'Cause you feel like home, you're a dream come true.

[ you're fine! And I totally feel you! ]

Isaac rubbed his neck and made a mental note that he wasn't the only person who found the new English teacher to be unsettling because he wanted to ask a few other people what they thought as well. After all, there had to be a reason both he and Chloe felt the same way about a woman they'd just met. And maybe it would help give him an idea on why she felt that way because he was pretty sure this wasn't how he was supposed to feel about new teachers. "Um no I haven't started yet," he told her shaking his head, "Because I don't know what I want to write, like at all," he told her hoping to get some ideas. Honestly, with all the shit that had been going on over the last few months really the last thing that Isaac had been thinking about was his homework like some paper he had to write for English class. "What are you going to write about?" He asked her.

Isaac had no idea what she'd meant by that, of course, he wanted something good to come out of the two of them working together but his something good was them figuring out what was going on and he felt like Chloe was totally implying something else. "Wait is something like going on between the two of them?" He asked her not really shocked that they may have liked each other with how much time they had spent together since she'd moved here. It actually made total sense, but at the same time, he just hadn't seen it. Stiles was just so awkward with everything that Isaac wasn't even sure he'd ever land a girl, and Nessa didn't quite seem like his type and vice-versa. But to each his own.

---

Nessa tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled at Stiles, "um that would be fine," she told him biting her lip. She had no problems whatsoever going on a date with Stiles. Going on a real date with a boy she liked sounded like fun, her only concern with going on a date right now with Stiles was everything else going on around them. Was it really smart to take time away from figuring out what was going on to go on a date? Was it getting involved in a relationship more important than figuring out everything they could about an alpha pack of werewolves and who was sacrificing people and why? But Nessa also didn't want to feel like this, she didn't think she should feel bad for liking Stiles. Nessa didn't want to end up making solving this crazy mystery the only priority in her life, because she was only sixteen and she and Stiles did deserve a chance to date if they wanted. She also had literally just made the first move and totally initiated with him the whole idea of liking each other.

"We can figure out the details late," she told him referring to the date when she felt her phone buzz and saw that Lydia had texted her. "Because Lydia just got here so I guess it's time to work on this mystery," she said sighing and pushing her fingers through her hair. Honestly, figuring out what was going on with Lydia was going to be hard and Nessa knew that it was going to require a lot of concentration, and she was going to have to do a little research. Of course, Nessa and Deaton both had theories, but she wasn't about to go throwing any of those around to Lydia or anyone else unless she was sure it could be more than just a theory. The last thing she wanted was to scare anyone with ideas that could be so far fetched they wouldn't even make sense. She also really wanted to hear what Lydia had been felt was so urgent to tell her earlier at school.

Chloe tapped her pen on her book, looking up at him. “I’m writing mine on Midsummers Nights Dream,” She explained, pointing it out on her book. “Felt like it might be easiest for me, since I know the story and can explain the themes pretty well.” She said, putting her book to the side and leaning forward so she laid on the bed on her stomach and could reach his book where he sat on the floor. “And you told me before you understood Romeo and Juliet pretty well, why don’t you write something from the perspective of Romeo or Paris? It just has to be an analysis of some sort of the story.” She added, flipping to the page and shrugging. “Or Macbeth?”

She stayed like that, liking the closeness to him. She had missed him during those four months, but she wasn’t sure she’d admit it out loud to him any time soon. For now she just liked being near him, and she could live with that if nothing changed. “And well yeah, Isaac. For someone with super wolfy senses, you can be a little unobservant.” She teased him gently. “She’s been looking at him with heart eyes for weeks, Stiles is just awfully dense.” She sighed. “But I’m sure it will be fine. Nessas smart and Stiles is smart in his own way.” She hesitated, wondering if she should say what she was thinking before shrugging. “As long as they communicate they should be fine.” She wondered if Isaac would feel like she was pointing fingers, it had just come out like that but if he felt attacked, she knew how it sounded. It was hard for her not to draw comparisons to her own relationship, especially since it was something that she did hope would eventually get fixed.

---

Stiles nodded. He had completely forgotten about the situation at hand, he wouldn’t even pretend he hadn’t. All he had been focused on was where they could go, and how long she might have liked him before feeling the need to say something. “Yeah right, Okay Lydia. Let’s go talk to her and see what she knows. I know that she’s been spending time with Aiden, since Chloe seems to have been hanging with Isaac more.” He said as he pulled out his phone to see if anything new had happened. “Maybe she’s got information on him. I hope she does but I just don’t like Lydia around him they’re so evil, I hate them.” He said, shaking his head. “And I know you said you were but are you sure you’d be okay if they came After you?” He asked curiously.

When Lydia arrived he had his laptop out so he could start researching as soon as he heard something to go off of. He wanted to figure this out, especially since the last person to go missing wasn’t a virgin and he had spoken to his girlfriend earlier at cross country practice. Now he had no idea what the pattern was but he wanted more information to figure it out. He just hoped he could figure out something before it was too late and it caused any more problems and got someone important to him hurt. “Plus it’s getting late and I’m starting to hate being out at night.” He mumbled, noticing a stray piece of fuzz in Nessas hair and reaching to pull it out before hesitating for the smallest second. “Sorry,” He mumbled, turning back to his screen.

@ Kol.

Isaac shrugged his shoulders, "I guess I really haven't been paying much attention to the things going on around me," he said sighing. "Because I literally had no idea she'd been crushing on him. Not that Nessa and I, or even Stiles and I are super close so of course, they wouldn't tell me but if it's been obvious then I should've just known," he said shaking his head. He didn't know why this was coming as some huge revelation to him, but it was. And he felt like not knowing this one thing made it pretty obvious that he'd been a little too distracted lately and he needed to be reeled back in. After all, even with everything going on Isaac knew he still had to graduate high school so he could eventually leave Beacon Hills. He did want to leave, and he wanted to go to college and make a life for himself. It wasn't like being a werewolf paid the bills after all. Though thinking about that he didn't know how it would work being part of a pack and all. But he had to actually graduate high school first before he could even think about leaving Beacon Hills.

