laography | she fell in love in the first place

[Her chest felt tight. The backseat had become dramatically smaller after the crash, the frame of the car now bent and twisted and rendering much of the vehicle unrecognizable. She struggled against the seatbelt, trying to pull free so she could creep forward between the front seats, to see for herself that her parents were okay.

They weren't moving. It scared her.

She strained forward, reaching out with one hand and finally managing to brush her fingers against her mother's shoulder, catching on the fabric of her shirt and her dark hair. No response.]

Mama? Mama, wake up.

[She pushed herself again, stretching and making another grab, this time getting a firm enough hold to shake her mother by the shoulder. The only response was that her mother's head dropped forward, the seatbelt keeping her from falling any further, leaving Anita to struggle harder against her own belt as the soft hiccups that always preceded her hysterics began to surface.]

Mama, wake up!

[ It hadn't been hard to miss the sound of the crash, while he was moving on patrol of the territory. Not when metal grinding against metal and pressing into wood had such a dramatic sound, even from a distance. Lifting his head, Derek flicks his ears in the direction of the country road from where he stands in the nature preserve. Something is wrong, and he can feel it deep in his bones. He doesn't know why, but it urges him quickly from his original purpose out in the trees and towards where he can smell blood and metal.

As he draws closer, he cocks his head back and howls-- the pack will hear him, they'll know that they're needed, someone with a phone will come quickly with the urgency in the call-- before he makes his way down cautiously.

There's a brief moment where he wishes that he hadn't shifted completely, but then as he passes the front of the car and sees the couple in the front seats, he realizes why it might be best that he's in his alpha form. Easing back to the backend of the car, he presses his ears back and lets out a soft chuff towards the little girl trapped there, red eyes scanning. ]

[The movement catches her attention before she's able to get a clear look at the wolf, the howl having escaped her notice in her desperation to get one of her parents to answer her. She pales when the animal itself comes into view, and suddenly her struggle is that much more frenzied, tears falling steadily now and punctuated by those persistent hiccups.]

Stay away!

[ There's something about her scent that sets him on edge, like the moment before a lightning strike, yet bottled and dampened like it's being saved for a long season. Derek watches her quietly as she struggles, before going about examining the car itself. Her parents are... unfortunate, in their inability to answer. But overall, she seems largely fine. Injured, he can tell, but nothing as bad as it could be.

Rather than verbally answer her, he shifts forward to carefully set his head on the edge of the broken window, ears back and expression plaintive, trying to show with actions that he doesn't intend to do anything to her. ]

[She sniffles a little, the tears refusing to subside even as she calms herself, even if it's just the tiniest bit. It's hard to put on a brave face here, but she meets the wolf's gaze and tilts her head slightly, suddenly more curious than afraid. Her hands are still pulling at the seatbelt as she tries to free herself, but she slows in her attempts, distracted now.]

You... you're nice, right?

[There's a wide-open gash on her forehead where she's been hit by glass, and a number of other cuts and bumps, but nothing too serious -- at least nothing that's readily apparent. There's probably a concussion in the works.

She sniffles again, biting at her lower lip.]

Are you here to help me, doggy?

[ With her first question, Derek flicks his ears up towards her in a half-answer, letting her know that he understands her. It shouldn't be long before someone from the pack comes, but he doesn't want to leave her in there for much longer. Not when he doesn't know the state of the engine-- he can't smell smoke or fire, but he won't take any chances-- and if there's any other injuries.

With her second question, he offers her a blatant nod, before lifting a hand-like paw to press against the window. The door seems jammed, so even with attempts at opening it he's probably not going to get anywhere. Rather than fight with it, he uses rough paw pads and claws to clear out the rest of the glass from the broken window, before he moves forward.

His large shoulders press into the top of the frame, bending it further out of place with them and his massive paws. If he can get it open enough to fit him through, he can at least break her free of the seatbelt.

He lets out a soft sound, a reassuring rumble from his chest. ]

[Her attempts to get herself free for the time being, and she watches the wolf try to push his way through the ruined frame with a certain degree of fascination. There's fear there, as well, but awe seems to be keeping it in check. She's gone incredibly still as she watches him, though her small hands still tremble as she clutches at the belt.]

Be careful...

[She doesn't want him getting cut on his way in, after all. Another glance towards the front seat causes the tears to well up again. She's not so young that she doesn't understand the reality of the situation.]

