notices you’re gone.” He doesn’t budge. “I’ll ring you in the morning.” She promises and she doesn’t think he’ll go but he eventually does leave her with a kiss on her forehead and a promise to answer as soon as she calls, which really shouldn’t bring tears to her eyes but she supposes it’s been a long night.

“Hurt her and I kill you.” He stares Derek down as he threatens him and she’s pretty sure Derek gives Stiles a small nod as he leaves.

“Isaac, go to your room.”

“Who are you my dad?” Isaac scoffs and then sprints up the stairs with his tail between his legs and a garbled goodnight to Evelyn as Derek continues to glare at the imaginary lines of smoke he’s left behind.

Then in a flash he’s crossed the kitchen, one hand dropping to the inside of her thigh and she squeaks as he pushes her legs apart to make room for himself between them. His hands then move to settle on her waist, large and scalding hot and she once again it’s brought screaming to her attention that she’s in nothing but her bra and that this is the first time he’s touched the bare skin of her waist and she’s pretty sure she’s about to spontaneously combust about it.

“Derek—” She’s cut off by the palm of his hand gently pressing against her lips and she stops talking immediately as he leans in close, his forehead pressing gently against her own.

“I don’t care how mad you think I’m going to be. This happens again and I’m the first person you call.” He’s so close she can feel his breath brushing against her face and she doesn’t even bother trying to respond with words she just nods shakily, feeling a little loopy with how close he is. “Good. Don’t ever scare me like that again.” He drops his fingers from her lips to her chin and uses them to tip her head up and down in a forced nod.

She can’t help the little whimper that escapes her lips as he lifts her up so she’s straddling his waist and begins to make for the stairs, her thighs reflexively find themselves tightening around his waist and he drops an arm to cup her ass and hold her up. “I’m sorry.” She manages to whisper out now that she’s buried her face in his collarbone and she can’t see him but he doesn’t respond. Instead she finds herself flung back onto her bed and is then covered by a whole alpha wolf, red eyes and all and she quickly reaches up to cup his cheeks.

“You don’t have to apologise, just call me.” He tells Evelyn, from his spot above her before shifting so that he can lie mostly to the side of her but his face still ends up buried against her shoulder.

“You don’t have to stay.” Shifting to pull the covers over them she glances down to find Derek looking up at her with a singular dark brow raised in a way that mocks her without him having to open his mouth.

She mirrors him and the corner of his mouth lifts up into a smirk and the way her hands drop into his hair is involuntary. “I can go if you don’t want me here.” He goes to move and she unconsciously grips his hair tighter to keep him where he is.

“No, no I want you here.” Rushing, the words fall from her lips before she can censor herself and her eyes widen as she takes in what she’s just told him. Derek’s smirk curves into a wolfish grin and so she throws her head back and buries it in her hands to try and keep some of her embarrassment inside. “I want you to stay. But only if you want to stay!” Derek’s weight shifts on top of her as she explains but she resolutely keeps her face buried in the crook of her elbow, flushing all the way down to her toes.

“That’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever said to me.” His lips glance against her collarbone and her toes curl involuntarily as he settles his head back down. She’s out in a record number of seconds, Derek’s arms wrapped protectively around her, letting her lull off in safety.

She knows the second she wakes that the arms around her don’t belong to Derek. They’re a wiry kind of strong instead of bulky and they’ve wrapped her in a grapple like embrace rather than the gentle one that Derek tends to hold her in. A quick glance over her shoulder indeed reveals Isaac’s mop of hair buried against her shoulder and she runs her fingers through it out of habit.

It’s only when her hand comes back damp that she notices something is wrong. The little snuffling noises she assumed were Isaac’s snores begin to resemble sobs. Flipping around in his arms is nothing short of a challenge but she manages it and finds his face scrunched up in very obvious discomfort.

She knows, she does, that it’s a really dumb idea to wake a werewolf from a nightmare. Derek almost killed her once for doing exactly that but she also knows she can’t leave Isaac in whatever hell he’s imagining for himself right now.

Carefully she cups his face, fingers in his damp hair, thumb stroking the thin skin beneath his eyes. He unconsciously leans into the touch and the muffled whimpers lessen as his scrunched up face relaxes into something more settled.

“Isaac?” She calls for him softly and his eyes open at the sound of his name and whatever tension was left in his body seems to dissipate at the sight of the concerned girl in his arms. “Hey, you okay?” He blinks the sleep out of his eyes and she watches him chew on his tongue for a second before rolling over onto his back. He doesn’t take his arms from around Evelyn though so she ends up sprawled across his chest with a grumbled ‘oof’.

~~~~~~~

He doesn’t say anything for a moment, so she just waits listening to the sound of his breath entering and leaving his chest. “The first time my dad hit me I was thirteen.” He says it so calmly that Evelyn doesn’t register what he’s saying for a few seconds and when she does she can’t help the way her body locks up and she feels the exact second that Isaac stops breathing.

She doesn’t say anything but she finds the hand that isn’t around her and tangles their fingers together, squeezing firmly. She doesn’t want to look at him in case she freaks him out so she just keeps her eyes firmly on the wall opposite her bed. “My mom had left the week before and I just wanted to drink a glass of juice and watch some cartoons. I don’t remember dropping the mug but I did and when it hit the tiles it just…exploded. Next thing I know my old man’s crouched next to me on the cold floor, holding my face in his hands and promising me that he didn’t mean it and he’d never do it again. Telling me how sorry he was as he pressed a bag of frozen peas to my cheek.”

He takes a breath then, steadying himself before he continues on and she’s kind of in awe at how his voice holds steady as he speaks. “Every time he hit me after that I asked myself that if I hadn’t gotten juice that morning or maybe if I didn’t use Camden’s mug that maybe he wouldn’t have ever hit me.” She obviously squeezes his hand tighter than she thinks cause he’s quick to keep going. “I know…I know it wasn’t my fault and that he would have done it sooner or later but I never stopped wondering about all of the little things that could have stopped him. What if Camden hadn’t gotten himself blown up in an active warzone or if my mom hadn’t decided that she had to leave because every time she looked at me she saw my brother and every time my dad spoke she heard his voice.” Isaac’s own voice peters off as he finishes his statement and Evelyn has to take a second to school her features before she lifts her head to look at him.

~~~~~~~

His eyes are planted on the ceiling when she eventually finds the courage to actually look up at him and if he notices her head moving he doesn’t say anything. She can’t find the words she needs for a while so she focuses on holding him instead, keeping her hand firmly in his until a response finally slots itself into her mind. “Okay, I know you said that you know it’s not your fault but I need you to tell me again that you know it’s not your fault.” Blue meets hazel and she knows, she just knows that that’s not what he thinks, that he does in fact think the exact opposite.

“Okay, your brother dying and your mom leaving were events that you had absolutely no control over and even if some sort of weird twist of fate meant that you did have any control over it. None and I mean none. Of. It. Would give your dad permission to put his hands on you. I get that he lost half his family in a pretty short period of time and that’s gotta f*ck with your head more than just a little bit but keeping you safe should have been his priority.” He looks like he wants to argue with her reasoning so she decides to bulldoze on with a worry that’s been scratching at the back of her brain since he started speaking.

“Did all of the yelling last night bring on the nightmare? Are there somethings we can keep in mind to help stop it from happening?” She asks and Isaac throws her a wan smile.

“Unless you can crawl into my brain and remove about four years of trauma I think I’m stuck like this. The yelling probably didn’t help, but…” He trails off for a second and his eyes move to the window and she finds herself waiting him out once again. “It was Camden’s anniversary yesterday.”

“Ah,” Evelyn nods in understanding and with that she pats his chest softly, pulls herself from his hold and gets out of the bed.

“Where are you going?” Isaac asks as she grabs some joggers from her dresser and she throws him an incredulous look over her shoulder.

“We.” She tells him firmly, “are going to the shop to get some flowers and then we’re going to the cemetery.” There’s no response from the bed and she turns fully to find Isaac gaping at her, eyes wide and if she looks close enough she thinks that she might be able to make out tears. “Come on. We can grab a coffee on our way.” He smiles at her promise and nods once before hopping out of the bed and heading back to his own room.

“Tell me about him?” She asks as they sit in front of Camden’s grave, the steam from her hot chocolate curling up and keeping the tip of her nose warm in the chill of the early morning.

“He was an asshole.” Isaac tells her, but there’s a fond smile on his lips as he says it. “Gave my parents hell, always missed classes, almost lost his spot on the swim team senior year cause his grades dipped so low.” He chuckles to himself before sipping slowly at his own steaming cup of coffee. “He thought me how to play lacrosse. Dad wanted me to swim as well but Camden thought that I was better built for the pitch so he thought me how to play. We’d spend hours at the weekend tossing a ball back and forth. He’d take me for ice cream afterwards, no matter the weather and when we met his friends he’d never be embarrassed to be seen with his kid brother.” He shifts then and rests his head on Evelyn’s shoulder and she hears the hitch in his voice.

“He broke my heart when he told me he was going to Afghanistan. I begged him not to go but he told me I’d understand why he was going when I got older. He gave me his baseball cards, kissed my forehead when he left and I never saw him again. I never forgave him.” He chucks a rock off into the distance and she leans down to drop a kiss to his hair and throws an arm over his shoulder.

“He sounds like a good big brother.” She tells him honestly and lets out a huff of her own. “I always hated being an only child.” She tells him and he looks up at her with a raised brow.

“Why? You have it made here. Maude and Patrick are great, this is the most that I’ve felt part of a family in years.” The way he says it so earnestly makes something in Evelyn’s chest soar and she can’t help but press a sloppy kiss to his cheek that has him scrabbling to wipe away the mark her lips have left with the sleeve of his jacket.

“That’s sweet and they’ll be over the moon about it but it hasn’t always been this nice.” It’s her turn to look into the distance and she contemplates telling him before deciding that while they’re airing family drama she may as well join the action. “My mother is an incredibly vain creature, always has been and always will be, there’s no changing her.” She wraps an arm around her knee and drops her head to the top of them.

“She and Maude met in their first year of college, they were roommates and Maude tells me it was one of the best years of her life. They partied, they experimented, the usual college antics.” She smiles half-heartedly, now picking at the blades of grass around her feet. “My mom comes from money, heiress level money but Maude’s always worked hard for everything she got in life and she eventually had to settle. My mom didn’t see the point in doing that, so one night she went to a frat party and nine months later I was born.”

The wind shifts then and she shivers as cold air rushes down her back, Isaac catches on quickly and reverses their earlier roles by throwing an arm over her shoulder and moving her closer to his side. “She didn’t see the point of graduating then, she was fully invested in the idea of being a stay at home mom back home in London. So, that’s what she did… For about two months and then she got bored, she missed the parties and the guys but her mom, according to Maude was ‘a wretched old bag’, direct quote by the way.” Evelyn snorts out a laugh and Isaac laughs along with her.

“My grandma kept my mother on the straight and narrow, made sure she was taking care of me. We all moved to LA when I was about one and my grandma died the next year. From then on we bounced around from city to city, mom following the party and handing me off to the first babysitter she could find. It wasn’t until Maude invited her to Beacon Hills that things changed. My mom told her everything and from then on I spent every break with Maude and Patrick here and then when I turned fifteen they asked my mom if I could stay here all the time and she was over the moon.” Evelyn lets out a shaky sigh, collects her thoughts and then continues.

“I see her once or twice a year now, when she’s bored enough to come see me and honestly, if she rang me tomorrow and told me she never wanted to see me again I think I’d be so happy I might explode.” She admits it softly, Isaac doesn’t say anything for a minute and she worries that she’s annoyed him.

“I’m glad your mothers an awful person.” She knows the exact second her jaw hits the floor as Isaac turns to look down at her with an oversized grin on her face. “Hear me out?” He asks her and she can only nod with a quirk of her brow and wait for him to explain himself. “If she wasn’t such a piece of sh*t and decided that abandoning you here was the best idea she could ever have, none of us would have met you. I can’t speak for everyone else but I know for a fact that my life would be so much worse without you in it.” He keeps smiling down at her, as if he hasn’t just pulled out her heart and filled up all of its cracks with super glue to keep it together.

His smile falls away quickly as Evelyn bursts into tears and he scrambles to clutch her closer to him and rushes to apologise but she stops him by flinging her arms over his shoulders and pulling him close. “No, no, I’m not upset I promise, I think you might have just fixed something that I didn’t realise was broken.” She gives him a watery smile as she pulls away, “hey, how’d you feel about getting an ice-cream on the way home?"

Chapter 11: The Breakfast Club This is Not

Chapter Text

The library isn’t exactly the clandestine spot that Evelyn had in mind when Allison told her they were having a sneaky, daylight meeting about their current situation but that’s where they find themselves. Heading for the second to last bookshelf because it’s, ‘the only one where the other side is the only camera blackspot’ – a direct Stiles Stilinski quote. She doesn’t want to know how long he’s spent figuring that little piece of information out.

Allison takes a not-so-subtle glance back at the camera above her before dropping her head and sauntering casually towards the shelf. Once there, Evelyn waves through the hole at Stiles who waves back, flashing her the same giddy smile that’s on her own face before Allison slides Scott the tablet Lydia had used to transcribe the paragraph. “It's everything Lydia can translate... And trust me, she was very confused.”

They spin then, backs facing away from the shelves as Scott thumbs over the paragraph, while Stiles watches over his shoulder. “Yeah, what'd you tell her?”

“That we were part of an online gaming community that battles mythical creatures.” She smirks at the stupidity of the thought and Evelyn smirks at the way Stiles’ face falls.

“I am part of an online gaming community that battles mythical creatures...”

“O-oh. Great.” Allison awkwardly stumbles over her words, Evelyn does not.

“Nerd.” She lets it out alongside a soft cough and Stiles reaches through the hole in the shelf to smack her on the arm.

“Okay, does it say how to find out who's controlling him?” Scott interrupts the pair as Stiles continues to glare at Evelyn's grinning face.

“No, it’s not very clear on that part but one good thing that we figured out is that you were right about the murders.” She nods to Stiles and watches as his whole face lights up.

“Yes!” He punches the air and Evelyn clicks her tongue at him as he calms himself down.

“It calls the Kanima a ‘weapon of vengeance.’ There's a story in there about this South American priest who uses the Kanima to execute murderers in his village—” Allison starts to explain but before she can get to the oh so important point, Stiles decides to interrupt.

“All right, see? So, maybe it's not all that bad...”

Evelyn takes her chance to cut him off as he pauses. “Yeah it wasn’t so bad, you know until the bind between the priest and the Kanima grew so strong that it just started killing whoever came across it.” She stares pointedly at him and his faces falls back into panic.

“All bad. All very, very bad.”

“Indeed, now here’s where the plot thickens. The Kanima was never supposed to be a Kanima, the person should have changed into a wolf like they would normally do but they can’t because—”

"Until it resolves that in its past which manifested it." Scott interjects and she’s almost impressed until she realises he’s reading it from the page.

Stiles scoffs a little at this and turns back to look at Evelyn through the hole. “Okay, if that means that Jackson could use a few thousand hours of therapy, I could've told you that myself.”

“What if... it has something to do with his parents? His real parents?”

“Yeah, does anybody actually know what happened to them?” Scott asks and Evelyn shrugs, turning her head slightly to make sure that no one’s eavesdropping.

“Lydia might.” Stiles puts her name out and it makes sense, Evelyn’s almost positive that if Jackson had told anyone about his adoption it would have been Lydia.

“What if she doesn't know anything?” Scott asks and Allison puts back the book she’s been pretending to leaf through all this time before sending them a pointed look.

“Well, he doesn't have a restraining order against me, so I'll talk to him myself.”

“Okay, what do I do?” Scott asks, looking a little lost and Evelyn has to bite down a smile as Allison looks over at him kindly.

“You have a make-up exam, remember?” She asks the question how Evelyn would expect her to ask a six-year-old and Evelyn can’t keep her laughter in. Scott turns a sharp look on her before turning back to Stiles who just so happens to be nodding in agreement with Allison and Evelyn.

“Promise me.” Allison sticks her hand through the gap and curls it around Scott’s and it’s such an intimate thing that Evelyn feels like she has to look away.

“If he does anything, you run the other way.” Scott finally and begrudgingly agrees with a sigh of frustration and Evelyn’s more than a little proud of Allison's use of her puppy dog eyes.

“I can take care of myself.”

“Allison, if you get hurt while I'm busy with some stupid test, someone's going to need to take care of me.” Evelyn really agrees with him on that, he’d be completely useless without Allison. “If he does anything—"

“I’ll go with her.” Evelyn throws her cap in and that seems to relax Scott a little. “Besides what are you expecting him to do?”

“Anything weird, or bizarre-- anything.”

“Anything evil!” Stiles interjects, somehow sticking the entirety of his head through the gap and Evelyn reaches forward to shove him back to his own side none to gently.“Ah! Ow! Not cool.” He scrambles to get a hold back on the books he’s holding before he drops them and once he does he’s throwing her an angry glare.

This is how Evelyn finds herself on lookout later that day as Allison sneaks into the boys lockers in an attempt to corner Jackson to get some answers out of him. A job she’s obviously really bad at when she’s startled by a hand on her shoulder. “Jesus Christ Matt, you scared the crap out of me.” She clasps her hand across her heart when she turns to find whose managed to sneak up on her and he takes a step back with both hands up.

“Yeah, I noticed.” He smirks and then looks around the hallway before turning back to her with both eyebrows raised. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, I…Am…” She frantically looks around before turning back to face him. “Waiting for Jackson, he borrowed my history homework yesterday to copy it.”

“Oh, okay. Hey did you by any chance hear about the underground show? Apparently, they’ve got some big name spinning.” He says it with a hand on the back of his head and even though she barely understood what half the words in the sentence he just said meant she gets the jist of what he’s trying to tell her.

“Oh, you mean the rave. Yeah I think I heard Stiles mention it earlier.”

“Is it still a rave if you don’t roll? I just call it a party.” He says and Evelyn snorts out a laugh at the idea of Matt doing anything in the realm of illegal. “But hey, I got a friend who can hook us up with tickets if you’re down. Want me to get you one?” He asks and it hits Evelyn then in that second that Matt Daehler. A boy, quite a cute boy is in fact asking her out on a date and she has no idea how the f*ck she’s meant to respond.

A date, a date with an actual boy, who is currently expressing his interest in her openly instead of growling at her and setting her heart on fire with every single touch and still leaving her with no idea about what any of it means.

“Sorry Matt, I’ve actually got a family dinner that night that I can’t skip.” The words are out of her mouth before she can stop them and she watches in real time as Matt’s face falls.

“Oh, yeah course. I completely get that it’s short notice. Hey, maybe I’ll ask you to the next one earlier.” He sends her a pinched smile before turning on his heel and walking away leaving Evelyn with a horrible churning sensation in her stomach.

She doesn’t have time to regret her decision because as soon as Matt rounds the corner the tell-tale sounds of scuffling and raised voices start coming from the locker room. So, she opens the door to check on Allison only to find her being pressed against the far wall by a very naked Jackson who's looming over her, taunting her with extended Kanima claws.

She’s quickly brought out of her regret by the sounds of scuffling and raised voices from the locker room and as she opens the door to check on Allison she finds her being pressed against the far wall with a very naked Jackson looming over her, taunting her with extended Kanima claws.

Evelyn doesn’t think she just grabs a loose lacrosse stick and thwacks him across the back of the neck, which does a really good job of distracting him but also turns his ire to her instead. She holds the lacrosse stick up like a shield and glares down the fuming shapeshifting teen in front of her. Then she makes the error of looking him up and down to see if any other lizard bits have appeared only to find that he is completely butt ass naked. “Jesus Christ Whittmore, put some f*cking clothes on.” She flings her elbow over her eyes and only realises her error when she finds herself under the very naked Jackson with no air left in her chest.

On the upside, the fall seems to have knocked Jackson back into himself and she watches as his eyes widen in horror as he takes in the position he’s put them in. “Evy? What are you doing in here?”

“Trying to knock some sense into you, you f*cking moron.” She wheezes and he rolls off of her to the side and almost curls up into the foetal position. She rolls to follow but before she can ask him if he’s alright, Scott bursts through the door like some sort of tardy knight in shining armour. He immediately looks around the room and once his eyes meet Allison's she’s quick to reassure him that she’s fine and that nothing happened.

The sentiment is mostly ruined by the way Jackson quickly stands and fumbles his way back into his shorts. Scott lunges and shoves Jackson into the lockers, taking both him and the lockers themselves out in the process. “I have a restraining order!” Jackson roars up at Scott who’s visibly trembling as he looks down his nose at the half naked boy in front of him.

“Trust me, I restrained myself.” Scott snarls before he’s knocked back against the cubby by the now furious Jackson. They disappear into the shower stalls and Evelyn decides that this is the right time to grab Allison and head for the door.

“We have to stop them.” Allison tries to argue and pulls against Evelyn's hold but she just shakes her head and keeps manhandling her until they’re in the corridor.

“We’re not stopping sh*t. Those are two apex predators beating the crap out of each other in there and I’m too attached to my head to risk it by trying to break them apart.” She slumps back against the cold cement brick of the wall, letting herself slide down until her ass hits the floor. The damp floor, she looks down to find the ground covered in water and then Stiles and Erica are in front of her but before they can ask what the hell is happening the fight that had been occurring behind closed doors spills out into the hallway and Evelyn has just enough time to pull her feet back before Scott lands on them.

Erica grabs Jackson and puts him in a chokehold as she and Stiles do the same for Scott, holding them back before they tear each other apart. “Scott! Scott! Scott! Guys!” Stiles growls at the pair and then the situation gets so much worse as Evelyn spots Mr. Harris coming their way.

“What the hell's going on?” He snaps. “Hey! Enough! Enough!” He stands between the two groups and stares them both down. “What do you idiots think you're doing?” He’s obviously waiting for an explanation but Jackson uses the distraction to try and lunge for Scott again even though he’s being thoroughly restrained by Erica. “Jackson! Calm down!” He puts a hand on Jackson's shoulder before turning his glare on Scott. “Mr. McCall, you wanna explain yourself?”

She doesn’t hear Matt come up beside her, too interested in what Harris is saying to notice anything else. He taps her on the shoulder and when she turns to him he hands over the tablet, which is thankfully blank and not open on Lydia's writing about the Kanima. “You dropped this.” She thanks him quietly before it’s yanked out of her hands by an irate Mr Harris.

“You, and you-- actually, all of you-- detention. Three o'clock.” She’s horrified when for some unknown reason Harris decides to point to everyone in the hallway and just start handing out detention willy nilly.

Matt goes to follow after Harris trying to plead his case and Jackson stalks off in the other direction grumbling under his breath as he does. She tries to call out his name and get him to stop and talk to her but he just shrugs her off and keeps going.

“What the hell just happened?” Stiles blurts and before Evelyn has a chance to explain there’s a very cross looking alpha wolf shoving her up against the far wall.

“Derek—” Stiles warns as Scott snarls low in his throat but he cuts both of them off with a snarl that flashes pretty much all of his just barely elongated teeth. Once he’s happy that they’ve backed up enough he turns his attention back to Evelyn who’s patiently waiting for an explanation as to why he’s decided to cage her up against the wall.

“What happened?”

His eyes are sparking crimson and she takes a quick look at hallway to make sure that no one else is able to see the show he’s putting on. “Scott and Jackson got into a fight.”

“You’re okay though? Your heart rate went crazy, it was bugging me from down the hallway.” He grumbles but something settles in him and the cloudy red dissipates to bright forest green.

“Yup, it was probably the thought of an all-out supernatural brawl happening in the middle of our high school that had me a little wigged out.” She pats his chest and she can see the muscle in his jaw working overtime as he pulls away from her just enough to check that she isn’t missing any digits or heavens forbid limbs . “I’m in one piece, put your claws away.”

His jaw twitches but in the end he does step away from her and she thanks him with a sharp elbow to the side. “What was that for?” He yelps, rubbing over the spot she’s jabbed him in with a pout that has her eyes unwittingly dropping to his lips.

“For shoving me up against a wall, again!” She snarks even as her eyes shift to the wall on the far side of the hall, “it annoys the crap out of me.”

That has the grimace on Derek’s face curling into something darker, “lie.” He chuckles softly and she squawks indignantly at him, turning on her heel and stomping off down the hallway leaving the others behind in various states of confusion at her quick departure.

So the group finds themselves ambling into the library, heads down as Mr Harris looms over them on the far side of the room. Evelyn takes the seat in front of Stiles and Scott and then to her complete horror Erica drops into the one next to her but before she can argue or even get up to sit next to Jackson, he chooses to speak up. “Oh, uh, we can't be in detention together. I have a restraining order against these tools.” He waves half-heartedly at their table.

“All of these tools?”

“No, just us tools...” Stiles admits, obviously weary over the whole situation.

Harris lets out his own sigh at the situation and Evelyn has to wonder how a man with such an obvious distaste for teenagers ended up teaching high school chemistry. “Fine. You two, over there.” He compounds her questioning by sneering down his nose at the boys and directing them to the far table. It’s only then she’s hit with the horrible realisation that she’s now alone at the table with Erica and she’s really not in the mood to listen to whatever nonsense she has to say.

“Whatever Jackson did to Allison really has Scott riled up.” Evelyn glances up and instead of finding her smirking down at her, Erica’s smirk is directed over at the pair and Evelyn scoffs out a chuckle.

“Pretty sure someone could pull Allison's pigtails and he’d still come running like a dumb knight in shining armour.” Evelyn scoffs to herself and she’s surprised when Erica lets out a chuckle of her own. Before long though she’s turned her glinting, assessing eyes back to Evelyn with a nasty grimace curling up her lips.

“Oh, but I bet you wish someone would do that for you.” She sneers and Evelyn pauses for a moment before something hits her. She already has that someone. A grumpy knight who appears from the woods and carries her home so her feet won’t get sore and comes looking for her when her heartbeat goes mental in the middle of the school day. Unbeknownst to Evelyn her lips have curled up into a stupid smile and it’s only when Erica’s eyes narrow down at her that she cops onto it.

“It would be nice I suppose.” She answers simply and that only angers Erica more, “What about you?” Evelyn asks her then, “anyone got their eye on you or you know vice versa.” The smile slips off her face then and Evelyn catches the way her eyes slip to where Stiles is sat before quickly shifting them back to Evelyn's face. “You could do worse.” Evelyn smirks down into her notebook and it only widens when Erica lets out a soft growl.

“I have to go to the bathroom.” Jackson's voice breaks Erica’s concentration and the growl falters as they both look over to find him clutching his head like he’s physically trying to hold back a migraine.

Harris stands as Jackson races for the door, questioning him as he goes, “are you all right? Hey, you don't look so good...”

“I just need to get some water.” Jackson doesn’t even look back, just strides on out the door and Harris goes to follow before tuning on his heel, sternly looking over the rest of them.

“No one leaves their seats.” He tells them before racing off after Jackson. He hasn’t been gone for more than ten seconds before Scott and Stiles are dropping into the seats in front of them.

“Stiles says you know how Jackson’s parents died.” Scott cuts to the chase, leaning in close, waiting with almost bated breath for Erica’s answer.

“Maybe.”

“Talk.” Scott adopts her short tone and it takes a second but eventually she lifts her head from her homework, leans back in her chair and faces Scott head on.

“It was a car accident. My dad was the insurance investigator and every time he sees Jackson drive by in his Porsche, he makes some comment about the huge settlement he’ll be getting when he’s eighteen.” Erica tells them and from across the table Stiles lets out a disgruntled grumble.

“So not only is Jackson rich now, but he’s getting even richer at eighteen?”

“Yeah and all it took was the death of both his parents, just a small sacrifices for some of life’s little perks.” Evelyn leans back in her chair and Stiles drops his head onto the table and lets out a very dramatic, mournful groan at her monotone.

“There’s still something so deeply wrong with that.”

“You know what?” Erica starts, opening her laptop, “I could try to find the insurance report on my dad’s inbox. He keeps everything.” She’s still going through her father’s emails when Scott’s name gets called out over the intercom. They all turn to look at him but he looks just as confused as they are as he stands, throwing Allison a look before heading out the door.

It doesn’t take Erica long to find the paperwork and Stiles drags his chair next to Evelyn to peer over Evelyn's shoulder. “Whoa, look at the dates.” Stiles exclaims just as Mr Harris and Jackson get back to the library.

"’Passengers arrived at the hospital DOA. The estimated time of death, 9:26PM, June fourteenth, 1995.’” Erica quietly reads aloud from the document, keeping her eyes on Jackson as she does.

“What does that mean?” Evelyn asks and Stiles slumps back into his chair.

“Jackson's birthday is June fifteenth...” Evelyn is still confused but the sound of Mr Harris packing away his things has them all starting to ready their own bits to leave.

“Oh, no, I'm sorry. Uh, yes, I'm leaving, but none of you are. You may go when you're done with the re-shelving.” Evelyn balks at the sheer quantity of books on the trolleys and continues to wonder how this man passed any sort of aptitude test to become a teacher. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.” He pats the trolleys smugly and leaves while they all slump back into their seats with a collective groan.

Scott comes back then and the four of them, Scott, Evelyn, Stiles and Allison start ‘stocking’ the shelves. “It means he was born after his mom died by c-section. They had to pull him out of her dead body.”

“So, was it an accident, or not?”

“The report just said ‘inconclusive’ over and over again.” Evelyn’s the one to answer Allison's question as they huddle even closer together between the shelves.

“Then his parents could have been murdered?” She asks and both she and Stiles nod.

“If they were, then it falls in line with the Kanima myth, you know? It seeks out and kills murderers.” He explains and they all nod along.

“The question is though, is it for Jackson or for the person controlling him?” Evelyn puts the question out there and that they all look more than a little uncomfortable at the thought.

“We have to talk to him. We have to tell him.” Scott goes to round the cart to find Jackson and before Evelyn can stop him Allison's got a hand on his.

“He's not gonna li—”

Then it’s as if the universe itself decides against their plans as without warning a black shape darts across the tops of the bookshelves, shattering and sparking fluorescent bulbs as it goes. Scott calls out for Erica as part of the ceiling collapses and just misses Evelyn and Allison when stiles pulls them to the floor along with him. Through the floating bits of plaster and dust Evelyn watches the shape head back to the far bookshelf and then hears the unmistakable sound of a body hitting the floor.

Then Scott’s flung across the room and when he manages to shake himself back to rights he hops in front of Allison with his arm out to keep her safe while Stiles does the same to Evelyn. They watch then as a half shifted Jackson, in some sort of trance like state raises a hand and without looking begins to scrawl away on a blackboard.

‘Stay out of my way or I’ll kill all of you.’ The words are written in capital letters and with a hiss Jackson's vaulted himself out of the window. Once they’re sure that he’s gone, they’re on their feet and Stiles goes straight for Erica, who’s convulsing on the floor. “Whoa, hey, hey, hey, hey! I think she's having a seizure.” He picks her up and Evelyn drops to her hunkers beside him.

“Put her down, on her side.” She barks and Scott lands on his knees next to her while Allison heads to Matt's prone figure.

“He's alive.” She barks and Evelyn feels something settling in her chest.

“Hey, we need to get her to a hospital.” Stiles calls out and Evelyn nods but Erica begins to furiously shake her head.

“Derek... only to Derek...” She just about manages to get the words out.

“When we get her to the hospital—” Erica cuts Scott off again with a plea to be brought to Derek's.

“Go.” Allison tells Scott, who doesn’t look too impressed with the idea.

“Hey, Scott !” Stiles yells as he jumps up to get to Allison's side and it leaves Stiles and Evelyn staring furtively at each other while Erica continues to jerk in Stiles loose grip. She can hear them muttering about something and it’s times like this when she wishes she had werewolf hearing.

“Stiles and Scott are gonna get you to Derek.” She ducks and gently squeezes Erica’s shoulder before hopping up and yanking Scott up by his shoulders. “You. Go help him get Erica to Dereks, as soon as possible. I’ll go with Allison to the hospital.” He opens his mouth to argue but she just keeps shoving him, all the while ignoring his protests.

“Just get Erica to Derek. We’ll be fine.” Allison backs her up and he begrudgingly lifts Erica up and follows Stiles out of the room. “Okay, I’ll call 911.” Allison pulls out her phone and dials for the ambulance.

It takes two hours of waiting in the emergency room and doom scrolling through articles about 'Wicca practitioners your area' for Melissa to take pity on Evelyn and plonk herself into the chair beside her, handing her a strong cup of coffee as she sits. “So, who’s the boy?”

“A friend.” She answers succinctly, taking a scalding gulp from the cup and trying to ignore the knowing look that Melissa’s throwing her.

“Uh-huh, the last time Stiles ended up in here you brought him a card that said build a bridge and get over it, so this seems like maybe more than a friend.” She smirks and Evelyn shrugs, slouching down further into the very uncomfortable plastic chair she’s squished herself into.

“Stiles fell off a swing, he needed a Band-Aid not a trip to the hospital.”

“Well, your ‘friend’ hit his head really bad when the ceiling fell and he’ll probably be in here for the night but because you aren’t family they won’t let you in to see him.” Melissa tells her and Evelyn groans but nods in understanding and goes to stand.

“And you’re positive they won’t let me in.” She asks as they reach the door, bottom lip sticking out in a pout but Melissa just looks at her with a brow raised.

“No I can’t let you in to see your boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.” Evelyn squawks at Melissa who throws her a withering look before checking her watch.

