Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This is me starting over. I need to move on and live my life… well as much as I can seeing as I’m dead. I guess I should explain how that happened and how I’m still technically alive enough to form coherent thoughts.

Let’s start from the beginning. My name is Lia Lockwood. Mason Lockwood and Amy Delgado decided to get freaky one night in high school and forgot to use a condom. Guess that came back to bite them both in the ass 16 years later. My mother raised me in Mystic Falls where I grew up alongside my cousin Tyler Lockwood and his family. My so-called “dad” left to live his life and I barely saw him growing up. His brother tried to step in to fill that role, not that it mattered. My only saving grace were the summers I spent with my aunt Melissa McCall and her son Scott. We were very close.

Everything was okay until it wasn’t. About a year ago, after my dad came back to town, I learned about my heritage -- not my normal heritage, my werewolf heritage. You see, my family was cursed to be werewolves and turn every full moon. After my father disappeared yet again, I got into a car accident. The other driver died on impact and my werewolf curse was triggered.

I was set to spend every full moon breaking bones and losing control for the rest of my life. In reality, it only lasted a couple months. Klaus Mikaelson came back to town and decided to turn Tyler and I into his little hybrid experiments. We were the first successes. If what I became is what you would call success.

It’s almost impossible to control the urges. I was terrible at keeping secrets, especially from my mother. It was hard enough to keep being a werewolf from her, and that only affected me really once a month. Vampirism is something that affects every second, so I told my mother. I thought she would understand and still love me the same. I was wrong.

Somehow she ended up bleeding and I lost control. Before I knew it she was gone.

I did the only thing I could think of. I packed up my house and left the day after the funeral. Klaus was looking for someone named Mikael, so his attention was off me. He didn’t get a chance to invoke the sire bond, and hopefully he never does. After what happened, I refuse to tell another soul my secret.

So, that brings me to today. I am standing outside Melissa McCall’s house about to knock on the door. She insisted on taking me in after everything. I knock on the door and seconds later Scott answers the door, a weak smile on his face. God, I hate pity. I can’t blame him though. “Hey, glad you could make it,” Scott says. I wait patiently at the door to be invited in. “Don’t be shy, make yourself at home.”

I smile and walk across the threshold of the door. It’s been over a year since I’ve seen him. I didn’t visit this summer. I said it was because of summer school, but really how could you sneak away to chain yourself up unnoticed in a town like this? “It’s really good to see you. Where’s your mom?” I ask. Scott pulls me in for a hug. I forgot how warm they were, his arms just wrap around you so tightly.

“I’m right here.” She also takes a turn hugging me. She’s smaller than Scott, so it’s easier to hone in on her heartbeat. I try to ignore it. I couldn’t exactly get blood bags through customs without looking like an absolute whackjob. “How are you holding up?” She breaks away, holding just my shoulders to get a good look at me.

“I’m alive,” I joke. I force a smile.

Scott seems to sense my exhaustion. “I’ll go get your stuff from the car.” He makes his way to my car. Liz Forbes insisted on me changing my plates and getting it shipped here and then had me compel her memories of my location away. Scott opens the trunk. I packed up everything in my old room, so the boxes are quite heavy. Scott was struggling with just two.

I watch him struggle for a second, laugh, and then take them from him with ease. “I think I’ve got it,” I say. Scott looks at me dumbfounded. “What? I lift.”

I unload the rest of the boxes into my new room. I’ll unpack them later. Scott and Melissa decided to give me privacy, so I finally have the chance to pull a blood bag out of the cooler I put in the car. I dump it into a metal water bottle. One taste and the veins under my eyes pop out. In terms of all possible tactics to use when ignoring my problems, the only time I truly forget is when I’m caught up in the feed.

Once I’m finished, I walk down to the living room to find Scott. He’s on the couch staring at his hands. It’s a nervous habit he has. When he hears me come down, he looks up and forces another grin. “My mom had to leave for her shift, but she gave us money for pizza,” Scott explains, gesturing towards the money on the table.

“That was nice of her.”

The room is filled with awkward silence. We used to have so many conversations: pillow fort conversations when I visited, skype calls that went on for hours; when he first got his phone I couldn’t open my messages because he sent so many texts. It’s not just Scott, after what happened everyone looks at me like I’m going to break. Maybe I will, but this isn’t helping.

I sit down next to him. “Scott, my mom died this week,” I start.

His eyes go wide. “I know. I’m sorry. That’s why I-”

I cut him off. “My mom died. And my dad died earlier this year, and that fucking sucks. I’m not gonna pretend it doesn’t. But you and everyone else keep looking at me like I’m about to break if you don’t smile. Nothing is genuine and I can’t stand it. I do enough crying on my own time. If my interactions with the living are like this, too, I’m gonna go insane. We used to call each other best cousins as kids. Please, fulfill your duty as my best friend and tell me about your life,” I say.

Scott cracks a genuine smile. “Well, when you put it like that. I am gonna go for first line tomorrow at school,” he replies. I squeeze his shoulder.

“I bet you’ll make it,” I pause, running that idea through my head, “Hey… do you know if they let girls try out for lacrosse? God knows I have a ton of aggression to work out.” At Mystic Falls, I did a few clubs: Yearbook and Anime. Stiles made fun of me for that last one.

“I don’t know. No girl has tried out. I think so,” Scott says.

“I think joining a sport would help me transition easier into a new school. Plus I already know a few people on the team. Speaking of, shouldn’t Stiles be right there attached to your hip?” I ask. I’ve known Stiles since I was six. Scott and Stiles spent so much time together that I was threatened at first, but we all became close very soon, and still are despite the distance.

“He was here earlier. He couldn’t stop talking about you. My mom told him to go home before you got here so you weren’t overwhelmed. You know how Stiles gets a little overexcited,” Scott explains. I laugh. I do know. His eyes bug out and he starts talking with his hands.

“I have no problem with Stiles’ spazziness. We texted a bit this summer, but we were both busy.” I pause for a second, getting caught up in the guilt of avoiding him this summer. “I’ve kinda missed him.”

Scott smirks. “Do you miss him because you love him?” I guess we’re five again. I push him onto the floor with a bit more force than necessary. Scott is one of the only people I ever told about my more than slight crush on Stiles. “I’m gonna order that pizza. You still like pepperoni, right?” I nod.

The pizza comes and we talk for most of the night. “I think the thing I’m looking forward to most is never having to do another decade dance again. They just seem super pretentious? Like who just has clothes from every decade just lying around everywhere? Rich people that’s who.” I shove the last slice of pizza into my mouth.

“Yeah, we just have regular dances here. The only issue is finding a date,” Scott says. He starts clearing the plates and putting them in the sink.

“So, I guess you have to add finding a girlfriend to your list of goals this year. Shouldn’t be too hard. You’re a cutie,” I state.

Scott blushes. “I’m gonna head to bed. I’ve got to get a good night’s sleep if I want to make first line. Oh, and don’t worry about school, Stiles and I will have your back.”

“Thanks. I love you,” I say.

“You too,” he replies.

We both head to our rooms. I’m not really nervous about a new school. I have other things to be terrified about. A thousand year old hybrid for example. At least I won’t have to worry about the full moon on Friday; no more breaking bones for me. I look at the mountain of boxes and start to unpack.

After about an hour, I hear a noise. I head outside and see a figure climbing the side of the house. Can’t I go to my first day of school before a Klaus lackey stalks me? I pull them down and pin them to the ground. The person screams and I realize it’s Stiles. “Shit, Stiles? I’m so sorry!”

His eyes go wide. “Lia? Not that I haven’t imagined a beautiful girl on top of me many, many times, you’re kind of crushing me. Can you get off?” Stiles asks. My mind is still stuck on the beautiful part. Luckily, my body complies and I get up and hold out my hand to help him up.

Scott comes out with a baseball bat screaming. “Stiles? Lia? What the hell?”

“I was about to say the same thing?” Stiles and I say at the same time. We look at each other oddly.

“Why do you have a bat?” Stiles asks, breaking the silence. Why does he have a bat? Does Scott even play baseball? I don’t think so.

