So, recently I got into Teen Wolf. Yeah, I know. Bad idea. But then I started reading all these Derek/OC fics, and I felt the need to try my hand at one. A lot of Derek/OC fics have Scott's or Stiles's sister or a best friend who's in their grade falling in love with Derek the moment they meet, or at least falling in lust with him. I'm trying a different take on things. Not that I don't love those (Nothing Like My Novels by tracylay and Love on a Full Moon by RealHuntress18 come to mind), I just thought I'd try something new.

Heads up: This story isn't going to have Crystal (the OC) falling in love with Derek in three chapters, or even in the first season. I have something much more interesting planned.

Everybody got it? Cool. Disclaimer as usual, and I'm going to let you start reading now.

Smoke filled the bathroom as Crystal shoved open the door with one arm, the other supporting her friend. She kicked the door shut behind her and helped her friend sit against the wall. Cora started wheezing. Crystal frantically searched the small room, trying to find something that would help. Thick blue towels hanging on the rack were soaked in water and stuffed underneath the door. Cora leaned over the trashcan and her body heaved. Crystal grimaced but rubbed the younger girl's shoulders gently. With her heart pounding in her ears, she was mostly able to block out the horrific screams of the others. Her friends were dying, her family, and she was stuck in a bathroom. Crystal took off her brand new jacket and wrapped it around the other girl's mouth and nose like a bandana, deciding to use her own shirt to block out the smoke.

A mournful, heart wrenching, agonized howl filled the air. Crystal's heart stopped. She knew who that sound belonged to, but never before had she heard it filled with so much pain.

When Crystal Braddock finally woke up, her vision was blurry. She pulled herself into a sitting position with her arms wrapped around her legs. Her face rested on her knees. She looked out the window and saw the waxing gibbous moon shining in the air. The full moon was this week. Crystal shook her head. It didn't matter anymore.

Something thumped outside. Crystal froze, wondering if it was Scott McCall. But no, Scott wouldn't be sneaking around outside his own house. She stealthily moved next to her window, years of practice keeping her from making much noise. A blue Jeep sat in the driveway. Crystal sighed in relief. It was only Stiles Stilinski. But what was her foster brother's best friend doing out here at midnight?

She slipped on her flats and headed for the stairs. Scott was at the door already with a baseball bat. Crystal smirked, debating on whether or not to tell Scott that she knew who it was. She threw the idea out the window. She needed some entertainment tonight. She tiptoed down the stairs, glad Scott had left the door open. This allowed her to hear Scott and Stiles's girly screams.

"Stiles!" Scott finally cried. "What are you doing here?"

"You weren't answering your phone," Stiles said, as if it were a perfectly reasonable explanation for sneaking around someone's house in the middle of the night. Crystal opened the door wider. Stiles was hanging by his legs upside down. How did he even get there, and what was holding him up?

"My dad got a call. Two joggers found a body."

Crystal raised her eyebrows. A body in the middle of the woods, in Beacon Hills? Yeah, she could see why Stiles would rush over to tell Scott. Rarely did anything important happen in Beacon Hills.

Stiles finally noticed her. "Hey, Crystal." He waved and dropped to the ground, landing on his stomach. He rose. "You hear?"

"I heard."

Scott lowered the bat, processing what Stiles had told him. "A dead body?"

Stiles rolled his eyes while Crystal wondered how her friend had ever made it to high school. "No, a body of water," Stiles said sarcastically. "Yes, dumbass, a dead body!"

"Like murdered?" Scott continued.

Stiles shrugged. "No one knows. They just said a girl maybe in her twenties. Dad's got all of Beacon Hills PD and even State Troopers out there."

Crystal frowned. "What for? Surely your dad can handle one body?"

Stiles grinned. "That's the best part. They only found half." Crystal and Scott gaped. "Wanna help me look?"

Crystal blinked. Something was seriously wrong with Stiles. There was something wrong with Scott, too, since it didn't take long for Stiles to sway him. Scott might have been reluctant, but he agreed in the end. They both looked at her.

"Oh, no. You're not dragging me into your stupid schemes. I'm supposed to make sure you stay out of trouble."

"Which is exactly why you need to come," Stiles argued. "Just think of everything that could go wrong without you."

"And it would serve you right, you moron." Crystal made the mistake of glancing over at Scott. He was biting his lip and silently pleading her with his eyes. "No." Stiles went to stand right next to Scott, pouting slightly. "No!"

