Chapter Text
“I don't get it. Why are we having to move at all? I liked San Diego”, said Nina, wavy brown hair flowing with the wind coming from the car window of the Jeep. She caressed the hair of Andi, her 7-year-old sister, who had fallen asleep in her lap. On the other side of Andi, was her brother, Kaylen, who was deep into reading the new school's history textbook. On the passenger seat was Papa, Danny, and Dad, Stiles, was driving.
“Because Grandpa is sick, Neen” said Danny, twisting his torso to face her and reaching out to hold her hand. “I know it's tough leaving, okay? But I promise it's gonna be okay.” She sighed and looked over at her Dad, who was driving but who's hands were clearly shaking. She simply nodded at Danny and tried to go back to sleep.
***
Meanwhile, at the old Whittemore house, a Porsche and a motorbike pulled up to the driveway. A tall girl got down from the two-wheeler. Red hair and freckled face revealed as she took off her black full face helmet. Out of the Porsche, appeared the 'protector mercenaries' Jackson and Ethan Whittemore-Steiner. Ethan went to wrap an arm around the girl's shoulders with a smile and they all walked up to the door. “Can't believe we're back in Beacon Hills” Jackson said, not sounding too happy about it, while he looked for the keys. “We're basically omegas again” he said and growled low. Until, Ethan looked at him with furrowed eyebrows and showed his glowing red eyes. “Not exactly babe.”
Jackson opened the door and immediately the girl rushed to her room with her bags and didn't even look back at them. “Lena Patricia Whittemore-Steiner!” Ethan reprimanded her. The alpha's voice made it so she couldn't even pretend not to have heard her father, so she tiptoed back to the middle of the stairs and looked at him. “I know you want to just hide out in your room, but at least an hug to dad first?” She rolled her eyes and did almost a smile, before going in for an hug.
***
At the auto repairs shop, though, a girl with piercing brown eyes was playing with a one-year-old in the office, while watching out as a boy who looked just like her if not a little older, was using the equipment as ramps for his skateboard tricks. Derek Hale, one of the owners, came out from under a car screaming: “Thomas!” he got up and ran after the boy, stopping him by holding up his shirt. The girl and the boy both looked a little bit like Derek. “You're no fun, Uncle Derek!” The girl smiled looking at Thomas being scolded by 'Uncle Derek'. A younger man, who looked a lot like the man doing the scolding, walked into the office, covered in grease. “Ew, Eli, you're disgusting” the girl said, tapping her nose, which made the baby laugh. “Ooh how's my baby boy?” the young man asked excited. The girl rolled her eyes. “Calvin's fine, he was playing with his carrots!” she said, pointing to the wooden game with plastic carrots to put in the holes. Eli smiled and kissed his son's forehead quickly. “I'll go shower. Your mom's almost done” the girl nodded and smiled, cleaning the baby's head from the grease.
A few minutes later, Malia, a beautiful woman in her early 40s who didn't look a day after 35, knocked on the office's door: “Emma? You good?” Emma smiled happily and got up, taking her backpack and lacrosse stick. “Ready!” As they got out, Eli walked back in, now clean, and started picking up Calvin's things. “Thank you for watching him, Ems” he said, looking at the young girl. “Anytime coz”.
A five-seater gray fiat car pulled up in front of the repair shop and Thomas and Emma rushed for the backseats. Driving the car, was alpha werewolf and veterinarian Scott McCall. Malia went to sit in the passenger seat and they were about to drive off before they saw a familiar Jeep pull up.
Scott immediately turned the engine off and jumped out of the car. So did Stiles and the two hugged immediately. Everyone else slowly got out of the two cars and both Malia and Danny leaned against them, smiling with eyes rolling at the two of them. Emma went to stand next to Kaylen, and the two started to get into an intense conversation regarding comic books and superheroes.
Andi, who had woken up from her nap, went directly to Malia: “Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey” she said, pulling the woman's shirt. Malia just grinned at her fondly and picked her up. “Hey pest!” the little girl smiled. “Did you know we're moving here?” Malia smiled: “I heard, pumpkin” “Papa said it's cause Grandpa Noah is sick” Malia's face darkened, as did Andi's. “He'll be just fine, little one. I promise” Andi cuddled up to her favorite aunt and the latter looked back at the larger group, where Stiles and Scott were still catching up, Danny was in a conversation with Eli about Calvin, Emma and Kaylen still deep into discussions on the newest cinecomic, and Thomas at the very least trying to make conversation with Nina.
