Nothing Personal

Back at the Hospital

"Well the blood test results show no in-consistencies in his chemical balance. There were no drugs detected in his blood stream except for Adderall which we cleared him for, seeing he was prescribed it. We most likely suspect heat exhaustion, from whatever he was doing that made him faint," the doctor explained to Sherriff Stilinski, closing the file and tucking it under his arm.

"What about the girl that found him?" the Sheriff questioned intensely stressed and upset that his son was in the hospital. He rubbed a semi-conscious Stiles' shoulder and stared intently at the doctor who gulped under his harsh gaze. "Has anyone found her? Did they even ask for her name?"

"I'm sorry, sir," the doctor replied humbly. "We were too concerned for his care that we didn't waste time asking her questions right away. When we searched for her, she was gone, and security tapes caught her leaving the premises."

"Let me see the tapes," the Sherriff demanded. He left his son behind in a haste following the doctor out of the room and into the security quarters. Scott scrunched his nose. He already knew who the culprit was. Her strawberry and vanilla stench was all over Stiles.

"I'm really sorry, Scott. I should've have made her stay," Allison apologized, rubbing his knee. He clasped his hand over hers and held it tightly, possessively, while kissing her forehead. She leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You didn't know," he told her. "She could have hurt you too." And if she did, there would've been hell to pay, too. He was already close to walking out and tracking her down and giving her a taste of her own medicine. "Don't feel bad," he seemed to strain out as anger ran through his veins.

Scott was kind of confused but also relieved that Tabitha didn't attack with Allison. If she hurt Stiles, what stopped her from hurting Allison, too? Allison was equally confused upon learning of Tabitha's true identity and realized how lucky she was. She may have been a skilled archer but at the moment she crossed paths with Tabby, she was defenseless, as Tabitha was much stronger than her –reminded by the sensitivity of her red hand and aching shoulder. If Tabitha wanted to knock her out, she could. What stopped her? The inevitable question circled in her head.

"Hey," Stiles grumbled while clutching his sore head. "What happened?"

Scott popped out of his seat and joined his best friend's side. "I don't know! I don't know what happened! Don't you remember?" Scott was in near hysterics as he clutched his best friend since kindergarten. This was the closest he had ever been to losing the closest link he had to sanity. Stiles had come across a few close calls but never landed in the hospital, especially not under Scott's nose. Scott was furious Tabitha had delivered the low blow and endangered the closest thing he had to a brother.

Stiles blinked his eyes, trying to gather his memory when a vivid set of images shocked him, making him scramble upright on his bed. His mouth was dry and his throat burned, parched, but his head was trying to understand the reality of the past event. His whole body succumbed to disbelief, unable to believe Tabitha had kissed him. It must have been a dream, a really sick Masochistic dream of his. He tried to remember the moments before, to see if he missed anything between the transitioning between leaving Lydia's room and being cornered by Tabitha.

"What did Tabitha do to you?" Scott repeated, shaking him back to reality. So it wasn't just a dream, Stiles thought, dazed.

He couldn't speak for a moment before glancing at Allison who pulled him into a comforting hug.

"She kissed me," he admitted. "I think… I remember… she kissed me." He pressed his fingers to his dry, crusted lips and remembered the cherry flavor of her chap stick. Scott tilted his head in confusion. "She kissed me and laughed."

Allison and Scott looked at each other with the same stunned expression. "Are you sure?" Scott pressed. Stiles nodded his head furiously. "Did she say anything?" Stiles shook his head just a quickly. Instead he laughed bitterly, remembering her few words. 'So is the entire humanity this stupid or just you...You know, you are kind of cute…'

"Nothing important," Stiles summarized.

"What exactly did she say?"

Stiles hesitated. "She called me stupid and then she called me cute," Stiles looked away, blushing.

Scott's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Wait… how did this happen? Tell us everything. How did you and her end up in the same room?"

