008

Over the weekend, Mae and Ana talked about everything. Ana explained to her about how she was a vampire and how it had to be a secret because the hunters didn't know about her. Mae took it all in and listened to her story intently before it was her turn to share.

"Well, I'm not exactly telling you the truth either..." Mae started causing Ana to watch her in confusion. "I'm... okay you are going to think I'm crazy but... I'm a witch. Not the stupid pointy hat and broom with a couldron but like real. I have powers and stuff. I swear I'm not joking. My whole family are actually witches... that's how I could smell the vervain and could tell what was happening to you." Ana laughed slightly.

"That actually makes a lot of sense. Your blood smelled different and I just couldn't figure it out. I think I even told Scott." She laughed. Mae immediately burst out laughing with her. They had actually spent the weekend together and it was amazing for the two of them. They spent the time just watching movies and cuddling. Mae let Ana know it was safe to relax and not need to hide her fangs and such the whole time. She had been told how draining it was to blend in and wanted Ana to be as comfortable as she could be. That Sunday, Ana told her mother about Mae and her when she had arrived home. Mae had just gone home to prepare for school the next day.

"Hey mom... I um, we need to talk." Ana told her as she entered the door. Her mother seemed concerned, and quickly placed her bag down before walking over to the kitchen island. Ana patted a seat next to her.

"What's wrong?" Her mom nervously sat down.

"Well... I've needed to tell you something for a while now... um but I've been too nervous to actually say it." Ana's hand started to shake. Her mother noticed, placing her hand on top of hers and giving her daughter a reassuring smile. "Mom... I'm gay. I uh, I have a girlfriend and I want  you to know that this doesn't change who I am." She said nearly too quietly.

"Oh, Ana, it's okay. It's okay to be gay hun. I'm here for you and your father and I only wanted you as you are. We just wanted a life with you where you could be happy and if this girl is the one to do that for you, then that's all I could ever ask." Her mom smiled, giving her a tight hug. The two sat together and played a game of Candy Land, one of Ana's favorites, before it was time for bed. The next morning she was in a great mood, even though she knew she was afraid of entering the school again. This fear just didn't outweigh the pure excitement she had now that she truly knew it didn't matter and that she didn't have to sneak around with Mae anymore. She quickly got ready and dressed up a little more to celebrate her little win. Mae was supposed to tell her parents too and they were then planning on becoming official this week. She ran down the stairs with her new bottle of blood and said goodbye to her mom. She then ran out and sat on her porch until Stiles arrived. He parked his Jeep and waited for her to buckle her seat belt once she entered.

"What's got you in a good mood?" He asked amused.

"Well, I came out to my mom and she fully accepted me and wants to meet Mae." She smiled.

"Oh my god! That's awesome! I'm so happy for you Ana." He returned the gesture before driving to school. Ana could hear his pulse rising and quickly looked to him concerned.

"Stiles, what's wrong?" She hesitated. Her first thought was that he would still be mad at her but she tried to push it away.

"I, um, going back to school after what happened is kind of making me panic. Well, on top of my dad searching for Derek tonight while it's a full moon." He laughed a little but Ana could easily see through it.

"Well, if you want I could go out and follow him, keep him safe. You also don't need to worry about school, you will have me and Scott there, and I swear I will do anything to protect you Stiles. I mean it." She placed her hand gently on his shoulder.

"Thank you Ana. I'm sorry I didn't believe you were trying to help before. I um... I realized something. You knew the alpha would have been able to smell you, and you still came to help Scott and I. You knew he would try to kill you and you still came to protect us." Stiles said quietly.

"Of course I knew. I knew he could smell me when I went to Derek's with Scott, but I knew I had to be there for you two, even if I ended up not being much use after all. You two are my best friends and I would do anything to help." She whispered. She took a chug of her blood before noticing that they arrived at school. The two got out but before they entered the building, Ana pulled Stiles into a bone crushing hug.

"I don't know how I would survive without you two." She quickly blinked back her tears before a smile returned to her face. "No more tears, today will be a good day." The two entered the school and quickly met up with Scott.  He seemed different but it most likely was the full moon.

"Hey." Stiles said as the two arrived at their lockers.

