❛ To say you loved me all along and kissed the bruises 'til they're gone. Bittersweet cause I can't breath inside your arms. ❜

SEASON 1, EPISODE 8
night school

THE ALPHA FOUND them again, tailing them into the boiler room downstairs. There were lockers in a small room for the people working to put their things. Scott led the four into the room and stood behind the very last row of lockers, hiding them from the view of the door and the Alpha as it stepped inside.

⠀⠀⠀Scott looked around the corner he stood at, then turned back to them and nodded his head, mouthing 'go.' They all turned in his direction. They moved around the opposite side of the lockers, trying to get to the exit. They wanted to make it out, but the Alpha was in the hall just before the door. The five could hear the creature growling before they passed, and all stood back.

⠀⠀⠀"All right, we have to do something," Stiles told them, turning to the sisters. "Can you do something?"

⠀⠀⠀"We can try," they said simultaneously.

⠀⠀⠀They turned to the Alpha as it stalked behind a corner, and its shadow peeked out to hint at its position. Instead of raising her hands to cast like her sisters had, Willow shoved her hand into Stiles' pocket and pulled out his keys.

⠀⠀⠀"Sorry," Willow told him, throwing them through the open door they stood beside.

⠀⠀⠀The Alpha ran to the door without even recognizing that they all stood outside of the door. Willow and Stiles scrambled forward, slamming the door closed before it realized they weren't inside waiting to be mauled.

⠀⠀⠀"Caelus, tuus virtus cum celamus et ab advorsari defendemus qui velo ad nocemus!"

⠀⠀⠀"That'll last for now, but it won't last for long," Willow told Stiles and Scott. "I put up a force field rather than just a protection spell."

⠀⠀⠀"What does that mean?" Scott asked her.

⠀⠀⠀"It means we need to run."

⠀⠀⠀They were about to leave when Stiles edged towards the door the Alpha sat behind, trying to look inside when Scott pulled him back by the collar.

⠀⠀⠀"What are you doing?!" Scott exclaimed.

⠀⠀⠀"I just wanna get a look at it," Stiles told him innocently.

⠀⠀⠀"Look, it's trapped, okay? It's not gonna get out," Stiles stated, then paused and turned to Willow. "Right?"

⠀⠀⠀"For now."

⠀⠀⠀Stiles smiled, walking over to the open grate covering the viewing hole. He stood on his toes, fingers curling over the edge of the window, and peered inside.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, that's right, we got you—" Stiles began.

⠀⠀⠀"Stiles," Bridgette begged. "Please don't taunt him."

⠀⠀⠀"I'm not scared of this thing," Stiles assured her, looking back at Bridgette then to the werewolf. "I'm not scared of you. Right, 'cause you're in there, and we're out here. You're not going any—"

⠀⠀⠀The Alpha tore the ceiling apart and climbed inside. The flimsy ceiling tiles above them started to bulge under the weight of the werewolf as the five teens stared in shock.

⠀⠀⠀"You really had to taunt him," Willow muttered to Stiles.

⠀⠀⠀The Alpha fell through the tiles, back in the room with them. They all took a second to stare at each other, the five teenagers and the Alpha. Then, the teens turned on their heels and sprinted from the room with the Alpha trailing close behind them.

⠀⠀⠀They made it to the second floor. At some point, the Alpha was no longer behind them, but they were still darting and turning through the halls in an attempt to lose it.

⠀⠀⠀"Wait!" Scott shouted suddenly, skidding to a stop and the four others attempting to stop as he did. "Do you hear that?"

⠀⠀⠀"Hear what?" Stiles asked.

⠀⠀⠀"It sounds like a phone ringing," Scott explained.

⠀⠀⠀"What?"

⠀⠀⠀"I know that ring," Scott groaned, his face falling into despair. "It's Allison's phone. Stiles, give me your phone!"

⠀⠀⠀Stiles handed his phone over to Scott, and he quickly looked through his contacts, finding her and putting the call on speaker.

⠀⠀⠀"Stiles?" Allison answered.

⠀⠀⠀"No, it's me," Scott replied. "Where are you?"

