Let the Healing Light Come In

“So, did you hear about Jackson?” Stiles looked up from the book he was reading on Scott’s bed to the floor, where Scott was easily doing push-ups. There was a book between his hands, so that he could read while working out. Show off.

“He’s still a complete douche, but now he’s a werewolf douche instead of a murderous lizard?” Scott’s look was disapproving, but Stiles refused to be moved. He’d already decided. Jackson was a douche, and his time moonlighting as a sleeper agent-lizard hybrid wasn’t going to change his opinion. What was it Derek said? Sometimes the shape that you take reflects the person you are.

“He left.”

“Oh. Is that really safe though? He doesn’t know the first thing about being a werewolf.”

“Derek said he took care of it.”

“You’ll have to excuse me if I’m not comforted by Derek’s taking care of it. Where’d he move to? Like, is he close just in case he needs Derek’s help?” Scott held himself up with one arm so he could flip to the next page and then looked up at Stiles.

“Derek wouldn’t say, but I heard someone telling my mom that they moved to London.” Stiles rolled his eyes, mumbled something about rich pretty boys, and went back to his reading. With that, the conversation was over.


“Would you stop looking at the clock?” Jackson snapped.

“Kit and Ro should’ve been home by now. They both got off at three.” It was now four, but Reese was definitely not worried. Maybe a little bit. The worry was miniscule, at best.

“Then why don’t you just text them and ask them where they are?” Reese peeled her eyes away from the clock that Forrest hung on the wall, a little crookedly, and over to where Jackson was artfully arranged on one of the couches. She says artfully arranged because, let’s face it, he’s pretty.

“I knew you were smart.” Reese could hear him huff as she pulled her phone from a loose pocket, and she quickly sent out a quick message to both of her missing brothers asking where they were. Her phone lit up with a response almost immediately, but not from either one of them.

“What is it?” Jackson might be new, but he’s good at picking up on stuff. Like her accelerating heart rate.

“Uncle Shane wants us at the house now.” Jackson raised a brow in lieu of a question, but Reese just shrugged. Dinnertime wasn’t until six, so why ask them over two hours early? “Come on, Uncle Shane doesn’t like waiting. I think it’s the alpha thing.” Reese’s smile tightened as she took in what she just said. Because she got it now. Her uncle wasn’t asking her to come over early; her Alpha was.


“What, exactly, are we looking for?” Isaac asked as they stood in the woods.

“I don’t know, anything.” Derek’s usual snappish tone sounded a bit down, and Isaac’s hand did not shake as he placed it on his alpha’s shoulder.

“We’ll find them.” Isaac could feel the subtle shift of Derek’s shoulder and knew they were both thinking the same thing. It was just them, and occasionally Peter. Even if they found Boyd and Erica, what then?

“Let’s go.”


Reese knew something was up the minute she stepped inside her uncle’s house. For one, she could tell that everyone was gathered in the basement instead of the den. The den was for family meetings, and there were usually snacks. The basement was for pack meetings and only for the selected pack council. In certain situations, the whole pack isn’t called together. The monthly pack meetings are just a time to come together for the full moon and address anything that might come up. For the big stuff, there’s the Pack Council. From Uncle Shane’s family, it’s just Chance and Maze. Chance is the future Alpha, and there’s always the possibility that something could happen to Chance and make Maze the Alpha instead. Nan is a part of the council, because she’s the matriarch. Aunt Sally is the only one from her line, and she takes careful notes of everything that happens. When he gets older, her oldest son Myles will join them. From Sean’s line, there’s quite a few. Kieran will be Chance’s second (or Maze’s), so he comes. Forrest, Kit, Roman, and Reese are the fighters. A lot of the council meetings end with them going out to help someone, so they’re always included.

“A pack meeting in the middle of an afternoon? And the week’s just getting started,” Reese said as she started down the stairs.