“I thought you were a predator,” Scott responds. Stiles, no. I laugh, he’s not too far off when it comes to me.

I change the subject. “What are you doing here, Stiles?”

“Well, to see you of course.” He shuffles on his feet. “Also, something awesome happened! Two joggers found a body in the woods and we are going to look for it.”

Images of dead bodies I’ve seen flash through my head. Scott puts a hand on my shoulder. “You okay?” he asks.

I shake out of my daze. “Yeah I’m fine.”

“Crap, Lia, I didn’t even think about your parents,” Stiles admits. I can already see the apologetic acrobatics Stiles is about to do. I hold my hand up.

“No, really. It’s alright. We didn’t pull off the Case File Heist of 2008 for me to not be intrigued by this,” I say. Stiles smiles at me and gives me a thumbs up.

Scott still looks uneasy. “How do we find a body that has already been found?” It doesn’t make sense to me either, but then again, half the things Stiles says don’t make sense.

Stiles lights up. “That’s the best part. They only found half!” Stiles exclaims. That is interesting to say the least. “Come on.” Stiles grabs our arms and starts pulling us to his Jeep.

“I was hoping to get a good night’s sleep before practice tomorrow,” Scott whines.

Stiles scoffs. “Like sitting on the bench is such a grueling effort,” Stiles replies. I smack him on the arm and he squeals.

“You, stop that.”

“I’m gonna make first line and so is Lia,” Scott claims. He crosses his arms over his chest defensively.

Stiles looks at me surprised, but I just shrug. “Lia might actually have a chance. Scott, there is no way in hell.”

Already sick of their married couple bickering, I interrupt, “Let’s just go find the body. We do have school tomorrow. It’s my first day, remember?” We pile into Stiles’ Jeep. The scent is very distinctly Stiles. Vanilla masked with Old Spice and curly fries.

From the backseat I get a good look at Stiles’ face. He looks a lot older since the last time I saw him. He’s grown into his beauty marks. His hair is still buzzed just like when we were fourteen, but I’ve never minded it. Something might’ve happened between us one summer, but it doesn’t matter. He’s always been in love with Lydia Martin, some girl he goes to school with.

When we were 13 we hadn’t had our first kiss, and we were tired of waiting. We decided to kiss to see what it felt like. To me it was perfect, but I have no idea what it meant to Stiles. Actually I do. He rambled on about how it was perfect practice for the real deal when he got the chance to kiss Lydia. So, I closed that door a long time ago. Not that he’s made it that easy.

When we got to the woods, I could practically smell Scott’s anxiety. “Are you sure about this?” Scott asks. I notice his hands shaking slightly on the door handle. If only I could tell him that I had his back.

“You’re the one who is always complaining about how nothing ever happens in this town,” Stiles replies. Funny, that’s the same thing I said before the Salvatores moved to town. That turned out wonderful. I need to focus. Maybe I can catch a scent. Who am I kidding? I’m a vampire/werewolf hybrid, of course I can catch the scent of blood.

We exit the Jeep and start our search. I smell the blood almost immediately, but I find it more entertaining to watch them struggle. Besides, the scent didn’t seem entirely human, so I’m not sure we should even be messing with it. No more supernatural drama for me. I’m going to try to surround myself with as many humans as I can.

Scott’s wheezing pulls me from my thoughts. We stop so he can catch his breath. He dropped the flashlight, so we kept going while he picked it up. I turn away to keep an eye on Scott, and when I look back, I come face to face with a dog. “These delinquents belong to me,” a familiar voice says. I look up and see Sheriff Noah Stilinski.

“Stiles, you’re right… this totally isn’t the way to the Cold Stone,” I announce. I give the Sheriff finger guns and Stiles tries to stifle a laugh.

“Do you listen in on all of my calls?” Noah asks. He pulls Stiles up to make him eye level.

“No, just the interesting ones,” Stiles answers. It’s my turn to suppress a laugh. As if that would get him into any less trouble.

Noah continues his interrogation. “Where’s your usual partner in crime?”

Stiles and I make eye contact. “Who? Scott? He’s at home. Not with us at all,” Stiles replies. I check to see if Scott’s out of sight.

“He’s right. Scott wanted to get some sleep before tryouts tomorrow, so I got roped into joining instead. I’m much better company to be honest,” I say. He doesn’t believe a word we said and calls out for Scott.

He doesn’t get a response. Noah gives up and sighs. “You take Lia home. Afterwards, we are going to have a talk about privacy. Oh, and Lia, I’m sorry about your parents.”

I run my hand through my hair. “Thanks. I’ll stop by the station soon, okay?” I respond. I walk off with Stiles to his Jeep. “What about Scott?” It still is the woods, at night no less. Who knows if he even knows his way out.

“He can find his way home. I have complete confidence in him. I’m also sure that my dad will kill us both if I don’t take you home right now,” Stiles replies. He’s right. Knowing the sheriff, he probably will even call Melissa. I see a figure in the dark and hear it growl. I let out a low growl of my own in response, and scare it off. “Did you hear that?”

“I didn’t hear anything at all,” I say. Stiles shrugs it off and opens the door to his car. We ride in silence for a few minutes. Everything seems to slow down, like I actually have enough time to process everything that’s happened this week.

“You know, I’m really glad you’re here. I wish it were under different circumstances, but I missed you,” Stiles says. My vision goes blurry as my eyes fill up with tears.

I gather up enough of my voice to softly respond, “Me too.”

We pull into the driveway and he turns off the car. Stiles turns to face me. “If you ever need anyone to talk to, I’m here. I know what it’s like to lose a mother.” I can’t help it, the tears start flowing freely now. I turn away.

“Wow, I can’t even go one day without crying. So much for being strong.” I dig my fingers into my thigh trying to force myself to move, to do anything but sit here like a mess.

“I wish you wouldn’t do that. You shouldn’t turn away,” Stiles says.

“Why?”

Stiles turns my head so I’m facing him again. He puts my hair behind my ear and wipes my tears. “Because I think you look beautiful when you cry.”

I put on my most offended face. “So I only look beautiful when I cry, huh? That’s kind of creepy,” I put my best acting skills into that sentence. He pulls his hand back and starts blushing.

“Wait, no, I didn’t mean it like-” Stiles stammers. I burst out laughing.

“Thanks, I needed that.” I wipe the rest of my tears and settle back against the seat. “You called me beautiful twice tonight, Stilinski. You’re really putting your A game on.”

“Well, it’s not every day a pretty girl moves to town. I’m just preparing you for the rest of your high school career,” Stiles announces. He starts laughing. I smile and we settle into a comfortable silence.

A little while later, Scott walks up and disappears inside. “I better go. See you tomorrow, Stiles,” I say, getting out of the car.

“See you then, Lockwood.”

I head inside and close the door. My heart hasn’t stopped racing. Then I smell it. Blood. Scott’s blood to be exact. My fangs come out and so do the veins. What happened in the woods? Did he trip and cut himself? I decide against checking up on him because I don’t want to lose control. I’m sure he’ll tell me about it in the morning.

Chapter Text

I try to wriggle from his grasp, but it’s too strong and too tight. The copper taste in my mouth is disgusting. The blood spilled around my mouth and is starting to dry. “Please, don’t,” I beg.

His hand strokes my cheek to wipe some of my tears. The sheer look in his eyes paralyzes me. “Don’t cry, love. Maybe you’ll be my first success.” His hand moves from my cheek to my jaw, and he pulls.

I wake up screaming. Am I dead? Where am I?

Someone bursts through the door with a bat. I realize I’m not at the school. I’m in the McCall house. Completely safe. “Lia, are you alright?” Scott asks. He still hasn’t put down the bat. I’m pretty sure if there was any danger he would’ve had to use it by now.

“Yeah, just a nightmare,” I say. I’m not exactly sure who I’m trying to convince. I sit up in my bed and run a hand through my hair, I cringe when it gets covered in sweat. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just gonna get ready. Thanks for checking in on me though. I’m sure that bat will come in handy one day. Go back to sleep.” He smiles and walks out.