Mama and Daddy...

[ It's sweet, in its way, that she's worried about him hurting himself. He can feel the bite of glass against his pads, but it's brief and a simple sting compared to what she might feel if she was cut on it. With a final push, he slips into the back of the car enough that his upper body can rest on the seat.

Slowly, he swivels his head over towards the front seat again to look at the silent couple in the front. Derek can't help the quiet pain in his chest, something sympathetic for the little girl. He's been there. Looking back to her, he lifts his muzzle and gently noses her cheek, a soft and rumbling whine leaving him. ]

[She calms again as he presses his nose against her cheek, sniffling as she furiously tries to rub her tears away with the back of one hand. It doesn't do much good. They keep coming, but the wolf's touch seems to have been enough to ease her fear completely. Instead of pulling or leaning away, she rests her head against his, grateful, though still in shock.]

I'm stuck.

[Her voice sounds discouraged, lamenting, her tiny voice cracking as she tries to choke back more tears. As if he needed the situation illustrated for him any more clearly.]

[ Ears laying back again as she rests her head against is, Derek sits like that for a bit as he lets her try and wipe her tears away. But as it proves to be ineffective, he moves to gently lick at her cheeks, reassuring and trying to clean them away. But at the same time, he focuses on the contact, starting to draw away some of her pain before he gets to work.

With a soft exhale, almost a wolfish shushing, he bows his head and opens his mouth. Taking the seatbelt in his teeth, he jerks his head quickly to tear into the strap trapping her in place. ]

[She blinks several times, some of the tears clearing as she feels the pain from where she'd hit her head start to recede. Her right arm and shoulder still ache, and there's a burning sensation in her chest, but they've begun to dull.

She watches him with interest as he bites through the seatbelt, fascinated. It's something to focus on. Curiosity, rather than turning her attention back to the horrific scene she's found herself trapped in. When the belt finally snaps, she wiggles free, pulling her arm loose and putting one around the wolf's neck despite the sharp pain that stabs through her chest, though it fades just as quickly. Whatever he'd done to her, it seemed to have work.

Though it's awkward thanks to her size and the small amount of space in the backseat, she hugs him around the neck.]

Thank you.

[ With the seatbelt torn through, and the little girl freed, Derek returns his attention to numbing her pain. It doesn't let her heal, but it makes it far easier to move her without her noticing the hurt. As far as he can tell, she's not injured to the point that she shouldn't be moved, but that might be the shock masking something more serious. He just really, really hopes he's not making a mistake in encouraging her movement.

As she wraps her arms around his neck and thanks him, he chuffs softly and tips his head against her for a brief moment. To him, it doesn't feel like that's any reason for her to thank him-- he's just doing what he thinks is the right thing, and she needs the help.

But they're not quite done yet. Shifting a little, he presses a pawhand to her side gently, tucking his head against her middle and lifting gently so that he can encourage her towards the window he's forced his way through. ]

[Her pain is numbed enough that it's momentarily forgotten, and though it takes her a moment to understand what he's trying to tell her, she begins to move towards the window, leaning against him for support as she moves across the backseat on her knees.

Of course he couldn't just open the door for her. He didn't have hands. It was too bent out of shape, anyway.

Most of the glass had been cleared away by the wolf's paws, but she can still feel the remains bite into her small hands as she takes hold of the door to pull herself through the misshapen window frame. Luckily, being so much smaller than the wolf, it was easy enough for her to fit through the opening he had forced.

She sinks down to one knee once she's out, winded by the effort of climbing out, but looks to the wolf expectantly, waiting for him to join her.]

[ Backing up as she moves across the seat, he moves so that he can make room for her to climb out of the window. It'll take a little effort for him to make his way out of it, considering the shape of his upper body, but at least she can slip out where he's not occupying the opened space. The thought of ripping the door off the frame does come to mind, but considering the state of the car and the girl? Probably not worth the effort, since he doesn't want to risk scaring her more than she already is.

He keeps a close watch on her until she's no longer in his line of sight and out of the car, pushing against the back seat with his claws so he can slowly step backwards on his hind legs. Once he manages to squeeze out, he keeps his balance on two legs before he sinks down to sit on his haunches, a bit more like a bear in his posture than a wolf for a moment.