⠀⠀⠀"I'm in the school looking for you," Allison explained like it was nothing. "Why weren't you at my place?"

⠀⠀⠀"Where are you right now?"

⠀⠀⠀"On the first floor."

⠀⠀⠀"Where? Where are you exactly?"

⠀⠀⠀"The swimming pools."

⠀⠀⠀"Get to the lobby. Go now."

⠀⠀⠀The five didn't take a moment to hesitate, sprinting down the stairs and bursting into the lobby. Allison was waiting for them and looked between the five with furrowed brows, obviously confused by all of them and their frantic expressions.

⠀⠀⠀"Why did you come?" Scott asked, rushing to Allison. "What are you doing here?"

⠀⠀⠀"Because you asked me to," Allison explained.

⠀⠀⠀"I asked you to?" Scott asked, confused.

⠀⠀⠀Allison took her phone out of her pocket, opening her texts and showing them the one she had received from Scott.

⠀⠀⠀"Why do I get the feeling you didn't send this message?" Allison asked, trying to laugh through the tension.

⠀⠀⠀"Because I didn't," Scott admitted, not trying to soothe her worries in the slightest, and her face fell.

⠀⠀⠀"Did you drive here?" Stiles asked her, finding their way out without having to look for Derek's corpse.

⠀⠀⠀"Jackson did," Allison responded.

⠀⠀⠀"Jackson's here, too?" Scott asked.

⠀⠀⠀"And Lydia," Allison added. "What's going on? Who sent this text?" Allison's phone began to ring, and she answered it immediately. "Where are you?"

⠀⠀⠀"Finally," Lydia sighed, walking through the door behind Allison and making the group turn to her. "Can we go now?" she asked, looking between the five. "I didn't know the Weird Sisters were also going to be here."

⠀⠀⠀"It's a real party," Laurel sneered, curling her lip at Lydia.

⠀⠀⠀Above them, the tiles began to quake, and the five, already knowing the sign started to move.

⠀⠀⠀"Run!" Scott screamed at the three newbies.

⠀⠀⠀They ran towards the stairs, and halfway up, the Alpha had fallen through the tiles with a residual smack filling the halls. It turned to them and started to follow, sprinting right at their heels. Scott led them into another classroom, flying inside with the others right behind them.

⠀⠀⠀"Help me get this in front of the door!" Scott exclaimed.

⠀⠀⠀Willow looked at the giant windows with Stiles beside her. She let out an annoyed sigh.

⠀⠀⠀"I thought I said less windows," she muttered, and Stiles looked down at her.

⠀⠀⠀Willow began to cast a shield around the room, keeping her spells under her breath. Although they already knew she claimed to be a witch, what could they really think except that she wasn't helping them stack objects in front of the door.

⠀⠀⠀On the other hand, Stiles shouted at the others to try and stop them from getting situated in the room.

⠀⠀⠀Willow finished the spell, forcing it to be stronger than the last time they were in a room with windows. She sat at one of the tables once she finished, beginning to feel exhausted. She also had to include the ceiling tiles, seeing as the Alpha was now using those to its advantage.

⠀⠀⠀Then, she glanced at the three newcomers and wondered how she'd be able to cast a protection spell onto them without them realizing.

⠀⠀⠀"Can somebody please explain to me what's going on because I am freaking out here?" Allison stated, her words coming out a mile a minute. Tears started to prick at her eyes as she turned to her boyfriend. "And I would like to know why."

⠀⠀⠀Scott didn't respond immediately, staring back at her trying to figure out a plausible explanation to her question.

⠀⠀⠀"Scott?" Allison asked him desperately.

⠀⠀⠀Scott walked away from her, struggling to find the words. He wiped his hands down his face, looking away from the three at the door, and shook his head. They waited for his response, but when Stiles realized he couldn't pull himself to respond, he took it upon himself to explain.

⠀⠀⠀"Somebody killed the janitor," Stiles said, his voice cracking.

⠀⠀⠀"What?!" Lydia blurted out, staring wide-eyed at Stiles.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, the janitor's dead."