"I think I'll write about Romeo and Juliet from his perspective. Because I did understand that story well enough to get a decent grade on this," he said nodding glad that he'd asked her for help, otherwise he would probably still be stuck just trying to remember what the assignment even was. So he sat down at the desk in her room and went to pull some things out of his backpack. "Your parents won't mind me being here, will they? If I'm still here when they get back?" He asked her wondering if her dad even knew they were hanging out again and if that was going to be an issue with him. Because the last time Isaac had seen her dad things hadn't exactly gone over too well.

---

"No one besides you and Deaton currently know I'm an emissary, or at least will be as long as everything goes well. And that means they also don't know that I may only be seventeen but I know a lot more about how to protect myself from the supernatural than a normal seventeen-year-old and that I'm always prepared to protect myself if need be. Also, I'm usually on hyper alert around supernatural beings I don't know well just in case something does go south," Nessa told him once again, knowing that this was probably a lot for him to take in but she couldn't have been happier that he knew. Not telling him this one thing had actually been tearing her up inside, but he knew now and it was nice that she could actually finally talk about this all with someone in the open who wasn't Deaton.

Nessa smiled at Stiles and tucked her hair behind her ear, "thanks, and don't be sorry," she said softly as she placed her hand on top of his. This whole thing with Stiles was something totally new to her and she didn't exactly know what she was getting herself into, or how to read certain things, but she was going to wing it and hope for the best.

"So for starters, Ms. Blake gives me a really weird vibe. I don't know why because from the little I know about her she comes off as a totally normal human but I think we should keep an eye on her," Lydia said once she walked into the clinic. "Also I've been hearing this strange noise and having the same dream for a few days now and I'm a little concerned. Because usually when I hear it no one else does, and I know it's not a good sign that I can hear things others can't. I've also noticed that when I hear the noise a few hours later I somehow find a body that I didn't go looking for. So I'm starting to get really freaked out,"

Nessa bit her lip and pushed her fingers through her hair. Everything Lydia had described sounded vaguely familiar to her and she knew that Lydia was somehow supernatural, not just because of everything she was describing but also because Nessa could sense it about Lydia, but she also knew that she needed at least a day to research a little more into things. Though she was getting a good feeling in her gut that this was one mystery she wasn't going to struggle with figuring out.

[I skipped a little bit ahead to the next day, I hope you don’t mind! To the part where the twins lock him in a closet with Allison and Scott has to pull him out and when Stiles (and Nessa) find the tests with the word Darach]

Chloe stood at her locker, pulling out the books she would need for her classes after lunch. “Isaac, I told you they would keep after you, next time they provoke you, stay away.” She sighed, shutting her locker. The twins had drawn Isaac out into the hall and beat each other, effectively getting Isaac detention for being in the wrong place st the wrong time. It was clear the twins were starting to get under their skin, she just wasn’t sure how far they would go. “Just do your detention and try to ignore them. We can’t afford letting them get to us. They’re dangerous enough as it is.” She sighed, shaking her head. “And heads up, you’ll be in there with Allison.” She said, turning to look up at him. She and Allison still hadn’t spoken, and she had no intention on changing that. She didn’t know how Isaac felt about her but she didn’t exactly trust Allison around him after what happened before.

She was starting to get used to being around him more, she just hoped the twins didn’t make things worse for them but ever since the guy from cross country was killed, it had only made them more tense. She was worried because they definitely knew Isaac was a provocative target and she could only do so much if Isaac wasn’t going to listen to her. “Hey,” She said, looking at him. “It’s just an hour, you can survive an hour without getting into a fight, right?” She asked, putting her bag on her shoulder and sighing. “I’m gonna see if I can catch up with Lydia.”

---

Stiles ran down the hall to Nessa, pointing down the hall. “Hey my dads here, they’re interviewing the guy, Kyle? His girlfriend. I’m gonna go see if he was a virgin,” He said before stopping. “Wow that sounded better in my head. You coming?” He asked her curiously. “I want to see if our pattern still stands.” He added to her. “Also the twins got to Isaac, got him detention, so we gotta move faster and hope we can get some answers before Isaac really goes off on them.” He looked at her and smiled. “But hey are you okay? I’m sorry for running around today, I’ve just been trying to get a better understanding on who this guy was. Scott saw him at the animal clinic the night before.”

He was hoping he was going in the right direction with Nessa. They had no time to actually date, but he wanted to at least make sure she knew he liked her too, it was just hard to go to that when they never officially had a date yet. “When I’m done I’m gonna grab some lunch and go to the library before class see if I can figure something else out, anything about this pattern that might change anything. So you coming? Let Lydia know too, might help to have her thinking in with us if she’s willing.”

@ Kol.

[ sounds good to me! And sorry I haven't replied sooner! These last few days were literally so busy this is the first time I'm really getting a chance to sit down and reply! ]

Isaac nodded his head, "of course I can make it an hour without fighting," he said hoping that he was telling the truth and could actually make it. He felt like he was totally fine and capable of making it without getting into any trouble, but at the same time with all the shit he'd been dealing with, and the awful job he'd been doing lately about staying out of trouble he wasn't actually positive that he could anymore. "I promise that I'll be okay," he told her feeling a little better about saying that. After all, surely it wasn't like anyone was going to try and kill him while he was in detention.

So he walked into the classroom and waited for someone to tell him what he was going to spend the next hour of his life doing. "Wait, do we have to be paired together?" he asked after he'd been told him and Allison were working together to clean out the janitors closet. "Yes Mr. Lahey even more so now that I know you don't want to, now move along or I'll tack on an hour for tomorrow,"

Isaac sighed and shrugged his shoulders, he supposed it could be worse. And it was only for an hour so he'd just get over himself. It wasn't like he and Allison couldn't talk and maybe be able to work through things here. Which maybe would be a good thing, he did kind of feel bad after all that she and Chloe still weren't on speaking terms partly because of him so maybe an hour with Allison could help clear that tension right on up.

---

Nessa tucked her hair behind her ear and closed her locker before she turned to look at Stiles. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" She asked him wondering if he'd really thought that one through. "I mean I agree that we should find out about the pattern because it is important but I'm not sure that just straight asking her is exactly the best way to go about it," she added knowing how that could be taken out of context and very badly. It overall wasn't a good idea, but at the same time, she also wasn't exactly sure what a good way to ask her would be. After all, when was there ever a good time to talk about your murdered boyfriend? When was there a good time to talk to a total stranger about your sex life? Or your murdered boyfriends for that matter? Never was the answer to all of those. However, Stiles was right that they needed to know. Though Nessa had a feeling she already knew what the answer would be. They did need to confirm that though so Nessa could be sure they were on the right path and maybe this would give them what they needed to finally be one step ahead of the alpha pack.