“Thank you for joining us, Reese. You too, Jackson.” Uncle Shane’s smile was tight, and Reese nodded her head in acknowledgement. They don’t really have specific seats, because the large round table takes away the hierarchy (the Camelot jokes were endless). Despite that, they all sit in the same seat every time. Reese always sits between Aunt Sally and Roman, but there’s two seats between them this time. One for Jackson. Reese took the seat next to her aunt and motioned for Jackson to sit between her and Roman. He gracefully sat down in his chair and immediately leaned back with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Oh, so he’s our guest of honor? Shane didn’t mention how pretty he is,” Aunt Sally whispered as she leaned around Reese to get a better look.

“I know, right? Completely caught me off guard too. Jackson, this is—”

“Sally Trucco-Owens, right? Owns a daycare center?” Jackson’s tone sounds like a question, but the smug look on his face suggests otherwise. Aunt Sally’s impossibly blue eyes looked over at her.

“I like him.”

“Jas already called dibs.”

“Of course she did,” Aunt Sally huffed. The door to the basement banged open again, and Reese’s two oldest brothers came shuffling down the stairs. Kieran had a grip on the back of Forrest’s neck and was steering him into the room, and Forrest had a sheepish look on his face.

“Sorry we’re late. This one had his phone turned off and was covered in sawdust.” Kieran pushed Forrest into his seat and then sat down beside him. Everyone was there now. Uncle Shane leaned forward and propped both elbows on the table. Pops, next to him, was leaning back with his arms crossed.

“I realize that I had to call some of you from work, and I apologize, but this could not wait. We have a very important decision to make, and the vote must be unanimous.” Reese watched Jackson’s eyes widen a bit as he started to realize what exactly was going on, and she reached under the table to lightly squeeze his knee.

“What’s happened, Shane?” Nan asked. Uncle Shane’s eyes darted forward, where Roman was sitting.

“Two weeks ago, Mary-Jane Taylor drove off the side of the road. She died on impact, but her three children were still alive when the ambulances arrived. Delilah Taylor passed away last night, and Declan Taylor passed away this morning. They were ten and seven. The youngest child, Kingsley Taylor, is only two years old. Roman, can you list off Kingsley’s injuries?” Reese glanced over at her twin, who was sitting rigid in his chair. She should’ve sat next to him, but she had no idea that the Taylor kids had taken a turn for the worse. It explained the early morning phone call though. She stretched her arm behind Jackson’s chair so she could place a hand on Roman’s shoulder and was relieved to see that Kit was holding onto his other shoulder.

“Both tibias are broken, a broken rib punctured his left lung, and he has a skull fracture. He’s been unresponsive and steadily declining.” Roman’s normally deep voice was all growl, and Reese couldn’t imagine what her brother was going through. Roman hates seeing hurt little kids, and this little kid must be really banged up. Reese knows her twin, he only listed the worst of it. How many cuts and bruises does this little boy have?

“There is no next of kin. Both parents were only children with no extended family to find. The father passed away a year ago, drug overdose. This little boy is alone in the world.” Pops shifted forward in his seat and looked over at his brother.

“You want to bite him.” It wasn’t a question.

“I want to save him, but it’s not up to me alone. I have spoken with Kit and Roman, and we have contacted the appropriate people. We can find a home for the boy. One of us or another family, we’ll decide that later,” Uncle Shane said.

“What did Dr. Morris have to say about all of this?” Aunt Sally asked. Dr. Morris works at the hospital, and he knows all about the things that go bump in the night. He’s a human, but he knows how to spot a supernatural anything. When he sees one, he gives Uncle Shane a call. He’s also an amazing doctor.

“He doesn’t think the boy will last the night, so we have to vote now. Jackson?” Reese could feel Jackson’s back tensing against her arm, since she was still gripping Roman’s shoulder hard enough to bruise a human.

“Do you need me to leave?” Uncle Shane shook his head, and Reese could nearly taste Jackson’s confusion.

“Do you think we should give Kingsley Taylor the bite?”


“Why are you asking me?” Everyone was looking at him, but Jackson refused to look away from Shane’s blue eyes. This is his first official day staying with them, so why is the alpha asking his opinion about anything?

“You are the only bitten wolf in this room, and you are a member of this pack. Temporary as it may be. I know the situations are drastically different, but I would like to hear your opinion on the matter.”