⠀⠀⠀"What's he talking about?" Allison asked Scott, wanting her boyfriend to reassure her that everything was alright rather than listening to Stiles explain the situation. "Is this a joke?"

⠀⠀⠀"It's not a joke," Laurel assured her.

⠀⠀⠀"What?" Jackson asked, whipping his head to look at her. "Who killed him?"

⠀⠀⠀Willow closed her eyes among the chaos, hoping that maybe she didn't need to physically touch the three to protect them. She took in a deep breath, then let it out and closed her eyes. Behind her eyes was black as Willow pressed her palms into her eyelids. Then, slowly, she could see their auras from her mind's eye and her own as it seeped from her and towards them. It wrapped around the three as it had to the others and coated them in a thin layer of protection.

⠀⠀⠀"No, no, no, no," Lydia whispered. "This was supposed to be over. The mountain lion killed—"

⠀⠀⠀"No!" Jackson shouted at her. "Don't you get it? There wasn't a mountain lion."

⠀⠀⠀"Who was it?" Allison asked. "What does he want? What's happening? Scott!"

⠀⠀⠀"I-I don't know. I-I just—If-If we go out there, he's gonna kill us," Scott concluded.

⠀⠀⠀Willow opened her eyes, turning to look at Scott as she recognized what he said and wondered what he would say next. If he was really going to admit to the three that a werewolf was trying to kill them.

⠀⠀⠀"Us? He's gonna kill us?" Lydia exclaimed.

⠀⠀⠀"Who? Who is it?" Allison asked, begging.

⠀⠀⠀"We don't kn—" Bridgette tried to say, but Scott cut her off.

⠀⠀⠀"It's Derek," Scott explained. "It's Derek Hale."

⠀⠀⠀Willow felt her jaw drop at Scott's false admittance, as did the others who knew the killer's real identity. Willow thought they had gotten somewhere with Derek Hale. Maybe Scott didn't fully trust him but at least where they weren't claiming he murdered people again.

⠀⠀⠀"Derek killed the janitor?" Jackson asked.

⠀⠀⠀"Are you sure?" Allison followed, furrowing her brows.

⠀⠀⠀"I saw him," Scott admitted.

⠀⠀⠀"The mountain li—" Lydia tried to say again.

⠀⠀⠀"No!" Scott interrupted her, becoming agitated by the fact that it seemed no one listened or believed him. "Derek killed them!"

⠀⠀⠀"All of them?" Allison asked.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, starting with his own sister," Scott stated.

⠀⠀⠀"The bus driver?"

⠀⠀⠀"And the guy in the video store," Scott explained, glancing at Jackson and Lydia. "It's been Derek the whole time. He's in here with us, and if we don't get out now, he's going to kill us, too."

⠀⠀⠀"Call the cops," Jackson told Stiles immediately, slapping him across the arm.

⠀⠀⠀"No."

⠀⠀⠀"Wh-What do you mean 'no'?"

⠀⠀⠀"I mean no. You wanna hear it in Spanish? No!" Stiles snapped at him. "Look, Derek killed three people, okay? We don't know what he's armed with."

⠀⠀⠀"Your dad is armed with an entire Sheriff's department!" Jackson exclaimed in disbelief. "Call him!"

⠀⠀⠀"I'm calling," Lydia assured the group, stepping away from them and holding her phone up to her ear.

⠀⠀⠀"No, Lydia, would you just hold on a sec—"

⠀⠀⠀Scott pushed Stiles back before he could rip the phone out of her hand, and they all went quiet as they heard the dial tone before someone picked up.

⠀⠀⠀"Yes, we're at Beacon Hills High School. We're trapped, and we need you to..." Lydia paused, her eyes going wide. "But—" Lydia tried to continue, stumbling over her words. Then, she pulled the phone away from her and stared at it. "She hung up on me."

⠀⠀⠀"The police hung up on you?" Allison asked like Lydia's comment didn't add up.

⠀⠀⠀"She said they got a tip warning them that there are gonna be prank calls about a break-in at the high school," Lydia explained, her throat clogging with tears. "She said if I called again that they're gonna trace it and have me arrested."