"Lunch sounds good," Nessa told him happy to eat lunch with him anytime really. She also nodded her head about Lydia. That was a good idea, especially since Nessa was pretty sure that she'd figured out what was going on with Lydia. She did kind of want to throw a few other things out there first, and she wanted to get other opinions before she flat out told Lydia that she thought she was a banshee. This was also something she wanted to discuss with Deaton because she knew very little about them and wasn't even sure if it was real, but she knew he'd know much more than she did.

[ So I was thinking that Nessa can be one of the next sacrifices taken a because she's an emissary but also because Jennifer knows that she knows too much and wants to try and keep her quiet but of course Stiles and Scott freak out about it and end up saving her, and then that's when things really start to fall into place and Nessa can begin piecing things together. And maybe Stiles knows something is up when she doesn't meet him and Lydia when they find the Darach. If that made sense ]

Chloe sighed as she watched him for a second, hoping that at least for the rest of the day it could be uneventful. So much has happened and while she was caught up on her homework, she was beginning to wonder if things would start getting worse and making it more and more difficult to keep up. She didn’t find Lydia, instead she found Scott and sat down at his table to eat. She knew that things were getting weirder, especially with Derek. Something was going on but she didn’t know what. Scott mentioned that Isaac came to his house and asked to stay there because Derek has kicked him out without reason, but she wasn’t going to ask Isaac about it. She figured he’d tell her if he wanted to. She definitely did want him to but she knew pushing might only cause problems. She did her best to eat when Scott stiffened and took off in a sprint toward the hallway. All he had said was “Allison,” before he took off. She hesitated, she was sure Allison was fine, until she remembered who Isaac was with. She took off after Scott, not being able to keep up as quickly as he ran. When she finally turned the corner, a vending machine had been shoved up against the door and she could hear Isaacs screaming inside. Scott made quick work of it and shoved the vending machine out of the way, before pulling the door open and yanking Isaac out. She had never seen his eyes glowing as close as they did now and it threw her off. The panic in them brought her back and she took a step forward. “Isaac!” She said, putting her hands on his shoulders.

She didn’t know if it helped, she didn’t know what brought it on, but she knew there was something going on. “We can’t let them keep doing this. We have to get back at them. Separate them, get one suspended or something,” She said to Scott, deliberately turned away from Isaac so he could get himself together.

Scott nodded. “No I guess you’re right, let’s figure something out, and do it today. Meet me in the library in a bit, I’ll go help Allison.” He said, looking at her, but her eyes were on Chloe.

Chloe kept her expression level and looked back at her. “She’ll heal,” She said coldly before turning back to Isaac. “Are you okay now?”

---

Stiles nodded and took off towards the hall he knew his father would be in. The girl was still being questioned and he couldn’t imagine what she was going through. It was tactless and he really hoped that she didn’t kill him for asking but they needed to know. He didn’t know much about him but he knew from before that he had known Boyd in ROTC, not that he knew if that would be useful or not but for right now anything would be helpful. “It’s gonna sound horrible but it’s necessary to ask,” he muttered as he shifted his bag on his back. He saw them through the window and sat down on the chairs waiting for the door to open. “You know what though, Lydia said she might have noticed something, she just wasn’t sure what,” He said as he waited for the door to open. But how many virgins could be in danger? He was a virgin, and he was panicked. Could he be next? Would any and all virgins be hunted down until there were no more? He’d never mention this to Nessa, especially now that he knew she liked him, but he needed to figure out how to protect himself if he might be a target still.

The door opened and the girl cane out and he stood up. “I’ll be back,” He said to Nessa before catching the girl by the arm. “I’m so sorry for asking and it’s so insensitive, but was your boyfriend a virgin?” He asked her, crossing his arms in front of him. He wasn’t sure what he expected but the slap in the face was not it. His face stung and his ears rung and he turned back to Nessa after the girl said he wasn’t. He cane face to face with his father before he could get to Nessa and winced as his father tried to explain that he needed to leave the situation alone. He would do no such thing but he nodded to make his father believe he would listen. He then went back to Nessa and sighed. “Not a virgin. But... Boyd said they were in ROTC together. Can’t imsgine how it might be connected but, that could be something right?” He asked her before shrugging. “Oh right, lunch. Do you still want to get that?” He asked since his running to find the guys girlfriend took a bit of time.

@ Kol.

Isaac could not have been more thankful that Scott and Chloe got there when they had. He could still feel himself shaking he was so freaked out. "I- I- I didn't hurt anyone did I?" He asked clearly out of breath from the incident, and he wouldn't be shocked if he had hurt someone but he also wasn't sure because he hadn't exactly been able to control much of himself. He finally did nod his head letting Chloe know that he was okay now, after all, he wasn't locked in a tiny room anyone so everything was good. "I'll be okay," he told her in a much calmer voice. "And after I literally tear the twins apart I'll be even better," he told her with the full intention of making sure that they paid for everything. Because what had happened today was crossing a boundary, and as of right now Isacc was much more than angry he was pissed off. And he felt like it had been made very clear that the twins were not there to make friends, they weren't there to just stir up trouble, they were clearly there to hurt people and he was no okay with it.

"We should meet Scott in the library so we can figure this out," he said done messing around, he was more than happy to go totally rouge if he had to and take the twins on himself because he'd be damned before he let them get to him like they had today again. "Hopefully we can take them down and out before the big out of town game too because that would be pretty amazing," he said knowing that sporting events weren't a huge priority right now with everything else going on, but he also felt like they deserved something to look forward to and this huge out of town lacrosse game was it.

---

Nessa pushed her fingers through her hair. "I'll meet up with you after lunch actually if that's okay. I just need to call my mom back before she gets worried," she told him wishing she could eat lunch with him but it was very important that she spoke with her mom asap. Stiles had literally just said that the guy wasn't a virgin but was in ROTC which meant three things. First that the pattern was different and whoever was doing all this wasn't just killing virgins, and second Nessa was pretty sure she knew what the pattern was now, and if she was right about that then third she knew what the rest of the patterns were going to be as well. And that wasn't good for anyone, because if she knew what the patterns were and she could figure out why they were important then she really would be so much closer to figuring out what was doing the killing, and if she knew what then she could surely figure out why.