"What are you smiling for?" Scott asked, visibly agitated. Ana looked at him confused.

"Well I actually-" Ana started before Scott cut her off.

"Actually, I just don't care." She said before closing his locker and walking away. Both Stiles and Ana gawked at the sight before Ana opened her locker and got her materials she needed out.

"Okay, I know it's the full moon and the break up but I'm not dealing with his attitude today. This is one of the first times I've had a really good mood in a while and I won't let his fussy wolf mood affect mine." Stiles nodded.

"I get it. I also think that right now, during full moon she doesn't necessarily like you. Not because she's angry or anything but it's just when he reverts into full blown werewolf and werewolves hate vampires. Just don't take it personally. How about you hang out with Mae and such and I'll keep an eye on him." Stiles said quietly to which it was Ana's turn to nod. The day had actually been quite boring. After her incident with Scott she just decided to wait till tomorrow to tell him the good news and maybe then he would stop being an asshole. She went through her classes, mainly staying in the library before texting Stiles after classes ended.

Hey Stiles, I would come and watch you guys practice but I'm still keeping my distance. I'm going to go and watch over your dad. Please be safe and make sure he doesn't hurt anyone too bad. With everything... tonight is about to get a whole lot worse.

She then went to put her phone away but got a call from Deaton. She quickly answered it.

"Hey, um what's going on?" She asked.

"We need to talk about the other night. Come to the clinic, I have no patients and Scott isn't coming in today." He replied. Ana nodded before realizing how he couldn't see her and mentally smacking herself.

"Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes." She then hung up and used her speed through the woods and dark alleyways to arrive. She opened the door but stopped at the gate.

"Deaton, I'm here." She called out. He turned the corner and opened it. The two walked to his exam table. Deaton gave her a kind of stern look.

"Ana, I know you had been trying to help out Scott but think about what the hunters might know now. I know he's your best friend but you have to be more careful." He lectured her.

"What do you mean?" She was quite confused by his words.

"Allison believes you had an allergic reaction to some cleaner or something Derek had brought. Now, when she's telling that to not only the cops but her father, who picked her up, and most likely could smell the vervain... he's smart enough to put two and two together." Deaton swords filled Ana with fear.

"I- I can't stop going and helping them though. They are still learning and if I'm not there to help keep them safe, I don't want to know what could happen." She tried to counter.

"I just need you to fully understand all that you're risking. Not only does the alpha know what you are, but the hunters could know too. You are going to be a target from both sides and not only you but they need to be prepared. You also need to be careful with that witch. I am not sure exactly about her family and their beliefs but before, most witches helped hunters kill vampires." Ana jumped slightly at the new information. She didn't want to think that Mae's mother or grandmother could do such things and create someone as sweet as her.

"I'm safe with Mae, she knows and doesn't care. It's okay." She informed the vet.

"I trust your judgement, I just- your father made me promise to keep you safe before he..." Deaton trailed off, not wanting to say the actual words in front of her. Ana didn't know how to react except to hug him.

"Thank you." She whispered. "I know it's a risk but I also promised Stiles I would watch over his dad and keep him safe tonight." Deaton nodded and the two hugged one last time before Ana left and went to the police station. She watched and focused her listening on his voice.

"Haigh and Cordova, you two are on patrol tonight for Derek Hale." He said before entering his office again and sitting down and sighing. "I hate paperwork." Ana took that as a sign he was safe for the night seeing as he would stay inside the station. Her phone buzzed and she quickly looked down to read the text.

Scott escaped and I think he's going to find Allison

She quickly put it away before running to find him. She was searching and then ran into someone. She landed on the ground with a slight thud and looked up. She realized it was Derek who was wildly confused.

"So you guys decided to make me an outlaw?" He nearly sounded like he was mocking her. Ana shook her head no.

"Stiles and I had nothing to do with it. Scott's the one who said your name." She shrugged. "But we have bigger problems, like a recently broken up with teen wolf on the loose." She said. Dereks eyes widened and he quickly joined her in running around and trying to find Scott. The two find him as he is about to reach into Jackson's car with Allison and Jackson inside. Derek quickly lunges, tackling him and the two landing far away from the car. Ana quickly ran after the two yet remained hidden from Allison or Jackson's line of sight.