“What does the Jeep have this time, Stiles?” Derek asked annoyed at the garage's door. Stiles sighed and lifted the dashboard: “I don't know it makes a weird sound” Derek shook his head and went into checking. Scott sighed and looked back at his kids. “The both of you, don't you have practice to get to?” They jumped up and ran back to the car. Stiles smiled at them. “Lacrosse?” “Emma, yes. Thomas is in track” Stiles nodded and hugged his best friend again. “I missed you, man” “Me too, man… Me too”
***
At The Galaxy. It opened about 7 years ago: an arcade, a comic book store, and a diner. All at the same time, with furniture and decorations inspired by the 1980s. The floor was black and white checkers, the walls were filled with posters and signage. There was a counter with red stools and it was serving milkshakes and burgers, and also giving out arcade prizes. There were people eating at booths with red couches and white tables with red chairs. There was an entire section of arcade games like table hockey or claw machines, a line of pinballs and a line of traditional arcade games, and a circle made of DDR and racing simulators, and to the opposite side, there were walls covered in comic books up for grabs, which you could either read there or buy at the counter and take home.
Sitting at one of the tables were a guy and a girl looking incredibly alike: warm brown skin, dark brown hair and captivating eyes. The girl had rollerskates at her feet and was reading a poetry book, while enjoying the shared fries with a strawberry milkshake. While the guy was eating a burger like his life depended on it, with a chocolate milkshake half drank already, and a skateboard right beside him. “You are disgusting, Rahim.” the girl said, rolling her eyes. “It's fine, shut up nerd” answered Rahim, with his mouth still full of food. The girl scoffed and flicked him on the head. “I'm going to watch Zack's practice. You stay here if you'd like. I'll see you at home” she said, going to get up. When the brother didn't follow, she went to the counter. The lovely woman at the counter smiled at her. “Hey Amayah. All good?” she smiled. “All amazing, Lizzy. Besides Rahim, like always.” The two chuckled. “How's the Tavern?” Lizzy asked “All good, I have a root beer saved just for you tonight” Amayah answered sweetly as she handed Lizzy the money. Once she paid, she rolled out of there with her backpack on her shoulders.
***
Back at Beacon Hills High School, Coach Liam Dunbar was cheering on his Lacrosse team, while the track team was running around the court on their running track, among which was Thomas, ahead of everyone. In Coach Dunbar's team, we could see Emma, rolling the stick in her hands and making all the goals.
Liam looked down at the time and then blew his whistle. “5 minute break, everyone. Hydrate up” he screamed out, and both teams stopped and went back to the bleachers to their backpacks. Amayah rolled in on the track, until stopping next to the coach. “Hey Dad” Liam smiled and hugged her. “You okay?” She nodded and got the kiss on her forehead before going up to a boy with dark skin and the track team's uniform. “How's it going? My dad still being a nightmare?” Zack chuckled: “He's the alpha, it's pretty standard.” A girl from the track team, behind them, scoffed: “God, these last ten years. You freaks talking about your deal like it's normal, just like that. It's disgusting” Amayah and Zack both looked at her with a raised eyebrow, and letting their eyes glow. Amayah's eyes were of a bright neon yellow, while Zack's were a bright moss green. “Shut the fuck up Harper” Amayah says immediately, getting a ruffle on her head from a boy with the goalie uniform, and a head of curly hair and pale skin. “Calm down, Ams. Losers like her are just envious we're awesome” Zack and Amayah chuckled and Zack left him space beside him. “I hope you're right, Ash. But I wouldn't put my hand on fire over it.” Amayah said with a smile and rested her head on Zack's shoulders. He kissed her forehead and Asher rolled his eyes: “Can you two stop being lovebirds? For once?” he said disgusted and all three burst out laughing. Down in the field, Liam was looking at them with curious eyes, before being interrupted by a seemingly East-Asian girl with the lacrosse uniform asking him some questions, which he answered with a smile.