I start the shower and push it all the way hot. Hopefully I can burn out the remnants of this nightmare. Not that it won’t be long until another one comes to take its place. Most of my nightmares take place during that night. I wasn’t even a senior, but my mom was working, and Tyler asked me to tag along. A pity invite, I guess. I forced myself to go. I finally deserved some fun, right?

My breath finally stabilizes under the steam of the shower. Get it together, Lia. He won’t find you. He has a million other more important things to worry about, and plenty of other werewolves to sire. You’re not special.

I don’t know how long I sat in there, but when I come out and dry my hair the sun is finally in the sky. I put on black yoga pants and a crop top that says “Sweet Serial Killer” in red. I’ve been a sucker for sarcasm and sardonic humor ever since I was younger. Plus, who doesn’t love Lana Del Rey?

I put on makeup to look a little less dead. If you asked me two years ago about makeup, I would’ve told you that I’d never be caught dead wearing it. I also probably would’ve told you that I wouldn’t be a vampire-werewolf hybrid freak, so I guess things don’t always work out as we planned them. I put on black winged eyeliner and red lipstick. Hopefully if they see any sort of red stains on my teeth I can just say it transferred and be done with it. As for my hair, I just let it fall naturally.

I chug down a blood bag and put another into a water bottle. I figure if I stay well fed, I won’t feel the need to make someone on the student council open a vein until they bleed out. Not the first time a vampire has done it, and I can’t stop any of the others from doing it, but I might as well try to save the world one defenseless human at a time.

I walk downstairs and Scott is already waiting for me. “Hey, do you want to borrow my car?” I ask. I stand by the windowsill feeling the sun soak through. “It’s a beautiful day, so I decided to walk.”

“I was thinking the same thing actually. I’m going to ride my bike. I just wanted to let you know before I left. I might have to take you up on that offer later though.” Scott finishes packing his bag, and heads out the door. I do a once over of everything in my bag and then lock up the house. I start my walk to Beacon Hills High School.

Although I’ll never grow up, I still want to be a relatively normal teenager. At least the first time around. I enjoy the sun on my face. The California sun is a lot different than in Virginia. It’s warmer, brighter. At first I wasn’t even sure if I’d be able to be in the sun considering vampires burn up, but the werewolf part cancels it out.

I’ve been spaced out for too long. I check the time and I only have ten minutes to get to school. I vamp speed there. I make it with a few minutes to spare. I see Scott and Stiles out in front of the school mid conversation. I walk up to them. “I heard a wolf howl,” Scott whispers.

“California doesn’t have wolves. Not in like, sixty years, okay?” Stiles says.

“Even I know that and I’m from Mystic Falls,” I say. Stiles jumps, and Scott gives me a confused face. “What? I took a recent interest in wolves.”

Stiles turns to look at me. “Wow,” he comments, like he can’t control it. “One, never sneak up on me like that again. Two, disregard that entirely please.” He puts his hand on the back of his neck and looks down. Is he blushing?

“All right. Well, if you don’t believe me about the wolf, then you’re definitely not gonna believe me when I tell you I found the body,” Scott announces. What did I miss after we left?

Stiles’ face seems to light up. “You- are you kidding me?” Stiles asks. It looks like he’s about to explode.

“No, man. I wish. I’m gonna have nightmares for a month,” Scott replies. I’m sure. It does get easier though, assuming the dead body isn’t someone you know.

“Oh God, that is freaking awesome! I mean this is seriously gonna be the best thing that’s happened to this town since-” Stiles starts, and trails off. A redhead walks by and seems to have caught his attention. Who is she? “-since the birth of Lydia Martin.” And Stiles and done computing.

So, this is the famous Lydia? I’m not too impressed. “Hey, Lydia. You look-” Stiles calls out. She walks right past him. “Like you’re gonna ignore me.” He deflates as he finishes his sentence. If only he knew.

I give hima comforting squeeze on the shoulder. “She isn’t worth it. Any girl would be lucky to have her own Stiles Stilinski,” I say. What can I say? I feel for him.

Stiles turns to Scott. “You’re the cause of this, you know,” Stiles announces.

“Uh-huh,” Scott replies, uninterested. This must happen a lot.

“How so?” I ask.

“Just Scott being Scott. Dragging me down to your nerd depths. I’m a nerd by association. I’ve been scarlet nerded by you,” Stiles says.

I pinch the bridge of my nose and take a deep breath. “Yeah, because Scott’s the nerd. Not like you had Star Wars bed sheets until Freshmen year.”

Stiles waves me off like I just announced it to the entire student body. Scott is amused by the entire interaction, until he changes the subject. “Okay, so if it wasn’t a wolf, then what bit me?”

“Something bit you?” He lifts his shirt to reveal a blood soaked bandage. I turn away to hide the veins and take a deep breath until they disappear. “Sorry, I’ve been a bit more squeamish lately,” I say.

“I swear it was a wolf,” Scott says. Maybe it was a werewolf? I did hear growling last night in the forest. I thought I scared it off. Maybe I led it right to Scott. Fuck. But it wasn’t a full moon, and a werewolf wouldn’t have just bit him, it would’ve torn him apart.

“Maybe it was a mountain lion,” I suggest. Whatever it was, it wasn’t human. I felt that. He doesn’t need to let his mind wander to anything supernatural. I have to protect him from that.

The bell rings and they head inside. I have to wait outside for the principal. He wants to show the new students around personally. As they walk away, I catch a bit of their conversation. “Dude, when did your cousin get hot? Like, Lydia Martin hot?” Stiles asks. Uh, thanks?

I hear Scott smack him. “I don’t wanna hear what fits your Stiles hot meter, especially when I’m related to them, you freak,” Scott replies.

The crowd disappears and all that's left is a girl sitting on a bench. From what I hear she’s on the phone with her mom. Must be nice. When she hangs up I walk up to her. “Hi, I’m Lia Lockwood. I’m new, and since you haven’t rushed inside I assume you are, too,” I say.

I offer my hand and she takes it. “Allison Argent. I could use the company. The principal is taking forever,” she replies. I smile at her.

“Us newbies have to stick together, right? Otherwise the townies would eat us alive,” I say. She laughs and I take a seat next to her. Allison has no idea where I’ve been or what’s happened to me. I haven’t gotten a single pitiful stare. I’m grasping the benefit of a new start. “I like you already, Argent.”

“You too, Lockwood.”

The principal walks up, greeting us. “Sorry to keep you ladies waiting,” he says. He shows us to our lockers which happen to be next to each other. Must be something about signing up so late. Then he shows us to our first class.

“Ready?” Allison asks.

“As I’ll ever be,” I respond.

We walk into the classroom and all eyes are on us. “Class, these are our new students: Allison Argent and Lia Lockwood. Please do your best to make them feel welcome,” he announces. Right after he leaves the classroom.

There are two open seats, Stiles points to the seat behind him and I take it. Allison sits behind Scott. He hands her a pen. I know she was talking about not having one earlier, but how did he hear her? Maybe it has to do with that bite. Seems to me that my cousin has a bit of a crush from the way he’s smiling like an idiot. Looks like he might get that date to the dance after all. I tap on Stiles’ shoulder to point it out to him.

I couldn’t pay attention to the lesson for the life of me. If all else fails, I guess I’ll just compel myself a passing grade. Once I actually get a handle on compulsion.

Tryouts are during the collective free period, so I meet up with Allison by our lockers. “So, what do you think so far?” Allison asks.

“Well, I-” I start, but I’m cut off. The redhead from earlier, the famous Lydia Martin, my mind supplies strolls over.

“That jacket is killer. Where did you get it?” Lydia asks. She gives Allison a look like she’s on a mission. Weird, with the way she just walked by Scott and Stiles I didn’t think she’d just introduce herself to the new kids.

“My mom worked for someone who owned a boutique,” Allison answers.

Lydia then points to me. “I love your shirt. Lana is a queen. You both have a sense of style. I like it.” She smirks. “You two are my new best friends.” Oh, uh… guess I don’t have much of a choice now. I smile, not really knowing how to react. I’ve grown up pretty much hating this girl.

