Lone Wolf

Across the street, Stiles plopped down into his computer chair and logged into iChat with Scott, "Hey man. How are you feeling?" Scott shrugged, "A little better I guess. Keegan scared me a little though. I hope she is okay, because the things she said to me are making me nervous." Stiles nodded, "I hear you, man. I don't know what got into her. How about the fact that she has always has been friends with Derek Hale? Isn't that weird, I mean the guy is a loner in the first place. Wonder what they do...," Stile shuddered, "I don't even want to think about that."

Stiles looked back at his computer and saw Scott glancing at him curiously, eyebrow raised in confusion. "Are you okay?" Stiles asked, staring at his screen. Scott held up a finger and began typing away. Stiles sat there, wondering if he would need to pack it up and head over to Scott's but suddenly his computer chimed and he saw what Scott had typed.

'There's someone behind you.'

Confused, Stiles slowly turned around his computer screen went blank. In the darkest corner of his room, standing just a few feet away from him was a humanlike shadow, lurking. He stared for a moment and let his eyes adjust, but as soon as he turned away, he felt himself fly from his chair and collide with the wall. His breath hitched in his throat and he fought to catch his breath. Fumbling his hand down the wall, Stiles groped for the light switch and once it flipped on, he let out a shocked scream; he was face-to-face with Derek Hale. "Hello, Derek. Can I help you?" Derek growled in his face and pushed him against the wall harder.

"Listen here, Stilinski. I don't trust you OR your friend Scott. If Keegan gets hurt, because of you two, you get hurt! Understand?" Stiles nodded, "But, what if.." Derek growled once more, louder. "There are no ifs or buts. Plain and simple, you get hurt if she gets hurt." Stiles raised his hands, "I understand!" Derek snorted at him and quickly glanced around the room, his ears picking up a distant sound. "STILES!" The sound of footsteps up the hallway caused Derek to growl and Stiles to jump away from the wall, spinning so his back was towards Derek. The door pushed open and Scott raced into the room, "Dude, what happened!?" Stiles glanced over his shoulder and his eyebrows knitted together. He searched the room for signs of Derek's whereabouts, and the open window and the curtains gently blowing in the breeze, signaled him that Derek had left.

"What do you mean?" Stiles said, turning back around to face Scott, a lost expression on his face. Scott shook his head and sat on the bed, "Dude, you are a horrible liar. Besides, your heart is racing. Remember," He stated, tapping his ears, "I can hear everything ten times better!" Stiles steadied his breathing and rolled his eyes, "Derek was here. He said if we hurt Keegan, he'll hurt us. But, I have no idea what he means by that. "Scott shrugged, "I dunno what any of this means. Ever since I was bitten. I don't know if I'm supposed to enjoy this or what." Stiles nodded in agreement. They sat there quietly pondering what Derek's threat and what could possibly be in store for Scott.

"Hey man, I need to get home." Scott stood from the bed and made his way towards the door, "Do you want a ride?" Scott laughed, and turned back towards Stiles, "Why, is your girlfriend coming over?" Stiles rolled his eyes as he pulled on his red zip-up hoodie, "Shut up." He gently pushed Scott's shoulder and the two jogged down the stairs. "I'm just messing with you. I appreciate the ride!" He smiled over to Stiles and the two climbed into the Jeep and peeled off out into the night.

x x x x

The next morning Keegan wandered her into her Journalism class, still sleepy from the night before. She dropped her backpack at the desk in the farthest corner of the room, and logged into the computer. Staring at the home screen, she double clicked the Chrome icon. The "Beacon Hills Guardian" site loaded quickly and Keegan bent down to bring her notebook and pen to the desk. When she sat back up, the photo on the site faded out to a picture of the upcoming Super Moon, which was scheduled to make its appearance sometime this month.

"Hey."

Keegan jumped nearly a foot in the air, and turned to see Scott standing in the computer room doorway. "Holy hell, Scott!" Scott laughed, dropped his gaze and smiled, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you!" He stated, crossing the room and pulling up a chair next to her. Keegan smiled, "No worries. Did you need something Scott?" Scott sat there and wrung his hands, avoiding her gaze, "You, you seemed nervous when we spoke about that thing in the car. You know... my bite." Keegan could feel her stomach knot, and her breath catch in her throat, "I don't know what you mean..." Scot sighed, "I may not be the smartest kid in our class, but you know something about all of this. You just aren't telling me." Keegan dropped her gaze, "Maybe I do, but I don't think you should be talking to me about it. I know who you can talk to." Scott furrowed his brow and stared at her. They sat there in an awkward silence until the bell rang and the room began to fill with students.