***
The skate park was unbelievable. There were two different pits, all plastered with graffiti everywhere, and the bigger one went into some tunnels and first floor of some old concrete abandoned buildings that had also been plastered in graffiti. It was full of kids skateboarding and rollerskating and people on the sidelines drinking beer out of aluminum cans.
Under the buildings, there was Rahim. He pulled off a gas mask and put it in a bag of spray paint at his feet, with the drawing of a graffiti that was over it, the word 'Crow' in black and blue, with feathers around it. The lettering is very stylized and boxy. He had just finished it, up on the wall in front of him. A teen with black shoulder-length straight hair and brown eyes rolled in on a skateboard next to him smiling, they leaned against the wall that made an L with the one Rahim was focusing on. “Hey” they said with a smirk, Rahim gave one back and picked them up from the ground, kissing them passionately. “Ty! God, I've missed you” They laughed: “Riki, you saw me yesterday” He grinned: “Exactly, way too long”. They rolled their eyes and flashed their glowing deep purple eyes at him: “You're a dumbass” He just wrapped his arms around them and spun them. “You know you love me” They smirked: “never denied that”. He laughed and kissed them again. In the heat of the moment, he didn't notice his hands under their shirt, and the way claws slowly spurted, hurting Ty slightly, until they pulled away and looked at him. They looked down at their skin as it healed and Rahim looked terrified. “I... I'm so sorry... I... I don't know how... I don't know why... I just... I... I'm sorry” He pulled away and started running away. Ty looked at him, confused. Stuck there. They picked up Rahim's skateboard, looking in the direction he had booked away at super speed in: “You left your stuff!” They said before sighing and sitting down, looking at the graffiti melancholic.
***
Rahim was running through the Beacon Hills Preserve. He had no idea how fast he was running. He had never even realized he could run that fast. He was absolutely not caring where he was headed. He just felt like a monster. He hurt them. Obviously, Ty healed. They were a fucking awesome cool wereraven. Of course they healed. But something happened to him, he hurt them. It had happened before, his fingers or his eyes doing something like that. The year before. But he had ignored it and pushed it down. Sometimes when he was aroused, or angry, or scared, it would happen. Claws, yellow eyes, random hair on his neck. But he learned pretty quickly how to control it. But this time, he didn't. He was simply running in the forest, when he bumped into someone, and they both fell on the ground. “Watch where you're going!” a shy but definitely annoyed voice said. When they got up, Nina was staring right in his face. “I was having a moment!” he protested, but she rolled her eyes. “Me fucking too” he scoffed and adjusted his hair. “What kind of moment?” she asked, curious, avoiding his eyes. “None of your business” he said, keeping on walking. She huffed and walked next to him. “You bumped into me!” she underlined. “And... these woods are starting to give me the creeps, by myself.” she admitted shyly, which made Rahim chuckle. “So, yeah. It is my business” “I don't know what I am. I think I am something supernatural but I don't know what. So I try to push down my powers. But I just hurt my significant other. And I kind of...” “Freaked out?” she giggled. “Maybe”.
She smiled kindly. “Happens.” She reached out a hand. “I'm Nina. I… just moved here, my dads are from here” she explained briefly, as her eyes darkened and her lips scrunched slightly in uneasiness. “My stepdad is too. I'm Rahim” he smiled kindly, noticing her discomfort. “Seen some place you like yet?” She shrugged: “I don't know. Is there any herbal shop?” He looked at her confused. “I think the pharmacy might have some holistic section…” She shook her head. “Nope, I meant in a druid sense.” His eyes widened. “Oh”. She chuckled: “That's usually people's reaction. We're not that common” he nodded and kept walking with her. He didn't even notice much how she was leading the path. Probably, she didn't either, until they noticed a head of red hair on a woman in a business suit, walking almost in a trance, coming from the opposite direction, but headed the same way as them. “That's... my dad's ex-wife?” said Nina confused, and kept following her. “She's a banshee” she whispered, gesturing to Rahim to keep quiet and follow. He did, but looked spooked: “Why are we following a banshee who seems not fully conscious? It sounds like a terrible idea!” he whisper-screamed. She rolled her eyes and kept going: “I'm the one with anxiety and you are freaking out?! I just wanna know what she finds”. Rahim gets shivers: “Corpses. That's what banshees find. It's never good. Please, seriously” she shrugs: “I know that” she commented. Rahim nudged her shoulder to stop her: “Are you out of your mind?” Nina sighed annoyed: “If you're too scared, leave. I'm finding out where she's going!” and she went on.
