As Long As You Love Me

Pareidolia

During one of our passing periods Scott somehow managed to get Derek to meet him, Stiles, Lydia, Allison, and I in an empty classroom. He wanted to see if he could make sense of what Allison showed us last night.

As much as I hated it a part of me hoped that he would bring Isaac. Since he technically wasn't supposed to be here, he isn't registered for school this year. Trust me I checked. I haven't seen him since Derek's house after the first day of school. I tried not to seem so disappointed as I take a seat with Stiles on the desks as they talked. The important thing is that we find Erica and Boyd.

"I don't see anything." Derek said staring at the two girls arms. To be fair I don't think he really tried. Even then I couldn't help but throw my two cents in.

"That's what I said." I exasperated a bit too loudly as I stood up earning a glare from about everyone else in the room. I quickly took a seat taking the hint to sit down and be quiet.

"Look again." Scott begs pulling Allison and Lydia's arms closer together as if that would make the meaning any clearer.

"How is a bruise gonna tell me where Boyd and Erica are?" Derek asks with the same scowl he always has on his face. I'm starting to think he was born with that.

"It's the same on both sides. Exactly the same."

"It's nothing."

"Pareidolia." Lydia blurted out absentmindedly. It was like she's been waiting to say it since we started. When she registered our confused looks she continued. "Seeing patterns that aren't there. It's a subset of apophenia."

"They're trying to help." Scott told Derek, ignoring what she just said.

"These two." Derek asked raising an eyebrow at the pair. "This one, who used me to resurrect my psychotic Uncle. Thank you. And this one, who shot about 30 arrows into me and my pack."

"Okay, all right, now, come on. No one died, all right?" Stiles pointed out, inserting himself into the conversation. "Look, there may have been a little maiming, okay, a little mangling, but no death. That's what I call an important distinction."

"My mother died." Allison said tearfully trying to justify her actions.

"Your family's little honor code killed your mother. Not me." Derek replies coldly.

"That girl was looking for Scott. I'm here to help him, not you."

"You wanna help? Find something real." Derek starts to leave but Scott goes up to him trying to convince him to let them help. Allison trudges over to me and Stiles to grab her bag.

"Thanks a lot for your help Rowan." She mumbles trying to walk off but I grab her wrist to stop her.

"Don't do that." I scolded rolling my eyes at her childishness. "If you have something to say then say it, cause I'm not going to guess."

"I expect the skepticism from Derek, but from you? You said you forgave me! I thought you were my friend!" She exploded angrily. Now my first instinct was to snap back at her and put her in her place but I've been working on gaining control of my heightened emotions. So I took a deep breath before answering.

"I've forgiven you for a lot of things, trying to kill me and my best friends, because your mom just died and you Gerard was in your head." I list off trying to keep a cool head. "You have been gone for four months, and in that time I've seen Scott become a better person in more ways than I can count."

"And you claim to be done with him and all the werewolf stuff, yet you still have him at your beck and call. You know he's still pinning for you and your leading him on. Hurting him is something I can't forgive. I won't." I finish my lecture leaving her speechless. The bell rang letting us know that our break is over.

"Let's go." Scott said grouchily. Probably because Derek won't let them help. I begin to follow him and Stiles out the door best I stop for a secours to say one last thing.

"You really think this is something?" I ask Allison but all she could do is nod. "Then find out what it is and bring it back to us." After that I leave and let the door close behind me. I walk with the boys all the way across campus to talk since my class in that building anyway.

"Okay, what would a pack of alphas want with Erica and Boyd?" Stiles asked trying to put all the pieces together, like always.

"I'm not sure it's them they want." Scott answers truthfully. Suddenly I feel a wave of power pass me. I looked around for something out of the ordinary but the only thing I see are the twins from this morning. Weird.

"Okay, what, like Derek? Like they're recruiting?" Stiles suggested not noticing that Scott had stopped walking a while back.

"Probably." I answer him. "Hey, Scott. You coming?" But the look on his face I could tell he felt the same thing. His expression is quickly replaced with a smile and he nods, jogging to catch up.

-

I push my way through the crowd of teenagers trying to get to their next class. I've gotten dozens of frantic texts from the boys during class telling me that Sheriff Stilinski was here. Apparently the girl who's party we went to last night, her names Heather I think, and the last person who saw her was supposedly Stiles.

I finally caught up to the two of them, mid conversation, as they were walking in my direction. "So you think they kidnapped Heather to turn her?" Scott asked Stiles who seemed freaked by the news.

"Derek says it's easier to turn teenagers." Stiles responds. He's probably going over millions of ways this could be his fault, even though he knows the truth. This could've been anyone, and as far as I know, there was nothing he could've done to stop it.

"What would a pack of alphas need with a beta?" I ask trying to get caught up on what our next step is.

"I don't know. I don't care. All right? This girl..." Stiles begins to get agitated and raises his voice. He takes a deep breath to calm down and focus. "Our moms were best friends before mine died, all right? We used to take frickin' bubble baths together when we were three. I gotta find her."

"Then we need Isaac to remember." Scott concludes. I involuntarily froze at the sound of his name. Like I said, i haven't talked to him since he came back. I'd assumed that once Derek healed him he would leave again but he hasn't. He's there, and I'm here, and I don't know where that leaves us.

"How? Peter and Derek couldn't do it. You know any other werewolves with a better trick?" Stiles asked Scott as they walked ahead.

"Maybe not a werewolf." I says causing the boys to stop and turn to me. "But someone who knows a lot about 'em."