A little over a year ago...

Laura Hale was happy to be back in Beacon Hills, back home. Around eight years and while the town had gone through some structural and rural changes, it still smelled and felt the same to her senses. She moved to unload her things at the local motel. She went through her bag and pulled out the image of the deer with the sign of vendetta carved into it. As she pulled it out, she saw the drawing of the S.S. Mischief. She smiled at it before she stuck in her pocketbook and then moved to head out.

She drove the rental car she got up to a certain house. She had checked and found the address online as she found that around six years later Beacon Hills still had Noah Stilinski as its Sheriff. She saw a blue colored jeep parked out front and saw that there was a teenager spraying it clean. She had a flash of memory of the boy who handed her the drawing at the station and could see him in this teenager. It was Stiles. He had grown tall, had very short hair and was gangly looking, dressed in simple jeans and a T-shirt underneath an open flannel button shirt. It was close to noon and she remembered that it was Winter Break so school was out which explained why he was home now instead of school on a Friday. She felt out and saw that he was home alone which meant his father, the Sheriff, must be out working. Stiles was humming to himself as he cleaned what was clearly his car.

"Roscoe," she heard him say as he was spraying the headlights with a hose. "You'll be spic and span and shining like new in no time. Everyone at school is going to love you," he said optimistically. "And if they don't, it's only because their jealous."

Laura raised her eyes at that one as she gave the jeep a good hard look. The Jeep was clearly old and didn't seem like much at all, most likely a hand me down. Not the kind of car that most teenagers would be happy with but he clearly cared and appreciated it like it was priceless. And, while some do go and give their cars a name, Roscoe? Really? Still, Laura couldn't help the smile starting to sneak up on her. She was happy see the boy she pegged all those years ago. She wondered about the other.

She drove away so she didn't see him stop and look at the spot that she had vacated for a moment before he shrugged and went back to cleaning his Jeep.

The very next place she went to was her home. All this time and the wreck still made the pain of losing her family hit her as fresh as the night it happened. Her once beautiful home just a burnt out husk of what it used to be and represent.

"Darla, James," she mumbled thinking of her cousin and her husband. Then their three children. "Tyler, Angela, Dylan," she sighed as their three young innocent faces popped up. Tyler and Dylan were human boys that should be in high school right now and Moira, Laura would never get the chance to go off and teach her the tricks of the trade like she had promised the little girl. Her precious cousins. "Ray, Janice," she then muttered as thoughts turned to her fellow beta and his wife who never got the chance to start a family of their own. "Stephanie." Her fellow beta whose articles she always read in the paper. "Craig. Billy," she uttered as she remembered her last fellow beta Craig and his little human brother. The names of all those who were lost that night. Then her mind fell on the last two. "Cora," as she shed a tear as she remembered her little sister's smiling face looking up at her with those dark but bright eyes every time they saw each other. And finally, the last person whose lost hit her the most. "Mom," she gasped. "I'm sorry that I've been away for so long. I couldn't stay, not after what had happened. I hope you can understand but I couldn't be what I was supposed to be. I wasn't ready. But...I'm ready now. I'll be the Alpha that you believed I could be. That Beacon Hills needs to be. I'm home."

She wanted to move closer and give the inside a look but stopped before she stepped on the porch. She was picking up a scent. It smelled like...a werewolf. And, the scent had been here recently, and more than one time. Someone had been coming to her family's house. She had to know who it was.

So, she headed off for the Animal Clinic. Whoever this was must tie in to the mark of vendetta appearing in town, maybe even be the one behind it, and if anyone had any sort of answers it would be Alan Deaton. She went to the clinic to see that it looked just like she remembered. It hadn't changed. She walked in and the door chimed to announce it. She could already hear some dogs barking along with some cats purring under their breath. Laura then heard someone approaching from the back.

"Hello, what can we do for you?"

Laura froze. It was a boy, but not just any boy. It was Stiles' friend. She remembered, his name was Scott. The other boy that she noticed and felt might be good to recruit to her pack one day. What was he doing here?

"Uh,"

Scott narrowed his eyes a bit at her. "Is there something wrong?" he asked her.