"I will talk to you later." Keegan said, as she watched Scott walk out the door. She inhaled deeply and told herself she needed to focus on her schoolwork. In the back of her mind, she could hear her conscious nagging at her. Scott's problem was soon going to become her problem, and she had Derek to thank for this. She shook her head clear and focused on her writing assignment.

Class flew by quickly that afternoon and by the time the final bell of the day rang, Keegan had enough homework to last her a year. Juggling her books between her arms, she fumbled with her locker and smiled when she felt someone grab the books from her. "Let me help you." She looked to her left and saw Stiles leaning against her locker a big smile on his face. "Thank you." He handed her one book at a time and out of the corner of her eye she saw Stiles nearly drop a book when Lydia made her way over to where they were standing. "Hello, Keegan.." Lydia shortly paused, noticing Stiles standing there, practically drooling, "Do you need a ride home? Jackson's going to give me a quick ride home before practice." Keegan glanced over at Stiles, then back to Lydia, "I have a ride home today, thanks for the offer though." Lydia smirked, "Go girl! Well, I'll be at Jackson's, but you can always call me!" Keegan shut her locker door with a snap and she turned towards Stiles.

"Go girl? What's that mean?" Stiles asked as he adjusted the straps on his backpack. Keegan rolled her eyes, "Just Lydia being Lydia." They stepped outside; and Stiles held open the door and stood on the top step. She watched as Lydia kissed Jackson, a little inappropriately, and as they ducked into the tiny silver Porsche and drove away. "So, anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to work on our Chemistry project tonight." She turned around as she hit the sidewalk and smiled up at Stiles, "That sounds good. Just let me know what time to come over."

"That works, practice ends around 6 tonight. I'll text you."

Just then, the familiar rev of an engine sounded behind her and she turned to see the black Camero pull up next to them. The passenger window rolled down and Derek leaned over the passenger seat, watching them, "Hey." Keegan waved at Derek, and turned back to Stiles, "I'll see you tonight. Good luck!" Stiles nodded, and watched her open the door and jump into the car. As she shut the door, Stiles waved, "Thanks! See you Derek!" They watched as he turned away and adjusted his backpack, taking the stairs two at a time; vanishing into the school. She could feel Derek's eyes on her and before she turned around, she rolled her eyes, "Can I help you?"

"Going to his place tonight?"

Keegan pinched the bridge of her nose. She could already hear the mocking tone in his voice and she could swear there were sweet undertones of jealousy shining through. "Yes Derek. I am going to Stiles Stilinski's house tonight. We are LAB partners!" He looked at her wide-eyed and taken aback. "I CAN handle myself in just about any situation. You, don't need to be worrying about me 24/7. Why don't you worry about something else for a change?"

"What do you mean?" He said, sending her a questioning look.

"Scott was bitten in the woods last week. The same night we were there. He knows whatever bit him wasn't a normal wolf. He, no thanks to Stiles, KNOWS. How about that Derek? Tell me what happened!" Derek glanced at her, seething, "What are you talking about?" Keegan shook her head in disbelief, "Scott McCall KNOWS!" Derek stared out the window, "You think I had something to do with this!?" Keegan cleared her throat, "Are you honestly telling me that you DIDN'T bite him?" Derek slammed on the brakes, "You should know the answer to that question Keegan. I've spent the last few weeks with you. The last person I've ever bitten was..." Keegan narrowed her eyes, "Don't you dare!"

Angry, Keegan opened the passenger door and got out of the car. She slammed the car door so hard, she briefly worried about breaking the glasses. She changed her mind and hoped the glass would shatter into tiny pieces. She heard Derek call after her, unsure if he wanted her attention or if he was making a fuss about slamming the door. She swung her backpack over her shoulder and headed home. Behind her, the tires on the Camero squealed as Derek pulled away quickly. Luckily, the walk home was less than ten minutes and she made it home in less than five. She sighed in relief when she reached her house. Climbing the stairs, she entered the house and went into the kitchen. She stood there, thinking of what to do.