"Nothing," Stiles dismissed them, feeling crazy. "Later, okay?" He felt embarrassed and he could tell from their faces they didn't believe him and he started doubting himself too. Honestly he felt like shit.

Scott and Allison let it be and made him comfortable to the best of their abilities. "How is Lydia?"

"She's stable but she's in denial right now. Jackson is in there comforting her."

Stiles nodded slowly while his mind drifted back to Tabitha. She wasn't as scary as he thought, remembering the taste of her lips and the glint in her stunning, dark green eyes. She was sexy, no doubt about it, but he was confused why she would kiss the lengths of him.

He had to remind himself she was a werewolf but she wasn't as cold hearted as he had imagined. Sure, her threat was brutal and bloody even if she didn't describe where she'd probably dismember them, he assumed she was violent but instead, when she cornered her, the grin on her lips… it wasn't sadistic, he thought. It was playful, like a kitten. And she didn't hit him or scratch like Derek usually did. Instead she glided her finger against his cheek, felt up his chest, and gave him the boldest kiss he ever experienced, his first kiss actually –not that he'd ever mention that major factor to Scott. (He'd die of embarrassment.)

And he fainted.

He fucking fainted.

His face heated up and he turned his back towards Scott and Allison so they wouldn't see him burn in embarrassment.

Out in the Woods:

There were six of them, a relatively small number for a pack but Madison selected her members carefully. The six of them alone could kill effectively but not yet had accomplished a single kill, they haven't even pursued one. In time that would change but Madison hid that secret behind a 'genuine' smile, one they mistook as a friendly one, instead of a mischievous grin.

In front of the pack, in the lead, was Madison alongside her Beta. They kept a constant pace, practicing smooth breaths while another pair staggered behind, their muscle mass holding more weight than advantage in the run. The males shared an exhausted look but continued to dig into their energy reserves to keep up with the top females. Behind them were the runts, a pair of twins, fresh into high school. They were the youngest members of the pack. They were struggling as they passed the seven mile mark. Their breaths were labored and soon they halted, giving up as their lungs burned and ached.

"All right," Madison's loud voice echoed throughout the dark. "Let's stop. The twins are exhausted." The dark concealed the annoyed expression on her face. The boys cried out in relief loudly and collapsed off the trail, leaning against a wide oak's trunk. Tabitha rolled her eyes as she shone her flashlight on the brutes who grinned shamelessly.

"Can't keep up, eh?" She taunted them, approaching them. One of them saluted her before attempting to snake an arm around her waist. She dodged and laughed along with his companion as his failure.

Madison eyed the two hulks carefully. Strength wise, Lucas and Alex were great defenders, and standing well above 6'3, they didn't even need to exercise their strength, as many people were intimidated by them and would oblige to step aside from their path. They were her brutes.

It was an additional plus that they, too, were on the football team and Tabitha had close ties with them as she levitated around the team, around her brothers specifically. When Madison couldn't supervise them, Tabitha could, and boy, was she good! Of course, Tabitha's constant presence was often misinterpreted by Lucas whose ego was as robust as his physical build. Aside from her brothers, he found her attentive glaze not as a superior's but an admirers, much to her dismay. Ever since Madison bit them, they became especially egotistical, and unfortunately, more "headstrong" (Madison preferred stubborn) than the more reasonable and understanding Tabitha. They demanded adamantly and threatened Madison with their stature to stay on the team.

Madison was unsupportive as she realized the longer they stayed on the team, the more their loyalties were to be tested between her leadership and bond with their football brethren. She realized it was a dangerous situation, and inevitably a time would come before she'd have to remind them their ties with humanity –human companions included –were cut after she severed them with her jaws.

Behind them were her runts –Cecilia and Devon. Cecilia was small and fragile on the exterior, barely surpassing 5'3 –Tabitha's standing. Unlike her superior, Cecilia didn't muster an attitude to make up for her lack of height. (Tabitha certainly did but that was due to being raise –roughed housed more like it –by extremely tough older brothers.) Cecilia was also fair looking in a fawn way, with dark brown hair that curled around her soft, round face and big chocolate brown eyes. Her complexion contrasted heavily against the deep coloring of her assets, making her seem paler than she usually was.

