warning: violence
timeline: set about 16ish years into the future
note: title is from the song "safe haven" by ruth b.

when the world is caving (you're my safe haven)

It was the dead of night, blanketing the woods in eerie shadows. The forest bed threw every tripping hazard it could at her feet, but she managed to avoid them. Even as branches snagged at her clothes and landed strike after strike against her sweat-dampened cheeks— she ran. In the distance, she could hear the pounding footsteps of her pursuers— the fwik of an arrow leaving a bow and the thwack of it embedding in a tree, inches from her face before she pivoted and darted to the right. Her arms pumped at her sides, legs stretched beyond comfort as every step became a lunge toward safety. She chanced a look behind her and immediately regretted it. Flashlights and red beams crisscrossing at her back, chasing at her heels.

Tears and sweat stung her eyes as she felt them— felt death —closing in on her.

But she was almost there.

She was so close.

Just a few more feet to the border.

Just a few…

More…

Steps…

She could see a porch light in the distance and a quivering sensation spun up her back. The hairs on the back of her neck raised as her hands balled into fists, her claws sinking into her palms in anticipation.

So close.

Nearly there.

She just had to—

"Ahh!"

An arrow speared her through the back, sticking out jarringly from her stomach. The impact sent her stumbling forward and white hot pain knocked her knees out from under her. She landed face first, bracing her hands in the dirt, the arrow just centimeters from the ground and dripping gruesomely with her blood.

Footsteps followed; people flared out in a half-circle behind her, guns and bows raised.

With a gurgling laugh, she looked back at them, flashing golden eyes and sharpened teeth. "Too late," she said.

They looked between each other before raising their weapons.

Before a trigger could be pulled, however, a warning growl rang out.

Everybody looked.

A pair of red eyes split the darkness before flood lights flared to life and shone down from above. There was a line in the soil, quite literally, and she had crossed it. She was in werewolf territory now, which meant no hunters allowed.

Scott McCall stood in front of her and relief was quick to flood her system, letting her drop her head and her guard.

"Beacon Hills is a no-kill zone," McCall said, his hands held out to the sides in a gesture for them to keep their weapons lowered. "That goes for humans and non-humans alike."

"She's got a bounty on her head, McCall. She's coming with us!" one of the hunters shouted.

"The peace treaty states it in black and white. Once they cross my border, they're under my purview. If she's killed or maimed or hurt anyone, she'll answer for it. But not to you. Not your way."

Slowly, Tess pushed herself up to her feet, swaying a little and trying to catch her breath. "I'm not a killer."

"That's not exactly my biggest concern right now…" McCall kept his attention on the hunters. "Are we gonna have a problem here?"

A few of them exchanged ugly looks before gathering their courage and stepping forward. "Who's to stop us from just taking her?"

McCall let out a low growl, his chin dipping and claws flashing. "We made a deal. I keep my promises. How about you?"

A few of the hunters looked uneasy, backing up rather than chancing a fight, but there were still two willing to see where it might go.

"He's just one wolf. The girl is injured…"

"He's an alpha."

"Without a pack!"

"Who said he didn't have his pack?"

The voice came from behind the hunters, which made them turn to face the intruder, only to find blue eyes and fangs. The woman bared her teeth before she rushed them. She kicked one hunter's knee out from under them before grabbing hold of another's gun, tearing it from their hands and using the blunt handle to knock them out cold. Tossing the gun out of range, she leapt at a third, grabbing his shoulders mid-air and flipping him over her as she landed gracefully on her feet.

That left three. McCall stepped forward then, letting out a deafening roar. Birds fled from the trees as the echo rippled through the sky. While it made the hunters cringe momentarily, it didn't send them running. Not until one howl answered, and then another and another. Howl after howl, spread all across the preserve; they split the sky with their loyalty.

The blue-eyed woman made her way across the border leisurely, taking up a position at McCall's side, her arms crossed over her chest.

McCall stared down the leader of the hunters. "Like I said… You're on my property. If you want to leave here unharmed, you follow the rules."

The leader remained, sneering at him, but the others gathered up their friends, ready to go. Looking past McCall to Tess, the leader glared, before eventually turning on his heel and following his group out.

"How do you know they'll really go?" Tess wondered. The woods were a big place, meaning there were plenty of places to hide and wait her out.

"We've got eyes on them."

Two gold eyes flashed from the woods, and then another pair, and a third of startling blue.

Turning to her, McCall looked her over quickly and frowned. "You need to get that out."

Tess dropped her gaze to the arrow and grimaced. "Or not. Maybe I could just heal around it. Make it a decorative piece or something."

With a scoff, the blue-eyed woman circled around her. No warning whatsoever, she snapped off the back of the arrow and then reached around to bluntly pull it out of Tess's gut. "There."

McCall sighed at her, but didn't seem particularly surprised.

"Anybody ever tell you your bedside manner sucks?" Tess snarled, pressing a hand to her bleeding gut.

The woman shrugged. "Be glad I'm not tearing you a new one. Do you have any idea how late it is? And on a school night, too."

"Lia…" McCall said, his voice gentle, completely unlike the tone he'd been using with the hunters.

Lia frowned at him before raising an eyebrow back at Tess. "Why were they after you?"

"Why don't we take this inside?" McCall looked between them. "You can get cleaned up and tell us your story."