Rahim ended up following her. Lydia was still walking and the two kids tiptoed behind her. Up until they got to a huge tree stomp covered in moss and ivy. There seemed to be something else on it, but before they could move any closer, Lydia let out a banshee scream, and they had to cover their ears.
***
By 15 minutes later, deputy sheriff Hugo Raeken-Perkins was there with Chris Argent, Scott, and Peter Hale, together with Stiles and a woman with shoulder-length red hair and freckled fair skin, who immediately hugged Rahim: “What's gotten into you, Rahim?” he sighed: “It's not my fault, it was her idea!” he defended himself, pointing at Nina, who shrugged, looking at her father. “I like your initiative, but you're still grounded.” and she sit down in the corner. Stiles got closer to Lydia, and signaled to the others to come with. On the Nemeton, was laying a corpse of a young lady. She was wearing an incredibly ruined and shredded sundress, and had claw marks all over her but… “No blood” Peter commented. Scott got closer and touched the woman's neck: “There's no dry blood around here or on her. The absence of the blood seems…” “The cause of death itself” Chris finished for him. Lydia was staring at something and Stiles caught to it: “What do you see Lydia?” “Check her bicep.” he looked closer immediately and turned around her arm. Four deep wounds, in a circle of other more surface ones. Bloodless, but pulsating with some sort of black liquid.
“PULL HER AWAY!” Peter and Chris both screamed. Stiles, Lydia, and Scott obeyed, a little confused. But Stiles understood way earlier than the other two. “There were theories of it in Alaska, how and why to Beacon Hills?” he asked them. “My mother warned us about them. Her parents fought them ages ago” commented Peter, looking at the wound. “I've heard about them before, but I thought it was the part that was actually just tales” said Chris, but Scott was still too confused, while Lydia was already catching up, and reverted on trying to reassure Nina. “What are you guys talking about?” said Scott. Deputy Raeken-Perkins came forward and looked at him dead serious: “Our sworn enemies, Doctor McCall. This is the work of vampires.” Nina and Rahim looked to each other, and then everyone else, in shock.
***
In what looks like a typical US version of an Irish pub. For being just 7 pm, it was already pretty busy. At the counter, was a charming woman, with a navy blue crop top with the name of the place, Moonlight Tavern, written on it, same as the t-shirt worn by the bartender serving beers to a couple men talking about the recent baseball game. “Theo, two Peronis and a Miller for table 5” said the woman, and the bartender flashed her a wink while pouring, then handed them over on a tray. But the woman's attention was caught by Liz, the cashier of The Galaxy, who had just walked in. Theo groaned: “Earth to Hayden. Hey? The beers!” She snapped out of it and smiled at him heading to give the beers.
Hugo walked in, with a happy little girl, wearing a purple sweater and a big smile on her face, asleep in his arms, holding tight to him like a koala. He went quickly behind the counter and kissed Theo's cheek. “Hi babe” he said, and the bartender rolled his eyes. “It's already noisy in here, love, she'll wake up” the officer shrugs: “She's seven, babe. She won't die because she stays up past six pm” he argues.
At a table, there were Rahim, Amayah, and Ty, eating burgers. “What the fuck do you mean a corpse on the Nemeton?!” Amayah was asking. “Exactly that” he replied, eyes out of his eyeballs. “Why would you follow a banshee?!” Ty commented, caressing their boyfriend's hand. “Deadly curiosity?” he shrugged and kept eating his chips. “I think you're crazy” Amayah answered, sighing and laying back against the chair. Thomas walked up to their table with a diet coke can in hand and sit down. “Wait, what happened?” and Rahim started explaining again.