These people, werewolves, are officially nuts. They’re talking about a little kid’s life, and they want his opinion? They don’t know the first thing about him! Are they conveniently forgetting all the people he’s killed? For all they know, he could be the worst person they’ve ever met. They don’t know that he listened to his neighbor beating the shit out of his son on a weekly basis. That he just turned his music up louder and refused to look at Isaac’s blackened eyes. He’s not a nice person, he knows he isn’t. The kid though…the kid is only two years old. He doesn’t have parents, he doesn’t have anyone, and he’s going to die. Jackson will never be the first person cheering on adoption, but he gets it. He doesn’t like it, but he gets it.

“What happens after you bite him? Are you just going to dump him somewhere?” There’s shuffling in the room, and he can hear someone huffing out a tense breath. Right, Alpha. Maybe he’s not supposed to talk to the Alpha like that, but he doesn’t really care.

“He will go to a good home. I can’t command someone in my family to take him, but we will find a place for him. I would never abandon one of my betas.”

“I’ll take him.” There was even more shuffling after that, and Jackson cut his eyes over at Forrest. The guy rubbed a hand over the back of his hair and sawdust sprinkled out. “Don’t look at me like that, guys. You all know that I want kids, so why not start now? I’ll adopt him, raise him as my own. If we decide to bite him.”

“Are you sure, son?” Sean asked. He has the same brown eyes as the majority of his children, which Jackson already knew. Seeing it was different though.

“I’m sure. He’ll be safe with me.” Shane nodded his head and then looked back at Jackson. He really was going to have to answer.

The kid was going to die without the bite. Suddenly, it’s like he’s sitting in the principal’s office with Sheriff Stilinski staring down at him. His response then was that it wasn’t his problem, and neither is this. The Sheriff had looked so disappointed then, but he didn’t care. He didn’t. This isn’t any of his business, so why is the alpha of a giant pack looking at him like it is?

“I think you should bite him. He’ll die without it, right?”

“I agree with Jackson. We can’t let him die, not when we can give him a chance to live.” Jackson looked over at the guy who’d spoken and searched his memory of that damned dossier. Maze Trucco, second oldest son of Shane. He has a son that’s three.

“Does everyone else agree?” There was a chorus of agreement, and that was it. “No one is against it? If you have doubts, speak up now.”

“We all agree,” the oldest Trucco said after a beat of silence.

“So be it. Forrest, Roman, come with me. No one is to speak of this. I’ll give the announcement at dinner tonight.” Shane got to his feet, and Roman and Forrest were quick to follow him.

“Ro.” Roman looked down a little past Jackson to Reese, who still had her arm propped on the back of his chair. Neither twin said anything, and Roman was walking away a moment later. A hand gripped his shoulder, and Jackson turned his head to look at Reese.

“Ready to head back home?” Home…was that Beacon Hills, where he grew up and his actual parents were buried? Or London, where his adoptive parents were to get away from him? Or was it a few miles out in the woods, with a house of strangers that looked at him like he was important?

“Whatever.”


“Alright, up you go, Kit.” Thin fingers patted at her lap, and Kit smiled as he tossed his feet up into Reese’s lap. He’d changed out of his uniform, so he was lounging around in some old jeans and a white v-neck. His feet were completely bare, which made Reese’s job a lot easier.

“How was your day, little sister?” Jackson groaned quietly on the other couch, which Reese was starting to think of as Jackson’s couch since he lays across the entire thing. To be fair, the only other couch in the room has been taken over by Kit and her. Roman has reign over the loveseat, and Forrest has turned the only chair into his throne.

“Not nearly as exciting as yours apparently. And here I thought being on desk duty was going to bore you to death. Speaking of, how’re the ribs?” Kit ran a hand over his left side and didn’t even wince, but Reese knew that her older brother was very skilled at hiding his pain when he wanted to.

“Still tender but healing up nicely. I think it’s all these massages.” Reese looked down at her bare forearms, where the veins had turned black. She ducked her head a bit to catch Kit’s eyes and carefully asked her next question without actually voicing it.

