be your own anchor.

Jocelyn knew better than to question him more than she already had. She nodded slowly. "Alright, if you're sure." She said simply. She still had no idea. She didn't realize that there was really only one specific reason why he'd spoken to her in the first place. She was oblivious to that fact, though she wasn't oblivious to how he was stumbling and stammering over his words. She didn't think it was a bad thing, it was cute actually. "Like I said, I'm ready whenever you are."

---

Stiles resisted the urge to roll his eyes when he saw the grin light up her face. He could have argued with her until he was blue in the face and she still probably would have won. Why she was so adamant about paying him back for the pizza was beyond him, though it was Emily. She never ceased to surprise him and catch him off guard. He just never really knew with her. And then he was trying his hardest not to smile at her later words, but then she just had to mention that dream and how he'd told her about it, and he couldn't help himself. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

Derek gave a nod of his head, moving to start back down the path. "So do you plan on always running this path?" He asked her, wanting to make conversation. Well that, and also wanting to make sure that he'd have a general idea of where she'd be. With things happening constantly in Beacon Hills, the last thing that he wanted to do was to have to save her because he'd made a mistake. If he could keep her out of the woods entirely, that would be one massive miracle.

---

Emily stepped forward, letting out a laugh as she watched him. Her stomach fluttered into butterflies when he finally smiled. "Oh, of course not. You wouldn't believe it, Em. She did - Everything. It was awesome. Do you think she'll talk to me? I mean, won't it be easier to talk to her since... You know?" She teased, attempting to mimic him. "The stammering mess you were after that might have been the best part, though. Scott and I still make fun of you behind your back," she teased.

Jocelyn followed him back down the path, keeping pace with him easily. He was holding back, something that she obviously didn't realize. She shrugged. "Most likely, why?" She hadn't really gone looking for another path to run on, she hadn't been in town long enough to do so, but she saw nothing wrong with this one. And it didn't really seem like she had anything to worry about with Derek around anyway, so this was probably going to be the path she chose to run on from here on out. Unless something were to cause her to change her mind, though she didn't see that happening any time soon. "Do you always run this path?"

---

Stiles let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head. She'd successfully managed to get his mind off of everything, and he wasn't worried or freaking out like he'd been doing earlier. Emily always seemed to help him relax though. He didn't know what it was about her, just something. She was really just a good friend, she'd always been there for him, and he really just didn't know how he could have gotten so lucky. "First, I sound nothing like that, and second, I'm no longer trusting you with my dreams anymore."

"I would uh, just get out here early enough. Not too late, you know?" Derek said carefully, not wanting to have to explain his way out of anything that was too hard. "There's just been a lot of things going on in Beacon Hills, and it's generally just a safety thing to stay out of the woods at night. Mountain lions and all of that." Granted, it was obvious that a mountain lion wasn't murdering everyone, but it was easier to explain than werewolves and other supernatural beings. "Most of the time, yeah," he said, shooting her a quick grin. That translated to him now running the path, just to make sure that she was alright, although he wasn't thinking on why he wanted to make sure so bad.

---

Emily rolled her eyes as she looked up at him, letting out a soft laugh. "Dude, you totally sound like that. And you wouldn't have to. I could guess your wet dreams easily. Unless they stopped being about Lydia. Have you had any about anyone else?" She asked, a teasing tone to her voice. If there was one thing that she loved to do, it was drive Stiles up the wall with inappropriate questions. If she pushed hard enough, sometimes she could even get him to blush. Plus, it was distracting him, and that had been her plan the entire time.

Jocelyn nodded. "I normally like to run in the mornings anyway." She said. She just thought that it was a great way to start out the day. Sure, sometimes things didn't really work out that way, but most of the time she did manage to run, or do some form of exercise, in the morning before doing anything else. "Mountain lions?" She repeated slowly, quirking an eyebrow up. She doubted that mountain lions were behind the murders that he'd mentioned having happened, though it was obvious that he was just looking out for her. It was sweet actually, and kind of cute. "Well, I hope you won't mind seeing more of me then." She smiled.