In pain and eager to get out of such an open area, Tess nodded.

The border in the woods was marked with tiny purple flowers that ringed around the center of the Beacon Hills preserve. Inside it was Scott McCall's house, a two-storey surrounded by a grassy yard. There was a dirt road that led out to the highway and jogging paths that criss-crossed, but it was well known in the area where one could and could not go. Tess was not of Beacon Hills. But she'd heard the stories, or read about them online at least. When she'd gotten into some trouble and options were limited, this seemed like the best choice of action.

The porch lights were on, but so were a few others. It was strange to think of the True Alpha living in a regular house. Not that Tess thought he'd be living in a cave or something. But there was just something so… human about it.

McCall and Lia climbed the porch stairs; he pulled open the door and waited for her and Tess to enter before following them in. It was cozy, with big couches and chairs, art and photographs on the wall, and a cat lazily weaving its way between people's legs.

Lia walked off, returning shortly after with a First Aid kit. "All right, talk and patch yourself up at the same time." She dropped it on the kitchen table and waved Tess over.

With a sigh, Tess followed her direction, drawing her shirt up and out of the way to probe at the hole in her gut.

"Here. I can help." McCall dragged a chair over and took a seat. "I'm a vet," he reassured.

"A vet fixing up a werewolf… Yeah, there's a joke in there."

His mouth hitched up faintly before he got to work. "What's your name?"

"Tess McReary."

"Nice to meet you Tess… I'm Scott and this is my wife, Malia."

Malia nodded her chin in 'hello.'

"Can you tell me why the hunters were chasing you?"

"Hunters need a reason to chase a werewolf?" Tess winced as he started cleaning out her wound. "It was dumb. I screwed up. There was a girl back home. She was nice and funny and I thought she liked me. Cue one seriously mistaken confession to what I really am. I thought she'd be cool with it. I didn't make a big deal about her webbed toes." She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, her dad was a hunter. He called up his friends and the next thing I know, I've got townspeople and pitchforks at my door. I ran, they followed."

Scott let out a sigh, looking somewhat amused. "I know the feeling."

"How'd you know to come here?" Malia wondered, still looking unnerved by her presence.

Tess snorted. "Everybody knows. I'm a part of a supernatural forum online. They've all talked about it—about the True Alpha and how you made a deal that Beacon Hills would be a safe place for the supernatural. That you take in stray betas and treat them like pack. How anybody can come here for asylum if they really need it."

"If they deserve it." Malia pursed her lips. "There are rules."

"Yeah, I know. No killing humans."

"It's more than that." Scott leaned back in his seat and stared up at Tess. "Everybody who lives here, everybody who belongs to my pack, they're family. We take care of each other. But we also take care of others. That means you don't just avoid killing humans. It means you protect them, too. The world is a strange and dangerous place. If we have the ability to make it just a little safer, to save even one life, then we have to try."

Tess stared at him a long moment before nodding slowly.

"It's okay. It takes some getting used to." Scott stood, half-smiling. "Look, you can stay the night—"

"If you turn me away, they'll kill me!" she insisted.

"As I was saying… You can stay the night and tomorrow, we'll meet with the rest of the pack. At worst, we find a way to help you with this. Come to some kind of deal with this girl's dad and the other hunters, and then we send you home to your pack."

"I don't have a pack… I'm alone out there." Her eyes widened beseechingly. "Do you have any idea what that's like?"

Scott looked to Malia, who pressed her lips flat but said nothing.

"At best… The pack decides to give you a chance and you make Beacon Hills your new home…" He crossed his arms over his chest loosely. "That doesn't mean you'll always be on the preserve or within the boundaries. There are plenty of places to stay in town. But on the full moon, this is where you'll be, every time. It doesn't matter how in control you are. Unless there's an emergency in town, the pack stays in the woods to work out that energy in a way that isn't going to hurt anybody."

Tess nodded. "Okay."

"For tonight, you can stay at Liam's. He has a spare room and he'll make sure you're safe."

As if on cue, the back door swung open and a man walked in, loose brown hair falling into his eyes. "They're nearly out of the woods. Can't guarantee they'll leave town, but they're keeping their distance at least."

"Good." McCall motioned to her. "This is Liam. Liam, this is Tess. She needs a place to stay tonight before we figure things out in the morning. Is it all right if she stays with you?"

Liam glanced at her briefly, then nodded. "Sure. If I can borrow some clean sheets for the spare room."

Malia rolled her eyes. "What happened to the old sheets?"

With a shrug, Liam said, "Some kids grabbed them off the line and made a tent in the woods with them. Not much use now."

"Some kids or my kid?"

Liam grinned. "An uncle never narcs."

Clucking her tongue, Malia left, taking the stairs two at a time before returning with a stack of linens. "Here. Try not to lose them."

"You say that like I was the one stringing sheets from tree branches and making forts…"

She stared at him knowingly.

"All right, so I might've helped a little… But, it was for a good cause."

"Was that cause being a better God-parent than Stiles?" McCall wondered.

"If it was—" Liam smirked. "—I think it gave me an edge over the competition."

Small, padding feet could be heard on the stairs then.

Tess turned to see a little boy come running through the living room in red and blue pajamas, a mop of messy brown hair curling around his ears.

"Hey, what're you doing up, Little Man?" Malia plucked the boy up as he knocked into her legs. "Didn't your dad put you to bed a while ago?"