“Mhmmm, I am a little surprised though cause from the way Scott talks, I thought you and Derek Hale had something going on.” She doesn’t take her eyes from the watch but Evelyn sees the smug smile creeping over her lips.

Evelyn squawks again and this time she reaches over to gently shove Melissa, “oh my god. Don’t you have wounds to go irrigate or something.”

“You won’t believe this but teasing you about your love life- way more fun than anything I could be doing back in there.” She throws a thumb over her shoulder and Evelyn leaves her with a grumble and a quick kiss on the cheek.

Chapter 12: The Wolf, The Witch and The Weirdo

Chapter Text

It’s almost six by the time Evelyn walks into town and it does take her a bit of searching but eventually she comes across the shop front she’d been Googling while she loitered in the hospital waiting room.

It’s tucked in beside the café she and Maude always get their obligatory post shopping hot chocolates in. Which Evelyn finds more than a little odd because she’s almost sure she’s never seen this place before in all the times she’s walked by here and the reason she finds this odd is the navy shop front with its canary yellow window panes is pretty hard to miss now that she’s looking directly at it.

The windows themselves are large, much larger than any of the other shops around but they have to be frosted because she can’t see anything beyond the panes themselves. As she approaches the door the air feels almost thick with something that Evelyn can’t quiet put her finger on but unlike what she felt in the museum this feeling comforts something in her. Taking her first step into the doorway she splutters and glances up, looking for the mass of cobwebs she’s just walked through only to find no sign of any spiders or the remnants of any webs.

Inside, it looks like any other quirky health food shop, jars of homeopathic remedies line the shelves priced with chalk on little blackboards. The whole back of the store is taken up by shelves upon shelves of books on what look to be wiccan spells and new age medicinal practices that are stacked so high they almost reach the ceiling. The smell of eucalyptus and incense in the small space is almost overwhelming, so much so that it burns her nose.

She wanders through the aisles , marvelling at all the weirdly shaped crystals and brightly coloured glassware until her eyes get caught on something. It’s hidden behind a glass jar, that’s far heavier than it looks but she manages to carefully move it to one side. It’s dark grey, hard and she wonders why it pulled her more than anything else in the colourful store. Picking it up to take a closer look at it, it dawns on her that the piece of stone in her hand is actually a fossilised tooth of some description.

“It’s a direwolf fang, very rare and very sharp.” Evelyn’s startled by the voice that seemingly appears from out of the ether behind her, that is until she turns and finds who she assumes to be the shopkeeper standing in front of a door that she assumes leads to the stores’ stockrooms.

As she takes in the image of the woman in front of her, the first thought that crosses Evelyn’s mind is that she bears a striking resemblance to a crow. Her long ebony hair is pulled back from her face into a messy bun and the strands that have slipped out of their hold are stark against the paleness of her skin. Her nose is sharp and roman and sits just a little crookedly between small, beady eyes that are so blue, they’re almost black. Her posture is regally straight as she watches Evelyn closely from across the room but there’s something inviting about the woman that she just can’t put her finger on. “But something tells me you aren’t just here to browse through my stock, you’re looking for something specific aren’t you?”

“Actually, I am.” Evelyn puts the tooth back down almost reverently before turning to give the woman her full attention. “I was wondering what you could tell me about scrying mirrors?”

The lady looks her up and down, eyes narrowing ever so slightly before they widen so much that almost all of the whites are visible. “It found you didn’t it?” She steps in closer to Evelyn, panic in her tone and Evelyn can’t help the way her fight or flight response kicks in. Before she even has the chance to make a break for it the lady has her surprisingly strong bony fingers wrapped around Evelyn’s wrist. “Tell me what happened. You need to tell me exactly what happened.” Her tone is surprisingly soft, almost pleading. So much so, that Evelyn feels herself involuntarily relaxing and as she does so to does the woman’s grip as she begins to lead her towards the backroom.

What Evelyn had first assumed was a stockroom actually turns out to be a little living room that looks like it should be too small for even just the pair of them but instead there’s something safe and comfortable about the tiny room. The lady shows her to a well-worn looking armchair that seems to mold to her form, almost enveloping her in a comforting hug as she sits in it. A bright yellow cup of something that smells like chamomile tea is placed under her nose and she takes it graciously. Raising the cup to her lips she takes a hearty sip and there’s a hint of something else floral in the tea that has her heartbeat softening immediately.

Then the lady drops into the armchair opposite Evelyn, her own blue cup in hand watching her with expectant eyes, waiting for the story. “We went to the history museum a few weeks ago on a field trip.” The words start to leave her lips without warning and once they’ve started she can’t stop them from pouring out. “I ended up getting separated from the others and I felt this… Feeling. I couldn’t tell you what that feeling was, even now but I do know it was all encompassing. Like… Like there wasn’t anything else in the world to feel but it.”

“Where did the feeling take you?” She asks quietly, still watching Evelyn like a hawk.

“There was this ornate door, that I’m almost positive wasn’t there the last time I visited the museum even though…” She stops and thinks back to the way the doorway had loomed over her. “It felt old, maybe as old as the house itself or older even. When I found myself inside, there was this, this hand mirror—” At the mere mention of the mirror the woman’s face pinches up into a disgusted expression and she sits back in her chair with a forlorn sigh.

“Did you touch the mirror?” Evelyn has to think about that for a second and it’s apparently a second too long for the woman’s liking.

“DID YOU TOUCH THE MIRROR?” She screeches and Evelyn almost drops her cup at the shock of her voice reverberating around the room and she swears she hears the decorative plates on the wall rattle.

“No, no I didn’t it was in a glass case.”

“Good, at least the mirror is yet to taste you.” And if that sentence doesn’t send shivers down her spine.

“What would have happened if I had touched it?” She asks and the air in the room grows heavier and colder as the look on the ladies face turns harried and dark.

“We wouldn’t be having this conversation.” She tells Evelyn plainly and there’s no reason to assume she’s lying.

“There’s more, do you have any idea why I’ve been waking up in the middle of the preserve?” That piques the woman’s interest and she sits forward in the chair, putting her mug down on the coffee table to intertwine her fingers as she contemplates the question for a second.

“It has seen you dearest and it likes what it sees.” She tells Evelyn softly, “it calls you back and until it is shattered that is a call you won’t be able to resist.”

“What is it? The mirror?” She clarifies and the woman sighs, puts her cup back on its saucer, then back on the table with a clink that rings in Evelyn’s ear.

“It is a relic from a time long gone. A relic that has the ability to swallow all in its path…” Her voice slowly trails off at the end of her sentence and she just stares off into space.

Evelyn steels herself then to ask her next question, knowing she’s about to delve into much more personal territory. “Did you know Agnes Dupont?” The shopkeeper breaks from her trance at the sound of the name and a small fond smile creeps across her face fleetingly before being replaced with a look so haunted that Evelyn feels her skin begin to pimple.

“You didn’t need to ask me what would have happened had you touched the mirror, you already know.” She looks at Evelyn wryly and even though it’s what she expected it’s not what she wants to hear.

“Well sh*t.” She says it mostly to herself but it doesn’t stop the woman nodding in agreement while she sinks back down into the armchair, which seems to let out a dusty sigh of agreement.

“Agnes was my best friend, we did everything together including joining a coven.” She lets out an almost girlish giggle at the disbelief plainly written on Evelyn’s face. “It was the sixties.” She says, as if that’s explanation enough and Evelyn supposes it is. “I suppose I should start with the fact that when we joined, we didn’t know it was a coven. We thought we’d joined a commune to be able to get closer to nature. We were sixteen and idealistic fools.” She says it with a smile on her face like she’s remembering something wonderful.

“We worked the land together as one big community, celebrating pagan festivals, drinking, smoking. We were young and dumb and it. Was. Magical. It wasn’t until I got sick a few months into our stay that I realised there were people among us who practiced white magic and they were good at it too. I had never felt so alive. So I decided to join them in practicing, Agnes wouldn’t let me do it alone so she came with me.” She looks off at the far wall again, her face falling into something so deeply sad that Evelyn’s own eyes begin to well up.

“I practiced so hard and constantly to build up my abilities. But Agnes.” She smiles fondly, rolling her mirth filled eyes back to Evelyn. “Agnes never had to practice, she took to magic like a duck to water. She’d try a spell for the first time and it would work without issue. Whereas the first time I tried a healing spell on a tiny cut on our pet cat Smokey’s nose I turned him green.” The woman laughs to herself and Evelyn lets out her own chuckle at the picture she paints of a very green, very disgruntled house cat.

“Agnes’ talent didn’t go unnoticed for long though and soon enough she’d caught the attention of one of the leaders of the coven. He was a handsome man, I suppose, if you were into that tall, waif like look.”

“Can’t relate.” Evelyn mutters to herself and at that the shopkeeper looks up and meets Evelyn’s eyes with a sharp laugh of her own.

“No. No I suppose you wouldn’t. You seem to have a thing for the tall, dark and Lycan type don’t you.” She smiles knowingly at Evelyn who flushes bright red and goes to take another gulp of her tea to cover her embarrassment only to find the cup empty. The shopkeeper is up then and bringing back the entire teapot to the table, as well as a plate of what looks like coffee cake and Evelyn gratefully takes a slice before settling back down into her chair.

“His name was Warren, don’t ask me what his last name was, I don’t care to remember. He took her under his wing and I began to see less and less of her as the weeks went by. I knew what the others said about Warren and his apparent affinity for black magic but I just assumed that Agnes wouldn’t let herself get caught up in that. At least that’s what I thought.” Her face grows stormy again, her bony fingers grip her cup so tightly that Evelyn thinks the thin ceramic might just crack under her grasp.

“She came to me one night, excited like a child the night before Christmas. She told me about the ritual they were planning, about the mirror and how it would make them even more powerful, about how she would be able to help so many more with her powers once she’d gotten to hold it. I couldn’t sway her, she just wouldn’t listen to me and I knew then that I had to go. I had lost her to that place and I refused to lose myself to it as well. So I packed my things and left, never once looking back...” She stops to take a shaky breath before she continues.

“That was the last time I saw her.” There are tears falling from her eyes now and Evelyn scrambles for her own bag to grab some tissues and quickly hands them over to her. The shopkeeper takes them with a grateful smile and a softly muttered, “thank you dear.”

“It was the same mirror then?” Evelyn asks and the woman nods, taking a deep breath before continuing, “I had no idea what had happened until I read the paper a week later, about the body they discovered in the preserve and I knew it was her. I just assumed that the ritual had gone wrong so I mourned for my friend and tried my best to move on.” Evelyn thinks back to the crime scene photos she’d managed to find in the archives and thanks whatever’s listening that the woman never had to see Agnes like that.

“The cops put it down to a satanic ritual but could never find the culprits. I left soon after that, I couldn’t stand to be here without her so I moved to Los Angeles, set up a shop and met my wife. We lived there happily for twenty years, until my mother got sick and we decided to pick up everything and move back here.” Her eyes are so stormy now Evelyn can’t tell pupil from iris and she feels the air in the room begin to crackle with a violent sort of energy.

“I saw him a week after we settled into our new house. Warren.” The name spills from her lips like venom and the cup begins to spin in its saucer, completely untouched.

“He hadn’t changed, hadn’t aged and it was then I knew what had happened to my Agnes. My wife is more sensitive than I am when it comes to these things and she could tell with just a glance that the aura surrounding him, fuelling his magic, was not his own. He had chosen Agnes for her strength and ripped it from her to use it for himself.”

“So the mirror was what, some sort of siphon?” Evelyn asks and she nods, taking another small sip of tea and clearing her throat.

“A siphon, a drain, a conduit whatever you wish to call it. He used it to pull her power and now it’s decided it wants yours.” She tells her simply and Evelyn just can’t seem to wrap her head around it.

“Agnes had power though, she had something worth taking. What does it want from me?” The woman gives her a small smile and opens her mouth to respond before something beyond the door, back in the shop catches her attention and she turns back to Evelyn with a bright smile.

“You’ll have to figure that out for yourself my dear. For now, there is a very stressed out young man on the other side of that door so I think we’ll have to end our chat here.” She stands and Evelyn quickly follows suit when she looks at her phone and realises she’s been here for over an hour. She’s also more than a little curious to find out which one of her idiots has decided to follow her here. Before she can get to the door though, the shopkeeper stops her with a gentle hand on her shoulder, “thank you for listening to my story. I haven’t been able to tell anyone about this but my wife for thirty years, you’ve given an old woman a little more peace.” She reaches up to softly cup Evelyn’s cheek with her bony fingers. “If you need anything else please come back, my door will always be open for you, Evelyn O’Hara.”

She doesn’t know how the shopkeeper knows her name but it doesn’t bother her in the slightest that she does. “Thank you for this…” Evelyn realises with a start that while the shopkeeper knows her name, she has no idea who she’s been speaking to for the last hour. “I’m sorry, I never got your name.”

“Verity, you can call me Verity.” She beams down at her, squeezes her shoulder and opens the door. As soon as she does, Isaac’s blond head appears from around the corner of one of the taller shelves in the back, relief splattered across his face when he spots Evelyn.

“Hey.” He gives her a little wave and she gives him a big smile of her own as she reluctantly leaves Verity’s side to meet him. “You okay, your scent completely disappeared outside, I thought you’d vanished on us again.” He rushes to get the words out and she squeezes his arm and pulls him close to her side in an effort to reassure him.

“I’m fine, take a deep breath and stop panicking.”

“Evelyn.” Verity calls for her and she turns back around to find her watching them closely, with something fond in her eyes. Once Evelyn’s back within arm’s reach she reaches out and pulls her into a firm hug, holding her so close that Evelyn thinks Verity might crush her ribs. “Hold them close. Hold their bonds tight. Don’t leave them alone.” She says it so firmly that all Evelyn can do is promise her quietly that she will and it’s only then that Verity pulls back a little. A little but not completely, she keeps herself close to Evelyn as she presses something sharp and familiar into her hands and with a knowing look finally lets her go.

The second she and Isaac pass back out through the door Evelyn lets out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding and speeds towards the alley that runs along the side of the shop. Once she’s off the street she drops to the ground, head back against the cold damp stone of the wall as Isaac scrambles to reach her side.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” He’s panicking and she tries to comfort him but she can’t get the words out past the lump that’s formed in her throat and she starts as she feels tears beginning to trail down her cheeks. “Evelyn? Talk to me!” Isaac nuzzles in closer with a whine and she reaches out to grab his hand and hold it close.

“I’m okay. I’m fine. I promise, I just need a second.” She manages to get the garbled words out somehow and Isaac has the nerve to scoff in reply.

“You have about five of them.” She looks up to question him but finds his gaze firmly on the mouth of the alley where she can now hear a low growl echoing between the stone walls.

“sh*t. Isaac, why did you call him?”

“Obviously I called him, Evy I completely lost your scent I thought someone had taken you.” Isaac tells her finishing on a hiss and she lets her head thump back against the wall just as a pair of shoes brush up against the toes of her own boots.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re crying.” He spits and she opens one eye to find him looming over her, eyes sparking crimson in the dim light of the alley. Knowing that arguing with him right now is going to take a lot more energy than she has, she chooses to hold her hand out instead which he takes the second she offers it and yanks her upright. Then throwing caution to the wind she flings her arms around his shoulders and buries her face in his chest.

“I’m fine.” She softly repeats herself and has to admit that it’s probably the feeling of his arms around her and the way his lips press against her forehead that makes her actually believe it when she says it this time.

“Yes, you’re the poster girl for fine right now.” Derek snarks into her shoulder and she just thumps him in the side with her free hand in place of an actual response. “Come on, Scott and Stiles are waiting for us back at mine, they wanna talk.” He explains before she can even ask why.

“How’s Erica?” Evelyn asks as they pile into the Camaro and Derek throws her a look that has Evelyn straightening up in the passenger seat. “What, she was hurt. Do you not want me to show interest in how your betas are doing now?”

“You always show interest in how I’m doing?” Isaac shoves his head between the front seats and Evelyn reaches through the gap to shove it back to where he should be.

“That’s because you live in my house and I have to eat breakfast with you every morning, what else would we talk about?” She smirks as he lets out an aghast inhale that has the unintentional added bonus of making Derek look like he wants to make them both get out of the car and walk back to his apartment.

Chapter 13: Evelyn Watch

Chapter Text

Derek’s apartment is much brighter and airier than Evelyn had expected it to be but then again she had half expected to be met with something similar to Dracula’s lair before he opened the door for them. She’s more than delighted to be wrong though and she takes off towards the far window, eager to catch her breath after a very tense car ride. The window itself is massive and covered by navy curtains that were probably very expensive, if the weight of them is anything to go by. Below it there’s a window seat covered in plush cushions and some fluffy throws that Evelyn really can’t picture Derek shopping for but that won’t stop her from trying and giggling at the results she gets.

Glancing around the rest of the room she spots Erica, now curled up with Boyd on the two seater and she doesn’t look like she’s about to pass out any second now which Evelyn takes as a good sign.

Scott and Stiles are both standing awkwardly in the corner but Stiles perks up a little when he makes eye contact with Evelyn and shoots her a look that asks if she has any idea why they’re all here. She just shrugs and heads for the armchair but Isaac cuts her off with a dangerous smirk and sticks out his tongue as he throws himself back into it before she can get there.

Clenching her jaw, she turns to head back to the window seat only to find that Derek has splayed himself out across it and she lets out a low grumble under her breath at the unfairness of werewolf speed. That low grumble morphs into a high pitched squeak as Derek grabs for her waist and somehow she does end up in the window seat, Derek’s lap just happens to be between her ass and it. She’s stopped from complaining when Derek cups the nape of her neck with one of his stupidly big, warm palms and she falls limply back against him as her developing headache is stopped in its tracks.

She lets out a low grateful groan and the way Derek drops his head to chuckle against her shoulder, brushing his nose against her jumper in the process has her slouching back into his hold. Her relaxed state of mind fizzles out very quickly though when Scott decides to let out a pointed cough and she looks over to find everyone else staring at them with eyes wide and wondering.

“I’m gonna help you stop Jackson…as part of your pack.” Scott makes sure the room is dead silent when he drops that bombshell on them and Evelyn feels the air leave Derek's chest in one forceful gust as her own jaw slips open. “If you want me in, fine. But we’ll do it on one condition—we’re gonna catch him, not kill him.” He finishes smugly and no one has any words for a long few minutes.

“And?” Derek’s the one to break the silence his breath tickling the nape of her neck as he speaks. He can apparently tell that Scott’s not finished talking just yet.

“And we do it my way.” Scott says pointedly and Evelyn has to feign rubbing her face to hide the smirk she feels growing at the blatant irritation over this whole situation very plainly showing on Stiles’ face behind Scott’s shoulder.

“Fine,” Derek responds in a completely bored tone before sitting up straighter which has the unintended consequence of pushing her back completely up against his chest. Leaving Evelyn a blushing wide eyed mess and she knows by the look that Stiles throws her that he knows exactly what’s going on inside her head and he’s laughing his ass off about it. “Next issue, we need to figure out what the f*ck is happening with you.”

It takes Evelyn a second, cause she’s still silently arguing with Stiles across the room via exaggerated eyebrow movements, to realise that the whole room has turned their eyes to her. “Wait, what, me?” She barks incredulously, trying to catch Derek’s eye but she can’t quiet find an angle that lets her see him.

“Well, no one else has been going awol in the night.” Stiles pipes up and quickly looks down when she flashes him a particularly vicious glare.

“Yeah, well I’ve been trying to figure all that out myself so I went to speak to someone who knows a little bit more about all of this,” she waves her hands around and Derek catches her wrist just before she has a chance to whack him in the face. “Sorry.” She squeaks and he huffs but when he drops their hands back to the cushion he doesn’t let go of her wrist.

“That’s why you were in that weird witchy shop?” Isaac asks and she nods over at him, trying to soothe him with a smile when she catches him aggressively fiddling with his fingers.

“Bingo pup and she told me that all of this nonsense is most likely being caused by a mirror I looked at too hard in the museum a few weeks back and that the only way to stop my late night wanderings is to destroy it.” She explains to the pack and they nod back at her as she tells them what she knows, all seemingly content with her explanation, well, all but one of them.

“Wait, wait, you’re telling me all of this is cause of that dumb little mirror in that creepy little room back at the history museum?” Derek asks into her ear and she nods, tilting her head back to try and get a good look at him only to find that he looks more than a little pissed at the notion. “I was there, nothing happened, you said nothing happened!” His voice goes up an octave and she nudges her head back under his chin to try and get him to settle down behind her.

“Okay so this woman told you that this mirror is the reason you’re waking up in the woods but did she explain why?” Stiles asks and she clucks her tongue at him before continuing.

“That my dear is where the fun begins. Apparently ye olde witch mirror wants my blood and heart. It's kinda hard to explain, here…” She trails off and sends a copy of the article she’d read the other night to the rest of their phones and she moves her head to let Derek read it on her phone from over her shoulder.

“Well... f*ck.” Isaac squeaks as he finishes reading, looking up at her worriedly and she lets out an affirmative grunt. Derek’s finished reading too if the increasing pressure his hand is putting on hers is anything to go by. She reaches back to flick him on the nose which has his grip softening in an instant and he raises her hand to press an apologetic kiss to the back of it. She’s pretty sure her resulting flush is half cause of the kiss itself and half cause of the nervous giggle that slips past her lips at the feeling of his lips brushing against her skin.

“One mirror did all that?” Erica’s voice is the one to catch her attention this time around and Evelyn can see the heavy scepticism written all over her face but she’s leaning forward in her chair, keen to know more.

“The mirror is a siphon used by an old witch named Warren, he’s been using it to take other witches powers, that’s what he did to Agnes and it’s what he plans to do to me.” She explains and the room goes eerily still for a moment.

“So, a madman wants to ritually sacrifice you to a mirror. Great, cool. One problem ith that, you're not a witch.” Stiles grumbles and she nods again.

"That's what I said!"

“So what I’m hearing is we need to shatter this mirror and kill that freak as soon as possible, seven years of bad luck bedamned!” Stiles completely ignores her to keep grumbling and Evelyn needs Derek's hands back on her neck again.

“And until then?” Boyd pipes up and surprisingly much like Erica he seems fully invested in the conversation, looking over at her with something that she could almost be convinced is concern in his big dark eyes.

“Until then we set up Evelyn watch.” Stiles pipes up, as if his nonsense answer is the most obvious one and she flicks her attention back to him with a questioning gaze that’s mirrored by the rest of the room.

“And what pray tell, is Evelyn watch?” Erica snarks voicing the question that Evelyn’s dying to know the answer to.

“We take turns staying over and keeping an eye on her until this is sorted, so that one of us can keep you in the house and call for backup if someone tries to you know 'Temple of Doom you'.” He explains and she winces a little at that.

“That doesn’t seem feasible, I can’t drag ye away from your lives until we sort this mess out.” She tells them honestly and she watches Scott’s face twist up like he’s bitten into a lemon.

“That’s actually not a bad idea Stilinski.” Derek pipes up from behind her and Evelyn turns to catch his gaze just as Stiles throws a scalding glare his way.

“Thanks Hale, I’ve been known to have them now and then.”

“Okay, not that I’m not happy about whatever this is,” she points twitchily between the pair, “but who says I want all of you invading my private life for the next however long?” She eyes the room as a whole, landing on Scott last and she knows that ugly look on his face is about to be put into equally ugly words so she settles back against Derek and waits for it.

“Well I have a life and I don’t wanna have to put that on hold cause Evy got herself caught up in something dumb. Maybe you’re just sleepwalking and this has nothing to do with a mirror and even if it does how is a mirror meant to kill you anyways? I’m not bending over backwards for a theory Evelyn. Besides I’ve got problems of my own.” He slumps back, crossing his arms across his chest with a pout. “Allison's mom threatened to kill me today.”

Evelyn’s worries about the optics of Derek sitting her on his lap disappear in an instant when she feels the way his whole form twitches beneath her and she knows if she wasn’t here Derek would currently be tearing Scott into itsy bitsy sized pieces of obtuse asshole and scattering them around his apartment.

“Hey, settle down. Scott has a decent point, it’s just a theory. A decent theory but a theory nonetheless. What’s the point in putting everyone’s lives on hold ‘just in case’.” She points out even though she knows there’s no just in case and Derek really doesn’t like that if the low snarl from behind her is anything to go by.

Which is why when Stiles snaps, “Yeah and what if I don’t feel like losing you to theory,” from the other side of the room Evelyn jumps a little in Derek’s hold having expected the blow back to come from behind her and not in front of her.

“Okay, Evelyn watch it is then.” She acquiesces not wanting to push any further tonight, keeping an eye on Stiles as she watches him shrink back into himself after his outburst.

“Great, we’ll work out a rota.” Derek seems entirely too pleased with himself and with that their very weird pack meeting comes to an end. Before she can start to wonder how she and Isaac are going to get home Stiles is herding them out the door with a bothered look on his face. Scott comes too but he can't even be bothered to look bothered and instead just stares out the window until Stiles drops him off, not even saying thank you as he goes.

It isn’t long before they pull up outside of their house and she quickly throws Isaac a look that has him thanking Stiles and disappearing through the front door in record time.

“You wanna tell me what all that was about?” She asks once she’s sure Isaac’s gone inside and she its back watching on as Stiles drops his head to the steering wheel.

He doesn’t say anything for a while and she doesn’t push him to, content to just wait him out. “When Scott first got turned the only thing that kept me sane was knowing that I had you in my corner, that something in my life was the same as it had always been. That there was someone else going through all of this with me.” His voice is muffled against the steering wheel and she raises a brow but doesn’t stop him from continuing to spill his guts.

“You are the one constant in my life and if something happens to you because of something that we could have stopped, that I could have stopped…I…I don’t know what I’d do.” He looks to her with eyes that are glistening with unshed tears and Evelyn undoes her belt in order to scramble across the gear stick and throw her arms around him.

“You know nothing’s going to happen to me…right.” It’s her turn to whisper words to him and she doesn't ask him, she tells him. This time her words get muffled by his jumper and she feels him scoff as he wraps an arm around her waist.

“Evelyn, you told me like a half an hour ago that you’re next in line to be sacrificed to an ancient mirror.”

“Yeah, but I’m not worried about it.” She shrugs and she feels him pull away from her and when she looks up to meet his eyes, all of his worry has been chased away by incredulity. “What? I’m not. Look, you just said I’m your constant in all this, well I hate to break it to you buddy, but you’re mine as well. Werewolves and packs and boys mean sweet f*ck all in the end. When it comes down to the wire you have my back and that’s all I need. Plus, if sh*t does happen to hit the fan, there are three concerned wolves constantly milling around me, four if Erica comes along . Pretty sure I’m about as safe as I can be right now.”

Stiles doesn’t say anything for a minute and Evelyn genuinely worries that all of this has broken him just a little bit. Eventually though, he regains the capability to speak again but all he manages to get out is a very cross, “I’m not happy about any of this.”

“That makes two of us. I’ll see you in the morning.” She beams at him and presses a sloppy kiss to his cheek before hopping out of the car and heading up the drive. She hears the jeep drive away and when she’s sure he’s gone past the treeline she feels her shoulders slump. This mirror is a problem that she’s going to have to solve as soon as possible, for everyone’s sake apparently.

Derek obviously gets first watch and even though Evelyn knows this she’s elbow deep in an English essay she wants to get finished by midnight when he slips in through the window.

“You spelled favourite wrong.” The resulting shriek is so loud that she hears Maude get out of bed to knock on her door and check in with her.

“You all right sweetheart?”

“Yeah, sorry, just saw a really big spider, it scared the crap out of me.” She responds, eyes narrowing as Derek’s smirk grows wider.

“You want me to kill it for you?”

“No, I'm good, I’ll just whack it with my shoe.”

She’s swiveled the chair and she doesn’t know why she assumes Derek will take a step back because he doesn’t. In fact he moves closer, putting both hands on the back of the chair, one on either side of her head and he leans in until their noses almost touch.

“I’d like to see you try.” He chuckles and his breath grazes softly across her face until she plants her foot firmly in his stomach and sends him flying back onto her bed.

“Got it!” She calls back smugly, eyes never leaving Derek's. Wisely he chooses not to bother her again as she swivels back to fix the aforementioned spelling mistake before shutting down her laptop with a resigned sigh. She stretches in her chair and when she stands she’s almost certain that Derek’s eyes bounce up from her neck and back to her face.

“You could have knocked.” She grumbles as she goes to get under the covers and Derek follows her, instantly doing a very good job of acting as her personal hot water bottle.

“You looked busy.” She’s rolled away to face the room and doesn’t deign to give a response to his smug comment. She’s just about settled, eyes closed and is slowly drifting off to sleep when Derek’s hands grab her hips and she gasps as he manhandles her to the other side of the bed. She’s fully awake now, facing the wall and Derek doesn’t make any moves to separate them, actually he does the exact opposite and she has to bite her lip to keep herself from squeaking at the feeling of his thigh sliding between hers as his forearm anchors her close to his chest.

She thinks better of questioning him, taking the road that will keep her blood pressure steady by choosing to relax in his hold. She does however let out a single, rather loud snort when he buries his nose against her cheek and takes a deep breath. She drifts off again like that, safe in the knowledge that if something does decide to come for her this evening there’s an overprotective alpha werewolf between her and the door.

Knowing Erica's on duty the next night and having her turn up and surprise both her and Isaac by ringing the doorbell are two very different things.

“Have you had dinner yet? I’m starving.” She pushes past Evelyn who watches her head for the kitchen like she owns the house, only stopping to give Isaac a swift jab to the stomach as he gawks at her from the table, spaghetti Bolognese dripping down his chin. Words have still not found her when she ends up smushed between the pair later that night as they lay in Evelyn's bed, arguing back and forth about what couples are gonna last on this season of 90 Day Fiancé.

Boyd turns up the next night in much the same fashion but he comes with the teeniest tinge of a flush at the tips of her ears and the plate of still warm chocolate chip cookies his grandma packed him off with.

If Maude and Patrick find it odd that there’s a different teenager or as it sometimes happens many teenagers in their house every night of the week, they don’t say anything. They just accept it with warm smiles and begrudging conversations about upcoming hockey games.

Evelyn watch has moved into its second week when she wakes up to Stiles snoring in one ear and Isaac gurgling musically into the other. It’s just enough to push her over the edge and as she struggles not to step on either one of them as she gets out of her own bed she’s decided that enough is enough.

It’s Stiles turn today and so she goes with him to pick up a late lunch for John and is informed in no uncertain terms that she will be joining them. Which is how she finds herself curled up on the couch in the sheriff's office chewing away on a nine piece nugget meal as Stilinski family drama unfolds in front of her.

John tucks into his own burger only to end up grimacing at the taste, “ugh, what the hell is this?” He groans at Stiles who’s putting together his own garden salad.

“Veggie burger.”

“Stiles, I asked for a hamburger.” He grumbles and she watches as Stiles’ eyes flit back up to his dads face and narrow slightly.

“Well, veggie is healthier. We're being healthy.” The tone he uses is the same one you'd use if you were explaining something very serious to a very small toddler, which John does not appreciate.

The situation deteriorates further much to Evelyn's glee when John finds his fries have been replaced with crudité. “Oh hell... Why are you trying to ruin my life?”

“I'm trying to extend your life, okay? Could you just eat it, please?” In a voice that betrays as much fondness as it does exasperation Stiles tell his dad off and then John’s eyes flit to Evelyn who’s barely hiding her laughter behind her nuggets.

“How come she’s allowed to have fries?” John waves a carrot stick aggressively in her direction and she scoffs back at him, hopping off the couch to move closer.

“Be glad you got the veggie burger at all. Gwenyth Paltrow here wanted to get you the garden salad instead.” She plonks herself down in the seat beside Stiles and he throws her a betrayed look as he angrily chews on a lump of lettuce like some sort of demented cow. Evelyn only increases his annoyance at her when she inches her carton of fries halfway across the table so they’re right between her and John.

“You’re the worst, are you actively trying to kill him?” Stiles barks as John happily grabs a fry, dipping it in ketchup and popping it into his mouth with a muted groan.

“One fry is not going to kill him.” Evelyn teases but she doesn’t rile him any further, she knows why he does it, why he’s so conscious about keeping his dad healthy.

“Alright fine, you can share her fries if tell us what you found.” He slumps back into his chair petulantly, arms folded across his chest.

“No, I'm not sharing confidential police work with two teenagers...” He keeps chewing, eyes flitting between Stiles and Evelyn.

Evelyn continues to munch on her food while Stiles takes a horrifically loud sip of his shake before pointing to the very clear murder board on the wall behind John’s head. “Is that it on the board behind you?” John quickly turns to look at the wall behind him before turning back to eye Stiles who’s leaning over the desk to try and look at it closer.

“Don't look at that...” Stiles shifts a little to the left and John follows. “Avert your eyes…”

“Just-it's just-I see arrows pointing at pictures!” He keeps trying to look around Johns body until eventually John sighs and just gives up.

“Okay, okay, stop. Fine. I found something.” He admits and with that, Evelyn an Stiles both lean forward in their chairs waiting for him to let them in on the theory he’d come up with.

“The mechanic and the couple who were murdered-- they all had something in common.”

“All three?” She and Stiles ask at the same time and John eyes them weirdly before nodding

“Yeah. You know what I always say... ‘One's an incident. Two's a coincidence—‘”

"--Three's a pattern." Stiles finishes his sentence and John nods once.