---

Stiles scoffed. "I sound nothing like that. Just because you know me doesn't mean you know how to act like me. That was a horrible attempt, Emily. Horrific actually." He shook his head as if in disbelief. "And to think I've considered you to be one of my best friends for years now." He was only messing around with her. Her questions were honestly making him a bit flustered. This wasn't something that he wanted to talk about with Emily. Not in the slightest. He scoffed once more. "No, definitely not. No one else. Not ever."

Derek felt a little jolt of relief run through him when she mentioned the morning. Mornings were relatively safe. Or at least, there was less of a chance of something happening to her. He gave a nod of his head, glancing over to her for a second. "Yeah, mountain lions. It's kind of crazy. They had a curfew there for awhile. It was a pretty bad problem, and it's just better to be safe than sorry, right?" He turned his attention to the path, trying to keep from smiling when she said that. He failed. "I don't think I'll mind at all, really."

---

"Stiles, I've known you for years. I'm pretty sure that I can act like you," Emily argued, shaking her head right back at him. "Oh, now that's rude. I'm starting to regret handing you the money," she teased, unable to keep from grinning back up at him. Her eyes lit up when she thought of something that she knew would get under his skin. "Not even me? Not even after we went swimming?" She asked, smirking up at him wide.

Jocelyn nodded. "Yeah, you're right." She said. She was really starting to think that she should have looked into this town more before she decided to move her. Of course, it did seem like a nice little town, aside from the murders and apparent mountain lion population, though she still was kind of leery about the whole thing. She smiled at his later words, noticing the smile on his face as well. She couldn't help thinking that he had a nice smile and that he should smile more often. "Good, though I might have to remind you that you said that soon enough. I can be a slight pain in the ass sometimes." She laughed.

---

Stiles shook his head. "I'm going to have to disagree with you there, Em. Just because you've known me for years, doesn't mean you automatically know how to act like me. Those two things don't just go hand in hand." He retorted. They argued like this all the time. Most of the time it was over petty, meaningless, things like this, however, they did get into a few serious arguments here and there as well. "Well, if you really do regret giving it to me, I can easily give it back." He grinned slightly, though the grin faltered slightly as she continued on with her attempt to get under his skin. "What? No! Of course not! Definitely not you. I mean---I didn't mean---I'm just going to shut up now."

Derek shook his head at her later words, letting out a quiet laugh. "Trust me, I don't think that you'll have to remind me. It takes a lot to really be a pain in my ass," he said, shooting her a quick grin. Really, the only two idiots that managed to get under his skin on a regular basis were Scott and Stiles. Especially when those two couldn't seem to keep their mouths shut for very long. Or handle things very well.

---

"I'm going to have to disagree with you there, Stiles. That totally means that I know how to act like you, God," Emily said, pretending to be annoyed with him. She rolled her eyes shaking her head at him. "Don't you dare give it back to me, Stilinski. I'm helping pay." She watched as his grin faltered, and she knew he was close to really getting flustered. "It's okay, Stiles. Friends are allowed to think about each other like that. I mean, I'm sure that Scott thinks about you naked all of the time."

Jocelyn let out a quiet laugh of her own. "Alright, that's good to know." She said. Of course, she'd only been joking anyway. Sure, sometimes she knew that she could be a pain in the ass, her dad always joked with her and told her that she was one of the biggest pains in the ass he'd ever met, but that was besides the point. She wondered who Derek could possibly deal with on a regular basis to raise his tolerance more so. It obviously had to be someone, or maybe more than one person, that got under his skin constantly.

---

Stiles shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, if you want to believe that, go right ahead, Em. I'm not going to stop you or anything like that." He chuckled softly, shaking his head in response to her later words. "I was kidding. Relax, Potts." He held his hands up in mock defense. He shook his head. "You're a horrible person. I honestly don't know why I'm friends with you sometimes."

Derek shot her a small smile, letting out a short, soft laugh. She honestly had no idea about a lot of things, but questioning his patience was laughable. He had to have a lot of it to have not killed Scott or Stiles yet, especially when their other friend, Emily, was around. The three of them together caused him more headaches than anything else in his life. "So you'll run here everyday then?"

---

Emily shook her head at him, smirking faintly. "It's true. Of course I'm going to believe that," she said. "You're friends with me because when we were younger, I was the next best thing compared to Lydia," she teased, nudging him lightly. "How is that whole thing going, by the way? You don't really seem like you're going to hyperventilate whens he's around anymore."