Allison and Lydia start talking about lacrosse while I put some things away in my locker. A guy walks up and immediately sticks his tongue down her throat. Must be her boyfriend. I think his name is Jackson? I shut my locker and give Allison a disgusted look.

When they break apart his eyes immediately go to my chest. Loving this guy already. Allison asks about football and he laughs in her face. “What? It’s a genuine question. Football is the main sport in most schools,” I say.

“Yeah, well anyone who’s anyone knows that lacrosse is the sport here. We’ve won every championship for the last three years,” Jackson responds. He puffs his chest out. So, he’s that kind of person.

“Well, that’s because of the talented captain,” Lydia comments. She rubs her hand over his chest. I’m assuming it’s Jackson. If not, that would be kind of hilarious, and all her ego boosting would be for nothing.

“Are you all going to watch?” Jackson asks.

“Sorry, I can’t. I’m actually trying out,” I say.

Everyone’s eyes go wide. Jackson’s surprise morphs into a smirk. “Don’t worry. I’ll go easy on you, princess.”

I roll my eyes, trying to remember that I can’t murder someone until at least my second day. “I can take care of myself, big boy. Thanks for the offer, though,” I scoff. I take Allison’s hand and head off to the field.

Allison leans over to me, and whispers, “Please kick his ass.”

“Oh, I will.”

When I walk up near the bench, the coach pulls me over to the side. “Hey, new girl! What are you doing here?” he asks.

“What does it look like? I’m trying out for the team,” I respond. Hopefully my confidence overshadows any doubt he has about letting me try out.

“That’s great! This team could use a little adversity,” he says. Adversity? I’m just gonna go with it. He hands me a stick and a helmet. “Get on the field.”

Scott is goalie and the rest of the team is lining up to shoot. I see Stiles on the bench and wave to him. The first ball is thrown and it hits Scott in the face. I cringe in familial concern. To everyone’s surprise, he catches the rest.

Jackson steps up, adjusting his stick in his hand and firmly planting his stance. He seems pretty confident that he can get past Scott. Jackson shoots and Scott catches it with ease. That must’ve bruised his ego.

I’m last up. I hear the boys scoffing. That’ll just make it more fun when they eat their words. I take a deep breath, throw the ball, and it makes it in the net. I’m the only one to make it in the goal, and the entire field is silent.

“Way to go, Lockwood!” Stiles yells. The entire field erupts now that Stiles broke the silence. I may have a supernatural advantage, but hey, I died for it. I should use it. Do you know how much it hurts to wake up after you get your neck snapped? I didn’t think so?

I take my helmet off and walk over to an awestruck Jackson. “Maybe I’ll go easy on you tomorrow, princess,” I say and wink. I walk over to Stiles and Scott, they both have smiles on their faces.

"What the hell was that?" Stiles asks. He gives me a double high five.

“Yeah, I had no idea you were even really that into lacrosse,” Scott says.

"I guess I'm just too good." I shrug. I pat Scott on the shoulder. “You’re one to talk, you literally schooled everyone on the team. You sure you were a benchwarmer last season?”

Scott smiles sheepishly. “I don’t know what came over me,” he answers.

I go to the locker room to change and get myself a little refreshed before I head home. When I get to the parking lot and I head towards the two best friends. "Hey we are going to the woods to find Scott's inhaler. Wanna come?" Stiles asks.

“Of course. That shit’s expensive,” I say. That and I’m their only means of protection from whatever the hell is out there, but they don’t need to know that.

Once we reach the woods, Scott is starting to worry. "There is something wrong with me. I can hear things I'm not supposed to hear and smell things." Scott explains. His heartbeat is elevated from panicking.

"What things?" Stiles questions.

"Like the mint mojito gum in your pocket." Scott says. I can smell it too. A very confused Stiles pulls the gum out of his pocket. "Or your very faded vanilla perfume." Something is definitely wrong with Scott. He smells different too. Almost like Tyler, but not exactly. Maybe he's a different breed of werewolf? Or a species similar. Werecoyote? No. That’s stupid.

"This all started with the bite?" Stiles asks.

"Yeah. What if it's an infection and the adrenaline is sending my senses into overdrive?" Scott questions.

"Okay, calm down, Scott. It's probably not that bad." I try to assure him. I don't want him to end up having a panic attack in the middle of the woods.

"I think I know what this is." Stiles states. Not sure he does, but he always seems to come up with something crazy.

"You do?" Scott asks, hopefully.

"Yeah. You have something called lycanthropy." Stiles explains. I freeze up at the words. I can tell he's joking and Scott has no idea.

"Is it bad?" Scott questions.

I stop spiraling for a second. “Wait. You really don’t know what lycanthropy is?” I ask.

Stiles ignores my question in favor of answering Scott’s. "Oh yeah, real bad, but only on full moons though. Owooo." Stiles makes a noise imitating a werewolf. The noise would be cute if I wasn't stressed out. Plus a werewolf has a much more feral growl.

"That's not funny, this is serious!" Scott yells. I push Stiles a little in Scott's defense. "I swear the body was right here." He is only pointing to empty ground. I can smell the faintness of blood, though.

"Maybe the killer moved the body,” Stiles suggests. I nod.

"That would be logical," I agree, trying to inspect the ground. "Without the top half of the body, there are no fingerprints or dental records to identify it."

"I hope he didn't move my inhaler, those things are like 80 bucks," Scott says.

"What are you doing here? This is private property," a broody man bites out. Wow, he almost reminds me of Stefan. Give it a century and they would be twins. He smells exactly like Scott. Maybe I can ask him what he is.

"Sorry, we didn't know. We were just looking for-" Scott cuts himself off when his inhaler goes flying towards him. He catches it with his new found reflexes. In an instant the guy is gone.

"Dude, that was Derek Hale! His whole family burned in a fire like 10 years ago." Stiles says. Is he a known legend in this town?

“Are people known by dead family members here? Weird. In Mystic Falls it’s odd if you have living relatives… Anyway, we should probably go. I assume Melissa is going to want me to be a model citizen for the first few weeks of my stay here," I state.

Stiles narrows his eyes at me. “I’m not sure if I’m relieved or upset that I’ve never visited your hometown,” Stiles says.

I shrug. “You’re less dead of an animal attack.” We start walking towards Stiles' Jeep. "I think I dropped my phone just wait a few."

I follow Derek's scent. It’s pretty close, so he must’ve been following us to the car. I vamp speed him into a tree and pin him. "What are you?" I ask, bearing my fangs.

"I could ask you the same thing, bloodsucker," Derek says, flashing blue eyes at me. "You look like a vampire and smell like a vampire but something is different about your scent."

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," I reply.

"If you must know, I'm a werewolf and that cousin of yours is now like me," Derek answers.

I ease up on him. "A deal is a deal. I'm part werewolf and part vampire. How you or Scott are werewolves is what I'm confused about. A bite can't turn a human," I state.

"There are three types of werewolves: there are two branches of my kind, the ones that were born a completely natural werewolf or the ones that were bitten by one of my kind. The third, which I'm assuming is your kind are the ones who are cursed," Derek explains.

I fully release my grip on his throat. "What do you want from him?" I question.

"I don't want anything from him," Derek states.

I scoff. "I find that extremely hard to believe."

"Believe what you want. I've already told you more than I needed to,” Derek replies.

I hear Scott and Stiles yelling for me. “We’re not done with this,” I say.

“I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other soon,” Derek says.

I go to them and hop into the car. "Did you find it?" Stiles asks.

"Yeah." I respond, pulling my phone out of my bra. Don't lie, we all have done it. Stiles drives out of the preserve and then drops us off. I thank him and head to bed early. I have a lot to think about.

I am going to need to tell Scott what I am. I just don't know when or how.

Chapter Text

Something's dripping. It's coming from somewhere. I reach up to touch my face and my hand comes back drenched in blood. The floor is gasping. It's not the floor.

"Mama?" I call out. I'm at her side in an instant. She's covered in blood. It's streaming down a wound in her neck. She opens her mouth and her eyes go blank. Her chest stops moving. "Mama, please." I hold her to my chest.