He grinned up at her, missing a few of his front teeth. "Couldn't sleep." He leaned back in her arms as she held him against her hip, and raised curious brown eyes to Scott. "Read me a story?"

"Another one? I already read six." Scott tickled him under his chin, smiling as he let out a loud laugh and wiggled in Malia's arms.

"One more," he begged, dropping his head against his mother's shoulder.

"All right. But just one this time." Scott lifted him up and said, "Say goodnight to mom."

"Night, momma." The little boy popped a kiss on Malia's cheek, making her smile.

"Be good. And Scott…" She stared after him as he walked toward the stairs. "One story. He has school tomorrow."

"Last one, I swear." He nodded, mouth curled faintly, before he climbed the stairs. "You think mom believed me?"

The little boy giggled. "No."

"No? Because mom's smart, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, she knows I'm a sucker. But, you are definitely not getting any more than three stories. Because she's right. You've gotta be up bright and early tomorrow for school…"

As their voices trailed off, Tess turned her attention back to Malia, who was staring her down.

"Uh… Is this gonna be a problem?" Liam wondered, looking between them.

"It better not be." Malia stepped up, her expression severe. "My husband likes to see the best in people. But, as much as he trusts people and wants them to make the right choices, they have a habit of disappointing him. I don't like when people disappoint him, so I really want him to be right about you. He's giving you a chance here, so trust me when I say not to waste it." Her hands fell to her hips. "We made this place a sanctuary so that good people would have a place to go. I don't want to squander that on anybody who isn't worth it. So far as I can tell, you made a bad choice and you're paying for it. But I don't like hunters showing up on my doorstep, especially not when I've got a six-year-old to worry about. Now if you want this, if you want to be pack, then great. Pull your weight, save some lives, and be good. But if I think for one second that you're a threat to me or mine, you won't have to worry about the hunters." Her eyes lit a brilliant blue. "Do we understand each other?"

Tess nodded jerkily. "Yeah. Yes, I understand."

"Good." Malia stepped back then and turned to Liam. "Don't get lost in the woods and be here by seven if you want any breakfast. Also, it's Wednesday, which means-"

"I'm on Mikey duty, I know." Liam rolled his eyes. "I can drop him off at school before I head to work, don't worry about it." He leaned over and popped an affectionate kiss on her cheek before winking and backing up toward the door, motioning to Tess with his head for her to follow.

Standing, she followed him out, giving Malia a wide berth as she passed her. As the door closed behind them and they walked down the porch stairs, she grimaced back at the house. "Is she always that intense?"

"Only when she goes into protective mode. I've known Malia for more than half my life. She's a good person, she's just rough around the edges. It's a long story, but the gist of it is that she'll fight as hard for you as you fight for her." He shrugged. "We've been through enough wars together to know how much that means."

"Wars?"

"Beacon Hills used to be ground zero for the worst of the supernatural massacres. It was falling apart at the seams and we had to keep it together, even when everybody that lived here wanted nothing more than to put us down. Her and Scott have been a packaged deal ever since. They saved the town a few hundred times since then and they made Beacon Hills what it is today. A sanctuary."

"Doesn't sound much like she wants it to be one."

"She's just worried. Hunters usually know better than to get that close to the house. Most of them stay out of Beacon Hills entirely. They know better. But when they do come… Blood follows soon after. She's lost enough family to be worried."

Tess frowned. "I thought if I could just get here, everything would be easier."

"It's not perfect, but it's better than a lot of places. You don't have to hide your true nature. You're around people that are just like you. And others that are completely different, but just as much pack as the rest."

They came upon another house, this one smaller and not as lit up. He let himself inside and flipped the kitchen light on, leading her deeper inside to where a spare room sat. "It's not much, but it's somewhere to sleep for the night."

"Until tomorrow, when the pack decides if I'm worthy enough…"

Liam half-smiled as he started making the bed. "It's more of a formality than anything. The pack is huge and it spans all species of supernatural beings. Or, most of them anyway. Anything inherently evil or cannibalistic usually gets a hard pass. But, as long as you follow the rules and you do your best, this is the place to be. Once you're pack, you're set. We take care of our own."

"Sounds nice." She hugged herself, frowning. "What if they reject me?"

"Everybody's been where you've been. Scott's a great alpha. He sees the best in people and he expects that you always try. And once Malia gets used to you, she'll be great, too. Just, give it some time."

"It wasn't so long ago that time wasn't exactly a luxury I had. I still have the hole in my gut to prove it."

"You'll be safe here," he insisted. "You'll see."

Tess sighed, not entirely convinced. But, she really hoped he was right.

"I don't like her."

Scott looked up, brows hiked and mouth set in an amused half-smile. "You don't know her."

"Neither do you." She pulled back the sheet and the blanket from her side of the bed while he did the same across from her. "She shows up in the middle of the night with hunters on her tail, but it's all somebody else's fault. Falls for a hunter's daughter who wants to kill her…? That sounds a little too familiar for my tastes."

"Maybe it is. Or maybe she's just a scared kid looking for a place to belong."

Malia clucked her tongue. "Not everybody needs saving."

"The last sixteen years of my life might say different…" He stared at her searchingly. "What if she really does need help?"

"Then we help get the hunters off her trail and send her off to Paris. That's where all your old pack ended up, right?"