"Scott," said Deaton from behind as he came in. His eyes widened at the sight of her. "Oh, hello."

Laura waved. "Hi."

Deaton then turned to the boy. "Scott, I just remembered that I had a meeting scheduled early this afternoon. We'll be in my office. Could you finish with grooming Cecil and check that the others all have clean water?"

"Yeah, sure," the kid told him.

Deaton took Laura to her office and closed the door behind him as she moved to sit in a chair.

"Laura, it's good to see you," he said as he moved to sit in his own chair.

"You too Alan. You look great."

He smiled. "You've grown nicely." He looked her up and down. "You're nearly the spitting image of your mother."

"Thank you."

"When did you get back?"

"Early this morning."

"For a visit?"

She then leaned back into her chair. "No, not exactly. I'm coming back to Beacon Hills, well, taking it back actually. When I left, I was just a wounded kid, fresh out of high school and had a little brother to look after. I wasn't ready to be the Alpha for this town. But now...I am."

He leaned back himself. "And what kind of Alpha do you think you'll be?"

"Hopefully, one that my mother would've been proud of and future betas will be thankful for. An Alpha who follows the same code that kept our family and this town safe through the years. 'We're predators but we don't have to be killers. But we'll bear our teeth and claws on those that dare to prey on our pack and home." She recited the same full code that her mother told her the night before that fateful day. She saw Deaton was stuck in a daze as he looked at her and when she narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Something wrong?"

He blinked and settled himself. "No, it's just...for a moment, I thought I saw Talia in front of me. I'd say you're off to a good start already."

Laura brought her gaze down as she felt a sudden rush of emotion but she rose her head as she tried to stay on task. "Thank you Alan. You always seem to know just what to do or say and that's why I would like it if you became the emissary for my pack."

But Deaton shook his head. "Oh, I'm afraid that I've retired from that sort of work."

Laura rose her eyebrow disbelievingly. "Really? Then how do you explain the assistant you have working here?"

He shrugged. "Scott's a good kid and he loves working here."

She nodded. "Right, and I'm sure that me asking you to keep an eye on him and his friend Stiles before I left over six years ago had no part to play in you offering him a job since you never had one before."

He was silent for a moment before he cleared his throat. "Perhaps," he admitted. "He had a dog that he lost three years ago and offered him a job as a way to help him. I thought it both a good way to help as well as watch over him and his friend without anyone being the wiser about it."

"Well, I'd like to hear about how they've been doing all this time. And," She reached and pulled out the image of the deer with the mark carved into it. "Even talk about some other things as well."

It was over a half hour later when Laura finally left the room, she caught a glimpse of Scott in the next room. He had a bright smile on his face as helped a small puppy dog into a cage and was calmly petting its stomach. 

He was make soothing shushing sounds to him that seemed to make the dog fidgeting settle every passing second. Her face softened at the sight. Scott was a gentle soul. As he moved to check with the other ones, she could sense that he did enjoy working with the animals and seemed to have little problem getting them to cooperate for him.

He then noticed him staring. "Is everything alright?"

Laura guessed that Scott didn't seem to remember her. Well, honestly she shouldn't be surprised. He was only around nine when they last met and their meetings back then were brief. "Oh, yeah," she said shaking out of her stupor. "Everything's fine." She approached him. "Wow, these guys seem to like you."

He smiled. "Well, I like them so it works out fine on both ends," he said with a bit of a laugh. "Did everything work out okay with you and Mr. Deaton."

"Yeah. Everything went okay." Laura gave the cat he was currently petting a small content look. "It's Scott, right?"

"Yeah."

"Scott, if I remember right, school starts back up on Monday."

Scott's smile got wider. "Yeah, two days away."

Laura rose her eye at him at how eager that sounded. "You're actually happy about that?"

"Well, lacrosse tryouts start and I'm hoping to finally make first line. I've been practicing hard since the summer with my best friend to try and get in. I'm excited to see if I actually make it this year."

Lacrosse? That was new. Guess basketball wasn't the big sport around here anymore. Laura then caught something in what he had said. "You and your best friend?"