Suddenly, a smile crept on her face and she reached for her keys. Running to the garage, she pushed the door button and as the door screeched open, she jumped into the seat and pulled out of the driveway. The loud hum of the engine made her smile. She loved her car. Her father had it specially ordered and customized for her and gave it to her as an eighteenth birthday. The back 1967 Chevrolet Impala meant the world to her and if the car didn't guzzle so much gas, she would be driving it every day. She had lost herself in her thoughts that she found herself pulling into the lacrosse practice field lot.

She cut the engine and listened to the small crowd cheering, the blow of Coach's whistle, and had a slight paranormal feeling. Curious, she exited the car and slowly crept up behind the bleachers. She could see Stiles sitting on the player's bench, nervously chewing on his gloves. She spotted Lydia and Allison standing on the bleachers holding a giant homemade sign cheering Jackson on. "Keegan! You came!" Lydia screamed, waving her over. Keegan ducked her head and climbed the bleachers, sitting next to them. Turning towards the field, she saw Stiles wave to her and she returned it with a smile. "What's going on?" Lydia rolled her eyes and scowled, "They put that McCall kid in the goal position. And he's surprisingly VERY good. He's stopped every ball from going in. Even Jackson's!"

Keegan could see the tension between Scott and Jackson on the field, as the latter cut in front of the line to square off against Scott once more. She could sense that Jackson was angry. Keegan sat on the bench, worried about what was going to happen next; Jackson was a very sore loser and being shown-up is not something that looked good on him. In an instant, Coach snapped the ball to Jackson and he started barreling his way towards the goal. Scott took a deep breath and jumped forward, leaving the goal, and ran halfway up the field where they collided. A loud crack resonated through the field and the bench and the bleachers cleared. Stiles and Keegan ran to Scott immediately.

Stiles grabbed Scott by the shoulders and pulled him away from the group, "Stay away from me Stiles!" Keegan could see his eyes turn from dark brown to a golden yellow as he yelled, "Stay away from me!" Scott broke away from Stiles and ran towards the school.

"SCOTT!" Keegan grabbed Stiles sleeve and they quickly chased after him across the field and into the school. Stiles stopped just outside the locker room and after taking a quick look around, he stepped into quiet, dark room. A deep growl had stretched through the room and suddenly, Keegan heard Stiles yell and ran into the locker room. Stiles was out of breath and she could see Scott crouched down on top of the lockers, eyes trained on Stiles. He fumbled with the fire extinguisher and Keegan yelled, "SCOTT!"

The boy stopped mid-motion and turned towards Keegan. She watched his eyes fix on her and turn from a glowing yellow back to their natural chocolate brown. Scott stared, bewildered by the two of them, "What just happened?" Stiles looked at him, eyebrows raised and eyes wide and began to speak when Keegan interjected.

"You almost killed your best friend! You need to learn to control yourself better. You need to calm down and concentrate on something that doesn't raise your heart rate! You need to take deep breaths!" Scott stared at her, "What do you mean.. Do you know what's - what's wrong with me!?" Keegan dropped her gaze. Scott could feel his anger boiling inside him, 'How dare she..'

"TELL ME!" Scott yelled, his breath becoming ragged and short. Keegan worriedly glanced at him, and sighed deeply, "Scott, you're a werewolf!"

x x x x

"A WHAT?!"

Stiles rolled his eyes, "Dude, she said a werewolf. Exactly what I told you, but you didn't want to listen." Scott waved Stiles off, "Keegan, you knew about this?!" She shook her head, "No, I had a feeling; but it wasn't my responsibility to tell you." Scott stared at her, "What do you mean, 'not your responsibility'?" Keegan lowered her eyes once more, "Scott, had I known what was going on, I would have told you immediately. What I can do is help you."

Scott scoffed at her proposal, "Yeah and how is that?" Keegan rolled her eyes and let out a deep sigh, "Finding the right people to help you. I'm sure Derek-" Scott's jaw dropped and his eyes bulged like she was suggesting the impossible, "Derek! Are you kidding me!? I have the strong feeling that he's the one who did this to me! Why in hell would I want his help!?"

Keegan held up her hand, "I don't want to hear it Scott. Whatever problem you think you have with Derek, needs to be brought up with him; not me! Either let us help you, or you can figure it out yourself. But please, let me know how that works for you after you've attacked a couple dozen people in the new few months." She stared at Scott, waiting for an answer. The boy dropped his gaze and sat on the bench next to Stiles. Rolling her eyes, Keegan made her way out the door, but stopped in the doorway, "Stiles, let me know if you still want me to come over."