"Mostly just Jackson and Isaac. And I don't know if I'd really call Jackson pack. He was Derek's."

"So was Isaac."

"Yeah, but Isaac was different."

She sent him a flat look. "You mean Isaac wasn't a dick."

"Pretty much."

Malia rolled her eyes. "The point is, our pack is huge. The more people we add, the more we have to account for." She climbed into bed and pushed the pillows up against the headboard to lean against. "At some point, we're going to have to learn to say 'no' to strangers that just show up, looking for a place to stay."

"That goes against who we are and what we believe in."

"I believe in keeping my family safe. I believe in keeping you safe, even if that means saving you from yourself and your idealistic outlook on people."

Sighing, he took a seat in bed next to her and reached for her hand, folding their fingers together and resting it on her thigh. "And I love that about you. I appreciate that you add another voice to things and make me think about alternative solutions."

"But…?"

"But, what if we turn people away and they die? Or they hurt someone because they don't have the guidance that they need?" He stared at her searchingly. "My family is the most important thing to me, but that extends beyond these walls, too. You and Mikey are my home. The pack is my responsibility. I know they won't always make the right choices. Neither will I. But if we can give them a chance, then I want to try."

Malia drew a deep breath and let it out on a sigh. "Fine."

He smiled slowly and drew her hand over into his lap, tracing concentric circles across her palm with his thumbs. "You were pretty great out there tonight."

"You're just saying that because fighting gets you hot."

His grin widened. "Watching you fight does."

Rolling her eyes, she said, "This is exactly how it started before we had Michael."

"And I don't regret a minute of it."

Malia's mouth turned up faintly. "He's pretty cute."

"He takes after his mom."

"Whatever. He's practically a mini-you." She paused and bit her lip for a moment. And then she drew his hand back and pressed it flat against her stomach. "I'm hoping this one is, too."

Scott went still for a moment, his gaze centered on her stomach, and then he looked up at her, his eyes wide. "You're…"

She nodded. "Four, maybe five weeks along."

He immediately softened. "Lia…" He pulled her into him, dragging her into his lap, his arms slung low around her waist. "Wait, but the fight…"

"I'd hardly call that a fight." She scoffed. "They didn't even land a hit."

"Still." He rolled her tank top up to her ribs and ran the back of his knuckles across her flat stomach. "You've gotta take it easy."

"I'm not made of glass. I'm just carrying a baby. A supernatural one. Meaning she's probably made of tougher stuff than your average fetus."

Scott grinned. "You think it's a girl?"

Malia shrugged. "Could be. It'd be nice to add another girl to the house."

"I'll be happy either way." He leaned down to kiss her stomach, followed by another kiss against her breast bone, and then a string of them up her chest and under her chin, until he found her mouth and hovered just short of it. His eyes flared red and his thumb stroked the curve of her lips. "I love you."

Humming, she combed her fingers through his hair. "I love you, too. Even if you pick up more strays than a crazy cat lady."

He chuckled, before rolling them over until she was laid out on her back and he was on top of her, cradled between her legs. Ducking down, he pressed a delicate kiss to her neck. "You said you wanted a big family."

She wrapped her legs around him and dragged her nails down his neck. "Not so big I can't keep it safe."

He leaned back a little to see her. "Is that what you're worried about?"

"Yeah. A little. It was hard enough before, when there were two betas, a banshee, and a chameleon. Now we've got all of these people relying on us to give them a safe home and it's hard to keep up. I keep waiting for another apocalyptic event and wondering how I'm going to keep the pack from imploding when it comes."

"That's not all on you. I'll help and so will Liam and Mason and Corey. Lydia and Stiles will come back if we need them. And Derek and Braeden. We're not alone. That's why this is important. So none of us are alone and we all have someone to get us through it."

"That's very noble, and I commend you for it, but sometimes I just want to take you and Mikey and run. Make a den somewhere and eat deer."

He grinned gently. "No Liam?"

"He can visit."

Scott chuckled. In part, because he knew Liam was one of her favorite people. "I feel that way sometimes, too."

Her brow furrowed. "You do?"

"Yeah, of course. It's not always easy. I've got betas squabbling over stupid things all the time. But I know it's worth it. and I also know that at the end of the day, I get to come back here, to you and Mikey and… whoever this is." He rubbed her stomach. "I know you're scared. I know you worry about all of them. And you just want us to be careful. And you're right. I don't know Tess. But, I'm willing to give her a chance. So, I hope you will, too."

Malia sighed, long and dramatic. "I will."

Scott's circled her shoulders and squeezed. "Thank you."

She stroked her fingers down the side of his face. "I knew when I married you you'd want to save the world. It's this very annoying habit of yours that I kind of dig."

"Yeah?" He grinned. "How much?"

Her legs squeezed his waist. "A lot."

Scott ducked his head down, their noses brushing. His eyes sparked red and he smirked as Malia shivered. "Show me…"

Come morning, Tess found sleeping in impossible. Not because she didn't want to. She very much wanted to roll over, bury her face in her pillow, and go right back to sleep. But Liam had knocked on the door to let her know that they were expected at the McCall house in twenty minutes. So, lethargically, she dragged herself out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom. There, she found some folded clothes on the counter waiting for her. She wasn't sure where they came from, but they fit well enough. After showering and changing, she threw her hair up into a messy ponytail and made her way into the kitchen.