"Scott-" Derek yelled, pinning him down, yet Scott continued to thrash about. "Stop Scott! Stop!" Scott finally stopped, becoming human again. He looked at Derek in shock.

"Derek? You're alive!" Pure surprise is all that con be heard in his voice. He then looks down and noticed his claws. His face immediately softened and horror filled his eyes. "What's happening to me?"

"Exactly what he wants to happen." Ana spoke, her voice almost cracking. Scott looked at her and he immediately felt guilty.

"I- I'm sorry. I couldn't control what I said or I did. I just- I'm sorry." Derek watched the two, still recuperating from having to tackle Scott. Ana started to cry and ran to hold Scott.

"I almost died, and he got to you. I thought I was truly going to loose you. I didn't want us to fall into that dumb stereotype. I just... I knew he was manipulating you and that I couldn't actually help, so I had to keep my distance." She cried into him. He held her tightly before remembering.

"What happened, you were smiling this morning before I ruined it." He smiled at her, watching one return to her face.

"Well, after Mae and I spent the entire weekend together, last night... I finally came out to my mom and it went so well." She cheered.

"Oh my god! That's amazing!" Derek watched the two and even though he didn't actually smile, he was happy for them. Ana was one of the only good vampires there were and to know she was willing to protect and help not only her best friend but him. He actually was starting to respect her but couldn't let her know it. He got up and reached his hands out for the two teens to grab, helping them up. The whole way back to Scott's house, the teens joked and laughed, trying to lighten the mood. The three entered Scott's room when Ana had an idea.

"I'm going to go down and get you some snacks okay, and you can have some too Derek, you both look tired." Ana quickly went down and grabbed some chips and suck before thinking to make chicken nuggets. She always wished she could eat food like this but unfortunately, it wasn't even a possibility. She walked back into the room, holding a large plate of chicken nuggets, bags of chips, and Gatorade. While Derek kept his face calm she could hear him get slightly excited and laughed. She placed it all down on Scott's desk before sitting down on his bed. She laughed as the two wolves quickly grabbed food and started eating. She paused and realized she didn't have her bag. It was probably still in the woods outside the sheriffs station. Ana walked out of the room and quickly called Stiles.

"Hey, uh, I think I left my bag and stuff outside of the sheriffs station and it kind of has my bottle in it." She said as soon as Stiles answered.

"Oh shit, where is it?" He asked.

"Out in the trees by your dads office window. Get it and bring it to Scott's, I can keep an eye on him tonight." She smiled softly. She was glad he was back to himself and maybe tonight wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

"Okay, getting it now and then heading your way." The two then hung up. By the time Ana walked back into Scott's room, Derek was gone, along with most of the food.

"I knew today was draining so I thought you would maybe be hungry." She said walking over to sit next to him. He nodded.

"You we're definitely right." He laughed. Silence then fell amongst them before Ana broke it.

"Scott, I want you to know I'm still here to help you. I also need you to know that the alpha knows I exist and it's only sometime till the hunters do too. I need you to know that if something happens, I will always fight with you. I um... to be totally honest... I knew that going to the school with you would most likely kill me but I didn't want you and Stiles to do it alone. Also on a side note, we need to get more blood soon, I'm running out." Ana then hugged him tightly.

"You knew he was going to kill you?" Scott asked in disbelief.

"I could smell that the alpha had been in the woods and by Dereks house. And his scent was strong which meant it was only a short amount of time before he knew. I knew he wanted you in his pack and if he's this old fashioned about things, then I knew he hated my kind. But Scott, I don't think you've realized that the threat of being killed has been one I've had since I was born. While it's new to you, people hunting you down, it's been present every second for me. I've become used to it." She told him causing him to pause.

"I don't think it ever clicked. I'm uh, I'm sorry." He held her, the two now sitting in a comfortable silence.

"Do you wanna stay here? We can swing by your house tomorrow and get you some new blood." He offered. Ana just nodded and smiled. She wished she got to know what life would be like, carefree and your life feeling as if it's promised and owed to you.