Regrets (Season 2, Book 2) Stiles Stilinski, Isaac Lahey

Chapter 1: Apologies

We are back! Please let me know if you liked book 1 - and what you want to see from Natalie and Stiles in Book 2!

Natalie POV

Lydia's hair drapes over the hospital pillow in strawberry blonde waves. She almost looks peaceful with her pale, porcelain skin, her eyelids fluttering over her large eyes, and her chest rising and lowering slowly. It's nice to imagine her having wonderful dreams while I watch over her in the room. The reality is that she was just slashed by a werewolf and almost bled out in the middle of a field.

I bring my knees to my chin and wrap my arms around my legs. It had been a long last week. How did a school dance end with a face off with Peter Hale in the course of a few hours? How did I go from dancing with Lydia on the dance floor to holding her limp bloody body in the middle of the lacrosse field?

I pick at the torn hole in my jeans. If spending hours watching over Lydia has awarded me anything, it is the hospital socks that I have stole. This couch may be uncomfortable after the fourth hour lounging on it, but at the very least I have secured cozy socks.

Lydia stirs.

My back immediately straightens in excitement as I watch for those big blue eyes to flutter open. Her lips twitch as she lets out a huge sigh, then her head falls to the side gently. False alarm.

"Psst!" I hear in the doorway. Stiles' head is poking through the small open crack. Quickly, I stand up, trying to quiet him down before he can disturb Lydia.

"What are you doing here?" I can't help but smile as I close the door soundlessly behind me. His shift with Lydia ended a couple of hours ago. Scott, Stiles and I have a strict schedule watching over her. Partly because she's our friend. Partly because she had a deep clawing from an Alpha werewolf. Who knows what's in store for her, or us for that matter.

Stiles giddily wraps his arms around me, lifts, and spins me. I flash back for a moment with him at the dance, under the makeshift lights in the gym. The same arms around me as our chests were pressed together. Everything felt so normal, yet not normal at the same time. I've known this boy my whole life, but I have never known him like this. My heart flutters as he sets me down.

"I have a small surprise for you," he whispers, still conscious of the sterility and silence of the hospital. It's deep into the night shift at this point. "How's she doing?"

"Still deep in sleep," I reply, glancing through the door window. She's still in the same position I left her in. Stiles grabs my hands and pulls me down the hall towards him. "Where are we going?" I laugh, pulling back in resistance. His open button down pulls together over his white undershirt as he pulls his weight back, dragging me along with him.

"I figure you had to be hungry!" he says innocently. He opens a door to the right, motioning for me to take a look.

A hospital gown is laid out to look like a picnic blanket, with McDonald's nuggets, hamburgers and fries scattered around in a somewhat decorative fashion. I put my hand to my mouth to catch the laugh that wants to escape. Stiles' proudly moves past me to sit on the ground, motioning me to sit down next to him.

"Well, you guessed right. I am starving," I say, sitting down across from him. I quickly grab the only cheeseburger before he can claim it and take a huge bite. The moment is so serene, even under the florescent hospital lights and cold tile. Just a simple moment with Stiles eating McDonald's, like we've done a hundred times. A simple moment that almost, almost makes me forget how upset I am with him.

"So," I say, midchew, "Is this an apology dinner?" I ask, serving a side of tension to the otherwise light-hearted moment. Stiles bites his lip and is suddenly very interested in the tiles on the wall.