Winnie sat in the passenger's seat of her own car, resting her head against the cool window. She absently checked a message from Stiles, the brightness causing her to lightly wince.

kara simmons, she's dead. kanima

Winnie closed her eyes, hating that she'd gotten it right.

Driving the Malibu, Isaac glanced over to Winnie. "What is it?"

"No master, but instead we got another dead girl. Kara, the one running the rave," Winnie softly told him as she powered off her phone and set it in her lap. "Right after Jackson escaped he took care of her."

"You know it's not your fault," said Isaac as he split his attention between Winnie and the road.

"I know, I just, I hate that we couldn't stop it." Winnie let go of a soft sigh as the car pulled up outside of the Jones house. "Thank you for driving me, you didn't have to."

"I wanted to." Isaac turned off the car, climbing out as Winnie did. "I'll walk you up."

Winnie held out her hand behind her as Isaac walked around the front of the Malibu. She softly smiled, Isaac wrapping his hand around hers. Quietly, they walked up to the front door of the Jones home.

Isaac spoke up when Winnie let go of him to open the door. "Winnie." He took her waist, bringing her close to him. Resting his forehead against hers, he could hear her heartbeat raise.

Before Winnie could react, Isaac removed the gun from the garter on her thigh and held the semiauto by the barrel.

Winnie closed her eyes, "I can explain." She looked up to Isaac, reaching back and opening the front door. She'd unlocked the system through her phone, knowing Aaron wasn't home. "Come inside, I'll explain."

"Are you going to shoot me?"

"If I was going to shoot you, Isaac, I would've done it any other time you were here without me inviting you in first." Winnie went into the foyer, looking back to the wolf standing just outside. "I'll get you a drink." Leaving it up to him, she backed away from the door and headed towards the kitchen.

As Winnie went to the fridge and opened the doors, behind her there was a soft click of metal.

Leaning with his palms on the counter, Isaac had set the gun on top of the island. "So explain."

Winnie, returning to the spot where she'd left her phone, set two unopen cokes on the island and slid one of them to him. "My father supplies Argent Arms." She undid the garter buckled around her thigh and set the holster on the island. "His company has for ages, even when my grandfather ran it. I only found out recently. The Argents, they think I'm with them."

Isaac's eyebrows furrowed, "Why- why would you do that?"

"So Gerard doesn't kill me." Winnie held eye contact with Isaac for a moment, "They don't know what I can do but Gerard nearly caught me. The library with Erica - he saw the footage. The only lie that would work was that I was involved with the 'family business'. It's the only way to protect myself from the monster."

"So they think you've been spying - getting in good with the supernaturals in town?" asked Isaac.

"Exactly," she replied as she lightly tapped her fingers on the island. "As long as I keep pretending, Gerard doesn't put me on his kill list. They thought I was scouting for them, just like Allison. It's a game, Isaac. I have to play it."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I would have, but you kind of distracted me," Winnie pointed out without a full smile. "So I guess that's sort of on you."

"Ah," Isaac replied with a light laugh, "sure blame it on me."

Winnie leaned on her forearms, smiling. "Hang on," she said, "how did you know about the gun?"

"When I carried you out from the room," he told her.

"You didn't assume I was just happy to see you?" Winnie questioned with a grin. She set down her drink, walking around the island towards Isaac.

"Do you even know how to use this thing?" Isaac asked as she came around to his side.

Winnie picked up the gun, flicking a switch that dropped the magazine of bullets from the weapon. "Yes, I do. My father's adamant on self protection. especially," she set down the two pieces of the gun on the island and angled towards Isaac, "when there are pretty werewolf boys roaming around."

Isaac smiled, slowly leaning in as he slipped a hand along the nape of her neck. He pressed his lips to hers, lifting up his others hand the cradle her face.

Winnie went up on her toes, absently gripping his hoodie at his sides. She kissed him back, feeling relaxed for once.

Both parted quickly as they heard the garage door start to wheel open.

"Oh shit-" Winnie started to take the way they came in, the door knob starting to turn.

Winnie grabbed Isaac's hand, pulling him up the stairs as the front door opened. She pulled Isaac into her room, shutting the white door behind her. "Go out the window," she quietly told him.