“The mechanic, the husband, the wife? All the same age. All twenty-four.” Something about that shakes a box loose in Evelyn's memory but she can’t quite grab it so she keeps listening.

“Wait, what about Mr. Lahey? I mean, Isaac's dad isn't anywhere near twenty-four...” Stiles says it to Evelyn and as he does it clicks.

“Camden!” She yelps the name into the room and both of their eyes fly to her, Johns with understanding but Stiles in utter confusion.

“Who the hell is Camden?” Stiles asks and Evelyn lets out a sigh.

“He's... was, Isaac’s older brother, he died in combat about three years ago.” She tells him softly, settling back into her chair. “He would have been twenty four two weeks ago.” At that Stiles is out of his chair and at the board, moving his fingers across it and Evelyn goes to stand next to him, taking her own look at the case laid out in front of her.

“Now, what if same age means same class? I mean, did you think of that?” Stiles asks John, who’s standing next to Evelyn now, hands under his chin as he takes in the board.

“Yeah. Yeah...” He nods before dropping his eyes and letting out a sigh. “...Well, I would have. I mean, I--Look, I just got Lahey's file two hours ago!” He stutters and Stiles spins to face him, eyes wild and wide in his head.

“Two hours? Dad, people could be dying.” He’s gesticulating wildly again and John quickly reminds her of the fact that he is indeed Stiles’ dad when he rounds on his son.

“Yeah, I'm aware of that, thank you.” It’s like listening to Stiles talk through his dad and she can’t hold back her snort, leaving them to both look down at her in frustration.

“Okay, well we need to go through the files for the years they would have all been in high school so what, 2003 to 2006?” She asks, trying to throw the heat off of herself and it does the trick as John heads for a filing cabinet, pulling out piles of manila folders.

It feels like she and Stiles have been thumbing through folders forever until Stiles lets out a crow of celebration as he holds up a file. “Okay, this is it-- class of 2006. They all went to Beacon Hills.”

“Including Isaac's brother.” Evelyn reads from over his shoulder.

“All right, but...” Stiles starts, pauses for a second and then looks at Evelyn before continuing. “So, what if they all knew each other, you know? I mean, two of them were married, so maybe they all just hung out?”

“Well, they could have had the same classes together.” John says as they keep rifling through the mounds of paper they’ve poured out onto his desk.

She spots the name Lahey flashing across the top of a page and she grabs it and reads through it, reading as one by one the other names appear all in the one chemistry class. “Oh god. What if they all had the same teacher!?” She passes the sheet to John and he doesn’t seem shocked at the name that’s written across the top of the page.

Stiles peeks over her shoulder, “Harris...” Stiles trails off also equally not particularly shocked by this newest revelation. “They were all in his class?” Evelyn supposes if she were to pick out the teacher most likely to commit murder…

“All four. And I don't know how Mr. Lahey fits in, but this, kid? This is definitely a pattern.” John frantically points at the sheet of paper before rounding the desk once again. “All right, give me the 2006 yearbook. These names? We need faces.” He grabs the yearbook on top and then passes a second one to Evelyn who opens it and starts to quickly thumb through it.

“Which ones?” Stiles and Evelyn ask at the same time just as John picks up the phone and starts to dial.

“Everyone in that chemistry class. If the killer's not done killing—” He holds his hand over the receiver as he speaks to them, the two just throw him matching grim looks before diving back into the yearbooks.

“Then one of them is probably next.” Evelyn grumbles and she catches John nodding before he gets distracted as the person on the other end of the call picks up.

John sends them home shortly afterwards with a grumbled thanks and a warning not to tell anyone what they’d just figured out. Stiles and Evelyn are both in their own worlds on the drive back to hers and she doesn’t even realised they’ve stopped until Stiles starts talking. “You really think it could be Harris?”

She doesn’t say anything but the look she throws him as she hops out of the jeep firmly tells him her answer. “Fair point. Don’t go anywhere til Scott gets here.” Stiles calls out to her as she opens her front door and she takes a deep breath so she doesn’t snap back at him. She just throws him a thumbs up over her shoulder as she grinds her back teeth to the pulp.

When Scott’s a half an hour late she’s not particularly surprised but after an hour she starts to get a little suspicious and after the second she’s pretty positive she’s been stood up. When she checks her phone again for what has to be the fifth time is as many minutes she gives up and calls him. The phone rings and rings and rings and just when she’s sure she’s going to get put through to his voicemail, Scott’s voice answers snippily from the other end.

“What?”

“What do you mean what? You’re meant to be here.” Taken aback with by his tone she can’t help herself and snaps back at him.

“Look Evy, you and I both know you don’t need me there besides I promised Allison I’d take her to the movies tonight.” He sighs down the line and all she wants to do is scream at him and fling her phone across the room.

“Great, have a good time.” She chooses the cool, calm and collected method instead, hanging up on him before he even has a chance to respond. She can feel tears prickling behind her eyes but she really doesn’t want to waste any emotions on Scott McCaul right now. She contemplates ringing Stiles or even Derek to let them know what's happening before another idea flits through her head and before she can stop it, that incredibly dumb plan has settled down and grown roots in her brain.

Realistically, she should think about it more, she’s acting on impulse and in the past that hasn’t gone very well for her but she’s also incredibly sick of not having any privacy anymore and having to depend on everyone else to keep herself safe. She’s a big girl, she can solve her own problems and the quickest way to solve those problems is to smash that mirror to smithereens.

Chapter 14: Night at the Museum

Chapter Text

Once she’s made up her mind there’s no changing it so she grabs her old bike from the shed, hoping if she leaves the car that it might not draw as much attention to what she’s about to do. The evening is miserable and misty as she sets off on the bike and it doesn’t take long before her clothes begin to cling to her as she treks across the backroads of Beacon Hills.

There are still a few people wandering around the exhibits when she gets through the doors so she roams around for a little while before she eventually winds up settling on staying in the natural history section.

The exhibition on Direwolves is kind of mesmerising, Evelyn mulls to herself as she sits on the bench directly in front of it. She’s seen it before, obviously she has but she doesn’t think she’s ever really taken the time to just look at it before now.

The skeleton is huge, bigger than any dog she’s ever seen and the artists rendition that hangs behind it just adds to the intimidating presence of the creature. It’s fur is pitch black and the artist has captured its eyes so well she feels like they’re staring into her soul. She can feel the pull of the room behind her but the wolfs presence wins out and it keeps the buzzing in her head to a minimum and her focus completely on it.

Eventually, the intercom calls out that the museum will be closing in ten minutes and with that she stands and as casually as she possibly can, makes her way towards the bathroom. She closes the stall door behind her but doesn’t lock it before sitting down, pulling her legs up under her on the toilet seat and waiting. The lights blink out after another twenty minutes but Evelyn doesn’t move from her perch and when the bathroom door swings open after another minute or so she knows she’s made the right decision.

She watches, barely breathing as the beam of the security guards flashlight pans across the room and it takes a few seconds but they seem to decide that the rooms clear and they close the door behind themselves as they leave.

She takes a steadying breath and then slinks out of the stall, opening the door to step into the pitch black hallway. The lights of the natural history exhibit are a feint warm glow to her left and she makes her way towards them as quietly as possible. Without the wolf to focus on the feeling of that buzzing is now continuously ringing in the back of her head, that malignant creature now prowling around, scratching for her to let it in.

The ornate door is exactly where she had left it a few weeks earlier, still taking up a menacingly large amount of space in the hall. Taking a quick look up and down the hallway, she doesn’t dare breathe out of fear that she’d miss the sound of approaching footsteps and it’s only when she’s sure that there’s no one else coming that she steps into the doorway.

The doorknob is icy to the touch when she wraps her hand around it and that feeling of eyes on her works its way down her spine as the metal presses against her palm. There’s a feeling telling her to stop what she’s doing but once again she pushes past it and opens the door in one quick movement.

The door closes behind her with a feint click and she lets it take the full weight of her body for a second, as she pants a little. The room itself hasn’t changed since she was last here, dimly lit and cold with the same air of foreboding, she feels like its walls are watching her every move. It also becomes plainly obvious now that she knows for certain the mirror is the source of the feeling and what it has planned for her that what she’s feeling is pure malicious intent. Malicious intent so strong she thinks if she looks close enough even from all the way across the room she might see it ooze from the mirror.

Standing back a ways, she begins to carefully circle the case slowly, looking for any kind of wire or switch that might go off when she starts to smash the sh*t out of this mirror. Once she’s sure there’s nothing visible she takes a step forward, hoping that there isn’t some sort of fancy internal security system or one of those weighted ones like the idol in Indiana Jones.

Reminding herself that she doesn’t really have time to dawdle she makes her way towards the box and she steadies herself before lifting the glass gently off the top and placing it carefully on the floor next to her feet. She goes to her bag then and takes out the Direwolf fang, admiring the way the edge glints dangerously in the dim light.

She pauses for a second as her phone begins to buzz consistently in her hoodie pocket and she knows she has to answer it. “Hey, you and Scott up for a movie night?” He asks casually and she’s almost positive he knows and she doesn’t get to say anything before he continues on. “At least, I assume you’re already having a movie night, that is you, Scott and Allison because I just saw them buying snacks at the gas station so I assume you’re all watching a film.

Her silence is answer enough. “Where are you?”

“At home.”

“Bullsh*t, bull-sh*t Evelyn O’Hara, you’re lying through your teeth right now I can tell, your voice is doing that thing where it goes all squeaky.” He snaps accusingly and she knows by the sounds around him he’s in the jeep and if he hasn’t already been he’s on the way to her house. What’s worse is that if he has been to her house then he’s definitely on his way here.

“Stiles--.”

“Don’t you Stiles me young lady just tell me where you are right now.”

She says nothing.

“Tell me where you are right now or I swear to god I’m gonna call Derek and have him hunt you down.”

“You’re just gonna call Derek anyways.” She calls him out and he scoffs loudly down the phone, the jeeps engine furiously revving in the background.

“Damn right I am, maybe he’ll talk some sense into you. Evelyn please…” His tone dramatically changes and he’s gone from furious to pleading in an instant. “Please, just wait until I get there don’t touch that thing until one of us gets there.” That breaks the spell and she knows he’s already called Derek.

“I’ll be home soon.” She promises, hanging up before he can say anything more and turning her phone off before she puts it back in her pocket. She doesn’t want anyone else close to this thing so she has to finish this fast.

Looking back down at the mirror it hits to her that this is the closest she’s ever been to it. Up close, it’s obvious that though she first assumed the surface was a plain old mirror it’s actually made of a very reflective, dark stone, a polished piece of obsidian she would guess after all of her reading. She goes to take a glimpse of her reflection in it and this time she isn’t at all surprised to find Agnes Dupont’s visage staring back at her.

She’s the girl from the newspaper, the girl that Verity had loved so much, Evelyn’s sure of that now but the girl that looks back at her from the mirror bears little resemblance to the picture she’d seen. Her auburn hair hangs limply over her face, almost hiding her still piercing ice blue eyes that no longer dance in her head but are ringed by shadows. Evelyn can only see her face but she bets if the rest of her was visible she’d be thinner even though she was only a slip of a thing when she was alive.

Agnes watches Evelyn with an air of curiosity, a curiosity that lights up her eyes and starts to look a lot like hope as Evelyn produces the fang.

“A gift from a friend.” Evelyn finds herself whispering the words and Agnes sends her a sad sort of smile that she knows she mirrors. “Hopefully this helps you as much as it helps me.” The point of the tooth glints menacingly once again in the low lights of the case as Evelyn raises it above her head.

The scream is agonising, gut wrenching and as she hits the ground and darkness consumes she knows that it wasn’t her that let it out.

The smell of burning incense tickles her nose and has her coughing as she comes around. Eyelids heavy, she just about manages to open them and when she does she’s more than a little thrown by the sight she’s greeted with.

The night sky above her is a clear navy blue, bespeckled with stars and she’s pretty positive she isn’t in the museum anymore. A pain burns across the back of her head as she turns to take a look at her surroundings and she has to close her eyes for a second to let the feeling die down. Once the pain recedes she opens her eyes and groans aloud into the night air when she spots the standing stones in her periphery. Instead of being curled up on the ground, this time she’s laying on a huge stone slab smack dab in the middle of the circle. A slab that most definitely wasn’t here the last time she woke up in this exact spot.

It doesn’t even dawn on her until she goes to sit up and start the arduous walk back to her house that she’s been bound to the slab, arms tied together above her head while her legs are splayed and tied to opposite corners of the stone. A cold breeze whips through the air, sending a violent shiver tearing through her and leads her to a second somehow even more terrifying conclusion. The leggings and hoodie she’d left for the museum in earlier are gone and in their stead is a very form fitting, thin, white, satin slip that’s almost see through in the moonlight. She knows she didn’t put this on herself and that panic inducing thought alone has her struggling hard against the ropes holding her down.

It’s no use though, whoever had tied her to the stone had made absolutely sure she couldn’t untie herself. Then a rustling comes from over her left shoulder and she manages to twist her head just enough to get a look in that direction, hoping that it’s Derek or Stiles coming to get her out of this nightmare.

It isn’t.

She really wishes she hadn’t looked because instead of seeing Stiles or Derek coming to her rescue she finds herself surrounded by several figures all enrobed in blood red cloaks. She can’t see their faces but she knows that they’re all staring at her, she can feel the way their eyes settle on her struggling form and she wants nothing more than to cover herself with her hands. Then another figure, donning all black robes steps out from behind the others and her breath catches in her throat.

The man is tall, his arms almost look too long for his body and she’s a little pissed it’s taken her this long to make the connection but she decides to blame it on the poor lighting here and in the museum. The snort that leaves her lips has the figure stopping in his tracks, head listing a little to the right as he keeps watching her.

“Sorry, sorry I shouldn’t laugh but—” she breaks down into uncontrollable laughter again and she has to turn away from him to catch her breath. “I’m really sorry it’s just I had it on good authority that you were ‘vaguely’ handsome. I think my authority might need an eye test.” She snigg*rs at the curator who she now knows is the same witch who led Agnes to her death all of those years ago. He doesn’t say anything, he just keeps walking forward until he comes to a stop at her shoulder, looming over her with a grin that she can only describe as feral.

Now that he’s up close she supposes that he might have been considered handsome once but age and male patterned baldness have taken their toll. Still for a man who should have at least been in his late eighties he looks no older than fifty. It hits her then, in that moment as she takes him in, everything this man had taken from Agnes, from Verity, everything he wants to take from her and she feels anger beginning to overtake her mirth, licking through her veins with a vengeance.

“You son of a bitch.” She openly seethes and he seems surprised with her lack of surprise at finding him at the centre of all this nonsense.

“You were expecting me then my dear?” He drops a hand to her bare shoulder and the feeling of his clammy skin against hers has her stomach curdling and bile beginning to rise up her throat.

“Well obviously. Who else could it be. You were the only one with constant access to the mirror. It also doesn’t help your case that you’re aging about as fast as a turtle.” She snaps at him, furiously trying to shrug his cold and clammy hands off of her skin.

“I suppose I must give you credit for that at least. You’re right of course, I am the custodian of the mirror. I feed it and in exchange for my hard work it keeps me young and virile.” His lips move as he bares his teeth over the word and she has an itch to feel his flesh tear and bleed beneath her fingernails.

“Charming.” Evelyn grumbles before another question crosses her mind. “The only thing I’m not sure about in all of this is why that dumb piece of furniture has decided to eat me? Agnes was a natural talent, she was a powerful witch. I’m about as magical as a slice of toast!” Evelyn decides her best course of action here is to keep him monologuing for a while and desperately hope that they’ve figured out that she’s not in the museum anymore. There’s also a not so small part of her brain that does desperately want to know the reason why the mirror is so interested in her.

“The mirror is selective creature to say the least. When I first found it, it was starving and in exchange for not draining me and lending me a fraction of its power I promised to keep it fed.” He sneers and she narrows her eyes at him. ‘Typical man’, she thinks to herself, ‘completely ignores your question so he can go on about himself’.

“So, what you’re telling me, is that you’re the bitch of an inanimate object?” She quirks a brow as his face flushes bright red at the sneer on her face and in a flash he slashes down across her shoulder with something that has her crying out into the darkness. Flinching further when the crowd surrounding them eerily begin to echo her pained sobs.

“I am far more powerful than you will ever know little girl. Agnes was almost as powerful as I and the mirror devoured her completely. Her power has kept it fed for fifty years but it hungers again and you.” He turns another menacing grin on her before stroking a long, crooked finger up the side of her neck, “you will feed it for a century or more.”

“I think your mirror might be broken. I literally just told you there is absolutely nothing special about me.” She scoffs and the curator throws his head back and laughs which is once again chorused by the crowd and the cacophony is so wretched she tries to raise her shoulders to block the sound from her ears.

“You have no idea do you? My dear the mirror does not make mistakes, it hears the blood of old world witches flowing through your veins, singing like its very own sirens song and it wants to taste of you.” He tells her, teeth bared and her world grinds to a halt in that very moment.

“I’m most definitely not a witch, tell your mirror to check again.” She tells him haughtily and she watches as in real time his anger climbs up his neck to his face in the form of a vivid red flush.

“The mirror is never wrong. It yearns for your blood and I shall grant it it’s wish, so that it may grant us ours.” He turns to the crowd and they let out a collective cheer of agreement at the sight of his crowing before them.

“What are you going to do with me then? How do you even feed someone to a mirror?” She’s fully taunting him now, if she’s going down she’s decided she’s going down mouthy.

“I’m going to flay your flesh with this knife carved from the same stone used to form this mirror. I will tear out your still beating heart and hand your essence over to the mirror. It will absorb your ichor and take your soul. It’s as simple as that.” He leers at her, now intently focused on the part of her chest that houses her heart. “I’d like to tell you that you won’t feel a thing but I’m afraid that would be a lie. Agnes was in agony for several minutes, she didn’t stop screaming until her mouth frothed with crimson.” His voice trembles with glee as he lets her in on this little nugget of information and then without warning he drags the blade down the midline of her chest, a fine red slice blooming in its wake and she screams at the shock of it more so than the pain.

“You get one warning.” She manages to hiss out as he looks down at her with an amused sort of pity. “I have incredibly powerful friends and I’m telling you now, you harm a single hair more on my head and they will tear you limb from psychopathic limb.” She snarls up at him and he has the nerve to smirk back down at her like she’s a kitten spitting up at a rottweiler. Then he moves to raise the knife above his head in much the same way as she had earlier.
“Let your coven come little witch, the mirror will consume them all.” He tells her and as she braces for the impact of the knife against her skin a low howl rips its way through the night. That’s all it takes for Evelyn to relax back against the stone and beam up at the now stricken face of the curator.

“Yeah, buddy, it’s not my coven that you need to be worried about. It’s my pack.” She’s so smug she flips him the bird from her bound hands and watches in glee as he freezes above her. The knife clattering harmlessly at her side, he takes a step back from the slab, head frantically turning from side to side, trying to spot the incoming onslaught.

“What manner of ungodly creature have you brought upon us?” He manages to mumble out under his breath, face paling as the rustling in the forest just beyond the circle becomes louder.

“Wolves.” And as the word leaves her lips, Isaac bursts into the stone circle, immediately tackling the curator to the ground, lips curled around bared fangs as he goes and Evelyn lets out a snort at the sight.

“Took you long enough to get here. He was way too close to getting way too familiar with my insides.” She lets out a little shiver at the thought as she grumbles at Derek when he rounds the stone with a frown.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Maybe next time you could tell me your dumb plan before you run off by yourself towards certain death.” At this reminder of the incredibly stupid thing she had in fact just done a flush makes its way down her chest and she quickly avoids eye contact with him while he hacks away at the ropes around her feet with furious claws.

“I had to try and destroy it. I didn’t know that he would be waiting for me.” She tells him honestly and he looks back up at her with that dumb, perfect single brow raised in admonishment. Before she can continue to argue her point she notices that the other coven members have started to close in on them. “Derek…?”

“Yeah I know. I need you to run and hide in the woods.” Evelyn looks at him wide eyed, her panic quickly returning but he shakes his head and reaches up to cup her cheek. “Evelyn please. Go hide and I’ll come find you in a few minutes. I promise.” She feels her lower lip trembling but without any further fighting she pushes off the stone and sprints for the woods, the sounds of Derek’s snarls echoing out from behind her.

The sky is clear and the moon is out but it only lights patches between the trees and she finds herself stumbling over rocks and roots as she flees the clearing. Then amongst the sounds of the woods she hears it, she hears it and her stomach climbs into her mouth. There are heavy footsteps behind her and they’re catching up fast. Any of the others would have called out to her by now so she knows the person following her isn’t a friend.

She feels the exact second her foot hits the root of a large oak tree and she hits the ground with a garbled yelp, her hands catching her before she can send her face crashing the forest floor. Her palms sting but she doesn’t have time to look, to check what state she’s in instead she just starts to crawl through the leaf litter.

Her escape is halted in its tracks by a strong grip on her ankle and she shrieks as she’s flipped onto her back only to find herself looking into the beady eyes of the curator as he looms over her once again. She’s not going down without a struggle and as they tussle she hears a heavy thunk and when she looks to her left she sees he’s dropped the mirror on the ground in favour of trying to restrain her. Using one hand to try and keep him at bay she frantically reaches around amongst the leaves and sticks until her fingers graze something hard, smooth and ridiculously sharp. She doesn’t think, doesn’t question how, she just clutches the fang in her hand, rolls over and drives it into the centre of the mirror with as much force as she could possibly muster up. There’s a scream and she realises much to her own horror that the mirror itself is howling like wind through trees, its red gems flickering brightly for just a second and then they dull completely.

Soft voices whisper thank yous onto her lips and she flips onto her back letting out a loud bark of relieved laughter as silver and wispy somethings begin to rise from the mirror and float between the barren branches of the trees towards the sky.

That relief disappears in an instant when with a strength she didn’t know he could possess the curator drops to straddle her where she lays on the cold forest floor. His face has rotted into a far more decrepit version of the much older man that he should have always been. “You stupid, ungrateful little bitch. I’ll kill you for this.” He snarls down at her, pressing her so far into the ground that the damp soaks up through the thin slip. She fights him off as best as she can but destroying the mirror has seemingly sapped her of whatever energy she had left.
Shards of the mirror have embedded themselves in his face and the blood pouring from those tiny cuts leave him looking wicked that coupled with the vitriolic cussing spilling from his mouth as he raises the knife has Evelyn recoiling into herself.

Blood, is hotter than she thought it would be. She’s expecting a lukewarm splash but what hits her chest is nothing short of molten lava and she can’t help the scream that she lets out at the sensation. It’s sticky and she can taste it in her mouth. She hopes she’s gone before the others find her.

Opening her eyes it becomes painfully obvious that it isn’t her own blood she’s covered in as she looks up to find the curator hanging limply from the claws that are now protruding from his still wheezing throat. The knife falls from his hand barely making a sound as it slips from his now limp fingers. The curator doesn’t go half as quietly as he slips off the claws making a choked off gurgling noise as he hits the ground before going completely silent.

It's only when the curator falls that the figure responsible for his demise comes into view. His eyes are as red as the blood he’s covered in which isn’t a small amount and is mostly his own. When he flashes his set of bright white fangs at her, her heart stutters in her chest and for the first time since she’s met him, it’s fear she feels when she looks at Derek Hale.

Chapter 15: How to Train Your Werewolf

Chapter Text

Something’s wrong, something is definitely very wrong, her mind is running circles around itself as Derek starts to stalk towards her. She’s not exactly sure what it is that’s wrong but she’s pretty positive that Derek is more wolf than man right now. She scrambles backwards until her back thumps against a tree and she hisses as the bark scrapes up against her freezing skin. The pained noise stops Derek in his tracks and the sound that leaves his lips could almost be considered a whine.

It’s a snapping noise in the distance that shatters the tension between them, startling them as both of their heads turn to try and find the source of the sound. As far as Evelyn can tell there's no source for the noise so she turns back, finding Derek looming over her now and before she can even try to stop him, he’s crouching down to fling her over his shoulder. With that he takes off, sprinting through the woods, nails digging into the backs of her bare thighs and she can feel blood running down her legs from where the points of his claws embed themselves in her skin. He’s single minded in his sprint, completely ignoring Evelyn as she yells at him and pounds on his back. The reason why becomes obvious once they clear the tree line and the Hale house comes into view as the sprint slows a little now that he’s reached his destination.

Derek apparently has the wherewithal to open the front door and close it behind them which is better than what she assumed he was going to do, which was to just barrel through the door leaving a them shaped hole in his wake. He jogs up the stairs and if she wasn’t so confused by everything that had just happened she’d be more than a little impressed at how little effort it takes him to heft her up the steps.

She’s even more impressed when instead of dropping her, he gently lowers her to a bed she assumes once belonged to him. It’s dark so she can’t tell the exact colour that the room once was but there’s suspicious stains all over the room and she can’t tell if it’s mould or smoke. There are remnants of posters on the walls but they’re too faded and rotted for her to make out what they once showed.

She’s brought out of her observations by the sound of Derek skittering away to the far corner of the room, not once taking his eyes off of Evelyn as he backs away. “Derek?” She calls out for him and when he lets out that same noise he made in the woods earlier she’s sure it’s a whimper. In the darkness of the house his eyes are blood red and he looks scared.

“Derek, can you come over here, please?” Her voice is trembling and all she wants is to curl up with him, for him to hold her and to have him tell her that everything is gonna be okay. “I promise I’m not going to hurt you, I just wanna make sure you’re okay.” She tries again and at that he lets out a low rumble and looks away from her.

It hits her hard then, that Derek’s afraid of the exact opposite thing that Evelyn’s afraid of. Slowly, she gets off the bed, legs stiff and shaky under her as she makes her way towards him. The man on the floor is ready to bolt, she can see it in the way his muscles are tensing and how his eyes keep flitting between her and the still open bedroom door. Every step she takes is slow and cautious as she tries her best not to make any sudden movements, watching him all the time.

“You’re not gonna hurt me. Derek I’m telling you now you’d never hurt me. Listen to my heartbeat, I’m not lying. I wouldn’t lie to you.” Slowly she puts her hand out towards him, doing her best to hold it steady but her nerves are shot and her whole body is shaking. Something she said seems to have hit home with him though as he inches towards her and she lets out a deep breath when his muscles begin to relax before her own two eyes.

The relief lasts about thirty whole seconds before she’s on her back for the second time this evening but when Derek’s the one looming over her she doesn’t have a lot to complain about. He’s got her pinned as he straddles her on the bed and his nose is buried in her collarbone. The first touch of his tongue against her skin has a sharp, high-pitched squeak bubbling up from her throat as he begins to gently lick the drying blood from the spot his nose had been buried in to reveal the curators first cut.

He pulls back just enough to snarl at the graze like it’s personally offended him before his tongue is back and gently laving over the skin as if he trying to lick the cut out of existence. “Der?” She breathes out a heavy sigh masked as a question. “Oh I really hope you don’t remember this tomorrow.” Groaning she lets her head thump back against the musty pillows behind her.

Every stroke of his tongue has her stomach clenching and it completely flips when he makes his way to her sternum and gently brushes his tongue over the cut he finds there. Her lip is tightly jammed between her teeth because she knows if she lets it slip the noises she’ll make are going to be a cross between a wild animal and a p*rn star. Before she knows what’s happening, Derek’s head drops and she has to clasp her fingers into his silky raven locks as he presses his lips to the spot just above her bellybutton. The silk shift is doing sweet f*ck all to block out the feeling of the heat of those lips against her sensitive skin and with that the dam breaks as she loudly moans his name into the quiet of the room.

She uses the hand in his hair to tilt his face back so she can meet his gaze again. He’s still shifted and once she sees the innocent curiosity in his crimson eyes as he gazes back up at her she throws her head back and starts sobbing like a baby, burying her face in the crook of her elbow. Fat tears roll down her cheeks and Derek lets out a low whimper, shifting so his face is back to level with Evelyn’s. Gently he bumps his nose against her cheek, over and over again until Evelyn moves her hand and is met with a blurry tear-stained vision of Derek.

He lets out that mournful sound once again and she buries her hand in his hair so she can sob into his chest. “Sorry, sorry. You’re all feral and not in control of yourself right now and here I am getting all worked up over it. God I’m no better than she was. I should be taking care of you right now, not thirsting over you.” She tells him softly, not entirely sure how much of what she’s saying is actually getting through to him. He’s not as far gone as she thinks he is because he lets out a growl and pulls away to look firmly into her eyes before leaning in to pepper her face with featherlight kisses.

He drops one to her forehead, then to both of her cheeks, the bolt of her jaw, the corner of her mouth. She should have seen it coming but she’s too busy giggling softly at the way his lips tickle her skin so somehow the press of his lips against her own still manages to startle her.

It’s gentle, describing it as chaste would be an overstatement but she can’t help the way her toes curl or the bone deep sigh she lets out at the soft press of his lips. Derek pulls away then, quickly, as if he’s realised what he’s doing and that he probably shouldn’t be doing it but Evelyn still follows his lips as he goes, her own still pursed.

It’s something that makes the wolf on top of her very happy and when he grins, one brilliantly white fang flashes from between his lips. It really shouldn’t do as much for her as it does but the tremble that skitters down her spine lets her and unfortunately Derek know exactly how much she likes it.

“Yeah okay alpha dearest, you’re very attractive. Now let me up, this outfit is damp as hell and incredibly impractical.” She shoves at his chest and to her surprise he lets her up without a fight. He does however decide that he has to follow her everywhere now and instead of keeping his usual shadow distance away he’s now completely stuck to her. Like his chest and her back are magnetised to one and other.

So, she begins to rifle through what’s left of Derek’s drawers in an attempt to find something that’ll fit and that’s not terribly smoke stained while her new fuzzy backpack continues to rumble happily into the nape of her neck. It feels wrong to be going through his old things like this but she takes the fact that the man himself is still happily snuffling behind her as a sign he’s pretty okay with her doing it.

Eventually she comes across a hockey jersey from a team she doesn’t recognise that she thinks might swamp even Derek’s broad form. It doesn’t smell in any way fresh but it’s not rotten and right now that’s good enough for her. She also realises as she wanders around that her skin is crunchy from all of the dried blood, mud and spit she’s managed to acquire throughout the night, so a shower is definitely necessary.

She heads for the second door in Derek’s room, assuming correctly that it’s an en-suite. Her wolfy fur coat follows and as they make their way into the bathroom he starts to get a little more handsy. Up until now, said hands had been safely curled around her waist but they’ve begun to stray down to her hips. This has her freezing up for a second as she hopes that’s as far as he’s planning on going but then she feels his warm palms move under the hem of the slip.

“You’re very presumptuous in this state.” She grumbles over her shoulder at him and his only response is to allow the hands to continue their upwards journey. Evelyn’s hands snap down to cover his, stopping them in their tracks.

“Absolutely not. I’m not so bad that I can’t undress myself.” He makes no move to leave, “that goes for showering too big guy.” She turns fully in his hold to properly glare at him and she has to stifle a laugh when she finds him pouting pitifully down at her. The laugh gets choked off when the fingers at that have migrated to the small of her backdrop slightly to graze over the top of her ass. Gripping the hands tightly she pulls them off of her, “nice try,” she pats his hands and he pulls them from her hold, albeit very slowly and very reluctantly.

“If you really want to help go find me a half decent towel.” She tells him and he’s gone in a flash, leaving her alone and shivering as he takes all his body heat with him.
The bathroom, she thinks to herself, most definitely belonged to a teenaged boy and when she pulls out a bottle of three in one shampoo, bodywash and conditioner, she can’t help but grimace at it. “Beggars can’t be choosers.” She grumbles and it’s definitely better than nothing so she steps into the shower, stripping off the once silky material and lets it fall to the ground with a wet plop. She thinks she might just let Derek tear it apart when she’s finished in here.

The shower is about as basic as they come and as she turns the handle she says a quick prayer that it actually does something. Apparently whoever hears her prayer is benevolent as the pipes begin to gurgle and the shower head spews brackish water for a moment before it begins to run clear and cold.

The shower itself is an exercise in speed as Evelyn furiously tries to completely clean her body before she becomes hypothermic. Every now and then the water or the soap slosh against the cuts on her palms and thighs and she lets out a sharp hiss at the sting it brings on. Once the water swirling around the drain between her feet has turned from bright crimson to dull brown to clear she shuts the shower off and her teeth immediately start to chatter.

Hopping out of the shower she turns around to find Derek openly ogling her, towel hanging limply from one of his hands. “Turn around!” She shrieks but Derek doesn’t budge, in fact she’s pretty positive he doesn’t even blink. No, he just keeps his eyes on Evelyn, all over Evelyn and his gaze burns like he’s holding a struck match against her skin.

“God you are such a f*cking neanderthal when you’re like this.” He growls at her when she breaks him out of his trance by chucking the bottle of bodywash at him. “Your fault!” She squeaks before realising he’s now holding the towel in an outstretched hand. “Drop it and turn around.” He does as she asks with a miffed huff and she sprints to where he’s dropped the towel, quickly wrapping it around herself. When she looks up next she stills when she sees the Derek’s full attention has been caught by something beyond the door.

She watches in rapt fascination as his hackles begin to rise like they would on a nervous dog. A comparison that’s only strengthened by the low, threatening growl that’s begun to rumble around in his chest. “Der?” The question floats quietly into the room as she reaches out a hand to touch the back of his shoulder but before she can reach him to he’s off like a shot and she sprints after him, holding the towel firmly in her grasp to try and keep some semblance of her modesty.

