Love's Spiral

The next night, Spencer sat alone in her room at the Stilinski household, trying her best to focus on her homework. Every now and then she would glance over at the locked window, wondering if there was some way that she could punch Derek in the face from so far away. Spencer hated herself for ever letting things go the way that they did with Derek. She wished that she just ignored their first kiss and went on like nothing had ever happened. She and Stiles would have been happy. She knew she loved him as her best friend and she knew that she could have loved him as more if she had given it a chance. Spencer often wondered if Stiles ever felt the same and if they could move post what happened with tall, dark, and moody.

Just as she finished her English homework, she heard a knock at her door. She looked up from her book and took her ear buds out of her ears. “Hey, Pops.” she said, with a smile, seeing the man standing at the door. “What’s going on? I thought you were working tonight.”

The sheriff smiled and leaned against the door frame. “I was.” He said, pointedly. “But on Wednesdays, Stiles and I go out for burgers while I’m on the late shift. I wondered if you wanted to come.”

Spencer shook her head. “I couldn’t. I mean, that’s your time with him. I usually take up the rest of Stiles’ time. He’s your family.”

“Oh, come on now, you’re family, too.”

“Spence, just say yes!” Stiles called from his room.

Spencer rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Alright. But just dinner. I’ve still got a lot of homework to do.”

“Great.” The sheriff said. “We’ll get going in ten.”

Spencer nodded, pushing her book off of her lap and spreading them out around her bed. She didn’t feel like changing so she stayed in Stiles’ t-shirt and sweatpants that she stole for sleeping in. Spencer threw her long, straight red hair up in a messy bun on the top of her head. She walked out of the her room to Stiles’. He was lying in bed, reading a book, something that surprised Spencer. She smiled and ran to his bed to jump in next to him.

Stiles groaned in protest as he was jostled amongst his sheets.

“Whacha readin’?” Spencer asked.

Stiles waved it off. “Book for school.” He said, simply, marking his page with a folded triangle in the corner. He took in what she was wearing. “God, Spence. Will you stop stealing my clothes?”

“No.” she smiled. Then she thought about him and her and what she was thinking about earlier. What happened between her, Stiles, and Derek. “Hey, so I was thinking.” She said, turning over onto her stomach, holding herself up on her elbows. “I know I’ve apologized a million times about what happened with Derek a couple weeks ago. I wish that I hadn’t let him affect me as much as he did. I didn’t even give you a chance. I wish I had given you… Well, us a chance."

Stiles stared at her for a moment, taking her comments in. It was like his prayers had been answered that Spencer still had feelings for him.

“I mean, you don’t really have to say anything, but after last night, I realized it was a mistake. You were there for me when I was in pain and Derek... H-he just shoved me off. I regret kissing him and not staying with you.”

“You do?” Stiles asked.

Spencer nodded.

Stiles swung his legs over his bed so he was sitting on the edge of it.

Spencer stayed lying on the bed behind him.

“Well, you know, we can fix it.”

“What do you mean?” Spencer questioned.

Stiles shrugged. “We could still have a chance. If you wanted.”

“Is that what you want?”

“Hell, yeah.” He said, turning back to Spencer.

Spencer had an eyebrow raised at him.

“I mean, uh, yeah, I guess. That’d be kinda cool.” He scratched the back of his neck, nervously.

Spencer smiled and shrugged her shoulders sitting up in bed. “Well, let’s just see how things go.”

Stiles gulped and nodded, really excited to see where things went.

“Stiles! Spencer! Let’s go!” The sheriff called from downstairs.

Spencer got up from the bed faster than Stiles, quickly kissed Stiles on the cheek and rushed out of his room. “Shotgun!” Spencer shouted.

This left Stiles to sit in shock on his bed. His heart was beating out of his chest. He was going to like Spencer living here.

“Stiles!” His father called again, scaring him.

Stiles tripped rushing out of his room, almost tumbling down the stairs.

!@#$#@!

“Stiles, we can’t both fit in the front seat.” Spencer complained as her friend tried to move her over with the bag from the burger shop in his hand.

“Yeah, we can. You’re skinny. I’m skinny. Make it work. I’m not spending time with my family while I’m behind bars.”