With a quick shake of his shoulders and head, he makes sure there aren't any errant pieces of glass on him. He doesn't need to cut her any. Soon as he's sure, he bows his head towards her, nose pressed to her temple gently. ]

[She immediately responds by putting her arms around his neck again, letting his nose rest against her temple for a few moments before she buries her face in the fur at the side of his neck and finally begins to let the tears flow freely, hiccups once again surfacing as she sobbed against him. Her tiny shoulders shakes violently, as if being freed from the vehicle was all it took for the shock to begin to numb and the floodgates to open.

None of this was supposed to happen. It couldn't have been real. She wanted to wake up now.

Any minute now, she was going to wake up, wasn't she?]

Edited 2013-04-06 04:26 (UTC)

[By now, Stiles' ears are pretty much trained to the sound of howling. One of his best advantages as the sheriff (job gratefully accepted after his father retired) was his attuning to both the natural and supernaturally inclined, and between him and Derek, they kept Beacon Hills generally safe and free of chaos.

He's sitting with his feet up in his patrol car when he hears it--the low, faint sound, elegant compared to rough, Derek. There's no text message (that usually comes first at Stiles' bequest--please try not to howl at me because I do not, contrary to popular belief, speak wolf) and he bites his lip, pushing forward in the seat and flipping on the siren, pulling out of the parking lot he was sitting in and shooting out down the road.

It doesn't take him long to find Derek, GPS on his phone tracked, and the car skids to a stop by the wreck. He turns off the car and gets out, expression horrified for just a moment before he grimly swallows and strides forward, spotting the hulking shape that he could pick out of anywhere and hurrying towards him.

At first, he doesn't see the little girl--turns towards the wreck and the people inside, checking his watch and going for his radio. It takes a few seconds to report, and he starts out saying no survivors, but stops, taking a glance back at Derek.

There's a little girl in his arms. His voice trails off and he murmurs:]

One survivor. [ Before chucking the radio aside and dropping to his knees in front of them, sharing a meaningful look with the wolf. ]

Hi, sweetie. [ There's a little sadness to his voice, the tinge of helping enough kids who've lost their parents since he took his position, of hearing it from his dad. ] I'm glad Der the Wondewolf here found you. My name's Stiles, what's yours?

The routine is entirely all too familiar, as it has frequently happened ever since Anita and Elisabeth met. There was nothing more important in a girl's social calendar than sleepovers. Of course, that was after dances and dates with boys she fancies. This, however, is no ordinary sleepover. this is the first one of the school year, which means they still have the ability to get out any excess summertime fun and gossip while doing each other's nails. It was basically a tradition now. Elisabeth's mother even took the extra step to make sure there were plenty of snacks and delicious meals so everyone can have a joyous time.

Although it was planned, Elisabeth grabbed Anita by the arm as soon as class let out and led her to the car, already talking a mile a minute about everything she had planned for them. The drive from school to her home in more wealthy suburban area is uneventful. Loud music and singing along, nothing out of the ordinary.

Once she pulled into the garage at her house, she grabbed her bags and purse from the backseat and headed inside. "Mom has the new espresso machine, so we're going to check that out in five. Sound good?"

[ As Anita starts to cry into his fur, Derek wraps her up and holds her carefully against him, practically curling over her. It's no wonder that Stiles doesn't see her at first, as he simply sits there and rumbles, deep in his chest. There's barely a sound to go with it, more of a comforting, subvocal vibration to try and soothe her a little. But there's not much he can really do, beyond that and taking her pain away for a couple hours.

By then, she'll be in a hospital, and her physical pain will be completely gone. The emotional, however...

His ears flick a little as he hears the approach of the siren, and quiet relief hits him. He could very well locate where he left his things for the patrol of his territory, but he doesn't want to leave the little girl alone for a moment. So having Stiles coming to his call? He probably couldn't have asked for a better packmate to answer him.

Head barely lifting as the sheriff comes down, the alpha sets a pawed hand between the girl's shoulders gently, nosing at her hair and chuffing gently, reassuring her. Only when Stiles approaches them does he look up, red eyes serious and...

Well, maybe a little pleading. She's different, he can tell, and she's alone. ]

Anita grabbed her own backpack and purse from the back and slide out of the passenger's seat, shooting Elisabeth a grin over the top of the car. The annual First Week of School Sleepover was always easy on the luggage, since there wasn't much in the way of homework and therefore no books to bring home.