Reaching the landing it becomes very clear what’s got Derek into a twist as Scott and Stiles come into view at the bottom of the stairs. Stiles looks more than just a little frightened by Derek's appearance but Scott apparently doesn’t give two sh*ts and is yelling at the still fully wolfed out Derek who’s snarling furiously at him from the second to last step.

“Evelyn!” Stiles’ shout of her name stops Derek’s snarling and he quickly glances up and whines a little when he sees her at the top of the stairs. “You’re okay?” He’s obviously taking in her flushed and clad only in a towel appearance and if the furrow of his brows and the set of his jaw are anything to go by he’s assuming something bad has happened. She goes to take a step down the stairs but as she moves Derek snaps out a bark and she throws him a glare but doesn’t chance moving again.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”

“Good.” The worry melts off his face and he definitely seems to believe her and she’s happy with that, at least until his anger comes back with a vengeance. “What the f*ck were you thinking going to the museum alone? You could have been killed. Also, you’re gonna catch your death dressed like that, put some clothes on!” He snaps at her and she suddenly feels very naked.

“You couldn’t just leave it alone could you, no you had to go and poke around and make things worse. You could have gotten us hurt!” Scott yelling is what finally sends her over the edge. It’s been a long evening and after everything that’s happened being given out to for almost being murdered by a crazed lunatic has her bottom lip trembling and her eyes beginning to sting.

Derek lets out another soft whimper and as she rubs at her eyes she glances down to find him looking up at her with a worried little frown on his face. “What’s wrong with him?” Scott’s tone is almost sneering but as he takes a step closer, Derek whirls back around to snap at him and the sound that passes his lips along with his stripped, bared teeth leaves Scott wheeling back into the front door. Stiles surprisingly stays in place and though he’s eyeing Derek warily he seems to realise that if he doesn’t move towards him, Derek’s not going to hurt him.

“Not sure, he’s been like this since we got out of the woods. My best guess is that right now for some unknown reason, the wolf has more control than Derek does.” She explains past the lump in her throat and as Derek looms over Scott, Evelyn doesn’t have the energy to bother telling him to stop posturing.

Derek leans down to sniff at Scott, screws his nose up at whatever he smells there and turns to bound back up the stairs, stopping right below Evelyn. Scott manages to get back to his feet to try and preserve some of his dignity before looking up at the pair with a smug smirk. Evelyn knows that Scott thinks that Derek backed off because he sees him as a threat. Evelyn also knows that the only reason Derek turned his back to Scott is because he knows Scott isn’t a threat at all.

“When will he go back to his usual unpleasant self?” Stiles asks softly and Evelyn shrugs.

“No clue. He doesn’t seem to mind me and I don’t want to leave him on his own if he’s like this, so I’ll stay with him for the night and if he isn’t back to normal in the morning I’ll take him to see Deaton.” She tells him and Scott nods in agreement with her plan before a smirk crueller than his last curls up the edge of his lips. That look alone lets her know that the words that are about to leave his mouth are going to make her absolutely furious so she braces herself.

“Sounds like a good idea. I’d probably keep my hands off him while he’s like this, he’ll break you in two if you give him the chance.”

“Get out.” She seethes.

“f*ck you man!” Stiles thunders and with that Derek lets loose a low ominous growl that has Scott fleeing the house with his tail between his legs. “Are you going to be okay?” Stiles asks her again watching Derek with worry clear in his tone.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. He’s just a little hyper like this, nothing I can’t handle.” She tells him and whatever he sees on her face has him nodding and following Scott into the night, leaving Evelyn and Derek alone in the old house at last. “Right....” She holds out her hand and Derek doesn’t hesitate to take it gently in his clawed hand and lets her walk him back to the room and into the bathroom. “You need a shower too big guy.”

Now that she’s clean it’s easier to see just how filthy Derek actually is, he’s still covered in blood and muck and she can’t exactly see where the blood is coming from which only heightens her anxiety. “Wash up and I’ll be back.” She calls over her shoulder before rooting through his drawers again until she finally finds a pair of sweats that look like they might just fit.

She can’t say she’s completely surprised to find him standing there in the exact same position still fully clothed when she gets back. It hits her then like a swift punch to the gut that if she wants him clean, she’s going to have to help things along.

“Okay…If we’re gonna do this we need ground rules. I’m going to take your clothes off and you are going to keep your hands to yourself. You touch me, you sleep outside!” She tells him firmly, waggling her finger in his face and the smirk that curled across his lips at the idea of getting naked quickly falls away at her threat.

“If I ever find out that you could have done this by yourself I will cut your balls off.” She grumbles at him before stepping forward with a deep breath and grabbing the hem of his t-shirt in both of her hands. The dried blood on his chest has the top sticking to his skin and when she gives it a sharp tug to get it over his head he lets out a loud growl. He’s glaring at her when she eventually gets the t-shirt off of him and she gives him a big smile in return.

“Can you do the same things with your pants?” She asks and when his own hands fall to his zipper she thanks God for small mercies and quickly flicks around to give him privacy. She hears his jeans hit the ground and then something lighter she assumes are his boxers follow after a few seconds. There’s no more movement so she keeps her eyes on the floor as she shuffles around him to turn on the shower. He still doesn’t move so she rolls her eyes and gives him a gentle shove which seems to shift him into gear and he disappears under the spray.

Grabbing a towel from the drawer she’s assuming he pulled the one she’s now wearing from; she turns back to the bathroom door to find a much cleaner looking Derek standing in the doorway. He’s dripping wet and stark bollock naked and Evelyn’s pretty sure this is what it feels like to have a stroke. She doesn’t so much pass the towel to him as she does toss it in his general direction and she chucks the trousers over in much the same way.

They’re now standing in the same room both very, incredibly naked and Evelyn’s normal neurological functions have been completely overwritten by what felt like miles and miles of damp, tanned skin. She’s pretty certain she’s reached the temperature that spontaneous human combustion happens at. Stiles will come looking for her in the morning and all that he’ll find is a pile of ash. She can picture her headstone now, -Here lies Evelyn O’Hara, Derek Hale’s hot naked body threw her over the edge.

The hot naked body reminds her that he’s just a little more than that when he steps closer and lets out a questioning grunt. She makes him face the wall as she throws the jersey on and when he turns back around she’s surprised to find that he isn’t in full shift anymore. She also notices the bed is covered in soft blankets that she assumes Derek gathered and placed while she was in the shower. She doesn’t get to admire the fort for very long before Derek’s bullying her onto the bed, slipping in beside her and manhandling Evelyn so she’s curled up tightly against his chest.

He's still very shirtless and she’s happy about that for two reasons, obviously reason number one is that she is a warm-blooded woman with eyes and while full frontal nudity was a bit much, this is a bit more reasonable. Reason number two is a little less selfish as it lets Evelyn get a closer look at the closing wounds scattered across his torso.

His brief showers washed away most of the blood and mud, leaving behind some stubborn patches in places. By the look of the cuts themselves they’d been big and jagged at one point, probably made by knives but in the hour or so that they’ve been in the Hale house they’ve closed to red, angry looking fissures. Gently she prods the edge of one of the wounds and Derek lets out a low rumble of complaint at her poking.

“Oh hush you big baby. I’m just trying to make sure you’re not gonna bleed out on me,” she mutters into his collarbone. He lets out a content huff at her reasoning, smiling softly down at her, fangs still on show. It isn’t her best or brightest idea but she can’t help reaching out a finger to every so carefully prod at his canines. Derek plays along, nipping the tip of her finger so gently she barely even feels it.

“So, now that I’m absolutely positive that you don’t plan on tearing me limb from limb.” He frowns so deeply at that, completely horrified that thought might ever have crossed her mind. “It’s time for you to answer some questions.” He throws her a look that has her rolling her eyes at his continuous stubbornness. “Yes, I do know that talking isn’t exactly high on your list of capabilities right now but I have a suspicion that lying isn’t either which means now is the best time for an interrogation.”

She rests one hand on his cheek and curls the other one around his neck to keep him close. A breeze rattles through the house and before she can even manage a shiver Derek’s yanked the blanket tighter around her which in turn pulls her flush against him from head to toe. She blinks up at him, the flush that had just disappeared comes screaming back, creeping wildly up her neck as he pulls one of her thighs around his waist to keep her close. His smile disappears in an instant when his fingers brush against the cuts his nails had left behind on the way over here.

“It’s not your fault you were panicked.” She promises him but he ignores her and begins to palm the cuts in what seems like a genuine effort to try and make them disappear. Which does nothing for the cuts but does spike her blood pressure through the roof.

“Why were you panicked? You never panic.” She begins to scratch her finger through the short, still damp hairs at the back of his head, smiling softly when he lets out a rumbly kind of purr at the feeling. He doesn’t say anything but the hand on the back of her thigh squeezes just a little tighter and Evelyn picks it up right away.

“Okay, you were panicked then. Why did you run here? It wasn’t any closer than my house or your apartment.” She asks and he doesn’t answer but brushes his nose softly against hers all the while pulling the blanket even tighter around her. “Is it a pack thing?” The pressure on her thigh is back and she nods, nudging his nose back.

“So you brought me here because you’re comfortable here?” She looks around the moulding, smoke damaged room as much as she possibly can with the way he’s holding her and when no squeeze comes she knows he agrees that their sleeping arrangements for the night aren’t exactly five stars. “Okay, not comfortable, safe then?” She tries and he lets out a bark that’s far more sarcastic than she expects but she supposes asking him if he feels safe in the house where his family was murdered was a pretty dumb move.

She apologises softly and Derek just moves to bury his head in the space between her neck and her shoulder. “Okay, so maybe it’s that you used to feel safe here but not so much anymore?” The squeeze comes again.

“So it has to do with family then? Pack?” The answering squeeze is so firm she lets out a sharp gasp but Derek seems to realise she’s not in pain because he doesn’t even flinch at the noise this time. “That makes sense.” She smacks him on the back in retaliation for the hard squeeze but he just grumbles into her neck, punctuating the sound with a soft press of his lips to her skin.

“So I’m pack?” She mutters it into the air, mostly to herself as she begins to toy with his still clawed fingers and the squeeze is softer this time but no less meaningful. “Cool, that makes sense.” She’s actively trying not to cry now and she does a poor job at hiding it because she looks down and he’s peaking up at her with wide eyes.

“So, why are you like this?” She pointedly taps his claws with her own nails and the grunt she gets back is about as useful as she expected it to be. “You were fine when you untied me but then you completely wigged out and killed the curator.” She’s talking herself through the night again and she doesn’t expect him to do anything but she feels the growl he lets out at the mention of the man.

The growl doesn’t sound angry though and it’s then that it hits her and she drops the hand that up until now had still been carding through his hair to his chin and tilts his head back until she can see his eyes. “Were you scared? You never get scared!” Derek cuts through her surprise with an incredulous bark that’s a pretty close imitation of laughter. The hand on her thigh which hadn’t moved in a while, flexes against her bare skin and she inhales sharply at the feeling.

“Were you scared because I was the one in trouble?” The hand tightens on her thigh once more and she squirms at the feeling of his breath fanning across her face but she can’t make herself move. “So, let me get this straight, you went all alpha on us because I, the puny human of the pack was in danger.” Derek beams down at her as she finishes her sentence and she gives herself a little pat on the back for her impressive sleuthing skills.

Deeming her interrogation over, she burrows back into Derek’s chest and he buries his nose in her hair, the pair passing out within seconds of each other.

Chapter 16: Who invited the lizard man and the werewolves?

Chapter Text

Evelyn wakes and the first thing she does is sleepily reach out in an attempt to find the personal storage heater she had fallen asleep next to last night. She doesn’t find him but doesn’t think too much of it, rolling over to stare at the ceiling, swiping the sleep from her eyes.

It takes her a second longer than she’d ever actually admit to notice that the smoke stained, mold covered interior of Derek’s childhood room has been replaced by her own seashell blue bedroom walls. A singular slow blink has everything from the night before flitting through her head like some sort of demented mockery of that scene on the boat from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Panic steels the breath from her lungs as she pictures the kiss and the way she stripped him naked, all innocent at the time but could Derek have really agreed to it all in the state he was in. She’s now most definitely verging on a panic attack, her heart’s racing, her chest is heaving and she knows she’s crying her eyes out but she can’t hear it over the sound of her pulse in her ears.

“Hey, hey, hey.” The mattress lurches beneath her as Stiles scrambles over it to get to her, pulling her into his chest as soon as she’s within arm’s reach. “It’s okay, you’re okay. I’m here, I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.” All she can do is melt into his hold and let his paced and deep breaths begin to calm her own down. Her panic starts to slip away at the sound of Stiles’ voice and the feeling of his hands tightly wrapped around hers.

“Where’s Derek, is he…?” She buries her head back into Stiles chest as she asks the question and she can feel the heavy breath Stiles lets out.

“Before we talk about anything drink this.” He produces a mug of tea from the other side of the bed and she realises this is what he was doing before he found her having a nervous breakdown. “He carried you back here just before sunrise.” Stiles starts talking into her hair after she takes her first trembling sip. “I was passed out on the couch downstairs waiting for ye to get back. He scared the sh*t out of me but he was back to his regular growly self, not his super growly self when he appeared. He didn’t remember much when I asked what had happened and then he took Isaac with him to make sure everything was cleared up at the stone circle.”

‘He’s gone. He’s up and left, she took advantage of him and he hates her and never wants to see her again.’ The thoughts are flying around her head at a million miles an hour and she can hear her breath speeding up as the thoughts begin to move faster and faster, tears rolling down her face.

“He kissed me.” She admits because she has to say it out loud, has to try and clear her head somehow and Stiles pulls away from her quick as a flash, eyes wide.

“Did you want him to?”

“Of course I did! I just don’t know if he wanted to, he wasn’t himself last night and the thought that I pushed him into doing something he wasn’t comfortable with…” She trails off her breathing speeding up and she can once again hear her pulse start to echo in her ears.

“Did you hold him down? Did you tell him to kiss you. Did you do anything that my dad would label as coercion?” Stiles' questions cut her panic back like a weedwhacker. 'If anything Derek was the one who held her down', her mind supplies unhelpfully and she shakes that thought away but the groan Stiles lets out at the look that's crossed her face tells her she hasn’t been fast enough.

“God, hopefully this means you two will finally get your sh*t together.” He sounds almost wistful and she reaches out to slap his arm before a cold feeling robs the beginnings of the smile from her face.

“If he’s not upset with me, then why didn’t he stay?”

It’s a question that Evelyn doesn’t get an answer to because Isaac comes home that night for dinner without a mention of Derek. In fact Evelyn spends the next few days in radio silence and she makes up her mind that she’s going to do something about that.

“There's got to be some other way to get tickets, right?” Scott asks as Evelyn crawls out of the back of the jeep, thanking Stiles with a small smile as he holds the door open for her.

“It's a secret show-- there's only one way, and it's a secret.” Evelyn is about to comment on his intense levels of bitchiness when a third voice rings out from behind them.

“Hey... Do you guys know why no one's getting suspended after what happened the other day at school?” He asks obviously very confused about the entire situation and before Evelyn can tell him anything Stiles takes a step forward.

“Just forget about it. Nobody got hurt.” Stiles shrugs and Evelyn and Matt end up talking at the same time.

“I-I had a concussion...”

“He ended up in the emergency room…” They look at each other as they trail off and Matt shoots her a small smile as Stiles speaks up from behind her.

“Well, no one got seriously hurt.” He grumbles and throws Evelyn a look over his shoulder that lets her know they will be having a conversation about this later.

“I was in the ER for six hours!”

She hears all of the air in Stiles lungs leave his nose in one burst and she readies herself. “Hey, do you want to know the truth, Matt? Your little bump on the head is about this high on our list of problems right now.” She hides a smile behind her hands as he folds himself in half, his hand hovering just above the ground to show Matt exactly where he lies on Stile’s list of current priorities.

“Are you okay?” Evelyn asks him and he looks down at the ground for a second before raising his eyes to meet hers, eyes which for the first time she’s realising are a very startling shade of blue.

“Yeah, I'm fine now. So, you didn't get any tickets last night, either?” He says it to the group and Scott buts into the conversation for the first time.

“Are they still selling?” He sounds like an over eager puppy and Matt almost seems disappointed to be the one who has to give him the bad news.

“Uh, no, but I managed to find two online. You should keep trying. Sounds like everyone's gonna be there.” He throws a sardonic smirk Stiles’ way and then turns to leave. Evelyn ignores a very confused Stiles as he calls her name while she rushes to catch up with Matt.

“Hey.” He turns and throws her a confused look but he doesn’t seem unhappy that she’s talking to him so she takes that as a win. “So…” Her eyes flit to the ground and there's a little voice in the back of her head telling her this is a terrible idea but she doesn’t let it stop her from asking her question. “My plans for Friday fell through, any chance you’d still want to go to the rave together?”

He doesn’t say anything for a second and she lets her anxiety over take her as she convinces herself that she’s missed what might have been her only chance to get over Derek. “Yeah, I was actually going to sell it on but I’d much rather take you.” The sound of her heartbeat slows and her eyes flit up to meet his smiling ones and she knows for a fact that she’s flushing bright red right now but she smiles back and in a fit of madness leans up to press a quick kiss to his cheek.

“Brilliant, it’s a date.” She beams before whirling around on her heels, leaving a stunned Matt stuck in his place, hand still covering the spot on his cheek that her lips had pressed against. She isn’t expecting to see Stiles still waiting for her when she turns around and if the way he looks at her like she’s grown a second head is any indication, she has a lot of explaining to do.

“What the f*ck was that?” She keeps walking past him but he follows and she can feel his eyes boring into the side of her head.

“I’m going out with Matt on Friday night.” She tells him and he lets out a bark of laughter before it falls away and he stops their momentum with a hand to her shoulder.

“You’re serious right now aren’t you.” It isn’t a question and she nods once, holding her head up to meet his very confused gaze. “But… Evelyn I hope I’m not the person to break it to you but there is a very handsome alpha werewolf somewhere in this school that looks like he spends every second you’re within arm’s reach either failing miserably at not looking like a love sick idiot or trying really, really hard to not tear all of your clothes off and take you against the nearest flat surface.” Her face has to resemble a strawberry at this point so she cuts Stiles off before he can say anything else.

“He didn’t stay—”

“Evy—”

“He didn’t stay Stiles, he left and he hasn’t talked to me since that night in the Hale House. He’s as good as told me what he feels is pack bonds and nothing else. I need to rip the Band-Aid off and just move on.” She tells him defensively and Stiles looks like he’s considering ripping her head off or pulling her into a hug and he's far too conflicted to actually make a decision.

“Evelyn you cannot be serious. That night in the Hale House Derek was as close to an actual wolf I’m pretty sure a werewolf can be. He kissed you for f*ck sake.” He's almost shouting now so she jumps forwards to cover his mouth with her hands, glaring as menacingly as possible at him as she can while holding back tears. “He kissed you.” He says it again, softly this time from behind her hands and she sighs.

“Stiles, he hasn’t said anything to me so I’m pretty sure he doesn’t remember any of it and if he does he doesn’t want to. I can’t live like that, wondering if there’s something there, getting myself so worked up that it hurts when I hit the ground at the end of it.”

“Evelyn… You hate ripping Band-Aids off, you have to soak them in hot water for like five minutes before you even try to do it.” He murmurs and she shrugs smiling sadly up at him as she starts to walk off.

“Yeah, well maybe it’s time I grew up and stopped doing that.”

Friday rolls around faster than Evelyn expected it to and she couldn’t be happier with her decision to go out with Matt. A decision that’s made even easier by the fact that Derek hasn’t spoken to her once this week, hell they haven’t even made eye contact. She’s just put the finishing touches on her lipstick when her phone begins to ring. “What’s up?” She asks Stiles only to be met with complete and utter silence which when it comes to him is never a good thing. “Stiles?” Her tone is softer as she puts the lipstick down on the table.

The silence stretches on for a second more until it’s brought shattering down but a quiet hitching sob. “Stiles?”

“I f*cked up Evy.” Somehow she manages to hear him over the sound of her heartbeat jackrabbiting in her chest. The sound of his voice has the fear that was flooding her veins and pooling in her stomach settling.

“Are you okay?”

“I f*cked up so bad Evy.” He groans not answering her question which doesn’t help the rate of her breathing.

“Stiles, are you okay?” She cuts through him for sport this time and she hears him let out another shaky breath.

“I’m okay, I’m not hurt or anything.” His voice is small and she doesn’t think she’s heard him this sad in years.

“Good, okay good.” She lets out a breath, closes her eyes and settles back on her chair. “I’m sure whatever you did can’t be that bad.” She tries to calm him but he just lets out a mirthless chuckle.

“Oh, I’d say getting your dad fired is pretty bad.”

“What?” Her voice catches in her throat at his admission but Stiles keeps going.

“Apparently having a thief for a son and said son also having a restraining order out against him is not what the county wants from their sheriff.” Stiles is trying for humour but his voice falters at the end and she knows he’s about to snap.

“Well that’s bullsh*t.”

“Yeah, well we know that but the county disagrees.”

“Do you need me to come over there?” She asks him softly, pulling her feet up under her in her desk chair.

“No, not a good idea. He’s…He’s not even mad at me which makes it so much worse I wish he’d just yell at me but he’s locked himself in a room with a bottle of Jack…” His voice trails off into a heaving sob and Evelyn’s on her feet.

“Okay, I’m on my way, give me like twenty minutes.”

“No, no you’ve got…you’ve got your date…tonight.”

She can hear the way his breaths are coming in harsh and fast and she has about thirty seconds to ward off a full blown panic attack.

“Okay, give me a big deep breath in.” She coaches and when she hears him do it she keeps going. “Good, great, okay now let it out.” He does it without questioning her and she keeps him doing it until she’s sure he’s calmed down a little more.

“You’re getting better at that.” He says it softly after a while and she lets out her own humourless chuckle.

“That’s probably not a good thing. Now sit tight I’m on my way.”

“Are you all fancied up for tonight?”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t matter.” She tells him, grabbing for the car keys and a heavier jumper.

“Evelyn, go and have a good night. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” She can tell that the way she’s been chewing on her lip since Stiles first called means that she’s definitely going to have to reapply her lipstick.

“I’m sure, thanks for listening Evy.”

“Course,” she rolls her eyes at how shocked he sounds that she would, “anytime.”

‘Ten minutes isn’t that late. You’ve been way more than ten minutes for so many things.’ The sting of her phone against the palm of her hand is the only thing keeping her from spiralling. She really wishes she’d brought her bigger coat instead of the flimsy bomber jacket. Don’t get her wrong the bomber jacket complements her outfit perfectly but it does nothing to keep out the biting wind rattling around the warehouse.

“Hey!” His voice calls out from behind her and she can't help but squeak at the sudden interruption of her anxiety riddled thoughts.

“Christ Matt! You have to stop sneaking up on me like that.” She turns and finds him smiling broadly at her. He’s in a leather jacket and the sight of it has something panging in her chest that she immediately tries to shake off. He looks good, even if the voice in the back of her mind keeps telling her that he’s a very poor substitute.

“Sorry, sorry, I’ll try not to do it anymore. You ready to go in?” He asks holding out his hand to her with a look of what might be concern on his face. Evelyn quickly remembers that she is in fact here on a date and staring off into space for the last few seconds probably isn't a great first impression to have made. However, faced with this pretty innocent gesture she finds herself hesitating for a second before she grabs his hand and lets him lead her into the warehouse all the while trying to ignore how clammy his palm feels pressed up against hers.

“You look great by the way.” He says it into her ear in an effort to make sure she hears him but all it does is make her feel twitchy.

“Thanks, I just thought, what are the brightest things I own and can I wear them together?" She strikes a ridiculously awkward pose, showing off her neon pink tube top and the black skater skirt she’d dug out from the bottom of her wardrobe.

“Well they suit you.” He says just as they get into the warehouse and Evelyn’s senses are immediately overtaken by the thump of the bass and the flash of the multicoloured strobe lights. Matt keeps a hold of her hand and eventually they find a spot that’s not overly crowded where he proceeds to drop his hold on her hand only to then grasp for her waist, taking a step closer to her. “This okay?” He asks and she pushes down her awkwardness about the whole situation, nodding once. He doesn’t hesitate to wrap his other arm around her and pulls her in as close as he can.

That’s how they spend the next couple of songs, just dancing, maybe a little too close for Evelyn’s comfort but the beat of the music has her unwinding as she strains to listen to Matt talk about himself.

Then she gets distracted when the lights flash directly onto the intensely arguing Allison and Scott just behind Matt’s head. She’s too far away to make out exactly what’s being said but something about the way Scott’s eyes flit nervously around the room and the way Allison’s eyes keep dropping to her phone have Evelyn on edge straight away.

She’s just about to excuse herself to go figure out exactly what's happening when a pair of lips press cautiously against her own. They're are more chapped than Derek’s lips had been the other night, but he presses them more insistently against her own than Derek had.

There under the lights, Matt kisses her so firmly and so sweetly that Evelyn feels…

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing, there’s no spark, no butterflies in her stomach just plain old ambivalence to the whole thing.

Matt pulls away first, face more than a little flushed, “I’m so sorry was that too fast? I should have asked you first—” He scrambles for an excuse and Evelyn reaches up to squeeze his shoulder in an attempt to pull his attention out of the spiral that he’s about to fall into.

“No it was…good, nice…Sorry I’m just a little dazed by the music, would you mind getting me a drink, I think I’m getting a headache.” She flashes him the eyes that get Stiles to do whatever she wants. It therefore doesn’t surprise her at all that he readily agrees and she thanks him with a peck that leaves him stumbling back into the crowd away from her.

She turns her attention back to where Scott and Allison were and in their stead she’s met with an image she thinks she could have gone forever without seeing. Erica’s kissing Jackson's neck as he grinds back on Isaac and she has to physically hold back a groan as she watches them. Isaac could do so much better. Something silver glints in Isaac’s hand and she realises with a start that he’s holding a syringe. She also notices the second Jackson spots the syringe and she doesn’t even get to open her mouth before Jackson has the pair of them on the floor, the syringe tumbling off into the roiling masses.

She turns on her heel to head in the other direction, hoping to find one of the others before this evening falls into complete chaos. She only manages about three steps before a pair of arms she’s not familiar with wrap themselves around her waist, the arms are followed by a body and then a voice that sounds incredibly pissed off and more than a little familiar hits her ears.

“Did you know about this?” He snarls and she freezes in his hold when it hits her that this is probably not going to be a friendly encounter.

“Did I know about what Jackson?” asks Evelyn, furtively glancing at the hands on her waist, settling a little when she sees that they aren’t changing into claws just yet.

“Did you know your pack are trying to drug me and put me into a storage closet.”

“I did not know that. Nope. Not a clue.” She answers with a squeak and the hold Jackson has on her lessens a little. “I’m on a date and I have been actively ignoring pack problems recently.” She’s positive if she wanted to she could break his grip but she stays in his hold for now. “I’m sure they have their reasons.” She starts to talk but his rasping snarl cuts her off. “So I can only assume that I’m being used as a human shield right now.” She grumbles and Jackson snorts loudly in her ear.

“Obviously, they’re not going to try anything if it puts you in danger.” He’s so sure of himself that she almost feels bad for bursting his bubble.

“You’ve met Erica? Right?” He freezes at that and Evelyn doesn’t have time to feel smug about the incredible point she’s just ruined his evening with before he’s stalking off with her. The grip Jackson has on her arm as he drags her through the warehouse is tight and she’s pretty sure she catches sight of amber flickering amongst the strobe lights but she doesn’t catch any red.

He drags her out the back and stops to once again push her in front of him as his progress is halted by a very pissed off Derek. “Let her go.” It’s an order, punctuated by flickering crimson eyes and Evelyn struggles to remember why she was ever mad at him in the first place.

“Not a f*cking chance. She’s my ticket out of here. You tell your pups to back off and I’ll let her go somewhere safe.” Jackson’s grip is burning on her arm now and she knows she must let out some sort of whimper because Derek takes a step forward, teeth bared, snarl rumbling in his chest. “I said back up Derek, I’ll tear her throat out which would be a real shame Evelyn cause you have an objectively pretty neck.” He teases and she rolls her eyes at the pair of them.

“Hello, hostage here, I’m meant to be on a date so if I could just go get back to that please.” She crosses her arms over her chest and slumps back against Jackson.

Jackson’s hold on her arms lessens again and he bends to speak gruffly in her ear, “hostages don’t get to make requests.”

“Hostages think you should suck a bag of dicks.” Jackson’s growl echoes around the alley and all Evelyn can do is scoff very loudly at his outrage. “Hey, you kidnapped me! I’m sorry did you think I was gonna go quietly into the night with you lizard boy? Jesus you’re dumber than you look.”

“God you are such a pain in my ass.” His hold falters almost completely and she takes the opportunity to fling her head back as hard as humanly possible. There’s a wet crack and Jackson’s hands disappear off her waist and throat to clutch at his nose which is now gushing blood. She uses the distraction to shove him off her and before she has a chance to right herself there’s a far more familiar pair of arms around her waist and surrounded by them she feels like she can breathe properly for the first time in a week.

She hears a dull thud and whips back to watch Jackson fall to the floor, he’s now laying sprawled out on the ground, Isaac looming over him with an empty syringe in his grasp. She doesn’t get to ask her questions though as one of the hands on her waist moves upwards to gently clutch her chin between calloused fingers.

“You okay?” He’s so stupidly, f*cking sincere as he asks her, eyes big, green and full of worry for her, of fear for her safety a soft voice sings incessantly in her head.

“Yeah, I’m A-okay.” She smiles up at him knowing for a fact he’s going to see through her entire charade immediately. Sure enough he leans in closer and ducks his head so he can meet her eyes, she has no idea when she dropped them.

“Lie.” Derek whispers softly into her ear, squeezing her waist just that little bit tighter.

Chapter 17: Date Night Part Two: Electric Bugaloo.

Chapter Text

“I’ll go with!” Evelyn frees herself from Derek’s hold and follows after the others as fast as she can.

The ‘holding pen’ turns out to be a storage room made from corrugated iron hidden against the back stone wall of the warehouse. There aren’t any windows so the room is lit by one too bright fluorescent light, she’s also more than a little grateful for the singular lock on the door.

Isaac manages to get Jackson, none to gently into the chair while she and Erica watch on from the other side of the room.

“How long do you think we have?” Evelyn asks and Isaac shrugs as he moves back to stand beside her.

“Not sure but I really don’t want to chance it.”

Then the door bursts open and Stiles falls through it almost straight onto panicked werewolf claws before he manages to announce himself. “No, no, no! Just me, it’s just me. Don’t freak.” He grumbles at the wolves who send him back an equally pissed glare before all four of them turn to face the cause of all their strife as he sits slumped in the rickety chair.

“I see you got tickets then.” Evelyn says, watching Stiles out of the corner of her eye.

“Yeah, probably should have told you that. How’s the date going?” He asks and with that all the eyes in the room flick to Evelyn and she feels herself shrinking under the intense looks she’s getting.

“How’d you think, I’m here aren’t I.” She snaps back at the group and that seems to shut them up enough as Stiles turns his eyes back to Jackson.

“He okay?” Stiles asks and Isaac shrugs before circling back towards him.

“Well, let's find out...” He flashes claws and before Evelyn has a chance to step forward and stop him he moves to strike Jackson. She doesn’t have to be worried about though, Jackson is still well able to take care of himself as he grabs Isaac’s wrist and she watches as Isaac crumples to his knees in pain. It takes him a second but with enough force he manages to wrench his arm free of Jackson’s vice like grip and stumbles back into Evelyn’s arms.

“Well done dumbass.” She chides as she strokes over the reddening marks on his arms.

“Okay, no one does anything like that again, okay?” The panic is clear as daylight in Stiles’ voice and she watches as he none to subtly places himself in front of Erica and herself.

Isaac’s head is lolling into her stomach as he sits himself back on some boxes, “Oh, I thought the ketamine was supposed to put him out...?” He groans, the muscles in his neck straining and she’s pretty sure as she examines the wrist that Jackson's shattered it.

“Yeah, well, apparently, this is all we're going to get. So, let's just hope that whoever's controlling him just decided to show up tonight.” Stiles huffs and Evelyn finally looks up at him now that Isaac’s wrist seems to be knitting itself back together.

“What the f*ck was the plan here anyways. Pump him with ketamine and get him to give up his master. Great. Then what. What’s next, the second he wakes up we’re all on his kill list, especially if he gives up the name of the person controlling him.”

“Scott’s on it.” Stiles tells her and if she’s not mistaken that’s hesitation she hears in his voice.

“Last I saw him he was arguing with Allison—”

“Guys.” Isaac calls but Evelyn ignores him and keeps up her tirade.

“So I’m not sure how useful he’s-"

“EVELYN!” She jumps a little at the sound of Isaac’s raised voice and she panics when she spots ice blue eyes on her from across the room.

Jackson looks completely normal, his voice is anything but, it’s cold and snake like and if she listens close enough it almost sounds as if two voices are speaking simultaneously. “I'm here. I'm right here with you.” No one makes a move, no one says anything for a solid second, they just watch and Jackson watches them right back.

Stiles shoves Evelyn a little and she takes the hint that she’s going to be the sacrificial lamb in this situation so she takes a ginger step forward and when Jackson makes no move to snap, she moves until she’s right in front of him. She shifts then, until she’s on her knees so she looks the least threatening she can be. “Hey buddy, you in there?”