Devon was not much different, with an addition 6 inches on the tiny girl. His hair was just as dark and luscious as curls skimmed over his forehead. His eyes were a dull brown and Madison had to admit his physical features were plain but he was a protective and passionate young man with a 4.3 GPA behind him and suspected IQ to match Einstein's. Madison decided he was a valuable resource for strategic thinking.

Cecilia was –as much as she hated to admit it –a mistake, a wrong place, wrong time kind of situation. Madison hadn't calculated that his beloved girlfriend would be with him when he went to pick up his guitar at the local repair shop and in the haste of acquiring another member she blindly infected Cecilia, too.

It was this that caused her to leave St. Catherine's prep and had to improvise by settling into Beacon Hills High School –a little too close to comfort but she would adjust. That was another story for another time though.

She had hoped Cecilia would prove to be some benefit but within the three months of the change, she had yet to push her human limits, much to Madison's dismay. Cecilia was the weakest link and gave Madison a huge contemplation on how to deal with her. She didn't an extra weight to drag around and at the same time, if she were to exterminate it, it would cause chaos within the pack and that was not something she wanted to risk.

Tabitha didn't pay any attention to them, a pattern Madison had noticed soon after she had bit them. Tabitha could care less about them and it bothered Madison to a point she forced Tabitha to babysit them hoping to form some kind of bond, as her guidance was necessary for them to improve but it was like pulling teeth. Tabitha loathed her underclassman and made it aware with venomous looks, bother directed at the easily shaken freshmen and at Madison herself.

Suddenly a smell assaulted Madison's nose as a violent gust of wind rammed into her. Lucas and Alex looked up, surprised by the rattling of the tree tops. Leaves gathered off of the dry forest and whirled around the group, distracting the runts who clung to each other. Tabitha –whose smell was more pronounced than the beginners –also caught the scent and stiffened into a defensive position, not acknowledging the actual defenders who instantly surrounded her. Lucas enclosed Tabitha's small figure in his vice-grip arms while Alex checked on Devon and Cecilia, pushing them behind his bulky figure while staring intently in the South where the wind came from.

Madison growled under her breath as she identified another set of presences. She shot a glance at Madison who fought out of Lucas's grasp and make the long but few strides to her side. Tabitha and Madison exchange silent glances as if reading each other's minds before Madison regarded her Omegas.

"Alex," Madison addressed, "take Devon and Cecelia back to their car, okay? I don't want them in danger. Lucas, stay here with us, we need some muscle backing us up if things get confrontational."

Alex nodded submissively and patted Devon's and Cecelia's backs, guiding them gently away from the path and retracing their steps while Madison, Tabitha, and Lucas stayed behind. They all shot each other nervous glances.

Madison was thinking of an escape route because she knew the only werewolves in the area were Derek and his pack and she would get recognized easily. She didn't need her cover blown.

"I'll take it," Tabitha offered, knowing Madison's internal dilemma. Madison gave her a gracious nod while Lucas watched her zoom off smoothly in Alex's direction. Lucas extended a protective arm around her waist and held her close, nervous but also overcame by a natural instinct that put Tabitha's safety before his own. He thought it was just his deeply embedded affection for her but the truth was the pack dynamic was just as deeply embedded in his DNA and natural instinct, where the Beta held more importance than the Omega and the Omegas were pawns of the Beta's decisions. He had no say in what she wanted to be done.

Appearing from a distance, a shadow emerged from the blinding darkness underneath the merciless moon. Tabitha's eyes noticed the lean physique but confident stride of the confronter and remembered Madison's warning as well as her father's, to never underestimate the enemy. She parted from Lucas's grasp and held her head up high while she prepared to spring. Lucas placed himself right behind her, ready to counter the enemy's attack if it was clever enough to actually take Tabitha down.