"Yeah. His name's Stiles. He's been trying to help me learn to try and play through my asthma. He's going to be trying out with me too. We got on the team last year but were on the bench the whole time, but not this time. I'm making it this year."

Laura felt his excitement and anticipation. "You really like lacrosse then."

"It's the best," He beamed. "And if I make it, maybe it'll help me get more noticed around school."

"You want to be popular?"

He smiled as he went to empty a small water bowl and refill it with clean water. "Well, yeah."

"What about your friend?"

"Stiles? Well, he doesn't really think we'll be off the bench this year like before. But since I, maybe, might possibly and conceivable actually have more than slim chance, that's more than enough for him to help me try to make it."

Laura rose her eyebrows at that. "What?"

"His actual words."

"Really?" He nodded. "And what about your other friends?"

"Ahh, it's just us."

"Oh. What about girlfriends? You look like a guy the girls can't help but notice."

He ducked his head. "No, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed this year. They always notice and love the lacrosse players."

"Oh, well good luck then. Maybe I'll catch a game at the school and if I do, I hope to see you and maybe your friend out there." She then started to back away. "I probably should get going."

"Okay, come and see us again," he happily called out after her.

She went back to her motel room and just laid out in her bed, staring at the ceiling. Seeing both the boys again on her first day back, feeling what she felt about each of them and from what Deaton said, it seemed that things were falling too good into place. It was almost like a sign, fate. Her instincts led her to those boys and her mother always told her to go with her instincts, if she felt strong enough about them. What were her instincts telling her right now?

With Scott. He kind of reminded him of Derek at that age though much happier and optimistic. Deaton told her that Scott was a good and hopeful kid who felt at home with the injured and sick as he grew up on waiting on his mother with after school shifts at the hospital before he had been offered a job at the clinic when he started junior high. Scott seemed to like to reach out to others, influenced by his nurse mother and working with Deaton. A boy with his level of heart could possibly help reach just about anyone given how those animals were ready to trust and submit to him. Scott seemed to fall under being a "lover" over a "fighter". He had the potential to be a very caring and dependable presence in a pack, not to mention would help him pull away from the limits that his asthma was setting for him. It looked like he had natural strength but his ailment was keeping him from truly using it. Without it, and with the extra benefits that came with being a werewolf, he could go far both on a personal level and interacting level. And be a good addition for the pack that she wanted to build.

Though, maybe turning him now wouldn't be the smart move. He was a kid and wanted what all kids wanted. Talking with him, she saw that Scott seemed content in concentrating on the hopes and the worries for boys his age. Making first line on the school team, wanting to be popular, have a girlfriend. He could do with having a bit more world experiences to develop his outlook of life. Scott sounded naively innocent in more ways than one and perhaps a little too immature. It seemed to look like he was somewhat ignorant when it came to the darker and harsher side of things. Deaton mentioned that his parents went and got divorced but he seemed adjusted to it so well, it might not have had that much of an imprint in his life. The bite was all about change, and it was a drastic one to his whole life. It would pull him away from things that usually fell under 'normal'. And given his current drive to be popular he might decide to try and use it to help get some attention which is something that werewolves shouldn't do. The sudden demands and changes might also make him come to be resentful of this life and could turn him as bitter as Derek seemed to have been turning after Paige. Laura wasn't changing her mind about Scott. She just felt that, first, a bit more growing up couldn't hurt the kid. Experience things like burden, disappointment, and heartbreak to help build empathy, wisdom and inner strength. She'd keep her eyes on him and, in a year or two, she would approach him with the offer of the bite, after he had time to grow out of this phase to have the stereotypical ideal high school experience. Even so, she wasn't sure he'd accept but she would be hopeful because she had a feeling that he could potentially be great.

