Let the Healing Light Come In

“So, where are we going exactly?” Reese glanced away from the road for a second to catch Jackson’s eyes. He looks okay, which is great. She was pretty worried for a second last night, especially when she was hanging from a tree branch. She may be healed, but there’s still a phantom ache nicking her right kidney.

“TRUs.”

“And why are we going to your sister’s tattoo shop?”

“So I can show you how werewolves get tattoos?” Jackson turned to face her fully at that, and Reese knew she had his undivided attention.

“You can’t get a normal tattoo?”

“No, we can’t.” Sometimes, she thinks that Jackson forgot that he changed species. “Werewolves heal, pretty much instantly, but there is a way to keep the tattoo from healing completely. It’s not a fun experience though.”

“That’s the only reason you asked me to come along?” It’s phrased as a question, but Reese thinks that Jackson already knows the answer.

“Moral support?” At Jackson’s bland look, Reese laughed and got on with it, “You found an anchor.” Jackson turned to look straight ahead, and she could see the muscle in his jaw ticking out a furious beat from the corner of her eye.

“Roman told me to focus, and I did. I don’t see what the big deal is.” He wouldn’t, because apparently his alpha really didn’t have the time to teach him anything.

“Most wolves use a feeling as an anchor. Something that makes them happy, a sense of family, sometimes anger or pain. Whatever keeps them more human than animal. I’m not saying using a person as an anchor is rare, but it’s a very special connection. And Roman is your anchor, isn’t he?” Jackson doesn’t fidget. Maybe it goes against his perfectionist ways, Reese hasn’t really figured that one out yet. He does, however, tense up. To the point that it looks kinda painful.

“His heartbeat is.” Reese hummed lightly in response but didn’t say anything. That’s…wow, that’s a lot to take in. Using a person as an anchor isn’t rare, but a person’s heartbeat? She knows that Pops’ anchor is Ma’s heartbeat, but that’s because they’re married. Oh, this is big. Roman knows that having someone’s heartbeat as an anchor is huge, and she’s starting to wonder how her twin didn’t freak out. Roman doesn’t do relationships, or casual hook-ups, or anything really. Yeah, she’s gonna have to get her twin to sit down so they can have a nice long talk.

“Roman’s a good anchor to have,” Reese said, instead of everything else she was dying to spew out.

“Is he yours?”

“I love my family, but Roman…he’s my other half.” She parked the truck in front of her sister’s shop and smiled over at Jackson. “Now, come on. I was supposed to get this two months ago, and I’d really like to get it over with.”


Something on his shoulder was making his whole body shake, and he opened his bleary eyes. There was a smudge of dark hair and a wide uneven smile. Right, he was at Scott’s house because last night had been the full moon. Hey! He’d lived through an entire full moon night without so much as a scratch! He smacked his lips and smiled, and Scott gave him another shake.

“Alright, already, I’m up! What do you want?” His words were still a little slurred, but give him time.

“I can hear Mom getting ready for a shower. Maybe we could make her breakfast or something?”

“Pancakes?” Scott looked to the side like he was thinking and then furiously started nodding his head.

“Can we put strawberries on them?” Scott’s look was so pleading, and Stiles was reminded of a puppy. It was way too early for dog jokes.

“Sure, buddy, but not until I have some kind of caffeine.” Scott attacked him with what Stiles thinks was supposed to be a hug, and Stiles twisted to toss his friend on the floor. Scott yelped, but Stiles wasn’t worried. Dude was a werewolf after all. How much harm could a little rug burn do?


“That was amazing, Dean. Where’d you learn to cook?” Allison lightly patted her full stomach and licked the last of the syrup from her lips.

“Food network,” Dean replied with a grin.

“I knew you loved that channel.” Sam was smiling over at Dean, who just rolled his eyes as he picked up their plates and carried them away.

“What are we doing today?” Allison looked over at Sam, who was mirroring her own leaned back posture with his hands crossed over his stomach.

“Inventory. I’ve been trying to catalogue everything, but Dean always finds a way to get out of it. I could really use the help.”

“I’m heading out to the grocery store. We’re getting low on everything,” Dean said as he swept back into the room. Allison and Sam shared a look before laughing, and Dean glanced back and forth between them. “What’s so funny? Hey! What are you two laughing at?!”


He was slumped in the passenger seat of the Camaro, watching as the trees blurred by. Derek, surprisingly, had the foresight to pack them some clean clothes so they didn’t track dirt in the car. The peaceful feeling from the full moon was gone, which was a statement that Isaac still had trouble believing. A peaceful full moon? Nothing about his life was peaceful, but it had been a nice lie. He was just sad to see it go. Every minute they were getting closer to Beacon Hills, to confusion and searching and worry and fear (even if neither of them owned up to the last one).

