When the Fairy Tale is Shattered, the Nightmare Returns.

"Sean? Valorie? I wasn't expecting you until next week." Uncle Chris' hand clenched on the edge of the door, as if that would keep them from being real.

"Well, plans change. People screw up. Puppies grow up, Chris." her father says, his calm smile never leaves his face. Red listens intently but she can't hear anything. She can't hear anything to indicate that anyone else is home. Her cousin isn't home, unless she's still sleeping but Red doubts it somehow. It's like another sense has kicked in. Apparently, her mother thinks the same thing.

"It's not very polite to leave guests on you doorstep, Chris. We won't intrude while you're alone though. We'll come again another time, for dinner. When Allison is here." Chris visibly pales at Mrs. Lamarck's words. He's a little paranoid, but smart. It wasn't exactly a threat, it was a promise.

Red is a little surprised. They got up early, drove all the way here and now, they're leaving? Well, I guess I could always wake up Stiles early and talk with him.Or I could introduce myself to his dad, the one who's working with my dad. I could bake cookies. She snorts in amusement, her baking. Chris jerks his head down toward her, she's about a head shorter than him, and narrows his eyes in confusion. She just raises a hand in a dismissive gesture.

Her father smiles, but there is a taut set about his mouth none the less. "Valorie is right. We'll come back some other time, Wednesday I think. Around seven." Putting his hands on his wife and daughter's shoulders he turns them away. He pauses mid-stride to call back to Chris, who is still standing stunned in his doorway, as they move down the hall.

"Remember, Chris. We'll be here as long as it takes. You might want to inform your daughter about procedures like this so when the Inquisitor comes Allison won't get caught in the crossfire."

Chris takes quick steps out of his apartment, "She's coming? Why?"

Her father calls for the elevator. "Because, Chris, rules have been broken. And the town is in danger because of these pups. Don't get killed because of this. You've already been excommunicated, isn't that enough?" Without waiting for Chris' answer, Mr. Lamarck guides his wife and daughter into the now opening elevator.

Right before the doors slide together, Red has her sweetest and sunniest smile back on. "Bye, Uncle Chris. See you on Wednesday. We'll bring dessert." The doors slide shut, cutting of Chris' expression of disbelief and growing panic.

Red tips her head back to look at her mother. "So, can I go back to sleep when we get home?"

Her parents smile.
*************************

Red did not get to go back to sleep. The Lamarcks drove home from the Argents, getting McDonald's on the way back because their kitchen wasn't fully unpacked yet. Then, for the next five hours they set up the house.

Pictures were hung, paint samples were examined on every wall, the television was connected( Sean and Red did a dance to celebrate, a dance that Mrs. Lamarck recorded and was planning on using as blackmail). Red set up the study with all its books, Mr. Lamarck organized the kitchen and Mrs. Lamarck set about double checking that the bathrooms and closets were in order. They finished in record time, letting Red have a well deserved moment of peace.

Literally, a moment. Then she smelled the cookies.

No, no. I do not think so!

"Daaaaad..."

"Red. "

"Daaaaaaaaaad!"

"Just do it. Please? For me?"

"Dad."

"We can watch Lethal Weapon instead of The Notebook tonight."
***********************

I can't believe I'm doing this. I really can't. Does this thing really happen in life? Do people ask their neighbors for sugar? Do they have town meetings and supermarket gossip?...Oh, God. I'm almost to the door, kill me now.

Red Lamarck had walked across the street and one house down with a container of snicker doodle, peanut butter and chocolate cookies. She had taken a shower, put on girly-er clothes and been handed a box of homemade cookies. Now, she stood on the Stilinski's front porch, staring at the door in horror. She could normally talk her way through everything but her tongue felt like lead and her mouth was rough and dry as sandpaper.

Red swallowed once, twice. She took a deep breath, then another. Her hand swung up and Red knocked once, twice. For a moment it was silent, then she heard footsteps running jerkily down a stairway. The door swung open to reveal Stiles. A non-dressed Stiles.

"Scott!!! Y-Oh, my god." He said "You're not Scott. Hey, Red. Um, what's hanging."

Raising an eyebrow, Red pointedly looks down to the area that his blue bath towel is covering. His face turns red as he tries to play it off like people see him naked except a towel all the time. It doesn't work. So he makes due with small talk, because he has clearly never heard of asking some one to come back later.