⠀⠀⠀"Okay, then call again," Allison hissed at her.

⠀⠀⠀"No," Stiles interrupted them, shaking his head. "They won't trace a cell, and they'll send a car to your house before they send anyone here."

⠀⠀⠀"What the—What-What is this?" Allison asked, beginning to laugh out of sheer terror, brushing back her hair from her face. "Why does Derek wanna kill us? Why is he killing anyone?!"

⠀⠀⠀The room went quiet at Allison's question, unable to answer them, and slowly they all turned to Scott. The sisters and Stiles because he had gotten them wrapped into this lie and the other three because he seemed to hold all the answers.

⠀⠀⠀"Why is everyone looking at me?" Scott snapped.

⠀⠀⠀There was a pause.

⠀⠀⠀"Is he the one that sent her the text?" Lydia blurted out, looking at Scott expectantly.

⠀⠀⠀"No!" Scott exclaimed, quickly backtracking. "I mean, I don't know!"

⠀⠀⠀"Alright, why don't we ease back on the throttle here, yeah?" Stiles asked, putting his hand on Scott's shoulder and leading him away. He nodded his head for the sisters to follow them, and they stood at the back of the class in a small huddle. "Okay, first off, throwing Derek under the bus, nicely done," Stiles told Scott sarcastically.

⠀⠀⠀"I didn't know what to say," Scott admitted. "I had to say something!"

⠀⠀⠀"You could've just said you didn't know who's trying to kill you," Bridgette added with a slight glare. "We came to the school to goof off, we find the janitor dead, whoever killed the janitor is now trying to kill us because we saw his face, easy peasy!"

⠀⠀⠀"Well, it doesn't matter now, right?" Scott asked her. "If he's dead... except, if he's not. Oh, God! I totally just bit her head off."

⠀⠀⠀"And she'll totally get over it," Stiles told him, annoyed that Scott's head was only ever on Allison. "Bigger issues at hand here, like, how do we get out alive?"

⠀⠀⠀"But we are alive! It could've killed us already. It's like it's cornering us or something," Scott explained, worrying his brow as he looked back and forth between Stiles and Allison.

⠀⠀⠀"So what?" Stiles asked him. "He wants us all at the same time?"

⠀⠀⠀"No!" Scott exclaimed. "Derek said it wants revenge."

⠀⠀⠀"Like... Allison's family," Laurel asked, glancing back at the girl staring back at them.

⠀⠀⠀"Maybe that's what the text was about," Stiles added, nodding his head. "Someone had to send it."

⠀⠀⠀"Okay, assheads!" Jackson shouted at them, walking over to them with a scowl. "New plan! Stiles calls his useless dad and tells him to send someone with a gun and decent aim. Are we good with that?"

⠀⠀⠀"He's right!" Scott pressed, pushing Stiles' shoulder to try and get him to recognize that fact. "Tell him the truth if you have to. Just-Just call him."

⠀⠀⠀"I am not watching my dad get eaten alive," Stiles hissed, walking away from Scott.

⠀⠀⠀Jackson stormed up to Stiles, grabbing his shoulder.

⠀⠀⠀"Alright, give me the phone," Jackson said, but before he could take the phone, Stiles punched Jackson forcing him to skid to the other side of the room.

⠀⠀⠀"Jackson!" Lydia screeched, running over to him. "Are you okay? Hey, are you okay?"

⠀⠀⠀"W-What about my parents?" Willow whispered, catching Stiles' wrist. "Maybe they can do something."

⠀⠀⠀Stiles let out a breath, shaking his hand as he raised his phone to his ear.

⠀⠀⠀"Not with them here. It'll raise too many questions," Stiles whispered back with a frown. "Dad, hey, it's me, and it's your voicemail. Look, I need you to call me back, now. Like, right now! We're at the school. Dad, we're at the school!"

⠀⠀⠀The doors began to shake, the Alpha on the other side of the door. Willow could feel the shield disintegrating with the more force the Alpha put into it.