“You could if you keep intruding in your dad’s cases the way you are.” Spencer pointed out.

“True.” The sheriff said, taking the drinks from Spencer’s hand so she could move easier.

Stiles was able to get in the front seat with Spencer, but she had basically been pushed to sit with her legs on top of Stiles’ lap. She sighed at the position, but got herself comfortable. Stiles passed out the burgers. The sheriff dug into his.

“Stiles, curly fry me.” Spencer said. “You know I gotta eat my fries first.”

Stiles passed her the bag, the fries had all spilled inside.

“Mmm.” Sheriff Stilinski said, in regards to the taste of the greasy food. “Did you forget my curly fries.”

“You’re not supposed to eat fries.” Stiles informed his father. “Especially the curly ones.”

The sheriff scoffed. “I’m carrying a lethal weapon. If I want the curly fries, I will have the curly fries.”

Spencer snicked at his banter while Stiles just rolled his eyes.

“If you think getting rid of contractions in all of your sentences makes your argument any more legitimate, you are wrong.”

Spencer smiled, “He’s right though, Pops. No offense, but you are getting old. You can’t keep eating the crap that we eat.”

The sheriff shot them both an accusing look.

Spencer just showed a classy smile and shrugged her shoulders.

Stiles grinned at his own witty comment and took a sip from his soda.

The police radio in front of Spencer beeped once and dispatch spoke. “Unit one, do you copy?”

Stiles reached in front of Spencer to respond, but the sheriff slapped his hand away and cleared his throat. Stiles looked at him confused, but pulled away. “Sorry.” He said.

The sheriff picked up the receiver and pushed the button to speak into it. “Unit one, copy.”

The radio beeped again and dispatch answered. “Got a report of a possible 187.”

“A murder?” Stiles and Spencer said at the same time, only Stiles had curly fries in his mouth and they spilled out onto Spencer’s lap.

“Ew!” Spencer exclaimed. “Stiles, what the hell?” She asked him, glaring in his direction. “Alright, you need to go. Back in the back, buddy.”

Stiles shot Spencer a look with his doe eyes, but she didn’t fall for it.

Spencer pushed him against the door, reaching for the door handle. “Go!” She ordered

!@#$#@!

The cruiser pulled up to the video rental store and Spencer looked around, seeing Jackson standing at an ambulance with Lydia sitting inside. “Oh, my God.” Spencer gasped. “Lydia.” She quickly reached for the door handle and pushed the car door open.

“Spencer, let me out.” Stiles ordered, from behind the grate.

The sheriff opened his door, but turned back to Stiles. “You stay in the car.”

“It’s not like I can get out.” he complained.

“Spencer, go make sure your friend is okay.”

Spencer nodded, but the expression on Lydia’s face had already told Spencer that she wasn’t. Spencer walked over to Lydia, leaving Stiles locked in the back. Spencer didn’t really know what to do when she got in front of Lydia. She had never really had a friend that was a girl, so she kept her distance, standing next to Jackson. “Lydia, are okay?”

She nodded, “I’m fine.” Lydia insisted. “I just want to go home. It’s all the adrenaline.”

Jackson nodded, noticing the vehicle Spencer had arrived in. “I’ll be right back.”

Lydia nodded.

Spencer bit this inside of cheek, studying Lydia. “Are sure you’re okay? What happened? What did you see?” Spencer asked.

Lydia opened her mouth but no words came out. She couldn’t recognize what she saw. She didn’t want to think about it.

“Was it a mountain lion?” Spencer planted. “Or something else?” She asked, trying to decipher if it was the alpha.

Lydia hesitated at first when she did answer, she spoke with half-confidence. “Mountain lion.”

Spencer sighed, realizing she wasn’t going to get anything out of Lydia. “Alright, look. What you’re cleared to go home, take something for your nerves and got to sleep. It was just a mountain lion and it’s gone now.”

Lydia nodded.

Spencer gave her a quick hug and walked back over to the cruiser. She let Stiles out of the back of the car and they stood next to each other. Spencer sighed. “She thinks it was a mountain lion. Or at least she did after I suggested it. I’m not sure though. I don’t think she’d be this freaked out if it was just a mountain lion.”