Derek’s hand gripped his shoulder, just for a moment, and Isaac steeled himself for returning to his hometown. Maybe for the next full moon, him and Derek could take Erica and Boyd to the same place they had spent the night running around. The four of them could chase each other throughout the night and then lay together to watch the sun come up. It was a nice image.


“Reese! It’s about time you came back in here! I was starting to think you had chickened out on me.” Mya was standing next to the cash register with a wide smile, and Ben was mopping the floor.

“Me? Chicken out? You got the wrong sister for that insult.”

“Maggie didn’t cry that much when she got hers,” Mya said with a stubborn arm cross. Jackson wasn’t sure how an arm cross could be stubborn, but he still hadn’t completely figured Mya out.

“I thought Maggie wasn’t eighteen yet?” Reese smiled over at him and linked her arm with his.

“At sixteen, all Truccos are allowed to get one tattoo.” Reese tipped her head to the side and moved her hair out of the way, and Jackson looked at the tattooed symbol behind her left ear. Roman had the same tattoo, but his was behind his right ear.

“It’s the Trucco family crest, if you wanna call it that. It means harmony. I think everyone over the age of sixteen has it. For most of the family, it’s all they have. For some reason, only my siblings come back for more,” Mya explained. Jackson had seen Reese’s spine tattoo, along with Roman’s. Now that he was thinking about it, Forrest had the same symbol tattooed on the back of his neck. There was the outline of a wolf and trees covering Forrest’s left bicep, making a half sleeve. Forrest also had a forest scene covering his right arm from wrist to elbow. Kit only had the one; the family symbol on the inside of his right wrist.

“Well, none of us will ever be able to top you, yeah?”

“As a human, it’s a bit easier for me, so you’re excused. Ready to get started?”

“Might as well.” Jackson watched in a bit of a daze as Reese stripped off her shirt and laid down on the table completely naked from the waist up. She was at least laying on her stomach.

“You should warn a guy before you flash him,” Jackson grumbled.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Reese was resting her head on her arms, and she looked at the chair next to her head with a pointed stare. Jackson huffed but took the seat anyway. He was not going to stand around and wait for this to be over.

“You ever think of getting a tattoo, Jackson?” Reese’s voice was just as rough as it always was, and Jackson wondered if she used to sound like Mya. Mya’s voice wasn’t high or breathy, but it was soft. He could see Reese sounding like that, before her throat got burned out. The sound of the tattoo gun started up soon enough, but Reese didn’t even flinch as the needle pierced her flesh.

“Not really. Never saw the point.” Reese nodded her head, and Jackson’s nose started to wrinkle.

“Ah, shit. Sorry, Jackson. Ben! Can you bring Jackson and Ree a mask?!” Mya yelled out. Ben came in a moment later and passed over a mask that would cover his mouth and nose. It was like one of those masks that hospitals gave out during flu season.

“What’s going on?”

“Put the mask on, and I’ll show you.” Jackson did as Mya requested and then leaned over when she crooked her finger. Every time the needle hit Reese’s skin, a small puff of smoke drifted up.

“Wolfsbane?”

“I knew you were smart. The wolfsbane will keep her from healing too soon.” Reese’s skin continued to smoke, and Jackson watched as she slipped a mask over her face. Did getting the tattoo remind her of her throat? When the wolfsbane kept the burned flesh from healing?

Jackson listened as Mya rambled on about the latest celebrity gossip and, when Reese reached her limit on pop culture, the conversation turned to babies. Ben and Mya both talked about the baby’s room and all their plans, and Mya had another appointment coming up soon. The whole time Reese stayed perfectly still, and Jackson watched as the tattoo took shape. It was just words, curving across her back. It started on her left shoulder and stopped at her right hip, like Roman’s wolf. When full the gleaming moon becomes; it started on her left shoulder blade and stopped midway down her back, next to the spine tattoo. Something wicked this way comes; it picked up on the other side of the spine tattoo and curled down to her right hip.

“Now for the fun part,” Reese groaned and turned her head so that her forehead was braced on her arms instead of her cheek. Mya stepped away, and Jackson didn’t miss the way she lightly squeezed her little sister’s ankle. Ben stepped up, and Jackson’s eyes widened at what he was holding.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he snapped out. Ben’s eyes looked apologetic, and he still had a mask covering half his face. Mya stood behind him and lightly gripped his shoulders.

