Moonlight

Lana could not sleep that night. Isaac ran through her mind a million times over, never ceasing to give her a moment to breathe. He was in Beacon Hills, and he was alive. The fact that he was one of Derek’s betas didn’t even bother Lana anymore. She was happy that he was safe and alive and well, not locked up in the freezer kept in his father’s basement. She cried for a while that night, not sure if it was out of joy or depression, and eventually cleaned herself together. The rain had stopped and she decided she needed to go for a walk in the woods. She normally would have just gone in what she had worn that day, but her clothes were soaked and in the laundry pile. She grabbed a new outfit, mentally preparing herself in case she did run into him. It wasn’t likely tonight, considering he was probably resting after being in an ice bath with his heart rate reduced to almost nothing.

Lana grabbed her jacket, put it on and put a pocket knife in one of the pockets. After lacing up her boots, she checked to make sure Selene was asleep before slipping out of their apartment. She checked her watch - one o'clock in the morning - and jotted off for the woods. She hadn't checked the woods for him in a few weeks, and hoped she might find him there considering, when they were freshmen, they would go there on occasion.

Isaac, overwhelmed after his hospital visit, found peace in the woods that night. He went to walk around a tree before he hiding behind it at the sight of a girl. He recognized the long, blonde curls and soft face; he never thought he'd see her again after she moved away. He glanced at the moon - not quite full yet - and hoped he could stay in control.

Lana slowly walked closer to the tree where she heard the rustling. She caught a glimpse of a hand and some slicked back brown hair with some wave to it. She could hear his breathing - he was breathing heavily - and tried to get a better look while keeping her distance. "Isaac?" Her hopes were high. She could tell that it was him; she felt it in her gut. He peered his head around the tree a little bit. "Isaac Lahey?" Isaac knew it was Lana but he was too shocked for that to completely process. "Isaac, it’s me."

"Lana Cross?" Isaac breathed. He stepped around the tree as she nodded. It really was her, standing there in front of him. "Oh, Lana."

Lana wiped her eyes before she could cry. "I've been looking for you for months." She approached him, and while he was hesitant, he needed to hold her and approached her, too. They had too much history and too many feelings for him not to embrace her. Lana dug her face into his collarbone as he held her closer. One of Isaac’s hands rested on the back of her neck, stroking her hair, while the other was wrapped tightly around her waist. Her arms were around his neck, holding on to Isaac for dear life. She didn’t want to cry into his shoulder, but a few tears rolled down her cheek.

“I never thought I’d see you again. I’m not letting you go,” he whispered into her hair.

“Please don’t let me go,” Lana smiled. “I knew I’d see you again.” They held each other in silence for a long while, each of them wishing they never had to leave.

"I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you for a while,” Isaac frowned, breaking the silence after a while; he truly regretted it. “I didn’t want to, but things were getting out of hand here. I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't want to lose control," he pursed his lips. "A lot has changed, Lana, I don't even know how to explain."

"You don't have to," Lana looked up at him. "I know. I know everything."

"You know?" Lana nodded. She knew, between his father and him being a werewolf, that it was too hard for him. "How? When did you even get here?" He wasn't hostile; he was extremely gentle.

"I'm not here with my family,” Lana shook her head. “I left them a while ago. A lot has gone down. Turns out they were a bunch of hunters. I met this girl Selene, she and I really bonded, and I’m with her dad and his pack. Her dad just so happens to be Deucalion,” Lana admitted. “I didn’t even know where you were until just now. That night you were in the vault, I didn’t even know it was you. I didn’t even know you were a beta until recently. Otherwise I would have tried my best to help.”

"So you're here for Scott," Isaac sighed.

"No, no," Lana shook her head, desperate to not lose him. "Well, I guess. They are, anyways. But I'm here for you. See?" Lana reached for the gold heart pendant she was wearing, holding it up to show Isaac.