"You look nice. Very pretty." he says, as casually as possible. He takes in her mint green dress that falls to her knee, silver bangles and tiny brown suede boots that barely make it to her ankle. She really does look good, and now nothing is hanging anymore. In panic, he twists away from her and invites her in.

"Come in. I'll be back faster than Barry Allen. That's-"

"The Flash, I know."

"Really? You know superheros? That's-be back in a second." he finishes with a squeak. He dashes for the stairs once he sees what she was starting to notice. When he flees, he doesn't see Red's expression. Nor does he hear what she does after he slams his bedroom door in embarrassment and calls Scott in a panic.

Red falls to her knees, lets the cookies sit on the floor and bursts out laughing. Tears stream from her eyes as she chokes on her glee, trying to make sure Stiles doesn't hear. Taking in calming breaths she manages to stumble back to her feet and compose herself before Stiles comes back to her, flinging himself down the stairs. His conversation with Scott made him feel only marginally better, if at all. It went something like:

"Scott, buddy. Where the hell are you?!"
"Stiles?"
"Dude, I need you here. As in 10 freakin' minutes ago!"
"Ok, ok. What's wrong?"
"I don-Scott-just-God damn it!!"
"Did something happen? I thought everything was fine now? Are you okay, is your dad?! Stiles, what happened?!?"
"Shower. Naked. Knock. Girl. Towel. Cookies. Superheros. And an erection."
"What? Sti-"
"No! Shut up! Get your little werewolf ass over here, NOW!"
"Okay, okay! I'm coming. Try to breath."
"Now, McCall!!"

"So, I'm back." he states with a nervous laugh. He rubs a hand in his hair, making it go crazy. If she wanted a boyfriend Stiles was cute. He was dressed in jeans, black converse and a red and black plaid shirt.

"So you are." Red agrees with a smile. "I brought cookies." She offers them like a piece offering. Stiles doesn't relax but he does stop his glances from darting anywhere but her.

"Thanks. I love Chocolate!" he cries as he examines the cookies "Dad is gonna flip when he sees peanut butter and snicker doodles." He smiles at her widely until he remembers how he was dressed when she first showed up. He quickly starts moving around again, eyes roving his house as though he had never been there before.

"I'm glad. My mom thought it would be a nice thing to do." she says, lying. Her dad might have been doing it to be nice but her mother just wanted her to get closer to Stiles to find out what he knew.

"I'm just going to put these in the kitchen," he says, jerking his thumb over his shoulders past the stairway ", you can make yourself comfortable in here if you want. My friend Scott should be here soon though." He quickly darted off in the direction he pointed. Red sat down on a soft blue sofa. From what she could see of the house it was warm. It was a little untidy, but she wasn't surprised because she knew there wasn't a woman in the house. She'd snooped through files on the Sheriff before coming here and she had found out that his wife had died and he had never even dated again.

But there were reminders of her everywhere. A quilt over a chair, a piano(she doubted that Stiles could play, he probably couldn't sit still long enough) and there were pictures with her in them all over the room. She only had a clear view of one of them from where she was sitting, it was of the three of them during-what looked to be- a picnic. Stiles looked the same but a smaller version in shorts and his dad looked a bit like Stiles but when she saw his mom. Stiles' mom was like a blonde, feminine version of her son. Red couldn't be sure but she was almost positive that they had the same darkened honey eyes.

Red was knocked out of her examination, that had honestly just turned into pure curiosity. Some one was at the door.

"Hold on. I'm coming." Stiles yelled as he sprinted from the kitchen, where Red was guessing that he had been hiding out.

"Scott!"

"Stiles are you okay? What the hell is going on?" another male voice questioned sharply.

"Nothing, I just needed, well come here." Stiles whispered, or attempted to whisper because Red could still hear him.

Red turned her head to see who it was. Her eyes widened slightly. It was Scott, the boy with that smile.

He smiled at her confusedly, with understanding not quite hitting him yet about why Stiles was so freaked out. She seemed fine, she actually seemed better than fine.

"Hi. I'm Scott." he said, stepping into the living room farther. His smile deepened, as if he had heard her heart beat race in excitement when he spoke. Stop being so paranoid, Red. His eyes were a dark, chocolate brown that seemed to be full of some kind of glow. Her mind wasn't functioning correctly and, even though she didn't show it physically, her breath was rapid and shallow. She could barely form her next sentence.

"I'm Red." she said with a smile of her own.

I'm screwed