"Hello," Tabitha yelled out confidently, crossing her arms over her chest. The figure stopped abruptly, startled and surprised by her boldness, before taking another step into the moonlight where Tabitha identified his basic features: dark hair, subtle facial hair, ominous light green eyes, pale skin. She guessed he rounded closer to 21 or 22 in age but it didn't make much of a difference for her, as she could still take him down effectively. Strength wasn't necessary when she knew where the pressure points were. "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" He growled back, eyes shifting from red to green. He underestimated her, assuming her small frame and delicate waist minimized her strength potential. He was conjuring tactics to disable her but the bulky male behind her worried him, as Lucas stood at his same height but was twice the width Derek was, mostly muscle it seemed under his black Amor tee shirt that hugged his physique.

It also confused him that there was only two when he was sure he smelt more but he worried more about the two presences at the moment than the other missing ones.

Tabitha raised a slim brow and glared at him. "I asked first," she demanded.

Derek stiffened, taken aback by her dominant voice and wondered if she could possibly be an Alpha. No, he decided, the blond one might be, she could be his Alpha female. He eyed Lucas behind him suspiciously, taking in the pros and cons of the football player's size. Lucas locked his jaw and Tabitha took hold of his hand and caressed it reassuringly, the same way Madison did to her whenever she was about the burst, too. Derek mistook this action as an act of affection between a romantic pair instead of a care-taker and child, the way Tabitha really saw the relationship. Lucas's demeanor seemed to relax under her soft finger and he exhaled deeply.

Derek now had his eyes set on Lucas as the real threat. Lucas' soft honey blond hair ruffled in the brutal wind as his eyes stung, igniting moisture in his eyes he instantly blinked away. He protectively stepped next to Tabitha, extending an arm in front of her body, wordlessly claiming her as his and pronouncing her more vulnerable than he, an illusion Derek fell for. Tabitha rolled her eyes. A motion Derek missed as his eyes stayed glued to Lucas's. She would remind Lucas later about their platonic relationship but for now took advantage of Derek's gullibility.

"I'm not taking orders from the lengths of you," he retorted, snarling, offended by her boldness and silently criticizing Lucas through slit eyes about his poor ability to keep his pack members in line. It didn't occur to him until a minute later when Lucas still refused to reply that maybe the roles were reversed, that Lucas really didn't have a say, and Tabitha was the puppet master. He still refused to acknowledge her as an Alpha of the highest position but still as the second in command, an Alpha female doing her partner's bidding or a Beta.

Tabitha's blood boiled under her skin as her cheeks turned as pink as her sweatshirt, her anger erupting. Sixteen fucking years, she reminisced bitterly, and I still have to deal with this sexist bull shit. I still have to deal with my dumbass brothers with this 'because-you're-a-girl' crap and now I have to deal with him? That's it. This fucker is going down. I'll kill him like the damned dog he is.

Lucas sensed this and stepped out of her way, knowing full well that he would regret it if he tried to stop her. Even though he felt it was his duty to protect her, he knew she could hold her own. She had to deal with Tom and he knew he was brutal. Plus, he had suffered her anger personally and rubbed his wrist, wincing at the memory when she snapped it in half in a fit of rage after they first met post-bite. He made the same mistake as Derek but he was lucky to be spared with just a broken wrist. From her heated face, he knew Derek wouldn't be as lucky.

Derek smirked, assuming she was an easy target already due to her light weight and her orange-hued eyes blinded by rage. He charged at her approaching figure.

He grabbed the hem of her sweatshirt and pulled her onto the forest floor where he straddled her while holding back her arms above her head. He looked down at her angry glare and smirked. Even though she was far younger than him, he admitted she was very pretty, with vibrant eyes and an almost flawless face. Her spunk was also entertaining as she thrashed around, kicking and cursing.