And there's Stiles. Deaton mentioned that he had ADHD and often came out as weird, awkward or annoying to his peers. Yet, he was a bright and intelligent mind and often tried to think his way out of trouble which would be quite the asset. His ADHD already gave him practice with mental control which could mean that he might be able to handle his shifts easier than most bitten werewolves. The bite would help cure him of his wandering focus and help him be sharp as well as strong. From what she saw of him today, he wasn't much in the area of physical strength. And from what Scott had told her of being on the bench, possibly not very coordinated. But, he was young and he could very well be trained and nurtured to overcome all that. It also sounded like he didn't really crave much attention and kept to himself. The only person that Deaton ever seen him really talk and be with was Scott, but he told her that they had a bond as close as brothers. To Laura, that said he was a little socially awkward, but that too could be worked on and nurtured when he was brought into a pack and would be loyal to its members. And it could be a plus as he would try not to draw too much attention to himself. His connection as the Sheriff's son was also a plus as it could provide easy inside information for any situation that could pop up. Maybe even help with unraveling the mystery behind the mark of vendetta appearing.

But, unlike Scott, perhaps Stiles was able to be turned now. From what Deaton shared with her, he might be ready for all of this. Laura learned that Stiles was getting known for being a bit of a troublemaker. More than once he snuck around and went places that he shouldn't, often dragging Scott along, though talked his way out of it when they'd been caught. Places like crime scenes or places under investigation by listening in on his father's dispatch calls. From the sound of it, she guessed that 'normal' things didn't really interest Stiles. She took this to mean that he was looking for something out of the ordinary in his life; a change, which could make him take to all this better than most. Stiles also had a grasp of how dark and harsh life could be. She remembered Cora telling her about him losing his mother, and Deaton told her that he learned the boy suffered from sleepwalking and panic attacks in the months that followed. She remembered how sympathetic and sweet he was when he handed her the drawing. He understood pain and loss from a young age building empathy and developed inner strength to live and deal with it and still be a good, loyal person if how Deaton and Scott spoke of him was anything to go by. Stiles would be a smart and solid addition to the pack; potentially a force to be reckoned with in time. She should go and seek the kid out, bring up and put the offer of the bite out in front of him. She had a feeling he'd accept though maybe not immediately, but after he gave it real thought he'd agree and she'd happily do it. After the full moon though, to help give him adjusting time.

Speaking of the full moon, the next one was on Friday, less than a week away. She got up and looked out the window. It was still some time before the sun went down. She would comb the woods tonight, get herself familiar with them again. And then gently install herself back into town. Scott and Stiles would be a decent start but she had to keep an eye out for other potential pack members. Not to mention, approach Satomi and work up an alliance. And check on the things in her family's vault under the high school. But, before she did any of that, she had to pay one more person a visit.

She came to the hospital where she went and checked in to visit her uncle.

"Hey Uncle Peter," she said as she moved to face him. He was sitting in a wheelchair as he was facing the window. He was staring off with unblinking eyes. "It's me, Laura. I'm back." But he wasn't reacting.

Laura spent a good hour talking about her and Derek and what they've been up to since they left for New York. She told him about how she was back to reclaim Beacon Hills for the Hales and was going to start building her pack. A nurse then came in and told her that visiting hours were starting to end. Laura moved to give Peter a hug and promised to visit him again soon. As soon as she left the room, Peter blinked his eyes.

It was dark now with the moon shining down on the town. Laura made her way into the woods and until she eventually found her way over to the Nemeton. The giant tree stump still was a sight, one that sent a chill down her spine. She looked over and saw a giant flat looking rock some distance away. A memory flashed through her mind, one of a woman turning into a wolf and standing atop that rock before leaping off and running. Laura couldn't help but smile as she moved to remove her clothes. She shed them off and then moved to bundle them before she then moved and shifted fully into a wolf. A dark haired wolf was again standing atop of that rock. The wolf's eyes glowed red before it moved and leaped off the rock and ran into the woods.

As Laura ran, she felt as if she had never left. But better, for she was now running through them as her mother once had done. She ran all hours of the night until she felt she had ran the whole of the woods. She started to make her way back to the place where she left her clothes. She saw a cliff edge up ahead and built up speed. She then went and leapt off it and landed firmly on the ground. Laura then walked up some more steps before she shifted back to her human form. She was limping slightly as the jump was higher than she thought it was. She had gotten carried away but it would heal in ten or fifteen minutes. She softly made her way for her clothes but she heard a sound. It sounded like footsteps. It was close too. She moved off, her claws ready, but came upon someone standing with their back turned to her. Her eyes widened and her claws retracted. It couldn't be.