⠀⠀⠀"I can't hold it for long," Willow whispered to Scott and Stiles.

⠀⠀⠀"The kitchen," Stiles called to the other. "The door out of the kitchen leads to the stairwell."

⠀⠀⠀"Which only goes up," Scott retorted.

⠀⠀⠀"Up is better than here."

⠀⠀⠀Everyone seemed to be on the same page as they rushed toward the back. Willow was the last one, Stiles turning back when she stopped.

⠀⠀⠀"I have to lower it before we leave," she explained to him.

⠀⠀⠀Willow could see the Alpha peering into the room from the window, catching her eye with its menacing red one, waiting for her to release her hold like it knew she would. She raised her hands towards the ceiling and dragged her hands down. The energy fell with her fingers.

⠀⠀⠀When she finished, the door shook even louder, the screws holding it together out of place, and the Alpha was nearly inside.

⠀⠀⠀"Let's go!" Willow screamed, pressing her hands into Stiles' back and pushing him up the stairs.

THE GROUP RAN into a classroom, pausing just inside as the Alpha passed the door, listening for them, waiting for one of them to make the wrong move, but they all stayed quiet until he passed.

⠀⠀⠀"Jackson," Scott whispered once they were in the clear. "How many people can fit in your car?"

⠀⠀⠀"Five," Jackson told him, looking between the group and noting that eight people stood in the room with them. "If someone squeezes on someone's lap."

⠀⠀⠀"Five?" Allison hissed at him. "I barely fit in the back."

⠀⠀⠀"It doesn't matter," Stiles told them, shaking his head. "There's no getting out without drawing its attention."

⠀⠀⠀"What about this?" Scott asked, running over to the door. "This leads to the roof. We can go down the fire escape to the parking lot in, like, seconds."

⠀⠀⠀"That's a deadbolt," Stiles told him, pointing at the lock.

⠀⠀⠀"And we have three witches here to help us," Scott retorted.

⠀⠀⠀"No," Stiles told him sternly. "There are three people over there, watching our every move. They'll know something's up if they use their powers."

⠀⠀⠀Scott sighed, then turned to look at Stiles.

⠀⠀⠀"The janitor has a key."

⠀⠀⠀"You mean his body has it."

⠀⠀⠀"I can get it. I can find him by scent, by blood," Scott whispered.

⠀⠀⠀"Well, gee, that sounds like an incredibly terrible idea," Stiles retorted. "What else you got?"

⠀⠀⠀Scott walked past him and to the others.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm getting the key," he told the group.

⠀⠀⠀"Are you serious?" Allison asked him.

⠀⠀⠀"Well, it's the best plan I've got," Scott shrugged. "Someone has to get the key if we wanna get out of here."

⠀⠀⠀"You can't go out there unarmed," Allison said.

⠀⠀⠀"I'll go with you," Laurel interrupted, looking at Scott, and he nodded.

⠀⠀⠀"What?" Jackson exclaimed, the room turning to him with a raised eyebrow at the strange hint of concern in his voice. "You're going to let a girl get murdered for you, McCall?"

⠀⠀⠀Neither of them answered.

⠀⠀⠀"There's gotta be something else," Stiles said.

⠀⠀⠀"There is," Lydia assured them, glancing at the cabinet at the front of the classroom full of chemicals.

⠀⠀⠀"What are we gonna do?" Stiles asked, turning back to look at her. "Throw acid on him?"

⠀⠀⠀"No," Lydia told him like he were stupid. "Like a firebomb. In there is everything you need to make a self-igniting molotov cocktail."

⠀⠀⠀"Self-igniting—"

⠀⠀⠀"Molotov cocktail," she finished for him. She glanced around at the stares she was getting back and shrugged. "What? I read it somewhere."

⠀⠀⠀"We don't have a key for that either," Stiles commented.

⠀⠀⠀Jackson looked between the group then slammed his elbow into the glass, shattering it. Lydia walked over, pulled out the chemicals she needed, and set them on the table.