Liam was waiting, thumbing out a text on his phone distractedly. "Ready?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

He looked up, squinted at her slumped disposition, and then grinned. "You're not walking to your death. They're good people."

With a sigh, she wrapped her arms around her waist and started for the door. "They can't convince the hunters to leave me alone. I don't know how they made all of this sanctuary stuff happen. I kind of thought it was a fairy tale. I mean, a whole town for supernaturals, and the hunters just let it happen? Kind of crazy to think about…"

"It wasn't easy." Liam locked up his house before they made their way off the front porch and across his leaf-littered lawn. Much like the McCall house, his was surrounded by the woods, putting him in the middle of nowhere. "Scott proved to the hunters that anyone that came here, anybody that became a part of his pack, would do the right thing, you know? We protect the people that live here. We use our abilities for good. And when there's something going on elsewhere, if we can help with that too, we do."

"What, like, hired protectors?"

"We don't get paid." Liam half-grinned. "No, it's just… I don't know. You wake up one day and you have the ability to help others. You're stronger and faster than the average human. You can do things you shouldn't be able to do. There's a little bit of a superhero feeling to it. What better way to live up to that gift than to use it to help others? So, sometimes he'll get a call that something's going on. Something's happening in some other town, like what happened here when we were your age, and Scott does what he can."

"I guess that's how he became a True Alpha."

"That's part of it. That's what he teaches all of us, anyway." Liam shrugged. "It's hard, when you're a kid, you're scared and all you really wanna do is get away from whatever scares you. But if you can channel that into something else, you can do a lot of good."

Tess nodded, chewing on her lip thoughtfully. "I never really did anything with my… abilities. I didn't even tell anyone for the longest time. I was adopted when I was pretty young. Didn't have any contact with my bio-parents. Then, one day, the moon is up and I'm losing it. I blame my strange love for horror movies for why I figured out what it was. After that, I just kind of dealt with it. Chained myself up when I had to, learned to deal with everything on my own."

Liam hummed. "Sounds kind of lonely."

"It was." She glared at the forest floor. "I reached out online. Found some other people that were like me. There's this whole underground forum, you know? Supernaturals just trying to live their lives and find people like them. It helped a lot. Made me feel like I wasn't so weird. That's how I found out about this place…"

"Then what happened?"

"I was stupid…" Tess scoffed. "I thought I could trust someone and I was wrong. Sara was the first person I ever really loved. I thought I could show her who I really was and she would just, get it."

"But she didn't?"

Tess shook her head. "She seemed excited about it at first. Like it was cool. Next thing I know, I'm being hunted." She kicked at a stray rock, sending it skittering toward a tree. "That's what I get, I guess."

"You can't live your whole life not trusting people." Liam shrugged, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans. "You just gotta find the right people. Stick around here and you're gonna find a lot of those."

Tess looked up at him then. "What if they don't want me to stay?"

Ahead, the McCall house came into view. It looked different in the light of day. There was a swing set in the yard and a stray child's bike laying in the grass. There was also a table set up, circled with chairs. The scent of food suddenly wafted over and she took a deep sniff, her stomach rumbling in response. The back door of the house swung open, admitting Scott McCall. He had Mikey on his back, the little boy's arms circled around his neck. Tess wasn't sure if it was just the intensity of the night before, but Scott looked younger now. His hair was ruffled from sleep and his grin was warm and content. He reached back and plucked his son up, dragging him over his shoulder and flipping him around. Mikey squealed excitedly, trusting implicitly in his father not to drop him.

"Hey, look who's here…" Scott grinned at them before he dropped his son down onto his feet. "Go say 'hi' to Uncle Liam."

"Liam!" Mikey barreled right into Liam's legs, who plucked him up and swung him around.

"Hey, buddy. You excited for school today?"

With a scrunched up nose and a grimace, Mikey purposely slumped in his uncle's arms, looking dramatically put out. "Nooo…"

Liam snickered. "Just like your mom."

Together, the three of them crossed to the table, where Scott had taken a seat. He motioned to the chairs down the length of the table. "Food's almost ready."

Tess took a seat, her back ramrod straight.

"How're you healing?" Scott wondered, reaching out to grab a handful of blueberries from a nearby bowl and popping them, one by one, into his mouth.

"Good." She nodded shortly. "Wound's pretty much closed. Just a little sore."

"I'm glad." He tipped his chin toward Liam. "You sleep all right?"

"Yeah, it was fine. Got a few calls throughout the night. The hunters are still in town. Holed up in a hotel. But they haven't called anybody else in so far as we can tell."

Scott nodded. "Yeah, I know. Argent's on it."

"What am I on?" An older man walked down the porch stairs to join them at the table.

Tess watched his easy gait as he took a seat, a pair of sunglasses tucked into the v-neck of his t-shirt. He was handsome, with salt and pepper hair, striking blue eyes, and an easy smile.

"The hunters," Scott said. "Liam was just telling me they stuck around."

"Right." Argent poured himself a mug of coffee and frowned. "I set up a meeting with them for noon. We'll sit down and talk it out."

"These people don't just talk things out." Tess frowned. "They want me dead. They aren't just going to call it even and let me live."

"You didn't kill anyone, right?" Argent stared at her, searchingly. "No dead or maimed bodies left in your wake?"

"Her eyes are gold," Scott said; a statement, not a defense.

