Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. Lyrics belong to Florence and the Machine.

A/N: Well, this happened. Always kinda wanted to throw something like this together – since, like the first season. And then with the second season being as interesting as it has been, I was finally inspired enough to whip this up. So, its' happening. Woot woot.

Side note: The Teen Wolf time line is super screwed up – like, plot holes and inconsistencies galore. And it confuses me so terribly. So please, if you find something I missed – feel free to shoot me a note and set me straight.

Will be updated every Saturday and Tuesday.

Full summary: "You saw something you can't explain. It was something your mind has never encountered before, so you're trying to rationalize it. And let's be honest, right now, you're failing." When Paige Flanagan is uprooted from her home in Chicago, she decides to bide her time until she can return to the city. But a series of occurrences leave her world upside down and her future goals totally skewed. And what is up with this Derek dude?

Big Empty Houses

By: Ginny

And there's fantasy, there's fallacy, there's tumbling stone.
Echoes of a city that's long overgrown.
Your heart is the only place that I call home,
I cannot be returned.

The high school hallway was overcrowded – each person running to and from somewhere. It was so easy to get lost here. So easy to slip away.

There's something to be said about starting over. The initial shift in environment, mentality, whatever – is always so surreal and unnerving that often the effect isn't noticed until long after that shift has taken place. It's an after thought. A mild blip on the life scale, telling you that your life has changed for the better, for the worse, changed without any hope of returning to its original state. But by the time you realize your life has been restarted, by the time you've taken note of the change – you reality is already engrained. So, you move on.

So, Paige moved on. Step one of moving on: getting to class. She let her locker open gingerly with only a mild click and tug and hugged her books closer to herself as she peered in.

What a strange place to have that kind of thought process, she decided as she scanned her row of textbooks and notepads all placed neatly in their proper order. Surely the realization that her life was forever changed should have hit her when her parents announced that her father had received a promotion and they would be moving to California. Or maybe when they were flying from Chicago to their new home in Beacon Hills. Or maybe when they first moved in. Or maybe on her first day of school. But no, that stunning realization that she would be finishing up her high school career at Beacon Hills High School hadn't occurred to her until a month had passed.

Her cheek began to itch and since her hands were full she scratched it on her shoulder. The boy at the locker next to hers threw her a weird look before he slammed his locker shut and left.

You're such a weirdo, she chided herself.

Suddenly self-conscious, she quickly swapped out the books she already had used in favor of next period's textbooks. And then she was on her way.

Jesus, she continued to scold herself. No wonder you have no friends.

That wasn't entirely true, if she was willing to think rationally. It wasn't like she was a total outcast… She had left behind a few friends in Chicago. But she wasn't in Chicago anymore… and she had never been much of a people-person to begin with, so replacing those friends was difficult. Probably impossible. But she had come to some conclusions – it was only one year. Eight months, if she was going to be exact. Eight months and she would graduate and move back to the Midwest for college and then law school and then work. California and all it's hellishness would be behind her.

Paige just had to keep her head down.

Which… was easier said than done, considering who her little brother had befriended within the first week of being here. Wyatt had always been a nice enough kind of guy – a super sweet kid. So why he would have taken up with that asshole Jackson Whittemore was beyond Paige's mental abilities. If she had to bet though… it was probably something to do with her brother's prowess on the lacrosse field. Either way, Paige wasn't sure she liked the influence that rich snob had over her sweet little brother.

And… yup. Speak of the devil, she realized. Her internal clock must have been a few beats off because the halls were a little less crowded than normal and she had never encountered Jackson during this passing period.

He had begun this tradition of trying to flirt with her whenever he saw her. The first time he had done it, Paige had believed it was for real and had been a stuttering mess caught up in the fact that an attractive man was paying her attention and the fact that said attractive man had a girlfriend and oh my god, someone needed to tell the poor girl her boyfriend secretly thought Paige was pretty. Her brother had taken pity on her and revealed it was a little game Jackson had decided to play on her once he realized how shy she was. And even though she knew it wasn't real, it didn't stop her from blushing whenever he put the moves on.