“Can Jackson try?” Kit looked like he was thinking it over for a moment before nodding his head. Reese carefully slipped out from underneath his feet and sat down on the floor close to his hip. “Yo, Jackson! Get your ass over here!”

“Why?” He opened his eyes into small slits, but that was all he needed to send a glare her way. After growing up with Roman’s fierce looks, getting glared at by Jackson is like getting a disapproving look from a kitten.

“Because we’re gonna have a little Werewolf101. Now, get your ass down here.” Reese listened to his footsteps and looked up to see his nose wrinkle in distaste. Like sitting on the floor is going to mess up his perfectly tailored pants or something. Reese patted the floor next to her and tried not to laugh at the distasteful look on Jackson’s face as he silently did as she asked. It was a close thing, but she just managed to hold in the giggles.

“I’m here. Now what?” Reese looked at Kit, who arched his back just enough to pull up his shirt. His left side was mottled with dark bruises, but he didn’t react at all.

“Remember how I said touch can heal? Sometimes, it’s literal. Sometimes, if we want, we can take some of the pain away.” Her touch was so gentle as she slid her palm onto her brother’s ribcage, and she felt what she could only describe as liquid ice sinking into her veins and moving up her arm. It hurt, fucking hell how it hurt, but she’d gladly do whatever she could to take a little of her brother’s pain. Jackson watched as her veins blackened and seemed to thicken, and Reese’s body relaxed even as the muscles in her arm began to lock up. The small crease between Kit’s brows smoothed out, and he was breathing a little deeper. With her free hand, she grabbed Jackson’s closest hand and placed it next to hers.

“How do I—”

“Focus on the injured area, and think of the pain as something you can pick up in your hands. See it sinking into your palm, traveling up your arm.” After a few moments, she heard Jackson’s nearly silent gasp as black lines began twisting up his forearm. His brows were pulled downward, but he wasn’t taking his hand away. “It’s humbling, isn’t it? To help ease someone else’s pain?”

“You’ve done enough now, Reese. There’s no reason to push yourself.” Yes, Reese perfectly remembered that there were consequences to taking too much of someone else’s pain. She let her palm slide off just as gently as it slid on and fought back a smile as Jackson let his hand linger for just a moment longer. She failed.


“This place is amazing!” There were books and artifacts everywhere, and Allison was starting to understand why Dean kept referring to this place as the Batcave. Allison let her fingers gently touch the spines of books that looked older than some things found in museums.

“I was thinking sloppy joes for supper. Good?” Dean asked. Allison nodded her head and shifted the strap on her shoulder.

“Sounds good. Come on, Alli. We’ll get your room set up,” Sam said. He took the bags that Dean had been carrying and started off down a hallway. Not for the first time since seeing this place, Allison wondered just how big it really was. Sam gave her a bit of a tour before opening the door to the room she’d be staying in.

“It’s nice.” It was bare and reminded her of some kind of bomb shelter room. It was cold and impersonal, with a full sized bed and a small dresser.

“I know it’s empty, but we can add some things if you want. Just take a look around and see if there’s anything you want.” Sam had already placed her bags on the floor, and he looked a little uncomfortable.

“Mom said you two traveled more than we did, and it was impossible to get an actual address for you guys. Is it because you wanted to keep this place a secret?”

“We’ve been on the road since…forever. We found this place about two years ago; it’s the longest we’ve ever stayed in one place.” The longest they’d ever stayed in one place. Allison was no stranger to moving around so much, but Dean was pushing thirty with Sam not too far behind him.

“Have you always been hunters?” Sam nodded and lightly thumbed at the doorknob.

“I went to college for a little while, but the life has a way of dragging you back in. You can never unsee things, never not see the signs.”

“So it’s for life then?” She wanted her voice to be strong, but she has a feeling that her older cousin could hear the tremor underneath.

“It doesn’t have to be. You’re still young.”

“Why’d you stay as a hunter?”

“It’s hard to explain. Tomorrow, we’ll go shopping. Get something to brighten the room up a bit.” Allison nodded her head and sunk down onto the bed after Sam walked away.