"How did I let myself get dragged into this?" Crystal sighed. She was nineteen years old, for crying out loud. She should know better than to let the boys drag her out in the middle of the night so they could look for half a dead body. If they got caught, she would probably be in more trouble than they would.

"Because you love us," Stiles suggested.

Crystal rolled her eyes. "If we get caught, I will make your life a living hell." She fell back, barely paying attention to Stiles and Scott as they talked about lacrosse.

"Just out of curiosity," she heard Scott ask. "Which half of the body are we looking for?"

"Huh. Didn't think of that."

Crystal groaned and rushed to catch up with them, getting leaves and twigs in her flats. She really should have changed shoes. "And if whoever or whatever killed her is still out here?"

Stiles laughed nervously. "Didn't think of that, either."

"You have got to be kidding me," Crystal nearly screeched. Stiles motioned at her to be quiet.

"Nice to know you planned this with your usual attention to detail," Scott panted. They started up a hill, and Scott began to fall behind. Stiles didn't even notice. Crystal waited for Scott to take a breath from his inhaler before taking off after Stiles. Just as she got over the hill, she saw flashlights and heard dogs barking. Immediately she dropped next to Stiles, pulling Scott down with them when he reached them. Stiles pointed the flashlight into the ground. The police seemed to have found something; at least, they were all heading in the same direction. Stiles got the brilliant idea to head straight for them, probably thinking that if he stayed far enough away then he wouldn't get caught. Scott took off after him. Crystal groaned but followed, picking up the abandoned flashlight and turning it off. The last thing she needed was the sheriff finding her. She kept a safe distance, able to hear but not right behind the two teenagers.

"Stiles!" she heard Scott call. Suddenly, a dog barked and somebody crashed to the ground. Stiles really didn't know the meaning of the word stealthy. Crystal pushed herself against a tree trunk and wondered which would be worse; being found by the cops or staying out here. She strained her ears to hear what was going on.

"This delinquent belongs to me," Sheriff Stilinski sighed. "Do you listen to all my calls?"

"Only the interesting ones," Stiles replied innocently.

"Where is he?"

"Who?"

"Scott. I assume you dragged him out here with you?"

You know what happens when you assume, Crystal thought irreverently.

"Nope. No, Scott's not here. He wanted to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow, and Crystal hates when we drag her with us."

Crystal pursed her lips. The sheriff hadn't even mentioned her; Stiles really needed to learn to keep his mouth shut. She could practically see John Stilinski roll his eyes in exasperation.

"Crystal? Scott?" Crystal pressed her back against the bark; she was not going to get in trouble for Stiles, she was not going to get in trouble for Stiles, she was not going to get in trouble for Stiles….

Neither Scott nor Crystal moved, and the sheriff wound up dragging Stiles back to his Jeep. A few minutes later, Scott coughed close by. Crystal stepped out from behind the tree right in front of him, causing him to jump and cry out.

"Shut up!" she hissed. Scott glared lightly at her, which fazed her not at all. "Come on. We've got to walk home now."

Crystal headed in the direction of the road, doubting much had changed in the past six years. She used to love these woods; she would play hide and seek in them almost every day. She didn't realize until much later that her friends only let her find them when they got bored of hiding or when they wanted to scare her. Crystal shoved the memories aside as something moved in the woods. She turned around, clicking on the flashlight.

"Scott?" she whispered. Something growled, sending a shiver up her spine. That sound was familiar, but that wasn't possible. There were no wolves, either ordinary or were, in these woods anymore. There hadn't been for a long time.

"Here," Scott replied. He was standing about ten feet away. Suddenly, a herd of deer burst out of the trees, heading straight for Scott. Crystal could only watch in horror and hope her foster brother didn't wind up a pancake. The stampede ended quickly and she rushed over to make sure Scott was all right.

"I'm fine," Scott told her. "I dropped my inhaler, though."

Crystal huffed in relief and irritation. "All right, we'll split up. The stupid thing couldn't have gotten too far." She took the flashlight and headed in one direction, while Scott headed in another. Soon there was a yell and the sound of leaves crunching. Crystal spun toward the sound, shining her light on Scott as he rolled to the ground not far below her. He looked up at her, terrified. She slid down the hill and landed next to him.

"What?"