“The wolfsbane slows the healing, but it doesn’t stop it. See? It’s already trying to heal.” The first word was slowly fading, and Jackson grit his teeth when the small blow torch lit up. He could hear Reese’s quiet growls as Ben tracked over the tattoo with the flame, and Mya’s hands tightened on his shoulders. Despite the mask, the smell of burning skin clogged his nose. Jackson’s sure that it’s a smell he’s never going to forget.


“It’s a medical miracle. If we could just discover what’s causing the black fluid...” The doctor was muttering to himself as he left the room, and Chris turned angry eyes to the man lying on the hospital bed.

“You should try smiling, son. This is good news.”

“Give me one reason why I should keep you alive.” He’s pacing the floor now to keep from looking at his cancer-free father. He doesn’t want to see the black ooze that keeps pouring from his nose or staining his lips.

“Because I’m the only family you have left.”

“I have Allison.”

“Do you?” Chris glared at his father one last time before leaving the room. He needs fresh air, and maybe a loaded gun.


“Are you okay?” Reese asked as they pulled up in front of the house. Maybe taking Jackson with her to get a tattoo wasn’t the best idea ever, because he’s looking a little pale. Being a werewolf isn’t all about the perks. The ability to heal is a wonderful thing, except for when you want a tattoo.

“I’m fine. Just tired.” Ah, that does make sense, and he is telling the truth.

“Go get some rest, baby boy.” Reese slowly moved downwards until she was sitting on the front porch steps, and Jackson only hesitated for a moment before moving inside. She sat outside, moving and twisting to stretch her back, for ten minutes before someone else finally walked outside.

“How’d it go?” Roman asked as he sat down on the step behind her. Large hands peeled her shirt up, and she felt his fingers tracing over the words.

“Pretty good. A lot easier than my spine. I don’t know how you handled that monstrosity of yours,” she grumbled. The shirt fell back down, and Reese leaned back into the cradle of her twin’s body. Roman’s hands rested on her stomach, and her hands moved to cover his.

“Just did.” She hummed lightly and just enjoyed being in her brother’s presence. It lasted an entire forty-five seconds.

“So, Jackson…”

“It’s nothing, Ree. I was just there.” Roman’s heartbeat is steady, but that just means that he believes what he’s saying.

“It’s okay, you know. You are allowed to feel something for others.” She felt Roman’s huff against the side of her head and lightly pinched his forearm. Roman doesn’t go out on dates, and he hasn’t been in a relationship since high school. For Roman, a relationship is all about trust and something deeper than lust. He’s a romantic at heart. Also, Roman isn’t much of a people person. The kids in high school wanted Roman for his good looks, but none of them stuck around. Some tried to change him, his personality, but Roman won’t change for anyone. He shouldn’t have to.

“He’s just a kid. One that’s leaving in a month.” Reese sighed and slumped a little more against Roman’s strong body. She’s really gonna miss the kid when he’s gone.

“Wanna go get some sleep? I’m exhausted.” Roman grunted in reply, and Reese laughed when he lifted her up and carried her inside. They reached her room first, and it only took a few minutes for them to get situated on her bed and fall asleep.


“Jackson! Do you miss me?” The childish voice was so sweet, and Jackson blinked around the room he was in. There was a picture hanging on the wall, with a smiling little kid. The plaque under it had Jasmine’s name on it, and Sage’s picture was hanging right next to her. “Do you miss me?”

“Jas!” Her little body was laying on the ground, her white dress stained red. Another body crawled towards her, and the smell instantly started choking him. The body that was slowly covering Jas’s was burning, and Jackson looked down at his hands. There was a Molotov cocktail in his scaled hands, and his poison tipped claws were red. As red as Jas’s dress.

There were so many pictures on the walls...all the pictures from the dossier that Saraleigh made for him. He stumbled back, out of the temple, but he couldn’t get far. Bodies made a circle around the temple, trapping him in. Roman lay right in front of him, and his torso had been ripped open. Like Jackson had dug his claws in and ripped upwards (just like that young hunter, his memory whispered). Derek was standing on the other side, staring at him.

“You’ll always be a snake, Jackson.”

“Do you miss me?”

Jackson woke up coughing, and a heavy palm was lightly rubbing his chest. He sucked in some air, but he could still smell Reese’s skin burning as she covered Jas’s body. He’d killed Jas, ripped her throat out, and then set Reese on fire with a Molotov cocktail. He’d killed them, killed all of them. He’d killed without a master, because Derek was right. He was a snake, and he’d killed them all.