“Us.” He says it so softly, Evelyn finds she has to lean in closer to actually hear him. “We're all here.” His eyes aren’t focused on her at all as he speaks and she feels her hackles start to rise. Pretty certain she’s not actually talking to Jackson right now she glances back at the other three she finds them watching on in horror so she pushes on.

“Are you the one killing people?” She asks and his eyes finally land on hers and there’s such a fury there it has her clamming up as he focuses it on her.

“We are the ones killing murderers.”

“So, all the people you've killed so far—” Jackson cuts Stiles off in the middle of his question to snap a distorted-“Deserved it.” His attention moves to Stiles as he says it and Evelyn can breathe again once his eyes are off her.

“See, we got a little rule book that says you only go after murderers...” To his credit Stiles doesn’t balk, just narrows his eyes and continues to question the Kanima and by proxy the Kanima’s master.

“Anything can break if enough pressure's applied.”

“Okay, so everyone you’ve killed has been a murderer?” She asks him softly but his eyes don’t leave Stiles’ figure.

“All. Each. Everyone.” She could easily believe that Mr. Lahey would kill someone and the hunter as well but she finds it hard to believe the pregnant woman had anything to do with a murder.

“Who did they murder?” This time Jackson’s eyes do drop to hers and the icy fury she’d seen there before has only intensified.

“Me.” The answer leaves Evelyn reeling, not sure how she’s supposed to move on from here.

“Wait, what? What do you mean?” Stiles has moved closer and he asks the question while putting a reassuring hand on Evelyn’s shoulder.

“They murdered me.” He spits, the pure venom in his voice has Isaac and Erica shuffling behind her and once she turns her attention back to Jackson she finds the Kanima’s are already on her. “They murdered me.” It’s Stiles who pulls her back on across the floor to the relative safety of the far side of the room and she watches as Jackson begins to slowly lift a clawed and scaled hand.

“Okay. All right, more ketamine. The man needs ketamine. Come on!”

“...We don't have any more.” Isaac’s response to Stiles’ frantic request has Evelyn whirling around to clutch at his sleeve.

“How much did you give him?”

“You used the whole bottle?” Stiles answers for him and Evelyn's stomach falls out of her ass as she turns her eyes back to the chair only to find Jackson fully upright and now almost entirely covered in dark green scales. He doesn’t say anything for a moment but their luck has definitely run out an it's punctuated by an ear piercing shriek before Jackson begins to violently twitch before their eyes.

“Um, okay, out! Everybody out!” Stiles grabs Evelyn’s hand and Isaac clutches her other as they all pile out of the door after Erica who’s hand is firmly in Stiles’. Isaac slams the door shut behind him as they go and then they all pile themselves on top of it.

“We have to find something to bar the door with.” Evelyn huffs as they all turn to look for something they can use as a blockade. The idea is proven entirely pointless though as The Kanima bursts through the corrugated steel of the wall like some sort of Tasmanian devil, leaving them all a little traumatised in his wake.

“I need to find Matt.” Evelyn tries to pull herself free of the pile after a few speechless seconds but Isaac isn’t letting go of her hand.

“Absolutely not, we need to stick together in case he comes back to finish us off.” Stiles barks but she manages to wiggle free and sets off down the hall.

“I’ll be fine! Just try and figure out where he’s going!” She calls back over her shoulder before heading back into the throng of people.

After a good few songs, Evelyn finally admits defeat, she isn’t going to find Matt just wandering around so she decides to try and hunt down the others again. As she walks something keeps pushing at the back of her mind. Then a smell hits her nose and she can’t figure out what it is but she knows it sticks out here, it definitely doesn't belong. She’s at the back of the warehouse now, away from the crowds so she’s surprised when she hears hushed voices coming from the end of the hallway she’s found herself in.

She’s doubly surprised when as she finally comes up to the door that the voice is coming from, it starts to sound a lot like Victoria Argent’s. There’s nothing else in Evelyn’s mind to do but step closer to press her ear against the door to try and hear what she’s saying.

The hand that emerges from the shadowy doorway to yank her into the room is the final unexpected nail in the coffin. It takes her eyes a second to adjust from the bright, multicoloured strobe lights in the hall to the dim barely lit room she’s in now and the fake fog being pumped around the rave seems to have followed her inside. No, that's not quite right though, the smell she caught earlier is so strong in the small room now that it makes her want to gag, it's like roses on steroids.

When her eyes finally focus she realises the hand around her wrist is in fact Victoria Argent's but she’s not alone in the room. The second figure is struggling, albeit sluggishly on their back in front of her and she blames how long it takes her to figure out that it’s Scott that she’s seeing, splayed out on a makeshift table. At the sight of him gasping for air the source of the smell becomes clear, wolfsbane.

“What are you doing to him?” Evelyn hisses all the while trying to break herself out of Victoria’s hold. The grip doesn’t falter but Evelyn’s next words die in her throat as a neat little dagger is placed firmly under her chin.

“Oh Ms. O’Hara, you couldn’t have just kept walking could you?” She almost sounds like she’s disappointed in Evelyn who is now unable to do anything but stare at one of her best friends wheezing loudly just out of reach.

“I can’t help that I’m nosy.” She musters up the courage to speak, words forcing their way past the knife at her throat.

“Well now I’m going to have to come up with a clever excuse as to why Scott killed you, giving himself a panic attack in the process." She stops for a moment, "or…Young love never does run quite smooth does it. The only thing you’d be able to do after finding the love of your life blue and lifeless on the floor is to follow him. It would be the only logical explanation.

“That's actually probably the worst way to go, no one who knows either of us would ever believe that.” Evelyn scoffs at how sure Victoria seems that her plan will work. She doesn’t put much stock into her mental sate at the moment though because she does seem fully convinced she’s going to get away with murdering two teenagers in cold blood.

“Whatever the case, I’m sorry my dear, you’re just going to be an unfortunate piece of collateral damage in all of this. It’s sad really, Allison is very fond of you.” There’s a waver in her voice but the pressure of the knife against Evelyn’s throat never slips.

“Alpha... Beta... But what are you, Scott? Omega. Don't you know the lone wolf never survives without a pack? I've heard the cry of an Omega. It's a miserable sound, the howl of a lone wolf...”

“He’s not though—” Evelyn rasps back and Victoria stills behind her. “He isn’t alone.”

“Oh, and what do you plan on doing to help right now?” Victoria lets out a condescending chuckle as Evelyn’s fingernails tear into her palms, blood sluggishly dripping down her knuckles.

“She’s right…I’m not…” Scott stumbles over his words, taking a deep breath and then his head is tilting back as he releases a loud mournful howl before promptly passing out. The sound hits Evelyn square in her chest and something in her snaps as she releases her own scream into the night, both of their cries have Victoria scrambling to stop the pair but it’s too little too late and she knows it.

“I should have killed you the second you stumbled in here.” She growls, tilting Evelyn’s head back but before she has a chance to do anything the door bursts open and Victoria throws a hand over Evelyn’s mouth before she has a chance to call out for Derek. He stumbles a little as he enters the room, the scent of wolfsbane hitting him full force and Victoria spots her chance and runs with it.

Evelyn hits the ground with a yelp as Victoria springs towards Derek, shoving the neat little dagger right into his shoulder blade and Evelyn can’t help the yelp of distress she lets out at the sight.

Evelyn tries to scramble to her feet but she can’t get her feet under her as she watches Victoria and Derek grapple with each other against the far wall. It’s hazy and Evelyn can’t make out much, the scent of the wolfsbane making her woozy as she tries to figure out who has the upper hand in the fight.

The answer is clearly Victoria because seconds later Derek’s thrown to the floor, landing beside Evelyn, one arm reaching out to grasp her calf. Derek’s eyes flit wildly around the room but Victoria seems to have disappeared so deciding that the coast is clear, Derek grabs Scott under one arm and pulls Evelyn to her feet with the other.

They scramble for the door and stumble out into the hallway, immediately getting swept up by the hoards of sweaty, smiling teens leaving the rave. Heading for the door Scott's propped up like a parody of Weekend at Bernie’s between them. Evelyn does notice that the further they get from the room, the less of Scott’s weight she's having to carry.

“So, I heard Stiles mention a date…” Derek starts out of nowhere and Evelyn rounds on him with wide eyes but before she can say anything her whole body tenses as she spots a stressed looking boy in a leather jacket waving at her.

Matt stops in front of them with a very confused look on his face which Evelyn watches harden a little as his eyes fall over Derek’s form.

“He okay?” He asks pointing to Scott, who’s coming around again, mumbling incoherently under his breath.

“Yeah, well no…” Evelyn huffs, spitting her hair out of her mouth as she struggles to give all of Scott’s weight over to the now fully recovered Derek. “I think he’s having a bad reaction to something he took.” She bluffs and Derek lets out a suspiciously timed cough and when she glances towards him he’s very clearly trying to hide a smile behind his hand.

“I’m gonna take him home.” Derek tells her, finally moving Scott himself so that he can fully take his weight and by the look he’s throwing her she knows Derek’s bringing him straight to Deaton. Evelyn nods, waving them off with a smile that’s far too tight, watching them shuffle towards the Camaro and barely restraining herself from sprinting off after them.

“Will he be okay?” Matt reminds Evelyn of his presence in his typical manner, which is to say he scares the ever living sh*t out of her. She clutches her chest, biting her lip to stop the curse on the tip of her tongue slipping out.

“He should be fine, he’s had worse.” She finds Matt looking at her in wide eyed disbelief and she realises that’s definitely given Matt the wrong impression but she can’t find the energy to explain herself. “You need a lift home?” She quickly asks, pulling his attention back to her and he nods and follows her back to her car.

The drive to Matt’s house is completely silent and it’s not a comfortable silence, no the silence that permeates Evelyn’s car is heavy and awkward, the kind that has her itching to turn up the radio or throw herself from the still moving vehicle. She can’t seem to bring herself to look at Matt but she can feel the way his eyes barely leave her face for the entirety of the car ride. Eventually Matt directs her to pull up in front of a quaint little bungalow and once she has the car parked she turns to face him.

He doesn’t look unimpressed, in fact he’s still smiling warmly at her which is weird because she’s almost certain it had felt like he had spent the majority of the ride glaring at the side of her face.

“Did you have a good night?” He asks her and her stomach flips but not in the good way as he reaches over to put a hand over hers on top of the gear stick.

She thinks back on it and the parts of her night that didn’t involve terrible pack plans, murderous lizard boys and even more murderous mother in law’s but by now the rest of it had pretty much faded into obscurity. She’s not as good as schooling her expressions as she thinks she is because Matt’s face screws up into something cold and Evelyn has to rush to explain herself. “I did, it’s just techno isn’t really my thing.”

This seems to settle him some and he squeezes his hand around hers once. “It’s not mine either, too many girls wearing too much makeup and barely any clothes. Maybe next time we could just go to the movies?” He sounds hopeful and Evelyn feels more than a little bad for running off in the middle of their first date so she nods along quickly.

“Is there something going on between you and Derek Hale?” The question comes out of nowhere and she can’t help but stumble over her answer a bit at his borderline accusatory tone.

“No—” She yelps and hears how defensive she sounds straight away so she stops and collects her thoughts for a second. “No, Derek’s just a friend.” She tells him but the word friend comes out a bit too close to a question and the twitch of Matt’s mouth lets her know he heard it too.

“Would you understand if I said it was complicated?” She tries and Matt lets out a deep sigh but throws her a wry grin.

“Not really. But, I’ll try.” She thanks him with a kiss on the cheek and after that he hops out of the car. She watches him get into his house and as soon as he’s out of sight she drops her head to the steering wheel, letting out a loud exasperated groan. Plan move on and fast has failed miserably, in fact all this evening proved is that Derek Hale might just be impossible to get over at all. Then something catches her eye from the foot-well of the passenger seat, leaning over to pick it up she finds Matt’s left his Camera bag behind.

She knows she shouldn’t but she can’t help turn the camera on and start flicking through the pictures Matt’s taken. The first few she finds are candid shots of the lacrosse team during the last game, they’re good if a little boring but they do manage to bring a smile to her face. Her smile quickly fades at the sight of the next candid. The girl is leaning across a desk smiling at the dumb joke Stiles had just told her and she knows she told Stiles about a second later that his joke was dumb because the girl in the picture is her. There’s one from the night in the pool before she left the bleachers. There’s one the day the pack poisoned Lydia where she’s very clearly ready to murder Erica in the seat next to her. There are pictures of her on the stairs, in the library, on her own and with others. It makes her nauseous but she can’t stop, she’s on autopilot and she just keeps flipping through the pictures until she finds one that makes her stop.

She can’t quite believe what she’s seeing, but it’s there in her hands, solid and bulky. She’s curled up in her bed, facing the window, flat out asleep. The knock on the window startles her and she chucks the camera back onto the passenger seat before glancing up to meet Matt’s eyes. His expression is blank and for some reason that scares Evelyn a lot more than she thinks anger would have.

He goes to open the door and Evelyn’s never been happier than John had drilled always lock your car doors into her as soon as she started driving. He smirks at the looked door, lifting his eyes to once again look at her but there’s something colder there now. “Open the window.”

She hesitates, everything in her tells her not to open that window, she wants to leave and never see him again but keeping Matt’s bag is not a good way of going about that. So, very, very reluctantly she presses the button, dropping the window just enough to squeeze the camera back through.

“Heh. Forgot my bag.” He points to it, as if she hadn’t been caught red handed with it just a second ago.

“You did.” She tries a smile but she’s almost certain it’s a grimace. He leans in then and grabs the bag but he does it without ever taking his eyes off her and something about the way he looks at her reminds her of the way Warren did that night in the woods.

“Some good pictures in there, don't you think?” It’s a trap, it’s definitely a trap and Evelyn wants to put her foot on the gas and speed away but she knows that would probably be a bad decision.

“Yeah, the lacrosse ones are amazing. You're really talented. I was-I was-I was really impressed...” Evelyn stutters over her words.

“There's a good candid of you in there, too.” She’s kind of shocked he’d just admit that out loud but she knows she has an out now.

“I didn’t get that far, that’s impressive, I usually photograph like a potato.” She laughs but it’s choked and forced.

“Well I think I captured you really well. You can see it and some of the others, if you want. I mean, this-this tiny little screen doesn't really do it justice. But, uh, I could show you some on my computer.”

“Sounds great, but maybe another night, I'm wrecked from all the dancing.”

“Well, just for a few minutes?” He pushes and Evelyn feels her heart rate beginning to pick up its tempo.

“Maybe the next night, it’s kind of late.” She tries to explain, smile failing at the corners.

“It's the weekend.” He laughs pointedly at her and Evelyn knows she needs to go right the f*ck now.

“I really have to go.” She tells him firmly and he seems to fold a little at that.

“You sure?” He tries one last time and Evelyn just nods at him this time and with that he pulls his hand from the car and pats her roof. “Okay.” She’s off before his feet hit the sidewalk.

Chapter 18: Puppy Preschool

Chapter Text

She doesn’t see the light on in Isaac’s room as she pulls into the driveway and she thanks god for that. Racing up the stairs she yells out to Maude that she’s heading to stay in Stiles’ house for the night while shoving pajamas and a toothbrush into a rucksack.

She doesn’t stop looking over her shoulder until John’s opened the front door to let her in.The anxiety of the entire evening is obviously playing out on her face because John doesn’t ask, he doesn’t even open his mouth, he simply yanks her into a full body hug and she can’t help but let a little sniffle escape her. “What’s got you so worked up?”

“Men are assholes.” She doesn’t have it in her to lie and she can’t help but admit that the little wheezing noise John lets out makes up for a lot of what’s happened tonight.

“Uhm…”

“Relax, I’m not going to bore you with the details of my terrible date. That’s what your kid is for.” She claps him on the shoulder and they immediately slump in relief.

“Oh thank God.” She rolls her eyes at him but keeps smiling as he leads her into the kitchen. From there she goes straight to the press and grabs the ingredients to start making double chocolate brownies. This and this alone is the reason John stays with her in the kitchen and he says that to her face.

“So…Do you want to talk about it?” She asks him softly, focused on folding the chocolate chunks into the brownie batter. A glass hits the table and John lets out a sigh that feels like it could rattle bones in the next county.

“I don’t blame him. If that’s what you’re worried about.”

“It is and it isn’t.” Evelyn tells him softly, “I’m worried about you and him. Which is par for the course but now it’s dialed up to eleven.” She puts the wooden spoon down and turns around to look at John, whose eyes are firmly on the glass half full of amber in front of him. “I just don’t like seeing you upset at one and other.”

John lets out another deep sigh, picks up the glass, drains it and takes it to the sink to rinse it out. “I’m not upset with him.”

“Could’ve fooled me…” She raises a brow, folding her arms across her chest and John seems to realise that he’s not getting out of this interrogation with his typically evasive answers.

“I’m no more upset with him than I have been over the last few weeks.” He amends and if that doesn’t cut her to the quick. John looks like he wants to say more so she uses her patented- you’ll spill your guts to me if I don’t look you directly in your eyes- move.

“I know you’re teenagers and I know he’s not gonna tell his old man everything but it just seems like after all that happened with those murders last year he’s stopped telling me anything. Which wouldn’t bother me so much if I didn’t have this gut feeling that you kids are keeping something big from me.”

Her back is still turned so she’s pretty sure John won’t have seen the way she winces at just how right that assumption is. His eyes are burning a hole in the back of her head though and she lets out a hushed breath at the sound of the front door opening and slamming shut.

Stiles is halfway up the stairs before the smell seems to catch him in his tracks and he appears in the kitchen a few seconds later with a tilted head and a questioning look on his face.

“My date ended terribly.” She shrugs but when John looks away she pins him with a look that lets him know she’ll tell him the whole story later. The silence that fills the kitchen is stifling and it’s only broken when John’s chair scrapes across the tiled floor.

“It’s late, I’m gonna head for bed.” He tells them and he presses a soft kiss to Evelyn’s forehead. Then she watches with bated breath he moves towards Stiles, she can see from here just how tense Stiles is but some of that melts as John squeezes one of his shoulders and drops a kiss to his hair. “Don’t stay up too late.” He calls as he pads up the stairs and they call back in agreement before waiting until the door of his room shuts.

“Spill!” Stiles almost stumbles over himself to get to her side and she rolls her eyes, putting the tray into the oven and setting the timer before righting herself.

“Matt’s a creep.” She shrugs but Stiles isn’t letting her away with that, he crowds her up against the sink, looking about as serious as she's ever seen him and he pins her with a glare.

“What. Happened?”

“Look, I don’t really want to think about it right now.”

“Evelyn, did he hurt you?”

“No, nothing like that. I’ll tell you tomorrow but for now can we just go to bed?” She asks and he reluctantly nods in agreement.

“Fine, but we will be talking about this.” He pokes her shoulder and she flicks him back but nods with a bright smile.

So they wait until the brownies are done, eat two of the corner pieces while they’re still scalding hot and then head up to bed and if Stiles hears Evelyn wake in the night with a sob he doesn’t say anything.

Not letting Isaac know where she was going last night turns out to be an awful plan when the shrill ring of her phone startles her awake at stupid o’clock the next morning. Stiles groans and rolls away from the noise as Evelyn slaps around on the locker for her phone.

“Thanks for telling me you were staying in Stilinski’s last night, Maude just had to talk me down from a panic attack.”

“Guh.” Her articulate response has Isaac snorting down the line as Stiles rolls back to try and slap the phone out of her hand.

“Derek wants you at the station in twenty,” and with that he hangs up. Evelyn stares at the phone for a few seconds before scoffing and shoving it under her pillow.

They get woken up again about twenty minutes later by Stiles’ phone ringing out from the other locker. Groaning simultaneously, Stiles reaches for the phone while Evelyn throws a pillow over her face to block out the sound. “Did you dial the wrong number or something?” Stiles grumbles down the phone, sounding more surprised than angry and Evelyn lowers the pillow to hear the conversation.

She can’t hear the voice on the other end of the line but she does see Stiles scoff and throw his eyes up to heaven at whatever the other person’s saying. “If this is your way of asking me for help Hale, your technique needs work.”

This peaks Evelyn’s interest even further, why the hell would Derek be ringing Stiles looking for help. Stiles doesn’t say anything for a while, seemingly listening intently to whatever Derek is telling him. “Fine, we’ll be over in twenty.” He caves in and hangs up then before flopping back onto the bed beside her.

“What was that about?” She asks him softly and he rolls over to face her with a wry look on his face.

“We have to go teach puppy pre-school.”

The pair make the trip in their pajamas, music on low, stopping for coffee on the way. They reach the door and before they get a chance to knock Erica opens it with an unimpressed look on her face.

Once she’s taken in Evelyn’s appearance her face brightens, “you look terrible.” Evelyn doesn’t have the energy to rise to the bait this morning so she flips her the bird and shoves by stomping down the stairs, an equally grumpy Stiles following in her wake.

Isaac reaches them first and whatever lecture he was about to give her dies on his tongue as he takes in her appearance. “What happened?” Cursing werewolf perception and the fact that in their rush to leave the house this morning she didn’t wash the dried tear tracks off her cheeks. Trying her best to avert attention she goes to shrug it off but Isaac doesn’t let her get far.

“No you told me last night that you’d tell me what he did.” Stiles steps forward and with that any plans of passing what happened last night off as nothing fly out the window.

“What who did? Matt?” Isaac snarls and she hears something crash over by the train car but her attention is quickly brought back to a now irate Isaac. “Did he hurt you?”

“No, no he didn’t do anything like that, I’m fine.” She tries to brush them off once again but they aren’t having any of it.

“Evelyn!” Stiles and Isaac snap at the same time and she can feel tears beginning to prick at the corners of her eyes again.

“Fine, fine you wanna know so bad I’ll tell you, but you need to promise me that neither of you will do anything dumb or rash.” She eyes them warily and they look at each other before looking back to her and nodding at the same time, which is more than a little eerie.

“I dropped him home last night and he left his camera in my car. I know I shouldn’t have looked but I couldn’t help myself, so I…Well you’ve met me I’m way too nosey for my own good.” That gets a chuckle from the pair and she’s even more mortified to hear another deep chuckle from behind her that lets her know that Derek’s made his way over to where they’re standing.

“So, I looked at the camera and it was full of pictures.” Her voice breaks and Evelyn feels Derek’s arms settle around her waist, pulling her closer so she’s pressed firmly against his chest. The irony of the fact that her date with Matt was to help her get over the man attached to the arms holding her close is not lost on her. She’s also fully aware of how comfortable she is when she’s close to him, demonstrated by the way her body liquefies in his hold and it makes the next words slip from her lips with a bit more ease.

“It was full of pictures of me.” She whispers, “and not just in school or in town there were pictures of me in my room, sleeping.” She finishes and Derek’s arms are so tight around her she thinks she might have bruises in the morning.

“So, that’s why you came to mine last night.” Stiles comes to his conclusion at the same time Isaac snarls and heads for the door.

“Son of a bitch.”

“You promised me!” She barks at him and that has Isaac pausing on the stairs. He glances at something above her shoulder and she knows that Derek’s throwing Isaac some sort of look and whatever it is has him stomping back down the steps.

“Not that discussing your stalker hasn’t been interesting but I’m pretty sure you were called here for a reason.” Erica snaps from the corner and she aggressively toes a large wooden box with her booted feet.

“Yeah, why did you want us here?” Evelyn’s more than happy to change the subject and it’s pretty obvious from the way Derek snorts into her ear that she’s not exactly subtle about that fact. With a final squeeze Derek lets her go, making his way towards the box.

“The full moon’s tonight and…” He trails off and she’s almost positive that there’s a hint of red appearing at the top of his ears.

“And you haven’t managed to teach this lot how to control themselves have you?” Stiles’ smile is almost giddy and Evelyn reaches over to whack him sternly on the shoulder.

“I’ve had other priorities.” Derek doesn’t take his eyes off of Evelyn as he speaks and she can feel a blush begin to burn across her cheeks.

“Disgusting.” Stiles grumbles from beside her and Erica seconds that with an obnoxiously loud gagging noise. Derek simply huffs and turns to head for the box crouching down to open it.

Evelyn uses his distraction wisely which is to say she openly gawks at the way the muscles in his back shift and coil under what she can only describe as a very slu*tty grey tank top.

The kick to her shin in completely unanticipated and probably a little too hard because she stumbles into Isaac who steadies her with a smirk. She throws a glare at Stiles who simply shrugs unapologetically, “keep it in your pants.” He mouths.

“Screw you!” She hisses back.

Their spat is interrupted by a particularly large crash and theirs eyes flick to where Derek is standing next to the now open box on the other side of the room. Isaac moves first and the others follow suit, all standing around the edge of the box.

“What is that?”

“It's a triskele.” All of the heads spin to eye Boyd with different levels of incredulity. “The spirals mean different things-- past, present future; mother, father, child...” He continues his explanation and Evelyn watches with a small smirk on her face as Erica gets all moony eyed over their resident brick wall.

“Do you know what it means to me?” Derek asks and Evelyn has to bite back a giggle at the way he’s looking up at all of them.

“Alpha, Beta, Omega?” She answers his question before Boyd can all eyes move to look at her and she swiftly remembers she’s still in her pajamas.

“That's right. It's a spiral-- it reminds us that we can all rise to one or fall to another. Betas can become Alphas, but Alphas can also fall to Betas, or even Omegas.” Derek grabs Evelyn’s hip to steady himself as he stands and then as per usual refuses to let go of her, just shifts until he’s standing behind her, hand splayed protectively on her love handles.

Isaac looks like he’s chewing on bees but then something determined flashes across his eyes. “Like Scott?” Something in Evelyn cracks a little at the thought of Scott being alone in the world and Derek’s apparently a dab hand at reading her mind because the hand squeezes her softly.

“Scott's with us.” It might be the least reassuring he’s ever sounded but she appreciates the effort enough to pat the arm still holding her.

“Really? Then where is he now?” Isaac grouches and Derek pins him with a stern look.

“He's looking for Jackson.” Again a very low level of confidence ripples out across the room and even Stiles turns a disbelieving look on the alpha.

Derek finally lets go of Evelyn and pulls some sturdy looking chains attached to cuffs from the box, which has the whole room involuntarily shivering. “Don't worry, he's not gonna have it easy tonight, either. None of us will. There's a price you pay for this kind of power. You get the ability to heal, but tonight, you're gonna want to kill anything you can find.” Erica then decides to turn her far too toothy smile on Evelyn who rolls her eyes at the blondes attempted intimidation tactics.

“Okay, I vote we leave the chains as a last resort and start with something a little less medieval.” Evelyn watches carefully, spotting Isaac's form relaxing a little out of the corner of her eye.

“And how do you propose we do that?” Erica asks sceptically and Stiles chuckles drawing Erica’s glare towards him.

“You want to pelt her with lacrosse balls?”

“Tempting.” She smirks back at him, “but I was thinking we’d start off by figuring out what their anchors are.”

“Anchors?” Boyd asks, brows raised.

“Something that helps you hold onto your humanity when you change, we figured out Scott’s was—”

“Allison.” The response rings out from everyone in the room and Evelyn smiles wryly at the rest of them.

“Exactly, Derek’s on the other hand is anger.” There’s silence for a solid second and then everyone except Derek and Evelyn laughs so hard Evelyn starts to worry about the structural stability of the underground station.

She turns her eyes to Stiles who looks on the verge of composing himself until he catches Evelyn’s confused look and doubles over again, now laughing twice as hard. “Am I…I’m missing something aren’t I.” She turns to look at Derek, finding him furiously staring looking at the ceiling and if she looks close enough she’s almost positive she can see red dappling across his cheeks. “I. Am so confused right now.”

Throwing her head back and pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers breathing forcefully through it. “Isaac, you’ve been a fuzzy pain in my ass the longest, what kept you from going full mass murderer last full moon?”

“You.” He answers simply shrugging as if he hasn’t just said the sweetest thing she’d ever heard and another suspicious chuckle echoes out around her.

“One- That’s adorable.” Evelyn giggles, ruffling his hair as Issac tries to scramble out of her hold. “Two- That’s not going to work for everyone else. You have to be able to keep a hold on your humanity, you need something to ground you to your body. A person, a place even a feeling it just has to have enough strength to keep you in your own head. An anchor.” Evelyn finishes explaining and turns to look at the others to gauge their reactions, delighted when she see’s them nodding in understanding.

“Okay, say I have something in mind, how do we test if it’ll work?” Boyd asks arms folded across his chest.

“We just need to get your heart rates high enough for you to turn and then we see if the anchor you pick is strong enough to turn you back. So we just have to get your hearts beating…” Evelyn turns back to Stiles who’s watching her with a grimace and he rolls his eyes but nods along.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll grab the sticks and the balls.”

Evelyn wants the record to show that this was a good idea and she’ll die on that hill. She managed to get Boyd angry enough to change, his eyes flashing as she hurled lacrosse balls at his chest. He managed to change back after only a few minutes thinking about being with his grandma in her kitchen. So the plan works, it’s a good plan or at least it was a good plan until…Well up until the point where Erica steps up to the plate.

She knows in her head that she should swap places with Stiles, let him take his turn to pelt the wolves but she thinks she can handle it.

She cannot in fact handle it. The ball just about leaves the net, in fact Evelyn’s not even sure if it hits Erica before she starts running, eyes ablaze. Evelyn tenses herself and closes her eyes waiting for the scraping of claws against her skin but it never comes. When she cracks one of her eyes open she’s greeted by Derek’s broad back and the sound of snarling which seems to be getting louder and louder.

Reaching out she places her hand on his back and she can feel some of the tension drain away as she rubs circles in the back of the tank top. “Stiles take over.” He snaps, no room for argument and then he turns, taking Evelyn by the hand and dragging her towards the stairs.

“What’s wrong with you?” He snarls and Evelyn watches as his eyes flash crimson and Evelyn takes a step back only to be met by the wall.

“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with you?” She glances towards the others, finding them engrossed in training and happily not listening in on whatever the f*ck is happening here.

Flicking her eyes back to the still very cranky alpha in front of her she folds her arms across her chest, tilts her head and raises a brow, waiting for an explanation. He doesn’t say anything, just pushes forward again until he’s completely in her space and she’s forced to look up at him.

“You just can’t help yourself can you, you just have to keep putting yourself in harm’s way.” He growls.

“Okay, where the hell is this coming from?” She scoffs trying to make sense of his anger, “I mean yeah, I probably should have let Stiles handle Erica but—”

“Erica is pretty low down on the list of things I give a f*ck about right now.”

“Hey!” Erica snaps from across the room and this time when Evelyn glances towards them she finds all four pairs of eyes on her and Derek, Erica's looking suspiciously glassy.

“You lot keep practicing.” She barks before grabbing Derek’s hand and leading him up the stairs behind her. “Seriously Derek what the hell are you so worked up about?” She asks as the door shuts loudly behind them whirling to face him again.

“Me, I’m fine it’s you I’m worried about .” He snaps and Evelyn’s fury wanes a little at that admission.

“You wanna tell me why?” She tilts her head to watch him and for the second time that morning she notes the flush creeping across his face.

“It’s just—” He cuts himself odd with a snarl and she watches with a flicker of amusem*nt as he starts to pace around the front of the door before he eventually turns back to face her with a steely look in his eyes. The amusem*nt quickly fades as he starts to stalk towards her only coming to a stop when they’re close enough that she can feel the heat coming off of him. “I don’t like it when you put yourself in dangerous situations and lately it feels like that’s all you’ve been doing.”

“Erica wouldn’t have actually –”

“Erica,” he takes a deep breath as if to keep himself from flying off the handle, “ is so far down on my list of worries right now. Evelyn you almost got killed by a maniac last week. You were almost killed by another maniac last night and to top it all off you tell me the guy you were on a date with last night has been stalking you. You’ll have to forgive me if I’m a little worked up.”

He’s moved so close now that their noses are touching now and Evelyn’s pretty positive she’s not breathing anymore.

“I was just trying to help, it wasn’t like I was trying to get myself into trouble.” She grumbles and that has Derek pulling away to laugh in her face.

“I know that Evy, believe me I know that.” He chuckles, smiling that stupid, fond, bunny teeth flashing smile down at her. “I’m just really fed up of you getting hurt.”

“You and me both.” Evelyn tries for a joke but the look she gets in return lets her know that it isn’t appreciated. “Derek, I’m fine as a matter of fact I’d be a lot less fine if it wasn’t for you, you keep me safe.” She blurts, pretty sure her own face is now turning a beautiful shade of scarlet.

He smiles again at that but she can still see the worry on his brow and she watches as it takes over his face. “What if it’s me, What if I’m the one who hurts you?” He asks quietly and Evelyn quirks her head before she realises what he’s talking about.

“Derek—”

“I could have killed you. I still don’t remember what I did but I woke up the next morning and I could still smell your blood on my hands, taste it on my tongue.” His eyes drop to his perfectly clean hands but he glares at them as if they’re still dripping crimson. “That first night in your house, the night you told me about your nightmare, I couldn’t stop picturing how much you believed it when you told me I’d never hurt you and how I've become that thing you’d been so terrified of.”

“Is that why you wouldn’t even look at me for a week?” Evelyn asks him harshly and at that he looks up with a shaky nod with eyes that are noticeably reddened. “You’re an idiot.” She tells him firmly before stepping forward to wrap her arms around his neck, clutching him as close to herself as she possibly can.