"Peter," she muttered. "Is that you?"

She approached and reached for him but before she could touch him, he turned around and revealed his teeth and claws. Before she could react, he struck.

____________

It was the middle of the night when Maggie Carson was stirred up from her sleep as she heard noise coming from her kitchen. She sighed as she moved to pull herself out of bed. She went over and sighed upon the sight of Cora leaning over the counter with a platter of food in front of her.

Cora looked up and caught the sight of her. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Yes. Cora, its just passed two in the morning." Maggie reminded her. "Don't worry about it," she said before Cora could apologize. Then she pointed to the leftover chicken tenders in front of her. "Eating again? Didn't you have a big meal two hours before you went to bed," Maggie mumbled out.

Cora went and took a hard bite of a piece of chicken before swallowing it. "I can't help it. Just woke up with a sudden craving. This one just won't be satisfied," she said as she rubbed her swollen belly.

"Hopefully, this will help." Maggie then went over and pulled out some Reshi before starting to brew up some tea.

"I don't need tea. What I need is some tranquilizer to get this one to stop kicking around."

Maggie choked back a laugh. "Sounds like you're carrying quite a wild child. Given how stubborn and high-strung the mother is," she said giving Cora an amused grin which she answered back with a sneering eye. "And what I've heard of the father, I guess it's only natural."

Cora sighed. She'd heard some things too. "I can't believe Stiles actually chose to face against assassins and former hunters out in the open while his friends stayed under cover. Actually, that's a lie. I can totally believe that." She shook her head. "I honestly can't decide if that was brave or foolish of him."

That made Maggie chuckle a bit. "Yes, there is quite a thin line between bravery and foolishness. Most of the time, it's the same thing."

"A brave fool, yeah, I guess sums Stiles up perfectly," Cora said as she went to take another hard bite of chicken.

"Yes." An amused smirk appeared on Maggie. "Exactly your type."

Cora was silent before she rolled her eyes. "Maybe," she mumbled just before gobbling up the last bit of food on the plate.

The tea pot started to whistle and Maggie went to fill two mugs. She then moved to sit across from Cora and handed her a mug. "It's okay Cora."

"You know, when I went back to Beacon Hills. It was to find out if the rumors about a Hale Alpha there was really true. When I got there, I ended up finding my brother was still alive but had lost my sister to my uncle. Then I met Stiles and he was this annoying, dorky and excitable high school kid." She moved to take another sip of tea. "But, then I saw how he became this hard and strong beast the moment someone tried to hurt his friends. Hurt me. And afterwards, turn into this sweet and understanding guy who wanted to help me and my brother, even when we didn't make it easy for him. And...I-" Cora couldn't find herself to finish. She straightened up to look up in Maggie's calm and understanding eyes. "I was just hoping to finally have at least some of my family back. I wasn't there to, find someone."

"Well, often at times we can't help who we go and fall for. There's no logic, reason or plan for it. Ironically it tends to be at the most inconvenient of times."

"Yeah, sucks," Cora said as she moved to take a small sip of her tea.

Maggie dropped her gaze to look at the liquid in her mug. "Believe me, I know."

"You mean, you and my brother," Cora piped in. Maggie kept her gaze down. "You know, he always asks about you whenever we call each other."

"Oh?" said Maggie before she moved to take a sip of her tea.

Cora detected Maggie's sudden emotions behind her attempt to be nonchalant. "What's the story with you two?" Maggie was silent and Cora pushed. "Oh come on, you know mine. You have to tell me about yours."

"You want to hear about the relationship between me and your brother?"

"Yeah I don't mind, just, skip over any intense and gory details," Cora smiled. "I don't want any more things to keep me from sleeping."

Maggie smiled with her. "Well, at the beginning, there wasn't really much. We only saw each other a little frequently outside of school when he went to finish his senior year. I would try to talk to him but he would just barely say hi, give me a brush off or try to avoid me altogether. To be honest, I didn't really like him much."

"Yeah," Cora nodded. "I can relate. I'm sure that most who've met my brother can relate actually."