There was a burst of relief when she realized he was engaged in a very intimate-looking conversation with some random stranger that Paige didn't recognize. Not that that was very usual… Paige didn't know the names of 90 percent of the students she passed in the hallway daily. Partially because she hadn't bothered. Partially because they hadn't bothered.

This stranger, though, was truly strange. In a leather jacket that strained across broad shoulders… he didn't look like any high school student Paige had ever encountered. Just the way he stood… it was intimidating. Predatory. Just, generally, scary.

If it had been her brother conversing with this intimidating fellow, maybe Paige would have stopped to at least make sure they eventually went their separate directions, safely and without event. But this was Jackson. And she was even kind of scared of Jackson, too. So…

Paige just hugged her books closer and picked up her pace. She was already running late anyway so who could fault her?

Five, six, seven, she counted each tile as she kept her head down and tried to appear as small as possible. Eight, nine, - ding. And a grunt.

Whipping around, Paige had just enough time to see the stranger with his hand gripping Jackson's neck – the younger man forced up against the lockers.

"Hey!" The word was little more than a squeak and entirely unintentional, but the stranger still glanced up. Crystal blue eyes met her own nondescript grey ones and he released Jackson.

And then, he approached her.

With long, deliberate footfalls, he made his way towards her. Almost on instinct, she shuffled back and pressed herself against a locker. Her arms were still weighed down with books but she lifted them higher – high enough to maybe protect her face, if it came to that. Her eyes squeezed shut and she hoped that maybe, if something did happen, Jackson would protect her. It was a long shot, he only thought about her as the geeky older sister of his new friend, but maybe some ounce of chivalry would break through.

And suddenly, the footfalls slowed down. Paige gingerly opened her eyes to find the strange man walking clean past her, a bewildered expression on his face as his eyes traced her own terrified expression. Then he rolled his eyes and continued at a brisker pace.

Paige watched him turn the corner before her arm muscles loosened and her breathing returned to normal.

"Hey, hot stuff," Jackson spoke up. He seemed to have calmed down pretty quick, the asshole. "You might wanna get to class." He gave her a cocky wink as he passed.

Sliding into her seat in the back row of her oral expressions class, Paige allowed herself a few moments to take some deep breaths. Then, she returned to scolding herself. What was I thinking? Jesus! Of all the things to do… You're no supposed to get in between two guys when they're fighting. Oh my God, I could have died. Jesus, I have to learn to keep my mouth shut. Shut it nice and tight and then I can get the hell out of here.

The teacher announced a pop quiz and almost instantly Paige lost herself in what she knew best: her studies.

Eight more months to go.

Later that day, Paige went searching for her brother just as the bell rung. As per usual, Wyatt was at Jackson's locker discussing god-only-knew-what. For a moment, she hesitated. Did she dare disturb their conversation? That was rude, right?

Jackson made the first move. "Hey," he said as he nudged Wyatt, "It's your cute sister."

Unbidden, the blush slinked across her face but Wyatt was quick to rescue her. "You don't need to pick me up," he told her. "I'm catching a ride with some of the guys after lacrosse practice."

Nodding, Paige left without giving either boy a second glance.

One day she'd learn to speak up and give Jackson a piece of her mind.

She'd only just grabbed her largest textbook from the tallest shelf in her locker when something hard slammed into her shoulder. For a moment, the shock in her shoulder was her sole focus until the textbook smashed into the toes. "Ah!" she let out, jumping back. The pain blazed up her leg and rattled in her kneecap. Twisting around, she propped herself up against her locker and yanked her leg up to cradle the injury.

Through pain-clouded eyes, she watched the boy who'd bumped into her glance back, shrug and mouth, "Oops!"