“I didn’t want to face you, I couldn’t have you look at me like I was some kind of—”

“Monster?” She finishes for him, noting the way his arms are dangling uselessly by his side. “Hate to be the one to tell you this Derek but you are in fact a monster.” She can feel him beginning to pull away but she holds him fast, pulling away just enough so she can make eye contact with him. “You’re a monster but you’ve never made me feel scared… That’s a lie, you scared the sh*t out of me that night you went feral but only until I realised that you just wanted to keep me safe. Like you always do.”

“How did your blood get onto my hands then?” He asks her and she smiles when she feels the tips of his fingers beginning to graze her hips.

“You don’t remember?”

“Evy, I don’t remember anything past killing the curator, my next memory is waking up beside you the next morning.”

She pauses for a second wondering where to start before deciding that she may as well just get to the point. “You went completely caveman, chucked me over your shoulder and carried me to the house. The blood was from where you were holding me just a little too tight and the taste was…” She tenses for a second but Derek’s looking at her so earnestly that she doesn’t have it in her to start lying to him now. “ You decided the best way to clean my wounds was with your tongue.”

“Huh… Really wish I remembered that.” His lips curl up into his usual wolfish smirk and Evelyn rolls her eyes, silently thankful that he’s relaxed a little bit.

“Shut up.” She slaps him on the chest but lets him pull her in closer by her hips, running her own fingers through his hair. “We could have cleared this up a week ago if you’d asked me dumb ass.” She scolds, the warmth of his chest seeping into her own.

“I thought you wouldn’t want to see me.” He groans and Evelyn laughs as he brushes their noses together once again, his hazel eyes brighter now.

“You thought wrong, maybe next time don’t assume how I’m going to react and ask me, like the almost adult that you are.” She sways towards him as his hands stray from her hips to the small of her back.

“Noted.” He grumbles, eyes flicking to her lips and she freezes as her own eyes drop to his. “We have company.” He smirks and Evelyn has to blink for a few seconds before his words actually register with her and just like that he’s gone from her hold, leaving her to toss her head back in frustration as Derek yanks the door open.

Boyd’s quick enough to catch himself, the others not so much. They end up in a heap at Derek’s feet all staring back up at him with matching apologetic expressions on their faces and Evelyn has to cover her mouth to stop her laughter. “So, you figured out what your anchors are yet?” Derek asks voice dripping with thinly veiled annoyance and the three wolves quickly nod while Stiles slowly shakes his head behind them.

Chapter 19: Lydia's big day part 1

Chapter Text

Evelyn’s phone ringing has everyone, once again, turning to face her and she quickly turns to away to answer it with some illusion of privacy.

“Where are you!?” She has to yank the phone from her ear to try and keep her eardrums from shredding themselves at the high pitched shriek Lydia greets her with.

“Oh sh*t--”

“Oh sh*t is right, you said you’d help me pick out a dress in Allison’s this morning, I’m at Allison’s now, so I’ll ask again where the hell are you?” Evelyn pales and feels her nails digging into her palms at the thought of facing Victoria Argent again. She knows she’s started to panic when a sturdy hand lands on her waist and yanks her back into a chest that she’s certain is wearing that stupid slu*tty grey tank top.

“I’m so sorry I forgot to call, my parents took my car so I’m stuck at home. I’ll get a lift over early though to help you set up.” She tells Lydia who huffs but seems to believe her lie.

“What about my dress?”

“Send me pictures and I’ll give my opinions. I’m so sorry Lydia.” Evelyn tells her honestly, leaning back into Derek’s hold and he tightens it in a silent response.

“It’s okay, just be on time this evening.” She grumbles, hanging up before Evelyn has a chance to respond.

“So demanding.” Derek chuckles into her ear and she scoffs loudly at his nerve.

“I’m sorry, who was it that rang me this morning at ass o’clock looking for my help?” She throws an ever so slightly more gentle elbow into his stomach than usual.

“Isaac.” Derek tells her haughtily and she can hear the smirk on his lips.

There’s a vein in her forehead that’s been dormant for a few days but the more time she spends with Derek the more it begins to twitch and throb. Don’t misinterpret, she’s glad everything’s back to normal, she just wishes normal wasn’t going to break her heart.

“Very funny. Stiles we gotta go.” Evelyn pulls away from Derek and points towards the jeep. “I did promise Lydia I’d help out with her party but if something goes wrong just call me okay.” She calls back to Derek who nods, a small smile curling up the corners of his mouth and she waves to the rest of them while scrambling into the jeep.

“How’s that bandaid?” Stiles snickers as they turn the corner out of the warehouse district and all Evelyn can do is let her head thump back against the headrest.

“Firmly in place and I don’t think any amount of soaking or pulling’s gonna get it to budge.” She grumbles forlornly and Stiles just pats the top of her head, laughing as he does.

They get back to Stiles’ room and Evelyn flops onto Stiles’ bed after picking up the top manila folder on the pile as he sits down at the desk and once again starts to flick through the pages of the yearbook. She’s not sure exactly how long they’ve been sat reading but they’re only pulled away from it when John sticks his head around the door frame.

“Hey, whatcha doing?”

“...Homework...” Stiles doesn’t even look up from the yearbook as he answers and Evelyn rolls her eyes, meeting John’s suspicious look when they fall back to their usual spot and she flashes him her most innocent grin. He seems to take that answer, walking away but not a moment later he’s back at the door, his look far more suspicious than before.

“It's spring break.” He takes a closer look then and obviously answers his own question. “What do you think you're doing?” Exasperation very clearly lacing his tone as he moves to stand over Stiles’ shoulder.

“Oh, I'm just satisfying my own curiosity...”

John takes that answer as well as she thought he would, which is to say he grabs the yearbook from Stiles’ grasp and closes it. “We brought Harris in this morning for questioning.” He tells the pair, before stopping and correcting himself “...They brought him in.” And if that doesn’t shatter Evelyn’s heart as she puts down the folder and moves to stand at Stiles’ other shoulder.

“And?” She and Stiles ask at the same time which makes John pull that face he uses when they’re acting weird together.

“And they're working on a warrant to arrest him for the murders.”

“All of the murders?” Evelyn asks, gnawing on her lip at the thought of Harris going down for something he possibly didn’t do.

“Enough of them.” Comes John’s short reply and she can feel the way Stiles’ shoulders are tensing beneath her hands.

“With what proof?”

John sighs but he doesn’t stop explaining. “You remember the couple at the trailer? Tire tracks nearby match Harris' car.”

Stiles grabs the yearbook back and begins flipping through it once more, stammering as he glances down at it. “Wha... That's not enough.” John simply takes the book out of his hands, leaving them to flounder around nothing.

“The same car was also seen outside the hospital where the pregnant wife was killed. It's got some bumper sticker on it, a quote from Einstein—” John tells him and something about that fact has Stiles’ ears perking up a little.

“Wait, what quote?”

“Something about imagination and knowledge...”

“’Imagination is more important than knowledge.’ Yeah, I saw the same car parked outside the rave.” Stiles slumps back in the chair and Evelyn runs her hand across his shoulders in an attempt to comfort him.

John’s face turns more serious once Stiles finishes speaking. “That means you're a witness. You're gonna have to give a statement.” He tells him firmly but Stiles presses on, completely ignoring John’s request.

“But what about the concert promoter, Kara? She wasn't in Harris' class, right? I mean, what does Mr. Lahey have to do with Harris?” He flails, almost taking Evelyn’s eye put in the process.

“It doesn't matter-- the tire tracks put Harris at the site of three murders. That's damning evidence.”

“No, it's not enough—” Stiles grabs for the yearbook again with a groan and begins to flick through it as John stands back up just a little straighter than before.

“ I thought you hated this guy?” He asks more than a little confused by Stiles’ apparent change of heart and Evelyn has to admit she’s feeling the same kind of way.

“I don't hate him, all right? He hates me. And, you know, if he killed them all, then yeah, lock the psycho up. But, there's something missing. There's gotta be something missing...” Stiles is adamant as he flicks through the pages but John stops him with a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey. Hey, you don't have to solve this for me.” His tone is gentler now and Evelyn looks away not wanting to interrupt a moment between the pair of them. She instead chooses to focus on the desk and that’s when her eyes come across something more than a little incriminating in the pages of the yearbook in front of her.

“Stiles!” She slaps his arm and he snaps back to her, brows raised. “Look at the swim team.” She whispers, her own fingers grazing across the glossy picture. They both look to where she’s pointing and all three look up to catch each other’s astonished faces.

“Dad, the coach-- it's Isaac's dad!” Stiles drops his face into his hands and Evelyn stumbles back to slump onto his bed.

“I’m going to head to the station, let the boys know what you figured out. Nice work kids.” He leaves, squeezing Stiles shoulders as he goes and Evelyn watches as he preens under the attention.

“I should get going too. Lydia’s house isn’t going to decorate itself.” Evelyn stretches before standing and grabbing her purse. “You still okay to drive me?” She asks and Stiles nods moving to follow her out the door.

“You think you might need more hands to help decorate?” He asks, obviously aiming for a casual tone and missing by a country mile.

“I think we’re good, you just focus on getting the entirety of the Macy’s women’s section to Lydia’s house in one piece.” She snickers, eyeing the pile of gifts he’s amassed in the corner of his room.

Stiles scoffs, “it’s not the entire women’s section.”

“Sure buddy.” She smirks as they reach the car.

He leaves her at the top of the drive and she knows he’s heading home to wrap his dragon’s hoard of gifts. The smile stays on her face until she spots a bag sitting neatly on her porch, tufts of hot pink tissue paper sticking out of the top of it. Warily, she picks it up, images of Matt watching her from the bushes flashing through her head so she quickly takes it inside and up to her room where she resolutely closes her curtains.

Her whole body untenses as she picks up the card and realises that the gift is in fact from Lydia.

‘I know nothing in your wardrobe matches the theme so wear this or don’t bother showing up.’

Evelyn snorts at Lydia’s surprisingly thoughtful if not a little rude gift and takes the paper from the bag to reveal a dress. It’s her size which is something she’s immediately impressed by and the colour is even more impressive, a deep crimson lace. It’s not a style she’d pick for herself but she has to admit when she tries it on it fits her like a glove, the dress complementing her skin tone perfectly.

“How the f*ck does she do it?” Evelyn wonders aloud as she admires the curve of her ass in the full length mirror. So, new dress on she sits down and starts her makeup and just as she puts the finishing touches on her hair a car horn honks from outside.

Allison’s a little quiet as Evelyn gets into the car and she waits until they’re a little bit down the road before turning in her seat to face her. “What’s up?”

Allison’s face screws up at the question and Evelyn watches her fingers clench and release on the steering wheel before she eventually lets out a sigh. “My mom’s been acting really weird all day, I just don’t know why.” Evelyn can’t help the way she flinches a little at the mention of Victoria Argent's name.

Her wince doesn’t go unnoticed and Allison straightens a little in her seat, “sorry, yeah, now’s not the time we have a party to decorate after all.” Her smile is still tight though and Evelyn decides to just put on her big girl pants.

“Do not tell Lydia I said this and if you do tell her I will deny everything.” She sends a wry smile Allison’s way and Allison lets out a little laugh. “This party is not the be all and end all, if you need to be at home I can make something up.”

The fact that Allison’s no longer white knuckling the steering wheel seems to be a good sign and there’s a few more moments of silence as she obviously thinks on what Evelyn’s said to her. “No.” She finally sighs, “no, I’ll just talk to her about it tomorrow. Besides, you’re going to need all the help you can get.” Allison smirks and Evelyn lets out a groan as she spots Lydia waiting, arms folded across her chest, foot already tapping against the tiles of her doorway.

“You think she’s seen us? Maybe we could just turn around and both blame our parents for not being able to come?” Evelyn whispers, as if Lydia could hear her from outside the car. Allison stifles a giggle as Lydia watches them with barely contained frustration.

“I don’t think we could out drive her.” Allison barks out a laugh and Evelyn lets out a forlorn sigh as they reach the top of the driveway and as the car comes to a stop Lydia quickly makes her way over, yanking Evelyn’s door open as soon as it’s in reach.

“You two were supposed to be here five minutes ago, now we’ve only got two hours and fifty five minutes to set everything up.” Her voice is already pitchy and the pair release matching sighs as they go to take their belts off.

Three hours later Evelyn wants nothing more than to go home, throw pajamas on and binge watch some dumb reality tv. Instead she’s holding a cup of punch that Lydia pretty much shoved into her hands ten minutes ago and is steadily watching the door, waiting for literally anyone else to arrive.

Finally, after what feels like centuries the doorbell rings and Lydia, tray of preprepared punch ready to go daintily swings the door open with one hand. Behind the door is a box wrapped in god awful gaudy paper and Evelyn wonders who in gods name wrapped Lydia’s present like that and is quick to her answer as the box begins to speak.

“Happy birthday!” Stiles sings from behind the present and Evelyn bites the inside of her cheek to hide her laughter cause god dammit he tried really hard. “Coming in...” He smiles over top the box and Evelyn can’t stop the laughter this time as he tries and fails miserably to get the present through the door.

Lydia’s apparently had enough of this display and she turns on her heels to head down the hall calling out a reminder to try her punch as she goes. Evelyn would but as she lifts it to her nose it smells floral and vaguely alcoholic and she promised Maude and Patrick she wouldn’t drink tonight.

Her attention is grabbed then by a firm cough from the door and she finds Stiles, still stuck, now looking between her and the present quite pointedly. “Oh god, yeah sorry.” She shakes her head and puts the glass down on the stairs before scuttling to the door and grabbing the front half of the box.

“You know you could have wrapped everything separately…” She trails off as he shoots her a glare around the side of the package and she ducks her head to hide her smile.

Eventually they get the box in the door and place it carefully among the pile of presents in hallway. She throws him a thumbs up and he throws a scowl back as she links his arm with hers and drags him towards the hall.

“Did you get to talk to Scott?” She asks and before Stiles can answer a cold voice rings out from behind him.

“He did.” Scott’s standing behind them, arms folded a scowl firmly in place and Evelyn struggles to keep eye contact with him.

“Hey, have you seen Jackson anywhere?” Stiles asks, a very blatant attempt to cut the tension and in his defence it works. Scott relaxes a little, shoulders loosening as he turns to look at Stiles. “No. Seen Allison?”

“She’s out by the pool.” Evelyn pipes up and immediately regrets it as Scott flashes her a nasty side eye before turning to face Stiles entirely and in the process completely turning his back to Evelyn.

“Did you get to tell her what we found out?” Stiles asks her and she raises a brow.

“No, Lydia was already freaking out when we got here so I didn’t get to talk to her on her own.” She tells him and he nods in understanding.

“What did we figure out anyways.” Scott asks loftily and Evelyn involuntarily digs her nails into her palms, which Stiles feels and drops his hand from her arm to her hand, squeezing it until she surrenders her own palm into his.

“We figured out it has something to do with water—you know, the fact that all the victims were on the swim team, the way the Kanima reacted around the pool...” Stiles tells Scott firmly and he huffs a little very obviously skeptical.

“So, whoever’s controlling the Kanima really hates the swim team..?”

She has the strongest, strangest urge to claw at his face and then she thinks she’s been spending far too much time with a pack of werewolves. Maybe she should be the one worried about the full moon.

“It’s something to do with the two thousand and six team specifically, a teacher maybe… Even another student I suppose but I’m not—” Evelyn’s cut off once again by Scott.

“Hey!” She turns and is completely unsurprised to see Allison standing behind them, right at the edge of the pool.

“Uh, Jackson’s not here…” Evelyn takes a sick sort of pleasure in the fact that Allison is pretty much ignoring Scott now.

“Yeah, no one’s here.” Stiles looks curiously around the pool, eyes catching on Lydia who's looking more than a little anxious now.

“Maybe it’s just early.” Scott tries to shrug it off and Evelyn feels herself begin to seethe with rage again.

“Or maybe, nobody's coming because Lydia's turned into the town whackjob.” Stiles grumbles.

“We should do something, we have completely ignored her for the last two weeks.” Evelyn murmurs and Allison nods in agreement with her.

“She’s completely ignored Stiles for the last ten years.” Scott argues and Stiles sucks in a harsh breath at his words.

“I prefer to think of it as me not having been on her radar yet…” Stiles scoffs, very clearly offended by Scott’s words.

“We don’t owe her a party.” Scott sighs and all three of them turn their three equally severe glares on him and he shrinks back a little, looking more than a little chastised.

“What about the chance to be normal” Allison asks plaintively and Evelyn agrees, in all of their supernatural nonsense they very rarely get to let loose and have fun like the teenagers they all are.

“Normal?” Scott asks.

“She wouldn't be the "town whackjob" if it wasn't for us.”

Allison once again seems to be the only person in Beacon Hills who can get through Scott McCall’s thick skull. “I guess I could use my co-captain status to get the lacrosse team here…” He grumbles.

“Yeah, I also know some people who can get this thing going. Like, really going” Stiles smirks down at his phone and they all turn to him with a questioning stare.

The answer comes in the form of some incredibly dressed drag queens and Evelyn looks wildly at Stiles as Lydia invites her new guests inside. “You need to tell me everything!” She wheezes as Stiles simply grins at her, sipping his punch before pulling her towards the pool.

The drag queens prove to be phenomenal company and Phoenix even offers to sneak Evelyn into jungle the next time she wants to let loose and Evelyn readily agrees. Then she decides she needs more water so she heads for the kitchen only to be cornered by the one person she really didn’t want to see this evening.

“Can we talk?” Matt asks her softly and though a large part of her wants to tell him to shove his talk up his ass she sighs and nods, balking a little as he grabs her hand.

“I’m giving you two minutes Matt, that’s it.” She tells him firmly as he leads her to one of the upstairs bedroom, flinching a little when he gently closes the door behind them.

“Okay...” He starts, trailing off a little awkwardly, Evelyn just keeps her eyes firmly on him and a small part of her enjoys watching him squirm under her harsh gaze. Then he takes a deep breath and begins to speak. “So, I know I took some pictures of you that I should've told you about... But, is it really that bad that-that I think you're beautiful, and I think you should be the subject of a perfect photograph?”

A part of Evelyn she’s not overly happy with wants to preen at his compliments but a much larger part of her is uncomfortable with the way he’s talking about her. “Matt, there were pictures of me sleeping! I mean how did you even take those?”

“Telephoto lens. I mean, come on, Evelyn-- photographers call them ‘candids.’” He explains, almost smarmily and something is scratching at the back of her head.

“Sounds a lot like stalking to me Matt.”

“Stalking? So, I'm-I'm a stalker now, that's-is that it? You-you think my bedroom is wallpapered with your photos? You think I'm the kind of guy that's gonna say something, like, ‘Well, if I can't have you, no one can!’.” Evelyn takes a step back at that, the tone of his words striking something in her that has fear beginning to creep up her spine.

“Well if I wasn’t thinking that before I definitely am now!” She shrieks, backing away from him but that unfortunately does mean she’s pushing herself further back into the room.

“You know what? Get over yourself, because there's another pretty girl walking through the room every five minutes.” He’s almost yelling now and Evelyn decides enough is enough.

“Great, then you can just wait here for the next one.” She hisses, making to push past him back into the corridor.

“Evelyn, wait—” She ignores his call, trying to scoot around him but just before she reaches the doorknob using a show of strength she didn’t think him capable of he grabs her by the waist and yanks her into his chest, folding his arms around her waist to keep her in place.

xxxxxxx
He’s kissing her before she can even get the words ‘let me go’ past her lips. Frozen, that small annoying part of her brain whispers that she should just let this happen, that this is as good as it’s going to get for her and anything else would be wishful thinking. “Matt!” She squeaks as his lips leave hers but he doesn’t say anything just moves to press a harsh kiss to the bolt of her jaw before dropping his head to scrape his teeth across her neck.

And the worst thing is, in theory it’s not a bad kiss, not at all, in fact she’d even go as far as to say that it would be a pretty great kiss. But she can’t stop thinking about the other night, about how it felt to be caged in below Derek, to have him look down at her with hunger in his eyes and then kiss her so gently like he thought she was something precious and the way that just made her melt right there in his arms. That thought is enough to banish that small voice to the depths of her brain and she pulls away from Matt and tries to shove him off her.

“Matt, stop.” She manages to get the words out but he just keeps pressing kisses to her lips and then out of nowhere she feels the back of her dress begin to lift and his hand presses down harshly on her ass. “Matt.” She yelps, horrified but he completely ignores her and keeps pushing, his hands now finding their way into her underwear. She freezes at that, her body completely locking up, ice slicing its way through her veins.

“Come on Evelyn.” Her name falls off his tongue like a curse and she begins to tremble, “you can’t show up dressed like that and expect me to keep my hands to myself.” That statement has the ice burning away and with a snarl that even Erica would be proud of she throws her knee up into the space between his thighs with as much force as she can.
xxxxxxxxx
“I dressed for me tonight, not for you Matt.” She spits down to where he’s now rolling around on the bedroom floor, groaning in what Evelyn notes with no small amount of satisfaction, to be a considerable amount of pain. And with that she opens the door and slams it shut behind her before taking off down the stairs and straight into the broad chest of Jackson Whittmore.

“Watch where you’re going nerdette.” He snaps and then immediately recoils as he takes in her dishevelled appearance and the wild look in her eyes. “Evelyn what happened?” She doesn’t give him any warning before she collapses in his arms and to Jackson’s credit, he doesn’t freak out, just pulls her closer and walks her slowly towards the couch.

The pair sit and he keeps an arm around her shoulder as he waits for her to calm down. “You don’t have to tell me anything but I think you need to go home. How’d you get here?” She watches him and the worry in his eyes manages to unstick her tongue from the roof of her mouth.

“Allison.” She manages to choke out and Jackson lets out a soft swear.

“Well, that’s not an option, she’s drinking. Same with Scott and Stiles.” Evelyn feels her lips tremble and Jackson holds her closer and before she can ask him she spots the glass of punch in his other hand. “What about Derek? I haven’t seen him around.”

“He’s not here, he had plans.”

“Yeah and whatever those plans are he’ll just have to put them on hold for you.” Jackson thunders before something behind her catches his eyes and she turns to find Matt storming towards the pair. “Head outside and call Derek, I’ll keep him in here.” He promises and hops off the couch, stalking his way towards Matt. Evelyn doesn’t stay to watch the interaction, she just bolts for the door and as soon as the cold air hits her she has her phone open. She doesn’t hesitate before calling Isaac, she can’t keep still as the dial tone sounds in her ear, constantly looking over her shoulder.

“I was right in the middle of pummelling Erica. Shut up, yes I was. What’s the problem? Scott vomit on your shoes?”

“Can you come pick me up please?” She whispers down the phone, knowing if she speaks any louder her voice is going to crack.

“Evy, what’s wrong?” He sounds like he’s stood up as he growls down the phone at her.

“Isaac please just come pick me up?” She can’t explain right now, she’ll just break down and she needs to keep it together for a little while longer.

“Okay, okay give me ten minutes, I’ll be there. Derek’s gonna follow me in the car.” Isaac hangs up before she can even begin to argue about Derek getting involved. Now she’s really praying that Jackson can keep Matt busy, both for her sanity and his own sake.

She keeps one eye on the door and the other on the driveway, impatiently waiting for Isaac to turn up. Somewhere behind her a glass smashes and she whirls to try and find it when a hand suddenly lands on her shoulder.

“Hey,” she can’t help but jump and she spins back to find Isaac panting and looking her over frantically. She immediately flings her arms around his neck and she breaks down into sobs as Isaac holds her tightly, snuffling gently into her neck. “Hey, hey, I’ve got you. I’m here. Nothing’s gonna happen while I’ve got you.” She curls her fingers through the blond locks at the nape of his neck while he holds her fast, both arms like a vice around her.

“Thanks.” She whimpers and he raises his head and nods with a soft smile before dipping to press a kiss to her forehead.

“Well this explains why you wouldn’t put out.” Matt’s voice rings out snippily from behind her and her heartbeat stutters in her chest at the sound of his voice. At this Isaac freezes and Evelyn can feel his hackles begin to rise as a growl rumbles through his chest and into hers before it reaches her ears.

“Isaac don’t, he’s really not worth it.” She doesn’t even look at Matt, focusing on Isaac and pulling him closer to keep his attention. It works and she feels the growl lessen as he calms against her slightly.

“Listen Lahey I know she looks like a f*cking slu*t in that dress but she’s not even gonna let you cop a feel. She acts like she wants it but when it comes down to it she’s too frigid to put out.” And with that Evelyn loses her grip on Isaac as he starts to stalk towards Matt who as she finally spins to face at least looks like he realises he’s gotten himself into boiling hot water.

“Isaac stop!” She yells but he completely ignores her and she watches in horror as his nails begin to sharpen before her eyes. She’s opened her mouth to let out a last resort scream when the Camaro squeals down the drive and it feels like Derek hops out of the car before it even comes to a complete stop.

“Isaac, get her in the car.” He doesn’t even look at Evelyn, eyes completely focused on Matt but she can see from the way he’s holding himself that he’s on the edge of an explosion as well. Before she can argue she’s picked up and finds herself curled across Isaac's lap in the backseat of the car. She watches with bated breath and wide eyes as Derek strides towards Matt, who has paled even more since Derek appeared. Derek doesn’t shift though, he doesn’t scream, he doesn’t raise his hands, he doesn’t even raise his voice. He says something though before he turns on his heel and paces back to the car leaving Matt to watch him go in what she can only describe as complete terror.

“She okay?” He speaks lowly, eyeing Isaac in the rear view as the car squeals back out of the drive.

“She hasn’t lost her voice, I’m fine. Thank you.” She cuts across Isaac before he can respond and she isn’t really proud of how her voice shakes, Isaac just pulls her closer. She tangles her fingers in his jumper and leans her head against his chest letting his heartbeat calm her down as they drive away.

Chapter 20: Lydia's Big Day Part 2.

Chapter Text

They all walk into the apartment in silence, Derek’s ahead of Evelyn with Isaac bringing up the rear, close enough that Evelyn can feel the heat radiating off him but he’s not touching her and for once in her life she’s grateful for the space.

“I need a shower, where’s the bathroom?” The question comes out quietly but firmly and Derek turns around to eye her warily.

“Second door on your left, Evelyn—” She watches in what feels like slow motion as he reaches out his hand towards her, feels her heart in her throat as it inches towards her and before she can stop herself, really before she even thinks about it she’s taken a step back.

Derek freezes with his arm out in front of him for a few awkward seconds before he snatches it back with a grim expression on his face.

Evelyn turns on her heels then and heads straight for the bathroom refusing to look either of the pair in the eye as she goes. Once inside she strips down, keeping her eyes fully off the mirror in front of the sink and once she’s naked she tosses the dress across the room, mourning the fact that she probably won’t ever wear it again.

Stepping into the shower she turns the knob until the water is scalding hot and as soon as she steps under the spray she starts viciously scrubbing at her neck, her jaw, anywhere she can remember the touch of Matt’s skin against her own with a body wash that smells so much like Derek that it settles her heart rate just a little. She stands there beneath the running water for who knows how long, all she knows is that when she eventually does step out her skin is bright red and hot to the touch.

Grabbing a towel from the rack, the soft cotton grates against her sensitised skin and she flinches as she wraps herself up in it. It’s only then she catches a glance of herself in the mirror.

The hand print is a bright red stain on her upper arm, she doesn’t even remember Matt grabbing her there but now that she’s seen it she can feel the way it aches all the way down to her bones. Now that she’s seen the marks they’ve left, she can feel his fingers on her once again and it curdles her stomach so much that she has to catch herself on the sink.

“Son of a… f*ck.” Hissing harshly she opens up the medicine cabinet hidden behind the mirror, her breathing becoming shallower as she frantically rummages around the shelves. She doesn’t know she’s crying until Derek appears like an apparition behind her in her reflection. “Why is there no arnica in this god damn cabinet.”

He doesn’t say anything just looks at her in their shared reflection, eyes wide and soft, she can feel the heat of him against her back and all she wants to do is crawl into his arms and have him never let her go. It takes every fibre of her being not to turn on her heel and do just but she just keeps her back to him, every muscle in her body tense.

He watches her for a few more seconds before he opens his arms slowly and the levees burst. She’s buried herself in his arms before she can second guess herself. His t-shirt is soft beneath her cheek and she realises that in the time she spent in the shower he’s changed into comfy clothes. It’s the sight of his bare feet in front of her own that startles a manic little giggle from her lips.

“What?” He mutters into her hair, arms now completely encompassing her waist, one of them stroking gentle patterns against the small of her back.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen your toes before, they’re kinda cute.”

“You’re so f*cking weird.” He snorts, his breath ruffling her hair and she feels him tilt his head a little to kiss the crown of her head with a smile.

“Where’s Isaac?”

“I asked him to go check up on the others, they were handling the moon pretty well but I don’t want them by themselves.” He answers her question into her hair and she freezes up a little at the thought that she’s keeping him away from the others when they need him most.

“Sorry, I completely forgot about that, you should go back and check on them.” She moves to push herself away but he doesn’t let her budge, instead he keeps her firmly pressed against his chest.

“I’m going nowhere, they’ll survive for a few hours without me. Honestly I don't want to be anywhere else right now.” His voice softens as he reaches the end of his sentence and once again his unexpected sincerity kind of throws Evelyn for a loop and right now her brain can’t process higher emotions so just ends up breaking down in the safety of his arms.

“I’m such a moron. How the hell did I miss every single giant red flag?” The tears are back and before she can reach up to scrub them away Derek’s cupping her face and gently swiping the skin of her cheeks to remove the pearlescent stains. Once he’s positive he’s gotten rid of them all he moves his hand down to gently cup her jaw, tilting her head until she has no choice but to look up at him.

“Nothing that happened this evening was your fault. Matt’s an ass and you are so far out of his f*cking league Evy.” He carefully shuffles her backwards until her ass hits the counter and the hand on her jaw shifts to reach into the press where he pulls out a brown glass bottle from somewhere within. “Can I...?” He doesn’t elaborate but Evelyn nods in affirmation and then lets out an embarrassingly loud squeak as he grabs her by the hips and lifts her up onto the countertop.

Derek’s eyes quickly fly to hers and once he’s happy she’s just mortified rather than scared he flashes her a broad, toothy grin. His hands leave her hips then and one settles on the curve of her waist while the other grabs for the bottle. “I’m going to put this on,” he shakes the bottle, eyeing her carefully as he does, watching closely for her reaction. “You don’t have to but if you want to tell me what happened I’ll listen.”

Evelyn’s voice feels caught so she just gives him a little nod and he nods back before gathering some of the ointment onto his fingers. The cream is cold against her skin as he gently brushes it over the skin of her arm, all the while she gnaws on the inside of her lip before coming to a decision. “He came up to me in the middle of the party and I guess…” She takes a deep breath, choosing to look over Derek’s shoulder and not directly at him but his hands don’t stop their movements.

xxxxxxxxx

“Stiles was fawning over Lydia, Allison was with Scott and I guess a small part of me just didn’t want to be alone.” She admits quietly, the hand on her arm keeps moving but the hand on her waist twitches ever so slightly. “He tried to apologise for the pictures and I told him I didn’t want to hear it, he tried to spin some bullsh*t about me being so beautiful that he had to take my picture. I told him that’s considered stalking nowadays and he seemed really offended by that, which, you know, screw you dude, you were stalking me.” She grumbles and catches the corner of Derek’s mouth twitch at her outburst.

“I went to leave but he pulled me close and the next thing I know he’s kissing me.” She pauses for a second not knowing if she wants to say the next part out loud. He’s stopped putting the cream on her arm and his hand is now just resting there, warm and grounding. “It wasn’t a bad kiss and I kind of enjoyed it for a little while, until I didn’t.” She takes a deep breath before she continues and the hand on her arm is making those little shapes against her skin with calloused finger tips.

“I asked him to stop but he ignored me and just kept going and then he went to put his hands up my dress and told me if I didn’t want it then I shouldn’t have dressed the way I did. I kicked him in the dick and ran, it was Jackson who found me and kept Matt occupied while I rang Isaac.” She smiles fondly before she gets hit with a memory she would have preferred stayed repressed.

“God, I let him give me hickeys,” her hands fly up to her neck, brushing against the sensitive spots Matt left in his wake. Larger hands pull hers away and the slick of the cold cream against the bruises has her shivering in his arms but she leans into his touch out of habit.

xxxxxxxxx

Glancing up she finds him staring at her neck intently, eyes glowing red and her stomach clenches as his fingers cautiously stroke over the bruises. “Oh my God, Der. I’m so sorry- I didn’t even think, are you okay?” She reaches up to cup his jaw and she feels just how tense the muscles are beneath her fingers so she begins to stroke it softly until she feels it unclench under her ministrations.

“No apologising, you’re allowed to change your mind, that’s a part of consent, you can say no at any stage and your partner has to accept that.” He growls and she nods along with him as he lets her carefully cradle his face.

“Okay.” She acquiesces softly and then watches as the red slowly begins to disappear from his iris’s.

“I brought you some clean clothes,” he coughs a little forcefully and she bites her lip to cover her smile. “Figured you wouldn’t want to walk around in a towel all night.” Evelyn’s brain screeches to a halt as it hits her like a slap in the face that he’s standing between her legs and the only thing separating them is a very thin piece of cotton.

“Great, thanks, I’ll just…” She eyeballs the clothes he’d left on the counter and Derek quickly takes the hint and books it out of the door.