"I—I found—" Scott couldn't even finish the sentence, because Crystal heard the growl again. Scott heard it, too. They faced the sound and saw a giant black…Crystal could only say it resembled something out of a horror movie. From what she could see, it wasn't ugly, but it was big and hairy and had huge teeth and walked on all fours and those eyes.

She hadn't seen blood red eyes for six years.

"Scott," she breathed, racking her brain. "Don't run. If you run, it—"

The werewolf didn't even wait for them to try; it immediately rushed her. She fell back, but it broadsided her, sending her flying through the air. The leaves mostly broke her fall, thankfully, and she rolled over, coming face to face with a familiar stump. Scott screamed again, this time in pain. Crystal staggered up, trying to catch her breath. Damn, that wolf hit hard. She knew that things could have been a lot worse, and had a strong suspicion that the werewolf had actually gone easy on her.

"Crystal?" Scott called shakily. She had lost the flashlight, but she could see well enough in the moonlight. She went over and took Scott's hand gently.

"Come on. We have to get out of here."

They hurried through the woods and suddenly they hit the road. An SUV swerved around them, causing them both to flinch back. When they were alone again, Crystal watched Scott pull up his shirt and look at something. Crystal moved to get a closer look and bit her lip. If she was right and Scott had been bitten by a werewolf, then she would have to rely on her limited knowledge and Google to help him. She really hoped she was wrong.

A wolf howled.

The next morning Crystal pulled into the school parking lot next to Jackson Whittemore. Scott dove out of the car, intent on finding Stiles. He nearly ran into Jackson. The jock snapped at him and purposefully knocked into Scott with his shoulder.

"It's not even eight o' clock. I can't deal with this," she sighed, twisting a tawny curl around her finger. She loved her curls. They weren't super tight, but they weren't completely loose either. Laura once told her that her curls were called Botticelli curls. She collected her backpack and was halfway up the sidewalk when Stiles called her name. She saw him and Scott standing near the stairs and went to join them.

"Crystal, are there wolves in California?" Stiles asked.

Crystal shrugged uncomfortably. "Wolves haven't been in California for over fifty years." She slightly stressed the word wolves, but she doubted the boys noticed.

"But I heard a wolf last night," Scott insisted. He turned to her. "You heard it, didn't you?"

"I don't know, Scott," Crystal said.

"But—"

"I don't know, Scott!" she snapped. Scott and Stiles shrunk back. Crystal rarely got angry. Upset, frequently. Annoyed, several times a day. But when someone crossed a line or pushed her over the edge, Crystal got downright vicious. The boys realized they were pushing her dangerously close to the edge, so Scott hurriedly changed the subject.

"All right, Stiles. Guess you won't believe me about the body."

Stiles gaped. "Dude! You found it?"

"So that's what you were freaking out about," Crystal said, and the two sophomores were pleased to note that her anger had dissipated.

"Yeah," Scott said. "I'm gonna have nightmares for at least a month."

Just then, Lydia Martin walked by, and soon the conversation changed to more appropriate topics. Crystal separated from the other two, choosing to hide in the library until the bell rang. She made it to history and grabbed a seat in the middle of the class.

Before she knew it, Crystal was at lunch. She headed for an empty table where she knew a loner named Boyd usually sat. He was quiet, so he wouldn't bother her while she worked.

Crystal had just sat down when Stiles and Scott appeared.

"We didn't get to talk to you earlier in Chemistry," Stiles began, sprawling in the seat next to her. Chemistry was the only class Crystal had with them.

Crystal sighed. "Not now, guys. I'll talk to you later."

"Meet us after lacrosse practice. We're going to look for Scott's inhaler."

Crystal waved in his direction and pulled her books out of her bag. She was halfway through a math worksheet when Boyd slid in his seat.

"Hi, Boyd," she greeted him distractedly, trying to figure out some theorem or another when he pointed at the very first problem.

"You did that one wrong."

Crystal groaned, thumping her head on the table. She just wanted the day to be over already.

"It was amazing! He was doing these really cool leaps and somersaults and everything. He caught every single ball the team threw at him, too." They walked through the woods as Stiles gave her a run down on everything that happened while she was in chorus practice. Crystal yawned. She really didn't care about lacrosse. Sure, she went to the games, but that was when someone forced her to go. Usually that someone was Danny; sometimes it was Melissa McCall, and even Stiles and Scott on occasion.