I wake up from another nightmare and repeat my daily showering off the night. It always helps get my mind off things. Something about just being able to close your eyes and only focus on the water is very therapeutic. Then again I'm like one nightmare away from sitting on the shower floor and never getting up.

I lay out a pink skater skirt and a solid black top. I'm only in a towel when Stiles bursts into my room. "Lia, do you wan-" Once he sees my state of undress he starts to blush.

"Hey, Stiles you ever felt like knocking?" I yell. It isn't like we're nine anymore and he can just walk in whenever.

"S-sorry S-Scott just want to know i-if you wanted to c-carpool with us," he stutters. His heartbeat is so fast and loud that my ears pick it up without even trying. Serves him right.

"Yeah that's fine just let me get ready," I reply, picking up my shirt. He still hasn't moved from his place. "Now get out." I throw a pillow at him. Not really the circumstances I imagined when being undressed with Stiles.

Once I am dressed and have had my daily blood bag, I head downstairs. "Hey, Lia what's up?" Stiles awkwardly asks. He leans against the wall, loses his balance, and falls. Was he trying to look nonchalant? His face is still a faint shade of pink.

"Don't worry Stiles I'm fully clothed," I tease.

He gets up from the floor, brushing himself off. "Sorry about that. I usually just go into Scott's room. I didn't think about it," he explains.

"Really, it doesn't matter. Let's just get to school," I say, giving him finger guns.

We hop in the car and head to school. I'm not awake enough to maintain any type of conversation, so I plug my headphones in and start listening to Maroon 5. After about 5 songs we get to the school.

I spot Allison and Lydia, they wave me over. "Sorry lovelies, it's time for the bird to leave the nest. See you later. Love you," I say. I give Scott a kiss on the cheek.

"Where's my kiss?" Stiles questions, flailing his arms.

"In the very near future if you ever get over Lydia," I mumble while walking away. Stiles doesn't hear me but Scott does. I hear him gasp. I turn around and blow them a kiss.

When I get to Lydia and Allison they both have a surprised look on their faces. "Are you dating Scott?" Allison blurts out. Keeping a straight face is impossible. I start laughing really hard.

"What's so funny? I thought you would have better taste in boys. Already kissing the riffraff on your second day," Lydia scolds.

"You two are adorable. First of all ew, I do have a better taste. Or, just different taste by your standards." My eyes move over to Stiles. I turn back. "Scott is definitely not my type. I've taken baths with 'the riffraff'. We aren't dating. He's my cousin," I answer. Both of their faces seem to relax at that.

"Oh. That's nice," Allison replies.

I put my arm around her shoulders. "Allison, I could practically smell the jealousy coming off of you when you thought I was with him. He told me about asking you to the party, so if I were with him that would be awkward. He really likes you." I encourage her. She smiles at me.

"Wait, if you're related to him, how come you look nothing alike?" Lydia asks. We really don't look too much alike.

"Our mothers were sisters, but only half sisters. I think my grandfather's second wife looked completely different from his first for a reason," I joke.

Allison freezes, her eyebrows furrowing. "Wait, 'were sisters'?" she questions.

I cringe. Of course she caught onto that. "Yeah. Uh, my parents are, um, what you might call, super dead," I say.

Lydia just blinks repeatedly at me. "Dead?"

I nod. "Deceased. No longer of this life," I confirm.

"I'm gonna be honest. I have no idea what to say to that," Lydia says.

"Yeah. Really I'd prefer if you said nothing and we just ignore it. That's what I'm doing. It's been working pretty well so far," I respond. They look at each other, shrug and start walking with me to class.

School goes by fast or I just dazed through it waiting for day 2 of tryouts. We have to play a game of lacrosse. Poor Stiles is on the bench. I am contemplating compelling him a spot on the team. I don't think he'd be too happy about it if he ever found out he didn't earn it, though.

The game starts and Scott somehow does some weird ass ninja moves and makes the team. I on the other hand make the team the less supernatural flashy way. Either way we both made first line.

I start walking off the field, only to be attacked with a giant bear hug by Stiles. I was surprised at first but then I relaxed into it. We stood like this until someone cleared their throat. It was Scott. Cough cockblock cough.

"Did you need something?" I ask, moving myself from Stiles' arms. I shoot him a glare he's only seen when he popped out of corners to scare me.

"Just wanted to congratulate you up close. Looks like Stiles beat me it." Scott answers, sending me a smirk.

"Yeah, I'll beat you alright," Stiles whispers. I don't think I was supposed to hear that.

After tryouts, Stiles dropped me off at our house so I could get ready for the party. Scott is sticking with him, so that he can hype him up or something. I decided to wear a white lace dress that that comes down mid thigh.

I get a phone call from Stiles. "What's up, Hot Stuff?" I question. I hear a screech and then a phone dropping. That's one way to answer the phone.

I hear Stiles clear his throat. "Hey, um do you mind coming over? I figured something out," he says.

"As long as I get to see your pretty face." I reply and hang up. Wow I'm being extra flirty today. Must be the full moon, and that hug. Wait, the full moon is tonight. Scott is gonna turn into whatever kind of werewolf at Lydia's party tonight.

I arrive at Stiles' house and knock. I hear a faint come in. Thank God I didn't have to just stand there. I hear commotion coming from Stiles room. "What are you doing?" I hear Scott ask.

"Canceling your date with Allison." Stiles explains. When I reach his room I see Stiles pinned to the wall. This doesn't look good.

I vamp speed over and throw him on the bed. "Hey, walk it off!" I yell. If anyone knows about a werewolf temper, it's me. If Scott's is anything like a werewolf pre-curse, I need to keep an eye on him.

"I'm sorry," Scott says and runs away. He can't get far. Especially since I know where he's gonna end up.

"Are you okay?" I ask and pull him into a hug.

"How did you overpower him like that? He's a werewolf!" Stiles asks. I look at him confused. How could he know? I notice the claw marks on the chair and point them out to Stiles.

"Shit," was all I could say.

"We've got to get to that party," Stiles states.

We rush to the party. "Do we have any kind of plan? What if he werewolf's out in front of everyone? What does that even look like?" I ask.

Stiles turns the corner. "I honestly have no idea. It sounds kind of cool, but I guess we'll deal with it as it comes. It's not like people pay attention to us anyway," Stiles says. He pulls into Lydia's driveway.

I walk past a crowd of students only to find Scott dancing with Allison, perfectly fine. Great the first full moon in months where I don't break all the bones in my body and I'm here worrying about Scott.

"He seems perfectly fine," I say, crossing my arms.

"Yeah, for now," Stiles replies. He seems dead set on the fact that Scott is going to change.

"Well then for now, you should dance with me, Stilinski," I demand. I grab his hand and pull him out onto the makeshift dancefloor.

"Oh, uh-- sure." Stiles responds. I place my hands around his neck. He hesitantly puts his hands on my hips. We start swaying together and everything is perfect.

That is... until Scott starts screaming in pain. He rushes out and so we follow after him.

I see Allison get offered a ride home from Derek. He seems a little shady but not dangerous. He wouldn't hurt a teenage girl. I'm sure of it. I've seen enough monsters in my lifetime to know the difference.

"Did you see which way he went?" Stiles asks, getting into the driver's side of his Jeep.

"Your guess is as good as mine," I answer. What happened in there? That's never happened to me when I changed.

After looking for Scott for 30 minutes we head back to the house.

The lights aren't on, but the shower is running. We find Scott in the bathroom. He's under the water with his clothes still on. That's not promising. "Hey, Scotty. You alright in there?" I ask.

"Where's Allison?" Scott questions.

"She got a ride home," Stiles replies. Hopefully that eases his mind.

"It's Derek. He killed the girl in the woods. He's the one who bit me." Scott says. He bit Scott? That doesn't make any sense. I better not tell him who's driving Allison home, then.

"Scott. Derek is the one who drove Allison home." Stiles confirms. Sure, tell the overly angry werewolf that his girlfriend got a ride home from a possible murderer. He'll stay completely rational.