"Doesn't account for maiming…"

Tess looked between them. "I've never hurt anyone."

"Then this should be easy." Argent nodded and then sat back in his chair.

"How do you know?"

He stared at her. "I know hunters."

Before she could press him, Mikey suddenly circled the table and tugged at Argent's sleeve. Whatever seriousness Argent had displayed before melted away entirely. He put his coffee on the table and reached down, drawing the boy up into his lap. Ruffling his hair, he dropped a kiss Mikey's forehead. "How's my favorite grandson doing this morning, huh?"

"I'm good." Mikey turned in his lap, leaning his back against Argent's chest. "Are we gonna make my tree house today?"

"Today? I don't know about today… I thought we'd work on it this weekend. You have school, remember?"

Mikey's face scrunched up. "That's okay. I can stay home and make the treehouse instead."

Argent's grin widened. "Is that so? Did you ask your mom and dad about that?"

Turning a puppy-dog look of epic proportions on his father, Mikey stuck his little wobbly bottom lip out. "I can stay home, right daddy? Grampa needs me to hold the tools."

"He is a good assistant," Argent said, looking entirely amused.

Scott snorted. "You know, after all these years, I still think you like torturing me just a little bit."

Argent laughed. "I don't hate it."

Voices caught Tess's attention then. Two women were talking inside the house, slowly getting closer. Suddenly, there was a loud shriek. It caused everybody at the table to grow tense for a moment. But the quick sound of happy laughter that followed had them all relaxing.

"I knew it! I told Chris. I could see something, like a glow. I just knew it! Oh, I can't wait…" The voice was sweet and happy. "Here. Let me take that."

"I can do it. I'm not an invalid."

"No, but if your arms are full I can't hug you. Now come on…" There was a shuffling noise and then, "Oh, I'm so happy for you. And Scott. But mostly me…"

Down at the end of the table, Scott was grinning behind his hand, his head turned a little, as if he too was listening.

It was a good minute or two later before the ladies started moving again. Tess watched as the back door sprung open and they stepped out. One was Malia and the other was unfamiliar. But it wasn't hard to make the connection. She was clearly Scott's mother. Together, the two women made their way down the stairs, each holding a platter. One with pancakes and scrambled eggs while the other was piled high with crispy strips of bacon and sausage. They dropped them on the table before separating to take their seats at the table.

Scott's mom paused by her son, reaching down to wrap her arms around his neck and pop a loud kiss on his cheek. "I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

"I just found out," he defended, looking back at her, a hand wrapped lightly around her forearm across his chest. "Last night, actually."

"Found out what?" Liam asked, already adding a stack of pancakes to his plate, along with a scoop of eggs and a handful of sausages.

Malia looked from face to face before turning in her seat and stroking her knuckles over her son's cheek. "You wanna tell 'em what we talked about, Mikey?"

Bouncing excitedly, Mikey grinned toothily at everybody. "I'm gonna be a big brother!"

"What?" Liam perked up, his brows hiked. "That's awesome! Congratulations!" He clapped a hand on Scott's shoulder before standing and circling the table. He pulled Malia up from her chair to hug her and then reached around to ruffle Mikey's hair.

Malia rolled her eyes even as she was smiling. She retook her seat and started serving herself breakfast. "It's early, and new."

"Congratulations," Argent said, squeezing Malia's forearm gently before he turned a fond look on Scott, too.

Scott's mom moved around the table, taking her own seat on the other side of Argent. "Well, I'm excited. A little girl wound be amazing. I'd love another little boy, too. But oh, a girl…"

Argent turned to her with a soft smile. He reached a hand over, twining it with hers, and then raised it so he could kiss the back affectionately.

Tess watched them a long moment, lost in each other like a pair of lovesick teenagers. And then Mikey was grabbing up a sausage and stuffing it, whole, in his mouth.

"Who taught you your manners, huh?" Malia squished his cheeks and stole half the sausage out of his mouth. "Small pieces or you'll choke."

Mikey grinned at her, chewing what was left in his mouth cheerfully.

With a roll of her eyes, Malia plucked him out of Argent's lap and put him in his father's. "Here. Your turn."

Scott smiled and bounced his knee to get Mikey giggling. "You wanna pancake?"

Mikey nodded. "And blueberries."

"Blueberries, too?" Scott's brows hiked with faux surprise.

"Yup. And eggs and sausages."

"Yeah? You think you can eat all that?"

Mikey nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Okay, but we're going to start with just one pancake and see how that goes, all right?" Scott picked out the smallest pancake and put it on a plate. He slathered it with butter and syrup before cutting it all up into small pieces. Digging out a handful of blueberries from the bowl, he added them to the plate, too. "How's that?"

Mikey grabbed up his fork and licked his lips. "That's good."

"Good." Scott kissed his son's cheek and then started make up his own plate.

Slowly, Tess gathered her own food, watching curiously as everybody interacted with each other. They moved in and out of conversations from one person to the next, talking about their week or some strange thing that had happened recently. Scott's mom, who Tess learned was called Melissa, talked about some recent hijinks at the hospital, where she worked as a nurse. Argent said he was keeping an eye on an arm's dealer coming in from Canada. Liam, a Lacrosse coach at the local high school, talked about a game coming up and how the team was doing. Malia, a deputy with the police department, shared a recent run-in with a wendigo. And Scott, who worked as a vet, animatedly discussed his week at the clinic, fondly referring to numerous animals by name.