“What do you mean?” Stiles asked.

“I mean, whatever she saw was not a mountain lion.”

Stiles nodded and looked to his father, who was in the company of Jackson.

Jackson was yelling. “What part of ‘I’m fine’ are you having a problem grasping? Okay, I wanna go home.”

The sheriff nodded, speaking calmly. “And I understand that.”

“No, you don’t understand. Which kind of blows my mind, since it should be a pretty basic concept to grasp for a minimum-wage rent-a-cop like you! Okay? Now, I wanna go home!” Jackson shouted in Sheriff Stilinski’s face.

“All the more reason to want to punch him in the face.” Spencer said, quietly to Stiles.

Stiles stared past the whole scene, looking towards the video store door. “Oh, whoa, is that a dead body?” Stiles asked, a little too loudly. Everyone’s attention was drawn towards the store entrance.

The sheriff looked from the boy being pulled out on a gurney back to his son with an unbelieving look. Stiles cowered back into the car and Spencer closed the door on him before moving to the passenger side door. She took another look around, smelling the air. She had to admit that it was weird for her to do, but her scent was heightened and she smelled a scent that she recognized. Spencer looked up to the roof of the building seeing Scott and Derek watching everything from about. She smiled at Scott and got in the car, ignoring, Derek, but not their conversation. She focused until she could hear.

!@#$#@!

“Have you seen Scott the morning?” Spencer asked Stiles, as she pulled a few books out of her locker. "I’ve got a bone to pick with him.”

“How could I? I’ve been with you all morning.”

“Yeah, but I figured you would want to ask him about last night. Since he was there. With Derek.”

“He what?” Stiles asked, leaning up against the locker next to hers.

“Oh, yeah.” Spencer laughed. “I meant to tell you when we got home, but I forgot. Scott and Derek were on the room. Watching everything with the cops. Talking about why the alpha is doing all of this.”

“Alpha?” Stiles questioned. “They think the alpha did that?”

“Where the hell have you been?” Spencer joked. “You were there. You heard your dad. Throat slashed. Just like the bus driver. Granted, the guy last night wasn’t nearly as tortured as the bus driver.”

“Well, now I’ve got to talk to him.”

The first bell rang signaling them to go to their class. Spencer slammed her locker shut and walked next to Stiles to Harris’ class. She completely ignored Harris as she walked to her normal seat in the back at a table with Stiles. The two grabbed their chemistry books out of their bags and began taking their own notes. The late bell rang and Harris instantly began talking not waiting for the late stragglers to come in.

“Just a friendly reminder,” He started, “Parent-teacher conferences are tonight. Students below a ‘C’ average are required to attend. I won’t name you because the shame and self-disgust should be more than enough punishment.” Harris stopped at Stiles and Spencer’s table. “Has anyone seen Scott McCall?” Harris looked down to them, seeing Spencer taking notes and Stiles furiously highlighting in his textbook.

Noticing that Harris had stopped talking, they both looked up and shook their heads.

Jackson entered the room, gaining Harris’ attention. He looked terrible, probably still freaking out about last night. Jackson had actually been in the building with the attacker while Lydia was waiting in the car.

Harris walked to Jackson, put a hand on his shoulder, and whispered to him privately. Harris walked away shortly after and up to the front of the class. “Everyone, start reading chapter nine.” Harris ordered. “Mr. Stilinski,” he said, with his back turned.

Stiles looked up with the highlighter cap in his mouth.

Spencer snickered at him.

“Try putting the highlighter down between paragraphs.” Harris suggested. “It’s chemistry, not a coloring book.”

Stiles rolled his eyes, spit the cap up into the air, and caught it in his hand.

Spencer nudged him. “Hey, if you wanna color, go on with your bad self. Stick it to the man.”

Stiles smiled at her.

“Any word from Scott?”

Stiles shook his head after checking his phone.

“What about what happened last night? With Jackson and Lydia? Ask Danny if he knows what happened?”

Stiles nodded and turned around on his stool. “Hey, Danny.” He said, “Can I ask you a question?”

“No.” Danny said, simply.

“Well, I’m going to anyway. Um, did Lydia show up in your homeroom today?”

Danny sighed. “No.”

“Can I ask you another question?”