"It was like I had all the time in the world to catch it," Scott said giddily. "It's weird. I'm also able to smell things."

Crystal bit her lip, wondering how she could handle this.

"Like what?" Stiles asked, oblivious to her distress.

"Like the mint mojito gum in your pocket," Scott said. Stiles stuck his hand in his pockets and pulled out a piece of gum. He looked at Scott, amazed.

"This all started with the bite?"

Scott nodded, suddenly looking worried. "What if it's an infection? Like, my body's filled with adrenaline before going into shock or something?"

"I've actually heard of something like this before. It's called lycanthropy."

Scott turned to Stiles, who looked deadly serious. "Is it deadly? How bad is it?"

"Oh, it's not bad at all. In fact, you only get symptoms once a month." Stiles's mouth twitched, but Crystal knew he hit the target right on the nose. Stiles nudged her, and she automatically flashed him a slight smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Scott didn't realize that Stiles was pulling his leg, and he got even more worried.

"The night of the full moon." Stiles threw back his head and did a poor imitation of a wolf howl.

Crystal shook her head. "Can we just find Scott's inhaler and go home? I have homework, and Scott has to get to the vet's soon."

"You sure it was around here?" Stiles asked. Scott hunched over and began looking for the inhaler. Crystal looked around and froze as her gaze met a pair of green eyes several shades lighter than hers.

"Positive," Scott told Stiles.

"Maybe the killer found it," Stiles joked. Scott didn't find it funny.

"I hope not. That thing's, like, eighty bucks. Mom'll kill me if I lose it."

Stiles scoffed and turned toward Crystal. When he saw who Crystal was locked in a staring contest with, he stood up straight and hit Scott hard on the arm.

"What?" Scott looked in the same direction and jerked upright.

"What are you doing here?" Derek Hale snapped, finally breaking eye contact with her. Crystal hadn't seen him in ages. He was taller and broader than she remembered, but then they had both grown. His eye and hair color seemed to be the only familiar things about him. "This is private property." In other words, they were on Hale land. From what Crystal remembered, the Hales had owned several acres around their house. She wondered if Derek had been the wolf from last night but almost immediately threw the thought away. So who was it?

"Sorry, man," Stiles apologized immediately. "We were looking for something."

Derek pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it toward Scott. Crystal didn't have to look to know it was Scott's inhaler. She blinked and Derek was gone.

"Dude! That was Derek Hale!" Stiles exclaimed. Crystal turned back to them. Scott was looking in amazement at his inhaler, and Stiles looked both excited and frightened. "Remember? He's only a few years older than us."

"Six years older," Crystal corrected automatically. "He was sixteen."

Scott and Stiles fell silent. They both knew what she was talking about—she was one of two survivors of the Hale fire. Nobody brought it up around her if they were smart. It had taken her a year for the panic attacks and nightmares to stop plaguing her endlessly. She had eventually gotten over the panic attacks. The nightmares were another story.

"What's he doing back in town?" Scott asked eventually.

Crystal shrugged, but she had an idea. "Maybe he got tired of running." Maybe he was hunting. "Let's go. Scott, you have work."

The three of them headed back to Crystal's blue Lexus. She saw no sense in wasting gas, so she told Stiles to ride with them. They piled in and Crystal glanced out her mirrors on the off chance that anybody was around. A flash of black caught her eye, and she looked again. Derek Hale was leaning against a tree some distance behind them. She glanced to make sure she was the only one who noticed.

"Hang on. I need to check something." She popped the trunk and hopped out. She raised the trunk so it was blocking the boys' vision, then she faced Derek.

We need to talk, she signed. ASAP. Derek nodded. Crystal shut the trunk and got back in the car.

"What was that about?" Stiles asked.

"I told you, I had to check something."

Crystal dropped Stiles off at the school for his Jeep and headed for the vet's office.

"I'll be back at ten," she called out the window. She didn't wait for a reply but drove in the direction of the hospital. When she got to the long term ward, she signed in and headed down the hallway. A redheaded nurse glared at her.

"You have five minutes."

Crystal rolled her eyes. The nurse had been taking care of Peter Hale for the last four years, and in all the time Crystal visited she had never seen the nurse smile once. Recently, the nurse tried to ban her from seeing Peter. Bitch was lucky Melissa was there to play peacemaker, otherwise Crystal might have been arrested for assault. She braced herself for the familiar pain and opened the door. Peter stared blankly at the wall. There it was—the pain that filled her when she realized he wasn't her Peter anymore.