"I promise I'll make the whole lunch thing up to you though," she told him grabbing his hand and giving it a quick squeeze and sending a smile his way. Nessa was determined to get to the bottom of all the crap going on in this town so she could live here, be Scott's emissary, and they could also live in peace and harmony with everyone else. She was after all, just as much human as the rest of them and she would really like to be able to live a semi-normal life. She wanted to at least be able to date without all the crazy things going on around them. Even though she knew she was just trying to fool herself, there was no way a place like Beacon Hills was ever going to be normal.

[Im so sorry, I fell asleep writing the post and lost it ]

Chloe stared at him. “Isaac, are you sure you’re okay?” She could hear his screams from the halls as they had come, Scott she was sure much better than her. And the sounds she heard defined terror without a shadow of a doubt. It scared her. What exactly has he gone through to make him like that? Who knew? She put her arm on his shoulder. “We have a bit, Scott’s gonna take her to the nurse,” She told him, looking over at the closet. “Look, I learned my lesson so I won’t ask or pry, especially not here.” She said to him. “But... do you trust me? I’m just so worried about you, it sounded like...” she trailed off, not wanting to say what it had sounded like. “Just please be okay. I get it if you don’t want to tell me or whatever, fine. Just... tell someone so they can help. If they can help.” She said softly and let go of him. She took a step away and turned toward the library. If he wanted to tell her he would.

She walked over to the stacks and found a chair towards the back. When Scott and Allison returned she spoke. She didn’t like Allison’s involvement in anything having to do with Isaac. Though Allison had said she was done hunting, after seeing the changes in her and how willing to kill she had become, she didn’t trust Allison around anything with a pulse, much less someone who meant something to her. “We need to get one expelled, something to keep them separate. We know fighting won’t do much since Isaac suffered from that,” She said. “What if we get something important to them and use that to set one off?”

“Important like a motorcycle?” Scott asked slowly.

“It would be great if we could like steal one and put it on the roof or something.” Chloe muttered.

“Or drive it inside?” Scott added with a small smile. “We just need to get one of them caught with it. That will definitely get one of them expelled or at least suspended.”

---

Stiles smiled ruefully and sighed. “Rain check on lunch, got it,” He sighed. “Okay si then I’ll meet up with you later. See if I can check in on Scott, see how he’s doing with the twins,” He murmured and adjusted his bag in his back. He had wanted to eat with her. But he knew it was nothing she just wanted to call her mom, which made sense. He watched her go and then turned down the hall, not sure where to start. Finding out what he did had given him a thought though. He walked slowly as he tried to make sense of his thoughts.

Had all of the victims had connections to the military? Or just him? And if not, how did he connect? If not through his virginity? He kept running it through his mind when he caught up with Lydia and the two of them went to the cafeteria fo eat. He hoped she got a chance to eat before the end of the day they did so much running they never got a chance to sit down. Though he couldn’t imagine sitting anyway. He could sit once everything had been figured out and solved. He couldn’t help but question what the goal in all of this was. What was the endgame? What would happen when it was over and would it stop? He caught up with Scott a while later who explained they had a plan to rid themselves of at least one of the twins. Good, he thought. He hated them and he wanted them to leave. They freaked him out and he always felt like they were looking at him strangely.

@ Kol.

[ I get that. ]

Isaac nodded his head, "Chloe I promise I will be fine," he told her happy that she cared so much about him still clearly. It gave him hope that things might change for them soon, that maybe they still had a chance at being together if he could just get his shit together. "I'll also tell you everything you want to know about me tonight if that's okay?" He asked her biting his lip. "Maybe we can grab dinner and I'll tell you then," he told her wanting to be open with her. After all, things were different now than the last time she'd wanted to know everything about him. Now she knew he was a werewolf, she'd had time to process that, and clearly, she seemed to be at least okay with the thought of it because they were talking again. But Isacc did want to be with her again, in a way that was more than just friends and he knew that if they went there again he would have to be totally open and vulnerable with her. Though he wasn't sure there was anyone else in the world he'd rather do that with.

"I think we could pull that off. I mean how hard could it be?" He asked liking the plan already. But he was down for anything at this point if it was going to get one or both of them suspended or expelled from school because then they couldn't bother him here anymore. Or at least that was the hope. It would also be nice to finally get back at them for all the stunts they'd pulled on him thus far.

---

Nessa spoke with her mom who much to Nessa's dismay agreed with her findings. It made her feel good to know that someone else thought she might also be on the right track, but she hated that at the same time because it wasn't exactly looking good for them now. "Okay well, I guess that means that whoever this person is they're just going down a list of types and I don't think they have a list of people specifically I think they're picking at random," she said sighing into her phone. So far her mom had confirmed that whoever this was sounded deranged, and like they were doing ritual sacrifices to obtain power. And with each kill, they likely did get stronger, which put them under the impression that this person was a Darach and they wanted vengeance on someone. Most likely someone from the alpha pack since this all started around the same time they came to town. "Thanks, mom, I love you too," she finally said before hanging up the phone and planning to go meet up with everyone, because this was important information she couldn't keep from them.

Stiles I'm going to be taken please help Scott find me

Nessa knew she had to let someone know what was happening as soon as she saw it. She's simply turned to head towards the library and saw the butterfly and knew in her gut that she'd figured it all out, meaning she knew too much and whoever this person was needed her out of the way. And wouldn't that be amazing adding an emissary sacrifice to their list of deaths, even if Nessa didn't fit into the current category she was sure it wouldn't mess anything up? She just hoped that her friends would be able to figure everything out in time to actually save her. Maybe this was just what Scott needed to finally become a true alpha, honestly if it was and she died she would be a little pissed about that. But she couldn't let herself think like that.

[ I just went ahead and had her get taken even though I think it was a little farther down the line but figured we could move things along Lol. ]

Chloe nodded when he suggested they get dinner. It made her smile but she kept her face mostly composed. It seemed like he was trying but she would only know with time. Maybe them getting dinner could lead to them getting back together sooner rather than later, if not eventually. She focused back on the plan to get the twins expelled, looking forward to any opportunity to get rid of them. When they finally decided what they would do and Scott and Allison left, she turned to Isaac. “So I’ll take the bike apart, and you just have to drive it through and not get caught,” She said as she took out her phone to figure out how much time she had to figure it out. She just hoped everything went as well as they planned it to.