“Answer’s still no.”

“Does anyone know what happened to her and Jackson last night?”

Danny sighed and hesitated. “He wouldn’t… Tell me.”

“But he’s your best friend.” Stiles pointed out.

“Stiles.” Spencer scolded, realizing that was a soft spot for Danny.

Danny just shrugged his shoulders and returned to his work. There wasn’t much that he could do if his friend wasn’t talking to him.

“One more question.” Stiles said.

“What?” Danny questioned, getting impatient.

“Do you find me attractive?”

Spencer pulled him back around to face the desk the right way. “Stiles, you’re not gay.”

“How do you know?” He asked her.

Spencer sighed and looked up at Harris’ desk. He was distracted, grading papers. Spencer pulled his shirt towards her and their lips met in a hard kiss. She pushed him away and turned to her book. “Because you enjoyed that.” She said, writing a chemical formula in her notebook.

Stiles was lost in a daze. “Whoa.” Stiles said dreamily. “Can, uh, can we, uh, do that again?”

Spencer shook her head and looked at him with a smile. “Maybe later.”

!@#$#@!

After their last class, Spencer forced Stiles to call their mission friend. It wasn’t like him to skip out on class without telling them. Even still, he rarely ever skipped. His grade was low enough. The only thing that was keeping his grades up was the fact that he was still trying in school.

Scott skipping mixed with him not answering his texts, Spencer was getting a little worried.

Stiles walked out of the classroom dialing Scott’s number and Spencer listened in on the conversation.

“What?” Scott answered.

“Finally! Have you been getting any of our texts? Spencer and I have been texting you all morning.”

“Yeah. I know. There are like nine million of them.”

“Do you have any idea what’s going on? Lydia is totally M.I.A., Jackson looks like he’s got a time bomb inserted into his face, another random guy’s dead, and you have to do something about it.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Something.” Stiles told him.

“Stiles, there really isn’t much that he can do.” Spencer admitted.

“Okay. I’ll deal with it later.” Scott said, just before hanging up.

Stiles groaned.

“We gotta get him a dog collar.” Spencer told Stiles. “Chain him up outside or something.”

Stiles laughed. “So what now?”

“Well, I need to go home. Get my homework done. You should go check on Lydia. Make sure she’s okay, or at least that she’s home.”

“You sure?”

Spencer nodded. “Be back before your dad leaves for the conferences, though. I’ll make dinner.”

Stiles nodded and they walked to his Jeep to drive back home. Stiles dropped her off and drove to Lydia’s.

Spencer walked into the house and up to her room. She entered the room, feeling strange. She quickly looked around before taking it upon her other senses to figure it out. First, she smelled around her room, getting a musky, forest scent. Second, she listened next, focusing on just outside her room. She sighed when it clicked. “What do you want, Derek?” She asked aloud, moving to her window and opening it. Spencer watched as he climbed the tree and jumped through her window.

“How’d you know I was here?” Derek asked her.

“You smell.” She said, waving her hand in front of her face. “Why are you hanging around here? I don’t want to talk to you.”

“You’ve been practicing?” he asked, avoiding her question.

Spencer nodded. “Training to use my senses. They don’t come as easily to me as they do for you. I’m not letting what happened to you happen to Scott or Stiles. Why are you here?”

“You kissed the skinny kid.”

Spencer furrowed her brow. “So you follow me to school, too? Is there anywhere in this town that I’m safe from you?”

“You’re not safe from anything in this town. Not when the alpha is still out there. That’s why I’m following you.”

“Even if I did kiss Stiles,” she stressed his name, “it’s none of your business. Even when we were…kissing, according to what you wanted, I could have kissed him if I wanted to. But I’m going to work things out with Stiles. And things are going to be like you and I never happened. I like Stiles and I was wrong to kiss you. I’m working for what I think I deserve.”

“Good.” Derek said.

“‘Good’?” Spencer repeated. “That’s all you have to say?”

“I’ve been telling you since I met you that you don’t deserve what I’m offering. I don’t deserve you.” He said, before jumping out the window, landing on his feet.

Spencer sighed as he left her there with a weight lifted off of her shoulders. Hopefully, she didn’t have to worry about him coming around to bug her again.