"Hey, Peter," she whispered. She moved in front of him and touched the good side of his face gently. "Sorry I can't stay long. I don't think your nurse likes me." She smiled slightly, wondering what Peter would say. Probably 'she doesn't like anyone' or 'it's because of your charming personality, Crystal'.

"I have a wonderful personality, thank you very much," she said playfully. "But last time I was here, she tried to keep me away from you. There was a lot of shouting involved. I don't know if you heard. Melissa told her I had visitor's clearance whenever I wanted. She's amazing. Beautiful, too. You'd love her." Peter always had an eye for pretty things. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that Derek's back in town. I haven't seen Laura, though. I need to ask Derek about that. There's an Alpha around, too. It bit Scott last night, but he's all right." She sat down on the bed, resting her head in her hands. "I wish you were here."

Derek had to be hunting. That was the only reason for him not showing up that night, or the next night, or the night after that. Stiles told her that the coroner found wolf hair on the body. Scott was over the moon (no pun intended) about making first line and getting the new girl, Allison, to go with him to Lydia's party. On Friday night. The night of the full moon. And to make things worse, she didn't find out about the party until Thursday. After school she immediately took off for the preserve, leaving Scott to hitch a ride with Stiles.

"Derek!" she called when she was far enough that she couldn't see the road. She waited, but Derek didn't show up. If she were Derek, where would she be? Crystal froze. No. He wouldn't go back there.

Her feet moved as she thought it over. It made sense. It was his only link to Beacon Hills besides his uncle. It held memories, both good and bad. And technically, it was his house. But to go back to where your entire family died? Crystal hadn't been back since that night, and she kind of didn't want to. But if that was where Derek was, and finding Derek was the only way to talk, then she would have to go.

"Crystal Braddock."

Crystal blinked, seeing that her feet had followed a familiar path and she was now standing right in front of the burned shell that used to be the Hale house. Derek stood on the porch, arms crossed and looking intimidating.

"Derek Hale. I thought I told you we needed to talk as soon as possible." She raised her eyebrows, doing her best to block out the memories flooding her brain. He nodded. "That was three days ago."

"I was busy."

"That's it? You do know that Scott's a werewolf, right? And that tomorrow night's the full moon?" Derek nodded. Crystal threw her hands in the air. "So what's more important than helping a bitten werewolf who has no idea what's happened to him?"

It was Derek's turn to raise his eyebrows. "Maybe the fact that there's an Alpha lurking around, or that my sister is dead."

Crystal stopped breathing. "No. She can't be dead." If it was true, then that meant Derek was all alone. An Omega. Peter told her what happened to Omegas, wolves without a pack.

"Well, she is," he snapped. "I found half of her."

Crystal's brain processed that statement, and she gagged. "Oh my God. When we were out here the other night…we were looking for Laura?"

He nodded once. Crystal's legs gave out, and she fell to her knees. "They found wolf hair on her. Did the Alpha kill her?"

"Maybe, or maybe the hunters planted it." Derek finally moved, pulling her up and holding her in place until she could stand on her own again. "Better?"

"Yeah. Thanks." She shook her head in amazement. "So we have two werewolves running around town?"

Derek nodded again. "You have to tell Scott. If you don't he'll hurt somebody or get hurt himself."

Crystal looked at him as if he were crazy. "You want me to tell my foster brother that he's a werewolf? He'll never believe me! Why can't you do it?"

"He trusts you."

Crystal groaned pathetically. "If I can get him to talk to you, can you explain?"

"If you can convince him to trust me, I can help him. But it's still up to you to convince him about everything."

Crystal sighed and nodded, looking at the ground. "I'll try."

"Do or do not. There is no try."

Crystal's gaze flew up to Derek's unsmiling face. She laughed. "Yoda, seriously? You're quoting Star Wars?" He rolled his eyes. "Okay, give me your number. I am not going to trek out here every time I have to talk to you."

Derek rattled off his cell number faster than Crystal could type it in. "Hang on! I don't have super speed. I can't do things in the blink of an eye." He repeated it, slowly this time, and she nodded. "Got it. I'll call you later." She headed for the trail, but turned around. "And Derek? Try not to scare Scott too much."

"No promises."

Hope you liked it. Drop a comment, ask a question. Just please, no flames. None of us like them, Peter especially.