Stiles nodded looking back to Scott. They listened to her boots softly hit the floor as she disappeared down the hallway. Stiles cleared his throat, "Listen Scott, you may not like what she has to say; but there are others out there who want to help you with this! I'm not always going to be there to stop you from changing, OR hurting someone. I think you should talk to Derek and see what he can offer."

Scott sat there unmoving, listening to Stiles. The boy finally made a sound, "I hate when you are right." Stiles jumped up and clapped his hands together, smiling, "That's the spirit! Now come on, let's get you home so I can go study with Keegan." Scott glared at the boy and broke into a laugh, "I'm sure you won't get anything done. You'll just be staring at her the whole time." Stiles laughed and slung his arm around Scott's shoulder, "It's not my fault. I find her to be very attractive." The boys exited the locker room and returned to the field to collect their gear. They carried everything to the back of Stile's Jeep and climbed in, before pulling out of the lot.

x x x x

Stiles arrived home about twenty minutes after six, and quickly ran to his room. He pulled up the internet and messaged Keegan, "Home. Let me know when you want to head over. I need to change though." The computer chimed, letting Stiles know she had responded, "Okay. I'll be over in ten!"

He quickly read the message, nodded his head at the computer and ran to the bathroom. He haphazardly peeled his clothes from his body and threw them to the ground before hopping into the shower. He bathed hurriedly, making sure to wash his body thoroughly. Throwing the towel around his waist he ran, nearly tripping, into his bedroom to get dressed. He had just enough time to straighten up his bedroom before the doorbell rang.

Keegan stood outside the front door; her notebook, binder and schoolbook balanced in one arm as she moved to ring the doorbell again. As she placed her finger on the button, the front door suddenly swung open, "Hey!" Keegan smiled, noticing he was out of breath. "Come in!" Keegan chuckled and stepped inside and stood there awkwardly. "Do you want something to drink?" Stiles asked, fidgeting with his hands, gently wringing them out. Keegan shook her head, "Are you alright?" Stiles nodded and immediately threw his hands to his sides. He motioned for her to follow him and he led the way to his room. He opened the door and entered the room, moving across the room, taking a seat at the computer desk; while Keegan made herself comfortable on the bed.

"So, what do you want to do our project on?" Keegan said, tucking her legs under her, and opening her Chemistry binder, "I had a few ideas. I was thinking either fireworks or how chemical reactions work; which would allow us to use formulas to make stuff, like explosions, but I am not good with the math aspect of Chemistry." Stiles nodded, "That sounds good." He turned back to the computer and jotted down her ideas. Keegan glanced up from her notebook at him and frowned, "What about you? Do you have any ideas?" Stiles shrugged her off, "Nothing good really." Keegan sighed, "No, Stilinski. I know you have some good ideas floating through that brain of yours." He looked over his shoulder and smiled at her, "Not at all. Besides, we both know your ideas would be the best choices." She laughed, "Way to be obvious Stiles." They laughed and continued to research both topics until their stomachs were growling. "Do you want to order some Chinese food?"

She looked up from her notebook, "That sounds awesome!" Stiles pulled up an online menu and dialed on his phone. They continued to work until the doorbell rang fifteen minutes later and Stiles excused himself. He returned moments later and they decided to take a break from studying. Keegan plopped herself onto the floor and Stiles sat next to her. Turning on the TV, he changed the channel to a classic horror movie and yelled in excitement when he recognized the movie. Keegan grimaced at the gory scene, "What are we watching?" Stiles glanced over at her, a noodle hanging from his mouth, "Are you kidding me?" She shook her head at him, "You have a noodle hanging out of your mouth!" Stiles laughed and finished chewing the food in his mouth, "It's the original Omen movie. It's so good!" Keegan grimaced, "I am not a fan of scary movies." Stiles shook his head in response, "Says the girl whose best friend is a werewolf." She scoffed, "Coming from the guy whose best friend is ALSO a werewolf."