And it had, the look on the twins faces were priceless and she was so happy that they had gotten rid of at least one of them for a month, though they’d both be back in school together soon. But hopefully by then they figured out how to get rid of them. After school she went out to her car, seeing Isaac and sighing. “Nessas been taken, Stiles and Scott are trying to figure out how to find her before it’s too late,” She said quietly. It had gotten all too real. She hadn’t known the people being taken, but now that it was someone she knew it made her worry she or someone she cared about were next. “I don’t know how to be helpful but I want to do something.” She said to him. “I do still want to get dinner with you though, we might need to rain check.”

---

Stiles felt his phone buzz and froze. At first he thought it was a joke before he realized she never would joke about this. He called her as fast as he could but his fingers shook so much he couldn’t do it the first few times. “Nessa?” He asked into the phone but there was no answer. He went straight to Scott and told him what he knew asking for help. He knew Scott would but he was so worried now that they might be too late. “I don’t know what to do, how do we find her before she’s killed?” He asked Scott before Scott mentioned something he had seen at Danny’s. Danny has been poisoned earlier before, when two doctors had disappeared. It was like they tried to poison him, but he couldn’t figure out how or why. Apparently also Allison’s dad had a map of the disappearances, and Scott remembered it.

“Okay good, let’s recreate it and look because we’re running out of time,” He said as he pulled out his phone to call anyone who could help. He climbed into his truck and drove over to Scott’s house, racking his brain for any information that Nessa might have told him that could help. He just wanted to get to her before whatever a Darach was could. He and Lydia had also noticed their chemistry teacher had misgraded a few tests into the word Darach, he didn’t know what it meant but he had wanted to ask Nessa when he got the message.

[No problem! We can do the bus ride and hotel thing after! Also did you want Nessa in the cross country team or no?]

@ Kol.

Isaac was quite proud of the fact that they'd succeeded in getting one of the twins suspended for at least a month. Sure it wasn't the exact outcome he'd been hoping for, but it was better than nothing. This also gave them a whole month to be able to work on getting one step ahead which was what they really needed right now. Of course, the feeling quickly faded away when Chloe approached him after school with the news that Nessa had been taken. He didn't know what it meant exactly, and much like Chloe he had no idea how to really help but he did know that he wanted to help. After all, Nessa was a very vital member of their team. "Maybe we should find Scott or Stiles and see what they need us to do?" he said wondering if that would be to much help and make things more complicated or not.

"And of course we can rain check the dinner. There's just so much going on right now that it only makes sense," he said a little upset that they had to reschedule but he did understand why and he was okay with it. He just really hoped they would be able to actually find time to go to dinner and figure things out because he didn't want to put them on a back burner and just forget. Their lives were always going to be like this. They were always going to have to worry about some supernatural force trying to suck away all their energy, or there would always be something new for them to worry about so Isacc knew that even in the midsts of all that they would have to find time to just break away and be teenagers. He just hoped they actually could.

---

Nessa had never been in a position quite like the one she was in now, which was hanging from the ceiling of an old abandoned bank by her wrists. She had to admit that she'd never felt quite so scared, or in quite as much pain as she was right now. But regardless of those things she wasn't giving up. She couldn't. Nessa knew what was happening to her right now, she'd been taken by the Darach as a sacrifice, probably because she knew too much, and the moment that she gave up and didn't pull herself up for air was the moment she'd die. And if Nessa let herself die in this room then she'd fail at what she came to Beacon Hills to do in the first place. Not to mention she'd be giving up the full life she wanted to live, she'd also be letting whoever this sick person was gain more power. And Nessa didn't want that. She wanted to live her life, she wanted to see Scott become a true alpha, she wanted to take this person down. But it was hard because she wasn't sure how long she'd actually been hanging there, and she could feel her body getting tired. She knew that even with all the fight she still had in her that she was running out of time.

[ yes we can totally just skip to the bus ride/hotel part after this! And yea she could be part of the cross country team I feel like that would fit in well with everything. ]

Chloe nodded. She did want to go out with him but she was sure Nessa was the priority. “We should make ourselves useful to them,” She said and turned toward her car. “I’ll give you a ride to Stiles if you want, come on,” She told him. She drove her car through Beacon hills pulling up to Stiles and Scott. Stiles was frantically going through the information they had and she stood over by the wall while they spoke. “Is there anything we can do to help?” She asked curiously.

“Not yet,” Scott sighed. “We still need to figure out where she’s being held,” He sighed as he went through the things on Stiles desk. “We have a few ideas though if you want to go check them out,” He suggested.

“Yeah no I don’t mind,” Chloe said. She kept a few weapons in the car and sighed. “I can do that.”

---

Stiles sighed. “Yeah but it doesn’t matter if we don’t understand where she is,” He said in a clipped tone. He was doing his best to stay calm but inside he really was screaming. He was so worried and he didn’t know what could happen, he just kept staring over and over at the map in hopes that something might pop out and make sense to him.

“She may not even be in a place we know, she could be anywhere. And we don’t know how much time she’s got left.” He said as he rubbed his face. “But wait, what was Danny’s paper saying about currents?” He asked in a sudden start of inspiration. He looked through the paper and then took out a marker what if it’s more like...a trail?” He said as he drew lines through the map and pointed where the lines led closest to. The old bank.

It made sense, it had to. “Scott we have to go and check,” He said to him seriously.

“But what if it’s a trap,” He asked him and he sighed.

“Chloe and Isaac can be back up, we have to hurry,” Stiles said already headed for the door. It’s been hours they had no idea what state she could be in when they got there but he knew sooner rather than later. “Come on!” He said as he rain to his car.

@ Kol.

"So I guess we're going to the bank?" Isaac said following Scott and Stiles back outside to the cars. He wasn't sure if that was where Nessa was or if that was even a good idea, but it seemed like Stiles was confident and he felt like in this specific moment Stiles really needed his friends to back him up. And Isaac totally got that, Nessa was the girl Stiles liked, and for all Isaac knew things were moving forward with them, so of course, Stiles would be the most motivated out of any of them. Isaac would easily admit that he would be just as bad if not worse than Stiles was currently if something like this were happening to Chloe. Because it was one thing when people you don't know are being taken and murdered, but it's a totally different ballgame to when it's someone you love. When it's people you don't know of course you can be passionate about stopping whoever was doing the killings but it's like when it's someone you know something must click in your brain that puts everything into overdrive.