It was all very domestic and strange and as time went on, quite relaxing.

Tess had never spent any real time with other supernaturals. She knew about them from her time on the forum boards, but it was different to be in the thick of it. To hear about the exploits of these people living their normal lives amongst humans and supernaturals. They had reached a sort of harmony, aware of what was out there and willing to take it on, but also creating a comfortable balance that let them lead regular lives. She envied it. The family they had with each other.

Tess loved her own parents; they'd always been good to her. But they'd never be able to understand this side of her life. In the year since she'd realized what she was, she'd never been able to explain it to them, scared they might reject her when they realized she wasn't the totally human child they'd expected when they adopted her. She wondered if maybe she'd judged them wrong. From what she could tell, Melissa McCall was entirely human, and couldn't love her son more. Likewise, Chris Argent, who Tess was starting to think might actually be a hunter, was a dedicated part of the McCall family. Tess couldn't help but hope that maybe her own parents could learn to do the same.

"Oh, you are definitely going to school," Malia said suddenly, waving a piece of bacon around for emphasis. "You can help Grandpa with the tree house this weekend."

"But what about Grandpa Henry?" Mikey wonders. "He wants to go fishing!"

"So, you can go fishing on Sunday and you can help Grandpa Chris with the tree house on Saturday." Malia sat back in her seat and shrugged. "Plenty of time to go around."

"But— But what about Grandpa Sheriff?" he tried again.

"Okay, I know you don't have plans with the Sheriff this weekend. Nice try, though."

Mikey pouted. "But I could…"

"But you don't." Malia shook her head. "Anyway, you'll see Grandpa Sheriff tomorrow night. You remember? It's paperwork night, which means that you get to hang out in his office and ask him tons of questions while he works."

Mikey lit up. "And eat lotsa curly fries!"

Scott grinned down at him. "You don't wanna salad?"

Mikey scrunched his nose up. "You're silly."

"All right, Little Man." Liam stood from the table then and dusted his hands off. "Come on. We gotta wash up before we get going. I'm dropping you off at school this morning."

"Do we have to…?" Mikey slumped down against his dad.

"You do. You've gotta go to school and get a big brain." Scott pressed kisses all over the side of Mikey's face. "It'll be so big, your head's gonna be the size of the house!"

Giggling, Mikey pushed his face away. "Daddy, stoooop…"

"All right, all right." Scott lifted him up and held him as Mikey balanced himself on Scott's knee. "You wanna say goodbye to everybody?"

"Bye everybody!" Mikey waved and then leapt up in the air, expecting his uncle to catch him.

Liam did, hanging him over his shoulder as he made his way into the house.

Tess sat back in her chair, hands wrapped around her coffee mug. Conversation had died down, but it only left her feeling edgy. Which was why she blurted out, "So, when do I meet the rest of the pack for the vote?"

"We've got some things we want to talk about first." Scott stacked his hands on his stomach and stared thoughtfully at Tess. "You're done school?"

"High school, yeah. I finished last year."

"What about college?" Malia wondered. "Have you thought about going or what you wanna do now that you're done?"

"I was taking some classes online, a little bit of everything, really. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I'm still not."

"Are you still taking them online?"

"Not since I had to make a run for it, but I'm still enrolled, yeah." She shrugged. "I have a couple weeks to catch up on."

"You can do that from anywhere though, right?" Malia stared at her. "If we set you up with internet, you could finish whatever you're working on."

"Yeah." Tess nodded, looking from her to Scott and back. "So, I might be allowed to stay?"

"You'd have to follow the rules," Argent said. "For your safety and for everyone else. It's not a matter of not trusting you. It's a matter of making sure that everything runs smoothly."

"We have a lot of people that come through town, not all of them are good people," Melissa added. "We— all of us— do what we can to keep this place a safe haven. The better things go here, the more understanding we get from the hunting community. If we can keep things stable and show them that supernatural people are just people, that saves lives in the long run."

"I know. I've heard stories…" Tess turned back to Scott. "I came here because I needed help, not to cause trouble."

"That doesn't mean you won't," Malia said.

Tess frowned.

"It might not be on purpose, but things happen. And that's okay. You can't see the future and you can't predict what you or anyone else will do. But what you can do is be open to working with us. That means that when we have pack meetings, you're there. When there's a problem in town, you help. And when something goes wrong— because it will, no matter how much you try to avoid it— you talk to us."

Tess nodded slowly. "I can do that."

"Okay." Scott half-smiled then. "Argent's going to meet with the hunters that are after you. They made a call to this Sara's dad, too, so he's coming in to work things out. The hunters know the rules here. We're a sanctuary for a reason. If we can get things resolved with them, you'll have a choice to either stay or go. If you want to go home, we won't stop you, but we also can't guarantee anything that the hunters do outside of here. We have to trust them to keep their word. Which sounds really easy to say, I know, and it might not be so simple in action. But, if you choose to stay, we can do our best to keep you safe."

"For how long?"

"However long you need," Malia said, her brow still furrowed. "You can get a job or continue with your schooling, but you pull your own weight. Knowing Liam, he'll let you stay in his spare room until you get on your feet. Then we can help you find an apartment in town."

Tess let out a heavy breath. "I… Okay. Yeah. That— That sounds great."