Maggie tilted her head in agreement. "But, I knew he was going through a rough time. I had started hanging out with your sister and she told me about how she was worried about him. First there was the whole thing with his girlfriend and then one year later, the fire. I understood. Even if I thought he was unbearable, I understood why he was the way he was. Then, one day I was passing by a janitor's closet when I heard some crashing noises and caught your brother thrashing around wildly. He had shifted and seemed to be in pain and I realized that he was having a panic attack. I moved to try and talk him down before anyone else came in and saw him but it wasn't working so I grabbed a fire extinguisher off the wall and sprayed him with it."

"That's handy. It worked?"

"It did. He started to breathe steadily and he slowly changed back. He sat crutched on the floor, silently crying and I moved to sit with him. Just sat, didn't say anything or do anything else as he was trying to keep his pulse calm and steady. As I sat there with him, I did some thinking and realized that it had been six months since the fire, and it must've triggered what happened somehow. I don't remember how long we sat there exactly, but suddenly Derek said thank you, out of the blue. He looked at me with his tear shined eyes, the first time I'd seen them gentle and I went to wipe the tears away from his cheek. And then, we somehow ended up kissing. Just a small one, a couple of seconds before I helped him back to his feet and then we walked out of there."

Cora just sat there, barely blinking or breathing at that. "Oh," she said. She couldn't imagine her stern and hard ass brother going through something like that. "Then what happened?"

"Well, he started to talk with me a bit more after that. Not a lot, but more. We would start to study together and he would ask me about some of the things I was working on with my druid training. He got better. He didn't exactly smile, more like started to not frown as strongly but that was still better. Overtime, he started talking with me more and getting comfortable. Still kept to himself mostly but wasn't trying to keep away from me. And, I think he really started to trust me, even if he didn't want to admit it. When it had been five years since the fire, Derek came to me and told me that he wanted to carry something that always reminded him of his family and decided on a tattoo. He knew that it wasn't possible to just go out and get one and expect it to stay and asked me if I could help him keep it. When I told him of a way, to burn it into him, he had me do it while Laura held him down."

"And, what about the other thing?"

"We never brought up the kiss, ever. I guess he didn't want to make a big deal out of it."

"Did you?" Cora asked Maggie softly.

She shrugged. "Not really. I mean, I was only just trying to be there, as a friend. And at first, that's all I really wanted. An actual friend who I didn't have to hide my second life from and who really understood it. I think that what's Derek wanted to. Then after he graduated, he went and got a job at the local gym and started to take a liking to working out. And, after a couple of years he was starting to get more-" She remembered seeing how Derek's arms were getting bigger and his pecs and abs were filling out underneath the wife beaters he enjoyed wearing. Just the memories were making things stir up in her.

Stirrings that his younger sister could immediately detect. "Yeah, getting into intense and gory territory," Cora cut in.

Maggie laughed. "Sorry. But, long story short I started to look at him differently. And, more than once, I started to catch him staring at me when he thought I wasn't." She smiled naughtily at the times she saw him staring at her when she studied or how she felt his eyes following after her ass when she was leaving a room. "But, I was too scared to really make a move. I wanted him to make the first one."

"So, what did you do?"

"Well, first I tried teasing him a bit. Started to get into running so that I could be in some tight running shorts and sports bras around him. Moved to brush my bare skin against his more times than normal. Intentionally spilled water on myself a few times when he was around. He often made sudden excuses to move out of the room or remembered shifts that he had to take at the gym more times than usual."

Cora snickered. "Oh wow." She would've loved to have seen her brother put through all that. That would be teasing gold. "What happened next?"

"Well, he didn't take it lying down for long. Soon he started to try and tease me back. He would just finish working out whenever we were supposed to meet so I would see him covered in fresh sweat and then prefer to lounge around without a shirt on. Sitting or lying out in plain sight, trying to make me ogle him while I was trying to concentrate on what I was working on at the time. Of course, I tried to fight back by making my tops looser or "accidentally" slide down and expose a bit more for him to see. Then he decided to have spur of the moment urges to burn off some leftover energy and do some sit ups or chin up nearby."

Cora broke out into hard laughing. "It sounded like you two were trying to drive each other crazy."