Isaac didn't feel like going to the bank was a trap, after all, he was pretty sure that the alpha pack wasn't there anymore. The bank had served its purpose and they had moved on, or at least he was hoping. Because if they were still there then yes they were all walking into some awful trap and he hoped they were all ready to defend themselves. But he really hoped that wasn't the case, he hoped they would just walk in and low and behold Nessa would be saved and it wouldn't be all be over. Though he knew there was no way it would be that easy. "Chloe and I can totally guard the outside if we need to so Scott can check inside once we get there if you guys want," He suggested just to be on the safe side.

---

They're going to find you, everything will be okay, you're not going to die here. Not like this Nessa thought to herself as she pulled herself up once again to catch her breath for just a brief moment. She couldn't give up, not when she knew she had to be so close to being found. Though it was extremely hard to keep herself together and not just give in to everything right now. After all, giving in to what her body felt meant it would all be over, she'd hang there, run out of air, and just die. There wouldn't be anymore suffering, no more pain, nothing just nothing. Her friends kept her going, seeing them all again, getting the chance to live life with them, getting to just live. She really was hoping they'd get there soon. Surely this was all part of some bigger plan and she wasn't going to die.

Then it dawned on Nessa that even though she could possibly die in there this was it. Whoever the Darach was may not have known but Scott would find her because Scott was a werewolf who had super senses, and when he found her in order to get to her he'd have to push his way through the mountain ash which while is usually impossible, could be done if someone had enough determination. Meaning this was the challenge that could push Scott right into being an alpha, and the whole reason she'd been brought to town. And Nessa had a feeling there was no way the Darach purposely planned that one. After all, why would they want any of their sacrifices to be saved? Nessa not dying would mean they wouldn't get the energy that came from it. Unless she was missing something and somehow this was all part of a much bigger plan. Though she really didn't have the brain energy to try and figure that out right now.

Chloe opened her trunk and pulled out her stun gun just to be on the safe side. She wasn’t taking any chances with anything, especially in light of recent occurrences. “Look, just make sure Isaac can hear you if you need help,” She told them as Scott and Stiles headed toward the bank. She turned to look around to see what she could see. It was cool out but it seemed still enough that there wasn’t anything there that shouldn’t have been. “We might be able to eat dinner tonight, though it depends on whatever state that Nessa is in,” She sighed. “She’s going to be fine though, I know it,” She added.

“If not we can always do it tomorrow, hopefully there won’t be anything so stressful tomorrow,” She sighed. She looked up at him and started thinking. What would she take to get back with him? Honesty for one, but she didn’t want a replay of last year. If they were getting back together, she wanted to feel like he really wanted it. After thinking that she had been getting cheated on, it left her insecure and she wasn’t in any rush to feel that again.

---

Stiles ran in there as fast as he could, but Scott had gotten inside faster. He saw her hanging from the ceiling and felt helpless as Scott tried to break through to her. He didn’t realize why Scott was struggling, however, until he saw the black line surrounding her. “No, no,” He said, jumping into the vault and rushing over. He kicked a hole into the mountain ash and reached to try and get her down. She was too high up for him to do much and he looked to Scott. “What do we use what can we do?”

Scott stepped back and jumped as high as he could using his claws to sever the ropes. Stiles caught her before she could hit the ground and fell down to hold her. “Nessa? Nessa are you awake?” He gently pushed her hair away from her face and shook his head, trying to stop the tears in his eyes from clouding his eyesight. He hoped they hadn’t been too late. He didn’t know what he would do if there were. “Nessa wake up!”

@ Kol.

Isaac nodded his head, "well I'm down for either night to have dinner or even both if that works out too," he told her truly wanting to sit down and talk things through with Chloe. And there was a lot for them to talk about. There were things they needed to discuss that was long overdue, and things that he just wanted to get out in the open because he felt like they should be in the open. And so he hoped that when they found Nessa everything would be okay. Partly for selfish reasons of wanting to be able to grab dinner with Chloe and not having to worry about taking care of his friends who were hurting. But also because he did want Nessa to be okay. She was a part of their team, she helped bring things together, and he really had a feeling they'd be much worse off without her around.

"Well I think they found her," he said listening into the building for them as best he could. "And she's alive, but I don't think she's in the greatest of conditions," he said not sure what exactly they'd walked into but he was sure they were about to find out. Which he wasn't shocked that she wasn't in the greatest of conditions, after all, she had been taken as a human sacrifice and there was no telling what torment she'd been put through. Since apparently they were all being tortured differently. Really he knew that they were lucky they found her at all, but finding her alive was even luckier.

---

Nessa had never felt a cough so violent in her life, but suddenly she was getting air into her lungs at a much faster and easier rate than she had been doing and honestly it hurt a little. After a few minutes of her coughing, literally to a point of making herself feel sick, she was able to speak. "I knew you guys would find me," she said with a very scratchy voice, "and I think I should see a Dr." she added not exactly sure what issues could arrive from the trauma she just went through. But she was pretty sure she wasn't going to be allowed to do anything strenuous for a while. "Can we get out of here please?" She asked them hoping to herself that she was going to feel more like herself very soon. "I need to call my mom, and Deaton," she said slowly become more aware of the situation around them. Then she went to try and stand up, but it didn't exactly work out for her.

"Woah," she said holding out her arms as if that was going to help her from falling before she fell right back down and she let out a groan. This was not what she wanted to happen, though this was better than the alternative of being dead. But this was also for sure an adjustment that she didn't know how to handle. She'd never been kidnapped by a Darach before, she'd never been almost used as a human sacrifice before, and she'd never been this far away from her mom and injured before. So everything was very new to her, and honestly, she felt like her emotions were on an extra high level right now.

When Chloe heard Isaac say he could hear Nessa she turned, going inside. She walked through the empty bank, turning toward the vault where she saw Stiles, Nessa, and Scott, standing inside. She breathed a sigh of relief, maybe now they could finally rest at least for a little while. She was mentally exhausted but this made her feel a little better. Stiles looked preoccupied but Scott noticed her standing there and nodded toward her. “We’ll get her to the hospital,” He told her, looking back to Stiles.