“JACKSON!” Jackson barely had enough time to brace himself before a small werewolf child was clawing her way up his body. Without any help from him, Jasmine moved up his body so that she could wrap her arms around his shoulders. Her nose smushed against the side of his neck, and she let out a satisfied sigh. Jackson just looked at Reese with eyes that clearly said, “Get her off. Now.”

“Been missing your hubby, Jas?” Reese asked with a shit-eating grin.

“I missed you so much, Jackson!” Wide brown eyes stared at him, clearly waiting.

“I missed you too.” The tiny child broke out in a giant smile, and a high-pitched squeal sounded in his ear.

“You kids have fun now!” Reese walked off as Jas started babbling about everything that happened in the few hours since she last saw him. The faster she talked the more her words bled together until Jackson was just nodding along to a bunch of gibberish. He was standing in a house filled with strange werewolves, with a four year old jabbering at him about snack time. How was this his life again? A large hand grabbed the back of Jas’s shirt and held her up in the air, and Jackson quickly put a name to the guy. It was Kieran, and he had just seen him at that pack meeting thing.

“Put me down, Key! I was talking to my hubband!” Jas exclaimed. Kieran raised a single eyebrow and poked the end of her nose.

“Yeah, Ma told me all about your new husband. As your oldest brother, it’s my duty to get to know him and make sure he’s good enough for you. So, why don’t you go find your sister and the other wonder twins while me and Jackson have a talk, hmm? I promise to bring him back to you.”

“Promise on jelly?” Jelly? What kind of promise was that?

“I promise on grape jelly.” The older man looked so serious, like he was making an oath to a judge.

“Deal.” Kieran opened his fingers, and Jas fell to the ground. She landed on her feet and immediately took off running. Jackson watched her go for a moment before looking up at his housemates’ older brother.

“Jelly?” The question slipped out before he could help it, and the man in front of him smiled.

“Jas and Sage believe it’s the most important thing ever. They take it very seriously.”

“If you say so.” Jackson looked around to see if he could spot anyone he knew, and he did see familiar faces. The dossier really has helped, but he still hasn’t really spoken to hardly anyone here. Jackson looked down and smiled when he noticed Kieran’s shoes. A line from the dossier flashed in his mind about the guy being super smart but lacking in some common sense, like tying shoes. The guy really did wear Velcro sneakers.

“So, Jackson, about earlier…” Kieran slung an arm over his shoulders, and Jackson looked over at him from the corner of his eye.

“What about it?” he snapped.

“You’re smart. Most people would have made a snap decision, but you stopped and actually asked questions instead of blindly trusting your instincts. As wolves, we’re taught to always trust our instincts so sometimes we forget to think things through. You were good in there.” Kieran’s smile was so open that it made Jackson want to take a step back. God, these people were weird. He was actually starting to miss Stilinski. At least he understood that idiot.

“Jackson! Is that Jackson?! I wanna talk to him! Go bug Eliza! Shoo!” Somehow, Kieran’s arm was no longer around his shoulders. Instead, he was being pushed away and laughing. A set of arms wrapped around one of his, and he looked down into big blue eyes.

“Saraleigh.” Her face lit up, and she hugged his arm even tighter.

“You liked the dossier then? It’s really helped?” Snark was Jackson’s defense system, but he couldn’t call it up. Saraleigh looked like her entire life depended on his next few words, and he didn’t want to hurt her. He didn’t want to hurt a stranger that he barely knew and would never see again after his little summer stay.

“Yeah, it really has. Thank you.” She beamed up at him and pressed her cheek against his arm.

“I knew it would. Everyone thought I was crazy for making it, but I wanted you to feel welcome. And you can’t feel that way when you’re overwhelmed by a bunch of strange faces. Oh! How’s the house? Getting along with everyone?” She was pulling him through the house now and babbling away.

“Everything’s been fine.”