“It’s okay, Jackson. Everyone is safe. You’re safe,” Roman whispered in his ear. Jackson was laying on his side, and Roman was pressed tight against his back. One arm was locked around his middle so a palm could rub over his heart, and Roman had a leg thrown over his to keep him from kicking.

“What the fuck is wrong with me?” Jackson growled to himself.

“Nothing is wrong with you, baby boy. Just get some rest,” he heard Reese whisper. She was in her room, where Roman must’ve just come from since he smelled strongly of grass and coffee.

“Sleep, Jackson.” Roman’s voice was all growl, not unlike his twin’s altered rough voice, and Jackson had to wonder what it was about gravel voices that put him at ease.


Don’t go around tonight/Well, it’s bound to take your life/Theeeer

“Yeah?” She knows that answering the phone while driving isn’t exactly safe, but…werewolf. Even if her superb reflexes fail to save her, she’ll survive a car crash.

“You haven’t changed at all, have you?” The truck didn’t even swerve at her shock, and she glanced around her as she pulled into the police station parking lot.

“Why are you calling me, Ty?” Why would Ty Walker call her now? It’s been two months since he left her, left the pack, and she’s just now getting back into the swing of things.

“Still mad at me, huh?”

“You bet your ass I am! Out of nowhere, Ty. So, why are you calling? It must be important if you’re breaking our six month rule.” When Ty left with only a few days warning (just a few days before May’s full moon), they agreed not to contact each other for at least six months. It was to give them time to adjust without having the other around.

“Something happened last full moon.” At Ty’s serious tone, Reese’s hurt ex-girlfriend self faded into the background. When she next spoke, she was a protector of the pack. A soldier.

“Tell me exactly what happened. From the beginning.”

“Me and another pack member were running in our territory, and we got shot at. It was a plain arrow, so it might not even be anything. My Alpha is visiting another pack and wants to wait before checking it out, but I’ve got a bad feeling about it.”

“I’ll talk to Uncle Sha—”

“No! I don’t want the whole pack involved, not until we know for sure that something’s even going on.”

“So, what is it that you want, exactly?” She heard Ty’s deep sigh over the line and waited.

“Can you come check it out? Just you? It’d only take a few days. If you don’t find anything, then it was just a visit. If you do, we’ll contact my alpha and call Shane.”

“Sure, I’ll come down. I’ll talk to the Sheriff and leave out as soon as I can, on one condition.”

“Anything, Ree.” She bit off a growl at the familiar nickname and squared her shoulders, even though there was no one around to see.

“What was the other pack member’s name?” There was a pause, and she could feel something cold gripping her insides.

“Penny, but—”

“I’ll text you when I’m on the road.” She jabbed the end button and stared down at her phone. She wasn’t going to cry, because she doesn’t have time to be the hurt ex-girlfriend. It might not be anything, but it could be something. The sooner this is over with, the sooner she can go back to telling herself that she’s just fine.


Jackson walked into the house behind Forrest and placed a hand on the back of King’s head, who had his face shoved into Jackson’s neck with his little hands clamped over his ears. Forrest, who was normally a slow moving guy, was eating up the distance between the front door and the kitchen. It wasn’t hard to hear Roman and Reese, who were screaming at each other. It was Thursday, and Reese was supposed to be on the afternoon shift. It was five now, so she should still be at the station with Kit. Roman had the morning shift, so he had been off for two hours.

“You can’t stop me, asshole!” Reese hollered.

“Quit being so fucking stupid! He left you, remember?!” Roman thundered. The untouched plates on the kitchen table shook under the force of his roar.

“I fucking remember! But I’m going!” Reese’s hoarse voice made Jackson think of the sound of waves crashing, like it could sweep you under at any moment.

“Because he asked you to!”

“Yes, because he asked me to! And it’s none of your fucking business!” Jackson tensed as Roman gripped Reese by the throat, but her feet never left the ground even though Roman was clearly resisting the urge to drag her above his head. Instead, his back bowed so that he looked like a dog with his hackles raised. Instead of a yell, his next words were a whispered growl.

“When he breaks you down all over again, don’t come crying to me.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Roman used his hold to push his twin away, and Reese’s back pushed the kitchen table several feet across the floor.

“What’s going on?” Forrest asked. He was still standing in the doorway, and Jackson had to admit that the guy looked completely lost.

“Ask her. I’m going for a run.” Roman managed to slip past them without touching, and Jackson heard the front door slam a few moments later. Reese popped her back and bent down to grab a bag. She slung the strap over her shoulder and fixed her older brother with a hard look.