She nodded and lowered the stun gun, taking a step back. She could talk to Nessa later, and see how she was doing. She went back to Isaac and shrugged. “We can go, she’s okay. They’ll get her to the hospital,” She added as she headed toward her car and unlocked the trunk, putting the stun gun back inside. She closed the hood and turned to him. “Where do you want to talk?” She asked him. “If you don’t mind being quiet and sneaking in you can come to my house, or if you don’t think Scott’s mom would mind i can go there.” She didn’t know exactly what had happened with why he didn’t live with Derek anymore but she figured it would be part of what he would tell her. She pulled out her keys and went to the front seat, unlocking the car for him and beginning the drive to wherever he said. When she pulled up, she parked and opened the door, looking at her phone. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather not a restaurant right now. I don’t much care for other people if I can help it.”

---

Stiles sighed. “You promised me, you said you would be safe and then you end up taken,” He said, his expression angry but his tone anything but. He was just so happy she was found alive and it wasn’t another friend they would have to bury. “Can you stay with Allison or Chloe for a bit until this is over?” He sighed, looking up when Chloe had walked in. He figured he’s ask her again later but he wasn’t risking it. If his father wouldn’t flip he would have told her to move into his own house. He just knew Chloe’s family ir Allison’s likely wouldn’t have minded.

He stood up and let her rest on him. “Let me get you to the hospital, come on,” He said as he tossed Scott his keys and helped her over to the Jeep. “Ugh I never want to see this bank again,” He muttered. “Ever again.” He added as he climbed in. “How are you, can you breathe alright?” He asked as he got in the backseat. He put a blanket around her and sighed as Scott began the drive toward the hospital. “I’m gonna hang out in the hospital Scott, I’m sure my father will come but I’m gonna hang out with Nessa.” He said. “Oh and.. Nessa... his eyes...” He said to her hesitantly. He had seen the flash of red and he was sure Nessa had to have. Had it meant she was right? He was becoming an alpha all on his own?

@ Kol.

"Well Scott's mom is working tonight, and I'm sure that Scott will probably want to stay with Stiles and Nessa so we could go there and totally not be bothered by anyone," Isaac told her totally fine to not go out somewhere. It probably wasn't the best time to be out in the open anyway. Plus this way there was a lot more privacy and so no one was going to hear their conversations at all. And that was good because Isaac and Chloe had a lot of things to talk about and it was all mostly private things he knew he didn't want anyone else to be able to listen into and he was sure she felt the same way. Also, he was pretty sure that they had food at Scott's house, so they could still have dinner they'd just have to make it, or there was even always the option of carry out.

"Well before we get started with talking what do we want for dinner. Should we make something or should be order take out? I mean either option is a valid option but we should figure it all out," he said. Plus after the day they'd had he could definitely use something to eat, especially if he was also about to bear his soul to the girl he loved. This wasn't something he wanted to do on an empty stomach.

---

Nessa leaned over to rest her head on Stiles' shoulder. "It kind of hurts to breath still, but I'm sure in a few days I'll be fine," she said softly before also reaching out to grab his hand. She was very thankful not only that they'd found her, but that Stiles at least seemed to care so much for her. And she felt for him because he was the only person in their little group who wasn't either supernatural or a super skilled hunter. So she was sure it had to be harder for him when things like this happen because if he had found her by himself things might've turned out a little differently. Of course, that didn't change how Nessa felt about Stiles. "Also let me talk to my mom and Deaton before we make any decisions about where I'm staying," she told him feeling like he was right and she should be somewhere where she wasn't alone pretty much all the time. But before that happened she wanted to make sure her mom wasn't going to flip out and try and move to Beacon Hills or Deaton wasn't going to come back and never leave again.

"Also I need to talk to Scott because I did see his eyes and so it's time for him to know," she said knowing that Stiles would surely feel relief knowing he didn't have to keep that a secret anymore. She would also feel relieved that she didn't have to keep it from anyone either.

"Nessa are you okay? What happened?" She heard Melissa McCall ask walking over to her and Stiles probably to check them in since she did work at the hospital. "Scott just came and got me and told me you were coming in and needed help asap,"

Nessa smiled as best she could all things considered before responding. "Um well, I do need to be seen because I was kidnapped and tortured by whoever has been doing all the sacrifices around the town. Luckily Scott and Stiles here showed up to save the day," she said knowing right then that things could get a little mess for a bit now.

"Okay well I'm going to get you in a room, and Stiles you dad is here and he wants to talk to you. But I promise you can visit with Nessa in a little bit,"

Chloe nodded as she pulled up to Scott’s house. “Oh right. I can cook something as long as it’s nothing that’ll take an hour in the kitchen,” She said as she got out of the car. She followed him inside and went into the kitchen. “I can make a pasta, that way there will be some for Scott and his mother when they come back,” She said as she looked around the kitchen. “I won’t ask you for help, I remember how well you know your way around a kitchen,” She said, remembering when they had tried to bake cookies and she left him in charge of the timer. She pulled out the ingredients and boiled the noodles, cooking the sauce while she waited. It was something her mother made her all the time in France, but she only ate it now every so often whenever she felt like making it since her mother was away so often.

When it was done she put some in a bowl for him and got some for herself, putting the rest away for leftovers. She sat down next to him and started eating, deciding to let him start. She figued it would he hard enough without her prodding. “Do you like it? It’s something my mom used to make me all the time.” She explained as she ate.

---

Stiles sighed as his father appeared in the doorway. He sat up and went over to his dad as Ms McCall went to check on Nessa. “Look Dad I know what you’re thinking but I had to help her. Scott and I did what we could to find her and we got really lucky to find her when we did.” He said as he looked back in the room. He just found out she liked him and if she had died he didn’t know what he would have done to know he might have been able to help. “Alright? I’m gonna stay here with her for a bit though. Just Incase you wonder where I’ve been.”

Stiles went back and sat down next to her. “So do you remember anything? You just disappeared and we got really worried. Chloe and Isaac helped too but they left so we could take you to the hospital. Scott’s texting them to let them know you’re okay.” He said as he sat next to her. “You can’t do that to me again though. You told me you were okay and got kidnapped by a psycho days later... I was scared I would be too late.” He said as a nurse came in with medication for her. He took a step back and sighed. “What does this mean for Scott? His eyes went back, can you still tell him?”

