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"Wait, so you're a witch?" John asked me, as we sat in his office. I nodded. "You're not a kanima, too… Are you?" He asked me, quietly. I shook my head. He looked relieved. "Good. We don't need any more of those roaming around town."

"That's the only part of this that you're stuck on?" Stiles asked him. John shrugged.

"Am I really supposed to be surprised? I mean, come on, Kid. How much have we had to deal with in the past couple of years? Honestly, aliens could land and I probably wouldn't bat an eye. If you're telling me that you have some kind of psychic, magical connection thing with Bonnie, that's not as bad as some psychopath on a murderous rampage."

"That, uh, that's not all that we came to tell you… That's actually the least of our problems, Dad." Stiles told him. That got John's attention.

"What do you mean?" John asked us. Derek cleared his throat and drew the Sheriff's attention to him.

"Someone has put or names on a dead-pool, Sheriff. There's a bounty on our heads. It's not just us. Others were targeted. I'll let Stiles explain the rest to you. He might need those chess pieces, again." Derek explained. Stiles opened his mouth in protest.

"It was one time. How else would you explain everything that's going on here to someone that has no experience with supernatural?!" Stiles exclaimed. I chuckled. Derek put a hand on the small of my back and led me to the door of the office.

"We're gonna take a walk, Stiles. We'll stay close. Come find us when you're finished talking." Derek told him. Stiles looked like he wanted to say something, but Derek's tone didn't leave much room for discussion. Once we were outside of the police station, Derek sat down.

"I thought we were going for a walk." I said. Derek shrugged and patted the ground next to him. I sat down.

"Do you really want to be ambushed in the middle of the woods, right now?" He asked me.

"No, not really." I replied.

"Yeah, me either." He agreed. "Look, I don't know much about the Mikaelsons, but he thinks that he's going to waltz into town and try to make you his bitch or the pack his errand dogs, then he has another thing coming. I won't stand for it and I know that Scott won't. We'll talk to Deaton after we leave here and see if there are any precautions we can take that will help keep him away from you."

"I'm not going to hide."

"I'm not telling you to. I'm trying to protect you. It's better that we come up with a plan now, than Scott and Stiles try to do something stupid later, as a last ditch effort. We all saw you while you were on the phone with him. I could smell the anxiety and fear coming off of you. You aren't okay with him coming. I'm letting you know that we aren't going to pick a fight, but we won't take this lying down, either. Okay? You're pack, Bonnie. We protect our own. That includes you, now." He vowed, as he put an arm around me. I took a deep breath and took a second to appreciate his sincerity.

"That means a lot, Derek. It really does. When I left Mystic Falls, I swore that I'd never get caught up in anything like this, again, but… I can't watch someone try to kill you guys. I really haven't known you long, but you all are starting to feel like family. I won't let you get hurt because of me. I promise you that." I whispered. He pulled me closer to him and hugged me to his side. I snuggled up next to him and enjoyed the rare affection from him. This is what it's supposed to be like. Not just everyone rallying for one person and sacrificing everything. We're fighting for each other. It's nice. It's really nice.

Deaton pulled me aside and gave me something that looked strangely like mountain ash wood mixed with the wood that could kill an Original. "Bonnie, this is only something that a magic wielder can use. No one can take it from you. Once it's given to you, it's yours. It's indestructible and has the power to kill an Original. There aren't many in an existence." Deaton explained. I looked down at the thin stake that he pressed into my hand. As soon as he let go, it became a ring. I slid it on my finger and looked up at him. "It's spelled. It won't come off of your finger. Even if you go to use it, it will transform into a stake, but stay attached. You cannot be possessed while you're wearing it."

"Is there anything that it doesn't protect from?" I joked.

"Zombies," he answered. I thought my eyes were going to fall out of my head. "I'm kidding. I'm honestly not sure. Not many have survived after being attacked with one. It probably wouldn't solely kill a werewolf, but it would weaken one."

"Why are you giving this to me? I mean, I appreciate it, but something like this must be crazy valuable."

"You're my protégé, Bonnie. I want you to be safe. I have one of my own and I have one for Stiles. Even though you were hesitant in the beginning, I think that you're well on your way to becoming an emissary for a pack, someday. I see great potential in you. From what I've heard, you've already saved many lives. It's a hard life, Bonnie. Not everyone is made for it. You seem to excel in this kind of lifestyle." He said, sincerely. I snorted.

"If by excelling, you mean, barely surviving. Then, yeah, I'm definitely made for it." I quipped.

"You might not see it, but many others around you do. Why do you think Klaus was so insistent about getting you under his control? He fears anyone that could possibly be stronger than him or help his demise. You're only a teenager, Bonnie. Your powers aren't even at their fullest. Klaus is already at his peak. He should be afraid."

"I wish that I could believe that."

"Maybe, one day, you will."

We went back to Lydia's, because John was pulling an all-nighter at work. We all ended up in my room. Lydia was taking a break from researching and the three of us were lying in bed together. Jackson was supposed to be coming by with a midnight snack.

I was using Stiles' chest as a pillow and Lydia had an arm around me and had her head nestled in the groove of my neck. It felt nice. I think we all needed this… just to help not feel so alone.

After Jackson got here, we sprawled back on my bed. Jackson laid beside Lydia, who was next to me, and I was sandwiched between her and Stiles. To my surprise, Jackson never complained. He just kicked off his shoes and joined the cuddle fest.

"We're going to have to deal with reality tomorrow." Lydia sighed.

"At least we have tonight," Stiles spoke up.

"Does Danny know about us?" I asked.

"Yeah, I told him, last year." Jackson answered.

"Good. We need to warn him. We don't want him caught in the crossfire." I told him.

"We will." Jackson agreed.

"Do you think that calling Caroline will actually help?" Lydia asked me. I shrugged.

"We have to try something." Stiles said.

"I'll call her tomorrow. It couldn't hurt to have her here, just in case shit hits the fan with Klaus. She's the only one, who he's not related to, that I've ever seen talk him down from anything." I told her.

"She can stay here, while she's in town. I'm sure my mother won't mind. She used to tell me about her, when she was dating Tyler." Lydia offered.

"Thanks, I'll let her know."

"We should sleep. School's gonna be such a bitch in the morning." Stiles complained. I yawned and realized just how drained I was.

"Then, let's sleep." I agreed with him.

"Here?" Jackson asked.

"Why not?" Lydia asked.

"Strength in numbers," Stiles said, tiredly.

"As long as Stiles shuts up," Jackson agreed. We all laughed at that.

"I'm sorry. I can't hear you over your enormous ego." Stiles wisecracked.

"It's not the only about me that's enormous," Jackson argued. Lydia snickered.

"We all know how big your head is, Jackson." I yawned. I listened to them laugh, as I closed my eyes and tried to drift off to sleep.