“I’m going to see Ty. I’ll be back in a few days.” Like her brother before her, Reese moved through the doorway without ever touching either one of them. The front door slammed once again, and Forrest reached up to lightly tug on his sawdust infested hair.

“What just happened?” Jackson felt completely lost, and King was still hiding in his neck.

“From the sounds of it, Reese is going to visit her ex. They broke up about a month before you got here...so a little over two months ago now? They were together for five years, and he only gave a few days warning before leaving the pack. From all the yelling, I believe they separated because Reese wasn’t ready to stop fighting and start a family. Roman was the one who took care of her, and he never really liked Ty to begin with. Don’t worry, they’ll be okay. Sometimes their tempers get the best of them.”

“Bubba?” King’s big brown eyes were watery, and Jackson barely recognized himself as he rubbed the little kid’s back and pressed a kiss into his mohawk. King liked the mohawk, so they kept shaving the sides of his head.

“It’ll be okay, King. Auntie Ree is going to go away for a little while, but she’ll be home soon,” Forrest whispered as he stood in front of Jackson. King had twisted around to look at his daddy, but he still had a deathgrip on Jackson’s shirt.

“Ro?”

“Uncle Ro will be home soon. He just went for a run.” Jackson gently pulled the toddler’s hand away and passed him over to Forrest’s eager arms.

“I’ll go check on him.” The words felt foreign on Jackson’s tongue, but it was the least he could do. Just last night, Roman had pulled him out of a nightmare and stayed with him until well after the sun had rose. The way he saw it, he owed the guy. Forrest looked like he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut as Jackson left the house.

It didn’t take long to find Roman, because the guy hadn’t gone far. He was in what Jackson thought of as Reese’s herb patch, just sitting against a tree and glaring down at his knees. Jackson wasn’t exactly sure what to do, because comforting others wasn’t something that came naturally to him. He was usually the one yelling and insulting, so being on the other side was a bit disorienting. Finally, after a few beats of silence, he walked over to the tree he had leaned against his first official day with the Truccos. The day that Reese explained why his eyes were blue, and why hers was. He slid down to the ground and was thankful that he was sitting beside Roman and not across from him. Talking was going to be hard enough. He didn’t want to have to look into the guy’s eyes too.

“You didn’t have to be an ass to her.” He could feel Roman’s glare on him now, but he didn’t look away from the piece of grass he’d plucked from the ground.

“Yeah, I did.”

“This guy, he really hurt her, right? When he just up and left her because of who she is?” Because that part Jackson understood. Reese was a fighter, and she wasn’t going to change that. Just like how Jackson was an asshole and wasn’t going to change that for anyone.

“Yes.”

“So, she must have a really good reason for going to see the guy. She doesn’t seem like the type to chase pain. A fight, sure, but pain? She has a reason for going to see him; she just didn’t tell you what it was. That’s what has you all pissed off, isn’t it? She wouldn’t tell you why she was going to see him.”

Roman growled deep in his chest as an answer, and Jackson knew he was right.

“She’s a big girl now; she’ll be fine. You better be ready to apologize when she gets back.”

A quiet huff came from the twin, and Jackson rolled his eyes. They were quiet after that, but it was calming instead of tense and angry. Roman was clearly still working through some stuff, and Jackson didn’t have anywhere else to be. He could wait.


Derek could hear Isaac shuffling around behind him, getting antsy, but this was important. Nothing was more important than finding his missing pack members, but it was his duty as an alpha to acknowledge the message staring up at him from his phone. Not for the first time, Derek wondered if he should ask for help. He needed help, even he knew that was obvious, but it was a blow to an alpha’s pride to ask for help.

From Unknown: Alpha Hale, my name is Reese Trucco. My uncle is Alpha Shane Trucco. I will be passing through your territory tonight. If you wish to speak with me, name the place. I should be in town sometime after nine.

As far as text messages go, it was very proper and showed the proper courtesies. As a beta, Derek never had to bother with informing other alphas of his presence. His mother handled everything for them and then Laura had taken over when it was just the two of them. Since being on his own, he had made it a point not to cross into anyone else’s territory. Most packs knew that Beacon Hills was Hale Territory, just like most packs knew that Faywood was Trucco Territory. Out of courtesy, most wolves informed the Trucco pack if they went anywhere near Douglas County. The Trucco pack was that large, not unlike his own had been. But that was before.

“Derek?” He typed out a quick message, shoved the phone back into his pocket, and looked at his remaining beta.

“This way.”