“Time to eat.” Jackson couldn’t even see Shane, but he could hear him. Saraleigh pulled him into the dining room, where one giant table was set up. The older kids who could sit on their own were at the end, talking amongst each other. The smaller kids that still needed help were sitting with their parents. Most of the seats were taken, and Reese smiled at him before pointedly looking at the empty seat next to her. He was tempted to sit somewhere else, since she had her twin siblings in her lap, but he didn’t really know anyone else.

“Jackson!” Jas wiggled over into his lap as soon as he sat down, and he decided that resigning himself to it was easier than fighting the little thing.

“Hi, Jackson. My name is Maggie,” the girl beside him said. Maggie, the other witch sibling. A pointed chin dropped onto her shoulder as another girl smiled at him.

“And I’m Malvina.” Her voice was like a purr, and her dark eyes were raking all over him.

“We were going to come meet you today, but Saraleigh asked us to go shopping with her.”

“And Mags has never learned how to say the word no.” Maggie lightly patted Malvina’s cheek, and Malvina nuzzled into the touch. The dossier said that the two were a combo, but they looked more like a couple. That should have been weird, since Malvina was adopted into Maggie’s family, but she’d only been there...what? Four years?

“Jackson is my hubband,” Jas regally informed the two. Malvina’s eyes widened, and Maggie smiled.

“He makes a very handsome husband. Good job, Jas.” The little werewolf leaned back against him, and Reese smothered a laugh with her hand. Roman and Forrest were missing, but it looked like everyone else was here. Shane got to his feet, and Jackson wondered if this was the big speech about what had happened earlier. It was.

As Shane basically repeated what he had said at the pack meeting, Jackson looked down at the little girl in his lap. She had one hand curled around his wrist, and she was giggling quietly with her twin. Jackson had no idea what the two little girls were giggling about, but they looked so carefree. He wondered, just for a moment, was Lydia like this as a child? Demanding and bold, but a lot less jaded? Reese shifted in her seat, and Jackson snapped to attention.

“It might still be too early to tell, but we’re sure that the bite is going to take. For now, he will remain in the hospital. Forrest is going to stay with him. If he begins improving, we’ll bring him home and Forrest will start the process of adopting him. If he begins improving, I’ll need Rita and Maggie to go to the hospital to remove memory of his injuries. Not his presence, just the quick recovery and lack of scarring.”

“Of course,” Rita said as Maggie nodded her head.

“I’ll keep everyone updated. Now, let’s all give a warm welcome to our guest. To Jackson!”

“To Jackson!” Everyone was smiling at him, and Jas stretched until she could pat the top of his head. They were all looking at him, smiling…his chest felt tight, and he forced a smile onto his face. He pushed out a thank-you and started to breathe a little easier once everyone stopped staring at him. Sound exploded then as people started talking and eating, and Jackson witnessed his first ever Trucco family dinner.


“Oh, good, you’re awake.” Reese pushed her way farther into the room and completely ignored Jackson’s annoyed look.

“Didn’t anyone ever teach you how to knock?” Jackson sniped. Reese paused at that, tried not to think of the diamond freckle on Jaylen’s ass, failed, and shrugged instead.

“Werewolf? Other wolves can hear me coming, and I’d know if you were doing anything I don’t want to walk in on.” Well, it was something she paid attention to now anyway.

“What do you want?” Reese smiled, but internally.

“Well, I’m off to work.” Jackson gave her a look that could rival the bitchiest of divas, and Reese was continually impressed at his varied facial expressions. It’s probably because she’s wearing her uniform, which obviously shows that she’s going into work. Still, no reason to be so dramatic. “If you need anything, Roman and Kit are both here. Try to get some sleep, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Yeah, whatever.” On a whim, Reese let her fingers run through his short hair and then pressed a kiss into the mussed mess, like she would do for any of her brothers. She’s starting to think that the kid is love deprived and possibly touch starved. Or is it the other way around? Reese walked out of the room and called out a goodnight to the rest of the house, wishing that she could be burrowed under her blankets. Damn, it was gonna be a long ass night.