"You still have that?" Isaac's eyes lit up. He had given her that necklace before she left; it was something he gave her alongside that first kiss they shared, their first kiss.

"Never take it off. When they said they were going to Beacon Hills all I could think about was finding you." Isaac saw the pain in Lana's eyes and pulled her closer.

"I'm glad you're back, Lana," he whispered, kissing the top of her head. He didn't know what else to say. "I have a new phone. I'll give you the number. Where are you staying?"

"Deucalion got an apartment for Selene and I. That's his daughter. I just want both of you safe. I don't care about anyone else as long as you and Selene are okay."

"Okay," Isaac smiled. "I'll remember that in case we ever have to fight to the death," he smirked. Lana released a sad chuckle. "We have a lot of catching up to do."

"That we do!" Lana laughed, much more whimsically this time. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," Isaac’s smile grew. Lana beamed at Isaac, who held a hand out to her. She took a hold of his hand as they walked through the woods.

The night had flown by for Isaac and Lana. There were not enough hours in that time between late night and early morning for them to spend together in that moment. After a few hours, Lana glanced at her watch. “Crap, it’s late,” Lana realized. “It’s almost four am, and we have school tomorrow.”

“Hopefully I was worth the lack of sleep,” Isaac gave Lana a small smile. Lana could only laugh.

“Of course you are,” she leaned into him. Lana felt safe with Isaac and was happy that she finally found him and that they were together again. “I’ve been searching for you for months now. It’s about time,” she smirked. Isaac blushed a bit; he was so glad she was in his life again.

“I was just so terrified of hurting you,” he ran his free hand through his hair, “both emotionally and physically.”

“It’s okay,” Lana squeezed his hand. “I get it. It’s been a rough year and a half for both of us.”

Isaac looked over to Lana just as she looked to him. Their eyes met for the millionth time that night. Lana’s eyes flickered to Isaac’s lips briefly during their hold, which was shared by smiles and warm breath. They both wanted to kiss each other but it was clear that they were waiting for the other to make the first move. Lana was ready but wanted to make sure Isaac was ready; Isaac was scared of making her uncomfortable. “Lana,” he whispered, “may I kiss you?” he asked nervously. Lana’s smile grew, giving Isaac a small nod as he leaned in to her and planted his lips on her own. Lana pulled Isaac closer to her, wrapping her arms around his neck, giving him more confidence in their chaste, sweet kiss as her fingers found his curls. She had dreamed about this since she moved away from Beacon Hills a year and a half ago; the night she left, he went to see her one last time and in an insane moment of courage, he had kissed her to say goodbye in fear that he would never get to see her again. This kiss, however, held much more to it. It was everything they had been waiting for with each other. It was Lana’s long search for Isaac and Isaac’s wishing that he knew he could have been there for her still even after his life turned upside-down. Isaac’s hands rested on Lana’s neck and lower back, as they had earlier during their initial embrace. He felt truly at peace for the first time in a long time, as did Lana. They were in complete sync with each other not only physically, but emotionally and mentally. Isaac’s lips felt soft against Lana’s as Isaac tasted her strawberry lip balm. They craved each other, deepening their kiss and holding on to each other even closer. Neither of them wanted the moment to end since they knew this would be difficult. She was with the alphas, after all, while he was with Scott and Derek. But neither of them cared; they were there for each other and relished that in their kiss. They were each other’s first kiss and only kiss, and they were completely okay with that. They wouldn’t have had it any other way. When they pulled away a few moments later, they didn’t speak for a moment. Their noses rested against each other as they both beamed with a light laugh. “I’ve wanted to do that for almost two years now,” Isaac breathed.

“Me too,” Lana bit her bottom lip. Their eyes were sparkling. Isaac kissed her again, the two of them smiling into the kiss. This kiss was more whimsical than their first with a bit more tongue than the last. After they pulled away, they knew they had to say goodbye for the night, but they knew there would be plenty more hellos to follow.