Yeah, he definitely should smile more often. That was one of the thoughts that had crossed Jocelyn's mind in that moment. He had a nice smile. Really, well, he had a nice...everything. He was attractive, that was something she'd noticed rather quickly, and he seemed nice too. She nodded. "More than likely, yes." She said. Having him there running with her was certainly a bit more motivating.

---

"What you think is true, and what is the actual truth are two very different things, Em." Stiles said, letting out a soft laugh. "The next best thing compared to Lydia? Are you sure about that?" He quirked a brow in her direction. It was clear that she'd managed to get his mind off of everything else, and he was actually relaxing for the first time in forever. His mind wasn't constantly reeling, and he wasn't worrying about anything either. He was just focused on having a good time with Emily and joking around with her. "That's because I don't anymore." He shrugged his shoulders.

"I try to run everyday, and it's usually around here. So it looks like I'll be bumping into you," Derek said, knowing that he would make it a point to head out there now. He had no idea what was going on with this girl, but he wanted to know. It was almost worrying him just how bad he wanted to know. However, he chalked it up to just wanting to make sure that she was safe. No one else should have to get hurt. And if he could save one person, then that was worth it to him.

---

"I'm sorry, what was that? Emily is totally right all the time and I should just listen to her constantly?" Emily teased, grinning up at him. She paused for a second before shrugging her shoulders. "I uh, well, yeah?" She furrowed her brow, a little confused. Stiles was her best friend, but it was easy to feel like second best when Lydia was around. "You don't what, hyperventilate anymore?"

Jocelyn smiled. "That's not a bad thing, is it?" She asked, quirking a brow. She certainly wouldn't mind seeing more of him. He seemed like a decent guy, and well, he was actually the first person she'd met in this town too. She didn't realize his apparent ulterior motive. She didn't realize that she reminded him of a ghost from his past. Why would she come to a conclusion like that? She had no reason to, and unless he told her, or someone else did, she probably wouldn't know.

---

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like that's going to happen." He said, sarcasm dripping from his words. He was only teasing her though. This was just how their friendship was. They constantly teased each other and bickered back and fourth. It was just how things had always been between them. "Emily, you're one of my best friends. Lydia didn't even know I existed up until recently. Just because I've had this major crush on her since the third grade doesn't mean she ranks higher than you do." He told her before shaking his head. "Not really."

"I don't think so, no," Derek said, smiling faintly. If anything, it would get him out and about - and away from Peter. He'd almost consider it exercise, but this pace wasn't doing a single thing to him. He found it too easy to run this and not get out of breath or anything. Granted, she wouldn't know that. For most people, they'd find it strenuous eventually.

---

"Just you wait, Stilinski. One of these days you're going to realize that I was right all along," Emily said, grinning up at him. She reached up, scratching at the back of her neck as she avoided his gaze. She gave a shrug of her shoulders, sighing softly. "Well, it's not my fault when everyone else ceases to exist the second you'd lay eyes on her," she kept her voice light, not wanting to sound accusatory. She just wanted to explain to him where she was coming from. "So does that mean that you don't like her like that anymore?"

Jocelyn smiled. "Good." She said. She didn't really know why she'd asked whether or not seeing her more often was a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe she was just curious as to how he would respond, just testing the waters really, she honestly didn't know. Sometimes, her mouth worked faster than her brain and she was saying things before she could fully process what she was going to say. It proved to be an issue sometimes. "I don't think bumping into you will be a bad thing either."

---

Stiles let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head. "Whatever you say, Potts. Whatever you say." See, this was something that he honestly loved about their friendship. Ever since he could remember, they'd always just teased and joked around with each other. Even during dark or sad times. Like right now. It was all kind of stressful and confusing and scary for Stiles, he didn't really know what was wrong with him, but she'd managed to get his mind off of all of that for the time being. "That doesn't hap---" He sighed. "Alright, maybe you have a point there." He nodded, a sheepish expression on his face. "I don't really know. I think I still do, but there was something going on with her and Aiden for a while, and I just don't really know anymore..."