Scott then proceeds to jump out the window and go after Derek. "Nice work, Stiles," I snap. "You go check Allison's house and I'll check Derek's property."

"Lia, stay safe," Stiles says.

I smile. "I will. Who else is gonna keep you out of trouble?"

I track Scott to the woods. I see hunters shoot an arrow into Scott. Son of a bitch. I have to draw them away from Scott. I whistle which brings their attention. It's took dark to see my face.

"Yoo-hoo! Big bad wolf over here!" I yell. They then proceed to shoot an arrow at me. I catch it until I don't have hands to catch them. I get distracted making sure Scott got away. I get shot in the stomach. Now that hurts like a bitch. It just had to be wood. I then get hit with 3 more. I don't even pull them out I just vamp speed to another part of the woods.

When I get far enough I sit down and try to pull the arrows out. I hear growling and see red eyes. This must be the thing that bit Scott, not Derek. Soon it was face to face with me. "Do you really think I'm scared of you?" I scoff. It just looks at me. Before I know it my neck is being snapped. Everything goes black.

Scott's Pov:

Someone that sounded familiar distracted the hunters long enough for Derek and I to get away. Whoever she is deserves a medal because I saw her get shot at, at least 20 times and she never flinched. After I was sure the hunters were gone Derek and I went back to look for the girl.

I caught the scent of blood. A lot of blood. That's not good. I don't think anyone could live with that much blood loss. I found the girl, it was Lia. She wasn't breathing. "Derek she's not breathing!" I yell. Tears are now streaming down my face. The girl who was like a sister to me is dead.

When Derek made his way over he didn't seem to phased. "She'll be fine just take her home. Trust me," Derek says. Then he disappeared.

"What do you mean she'll be fine? Don't leave me!" I shout. He didn't come back. I didn't want to take her to the hospital for my mom to see her like this. I didn't want to believe she was dead, so I did what Derek said. I pick her up and carry her lifeless body home.

When I got there Stiles was in the living room. His eyes go wide when he saw the arrow protruding from her. I set her down on the table and just stare at her. I hear sniffling and look up to see Stiles crying. I can't believe it's real.

"What happened?" Stiles asks, voice breaking with emotion.

"There were hunters, a lot of them. The next thing I know someone was distracting them. I found her like that," I explain, more tears escaping.

"She- she said she was gonna stay safe. Now she- Scott I can't. I-" he starts hyperventilating.

I put my hand on his shoulder. What was she doing calling out those hunters like that? There were blood stains all over her white dress. She would be pissed if she saw those. I am holding onto Derek's words. She'll be fine.

I brush a piece of hair out of her face. I grab my phone ready to call 911 when I heard a sharp intake of breath. I look to see a horrified expression on Stiles' face. I also see a very alive Lia. "I died didn't I?" She asks.

Chapter Text

The air once again fills my lungs as the darkness edges away. The horrified expressions on the boys' faces told me one thing: I had been dead. "I died didn't I?" I ask. They both have confused expressions on their face. I sit up and realize I still have one arrow in me. I wince in pain and pull it out.

"Uh, am I the only one wondering what the hell just happened?" Stiles yells, his arms flailing.

"Surprise I'm dead." I state, doing jazz hands. Leave it up to me to use my death as a way to reveal my secret.

Stiles looks like he is going to punch me in the face. "'Surprise?' You're alive! You were dead, not breathing, and now you're alive," Stiles says.

I nod, not really knowing what to say. "Yeah, pretty much."

Warm arms wrap around me. "God, I'm so glad you're okay." Stiles whispers into my neck. For a good minute, I just sit there, hugging him back.

I reluctantly pull myself out of his embrace. "I should explain. Long story short: back in Mystic Falls I had an accident that turned me into a werewolf. Then, a vampire killed me, turning me into an immortal vampire werewolf hybrid." I explain.

"What?!" Scott shouts.

"I honestly really don't know. I was pretty much a pawn in some centuries long evil scheme? I wasn't really privy to any more information than that. It was just 'drink this blood, you live forever now'," I say. Scott sighs and puts his face in his hands.

Stiles' face morphs into an excited expression. "That's awesome!" Stiles exclaims.

"I wouldn't call me getting murdered awesome, but let's go with that." I say.

"If you're a hybrid or whatever why aren't you healing?" Scott asks. I look down at my wounds, they haven't completely healed. I needed to feed to heal fully. I ran out of blood bags today.

Looking down, I see that my dress is stained with blood. "Dammit, this is why I can't have nice things," I whine.

"How are you so nonchalant about this? You just died!" Stiles shouts. I shrug at him.

"If you were listening to my story, it's not the first time, probably won't be the last. And to answer your question Scott I need to feed to heal all the way." I answer.

"Feed?" They both question.

"I mentioned I was a vampire. What do vampires eat? Keep up people," I remark, getting up from the table. "By the way do one of you want to break into the hospital and steal blood from the blood bank?"

"Uh, no. Why would we ever do that?" Scott asks.

"I ran out this morning and I don't think that me walking into the hospital with an open wound would turn out right. Unless... Stiles feels like opening a vein," I suggest. I'm not serious, though. Hopefully he knows that.

Stiles' eyes go wide. "What? Me? Why can't Scott do it?" Stiles questions.

"I drink human blood, and after tonight we know Scott is obviously not human," I answer.

"I'll do it," Stiles says. He can't even get the words out without grimacing. I laugh which hurt considering my slowly healing open wound.

"Stiles, honey, that's very sweet, but you would cry. You hate needles and it would be like being stabbed with 2 not so butterfly needles. You would cry," I say.

"I wouldn't cry." Stiles scoffs, puffing his chest out.

Scott chuckles. "Dude, she's right. You would totally cry."

"Maybe not. I could compel you," I state. They look at me very confused. "Compulsion: a form of vampire mind control that works on humans. You wouldn't feel a thing."

Stiles narrows his eyes, not quite believing me. "You can do that?" He takes a deep breath. "Okay. Count yourself lucky, Lockwood, that you have a friend as good as me. I can't believe I'm doing this." Stiles says. I tilt his head up and look into his eyes.

"You won't feel any pain at all." I compel. His pupils dilate, and I'm almost positive I did it right. I can only be so sure since I got one pity lesson from Damon after he helped me after my mom. Guilt for killing my only other parent really did a number on him.

I grab his wrist and bring it up to my mouth. "Wait! I changed my mind. It's totally gonna hurt!" Stiles exclaims, pulling his wrist away.

"Relax," I add to the compulsion. I feel all the tension leave his body. "Alright, let's try this again."

I grab his wrist and my fangs come out. I pierce his skin and back him into a wall. His blood tastes amazing. Come on Lia listen to his heartbeat. You can't get caught up in the feed. I retract my fangs and let go. His blood is on my mouth and I wipe it off.

"Is it bad I found that kind of hot?" Stiles asks. That's odd. Scott clears his throat. "Uh, didn't mean to say that!"

I put my hand on his forehead to see if it's clammy. Maybe I took too much. Other than some flushed cheeks, he seems to be fine. "Okay, you're delirious from the blood loss." I bite my wrist and offer it up to him. "Here, drink. It'll heal you." He looks at it and reluctantly and then drinks. His wrist wound heals.

"That is so cool. I need to show you off at parties or something," Stiles says.

Scott looks like he needs more convincing. I explain to them everything about the werewolf curse and my transition. I explain what I am and how it affects me. I of course leave out Klaus and the sirebond. They don't need to worry about me. I even tell them about my mom.

"When I came back to myself, she was just there. I tried to heal her, but it was too late. She wouldn't wake up." I say, furiously wiping the tears from my face. I expect them to call me a monster and tell me to never show my face again. They don't.

They do the exact opposite, Scott pulls me into a hug and wipes my tears. "Why are you still here? Why associate yourself with a monster like me?" I ask in a whisper.

"From what I gather, you didn't want any of this. Derek told me the bite is a gift, I don't want it at all. You are still here. Hell, you took arrows for me! I should at least give you the benefit of the doubt. Who would I be if I didn't love you just the same?" Scott reassures me. He kisses my head.