His fingers don’t just slash at her throat, they go all the way through. Her spine is nestled between the place where his knuckles usually are, and her wide brown eyes stare at him in confusion and disbelief. She clutches at her neck, but it’s already too late. The music is so loud that no one can hear her last breath, and no one notices as she falls to the ground. It’s over in seconds, just like that. It was all over.

He was sitting in the back of a van, watching as his skin turned into scales. His body was ripping apart, and his bones were shifting under his skin. Was this how Peter felt when he set him on fire? He wanted to scream, but he couldn’t. Those assholes were right, he was a monster. He was a monster, and he was going to kill again. He was going to kill again.

“It’s okay, Jackson. You’re safe here.” His eyes flew open and he struggled to sit up, but a heavy arm was slung across his chest to pin him to the mattress. His head snapped to the side, and Roman angrily glared back. All he was wearing was a pair of loose basketball shorts, and he was pressed against Jackson’s side. The smell of the hospital was stronger than anything but under that Jackson could smell sweat and dark chocolate.

“Why are you here?” Jackson’s voice was hoarse, bordering on Reese-levels.

“Because you need me to be. Now shut up and go to sleep.” Roman shifted so that his palm was flat against his heart, just like the night before. Jackson was stiff for a moment, but he slowly drifted back to sleep. This time, he didn’t dream.


The mattress was comfy and her stomach was full, but it was a little hard to sleep. Sam and Dean had both come to eat with their long sleeved shirts off, so that they were only in their tee shirts, and she realized then that it was the first time she’d ever seen their forearms. They were tanned and strong, and both of them had scars crisscrossing everywhere. Some were small, like little nicks of the skin. Others were long and ragged; a few were even still healing. She had to wonder, what did the rest of their bodies look like? When was the last time she saw her father without a shirt?

She had an idea of how being a hunter could scar the mind, so it made sense that it would scar the body as well. How long before she has scars of her own?


They didn’t talk about it, not exactly, but Isaac understood it. Some might consider sharing a bed with someone sexual, but it wasn’t. It was intimate, sure, but he understood it. He had a need to touch and be touched that had nothing to do with sex; he needed the comfort of contact. Apparently, so did Derek. They shared Derek’s bed even though Isaac had his own room, because it helped them both sleep. Most nights they slept back to back, with their spines aligning and their breathing matching. Some nights, when it all got to be too much, they slept face-to-face so their legs could tangle and arms could wrap around each other.

Tonight, Isaac had his head ducked down under Derek’s chin. The sound of Derek’s heart was loud enough to drown out the noise of everything else, and Isaac passed time by counting the steady beats. He had one arm wrapped around Derek’s back with his fingers touching the triskelion, and his other arm was trapped between their torsos. Derek had one arm curled under his pillow and the other around Isaac’s shoulders, so that he could splay his fingers in the back of Isaac’s hair. Their legs were so tangled together that Isaac couldn’t really tell them apart, and he didn’t really care to. He was warm and safe; he was with his alpha.

On nights like these, Isaac never has nightmares.


“G’night, buddy,” Stiles slurred against his pillow.

“Night, Stiles,” Scott sleepily mumbled back. Both of their parents were on the nightshift, so Scott was staying at Stiles’s house for the night. They were too big to really share Stiles’s bed, but they made it work. They were best friends, they were brothers, so a little skin touching was no big deal. After all the shit that’s happened, this was nothing. If anything, it felt good to know that there was someone there. Someone who would always have your back.

“Uhshlym.” Stiles managed to lift himself up just enough to turn his head and then rocked his shoulder against Scott’s.

“What was that? You’re gonna have to stop eating the pillow if you want me to hear that.” Scott’s head flopped to the side, and a single brown eye cracked open.

“Asylum.”

“Why are we talking about psychiatric hospitals? Do you need to go to one? Wait a minute, are you saying I need to go to one?!” Scott smiled dopily at him and half-shook his head; it was only half because his head didn’t really move but Stiles understood what gesture Scott wanted to make.

“Asylum: a place offering protection and safety; a shelter.” Stiles smiled back, a lot less dopily, and knocked their shoulders together again.

“Anytime. Now go to sleep.”

“’Kay.”