@ Kol.

Isaac knew he was a bad cook, and he was thankful that Chloe was so willing to cook for him. It was a little shocking that he couldn’t cook considering all the other things his dad made him do, but normally his dad would make dinner and Isaac would clean. And if he didn’t clean to his fathers likings then he was forced into the freezer until he learned his lesson. It all made Isaac realize how he didn’t miss his father at all. How the world was a better place with that awful man in it. “Pasta is fine. Honestly you make whatever you want. I’m not that picky,”

After she was done making dinner and they were siting at the table he nodded to her. “Yes it’s good,” he said with a smile. This honestly felt nice. Just siting around a table with the girl having dinner. And while things were extremely complicated with them right now he was glad they were there together like this because it meant they were trying to uncomplicated things. “So there’s a lot that we need to talk about. And I feel like since you are the one with so many unanswered questions that I should answer what I can. Especially since I want to fix us, or at least try. So I promise right now to answer any questions you throw my way without overreacting, now ask away,” he told her hoping this way would work. There was just so much that needed to be discussed and he had no idea where to start, so it made sense to start with whatever Chloe wanted.

---

Nessa let her nurse do her job and give her the proper medication, and Nessa understood that they wanted to keep her for sure overnight and maybe a day or so to make sure she was actually going to be okay. But she hated it, because she’d never been a huge fan of hospitals, and they had never seemed very safe given she knew what was out there in the world. But once her nurse was gone she reached out for Stiles’ hand just glad he was there. “I’m really sorry I worried you guys,” she told him softly. “And all I remember is that I was on the phone with my mom and we had come to the conclusion that the person doing this is known as a Darach or a dark Druid. And that they have been using the sacrifices to gain different kinds of powers. I’m not sure exactly that I fit into a category but I think they took me specifically because I put so much together so quickly and because I was talking about this theory I have about Lydia. And I’m sure whoever this is doesn’t want us to catch them before they finish their grand plan. But I didn’t catch a face or anything like that. I do think it’s a woman though. And I know she’s connected to the alpha pack. So it’s probably one of their emissaries out for revenge,” she said wishing that she had just a little more informative on to go on. But so far she felt like she was on the right track she just needed more time to put it all together.

“I do have to tell Scott. I was going to tell him when he got back in the room. Just because now that I can confirm that what Deaton told me it’s kind of a time sensitive matter.” She said biting her lip, this could only mean one thing after all. That Deucalion hadn’t come to town to try and recruit Derek, though everyone had thought that. He was there because he had heard the rumors of Scott and probably also wanted to know if they were true, which meant he either wanted to end Scott so he couldn’t reach his full potential or he wanted to turn Scott into an alpha his own way so there couldn’t be anyone even possibly more powerful than himself. “Also my mom is coming to town for awhile. I just got her message but she’ll be here by tomorrow night. So um you’re in for a treat for sure,” she said knowing her mom would probably be a little upset that Nessa had developed feelings for a boy ‘in the pack’ but Nessa really liked Stiles.

Chloe nodded as she looked at her bowl. There was a lot they needed to go over and she figured starting from the beginning would be the best place to start. “Okay, um your father?” She asked him. “I just know that he was abusive... but I sort of pieces that together on my own. The bruises you would have,” She trailed off, letting him talk instead. She waited while he explained, nodding as he spoke. “What happened that night that your father caught me inside your house?” She asked him. “All I remember was your father telling me I had to leave and then I didn’t see you for days.” She said to him. She knew that he had been innocent in his fathers murder, since it had been Jackson working under the influence of Matt. “And you and Erica were just... packmates right? I know you told me before but, humor me.” She said, shaking her head.

She listened as he spoke, putting her hand to her face. “It’s probably fair that I tell you what happened with me too, when we stopped talking. Or maybe start from the beginning.” She said quietly. “You know I’m from France, my mother and brother lead a group of hunters up there. My father and I came down here to help the hunters with the growing number of wolves in Beacon Hills. My mother and father switch off so sometimes my mom is with me and other times my dad. Sometimes together but... I think they’re doing it separately more often on purpose. They thought it would help Allison to have someone with a little more experience who was also close to her to help bring her in. So I did, I helped track werewolves as best I could while dating one, though I didn’t know at the time. You have to understand, I grew up knowing about them. Knowing how dangerous they were and what they could do. It helped me gain a sense of level headedness about it, because it wasn’t something just thrown at me. Allison had it thrown at her and she let the power get to her head. She became obsessed with killing and Gerard was always good at feeding that side. I knew what she was becoming but what could I do? All I knew was when she came after you I knew that I cared about you more than what you were.” She said. “Are,” She corrected herself quietly. “And though our relationship may never be the same, I would do it again.”

“I know you want to get back together and I do too. I just don’t want a replay of last year. I don’t want to feel like I’m on the back burner trying to understand what’s going on.” She said after a long exhale as she looked at him.

---

Stiles sighed as he waited for the nurse to leave. The second she left and closed the door. “Yeah Lydia and I checked the Chemistry teachers iffice too and I think he knew something too. He had graded some tests strangely and we found the word Darach too. We found it meant dark oak but we didn’t know what to do with that.” He said seriously. “So whoever it is they must know you. How else could they know you were someone who knew too much if it wasn’t someone that would know you weren’t connected to everything?” He looked up as someone appeared st the door. When he saw it was Scott he calmed and looked at her.

“So now what how can we tell who it is? Without drawing them out? Not to mention Kali is coming after Derek in less than a week, and we have no idea how we can protect him from Kali impaling him with a heating rod again.” He added. “But we kind of put that on the back burner while we focused on how we could find you.” He said to her. “But all you’ve got to do is heal, and then... then we find out how we can protect you. Because I’m sure this Darach thought they were going to succeed I’m sure they’re not too happy that they didn’t. Our biggest problem is figuring out how to help Derek and Boyd and Cora have already started coming up with ideas for that.”

“So if you have any ideas, were open to them, as long as it doesn’t do anything to you. You just can’t do that again.” He said to her. “As my friend of course but I like you too. You can’t do that.” He sighed.

@ Kol.