"You'll still have to meet the rest of the pack." Scott shrugged. "Most of them have been where you are, they understand what it feels like, so they'll probably vote you in and give you a chance."

"Have they ever just… not?"

"We've had people here that weren't a right fit." Scott nodded. "It happens. Sometimes they don't want to follow the rules or they have a different idea of what living in a town like Beacon Hills might be like… As many supernatural people as we have here, there's just as many humans. It's just a matter of co-existence and mutual respect."

"It's not perfect. It's actually pretty prone to disaster." Melissa half-smiled, but there was a haunted look in her eyes. "But, you won't find a better group of people."

"She's biased, but she's not wrong," Malia agreed. "When you're pack, you're family. And we take care of our own."

Tess stared at her a long moment. She remembered what Liam had said the night before. That Malia would fight for others as much as they fought for her. She got it now. Tess would have to prove herself over time. Show Malia and the rest of the pack that she was in it, a part of them, and she wanted to be there. It would take time and effort and a lot of adapting, but… She liked it. The idea that she could be here, a part of this, using her abilities for good instead of hiding them, ashamed of her differences. "I want this," she decided.

She'd have to call her parents, tell them that she'd be gone for a while, but she was safe and she knew what she was doing. Maybe they wouldn't get it. Maybe, eventually, she'd have to tell them what she was. But, for right now, she was going to focus on the positive. She was safe. She was with people who understood. And she had a real chance at life ahead of her.

Scott nodded. "Okay." He outstretched a hand to her then. "Welcome to Beacon Hills."

With a smile, Tess reached back. "Thanks for having me."

Later that afternoon, Malia sat on her porch swing, a hand placed gently against her stomach. Four individual barbecues were going; the heavenly scent of beef, pork, and deer warmed the air. Tables and blankets were spread out across the yard. Children were running to and fro, laughing and playing. A barefoot Mikey was running along side Kayla and Jasper, Corey and Mason's children, with Liam right behind them, purposely running a little slower to prolong the chase.

It was a mixed bag of supernaturals and humans as far as the eye could see, all talking and laughing and eating. There was a comfort to it that settled warmly in her chest. These were her people; her pack. For too many years, she'd hidden away in this same forest, scared to be human, to be a part of. But here she was, years later, surrounded by people she cared about.

Scott joined her, taking a seat on the swing and drawing her across the bench to lean against his side. His fingers combed through her hair as his head fell against hers. "Pretty amazing, huh?"

Rubbing her hand over his knee, she hummed. In the center of it all, Tess was being introduced to each member of the pack. She looked both excited and overwhelmed. While Malia still had her reservations about the girl, she truly hoped it turned out well.

"I smelled deer," she told him.

Scott chuckled. "Yeah, I made sure they threw some on just for you…" His arm moved then, hand sliding down to rest atop her stomach. "You had some serious cravings for it with Mikey."

"I'm always up for deer." Her mouth watered a little. "But you're right, it's stronger when I'm pregnant."

The noise died abruptly then and Malia looked over to see shocked, happy faces turned in her direction.

"Looks like the 'were' is out of the bag," Scott said, grinning.

Malia frowned up at him. "Your dad jokes are the worst."

His head fell back as he laughed.

Before she could chastise him anymore, the deck was filled with excited people. As much as she wanted to pretend to be annoyed, she couldn't be. Her pack was happy for her. So, she took the hugs and the handshakes and the cheerful congratulations they offered. Today, her pack would grow by two. One, a girl on the run, the other a baby on the way. Not for the first time, she found herself grateful for that day in the woods, all those years ago, when Scott McCall turned her back and reintroduced her to the world. As hard and as scary as it was, it had been worth it.

While her pack moved back to the yard to continue the festivities, she stayed on the swinging chair with Scott. An excited Mikey joined them a few minutes later, climbing up to sit in her lap. Liam and Corey and Mason followed, pulling up chairs and sitting on the railing to talk. Melissa and Argent gathered around them, too. Malia looked at each of them, her heart squeezing happily. And then beyond, to the others, her constantly growing family.

"You okay?" Scott nuzzled against her cheek.

"Yeah." She nodded, and reached up to rub a hand over his chest. "Just happy."

She could feel him smile. "Me, too."

It had taken years of work, of proving themselves to hunters and the wider supernatural world, but they'd done it. They'd built their home and their back and, while it had its bumps along the way, for the most part, it was exactly what Scott said it was. Amazing. Malia wouldn't have it any other way.

end

author's note: this was born out of the idea of scott creating a sanctuary out of beacon hills for supernatural creatures. i wanted a more creative way of introducing is, so i made tess, who was just meant to introduce the idea. then it ballooned with scott and malia's family and pack and became this monster. while it leaves things with tess kind of vague at the end, i didn't want to delve much deeper into that plot. it was just meant to bring things into focus.

my headcanon is that they clear things up with the hunters and sara's dad and tess stays in beacon hills to live a long and happy life. she meets a new girl that she can trust and who doesn't want her to be hunted/killed. scott and malia go on to have a daughter. mikey builds a tree-house with argent, goes fishing with malia's dad, and eats far too many curly fries with sheriff stilinski. liam continues his bid to be the favorite uncle/godparent. :) i hope you liked it!

thanks so much for reading! please try to leave a review. they keep me motivated!
- Lee | Fina