When the Fairy Tale is Shattered, the Nightmare Returns.

"So, what did you want to talk about? Because it's massive, monster pizza day. Like, have you seen those slices. They're huge! And the extra-"

"Stiles." Red growled in annoyance, vaguely reminding Stiles of sourwolf. Except, instead of being tall, dark and brooding like Derek she was small, blonde and bubbly. Derek would hate her, Stiles couldn't help thinking as it brought a faint smile to his face. He'd be the last to admit it, but he missed Derek's, almost daily, threats to his life.

"Yes, Miss Hood?" he asked. Red rolled her eyes at the name.

"So I'm right. You figured it out. You even figured out the nickname. Which is actually, albeit annoyingly, impressive. Less than 24 hours, bravo."

Stiles twitched nervously, laughing in a high, uncomfortable tone. "Figured what out, exactly? The answers to tomorrow's Pre-Calc test? Cause, yeah, I might have snuck a peak. But I didn't have the time to study last week because-"

"The whole, Alpha Pack, thing? Yeah. That would cut into study time." Red said coolly, smirking as Stiles paled slightly, running his tongue over his top lip.

"Why are you here?" he finally blurted out as Red roamed around the Chemistry lab, curiously inspecting jars of various powders and liquids. She stopped next to a beaker full of sodium chloride, her hand out stretched for a chemical stir.

She smiled at him faintly "Ask the right question, Stiles." she laid out a few materials, some liquids, two beakers, a chemical stir, a graduated cylinder and a small object that Stiles couldn't make out.

"What are you planning?" he asked. She just chuckled softly and shook her head.

"Strike two. Come on, Stilinski. You're smarter than this." She filled the cylinder part of the way up, sat it on the table and grabbed one of the beakers and the chemical scoop. Stiles floundered for the right question, racking his brain for anything useful. Red pulled out a plastic jug filled with yellow tinged powder in it from the cabinet under one of the sinks. She measured measured out a small amount into the beaker and put the substance back.

"I don't know!" he cried out, flinging out his hands in exasperation. Red tsked as she walked back to the table and began pouring the water carefully into the powder-filled beaker.

"Think, Stiles. I can't come out right and tell you." she stirred her concoction looking thoughtful. Using the other beaker she poured in two of her 'mystery' liquids and watched them carefully while Stiles all but pulled his hair out in frustration.

He began pacing, going over everything he could think of. Why she was here wasn't important because he already knew, Beacon Hills was just that, a beacon. Whatever hunter sorority she belonged to couldn't be blind when it came to that, they wanted eyes on the inside now that the Argents jumped ship. What she was going to do was pointless to ask about. She was a hunter, one like Mrs. Argent. Ask question later, poison with wolfsbane first. So, what could he ask that he didn't already know?!

By this point, Red had combined the contents of the two beakers and now had the resultant sitting innocently on the table. Or, it looked innocent. Nothing was in Stiles' life anymore. Red watched him in amusement as she cleaned up everything else, leaving no trace that she had been there.

He sat at another desk, head in hands. Going through his mental list of possibilities when he got it.

"Another big bad is coming, isn't it? Except, it isn't a scary monster."

Looking cynical "Not of the supernatural kind, no."

"And the question, the question," he felt his panic rising again, but he fought it down "The question is: How long do we have to get ready? And are you with us or them? It's a two part thing, like an essay question." She smiled at him, pulling the small object out and fiddling with it.

Red tossed her hair as she responded "Five days." she walked to the door, messing with the her little-oh, crap, Stiles realized what it was with a jolt.

A matchbook.

She turned on her heel, as Stiles scrambled back from his seat, putting as much distance as he could between him and the small explosive on the table. It was, ironic, he though. It looked small, innocent but it was deadly if made with the right things and deployed correctly.

"And the second part?" Red purred "My side, Stiles. I'm always on mine." She laughed softly to herself as she lite the match "I never was good at essay questions. To vague. But, that comes with the territory, I guess."

She flicked the match through the air, slipped the door closed behind her and was gone when the beaker exploded. Blue fire shot straight into the air, sending out a foul smelling gel and some small shards of glass to pepper the room. Stiles did the only thing he could.

He ducked.

********************************

"Red." Allison hissed as her cousin sprawled into the next to her, appearing from no where. "Where's Stiles?"

Red rolled her eyes "Where's Scott?"

"He's in line. Getting his and Stiles' food. And, speaking of Stiles, where is he?" Red just laughed and jerked her chin to the doorway. Allison looked over and couldn't help but stifle a laugh, even if she was worried.

Stiles was covered in a yellow slime and looked pretty angry about it. He saw the two girls sitting together and ignoring all others, including the others at the table, he made a beeline straight for Allison.

"Can't you have any normal relatives?! I mean, yeah, they're hot. Even your dad is a handsome man. But normal!? Just one? An uncle we don't know about?"

Red snorted "My dad is far from nor-"

"Shut. Up." Stiles snapped at Red, causing her eyes to widen faintly at the authority in his voice.

"I didn't exactly choose to be related to Red, Stiles." Allison sighed.
The sound of a tray cracking and food falling to the floor, snapped from behind them.

A stunned Scott stood there, mouth gaping for a minute.

"What? You're-you-I-" words failing him, he resorted to something else.

Scott growled low in his throat.

His eyes gleamed a furious and unforgiving red.

One throaty word came from his throat.

"Hunter."