Lucas jumped to defend her but she stopped him with a harsh look, one he recognized very well. Her pride was getting in the way and he understood she wanted to finish this herself. He nervously stepped back into his original spot, torn between his Beta's orders and his natural urge to protect.

Suddenly movement from the west caught his sensitive ears and he shot around, looking into pitch darkness for the source of the crunching leaves. His nostrils picked up the overwhelming smell of expensive cologne and the residing scent of an after-shower. He glanced at Tabitha who also acknowledged the new set of presences and with a nod, approved Lucas to chase them. He was still torn but realized the odds against them would be worst if they were circled and darted immediately at the duo hiding behind the thick set of trees, hoping Tabitha would be able to get out of Derek's grasp soon enough without seriously injuring herself.

Suddenly she lifted her head, stretching her neck and locked her jaw on his wrist. He cried out in shock, not expecting the close attack and retracted his hands. She took advantage of this, spitting out the taste of his metallic blood, and threw him off with a kick, knocking off his balance doing so. She scrambled back to gain distance before jumping up, circling him from a four-yard-radius. He glowered at her while glancing at his bloody wrist. In the back of his mind he wondered if she severed an artery with her sharp canines and if he was bleeding out to death.

He charged again at her feet, hoping to trip her. She jumped above his reach and landed a foot away from his grasp and leapt over his back where he rolled her over, throwing her off. Quick on her feet she pounced back up. He followed. They circled each other, focused on the other's face, both cool and collected while a sneer graced their lips. Both were determined and heated, anxious to put the other in their place.

He charged again but she ducked, slipping behind him where she grabbed his elbow and pulled it back sharply. He spun back around, snarling angrily. This time it was him blinded by rage. She smirked, getting him right where she wanted him. She pulled his arm against his back, cop style, before lifting it up at a sharp angle, making his shriek in pain. She held it up but didn't lift any higher, as that would enforce a clean break of the bone, but the point she left it at still ignited intense pain, reassured by his cries and snarls.

"I can kill you 36 ways right here and now from where I'm standing. It's that easy."

From his peripheral vision, Derek realized Lucas was missing and instantly connected the dots –Lucas was after Scott and Jackson. He wondered, even if paired, would they be able to take the large male down? Derek hissed an insult as she applied more pressure on his already badly injured wrist. He was succumbed onto his knees as she dug her own knee into his back, making him arch painfully and forcing him to look at her sadistic green orbs. She grinned methodically. He could feel her sharp nails dig into his flesh as she avoided the punctures she already made with her teeth and felt the warmth on his blood drip from the fresh wounds.

His breath shook as he held back another cry. She was taking too much pleasure from this.

"But I won't," Tabitha surprisingly said. "I don't feel like dragging your boulder of body through the woods to bury it but I ain't going to let you go Scotch-free, you know what I mean?" With that said, she heaved his arm upward sharply. He heard the loud crack vibrate through his body before it echoed throughout the area like a bird's call. He hollered as she let him drop to the ground. She placed her foot on his shoulder while he curled up in the ball, cradling his arm while his wrist smeared blood against the dirt on the ground, also collecting dirt into his wounds, infecting it.

Scott and Jackson heard Derek's cries but couldn't go after him as they were faced with Lucas's obstruction. They were unnerved as they took in his size and width, realizing with one charge he could do serious damage. Scott and Jackson exchanged hopeless looks.

"What are we going to do?" Scott begged. "We can't leave Derek to die."

It was hard to comprehend that Tabitha was behind Derek's torture. He didn't think Derek could be overtaken so quickly or that she was capable of that. It reminded him of what could've happened to Stiles. Stiles still didn't remember how the hell he got into the hospital room, refusing to elaborate what happened after she kissed him, and Scott wondered if it was really amnesia or something else. He wondered if it was amnesia, what could have been so traumatic the brain had to close itself off.