"It wasn't your fault, Lia. Not in the slightest," Stiles says. "All of this is really fucking cool. I will forgive you for not telling me, if you show me what you can do tomorrow. Also possibly compelling me a spot on first line." He ruffles my hair and I swat his hand away.

"You got it, Stilinski. I'm gonna go shower this blood off, no walking in this time," I joke with a wink. His heartbeat picks up.

I get in the shower and wash the blood off. My wounds completely healed. Everything seems to be somewhat perfect right now in it's own way. I wonder how long that will last. I'll be lucky if it lasts a month.

I get out of the shower and change into my pajamas. I walk downstairs and see that the boys are still in the living room. They have some two player zombie shooter game up. Those were never my style. I was more for story driven games. "Shouldn't you be going home, Stiles?" I ask.

"No, I stay over here every weekend. You should know that by now, Lia. I usually sleep in the guest room though. Hey Scott? Where am I gonna sleep?" Stiles questions.

"You're gonna have to cuddle with Scott, unless you like being the little spoon. Then, you are totally welcome in my bed." I joke. Scott stifles a laugh.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, I'm quite the cuddler. I think I'll take my chances with Scott tonight. Although, you both have a chance of eating me in my sleep," Stiles retorts. Now it is my turn to burst out laughing.

"Well, I'm gonna go to sleep. Dying is very tiring. Goodnight." I say. I peck both boys on the cheek and head up. I get a text from Allison asking if I wanted to hang out with her tomorrow. I respond with a hell yes. We agree to meet at the mall at 12. I soon drift off into sleep.

I wake up screaming again. These nightmares need to stop. Stiles bursts into my room. "Hey are you okay? Scott told me not to come in that you keep having nightmares. I used to have them a lot after my mom died. Do you want to tell me what it was about?" Stiles asks.

"Just the nightmare that is my afterlife. It's no big deal. I'm a pro now. I'm sorry for waking you up," I respond. Stiles gives me a hug and kisses me on the head. He sits at the foot of my bed.

"You don't ever have to be sorry with me." He says. I don't have enough energy to keep a conversation and neither does he.

After a few minutes he gets up to leave. "Wait." I reach up and grab for his arm. "Can you stay?"

Stiles smiles, and says "Of course."

He grabs a pillow from my bed and lies on the floor. then proceeds to lie of the floor. He doesn't have to do that for me. "You can come up here," I say, and pat the bed. He comes up and lays on the left side of my bed. He gives me a smile and then closes his eyes. I don't know what it is about him, but I am instantly calmed. His scent infiltrates my nose and I'm tired. I fall asleep.

When I wake up we are in the middle of the bed, my head is on his chest, and my leg is draped around his torso. Stiles hasn't woken up yet, so I decide to stay this way. Only to not wake him up of course. I feel extremely safe. It's the best sleep I've had in a long time.

We have always shared this kind of bond, not exactly platonic, since we were first introduced at 6 years old. I close my eyes and bury my head deeper in his chest. I hear his heartbeat, but instead of being hungry, I am relaxed.

I must have fallen asleep again because I am being awoken by Scott yelling. "What the hell happened here?" He has a huge grin on his face. Scott totally ships us. I'm not the only one! Stiles would beg to differ though, he's always preferred Lydia.

Once both of us wake up, we quickly separate from each other. "He comforted me after my nightmare. Nothing else happened between us. Sorry Scotty, what you see is what you get. Your inner fangirl is yet to be satisfied," I respond.

Stiles runs a hand through his buzzcut and rubs his eyes. "Yeah, nothing happened at all, Scott. Not that I wouldn't want to- I mean you're really hot- I mean I'm an idiot. Ignore me. I'm just gonna go bang my head against a wall repeatedly," Stiles says in his morning voice.

I blush, he just called me hot to my face, accidentally but I take that as a win. That morning voice is making me feel some type of way. Snap out of it, Lia. Horny human virgin turned into even hornier hybrid. Yes I died a virgin, I'm 16 for crying out loud.

"Don't sweat it, Stiles. You're not too bad yourself," I say. The huge goofy grin I love makes a reappearance on his face.

"Okay... I think that's enough of that for this morning. Stiles, let's go," Scott says. He practically carries Stiles out of my room. It's 10 a.m. and I need to get ready. I have to leave early so I can hit the blood bank. I put on my batman shirt and black skinny jeans. I apply my normal makeup and put my hair in a high ponytail.

I leave the house and head to a small café. I order a breakfast sandwich and 2 coffees. I don't like coffee, but it keeps my skin from feeling like ice. I stop at the hospital and visit Melissa.

"What are you doing here?" She questions.

"Just giving my favorite aunt breakfast during her long ass shift," I respond. I hand her the food and the coffee. Though I did come here for the blood bags, the current bags under her eyes tell me she needed that.

"You're a lifesaver. I love you," she says. Her name is called over the loudspeaker, so she puts her food down at the nurses' station and walks away.

I then hit the blood bank and take 20 bags. It may seem like a lot, but nobody will notice. I compelled someone to change the logs. I know how to cover my tracks. It should last me 2 weeks. I don't need to feed three times a day like normal eating. I then head to the mall to meet up with Allison

When she spots me, she waves me over. "Hey, how's it going?" I ask.

"Do you think I should forgive Scott? He just ditched me at the party. I thought it was going great, did I do something wrong?" She questions. Oh, right. I completely forgot about that.

"You did nothing wrong. He just wasn't feeling well. He came home and threw up all over me. There was no salvaging my dress. I think your relationship will progress better knowing that he didn't throw up on you." I reassure. Scott owes me. She laughs.

"That sounds awful, but also kind of hilarious. I'm glad he's okay. I'll think about giving him another chance," Allison says.

"Let's hit Forever 21, I'm dying to add to my wardrobe," I joke.

We link arms and shop for the rest of the day. She is definitely my new best friend. I am pretty sure she doesn't have a murderous doppelganger so that's a definite plus. I hug her goodbye and head home. The caller I.D. on my phone displays Mystery Stilinski. His name is the in my phone because he refuses to tell me his first name, but I know it starts with an M. "What's up Stiles?" I ask.

"You said you were gonna show me your powers," he whines. I can practically see him stomping in place like a toddler.

"Okay, I'll be over soon. Don't get your panties in a twist." I hop into my car and head to Stiles' house.

Chapter Text

Stiles' POV:

It doesn't take long for Lia to get to my house. When I open the door, I'm faced with the brightest smile I've seen in days. Her hair is up in a ponytail, but a few stands escaped, cascading down her face. Everything about her is beautiful. She gives Lydia a run for her money, which is saying something. I could look at her all day.

"Are you just going to stare or are we gonna get down to business?" she asks. Nice going, Stilinski. She's not even here for 2 minutes and you're already creeping on her.

"Yeah, sure." I step back and motion for her to come inside. "So, what can you do now?" I ask.

She hesitates in the doorway, shifting from one foot to the other. "Actually, I have a better idea. Instead of just listing it off to you, I think it might be better if I just show you," she says.

"I'll have to take your word on it," I reply. Lia holds out her hand invitation. I close the door behind me and grab her hand. She pulls me to her car. Without a word, she gets in and turns the key in the ignition. "Where are we going?" I question.

She doesn't take her eyes off the rearview mirror. "You'll see when we get there. Just shut up and enjoy the view." The car pulls out of the driveway. I know she was referring to Beacon Hills at night, but the only view I want to see is her. Snap out of it Stiles you love Lydia. You have loved her for years, right? Lia has just been your friend. A friend who, granted, got extremely hot in the past year.

I can't help but think back to this morning. How good it felt to have her in my arms. I didn't think I'd end up in her bed when I came in last night. Yet, there I was spending hours under the covers. Her skin was icy to the touch, but it didn't matter. It was the perfect balance between my body heat and the blankets.

I may have woken up before Scott came in. I didn't have the heart to wake her up, she looked so perfect sleeping soundly. Her hair messily covering most of her face. It felt natural to be snuggled up with her. We stayed like for a good 30 minutes before Scott so rudely interrupted.