At another table, Nina and Stiles were finishing telling the story to Danny, and Kaylen; Andi asleep on her brother's lap. “Vampires? Are you sure, babe?” Danny asked his husband, who nodded warily. “Fuck…” Kaylen commented, unsure how to fully react. “Wait, tell me more about the guy?” He asked with hope, getting nothing more than a chuckle and a slight whack upside the head from Nina. “He mentioned a significant other, Kay. I won't be your wingwoman to let you be a homewrecker”, and he rolled his eyes: “You're a party-pooper” but Nina just shook her head and ignored him.
Zack walked in with his fathers, Corey and Mason, and Asher, who immediately went behind the counter to try and steal a can of beer. He got stopped by Hugo, who held him up by the shirt. “Hi Ash”, the boy sighed disappointed: “Hi dad” Hugo put him back down and took the beer can from his hand. “You're not even 16 yet, what's gotten into you?” he said, mad. “Papa” he commented dryly. Hugo looked at Theo, accusatory. “Theo, please tell me you did not give Asher beer” Theo was serving another tray, in the meantime, but he looked at his husband with a guilty expression: “I may have” “He's fifteen!” “I killed at twelve, babe. He's not harming anyone” Hugo rolled his eyes and kissed his husband's forehead. “Only his own liver” “It heals, he's a werewolf” Hugo shook his head and gave up, telling Asher to just go sit down with the Bryant-Hewitts and wait for Hayden to take his order.
Hayden went up to the Stilinski-Mālehani family's table and smiles immediately at Stiles: “Oh My, and what is the director of the FBI's Supernatural Affairs Division even doing in my pub?” she said with a giggle. Stiles got up and gave her a quick hug: “It's good to see you again too, Hayden” she smiled lightly: “I heard of the Sheriff's diagnosis… I'm sorry” he just nodded: “Yeah, it sucks. It's why we're back, actually” he said, sitting back down. “I understand” she replied with a nod. “This your family?” Stiles immediately shifted to smiling proudly at that question. “Yup. My husband Danny, and my kids. Kaylen and Nina, twins, 15, and that sleepyhead right there is our youngest, Andi, she's seven” he explained, a smile on his face. Danny reached his hand out to shake Hayden's. “Hayden Romero, co-owner of this place. We used to be in the same pack, until, y'know, most of the original pack had to leave for college. The leftovers kind of formed our own” he smiled: “Yeah, Stiles told me, Scott told him. The place seems to be going great” “It is! Okay, back on business: your orders?” they all laughed and started ordering their food.
Liam and his wife, Sarah, had also gotten to the Tavern. Two tables had been pushed together. They now sitted Amayah, Rahim, Ty, Liam, Sarah, Corey, Mason, Zack, and Asher. Amayah was holding hands with Zack as they kept stealing off of each other's plate. Liam was clearly annoyed and sighing, but Sarah reassured him, caressing his hand: “She couldn't stay the 10-year-old you met forever, love. And at least it's literally your best friend's son. You don't trust your best friend to have raised a good kid?” she whispered in his ear. Liam scoffed: “Yeah, but I don't trust teenage boys around her, period. No matter who raised 'em” he insisted.
Sarah rolled her eyes, and turned to talk to Corey about the recent episode of a reality dating show they both enjoyed watching. “What? No, she was totally wrong about him!” “I don't know, he seemed off to me”. Asher was eating his steak, but his glance was captured by the Stilinski-Mālehani table, and especially by Nina. Rahim waved a hand in front of his face. “Earth to Asher?” but the guy's gaze didn't move. “Well, he's gone.” Hayden passed behind them and shook Asher from his shoulders: “Eat, menace” she laughed, then looked at Liam, Mason, and Corey. “Hey, you'll never guess who's back in town” Mason and Corey looked at her confused, but not Liam. “Do you mean Stiles? Sarah met him earlier. Picking that one up-” he pointed to Rahim “-because he saw Lydia walking around the woods in her trance while he was with Stiles' daughter and they thought it was a good idea to follow her” he sounded clearly still mad at his stepson for that one. “Damn, kid's got balls!” she said excitedly instead. “Thanks Aunt Hayden” Rahim said with a smile. “You clearly don't, you haven't asked Lizzy out yet” Amayah commented with a grin towards Hayden. Which just made Hayden try to find and excuse, and go back to the bar.