What did Tabitha really do to him? The thought made him growl. It was less than 10 minutes and Tabitha had managed to disable Derek. Derek of all people! Alpha Derek! A human such as Stiles wouldn't be able to put up as much of a fight like Derek could. It just secured Scott's suspicion that Tabitha could have killed him if she wanted to. He felt himself shake thinking about it.

It also made him wonder deeper why she delivered him to the nurse instead of finishing him off –not that Scott wasn't thankful –Was she trying to send a message? That she was serious with her threat? Scott understood that. He just didn't understand why she needed to carry it out! What did they do that she needed to secure her warning? He was utterly confused.

"Come on dude," Jackson retorted. "We need to get out of here before we're next. The big guy is ready to maul us," Jackson was in near hysterics, anxious to escape the situation. Scott threw him a dirty look he didn't catch. He was too busy staring at Lucas.

The brooding man stood a few yards away, anxiously glancing from Tabitha to the duo, wondering how and when he should intervene. Tabitha seemed to have taken control of the situation but he wasn't sure if he should do more for the extra set of werewolves waiting outside the barriers. He seemed to keep them at bay with his presence and size but he wasn't sure if he should confront them. Without Tabitha to direct him, Lucas was lost.

"That's what you get, you sexist son-of-a-bitch," Tabitha hissed before kicking Derek's shoulder. She must have been a soccer player, he thought, as he heard it pop out of place. The force of her foot seemed to maximize the extent of the injury as his shoulder blade slipped out and dig into his muscle unnaturally. The pain was so intense. It vibrated through his inner bones with such power it was like a hurricane, wave after wave of pain. He hollered loudly.

Scott and Jackson winced again, feeling his pain equally as they were connected as a pack. The pain truly was excruciating and Jackson doubled over, feeling weaker and vulnerable as his shoulder seemed to scream. Scott clutched his aching wrist but leaned up against a tree for support.

"Scott," Tabitha called out, not leaving Derek's side, pressing her foot down on his neck to secure his spot on the ground. "I told you I don't like being bothered. This is what happens when I'm pestered, comprende?"

Scott gulped as Jackson and he exchanged worried glances.

Something in Scott snapped though.

"What did you do to Stiles?" He demanded. He moved away from the tree and stared directly at Tabitha's darkened figure looming over Derek's crippled form. The scene scarred Scott's internal core. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing," she replied, using some of her southern sass. Lucas laughed. "He should be awake by now so ask him yourself. Lucas! Let's go!"

Lucas complied and ascended the short hill to join Tabitha's side. He bid the duo one last look –one of curiosity –and then followed Tabitha's quick figure back down the trail. Scott and Jackson waited a minute before rushing to Derek's side. They gasped at the scene. The almighty Alpha was crippled and curled into a pathetic ball, clutching his bloody and blue wrist, his elbow swelled enormously while he moaned about his shoulder blade. Scott and Jackson looked at each other in disbelief, thinking the same thing. Did she really do this? …To Derek?

"I guess Stiles can have his money," Jackson tried to joke, recalling Stiles comment on a 'hypothetical' one-on-one showdown. Scott growled loudly, reminding Jackson how inappropriate it was to even mention his hospitalized best friend because of the bitch who put him there! Jackson chuckled awkwardly before assisting Derek up.

"Who the hell was she?" Derek growled, leaning against Jackson's lean frame.

"Tabitha," Scott answered, examining his wrist the best he could, without hurting Derek but the pain was so intense and his surrounding muscle was very sensitive. He retracted his hand violently when Scott attempted to look at it, swearing under his breath. "Tabitha Reed."

"How do you know?"

"She's friends with Aubrey, a new girl at our school. She came to say hi and we unfortunately met."

Derek glowered. "I want to know everything about her. She's worse than a fucking hunter." He thought but mentally, he realized this was an advantage, that maybe she could actually chase the hunters out of town. If she could do this to another werewolf, she could kill a human instantly. He hid a smirk. Yes, he definitely wanted to know all about her now.