"Come on, have you ever known me to say 'no' to coffee in any form?" she asked, quickly following Lis into the house, finding herself in the kitchen once they came through the garage door. Lis' house was beyond familiar to her; it was essentially her second home, though this particular second home had a surrogate mother who, after all these years, still seemed to think that Anita was bilingual.

She was not.

"We'll need the espresso, anyway. There's no sleeping at sleepovers."

[She peeks upwards from her place against the wolf's chest, a bit confused as she studies the new arrival. Der the Wonderwolf? He had a name?

Well, of course he had a name. Everyone did, didn't they?

She sniffles a little, hesitant.]

I-it's Anita. Anita Blake.

[Her tears have mostly subsided, though perhaps it's just that she's run out of them at this point.]

He saved me.

"No, which is why if you disagreed I would've had to splash you with holy water." Except she didn't have holy water; there was just bottled Perrier on a shelf nearby in the garage. She put her car keys on a hook on the all near the garage door. Shoes came off and her bags get haphazardly tossed aside for someone else to take care of later as she headed to the kitchen.

That someone else and later was her mother and only a couple moments. Elisabeth was capable of being self-sufficient but she was the only child left in the nest, so to speak, and that worked in her advantage in terms of her mother wanting to do things for her. Mrs Clements was overjoyed to see her daughter's best friend, and immediately went to hug her. "Oh, Anita! It has been ages, dah-ling. ¿Cómo estás? ¿Cómo está tu familia? Bueno, espero."

Elisabeth rolled her eyes at that while she started the espresso machine. She had told her mother before that Anita spoke perfectly good English, but Mrs Clements was horrifyingly embarrassing in the sense that she wanted to practise her Spanish with anyone who looked Latin@. That made last summer's trip to Venice rather awkward.

"Mom."

Edited 2013-04-10 00:05 (UTC)

Hi, Anita. He's kind of awesome like that. [ He meets Derek's gaze with a similar one of his own--needless to say they're on the same wavelength. Her parents died, and they'd been talking and-- there was no reason why they couldn't...

Either way. ] I'm glad he's been taking good care of you, and I bet he's glad you're safe. Right, Derek? [ He casts a small smile in his direction, then reaches his hand out, offering it to Anita. ] He's gonna stay with us, I bet. But we have to get you to the hospital, alright?

"I'm glad to hear you'd be responsible in that situation. If I turn down coffee, it's clearly demon possession," Anita quipped in reply.

It was then that she was attacked.

Anita flailed a little as she found herself smushed against Mrs. Clements' chest, having to take a moment to regain her composure before she could actually return the embrace, dropping her bag so that it landed next to their feet.

"Yeah, it's been awhile, summer got busy. It's good to see you, I--" She cut herself off and smiled rather sheepishly up at her friend's mother. "I still don't really speak Spanish." She had always opted to take French instead, although a small part of her was beginning to show interest in switching gears and giving it a try for rather personal reason.

"My vocabulary is pretty much limited to 'si' and 'taco.' Uh, you said something about my family?" Had she asked how they were? Context said yes. "They're great, both of my dads are doing really well. Big project coming up for the construction company before the season is out, so Dad'll be busy for awhile."

Yes, it did sometimes get confusing when she didn't specify them by name, but when one father was the Sheriff and the other was a contractor, it was easy enough to differentiate when she referenced work, at least.

[ Ears wilting back with Anita's second answer to Stiles, Derek looks down to her, then up from under his brow at Stiles. It's a good thing that they're on the same wavelength, just as much of a relief as being found is. Nevermind that the foster system is a terrifying place for a kid, with or without losing their parents like this, but it's not a place for this kid at all.

He can tell she's different. She's special. She needs that help.

Shifting carefully, he moves his pawhand to the top of her head, encouraging her with a short nod to both her and Stiles. He'll stay, until the ambulance arrives. ]

[She nods stiffly, though her eyes widen at the mention of a hospital. She knows she needs to go, but she's still in shock, to a certain degree, and she's never liked hospitals. The word alone makes her uncomfortable.]

Okay... okay. Thank you.

[She hugs the wolf around the neck again, her face disappearing into his fur once more.]

Does he help a lot? Are you with the police, doggy?

she fell in love in the first place

In the Beginning

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

threadjacks aw yes

First Week of School Sleepover

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject


	For the life of me, I cannot remember What made us think that we were wise And we'd never compromise For the life of me, I cannot believe We'd ever die for these sins We were merely freshmen