Hayden had come out as a lesbian many years before, it was what lead to her and Liam divorcing. But ever since had only had a few deeply unsuccessful relationship. It started just being funny at that point. But she had been having this clear situation of mutual crushing on with no action being taken with the The Galaxy's server, Lizzy, for two years now and everyone kind of made fun of her over it.
After Hayden had left, Liam's words register in Asher's head. “Wait, is that the girl you met in the woods?” he asked pointing at Nina. Rahim nodded, and his forearm quickly got Asher's fingers deep in it: “Please introduce her to me and I'll do your homework for a week” he begged and Rahim just bursted out laughing: “Dude I'm two grades above you and you barely get B's on your own work”, which Asher reacted to with a desperate sigh. “Can you at least tell me her name?” “Nina”.
Back at the bar, Andi, now awaken, tried to slip in and ended up hiding in one of the cabinets. Avery, Hugo and Theo's daughter her peer, noticed and approached her. “Hi”, Andi shushed her though: “I'm hiding” Avery slipped in next to her. “Why are we hiding?” she whispered. “The vampires” Andi whispered back. Avery put a tiny hand over her little mouth, shocked. “Are they going to hurt us? I heard they hate werewolves. My dad and my brother are. My papa is half one, half were-coyote, like I am one. Do they hurt were-coyotes too?” Andi looked at her scared: “I don't know, my papa, my brother, and I are human, my dad and my sister are just druids. I'm scared” she whispered. Finally, Theo noticed them and smiled softly: “Hey, little ones. Wanna get out?” “The vampires are coming” Avery told her papa, scared. But he smiled softly and picked her up. “No, they're not. And even if they are, we're here to protect you” he smiled, cuddling his daughter.
He then looked down at Andi. “Who's would you be?” Andi got out of the cabinet shyly and pointed to her family's table. Seeing Stiles after all those years, Theo had a bit of a shock. But he shook his head and offered Andi his hand: “Let's go back to the table, hm?” and she nodded and followed him. Avery tried to follow them, but Hugo came in and picked her up. Theo approached the table and Andi ran into her daddy's arms. Stiles looked up at Theo, a look of shock across both their eyes.
“Hey guys” said Theo, smiling widely at the table. “...Theo” said Stiles, eyes wide. He gulped while Danny just smiled casually at him. “I've heard of you. I'm Danny, Stiles's husband” he said, lending out his hand. Theo shook it. “...Husband?” he asked Stiles, who was basically trying to fade into the cushions. “Yeah, we got married fifteen years ago, Theo.” he smiled awkwardly. “I thought you and Lydia...” “We divorced very quickly. Just wasn't meant to be.” Kaylen and Nina looked at each other understandingly, witnessing that whole interaction. “We're gonna go...” They said quickly, trying to get out of the way.
***
Outside the pub, Nina and Kaylen were walking off. Emma caught up to them, along with Thomas. “Guys, wait!” The twins stopped, turning towards the McCall siblings. “What's the deal with this body you found?” Emma asked excitedly. Nina looked at the other three warily. “You guys sure? I don't know if it's still going to be there…” Thomas shook his head: “Who cares, man?” he put an arm around her shoulders “It's a mystery like, a real mystery! This is what you two being back means, you know?” he says, walking ahead. The three look at him confused. “Our dad and your dad used to always do this kinda shit together. Especially after our dad got bitten. We can be like a team!” Kaylen scoffed and shook his head: “I'm not sure of that, Tommy. I have… homework.” Emma gave Kay a slap on the head. “Nah-ah, Parker. We're going. Fuck your homework!” Nina smiled. “That's the spirit!” “Let's go!” exclaimed Emma and the group started heading towards the reserve, but Kaylen stayed behind. “I'm not coming” Nina stopped and turned to him. “C'mon. Be fun, for once?”
Orange cracks started to form along Kaylen's skin, making the other three back up. “What the...?” whispered Emma. “C'mon, let's go” says Nina nervously, confused. “I said no!” he screamed, his eyes of a bright, fiery orange. The other three took a step back. “KAYLEN” Nina screamed, eyes wide. But his body was already on fire.