⠀⠀⠀As Lydia made her cocktail, Willow only focused on the fact that she felt like absolute shit. Her body felt drained, weak and the room started to spin around her. She felt sick, and the words people were saying were beginning to sound more like the parents in a Charlie Brown special. She turned to find Stiles watching Lydia make the cocktail.

⠀⠀⠀"Stiles," she whispered, getting his attention. "I don't feel so good."

⠀⠀⠀Then, the spinning stopped, black dots filled her vision, and she lost all balance, falling over.

THE ROOM WENT dead silent as they watched Willow follow over and Stiles catch her. He looked at her and then the others with wide eyes. Still, no one moved. Rather than holding her in his arms, Stiles moved to sit on the ground, her head in his lap.

⠀⠀⠀Bridgette and Laurel were the first to break from their shock, rushing over.

⠀⠀⠀"What happened?" he asked, looking between the two witches.

⠀⠀⠀"She's drained her energy," Laurel explained in a whisper, running her hand over Willow's face. "She's spread herself too thin."

⠀⠀⠀"Laurel," Scott called at the door. "We have to move if we want to get her out of here."

⠀⠀⠀Laurel turned to him and nodded.

⠀⠀⠀"Watch her," Laurel told Bridgette.

⠀⠀⠀Scott and Laurel left the room, Allison locking the door behind them and then, all they could do was wait.

⠀⠀⠀Stiles kept his eyes trained on Willow, a strange clench in his chest as he stared at her. Willow had turned pale, her skin had a thin sheen of sweat, and her lips were moving slightly. Stiles leaned down to hear what she was saying, but the words were unrecognizable, and he looked to Bridgette.

⠀⠀⠀"She's trying to keep the spells up," Bridgette explained. "Even unconscious."

⠀⠀⠀Stiles' eyes softened as he leaned back up, brushing his hand over her forehead. The sweat wetted her skin and her hairline.

⠀⠀⠀The room was quiet as they waited until Jackson started screaming like the Alpha had burst in and started gutting him. The two looked up from Willow, seeing Jackson hunched over in pain with Lydia and Allison fretting over him.

⠀⠀⠀Bridgette looked to Stiles, who nodded, and she stood to her face, circling Jackson along with the other girls.

⠀⠀⠀"No, I'm fine," Jackson assured them. "Like, seriously, I'm okay."

⠀⠀⠀"That didn't sound okay at all," Allison told him with a deep frown.

⠀⠀⠀Stiles watched Bridgette as she stood on her toes, looking at the back of Jackson's neck in curiosity.

⠀⠀⠀"What happened to your neck?" she asked him.

⠀⠀⠀"I said I'm fine," Jackson snapped at her, turning to glare at Bridgette standing behind him.

⠀⠀⠀"It's been there for days," Lydia told Bridgette with an annoyed smile directed at Jackson. "He won't tell me what happened."

⠀⠀⠀"As if you actually care," Jackson spat back at her.

⠀⠀⠀Lydia clamped her mouth closed, looking away. Bridgette turned to look at Stiles, raising an eyebrow. He was also confused by Jackson's odd behavior but shrugged. They couldn't worry about it now.

⠀⠀⠀"Where's Scott?" Allison muttered, dismissing Jackson and pacing again in worry. She pushed her hair out of her face and continued, "He should be back by now."

⠀⠀⠀The door to the classroom made a soft tick noise as Scott stood at the door, his face distorted in the glass. Allison ran for it, slamming her hands against the door when she saw him, rattling the handle in an attempt to open it. Stiles stayed where he was with Willow. If Scott locked that door, then he believed he was trying to protect them.

⠀⠀⠀Allison kept screaming and pleading with the image behind the door, but Lydia cut her off.

⠀⠀⠀"Stop. Stop!" Lydia shouted. "Do you hear that? Listen!"

⠀⠀⠀Sirens filled the room, the four still standing rushing across to see police cars pulling in. Stiles sighed, not sure if he was relieved or hoping that they would never come. He leaned over, pressing his head against Willow's.

⠀⠀⠀"Stiles," she muttered suddenly, trying to pull her head away from his. "Why are you so close to me?"