He’s left her a hoodie and a pair of worn in sweats that are both so comfortable she’s already planning to sneak them home with her tomorrow. She’s also pleased to find that unlike the gym clothes he gave her after the pool incident these are a little looser and as she buries her nose into the fabric the smell of leather and pine settles around her like a warm embrace.

The living room is suspiciously empty when she makes her way out of the bathroom, the lights are off and the curtains are drawn. Evelyn pauses for a second, not quite sure what to do or where to go when a head peaks up over the top of the back of the couch and she meets Derek’s sleepy gaze with a tilted head and raised eyebrows.

“My room’s the last one on the left, I’ll be out here if you need anything.” He tells her and she narrows her eyes even further. Derek apparently confuses her bemusem*nt with disgust. “I changed the sheets for you and everything.”

“I wasn’t worried about…” She breaks off mid complaint, not knowing exactly how to phrase the fact that she wants Derek to sleep in the bed with her so she changes tune and nods once, stoically. “Thanks, I’ll see you in the morning.”

So, that’s where she finds herself, in Derek’s huge king sized bed, curled up under a plush down duvet feeling very much alone as she stares up at the ceiling. “Are you still up?” The question seems stupid as it winds its way into the darkness of the room and the answer that comes in the form of dead silence only serves to make her feel worse. “If you are awake, could you come here?” This question’s even softer and now she can feel the beginnings of tears stinging at the back of her eyes.

At first she thinks that in her imminent nervous breakdown she’s imagining the sound of footsteps out in the hall that is until they come to a stop right outside the door and in the little bit of moonlight that’s creeping in below the jam she can just about make out his shadow. She doesn’t say anything else and he doesn’t either but the door opens and she hears him pad his way across the floor until he’s standing at the edge of the bed. She lifts the duvet up as an invitation and Derek slips in beside her as soon as she does.

Derek’s bed is big, but Evelyn’s pretty positive there isn’t enough room in it to allow Derek to lie so far away and not have him hanging halfway off the mattress. “Would you mind… Der, would you just come here, please?” She once again asks into the darkness and as soon as the words leave her lips he’s pressed up against her back, arms gingerly curling around her waist and that’s enough to have her relaxing back into his hold.

“You sure this is okay?” He asks her softly, breath caressing her ear and she calms herself by fiddling with the fingers around her waist.

“That’s a dumb question.”

“It’s really not.” He grumbles back, nuzzling his nose into her neck and she feels him pause over what she assumes is one of the hickies that Matt left behind. “Evy..?” The question hangs heavy in the air and she can’t get the yes out fast enough. He doesn’t do anything for a second and Evelyn’s not sure what’s exactly happening until Derek’s soft, warm lips press carefully down in the exact spot that Matt had nipped her on. “Get some sleep.” He whispers the words softly against her neck and Evelyn wonders exactly how she’s going to manage that now.

Apparently she manages it just fine because when her phone begins to ring it brings her out of one of the best sleeps of her life. It’s still dark outside as she reaches under her pillow for the phone, groaning softly when she realises that it’s Lydia calling her.

“Hang up.” She startles as Derek growls into her neck, his sleep roughened voice even deeper than usual.

“It’s Lydia.” Evelyn murmurs by way of explanation and it’s not that she wants to tell Lydia what’s just happened but she won’t let Evelyn off the hook for ditching her party without some sort of excuse.

“Okay…Let it ring.” He punctuates the statement with a nip to her earlobe and when she goes to throw her foot back to kick him in retaliation she’s more than a little mortified to find that Derek’s legs and hers have somehow become completely entangled in each other’s while they slept.

“This is why people think you’re an asshole.” She tells him haughtily before answering the phone, wincing in preparation for the onslaught of screaming that Lydia’s about to rain down on top of her.

“Before you start yelling—” Evelyn starts, hoping to cut her off at the pass but the words get caught in her throat when the sound of heaving sobs reach her ears. “Lydia?” She asks softly and at first there’s no response so Evelyn scrambles upright, bringing a still sleep grumpy Derek with her, his arms not budging from around her waist. There’s a whimper, the sound of a throat clearing and then Lydia begins to speak.

“Evy, I made a mistake.” She mumbles hoarsely down the phone. “Jackson said he wanted to talk, he just wanted to talk.” Evelyn can hear how manic she must be just by the sound of her voice, her breathing’s too fast and she’s worried Lydia’s going to pass out before she can tell Evelyn where she is.

“Okay, okay, it’s alright, I need you to take a deep breath for me.” Evelyn tries to use the same technique she uses on Stiles when he’s having a panic attack, measuring her breathing in the hope that Lydia will copy her. Thankfully it works and Evelyn feels both her and Derek relax as Lydia’s breathing evens out. “Lydia where are you?”

“He took me to the Hale house, Evelyn there’s something wrong with him, he’s… There’s something wrong.” She whimpers and Evelyn’s own heart rate begins to pick up as Derek rhythmically starts squeezing her waist to try and keep her calm.

“Okay, Lydia he won’t hurt you if you keep calm and keep him calm, do not rile him up. I’ll be there as soon as I can!”

“Please hurry Evy, he’s—” and with that the line goes dead and Evelyn’s left holding the phone.

“We have to go, we have to go right now.” It’s Evelyn’s turn to start panicking but Derek nips it in the bud by shifting her body entirely so she’s straddling his lap and she soon learns that it’s pretty hard to hyperventilate when you’re not ventilating at all.

“Deep breaths sweetheart, I’ll go get her as soon as you calm down.” He tells her firmly, cupping her cheek in one of his big calloused hands. Her breathing does settle at that as she throws a glare up at him.

“What do you mean you’ll go get her.” Derek blanches at Evelyn’s tone, quickly realising he’s solved one problem by quickly and cleverly creating what is most likely going to be an even bigger one. “You’re not going by yourself.”

“Evy—”

“Don’t you Evy me Mr. I’m coming with.”

“There's no point in trying to get you to stay here is there.” He sighs, running his thumb across the apple of her cheek, definitely following the blush that’s fanning out across her face. All she can do is flash him a bright smile and reach out to give him a condescending pat on the chest.

“Look at you, learning so quickly.”

“I think I need to get some tips from Stilinski, you think he has notes on how to keep up with you?” He looks down at her with narrowed eyes and this time she smacks him across the chest.

“I think you do pretty well all by yourself.” She admits and Derek’s self-satisfied smirk lasts the entirety of the drive to the preserve and most of the way through it. It only fades when the house comes into view and as it does his expression hardens and his grip on the steering wheel tightens.

“Would you stay in the car if I asked?” He looks at her balefully and she just raises a singular brow. “Didn’t think so. Come on then.”

It’s colder now than it was outside Lydia’s earlier in the night and Derek’s hoodie does little to keep out the sting of the early spring night. The Hale House looms over them, ever a beacon of horror and hopelessness that none of them can seem to get out from under. Her gaze shifts then to Derek’s form, illuminated by the moonlight and she doesn’t resist the urge to reach out and fold his hand into hers.

There are no sounds as they walk beneath what’s left of the porch, there aren't any sounds when Derek pushes open the bright red door. Evelyn isn’t sure whether she should be relieved or worried about this observation, at least if there were moans of pain or snarls coming from inside she’d have something to cling to.

The moonlight trickles in from a hole in the roof letting just enough light in that Evelyn can make out Derek’s form in front of her but Derek’s werewolf vision spots something that she’s yet to see. He freezes and Evelyn doesn’t need to be able to see to know that something’s got him freaked out but she doesn’t get a chance to ask what’s wrong because as he goes to take a step back she watches as his entire body crumples to the floor like a piece of wet paper.

Frantically, Evelyn drops to her knees looking him over for a bullet, an arrow, even a crossbow bolt but she finds nothing. Something shifts just in front of her then and a figure emerges from the gloom. “Grab his other arm.” There’s no question in her voice as she stands over the pair, eyes cold and unfeeling as she looks down on the pair.

“Lydia…What..?” Evelyn blinks up at her, trying and failing to get her words past her now trembling lips.

“Now Evelyn, he needs to be closer .”

“Closer to what?” Lydia what did you do to him?” Evelyn stands to put herself in front of Derek’s prone and unmoving form.

“I need him out of my head Evelyn, I need Peter out and the only way I can do that is to do this.” She’s pulling frantically at the now frazzled strands of what was only hours ago perfectly coiffed hair.

“We can do that Lydia, whatever you need we can do it just please don’t hurt him.” Evelyn pleads but Lydia’s not in the mood to stand around and talk it out apparently.

“If you won’t help me I’ll do it myself and if you try and stop me I won’t tell you what kind of poison I’ve put in his system.” She hisses, eyes wild and wicked in her head. Evelyn’s frozen, she doesn’t know what to do, so she finds herself watching on in horror as Lydia begins to drag Derek towards the centre of the room.

Her eyes have adjusted to the dim light and she knows the hole that Lydia lays Derek down beside is exactly where they’d found Peter’s body a few weeks earlier except now there’s a rope entwined with what looks like wolfsbane that disappears into the ground. Lydia moves again then, towards a mirror which she flips with a sure turn of her wrist. The gentle moonlight becomes intensely focused on the hole and Evelyn wants to scream, plead, roar for Lydia to stop but her breath’s barely moving past the lump in her throat.

Lydia grabs Derek’s hand and as she does he weakly groans for her to stop, that she doesn’t know what she’s doing. Evelyn takes that to mean that he knows what Lydia has planned for him and the fear in his voice let’s her know that it’s bad. It’s that fear that has her moving again but it’s too little, too late.

It only takes a second, she places Derek's hand inside the hole and Evelyn can’t see what happens down there but Derek screams in pain and his eyes flash that deep crimson before rolling back into his head on a gasp as he falls limp where he lies on the floor.

Evelyn moves without knowing she’s done it, collapsing on top of Derek just as the rotted, wooden floor bursts up around them, covering them in dusty shards and splinters. She hears Lydia skitter back towards the far wall just as something soft hits her side and she glances down to find a woven bag that smells suspiciously floral resting on the floor beside her.

“I heard there was a party…” His voice is gruff from misuse but surprisingly strong for someone who up until a few seconds ago had been dead for six months. “Don’t worry, I invited myself.” She can hear the smirk in his voice and her curiosity gets the better of her as she peaks out from under her hands to find Peter Hale looming over them eyes sparking blue in the darkness, completely naked and filthy dirty.

He takes a singular, wobbly step towards them and Evelyn feels the way Derek curls in on himself, feels the sharp pin pricks of his claws digging into her side. “I wouldn’t get any closer.” She snarls, grabbing the bag that Lydia had flung at her to wave it pointedly in his direction.

“I see you haven’t changed at all Ms. O’ Hara.” His nose twitches as he takes in the heady scent of the wolfsbane in her hand with a grimace. And with that he turns on his heel and disappears out the door leaving the other three alone in the darkness of the mangled living room. Evelyn starts as something clinks to the ground beside her once again and she looks down to find a small clear bottle filled with something liquid rolling towards her feet.

“Make sure he drinks it all.” Lydia tells her, staring towards where Peter had just wandered into the night before following in his wake. Evelyn wants to sprint after her but the sound of Derek’s increasingly laboured breathing keeps her rooted to the spot. Quickly, she yanks the top off the bottle, tilts Derek’s head back and pours the sweet smelling liquid down his throat.

Watching carefully, her own heart rabbiting against her ribs, his chest rises and falls over and over until with a stuttered gasp Derek’s eyes open and she pulls his head into her lap as tears begin to fill his eyes.

Chapter 21: The Morning After the Night Before.

Chapter Text

Evelyn wakes to a throbbing pain behind her eyes before she’s even opened them, her arm’s also gone numb under the weight of something and when she does eventually and great effort manage to crack her eyes open, her breath catches a little in her chest at the sight she’s met with.

There’s a head of black hair tucked comfortably under her chin, the soft strands tickling the sensitive skin there. One of her arms is coiled tightly around Derek’s waist and he’s using the other one as a pillow. She can feel the puffs of breath against her chest and she curls in closer to him, dropping a soft kiss on the top of his head, content to stay like this for a while longer.

All it takes to ruin her little bubble of comfort is everything from the night before coming back to her and on instinct she pulls Derek closer as her brain starts to work overtime as it throws her head first into how they wound up here. Derek wasn’t in a fit state to drive them home and Evelyn’s first time driving the Camaro was a lot less fun than she had thought it would be. Once they got back to the apartment she’s pretty sure they just collapsed into the bed, clothes still on, no questions asked. Actually she’s almost positive they didn’t speak at all instead they just passed out, tangled up in each other’s arms.

The feral smile on Peter’s face flashes through her mind and she must flinch at the thought because the breath on her skin begins to speed up and Derek shifts just a little closer to her. “Morning.” His voice is scratchy and she runs her hand carefully down the centre of his back.

“Hey, how are you holding up?” Evelyn asks carefully and for a moment she thinks he hasn’t heard her until a soft little sniffling noise reaches her ears. She rolls onto her back in a flash and eventually with some pulling and prodding she manages to get Derek to follow her over so he’s now sprawled out on top of her. Except now he can’t hide away from her worried gaze as he balls her borrowed shirt tightly in his fists. His eyes are glistening and the look of utter helplessness that’s splashed all over his face has her wrapping her hands around him as tight as she can in an effort to keep him safe from anything else that might want to hurt him.

“If you asked me six months ago if I wanted Peter back I would have gotten on my knees and pleaded for it. I would’ve given anything Evy…” As he takes a deep breath his voice wobbles around his words as he murmurs them into the hollow of her throat. “I would’ve given anything to have him back.”

She feels her own eyes beginning to water as his little sobs grow in strength until they start to wrack his body and she clutches him even closer. “You’re well within your rights to have mixed feelings about this, he’s your family Der and yeah he did go on a murderous rampage but I kind of understand why he made that choice.” She feels Derek pull away to look down at her and she’s confused by the incredulous look she finds on his face until she very quickly realises her mistake.

“Obviously that doesn’t include the killing your sister part.” She squeaks out in an attempt to fix her blunder and he raises a brow but his lips twitch at the same time and she feels her heart settle down again. “I don’t know about you but I desperately need a shower.” Evelyn scrambles to change the subject, shifting upright and smiling a little to herself when she hears Derek chuckling at her.

“You go ahead, I’m gonna call Isaac and check in on the others first.” He grumbles and Evelyn hopes to high heavens that phone call won’t leave them with even more problems than they have right now.

This time around Evelyn actually gets to enjoy Derek’s shower, taking greedy sniffs of his shampoo as she uses it to rinse the dust and who knows what else out of her hair. Once she’s sure it’s sufficiently lathered she piles her sudsy curls on top of her head and then lets it rest against the cold tiles of the wall. She’s contemplating a second round of shampoo when the bathroom door swings wide open and her resulting scream is definitely heard the next county over.

“Son of a bitch.” She screeches scrambling to try and find her towel which is hard to do when you’re being blinded by tiny, stinging bubbles. Stiles, standing just inside the door with his mouth agape watches her fumble fruitlessly to protect her modesty. “Do you mind.” She pauses her scrambling to hiss at him and with that he slams his palm over his eyes with what (to Evelyn’s pleasure), sounds like far too loud a slap.

“Where the hell have you been?” He eventually finds his voice, even though it’s notably reedier than it usually is.

“I’ve been here, where else would I have been.” She barks, still searching for the towel only to find it held under her nose a second later. Sneaking a glance across the room, she confirms with a growing level of mortification that Stiles is in fact still over by the far wall, hand still over his eyes. So, closing her own eyes she takes the towel from the large, tan hand presenting it to her and quickly covers herself. Scrubbing her eyes clear she glances up and is met with the sight of Derek pointedly staring at the ceiling, cheeks tinged red and she hates that she finds this adorable.

“I’m decent.” Evelyn tells the pair and Derek takes a quick step back as Stiles takes one forward.

“I didn’t know you had a mole there.” Stiles points to his own hip and Evelyn closes her eyes and counts to five while a noise that sounds suspiciously like a growl echoes between the bathroom walls.

“Stiles why the hell are you here?” She asks, finally calm enough not to yell when she turns her attention back to him.

“After the party you disappeared. I found Jackson and he said you’d gone home with Derek but you weren’t at the station when I checked this morning so this seemed like the next logical place.” He shrugs seemingly relieved to have found her, that is until his gaze catches on her barely covered body and she gets ready to yell again but he beats her to it.

“What. The. f*ck, happened to your arm?” His eyes are burning but before she can answer he turns on his heel to face Derek. “You son of a bitch, you- How could you…f*ck I know it was a full moon but that doesn’t give you a free pass to hurt her you bastard.” Stiles roars and then he does something that Evelyn doesn’t ever think she’s seen him do before. So yes, all she can do is watch on as he reels back and plants a punch full force right across Derek’s cheek.

They all know full well that Derek could have stopped the punch if he wanted to but he doesn’t, he doesn’t even move away as Stiles hops backwards shaking out his hopefully not broken hand.

“Derek didn’t do anything wrong.” Evelyn grumbles as she grabs for his hand to check for any breaks and Stiles looks at her with what she thinks might just be sympathy.

“Just because you agreed to have sex with him doesn’t mean he had to be so rough.”

“Stiles.”

“I mean you’re a virgin Evy, you don’t know what you want or what you like yet.”

“Stiles.”

“I mean maybe youre into that kind of thing but this looks like it hurt and I doubt you’re into that, safe, sane, consensual, those are the rules Evy.”

“Stiles, if you don’t shut up and get out of this bathroom right now I will give your father the password to the hidden file on your laptop.” Evelyn watches as he pales rapidly before scrambling out the door, stuttering out apologies as he goes.

“Safe, sane and consensual, Stilinski makes a good point.” She whirls to find Derek smirking down at her, showing off far too many teeth which when coupled with that dark gleam in his eye has her stomach flipping over and tying itself in knots.

“You too, out.” She goes for a snap but it comes out as more of a squeak and he does as he’s told but he doesn’t take his eyes off of her until he shuts the door and it’s only then that she finally lets her body slump back against the wall with a deranged little giggle.

Slipping back into a fresh pair of Derek’s sweats and a hoodie he managed to leave for her in all of the chaos she takes a last deep breath and leaves the safety of the bathroom. The living room is dead silent as she makes her way back into the living room and at first she thinks it’s lingering tension from the bathroom but then she sees the worried look on both of the boys faces and something in her stomach curdles at the sight.

“What happened?”

“Victoria Argent killed herself last night.” Stiles says it softly like he’s worried she might spook and honestly he’s probably right.

“Oh god. Oh poor Allison.” She slumps down into the closest armchair. “She didn’t seem like the type, I mean however much a murderous maniac can be the type. She just doesn’t seem like the kind of woman who’d do that but I mean it’s not like you ever really know what’s going on in someone’s-” Evelyn breaks off when she catches sight of Derek across the room.

She knows that if most other people were to look at him in this moment he’d seem normal but she can see the way he’s shifting his weight ever so slightly from one foot to the other and the way he’s mindlessly pulling at a loose thread on the end of his sleeve. Other people wouldn’t see it but Evelyn O’Hara knows for a fact that Derek Hale is anxious.

Evelyn isn’t as good at masking her emotions and Stiles obviously spots something on her face because his eyes narrow and he takes a step towards her. “You know something.” It’s not a question and if this isn’t being stuck between a rock and a hard place she doesn’t know what else would be.

“I need five minutes alone with him.” Evelyn points to Derek and Stiles’ eyes widen ever so slightly before narrowing again. He looks like he wants to argue but instead he shakes his head and goes for the door.

“If I come back and I see any naked body parts I’m suing for emotional distress.” He calls out as the door shuts behind him, leaving Evelyn to scrub her palm across her forehead and wonder why she lets herself put up with this .

“Evy—” Derek starts from across the room but stops when she holds up a finger, his eyes dropping to the floor. Moving slowly, she goes to stand in front of him and cups his cheeks in her hands which has the intended effect of forcing him to look up at her.

“You bit her didn’t you.” She strokes her thumb across his cheek and he nods once, eyes so full of sadness she can’t stand it. “You idiot.” She sighs, moving her hands to loop around his neck and pull him close.

“She didn’t leave me much of a choice she was going to kill us all. I had to do something.” She feels his lips brush the crook of her neck as he speaks and she nods in understanding.

“I know, I know, she didn’t give us much of a choice but God, suicide?”

“Hunters can’t be werewolves, it’s as simple as that.” He relaxes a little, now that he knows she doesn’t plan on giving out to him. That in itself would be great but Derek’s back to himself and his nose has decided to start wandering its way up her neck and she squirms a little in his hold at the shivery feeling it sends to her stomach.

“Stiles is coming back up the stairs… I can afford a lawsuit.” She can hear the smirk in his voice as he whispers his words directly into her ear and of course just as she goes to shove him off Stiles comes through the door.

“Son of a bitch, I asked you two for one thing.” He screeches reaching up to cover his eyes and Evelyn smacks Derek’s chest as he chuckles to himself while she worms her way out of his hold.

“Derek’s being a tool. Nothing happened between us last night.” She flushes as she speaks and she feels Derek step in closer again but this time he just drops a warm hand to the small of her back.

“Then who…” Stiles trails off and looks at her again more closely this time, taking in the way she’s holding herself and the way Derek’s reluctant to be anywhere but by her side at the minute. “I’ll kill him.” There’s no joke in his voice, he doesn’t even sound remotely like himself as the words hiss past his lips.

“No, no, absolutely not, no killing. I’m fine and so we’re not murdering anyone alright.” She pointedly stares at him until his hackles drop down a little.

“You’re alright with this no murder plan?” He turns to Derek arms folded and eyebrows raised at the taller man.

“f*ck no, but believe me Matt’s not getting within a foot of her if I have anything to say about it.” He takes a step closer so he’s completely pressed up against her back, his hand slipping around to hold her hip and Stiles seems even more pacified by that. “Right now though we have bigger problems.” Derek keeps going and Evelyn is left to enjoy the way Stiles’ eyeballs attempt to escape their sockets as Derek explains exactly what happened after the party last night.

“Well…sh*t.” Stiles collapses onto the armchair, his head tilting over the back and Evelyn runs her hand over his spikey buzzcut more as a way to soothe herself.

“Yeah, that’s the general consensus.” She nods taking a minute to let everything sink in before continuing. “Can you bring me back to mine. I should really head over to Allison’s.”

“Evy—” Derek starts but she turns and stops him from continuing with one sharp look.

“She;'s my friend Derek and she just lost her mom. God knows I’d need a friend if I was in her shoes and they’re in short supply right now.” She co*cks her head, noting to herself that she should also go check on Lydia this evening. Derek doesn’t argue any further and Stiles heads to the car but before she leaves she turns back and with her head raised she presses a soft kiss to the bolt of Derek’s jaw.

“Thank you for everything yesterday.” She tells him earnestly and he steps in closer, wrapping his arms around her to pull her tight to his chest.

“Anytime.” He chuckles, pressing a similarly soft kiss to her forehead and she sighs happily in his hold until an aggressively honked car horn ruins the moment. “Call me if you need anything else, even if you just want to cry just call me, alright?” He asks, pulling away just a little.

“I’m not going to—” It’s his turn to cut her off and he does it by gripping her chin firmly but not harshly between his thumb and forefinger and using the grip to nod her head for her.

“That's my good girl, I’ll see you later.” He smirks, happily sending her on her way with a wink and a kiss to her cheek. She’s not entirely sure how she makes it down the stairs without falling to her death, or throwing herself as that tiny little voice in the back of her head begs her to do but she does. In fact she makes it all the way to the jeep with some semblance of her dignity intact and then once she’s sat down and the door closes behind her she’s free to let out a noise so unholy she knows she’s going to have to pay for Stiles’ therapy.

“What the f*ck.”

“You really, really don’t want to know.” She covers her face in her hands and lets out another groan as Stiles pulls out of the parking space with a grimace that’s far too knowing.

It takes her a while to pick up the courage to actually get out of the car once she reaches the Argent House but pick it up she does. The air is heavy, almost cloying as she makes her way up the drive, it feels like the air itself wants her to turn back around and leave. Evelyn doesn’t head the universes warning and instead takes a steadying breath before ringing the doorbell and waiting. For a moment she wonders if anyone’s home at all but just as she goes to turn and head back the way she came in the door is yanked open.

She anticipates tears, she expected Allison to be confused, upset maybe even angry about everything that happened. Evelyn is not prepared for the look of pure fury on Allison’s face as she stands in her doorway, the usual inch she has on Evelyn’s height now feeling more like a mile.

“Here to rub it in?” Her words scald like acid and Evelyn has to take a step back to catch her footing again.

“Allison—”

“Whatever you have to say to me I don’t want to hear it. I know what Derek did, what Derek made her do. You’re my friend Evelyn, you’re my friend and you just sat there and watched him, you didn’t even try to stop him.” Her voice is low, furious and Evelyn tries to start explaining, tries to get a word in but Allison refuses to hear it.

“He’s dead Evelyn, Derek is dead and the only reason I’m telling you that is because we were friends and you deserve to know that someone you care about is going to die, something you couldn’t give me.”

“Allison please-.” Evelyn pushes forward but the door is shut in her face before she can get any closer. Her hand comes down on the door with a sharp sting, her heart is pounding and her chest aches with it but she knows there’s no changing Allison's mind now.

She only gets half way down the drive before another car pulls up and she watches in unabashed horror as Chris steps into her path.< /p>

This, Evelyn has determined is where she’ll die, if Allison was furious she doesn’t even want to know what Chris must think. So, she waits, waits to be chewed apart and spat out but it never comes instead the man that stops in front of her doesn’t look furious, he doesn’t even look angry. The man in front of her is broken and she can’t help but throw her arms around his middle and pull him close.< /p>

“I’m so sorry for your loss.” She whispers, tears in her own eyes and for a second Chris stands there, frozen in place but then a hand gently clasps the back of her head and holds her tightly for a few seconds longer before he lets her go.

“Thank you.” He says it so quietly she almost misses it and then he pulls away, leaving her with a nod before heading off towards his front door. Watching him go she catches a flash from one of the upstairs windows and when she looks closer she finds Gerard staring at her, lips twisted in an imitation of a smile but his eyes remain as cold and unfeeling as always. Evelyn resists the urge to throw up two middle fingers in his direction as she walks and somehow she manages to keep her composure. Until she reaches the car where she breaks down into angry screams, not caring about the looks she’s getting from the Argent’s nosey neighbours.

It hits her then, so hard that it crushes her next scream in her throat and as she steals a glance back, Gerard's figure is gone from the window. The thought pesters her as she drives away and she knows it’s going to until she gets an answer. So the question stands, how the hell had Allison known she was with Derek the night of the rave?

Chapter 22: Sheriff's Station Blues

Chapter Text

The moment she pulls up into the driveway of her house, her phone begins to trill from where it lays on her passenger seat.

She presses the green button but before she even has a chance to say hello Stiles’ voice erupts from her phone. “Where are you?”

“I literally just pulled up outside my house, why’d--”

The theme for this call seems to be cut Evelyn off before she speaks because once again he’s jumping into the middle of her sentence. “You need to get to the sheriff’s station right now.” Stiles Stilinski is a man with many capabilities, being calm under pressure is not one of those so the fact that he’s not screaming down the phone at Evelyn right now has her on edge immediately.

“Stiles what’s happened?” She asks slowly, dreading the answer and she knows it’s not possible but Allison’s warning is still ringing loudly in her ears.

“Matt’s the Kanima’s master.” He says it so softly that it takes her brain a solid second to process the fact that no one’s dead before she actually registers what he’s just told her.

“Oh f*cking sh*t.” She hisses and she can picture the way Stiles frantically nods his head on the other end of the line. “Oh sh*t okay. Have you—”

“Derek knows, I just got off the phone with him and Scott’s the one who told me they’re both on their way so you need to get here right now.”

“I’m on my way, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” She tells him urgently, hanging up as she goes, putting the car in reverse and rolling back out of her drive. As she does she calls Isaac, fingers twitching against the steering wheel as she waits for him to pick up.

“Did you just pull up and leave again?” Isaac asks, yawning down the phone and she rolls her eyes at his uncanny hearing.

“I’m headed to the sheriff's office, Stiles figured out that Matt’s the Kanima’s master.” She explains quickly and Isaac reacts with a muffled curse and a thump that makes her think he’s rolled out of bed straight onto the floor.

“How the hell did he come up with that?”

“No idea, I’ll have more details when I get to the station.” She tells him honestly, eyes firmly on the road, flicking on her headlights as the sun dips below the horizon.

“Okay, right, I’ll meet you there in a few minutes.” He grumbles and now it sounds like he’s trying to put on pants and she has to let out a snort at the sound of what she assumes is him hopping around the room, probably on one foot, probably looking like an idiot.

“No you won’t. I know you’re wrecked after last night. Stay there, I won’t be long, I promise.” She tells him and he stops shifting around at that.

“You sure?”

“Positive.” She tells him before another thought crosses her mind. “Issac, did you know Matt when you were younger?”

“Yeah, yeah we hung out with the same group for a while when we were like ten, why?” He asks, confusion clear in his voice as he starts chewing something loudly down the receiver and she squirms in her seat.

“You’re disgusting.” She gripes and Isaac mocks her down the phone before she continues with the point she was making. “It’s just, your dad and Camden are somehow linked to this as well. I’m just trying to wrap my head around motive here.” She explains with a sigh and Isaac lets out a little sigh of acknowledgement. “Is there any reason why Matt might’ve had a grudge against either of them, anything at all?”

Isaac doesn’t say anything, but she can hear him, humming softly under his breath before it breaks off with a slight hitch. “It might be nothing.” He starts and Evelyn waits to let him continue, “there was this one time that Matt came over to mine to swap comic books except…” Isaac breaks off and Evelyn has now run out of patience.

“Come on, just tell me!” She pleads and he lets out a soft groan that she’s almost certain contains a hint (maybe more than a hint if she’s being honest) of embarrassment. “Isaac I won’t make fun of something that happened to you as a kid.” She promises a hint of a smile appearing on her face.

“He told me my comic was dumb and that he wouldn’t swap his for mine but he took mine with him anyways.” He mutters and Evelyn bites her lip to hide her giggle at how upset he still sounds about it.

“Let me guess, you told Camden?” She asks softly and he agrees with a small grunt.

“He was really good about it, told me he’d talk to Matt about what he did…” Isaac trails off and Evelyn knows there’s more to this story so she steels herself to wait this out. “You remember how I said my brother was an asshole?”

“Yeah.” She replies softly, pulling in to the parking lot outside the sheriff’s station and parking up next to the Camaro.

“Well he didn’t like what Matt did and he did get me my comic book back but that wasn’t all he did. He…” Isaac breaks off for a second and takes a breath before he keeps going, like he’s remembering something particularly unpleasant. “He told me that Matt came back over one night when I wasn’t there and Camden and some of his friends on the swim team threw him into our pool.”

Evelyn’s mouth is agape at this stage as Isaac finishes his story and she thinks that if she looks at the other people who Jackson’s killed they’ll have all been on the swim team with Camden Lahey.

“Yeah.” She lets out a deep breath, “yeah that sounds like something you might hold a grudge for.” She nods and Isaac agrees with a grunt. “Okay, I’ll tell the others and we’ll meet up when we’re done here.”

“Sounds like a plan, I’ll see you later. Be careful.”

“I’m at the sheriff’s station I couldn’t be more safer if I tried.” She scoffs and he lets out a soft laugh as she hangs up.

It feels like there’s been a change in the air pressure as she gets out of the car and something pings down her spine as she takes a step towards the station doors. It reminds her of the feeling she had gotten around the mirror but it’s different, this time it feels like a push instead of a pull.

Evelyn tries her best to shrug off the feeling but it only gets stronger the closer she gets to the door and she has to shove past every screaming fibre of her brain to push the door open and the reason for her anxiety becomes immediately clear.

The lights are blinking in and out lazily and fear rips across her skin like a thousand skittering ants, she smells the blood before she sees it. Only for a second though, because as soon as she rounds the desk she spots two deputies splayed like rag dolls across the station floor, throats not slashed as much as they are completely missing.

Then a noise, somewhere down the hall catches her off guard and she freezes as amber eyes appear from the darkness around the corner. He’s not completely changed, in fact he looks more man than beast right now but she doesn’t know exactly how much that’s going to help.

“Ohhh, f*ck.” The words leave her mouth before she can stop them as Jackson starts to stalk towards her, head co*cked like a confused, scaly puppy. “Hey Whittmore.” She’s decided on the diplomatic route and so she does the only thing she can think to do at that second. She holds out her hands and stays very still as he slinks towards her space.

Theoretically, he hasn’t tried to hurt her before so she should be pretty safe but now that she knows that Matt’s been the person in his ear, god knows what he’s told him. He slows his pace as he gets to within a foot of her before coming to a complete stop inches from her outstretched fingers. It’s clear that he knows who’s talking to him, she can see that much in his eyes.

“Hey Jackson. You’ve been busy haven’t you.” She whispers, eyes flicking to the bodies behind the desk and a low, rasping hiss leaves his throat as he glances at the pair of deputies. “Hey, I just need to go find Derek and Stiles.” He bears his teeth at the mention of their names and she nods along in understanding, trying not to focus on the way his tail whips behind him in very obvious agitation. “Yeah listen, I’m not either of their biggest fans right now but I really don’t want them dead.” She tells him, pretty much pleading with him now and she watches as his tail slowly stops flicking.