Stiles rolled his eyes and they reluctantly we back to work on their project and were oblivious to the sound of the footsteps coming up the stairs. A light knock sounded on the door and Sheriff Stilinski stepped into the room, "Hey, Stiles. I was wondering..." He trailed off at the sight of them bent over their books studying. Stiles glanced up at his father, "Oh hey Dad." Keegan quickly glanced up at the Sheriff and smiled. He returned her smile with one of his own and a curt nod. He loudly cleared his throat and asked for Stiles to follow him. The Sheriff placed his arm around Stiles' shoulder, "What's going on?" Stiles groaned and rolled his eyes, "We're studying, Dad. Lab partners, you know?"

Sheriff Stilinski silently looked between the two for a moment, before for turning back to Stiles. He extended his pointer finger and waved it in Stiles face, "If I hear one complaint.." Stiles mouth dropped open, and his face turned red, "REALLY DAD!?" Keegan sat there, covering her face to try to hold back her fits of laughter. The Sheriff looked shocked by his son's actions and glanced back between the two once more before holding up his hands. "I'm sorry. Go back to your school work. Forget I was even here." He smiled at Keegan and Stiles practically pushed the man out of the room and quickly shut the door behind him. "Sorry about him."

Keegan laughed, "Don't worry. He's being a Dad." Stiles rolled his eyes and crossed the room to sit down on the chair. He sighed deeply and ran his hands over his face, "Hey, do you want to call it a night on the homework?" She had just started scribbling in her notebook when he asked. She held up her finger and once she finished writing, she closed her book, nodding excitedly, "I thought you'd never ask!," She gathered her books and placed them next to her, "What do you want to do now?" Stiles shrugged, while spinning in his chair. Keegan frowned and checked at her nails, "Hey, want to make out?!"

Stiles mouth dropped and he nearly fell out of his chair. "What?!" Keegan smiled and gently winked at the boy, "Stiles I was kidding. Calm down." He narrowed his eyes at her, "Yeah, sure you were kidding. You know you want this!" He casually winked at her while motioning towards his whole body and she smiled, winking in return. Stiles waved her off and turned towards the TV. They flipped through the channels and settled on "Bruce Almighty". Stiles moved from the chair to the floor and Keegan slid down next to him. "Just getting closer so we can make out?" Keegan smiled and smugly nodded, "Of course dear." About an hour later, the movie ended and the two sat on the floor, Keegan slightly slumped over onto Stiles' shoulder. They sat there quietly staring at their hands.

"So..." Stiles said exhaling. Keegan looked over to him and shrugged. She watched as his eyes shifted back and forth, calculating. Stiles started to lean into towards Keegan and she couldn't help but giggle. Keegan backed away, and whispered, "Stiles..." He stopped and looked at her, his face turning a bright shade of red, "I'm testing you!" Keegan smiled and bit her lip. He slowly inched away from her, "I wouldn't do it without your permission. Unless, you don't want me to ask...?" Keegan laughed, "You Sir are weird." Stiles shrugged, "Yeah, I get that a lot." Keegan looked at him, shaking her head. She picked up her phone, checking the time, "Oh wow, it's almost ten! I should be heading home." She collected her books and Stiles walked downstairs and to the front door. They stood on the porch for a few moments quietly, "Well, thank you for dinner Stiles. Um, when would you like to get together again?" Stiles shrugged and rubbed the back of his head "Eh, maybe Friday?"

"Okay, that works!" Stiles rocked back and forth on his heels, "Hey are you going to the match Saturday?" She smiled at him, "Why, are you playing?" Stiles laughed, hard, "Oh, I doubt it." Keegan made a face and shrugged causing Stiles to look at her, sadness flashing across his face. She rolled her eyes and sighed deeply, "I was kidding Mr. Stilinski. I'll see if I will be free." The biggest grin spread across his face and Keegan couldn't help but giggle.

"Well, I best get going,." She took a step forwards and lightly placed a kiss on his left cheek, "Bye!" He was stunned into silence as he watched her jump off the porch and disappear across the grass until she was completely out of his sight. Instantaneously his hand flew to his cheek just as the front door swung open. The Sheriff shook his head and leaned against the doorframe, "Either she kissed you, or slapped you. And I'm leaning more towards the latter..." Stiles jumped at the sound of his father's voice, "No. She kissed me." The Sheriff stood there, nodding, "Thought there wasn't anything going on between the two of you?" Stiles stood there, staring at where she had just been and let out a nervous laugh, "Yeah, me too."