⠀⠀⠀Stiles laughed, pulling away from her for a second to look at her face. He laughed a second time, gathering her into his arms and holding her tight against his chest.

⠀⠀⠀"We're okay," he whispered into her ear. "We're safe."

"YOU THREE ARE grounded! No rituals, no friends, and no dates!" Starla exclaimed, standing with the sisters around the ambulance Willow was sitting in the back of. "What did I tell you three about getting involved in this stuff?"

⠀⠀⠀"Don't go in the woods," Willow answered. "We didn't. We went to the school."

⠀⠀⠀"Willow," Starla hissed sharply, turning to look at her. Her gaze was fiery and more terrifying than when Willow locked eyes with the Alpha. "I don't want to hear it right now!"

⠀⠀⠀"We're sorry, mom," Laurel said quickly, folding her hands in front of herself.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm surprised, Laurel," Starla said with a frown, turning to look at her eldest daughter. "I expected this from Bridgette, maybe even Willow, but you? You're usually more responsible than this."

⠀⠀⠀Laurel let out a shaky breath at her mom's comment, blinking a few times too many to keep the tears from coming.

⠀⠀⠀"They were going to die," Laurel said softly, trying to keep her composure, but if it wasn't just like a mom to hit that nerve to break you down. "I couldn't just know that and do nothing."

⠀⠀⠀Starla sighed, shaking her head.

⠀⠀⠀"I know that, sweetie," Starla said, her voice coming back to its usual concern. "I know. I'm just—You three could have died. What would I have done then?"

⠀⠀⠀"You could adopt three more witch kids to replace us," Willow tried to joke, a strained smile on her face.

⠀⠀⠀Starla pinched the bridge of her nose.

⠀⠀⠀"Willow."

⠀⠀⠀"Right, sorry," Willow muttered, ducking her head.

⠀⠀⠀"Hello, ma'am," the EMT greeted. "We just want to do one more look over her, and then she'll be free to go."

⠀⠀⠀Starla nodded, "Okay, thank you. Come on, girls."

⠀⠀⠀The three walked away, and the EMT checked over Willow's vitals one more time. He shined the light in her eyes to test her pupils for a concussion, checked her blood pressure, asked a few questions like 'Who's the President?', 'What day is it?', 'What year it is?' to make sure she didn't have any memory lapses, and when she passed them all, he assured her she was free to go.

⠀⠀⠀Willow got out of the ambulance, stepped down with the security blanket wrapped around her still, and started to walk toward her mom's car when Stiles came skidding in front of her.

⠀⠀⠀"Hey, are you alright?" he asked her, panting.

⠀⠀⠀Willow hugged him tightly. She didn't worry about their status as exes. Willow didn't care that they were supposed to dislike each other. She was just happy he was safe and that they were both alright.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm okay," she assured him, his hands going to her back, and he held her tighter. "Thank you for catching me."

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, n-no problem. No problem at all," Stiles said nervously, running his hand over his. "Um, thank you for keeping us safe. Bridgette said you even did it when you were unconscious, so... thanks."

⠀⠀⠀Willow nodded, not sure what else to say and not wanting to pull away.

⠀⠀⠀"This doesn't mean anything," she muttered.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, yeah, of course," Stiles replied.

⠀⠀⠀Willow smiled, finally pulling away, and looked up at Stiles, who smiled back.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm going to sleep for a year, I think," Willow told him. "See you after that?"

⠀⠀⠀"Y-Yeah," Stiles nodded. "I'll see you after that."

⠀⠀⠀Willow smiled once more, then turned on her heel and continued to walk toward her mom's car.

AUTHOR'S NOTE —

Okay, we're really true in the good times of this fic. Lunatic is up next and there's some fun Scott and Willow interactions there ;), then there's Wolf's Bane which is just juicy and something introduced in the beginning of the book ends up coming back and FORMALITY hee hee. I wonder who Willow is going to go with to the formal... I don't know.

SONG: The Cut That Always Bleeds by Conan Gray

Thank you for reading! Leave comments telling me your thoughts on this chapter, but however you interact, know that I really appreciate you reading. I hope you enjoy, and until the next one.