There was no apology. There was no remorse. So, she swallowed her pain-induced tears and finished clearing her locker. That was that. Paige was a stranger to him. And it wasn't like she was going to speak up and demand an apology. She shouldn't have expected much. Some people… they just had a sense. They could pick out, just by looking at a person, whether that person would speak up or not. Paige was pretty sure she had heard that somewhere… but it might have been in the context of rapists being able to weed out the perfect victim. Either way, she had learned long ago to just shrug it off and accept that this was who she was and always will be.

Back at her old school, she'd been considered sweet and kind and mild mannered and studious and maybe, even, a little popular. Her father had gotten her into this private school for gifted children when she was very small so, in most of her honors classes in high school, her fellow students were kids she had known since kindergarten.

Here, she was just… Paige Flanagan. Nothing special. Super shy. Terribly quiet. Doormat.

"What a pussy," came a voice off to Paige's right.

Terrified that someone had read her thoughts and was berating her, she glanced up. But no, it was just her locker buddy who was convinced she was a weirdo and her locker buddy's best bud. She quickly turned her attention back to her own locker, in case they thought she was rude for eavesdropping.

"I told her it was perfectly safe," he continued to explain. "But she was so scared of some mountain lion eating us that she refused to go into the woods with me."

"I think she just didn't wanna blow you," his friend shot back.

That was the last bit she heard, as she shouldered her backpack and scuttled from her Hell on Earth.

Driving home, she contemplated what her locker buddy had been discussing. That was one thing her parents hadn't mentioned before they had moved: the wildlife. It seemed there was an abundance of crazed animals out and about the town and nowhere was safe. Too many people had popped up dead from animal-inflicted wounds for Paige to disregard the rumors, but still… she was infinitely more terrified of Beacon Hills' human population to give much thought to their animal population.

Her house was empty.

It was always empty.

In Chicago she would study at a friend's house rather than face how empty her house had been. Her mother was a teacher at the local junior high and volunteered even after school hours. Her brother had lacrosse practice, or friends of his own. Her father worked. All the time. In fact, he worked so much and so hard, he had earned that nice big promotion that had forced them to relocate. He had worked so much and so hard that they had been able to afford a bigger home. But for Paige, a bigger home just meant a home that was emptier than their original one.

There were ways of killing the loneliness, of course, but sometimes they got repetitive. Facebook had always been Paige's normal time-killer. But it hurt too much to see her friends happy without her, doing things without her.

So, she did her homework, but only killed about an hour. So she did the dishes. Then she did her laundry. Then she cooked dinner for herself and her brother. Then she put her brother's serving in the fridge. Then she went for a run.

There was definitely a difference between her level of athleticism and her brother's. She had tried to do track and cross-country but it seemed that she lacked the competitive edge that made the running worthwhile and gave the runner the added boost to win. So, Paige didn't run for sport. She ran to clear her head.

And today, she ran to kill an empty house, a workaholic father, and eight months worth of time.

"Honey…" came a voice. "Hey, honey."

Paige glanced up from her book to find her mother sticking her head around the corner. "Um… yes?" she inquired.

"Want to do me a huge favor?"

"That depends on the favor…"

"Well, I'll give you a hint: I'm not asking for a kidney."

"I'd be worried if you were asking for a kidney."

"I know you would be."

"So… what's the favor?"

"I have papers to grade."

"Yes…"

"And Wyatt's doing his homework."

"Yes…"

"And your dad's at work."

"And the favor is…?"

Without hesitation, her mom completely pulled herself from around the corner and shoved a DVD case into Paige's hands. "This is due today," she explained. "Would you mind returning it?"

Paige glanced down at the title, "Inglorious Basterds". Wyatt had rented this. By family tradition, he should be the one returning it – it wasn't like he didn't have his license and Paige knew that he had spent some time after the lacrosse practice at Jackson's house. But it wasn't like she had anything else to do – right? With a reluctant nod, she yanked on her hoodie, stuffed her pockets with her phone, her keys, and her wallet and then set out.

Back home, every street was as familiar as the back of her hand and hot damn – driving in the city was one of the most challenging places to drive. Paige was very comfortable behind a car and hadn't had much experience with accidents.