"Wait," he pulled on her hand before she could leave. Isaac caught her by the waist, kissing her again.

Winnie pressed her lips to his, smiling as she pulled away. "Be careful."

"You're the one who's got Gerard on your ass," Isaac jokingly retorted.

"They're more on your ass than mine," replied Winnie before quickly kissing him. "Now go."

"Winnie!" Aaron called from below.

Winnie glanced back to Isaac, opening her bedroom door and slipping out into the hall. She came to the top of the staircase, opening her mouth to say something only for it to form into a wide grin. She squealed, running down the stairs and jumping onto her twin brother Pete.

Elizabeth laughed, setting down her suitcase in the foyer, wrapping her daughter in her arms. "Oh, honey, I've missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Mom," Winnie said as she tightly hugged Elizabeth. "I'm so glad to see you."

Aaron, arriving through the kitchen, had discretely put Winnie's gun back together and hid it on his person. "I flew them in a day early to surprise you."

Putting his arm around her, Pete grinned at his sister. "There's another surprise, too."

The front door opened again, Libby and Jake poking their heads in with the biggest grin imaginable.

Winnie screamed, running to the two as they came into the house. She swung an arm around each of them, all three laughing as they hugged.

"I'll order in," said Aaron. "You all can get settled. Join me, Win?"

Winnie let go of Jake and Libby, agreeing to help Aaron. "Um, so my room is the first one to the left. Mom, Dad's room is down the right hall, and there are guest rooms in my hall. Free for all."

Pete and Jake immediately took off, laughing as they shoved each other all the way up the stairs.

"Boys," Libby remarked to Elizabeth as she picked up her duffle bag and heading up the stairs with Mrs. Jones.

Winnie waited until the four new arrivals had disappeared, turning in to the kitchen. "What happened? I didn't see anything," she lied easily. "I left when Allison did."

Whether or not Aaron was actually protecting her, Winnie didn't fully trust her father yet.

Aaron reached into the band of his suit trousers, removing Winnie's gun and holster, handing it over to her. "No luck. Jackson killed again and no master in sight."

"I thought you only supplied weapons." Winnie replaced her garter, her tone less pleased than before.

"I do, Win," said Aaron with slight displeasure. He picked up one of the two cokes, it unopened. Instead of asking why there were two, he opened it and took a drink. "I got info from Chris all night. I was in the surveillance van."

"Anything worth telling?" asked Winnie as she went around the island and picked up her own drink.

"No, only the two wolves went against half of Argent's men, no casualties." Aaron met yest with his daughter. "There was a...mishap. I wasn't given detail, but I knew it's bad news for the wolves."

Winnie narrowed her eyes, leaning on the island. "What is it?"

"It's Victoria," Mr. Jones said, "Allison's mother. She was bitten."

Winnie swore under her breath, "That's - but I thought you said no casualties. What about their code?"

"I didn't have the heart to ask," Aaron told her. "It'll be on their terms, not mine. Which, uh, which also means you should let them tell Allison in their own way."

Winnie lightly nodded her head, not wanting to bare the news that Allison's mother would be dead by the next full moon. "Do they know which one? Which wolf?"

Aaron kept his gaze fixed on his daughter, "I know you seem to have found friends in them, but there comes a line-"

"You can't crucify them so easily, Dad. It's not fair. You yourself said you didn't know the whole story, so don't point out who the villain is so soon."

Mr. Jones' eyes were unreadable, but his mind was not.

"So much for being on my side," Winnie remarked. She set down her drink and walked around to the front of her father. She reached into the pocket of his jacket, she removed her phone from it. "I would say you're unbelievable but unfortunately I'm too used to it."

Winnie left her father, retreating upstairs with white knuckles around her phone. She took a deep breath, having to calm herself before opening her bedroom door.

Both Libby and Jake, to her surprise, waited on Winnie's bed with equally wide grins.

"You two look like you're up to something," Winnie said as she shut the door behind her.

"Oh, no, just curiosity." Libby, with curls going everywhere, held a smirk as she lied on her stomach. "Winnie, dear."

"How come we saw Mr. Cheekbones jumping out your window when we got here?"

Winnie let out a laugh, "God, I missed you guys."