Derek smiled when she smiled. It was like a habit that was left over from when Paige had been around. God, did just being around her make him want that back so bad. He tried to ignore those thoughts though, instead wanting to focus on what was going on right then and there. Living in the past wasn't going to help anyone at all. "That's good," he said, giving her a quick grin. If she wanted him to run with her, then that would make keeping an eye on her even easier.

---

Emily looked up at him and grinned, a burst of pride swelling in her chest when he laughed. To see him laughing and relaxed - or at least, more relaxed than he had been - made her feel like she'd managed to accomplish something important. "Stiles, you once shoved me out of the way so you could stare at Lydia. I have multiple points and examples with this," she teased. She didn't want to over think the way her stomach dropped when he said that he thought that he still liked her. "Right, well uh, you might have a chance now, you know? I don't think they're really together and you might... You might have a real shot this time."

Jocelyn smiled. She really didn't know what to say after that, and the conversation sort of drifted off after that, but the silence was a comfortable one. It wasn't tense or awkward like some silences tended to be. It was nice. Calming even. Though, Jocelyn wasn't much for remaining totally silent, not for extended periods of time anyway. So, with that, albeit childishly, she picked up her pace suddenly. "Race you to the end of the trail!" She called over her shoulder, a slight grin on her face.

---

Stiles was glad that he had someone like Emily in his life. While Scott was also one of his best friends, and he had him constantly there for him, no matter what, Emily always someone managed to get him to relax. She always distracted him when he needed to be distracted, and sometimes when he didn't need to be distracted too, and he just knew that she was always there. It was a nice feeling, knowing that he always had her. He chuckled slightly, a sheepish grin forming on his face. "Alright, you've got me there." He admitted. His expression suddenly turned serious at her later words. "You think so?"

Derek felt, to some extent, like he was running with a child. Pretending to have to go slow so that way he wouldn't show just how fast he truly was. He could remember in elementary school that his mother would always tell him to slow down, that he had to pretend to be slow so the other kids had a chance. That's exactly what it felt like when she picked up her pace. He sped up just a little, making sure to keep just behind her as he ran. The last thing he wanted to do was just let himself go to his full potential. Plus, he wanted to see her face when she won.

---

Emily bit her lip as she watched him go from grinning to being serious in mere seconds. She wasn't sure why that hurt so much. Maybe it was just jealousy over him liking Lydia so much. Because she was positive (as whiny as it sounds) that no one had ever acted like that over her. That was totally it. She wasn't - She didn't - They were friends. That was it. "Uh, yeah, I do," she said slowly, forcing herself to hold his gaze. "I mean, I would talk to her for awhile, actually get to know her and all that before you ask her out. But I bet she would say yes if you asked her out."

Jocelyn really wasn't expecting to beat him. He was taller than her, a lot taller than her actually, so regardless of whether he was faster than her or not, he would probably beat her. However, when she reached the end of the trail, her breathing ragged, and came to a stop, she was surprised when Derek came up a few seconds after her. And she was sure that the surprise was written on her face too. "I beat you." She said, the surprise evident in her voice, a slight grin tugging at the corners of her lips.

---

A huge grin tugged at the corners of his lips. This was news to him. Sure, he'd made some obvious progress in the last year or so, Lydia knew who he was now, but the fact that he really might have a chance with her was news to him. And coming from Emily, he knew that she wouldn't just tell him that to make him feel better. She actually meant it. She thought that he actually had a chance with Lydia Martin. He nodded. "Oh yeah, definitely." He said. "I'll talk to her first, and then ask her out after a while."

[I feel really bad for Emily right now. It's almost painful to write.]

Derek came up to a stop when he reached her, shaking his head as he affected his breathing to become ragged. "You barely did," he said between breaths, shaking his head at her as he grinned. "By two seconds, and that's nothing," he added, giving her a pointed look. It had really been two and a half, but he wasn't going to say that. He watched her, liking how the grin was tugging at her lips. She was incredibly pretty when she smiled.

---

Emily had never understood why he was so in love with Lydia. She'd never taken the time to get to know him, having brushed him off year after year, allowing Jackson to bully him. It made her blood boil just to think about it. But Stiles persevered, adamant at having her like him back. "Right," Emily said, finally allowing herself to look away. Suddenly she wanted out of there. He just looked so happy and that's what she wanted, really, just... Not because of Lydia Martin. "That'll definitely work. Totally. How could she not like you?"