“Yeah buddy, they haven’t done anything wrong. So maybe you could just chill here for a few minutes and let me go back there and look for them?” Carefully, watching him for any signs of aggression, she reaches her hand out to him palm up. His amber eyes still watch her with wary recognition but after a few seconds he oh so gently sets a scaled, clawed hand atop Evelyn’s. “Thanks Jackson.” A slow, soft growl leaves his lips as an acknowledgement and she smiles fondly up at him before skirting around him to head for the back offices.

The confidence she walks away with falters as soon as she turns the corner and she slumps against the wall, taking a deep breath as she tries to push the images of the cops lying mangled in pools of their own blood from her mind. The image makes her legs quake and the smell of copper is making her more and more nauseous so she knows she has to move on and fast.

Carefully, she makes her way towards the sheriff’s office and when she gets there she takes a peak in through the window. There’s no light on and no sign of anyone so she quickly and quietly opens the door, checking the hallway once more before slipping inside. The door shuts just as her foot hits something solid and she jumps when that something solid lets out a low pained groan in response to her kick.

Evelyn looks down and has to stifle a laugh behind her hand as she takes in the sight of Stiles sprawled over Derek’s prone form. “Am I interrupting? I can leave if you two are in the middle of something.” The giggle slips out regardless of her efforts and Derek lets out a menacing growl that has the laugh dying on her tongue while Stiles cusses her out under his breath.

“Shut the f*ck up and help us.” Stiles snaps and she acquiesces, kneeling to roll Stiles off of Derek, smiling down at the pair as she does so.

“Where’s Matt?” She asks as she settles Stiles on his back just next to Derek’s equally prone form.

“He’s gone to scare Melissa off with Scott.” Derek tells her and Evelyn freezes. “She’s fine, he just put her in one of the jail cells.”

“Hey, do you know what's happening to Matt?” Stiles asks then from his new spot on the floor and she looks down at him with a singular brow raised.
“What do you mean?”

“Well when he was kissing you did you notice anything scaly, was he like, cold to the touch or anything?” He asks and Evelyn debates leaving the pair here and just walking back the way she came in. She chances a glance at Derek and finds his attention completely on Stiles and she thinks that he’s very lucky that Derek can’t move right now.

“No Stiles, I didn’t notice anything weird, why?” She asks semi afraid of what his reasoning’s about to be.

“He’s changing.” Derek answers for him, “he looks like he’s taking on the Kanima’s form, he’s after the Argent’s bestiary, he thinks it might have a cure.” He tells her and she nods along in understanding. “Thing is the book’s not gonna help him. You can’t just break the rules, not like this.”

“What do you mean?” Stiles asks from her other side, trying to peek around her so he can see Derek’s prone form.

“The universe likes to even things out, yin and yang. You can’t order a creature to kill against its creed without facing the consequences.” Evelyn answers for him, throwing her eyes towards the still blinking lights in the hallway.

“Don’t forget about killing people himself.” Derek replies and Evelyn’s eyes flash to his in an instant. “The woman, the pregnant woman, Matt killed her in the hospital when Jackson couldn’t finish the job.” He tells her and she feels tears welling up in her eyes, involuntarily reaching to scratch at the bruises on her arms.

“Stop that!” Stiles snaps out. “None of us knew, you couldn’t have known.” Stiles tells her firmly and she knows he’s right, she knows she’s being irrational but she can’t help it. “So, if Matt breaks the rules of the Kanima, he becomes the Kanima?” He changes his tune then and Derek nods, eyes still fixed on Evelyn.

“Consequences.” They reply at the same time and she sends him a small smile which he returns without question.

Stiles lets out a low sigh from beside her, “will he believe us if we tell him that?” The other two exchange a look before wincing over at him and he lets out an even deeper sigh. “He’s gonna kill all of us when he gets that book, isn’t he?”

“Yep.”

“All right, so what do we do? Do we just-do we just sit here and wait to die?” Stiles asks and Evelyn lands a slap she knows he won’t feel across his chest.

“I can try dragging you both out of here but it’s gonna take time make a lot of noise and even though I’m pretty sure Jackson’s cool with me, he still might try and tear the two of you apart.

“I can try and push the toxin out of my body faster, maybe if I trigger the healing process…” He trails off and Evelyn looks down in horror as she finds him gouging his own claws into his thighs, leaving dark bloody stains on his jeans.

“Oh, what are you doing? Aw gross.” Stiles gags and Evelyn quickly moves to put Derek’s head in her lap, stroking her fingers through his hair, more in an attempt to calm herself than to soothe him.

“Der…” She trails off, worry clear in her voice which he picks up on that straight away, glancing up to meet her wide eyed gaze.

“I’ll be fine, promise.” He tells her softly and she fires off a sceptical look that has him smirking.

“God, if I’d known that even in death I would have been third wheeling I would have asked Jackson to tear out my throat earlier.” Stiles groans from beside her and she throws a fairly forceful kick into his shin in retaliation.

“Ow.” He snaps and Evelyn’s eyes flick to his face in glee, “oh, oh that’s a good sign.” His own eyes grow wide as he begins to smile.

The sound of voices in the hallway has the smile falling away and Evelyn freezes as she spots the fear rolling across both boys faces. “Jackson’s not going to hurt me.” Of that she’s confident but the way that Stiles’ eyes quickly flit from her to the door has her fear quickly multiplying.

“Yeah, lizard boy isn’t the problem. Matt has a gun.” That fear that was slowly creeping up her spine reaches its flashpoint and she blanches as it spills over into her veins, her whole body beginning to shake just a little.

The voices get closer and Evelyn freezes in place like a rabbit in the headlights.

“Hide under the desk.” Derek hisses at her and with that she scrambles up and under the desk as fast as humanly possible, pulling her legs in just as the door swings open and two pairs of shoes appear in her line of sight.

“How’d you manage this then?” Matt’s cruel tone breaks the silence first.

“Sheer force of will.” Stiles snarks and Evelyn wants to reach out and cover his stupidly big mouth. Matt doesn’t say anything, just walks further into the room but not before aiming a sharp kick to Stiles’ stomach and though she knows he probably can’t feel it, that doesn’t stop her wincing at the sheer force of the blow.

There’s complete silence for a long, drawn out minute and then without any sort of warning Evelyn’s being yanked out from under the desk by her hair with a pained scream.

“Put her down!” Stiles’ snarls as Derek’s eyes flash bright red and he makes an inhuman growling noise, eye completely focused on Evelyn’s form.

“You know I don’t think I will. Just when I thought this evening couldn’t get any more entertaining.” Matt’s grin is wide, feral, his teeth are showing and Evelyn struggles to pull herself out of his hold. This seems to change his mood and in a flash he’s yanked her hair back as far as possible leaving her neck exposed which only gets Derek growling even louder.

She’s frozen stock still, her body completely unwilling to move, panic lancing through her veins at the feeling of one of his hands clasping both of her arms behind her back before the hand in her hair shifts to clamp around her throat. The hand is clammy and slick with sweat and though it’s not cutting off her air or squeezing, it’s a threat and judging by the way Derek’s growling has stopped, it’s a threat that’s working. Opening her own mouth, to plead or yell she’s not sure, nothing comes out but a muted whimper.

“You left me hanging last night.” Matt snarls in her ear and Evelyn slams her eyes shut in an attempt to block his words out. “Swanned off with him like it was nothing.” He spits down towards the ground and she knows calling out for Derek won’t do her any good but it doesn’t stop her brain from wanting to try.

“Maybe this time I’ll let him watch, hmm?” He smirks to himself and Evelyn’s now shaking from head to toe. “Make him watch and then let Jackson finish him off. If you’re good I might even let you watch.” He chuckles lowly in her ear and that has the shakes stopping in their tracks.

It hits her again that she’s not the only one in danger right now and she has to distract Matt long enough for Derek to get his movement back. “You drowned in that pool didn’t you!” The words are out before she can stop them and she feels the exact moment they hit Matt as the hand around her throat clamps down and the grip around her hands loosens.

“How do you..? Lahey.” He mumbles to himself before twisting Evelyn so she’s forced to look up at him. “He shouldn’t have let them drink.” He snaps and for the first time Evelyn now catches sight of Jackson holding a profusely bleeding Scott by the nape of his neck.

“What..? Who..? Matt, what do you mean?” Scott calls across the room and Matt’s attention fixes on him with narrowed eyes.

“Lahey.” Evelyn answers for him and all eyes fly back to Evelyn as she feels a flush creep up her neck at everybody’s attention. “Isaac’s father.” She reiterates and Matt nods down at her.

“He shouldn’t have let them drink.” Matt’s attention is obviously gone from the room, his eye staring off into space.

“Who was drinking?” Scott asks in exasperation and Evelyn bites back a cry as Matt jerks her once again as he turns to face Scott.

“The swim team! I didn’t know Isaac had snitched to his brother about his comic book, I was on my way over to give it back.” His eyes turn glassy and his lips start to wobble. “I didn’t know they’d just won state. So they’re drinking and dancing and then Camden spots me, he spots me and then he’s chasing me. I was in the pool before I could tell them I couldn’t swim.” His breathing is uneven and Evelyn can feel the way his heart is pounding in his chest as it slams against her back.

“I tell them I can’t swim but none of them listen and I’m swallowing water, watching them grope each other beneath the water, they’re laughing. I’m dying…And they’re just laughing!” His uneven breaths have turned into sobs and as she watches the tears fall from his eyes she can’t help but think she might feel sorry for him if he wasn’t such a massive piece of crap.

“Next thing I know I’m lying by the pool and Lahey’s leaning over me, right above me screaming at me, screaming, ‘you tell no one. This is your fault. What little bastard doesn’t know how to swim.’” She watches the spit project from his mouth as he hisses out the words, embodying someone else as he speaks. She reminds herself to give Isaac a huge hug when she gets home.

“I didn’t say anything, I didn’t tell anyone. I would see them all at school and Camden would just glare at me, as if I’d done something wrong.” A shiver rakes down her spine at that and Evelyn wonders just how much trouble Camden Lahey had found himself in that night.

“I dreamt about it for years, I would wake up gasping for air in the night. It got so bad my parents thought I had asthma but I couldn't tell them that every single time I closed my eyes all I saw was water.” He sniffles pitifully before something in him changes and his posture straightens once again, the grip on her neck tightening once more.

“But then I went to Kate Argent’s funeral. I heard you say you’d be going and figured it would be a good place to get some candids.” He whispers into Evelyn’s ear and she shudders against him, chancing a glance at Derek to find him watching the pair in muted horror, but the twitching of his fists seems stronger and that steels her nerves.

"By accident, I snap one of Lahey and when I looked back on the photo’s that night this feeling of unbelievable rage filled me up and I look at him and I know I want him dead.” He snarls, his eyes so dark they’re almost black. And would you believe it the next day he actually was. You know, Einstein was right-- Imagination is more important than knowledge. It was like something out of Greek mythology, like-like the Furies coming down to punish Orestes.” He makes eye contact with Scott who’s looking at him, with those big brown eyes of his and not a single thought behind them.

“...You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?” He asks deadpan and the sheer out of pocketness of his question has Evelyn biting back a shocked laugh. Her eyes flash to Derek, who’s brow is raised at her, in very obvious confusion at her sudden expression of glee.

“Was-was that the guy who stabbed out his eyes?” Scott asks anxiously, Stiles and Evelyn break at the same time, both letting out a snort at Scott’s brain dead answer.

“That’s Oedipus you dumb-ass!” Matt echoes their thoughts with a groan. “The furies are deities of vengeance, their tears ran of blood and they had snakes for hair. They were the executioners for crimes that went unpunished. Jackson is my fury.” He says it almost reverently as he turns to look at his avenging angel, a feral look of pride on his face.

“I knew when I saw him the next night that there was a bond between us. I knew he had killed Lahey for me, and I knew he’d do it again. So I went to Tucker’s garage, I paid for an oil change and that f*cker,” he spits, “didn’t even recognise me. So I snapped a picture and a few hours later colour me surprised when I hear about a terrible accident.”

“So I took more pictures, all I had to do was take their picture and then Jackson would take their lives.” His smile is now manically gleeful, all teeth and gums and as soon as Evelyn feels the hand on her arms slacken again she whirls in his hold. Matt gawks at her, his hold completely gone and Evelyn takes his stupefaction and runs with it, tipping her head back to smash it down across his nose.

He falls to the ground with a wail and she shifts to stand over him, a mixture of fury and sympathy twisting across her features. “They were stupid kids Matt, Camden was just sticking up for his little brother, he didn’t know you couldn’t swim.” She tries to go with the calm and collected route, which is apparently not the way to go.

“They killed me.” He snarls and before she can argue, the boys begin to yell and she doesn’t get to turn before a large pair of cold, scaly hands grasp her shoulders in a stupidly strong hold.”

“f*ck sake lizard boy.” She grunts, wriggling in his grip but he doesn’t budge.

“I take it back.” Matt smirks, pushing himself back to his feet and it brings Evelyn just a hint of satisfaction to see blood begin to drip from his left nostril. “You’re not worth keeping around long enough to screw.” That has both Stiles and Derek yelling from the floor but Matt shuts them up by pointing the gun at Evelyn’s head.

“I’ll let him have his fun with you instead.” Matt sneers, his gaze flicking to Jackson and Evelyn lets out a loud peel of laughter that has Matt taking a large step back, confusion clear on his face. “Jackson?” Matt snaps but Jackson looks like he has no intention of following that order.

It’s Evelyn’s turn to crack a manic grin now as she turns her head to observe the glare that Jackson’s throwing at Matt. “You’re not gonna hurt me are you Jackstrap.” She beams up at him and he seems to let out a low sound of agreement from the back of his throat, still watching Matt with narrowed yellow eyes.

“Kill her!” Matt’s taken to screeching now that he isn’t getting his way and Evelyn thinks that if the whole murderous psychopath thing didn’t turn her off then this definitely would have. Zoning back in, she watches in smug glee as Jackson’s eyes flash for a second but he stays happily relaxed behind her. In fact he starts to run his hands up and down her bare arms which would be a lot more comforting if he wasn’t dripping poison from sharp tipped claws. He’s careful though, keeping them pointed away from her fragile skin.

“Fine, I’ll just have to do it myself then.” Matt snarls, moving forwards gun in hand. This panics both Evelyn and surprisingly, Jackson who quickly pushes her behind him in the blink of an eye as he starts to snarl at the now completely freaked out Matt. “What the f*ck is wrong with you just kill the little bitch—”

Matt knows he’s made a fatal error as soon as the word leaves his lips. He turns pale and his eyes begin to gradually widen as a cacophony of growls begin to echo around the room. One of those growls is now coming from ever so slightly higher up that Evelyn expects and when she glances down she finds Derek sitting up against John’s desk eyes bright red in full beta shift.

Stiles, clearly not wanting to be left out, is wiggling his fingers, teeth bared and listing in excruciating detail, all the ways he could get away with murdering Matt.

|

Jackson lunges for Matt then. He doesn’t get very far though as all at once, every single light in the station goes out, plunging them all into pitch blackness.

“What’s going on, what’s happening.” Matt yells and Evelyn hears the sound of scuffling feet before a pair of hands settle on her hips. Panic hits her immediately and she scrambles to try and get out of the tight hold.

“It’s me, it’s just me.” Derek’s lips press the words into her temple and she sags against his chest and his hands squeeze firmly down on her hips as if to reassure himself that she’s actually standing in front of him. Matt’s still trying to figure out what’s happening and she can hear Stiles grunt as she assumes Scott goes to pick him up.

A hitch in Derek’s breath is all the warning she gets before he has her on the floor, under him, his hand cupped behind her head to stop it from cracking against the cold, tiled floor. “Der—” Machine gun fire explodes in her ears and she shrieks as tiny pieces of what were once the windows of John’s office start raining down on them. Without thinking she reaches up to cover the back of Derek’s head with her hands as he shields her with his much broader form and ducks his own face down above hers.

As soon as it started the thrum of the guns stops and Derek’s off her and back on his feet as quick as he can, which given his current state is not very quickly at all. She glances across the room and finds Scott crouched behind the couch, holding Stiles upright and breathing becomes a little easier when she finds them both unharmed.

“We need to go, now!” Derek barks and Evelyn flings her arm around his waist to act as a crutch before he can even ask. They head for the hallway in what is a very wobbly procession but they’re moving, well they’re moving until Evelyn hears a low reptilian hiss and she spots Jackson rounding the corner at the far end of the hall. She’s almost completely confident he won’t hurt her, she’s under no illusions about the other three though.

“You get Stiles to safety.” She whispers to Scott under her breath and before he can question her she turns on her heels and sprints the other way, still half carrying Derek. She doesn’t need to look behind her to know that Jackson’s chasing them. It’s predator one – oh – one, never ever turn your back and run.

They sprint for the garage, flinging open the door and slamming it shut behind them just as Jackson crashes against the metal with a pretty solid thump. The arrow that pings off the door next to her cheek lets her know that she’s not going to have a second to catch her breath.

“Allison—”

“I want you to look at me when I kill you.” She hisses as she knocks another arrow, pointing it directly at Derek and he shoves Evelyn off the far side of the step down into the room as he rolls away into the darkness on the far side. She hears another arrow hit the cement wall and winces but when there’s no cry of pain she knows that it hasn’t managed to find its mark.

Taking a leaf out of his book Evelyn tries to do the same, crouching and stumbling to hide behind one of the sheriff’s cruisers. When she’s sure she can’t see Allison anymore she takes a deep breath, letting her head thump against the cold metal of the car in front of her.

The sound of a gun co*cking is all the warning she gets and she prays that the person behind her is Chris Argent. “I was going to make it quick.” He hisses, yanking back her hair once more so he can speak directly into her ear. The feeling of his hot breath on her neck makes her want to gag and she hates the feeling of helplessness that crawls across her skin. “I think I’ll take my time now, I’ll make it nice and slow maybe I’ll get Jackson’s help, keep you in your place.” She can feel her neck creaking as he keeps yanking it back, the cold muzzle of the gun pressed right at the base of her skull.

“Or, maybe I paralyse your wolf, make him watch the whole thing and then slit his throat right before I slit yo—” He doesn’t get to finish his threat, his hands slacken on her hair and she has just enough brainpower to grasp for the gun before it can clatter to the ground. She flicks the safety on, just like John showed her and then wheels around to find Jackson looking down at her, all Kanima now, head tilted like a very confused puppy.

“You, are the best lizard a girl could ever wish for.” She sighs happily, letting her head once again thump back against the car, feeling a lot safer now than she did before. “You,” she turns her attention to the now frozen Matt, “are a real piece of sh*t Matt Dahler.” She hisses down at him, nudging his prone form with her foot as he swear under his breath. Jackson moves closer and as if to exacerbate the puppy likeness he nuzzles his scaly head into her lap.

“No one will ever believe me.” Evelyn sighs mournfully as she carefully brushes her fingers across his head, giggling when he releases what she can only describe as the reptilian equivalent of a purr. “I have never needed a camera more.” They stay like this for a few more seconds before Evelyn shifts away much to the displeasure of her cold blooded lap dog.

“I need to find the others and you need to hide, the Argent’s are here and while I trust you to keep yourself safe in most situations lizard boy, this isn’t one of them.” She tells him sternly as she peeks over the top of the car to make sure that the coast is in fact clear. “Be careful.” She calls but when she looks back he’s already skittered away.

There’s blood, paperwork and glass littered throughout the hallways as she quietly makes her way through the station. She hasn’t seen a sign of any of the boys and it has something twisting tightly in the pit of her stomach. She really doesn’t want to just break down and cry right here in the middle of this empty corridor but my God she just might.

The silence makes it easier for her to hear the sound of the approaching footsteps and her elation at the noise quickly turns to apprehension as it hits her that she has no idea who’s going to turn the corner. So there she stands, frozen in the middle of the hall, hoping that the face she sees will be a friendly one. Her hope is dashed though as a hand covers her mouth and she squeals as she’s dragged into a tiny storage closet.

Her first thought is that Matt’s very resistant to Jackson’s venom until she smells pine and leather beneath her nose. Derek quickly moves to grip her with both hands as she slumps against him, tears finally spilling over and running hot down her cheeks. She goes to speak but he stops her with a hand over her mouth and she can’t see him but she knows he’s shaking his head.

“What are you doing here? It wasn't supposed to happen like this!” Evelyn’s brow furrows as she hears Scott start to speak from somewhere outside the closet.

“Trust me, I'm aware of that.” She feels Derek push harder against her mouth and she’s glad for it because her sharp inhale would have been audible from where Scott and Gerard f*cking Argent are apparently chatting like old friends just outside the door.

“I've done everything that you've asked of me. I'm part of Derek's pack, I've given you all the information that you wanted, I told you Matt was controlling Jackson...” Evelyn can feel the rage building up inside of her and it seems like Derek can too because the hand that isn’t pressed to her lips is running those soothing circles he likes to make so much against the skin of her hip that’s peeking out above her jeans.

“Then leave him to us. Help your friends. Leave Matt and Jackson to me. Deal with your mother.” Gerard tells Scott in that foney warm way of his that never fails to leave her skin crawling. “Go!” He echoes and she listens to the sound of their retreating footsteps but she doesn’t relax until Derek removes the hand from her mouth to run it through her hair.

“Son of a f*ck.”

Chapter 23: Evelyn O'Hara's Day Off

Chapter Text

Matt’s death hits Evelyn like a physical blow to the stomach. Stiles is the one to break the news when he calls her first thing the next morning and tells her exactly what John told him. “Drowned, Evy, how the f*ck did he drown, he was in less than a foot of water?” He asks and she pulls her knees up under her chin as she sits back on her bed.

“I don’t know Stiles, I mean, he couldn’t swim…” She goes for the logical route but she cuts herself off to ask the far more important question. “Do they think it was an accident?” She wants to know what the police are thinking happen so she takes a deep breath to steady herself, her chest feeling hollow as she does.

“They’re not sure but judging by how stressed my dad looks right now I don’t think they do. You don’t…Evy you don’t think..?” He doesn’t finish the question but Evelyn knows exactly what he’s getting at and she rushes to stop the line of inquiry in its tracks.

“No! God no, he wouldn’t Stiles you know he wouldn’t do that.”

“Do I?” He scoffs incredulously, “he was furious Evy, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that angry and he’s never been anything but angry around me.” Stiles argues and Evelyn shakes her head, refusing to even contemplate the notion that Derek might’ve harmed Matt.

“He didn’t do it Stiles, end of story.” She snaps, wanting him to drop it as soon as possible.

“Fine, fine. I’ll leave it alone.” Stiles shoots back. “You need a lift?”

“No, no. I think I’m gonna stay home, I don’t really want to deal with people or questions right now.” She tells him, rubbing her nose between her finger and thumb in an attempt to fight off a steadily worsening headache.

“Yeah of course, no worries…” He trails off before in a smaller, quieter voice he asks, “you think you’ll make it to the game?”

“Course I’ll be there, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’ll see you later.” She promises with a fond smile before hanging up and dropping her head onto her knees to let out the low groan she’d been stifling for the whole conversation. She had thought about telling him about Scott and Gerard but she decided against it, at least until she gets a chance to ask Scott about it first before jumping to ( in her defense, some pretty solid) conclusions.

Knees as it turns out do not great soundproofing make because a few seconds later there’s a soft knock at her door. “Hey,” Maude sticks her head in, eyeing Evelyn warily as she takes in her curled up form and the dower look on her face. “What’s up?”

Evelyn tilts her head up, so that she can look at her with one eye and she takes a deep breath as she tries to find the words to answer that question. “Stiles just called, they pulled a friend of ours out of the river.” She decides to go with a lie that might have been the truth once upon a time.

“Oh baby, I’m so sorry.” Maude quickly makes her way across the room and pulls Evelyn into a tight hug that she’s powerless to resist. It doesn’t take long for the tears to start running and Evelyn doesn’t know why, which definitely makes the crying worse. Matt certainly doesn’t deserve her tears but she can’t seem stop them from flowing. “Okay, you’re not going to school today and I’m not in until twelve so let’s have some breakfast and watch some crappy reality TV for a few hours, alright?” She pulls away to cup Evelyn’s face in her hands, and Evelyn nods in agreement, standing to follow her to the kitchen.

They’re still on the couch, sipping tea and giggling over a particularly dumb guest on Maury when the doorbell rings at around half eleven. Evelyn stands to go answer it but Maude stops her with fingers around her arm, pulling her gently to sit back down on the couch. She goes then and is gone for a few seconds longer than Evelyn expects before she comes back with a sh*t eating grin that sits so wide on her face she worries for Maude's facial muscles and Evelyn’s left scrambling to sit up straight.

“You have a visitor.” She smiles widely and Evelyn co*cks her head in confusion until Derek’s familiar form rounds the corner and she can feel the blush rush up her neck as Maude keeps her eyes flicking between the pair. “I’m gonna go get ready for work.” She giggles, heading for the stairs but not before throwing a wink in Evelyn’s direction.

“Hey,” She smiles but Derek looks down at her with a frown.

“You’ve been crying.”

“What gave it away?” She sniffs, rubbing at her dry, red eyes and when she moves her hand she jumps a little when she finds Derek on his knees in front of her. He smiles at her start but he doesn’t say anything as he reaches up and strokes a hand softly across her cheek with a deep set frown that she aches to rub off his face.

“You’re too soft for your own good.” He smirks up at her, shifting the hand on her face so he can cup her cheek with it.

“It’s my greatest flaw.” She sighs and Derek rolls his eyes and stands to sit himself next to her on the couch, looping an arm around her waist to yank her in close.

He buries his face in her hair and nuzzles down, “no, your greatest flaw is your uncanny ability to find trouble wherever the hell you go.” She can hear the laugh in his voice and she elbows him in the stomach but then lets him pull her in close again and settle her head on his chest.

“Stiles is pretty sure the sheriff’s office think it’s foul play.” She tells him and she feels him nod against her, a sigh leaving his chest.

“Makes sense, I’d like to know where Gerard Argent went when everything died down last night.”

“I think we both know the answer to that question.” Evelyn deadpans, reaching down to grab his hand and fiddle with his fingers, which he snorts at but graciously allows her to keep doing it.

They sit in silence like that for a few more minutes until the sounds of footsteps on the stairs breaks the silence. Derek goes to move away but Evelyn keeps her hand tight around his and he looks at her with wide eyes before sighing and shuffling back into her side. Biting her lip to hide a very obvious smile when she comes back into the room, Maude takes in the way the pair are curled up beside each other and Evelyn narrows her eyes as if daring her to say anything but Maude holds her tongue.

“You two gonna be okay?” She asks softly and it’s very clearly not said as a tease but out of genuine concern for the pair sat in front of her.

“Yeah, we’ll be fine.” Evelyn hums and then, throwing all sense out the window she lifts her legs to throw them over Derek’s lap and as soon as they’re down he curls a large palm over her knee.

“Good, keep an eye on each other, I’ll see you later.” Maude smiles fondly at the pair before heading out the door. “Derek,” she calls out and he straightens as she sticks her head back in, “it’s good to see you again, you should call around more often.”

“Thanks Mrs O’Hara, you’re probably going to regret saying that though.”

“That’s Maude to you young man and if you make her smile like that all the time, you’re welcome here whenever.” And with that she saunters out of the house leaving both of them blushing in her wake.

They sit in silence until the car leaves the driveway and Derek turns to look at her then with a single brow raised. “So does she just not care that she’s left two teenagers alone in her house?”

“Why, should she be worried about my innocence?” Evelyn giggles, laughing more as Derek’s flush brightens and she really should expect the shove but somehow she’s still surprised when she ends up on the floor looking up at him with tears in her eyes as she continues to laugh.

“You finished?” He asks gruffly, ears a delicate pink and Evelyn stifles the rest of her laughter behind her hand, nodding as she does.

“She just likes you.” She tells him honestly as he extends a hand and yanks her off the floor and into his broad, ever stable chest. “She wouldn’t leave me with just anybody, so take it as the complement she meant it as.” She smiles patting his shoulder and he grumbles something under his breath but Evelyn doesn’t catch it so she decides to just let it go… For now.

“So what are we doing?” He asks and Evelyn gestures over to the TV.

“Maury Marathon?”

“Listen, there’s nothing I’d love more than to sit here and laugh at other people’s problems with you all day—”

“I’m sensing a but coming.”

“Well, we could sit here all day, or…” He trails off and she narrows her eyes up at him, sensing the quickly approaching end of her relaxing day off.

“Or what?”

“Or we could head to the house and research how the hell you change a Kanima back to a person.” He looks down at her with pleading eyes and she rolls her own but knows she’s going to go with him.

“Fine, I suppose we should try solving our own problems then.” She grumbles and he seems far too pleased with himself as he waits for her at the bottom of the stairs while she traipses up them to grab a cardigan.

When Derek said house Evelyn had assumed he meant his apartment so when they pull up outside the Hale House she’s very obviously confused. “Some of the books in the library survived the fire, figured we’d start there.” He explains and she nods along hopping out of the car after him.

It hits her then as they push through the front door and down the hallway that she’s never been this far into the house and back here the acrid smell of smoke and ash takes over from the damp and must, hitting the back of her nose and making her want to gag. Derek, aware as always, notices the face she must be very obviously making and reaches over to grab her hand and interlace their fingers. The pressure on her hand soothes her and she shuffles closer to him as he leads her through the bowels of the house.

They come to the room eventually, what looks like it might once have been a study that looks out on a swing in the backyard through what was once a large bay window but is now a shattered, rotted wreck. She does notice that the room isn’t as badly smoke damaged as some of the rest of the house as she moves towards the desk, Derek letting her go as she does.

“Mom always kept the door locked.” He says it so softly she wonders if she’s meant to hear it at all but when she turns he’s looking straight at her. “She always said that we were too young to deal with pack business, Laura had just about convinced her to let her in on it when…” Derek trails off, leaning over to brush his knuckles across a particularly bad burn mark close to the door.

Evelyn smiles sadly at his memories, reaching to pick up the picture on the desk and she’s easily able to pick out Derek from the family photo. He’s skinnier, smaller and his green eyes are full of mischief as he smiles down the lens of the camera. “You’re the image of your mom.” She runs her finger carefully across the glass, Talia Hale is short but formidable looking even while smiling with pride and surrounded by her whole family.

“She would have loved you.” Evelyn’s eyes fly up to meet Derek’s where he’s standing just opposite her on the other side of the desk. “I was always causing trouble, she’d like that you put me in my place.”

“Only when you need to be.” Evelyn points out with a smile and Derek smirks but doesn’t say anything, just turning away to look at the bookshelf instead.

“Was that what you talked to her about when you went to visit them?” Glass shatters as the picture hits the floor and Evelyn follows, desperately trying to pick up the pieces.

“I’m so sorry, sh*t Derek I’m so sorry.” She frantically tries to fix the mess and she’s only stopped when two large hands grab hers and she takes a deep breath before looking up into his no doubt furious face. Except when she looks up she doesn’t find fury, no she finds that tender smile that makes her heart ache and her toes curl.

“I should have waited until you put the picture down.” He shrugs, gently picking the pieces of glass out of her hands and putting them carefully on the floor beside him. “I’m not mad.”

“About the photo or—”

“About either, I can just replace the frame and…Well it’s nice to know that someone else was thinking about them too.” He admits softly and she shrugs, clutching the broken frame closer to her chest.

“I just needed them to know that someone was taking care of you, that you weren’t alone in all of this.” She tells him and he lets out a little chuckle at that and she whips her eyes back up to meet his which are now swirling with mirth. “What?” She squeaks, cheeks burning at the sight of him laughing, standing to try and make some space between them.

Derek takes great offense to that and quickly reaches for her waist and pulls her into his chest to bury her in a hug. “I’m laughing at the fact that you think you take care of me when it’s definitely the other way around.”

“It is not!” She argues, struggling to get out of his arms but he holds her fast, still puffing out chuckles into the crown of her head.

“I’m sorry, who was it that saved you from a murderous witch a few weeks ago.” He says pointedly and she squirms as he digs his fingers into her side, startling a giggle out of her.

“I take care of you in other ways.” She struggles around her laughter and Derek’s teasing hands stop quickly as he pulls away to look down at her with a very toothy grin and a raised brow.

“Oh really?” His smirk grows even more wolfish, hands drifting from her waist to her hips and she feels her breathing hitch at their new position. There’s a particularly interesting piece of peeling wallpaper just over Derek’s shoulder and Evelyn keeps her eyes there even as he keeps poking. “No, come on don’t get all shy on me now, I want to know how you take care of me?” He mutters the words right into her ear and she has to chew very hard on her lip to keep her noises in her throat.

His hands tighten and she panics harder now, struggling against his grip. “No, you know what, if you’re just gonna tease me all afternoon I’m just going to go home and you can research by yourself.” She threatens and his grip slackens the second the words leave her lips and though he doesn’t let go completely let go just takes a small step back.

“What, no, come on Evy that’s not fair, I need your help.” His arguing sounds suspiciously like whining and if she were a meaner person she might have told him so. She doesn’t though, no she just crosses her arms and frowns up at him, tilting her head away ever so slightly.
Out of the corner of her eyes she watches him roll his before he takes that small step back towards her and ducks his head so their eyes are level. “I’m really sorry Evy… That you think you take more care of me than I do of you.”

“I never said that!” She argues back throwing up her hands in frustration at his smarmy look of pride. “We take care of each other, it’s a symbiotic relationship, like a clown fish and a sea anemone.”

“Romantic” He intones flatly and she can’t hold her laughter back anymore so she lets her head slap back against his chest with a bright giggle as his chest shakes beneath her with his own laughter.

“So… Which one of us is the clown fish?”