So, her nerves were pretty shot when she had only just turned onto the street the video rental place was on and her car gave a huge pop-crackle-bang.

Hitting the break instinctively, Paige hoped beyond all hope that she hadn't done anything too stupid. That would be just her luck – hitting some wild creature, hitting a person, breaking the car beyond repair. Her thoughts were wholeheartedly self-deprecating as she hopped out of her car and dodged around to vehicle. Was there anything under her tires? Was there any dents? Was – oh, she had popped a tire. Okay, she could work with that.

Taking a brief moment to collect her thoughts, she checked her pockets for her phone. Okay, okay, okay – she had her phone. Perfect. There was another car back home. Someone could come get her and then they could get this car towed. That would work just fine.

The sign for the video rental store flickered in the distance. Paige hadn't realized it was so close. Glancing down at the DVD in her hands, she decided to just return the darn thing and then call her house. Stuffing her phone back into her pocket, she shuffled off towards the video store. The night was dark and the block was empty, but Paige wasn't too worried. Dark streets in the city were worse than dark streets in the country. Except for maybe the crazed wild animals that apparently were an issue here.

Halfway down the block her phone buzzed in her pocket.

How's hell? read the text message.

With a small smile – the kind that only Liza could invoke – Paige responded, Dark and spooky.

She had barely hit the send button when – clunk.

Her feet stopped moving on their own and then her breath caught in the back of her throat. Breaking glass was never a good sign – even more so in the city, but she knew it wasn't something good here either. Still a little light-blinded from her phone's bright screen, she tried so hard to focus on…

The creature that had burst from the window of the video rental store.

And then, she went crazy.

Hours later, she just wanted to go home.

"And that's all you saw?"

That was the fifth time someone had asked her that question. It wasn't like her answer was going to miraculously change the fifth time around. That was all she had seen. Simple pimple.

"Do you remember anything else?"

Paige had lost count of how many times that question had been asked. It was like, the best way to prompt people who had been traumatized, apparently. She'd say some small detail she remembered and they'd nod and write stuff down and then nod some more and then finally it wasn't good enough and they needed more – they needed her to remember more. And there was only so much to remember.

For a brief moment she allowed herself to be a little child and buried her face into her mother's shoulder.

The cops had been called, her father heard what had happened, her mother had begun to worry when she was late coming home and they both had arrived at the scene near about the same time to see the flashing lights.

Her mom tightened her grip around Paige's shoulder and shot back, "I think we're done with the questioning for tonight."

When the police officer opened his mouth to protest, her father swept in, crisp grey suit and all and repeated, "We're done here."

The cop shut his mouth with a click, looked between each Flanagan and then nodded and left.

Paige's dad watched him go with heavy lidded eyes and then ran a large hand through his hair. "I need to get back to the office," he said. "This will be a mountain of paperwork."

On instinct, the words slipped out. "I'm sorry," she muttered.

"Honey," her dad reached over and cradled the back of her head with his hand. "This is not your fault." He pressed a quick kiss to her hairline, gave his wife a nod and then disappeared as only her father could.

"I think someone needs some hot chocolate," her mother suggested, nudging her a bit.

She shook her head. "I just want to go to bed."

"Then, to bed I will take you," her mother promised.

Over her mom's shoulder, Paige glanced at the scene. A man had died in that building. A man was dead inside that building – well, the body had been moved. Paige had watched them wheel it out. Would his ghost haunt the place? Did Paige even believe in ghosts? Probably… Yeah, she believed in ghosts and giant dogs. Jackson caught her gaze from across the parking lot. Of all the people to run into… maybe if the dude had never died she would have bumped into the little asshole and he would have flirted with her a bunch and she would have blushed and stuttered and been so distracted that she didn't notice the giant dog (mountain lion, she corrected herself) before it was too late.

Had he seen? Did he remember anything else?

Had he gone crazy, too?

But in order to get to the heart,
I think sometimes you'll have to cut through
But you can't...