"Mm, I'll admit, it was kind of fun. But after a while it started to get frustrating. Really frustrating. Then, something happened about half a year before he left."

"What?"

"Uh, it's in the thick of intense and gory territory," she told her and Cora nodded.

"Say no more."

Though she didn't say it, Maggie could remember it perfectly.

She had gone to Laura and Derek's place to look for Laura but found that she wasn't home. At first, she thought no one was home as every room seemed empty but then she had heard sounds coming from the bathroom. She was about to call out and ask if someone was in when the door just suddenly opened and Derek had stepped out. He was in nothing but a towel and was damp after he had just finished taking a shower. She had surprised him, as he knew Laura had left and thought he was alone, and the towel fell. The two of them just stared at each other. Maggie's eyes wandered down his bare toned body and following the slow drops of water as they went down his pecs, to his abs. She then let her sight linger at what she had only been able to imagine in her fantasies. His length was long and semi-hard and seemed to be growing, pointing at her as it did. It made her throat close up in anticipation and a knot tie in her stomach.

As for Derek, seeing how Maggie watching him made his insides heat up. He had an impulse to try and reach for his dropped towel but his body refused to move to pick it up. He could see that she was checking him out until her eyes seemed stuck at his cock. He could smell the lust and feel the heat rise in her and it was making him get hard which made all that get more intense. He saw that she was wearing a sundress that showed off her bare arms and a good bit of her legs. His own stomach tightened as he had the sudden urge to run his hands over them. More than once, seeing her made him want to just grab her. His wolf then scratched at him to finally sate those urges and he moved, triggering Maggie to move as well. He went to her and she grabbed at his head as they met in a heated kiss with Derek's hands resting at the sides of her neck.

All the repression and lustful frustration built up over the last couple of months fueled into that kiss. Maggie's hands started to move down Derek's damp back and pass over the smooth skin over his triskele tattoo. Derek then moved to grab at Maggie's hips and carry her off to his room, kicking the door close behind him. They moved to make out on his bed, with him on top. When he craved for more, Derek saw that the water that clung to his body had damped her sundress to stick to her skin and he heatedly ripped the thing off, to her excitement and euphoria. After all the time of teasing and trying to get on edge of each other, they were through waiting. Together, they pulled off any fabric on her that was separating their bare bodies from each other. Derek could feel that she was as wet on the inside as he was on the outside and plunged himself into her like there was no time to waste. They moaned at their deep connections, pulled at every inch of each other's bodies and screamed each other's names when they hit their highs; thankful that Laura wasn't there to interrupt any of it.

Maggie was brought out of her past musing when Cora called her name. "What?" she said blinking at her.

"You just spaced out for a sec there."

"Oh, sorry. Well, after it happened, Derek said that he didn't want things to get awkward or weird between us. I was the only real friend he'd had in years and I felt the same way so I told him that it didn't have to. We were both adults and had needs and we could take care of those needs for each other because we were friends. We could just be better friends."

"Friends with benefits?" Cora guessed.

Maggie nodded. "Yeah. And, it was great," she said suggestively. "We were exactly the same as before but were able to hash out our frustrations, stress and even our pain with each other. I was okay with it, and Derek seemed okay. Enough that over the months Laura noticed. She knew that something was going on and I told her what me and Derek were going through. She said that she understood but also told me that if we actually became serious, she could see Derek actually ending up being happy. And she felt that I might end up being happy too. After that, I couldn't stop thinking of how she might be right and talking to Derek about it."

"And, did you?"

"No. before I could, that mess started up in Beacon Hills and Laura left, then him. He didn't think twice about it, and why would he. As far as he knew, there was no real reason for him to stay; he only had just one real good friend here. We never got around to talking about it."

"Might not be too late," she suggested.

Maggie sniffed. "What about you? It might not be too late for you either."

"I don't think I'm in the same boat as you. I hooked up with Stiles kind of on the spur of the moment. Didn't stay long enough to see if it could go anywhere."

"Would you have wanted it too?"

Cora shrugged. "It doesn't matter. He's with my cousin Malia and sounds happy enough."

Maggie kept her gaze. "That's not what I asked."

