Isaac had been trying not to think about the full moon and what it would do to him, but he couldn't stay in his denial much longer. When he woke up that morning, Derek's wooden chest of torture devices was out in the middle of the platform. Fear made his entire being turn cold. He really didn't think he would be able to handle it.

As the day progressed, he clung to every good feeling he could soak up. Kat held his hand during lunch and they listened to her iPod. She about had a heart attack when he couldn't name that tune when The Beatles came on, but thanks to her he spent the rest of the day humming Hey Jude. After school he got in the passenger seat of her Mustang and they drove with no real destination in mind.

The windows were down and her hair whipped in the wind. She pushed faster and faster, ignoring the speed limit. They were on a road that winded through the countryside and there were no other cars in sight. With each curve, Isaac held his breath and his heart fluttered wildly in time with Kat's. It felt like they were the only two people in the world and he never wanted to leave that moment.

There was a break in the trees and Isaac saw a pond that was almost as blue as the ocean. Kat pulled over to the side of the road. She turned and her smile beckoned him. He followed her, climbing over the fence. They chased each other through the field until they were at the edge of the water.

"It's really pretty out here," Kat said.

"I didn't even know there was a place like this so close," he said.

Kat smiled and turned her face up toward the sun. "We should swim!" she declared.

Isaac thought she was joking, but she definitely got his attention when she started stripping down. Her shirt was the first to go and then she bent down to untie her shoes. Soon she was shimmying out of her jeans and wearing nothing but white cotton underwear and a pale pink bra.

"Come on!" she said, pulling his hand. "I'll look stupid if it's just me."

Isaac just stared at her. "Oh, stupid is the last word I'd use right now."

She waded out in the water until it was lapping at her knees and Isaac tripped several times in his race to strip down and join her. He didn't give much thought to the scars that hadn't faded yet, he trusted her. She laughed and splashed at him as he waded out to join her. The mud beneath him was soft and tried to swallow his toes with every step. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She laughed and splashed him.

They stayed in the water until their fingers and toes started to wrinkle. Dripping and smiling, they carried their clothes back to her car, grabbed her iPod, and listened to Red Hot Chili Peppers while they sat on the hood, drying in the sun.

"I'm glad we did this," Kat said.

"Me too," Isaac replied.

:::::::::::

Isaac was back at the subway station about an hour before the sun set, but his mind was still on the hood of the Mustang with Kat's arms around him and he was kissing her and pressing their bodies together. The dreamy smile faded from his face when Derek started pulling things out of the treasure chest of torture. His anxiety shot through the roof when he and Boyd had to help restrain Erica. Her screams echoed through his ears and while he knew it was necessary, he felt guilty.

Boyd was next and he stood stoically, not fighting against the restraints at all. Derek stepped away and turned to Isaac.

"Please?" Isaac's voice was hoarse with fear.

Derek raised an eyebrow and while the guilt was clear on his face, Isaac knew this was happening whether he wanted it or not. He resigned himself to his fate and tried not to picture metal walls closing in on him while Derek secured his chains.

"How do you do it?" Isaac asked frantically. "How do you keep yourself under control?"

"I have an anchor," Derek said. "I focus on anger and it keeps me grounded."

"Is it the same for everyone?"

"No, sometimes it's different."

"Like Scott?"

Derek sighed and nodded. "Scott's is something different."

Isaac wondered what his would be. The full moon was rising and Isaac started to focus on all the good things he could think of.

:::::::::::

Kat was dancing around her room to her music on the last normal night she'd ever have. She was searching for the perfect song, one that fit her afternoon with Isaac. Her dad was back at work and her mom was in a medication induced haze so it was just her and the lyrics to love songs. After everything she'd been through with Mike and then losing her brother, she was finally starting to think that life could be good again.

She was wrong.

:::::::::

Isaac could feel Derek's panic. Erica and Boyd had broken through their restraints and they were decidedly not happy. Isaac pulled against his chains and found that they came away easily. His wolf growled with delight and part of him wanted to join Erica and Boyd in causing mayhem. But there was something in the back of his mind, something that smelled like lemons and felt like happiness.

That something stopped him from joining them. His control was tenuous, but it was there. He helped his Alpha get the other two betas under control. It was no easy task. Erica was nothing but flying claws and teeth and Boyd was freakishly strong, but eventually they were chained once again.

"Thanks," Derek said, somewhat sheepish but grateful.

Isaac looked back to the chains that had held him previously. He didn't want to go back to that feeling, but he felt one step away from losing the control he'd just recently gained. He gestured to them

:::::::::::

People would be talking about that night for years to come. It was probably the darkest day the town of Beacon Hills had ever seen. They'd never be able to fathom what had caused a high school student to go on a murder spree that ended violently in the town's own police department.

The families arrived that morning. Some were still in their pajamas. They all looked shell shocked, like they were moving in a dream, like this couldn't possibly be real but it was.

Kat was among them, dragging her mother along behind her like an anchor. She was shaking and there was an ache deep in her chest. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Things were supposed to be getting better.

Suddenly, she broke away from her mother. She pushed her way past the police from the neighboring town that had come to help sort things out. She fought off their hands that sought to restrain her. Kat wasn't even sure what she was after. Some wild thought had taken her over. It just wasn't real, it couldn't be. She was going to see for herself that it was all some cruel joke.

She dropped to her knees inside the police station. There was so much blood, like a wild animal had been unleashed inside. Finally the faceless hands grasped her and pulled her away. She let them this time, not fighting as they led her to an ambulance. They told her she was in shock and she believed them because she couldn't make herself respond to them.