When the car pulled over, the entire view was trees. She'd taken me to the Beacon Hills Forrest Preserve. "Why are we in the woods at night? You're not going to murder me are you?" I joke, stepping out of the car.

A mischievous grin makes it's way onto her face. "Not yet, Stilinski. Just wait. Once you're more annoying than entertaining I will not hesitate to drain you dry," she responds. Her eyes turn red and thick veins appear under them. That's a little freaky. They disappear as fast as they come, and she starts cackling.

"You love me too much to kill me," I say. That was a little bold. Where did that come from? She nods. Thank God she didn't take that the wrong way.

"So, the real reason I took you here is because I wanted to show you what I could do without there being a risk of getting caught," Lia explains.

"Do your thing," I say. She grabs my hand again. In less than a second I am being whooshed across the forest at the speed of light. She turns to me with a smile on her face. "That was awesome!" She beams. I realize my hand is still in hers, I don't move it. It feels right.

"Hmm..." With her other free hand, she drums her fingers on her thigh. "I already showed you compulsion, and there's not much else to it, other than the heightened senses. I guess I can go into people's heads, too, but I have no idea how to do that."

"I'm sorry, what? You're not talking about reading minds or anything, right? Because I don't want to go through the rest of my life knowing you can hear everything I'm thinking," I say.

"Why? You have something to hide?" She gets up in my face, trying to see into my soul or something. "You're fine. I don't think that's how it works anyways." She counts each ability on her hand silently mumbling to herself. "Oh, wait you'll love this! Hold on to me tight!"

I wrap my arms around her torso, and she gets a grip around my chest. Lia jumps, and suddenly we are at the top of the cliff. "Woah! That jump was like 150 feet!" I yell, my heart pounding in my ears.

"Stiles, you can let go now," she says.

"Sorry," I reply. My arms fall uselessly down my side. They feel empty.

"Don't be. It was kind of nice," Lia says. Even though it's dark, I see her cheeks are tinted pink. Am I making her nervous? It couldn't be. I'm Stiles. Stiles the spaz with the buzzcut that would never have a chance with her, or anyone for that matter, in a million years. Maybe the adrenaline is causing me to see things.

"I would show you my werewolf powers, but I'm a different kind than Scott. I turn into a literal wolf and break every bone in my body in the process. Not the most appealing thing to look at. Though you get super comfortable with your body after you wake up naked a few times." She shrugs.

My teeth grit as I visibly cringe. "Every bone on every full moon?" I ask. She nods. "I broke my arm once in elementary school, and didn't stop whining for months."

"I remember," she replies.

I fell apart last night when I thought she was dead. I don't think I'd even be able to hold it together if I saw another scratch on her. Every full moon she had to chain herself up and be in pain alone. The only reason why she didn't have to this month was that someone turned her- no, murdered her.

The girl who I had my first kiss with, my only kiss with, was murdered. And without magic, she wouldn't be with me today. Nobody protected her. Not even her own mother. How she manages to even get out of bed leaves me dumbfounded. Lia's the strongest person I know.

"Hello? Anybody in there?" Lia questions, waving a hand in front of my face. I must have spaced out.

"Yeah, sorry. You're just kind of amazing." I admit, hand rubbing at the back of my neck.

Her smile disappears. "Seeing me in a whole new light now that I'm different?" She asks, voice deflated. Is that really what she thinks? Way to go, Stiles. You're probably making her think you only want to be around her because she has these powers.

"I didn't mean it like that at all. I swear. I just, uh, should stop talking," I admit.

"We should get going. It's late," she says.

We walk back to her car in silence. Halfway through, she stops. She whips around to face me. "I'm worried about Scott. I have no idea what he can do or how he'll be able to control himself. I would never forgive myself if I let him kill someone," Lia confesses, breaking the silence.

I wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her close. "You don't need to worry about it. We'll figure something out, we always do. We're Lia and Stiles: solving problems together since before we could tie our shoes," I respond.

Lia laughs. "We never did find Scott's toy car though."

"If we're being honest here, I stole it," I admit. Lia gasps, putting a hand over her mouth.

"You didn't! You let me wander around aimlessly looking for that car for weeks! It was my first unsolved case," She says, giving me her best bitch glare. She punches my arm. I let out a very unmanly squeal. That hurt.

"Watch it, Lia, not all of us have the supernatural ability to heal." I rub my arm.

She pouts. "I'm sorry. What can I ever do to earn your forgiveness?" She jokes.

"I don't think you ever can, no matter how many times you bat those pretty little eyelashes," I retort. Shaking her head, she lets out a small giggle.

Her car beeps as she unlocks the doors, getting inside. "Where to?" She asks.

"I promised Scott that I would stay over again. We are gonna have 'guy talk' which really means he is gonna complain about Allison," I say, groaning.

"My house it is. Allison and I already had that exact talk today. Tell him not to worry. I am pretty sure she is gonna give him a second chance," Lia responds.

"You're the best person ever. He won't go on for that long, then. You and Allison seem to be getting along great," I comment.

"Yeah we met on the first day, and something just clicked. I think she might even be the Scott to my Stiles," Lia admits with a huge smile. I understand what she is saying, Scott and I do have an epic bromance. Why was Allison Scott and she was Stiles? Does she like being Stiles? Why am I overthinking this?

"Where does Lydia fit into the equation? I saw her hanging around you guys," I blurt out.

Her smile falters a bit. "I think of it like this. I will be Stiles or Lydia will be Stiles. It's fair game until you consider that she's Lydia Martin and I'm just plain old me. I will probably end up third wheeling friend edition like I always do. I'm used to it."

"You're an idiot. Yes, Lydia's a goddess, but you're pretty fucking amazing, too. You're unreasonably strong both mentally and physically, my arm is still recovering. You're hilarious and can keep up with my sarcasm. Not to mention, you're gorgeous. You give Lydia a run for her money any day," I say.

"Wow, coming from the president of the Lydia fan club, it means a lot," she jokes, focusing back onto the road. The conversation dies down after that, and the only background noise is the sound of the engine.

"Do you think you could outrun a car?" I ask.

"You're never gonna shut up about this kind of stuff, are you?" She pulls into the driveway.

"Never."

Her eyebrows are furrowed. "In terms of speed, definitely. In the long term, I have no idea. I haven't tested the endurance of vampire speed, so I don't know how long I can keep it up."

We step out of the car and walk to the door. "I guess that's on our agenda, then," I say.

She snorts. "Yeah, sure. Goodnight, Stiles."

"Goodnight," I reply.

I make it up to Scott's room in a daze. I'm still riding the high of my little adventure tonight. "Dude you've got it bad," Scott says. I scream and jump back so hard that I hit my head on the door.

"What the hell man? You scared the crap out of me!" I exclaim, waving my arms wildly.

"You are in my room, dumbass," Scott retorts. Oh yeah, whoops. "Where did you two even go? I had no idea that you were hanging out tonight."

"In the woods with Lia." I answer. He raises an eyebrow at me. "Come on, man. What could we have even done in the woods? She was just showing me her vamp-y powers. Get your mind out of the gutter. She's your cousin for crying out loud," I explain.

"Yeah, she's my cousin and I couldn't think of somebody better to be with her. You guys may not know it now, but you're both totally in love with each other. Have been since we were 6," Scott says.

"Yeah, right. And I have a six pack. Nice try, buddy," I say. He knows that I used to have a huge crush on her, but she wasn't ever an option. "I let that go a long time ago. I focused on someone who was actually here. Lydia."

"But she's here now. Lia isn't across the country anymore. She's here to stay, and is super obviously into you," Scott points out.

"Yeah, here and even more out of my league," I say.

Scott falls back on his bed with a groan. "It's like watching you miss the same turn a million times. It's useless. You know what might also be useless? Trying to get Allison back."

"Actually, it might not be as useless as you think," I reply.

Scott sits up. "Wait, what do you know. Tell me everything."

We talk about Allison until midnight. After that we both fall asleep. The strawberry blonde locks that are usually the highlight of my dreams, are replaced by dark brown curls. I couldn't still be in love with Lia, could I?