"Well, it's not an option. I'm never going back to Beacon Hills and that's where he belongs so it really doesn't matter." Cora suddenly had an image of Stiles calm face. His honey colored eyes as he was gently looking at her. Being with her when she thought her brother was dead and comforting her through her doubts of trying to be back in Derek's life, and him in hers. Then she remembered when she left and him saying that he was glad to finally see her beautiful smile before she initiated their final kiss. She then moved to down the rest of her tea.

"Guess not." She then saw Cora sigh as she moved her left hand to rub at her belly in a soothing manner. "Say Cora, with roughly one month left, maybe you should be starting to consider some names?"

Cora was glad for moving away from that depressing topic. "Oh, I already have names picked out."

"Really? What?" Maggie asked eagerly.

"If it's a girl: Talia Erica Hale." Talia after her mother who she missed and told her to run all those years ago and Erica for the one that didn't manage to make it out of the hell they went through from the Alpha Pack.

"Sounds like a real beautiful name. And if it's a boy?" asked Maggie.

"Jason Boyd Hale." Jason after her father who she never got the chance to meet before he had died and Boyd after the one who managed to get away with her from that hell but sadly still fell to the Alpha Pack in the end.

"That's sounds like the name for a future handsome boy."

"Yeah," Cora said softly. She then went and covered her mouth as a small yawn escaped her.

"Seems like the tea is working after all," Maggie said before she helped get Cora to bed. Then she moved to clean up and then headed back herself.

___________

It was early the following afternoon, Maggie was out in her garden, checking on her herbs when her phone started ringing. She saw that Derek was calling her.

"Hey Derek," she said as she answered.

"Maggie, something's happened." Derek's tone was soft but tense.

Maggie's face fell. "What? Is something wrong?"

"It's Kate. She's taken Scott."

"What?"

"She surprised him and took him and his girlfriend Kira off to La Iglesia."

Her eyes widened. "The temple of the Nagual?" she said, remembering it from her studies.

"That's the one. I'm going there with his friends to get him back but chances are, she's counting on that. Look, I'm not sure what's going to happen. But if something does-"

"Derek," Maggie cut in.

Derek went on as if she didn't interrupt. "If something happens," he said a bit stiffly. "Keep watching over Cora and the baby for me. Please Maggie."

"Of course," she gasped out. "Derek, you didn't even have to ask."

He sighed. "I know. I didn't have to, just like when I brought her to you before I left again. You've taken care of Cora all this time and helped her through everything she's been going through."

"It's what I'm here for," she told him gently.

"Yeah...and you've always been there. Since the beginning." Derek was silent for a moment. "Uh, Maggie, I don't know if I ever said this but...thank you. For everything. I could never repay you for all of it." He spoke to her with a soft tone and longing tone he hadn't used for the longest time.

"And you never have to," she said back to him in the same tone.

After that, they both hung up. Maggie went and let out a hard sigh as she released all the pent up emotion that she built up from that phone call. She cleared her throat and moved in for the house. She had to tell Cora the latest news about Kate Argent. She called out for her and Cora quickly called her name back loudly. She moved and found her sitting in her living room.

"Cora, something's happened."

She nodded. "Yeah, it has."

Maggie then noticed there was a stain in the carpet next to the couch. For a moment, Maggie thought Cora must've spilled something. "What is this?"

Cora was holding onto her stomach with both her hands and her breathing was heightening. "Uh, I think my water just broke."

Maggie's eyes widened. "What? No, its too early. There's still at least another month."

"Yeah, well I don't think it matters to this one." Cora gasped out before looking up at her. "My baby is coming."

____________

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this special interluding chapter. A good look at both of the Hale sisters in their lives behind the scenes, or before them in Laura's case. Even a small glimpse of Derek's life before he went back to Beacon Hills to be everyone's favorite sour wolf. Laura leaving her mark, which will be tie everything together next chapter and Cora's now having her baby, guess what it will be. All the while, the gang in Beacon Hills is getting ready to head off to fight Kate with the full moon approaching. I hope you'll enjoy it. Oh, and if any of you want to have a better picture of Maggie Carson, I imagined her look to be that of Emma Stone.