Chapter Text
Prologue
"We have to hurry, Misty, we have to get out of Beacon Hills now before they find us!" I hear my father whisper yell to my mother from my hiding spot in between the walls. They're rushing around, putting what I think is all the important things into suitcases. I don't know why or where we are going. What could they possibly mean by "before they find us"? Before who finds us? I crawl out of my hiding spot, running through my purple playroom, into my room, onto my bed and under the covers. I just want to stay here. I don't want to leave my house, my best friend, and my cousins.
I hear footsteps enter the room. Mother, I know her light footsteps anywhere. "Autumn, my sweet girl, we have to leave. Please, come out from under there and put your jacket and shoes on." my mother says sweetly to me.
I peek my head out from under the covers for a brief moment to look at her, then go right back under and shout, "Why do we have to leave? I want to stay please, mommy, can we stay?!"
I hear my mother sigh and say "I'm sorry, sweetie. I would love to but we can't. Your father and I will explain everything later, I promise. Please, do as you’re told." I get out from underneath the covers and take the jean jacket from my mother and put it on. "Now put your shoes on and meet your father and I downstairs." my mother says as she helps me button my jacket up.
My mother leaves the room and I just sit there for a couple of minutes look around my room. "Oh, how I'll miss you room." I say as I walk over to my walk in closet and get my shoes. I think I'll wear my purple boots, I like them the most. I put my boots on and head down the long hallway before the stairs.
When I reach the stairs my father is already halfway up them. "Come on, Autumn, we have to leave now!" my father exclaims before picking me up and rushing down the stairs and out the door.
*****
Chapter One
"No, I'm not mad, Isaac, go ahead and ask her out." Scott said as he turned to look at Isaac while stuffing his books in to his bag.
"Are you sure, because I won't ask her out if you still have feelings for her." Isaac said raising one eyebrow at Scott.
Scott laughed silently and shook his head and said, "Isaac, I said 'Go ahe-", he cuts himself off and sniffs the air.
"Do you smell that?" he says to Isaac while looking around the school hallway, trying to find where the scent is coming from. Isaac and Scott look at each other realizing whose scent it is. "Jackson" they say at the same time.
"Did you say Jackson? If Jackson's here, there goes my chances with Lydia." Stiles says with a twinge of fake panic in his voice. Scott and Isaac both turn to look at Stiles with their eyebrows raised.
"Stiles everyone knows you like Derek, even Derek knows you like Derek." Scott says with a sarcastic tone.
Stiles opens his mouth to talk, but closes it very shortly after deciding not to argue the matter. He nods his head to the left while averting his eyes the same way as if to say, "Alright".
"But seriously what's this about Jackson?" Stiles asks intrigued. Scott and Isaac keep sniffing the air looking around trying to find where Jackson's scent is coming from. "He's here, isn't he?" Stiles says, looking at the two them sniff around. "Will you two stop sniffing around people are starting to stare!" Stiles whisper yells at the boys. "Hi, nothing to see here. Just two idiots smelling the air." he says to the gawking passer byers while nervously scratching his head.
"Does his scent seem different to you? I know I didn't spend a lot of time with him like you did, but something seems...odd." Isaac says to Scott.
Scott sniffs the air one last time and looks around to finally lock in on the scent. " Yeah, it smells like Jackson with a hint of determination and anxiousness!" Scott exclaims. He withheld the fact that there was another scent in there. One that he found rather comforting and that scent is roses.
"What is he, an entrée? Let’s just get to class, you can follow the scent later. If we are late, again, Coach is going to bench us." Stiles worriedly says, not wanting to sit out on another game. Scott looks at Isaac and shakes his head and Isaac says, "Okay, my class is this way. We will meet up back here at lunch?" looking at Scott. Scott shook his head yes and went in the other direction with Stiles.
***********
Stiles and Scott take their seat next to each other, as always, and as always, they start messing around. This time they were throwing highlighters at each other. When the teacher finally walks into the classroom, one of those highlighters hit him in the face. Outraged, the teacher says, "Scott, Stiles separate for the remainder of class and pick up those highlighters!" as he points to an empty seat for Scott to sit in.
"Sorry for the outburst." the teacher says looking at an unfamiliar girl. "Class, I would like to introduce you to Autumn. She is new here and I would like someone to volunteer to be her buddy for the day." he says, looking around the room.
Stiles looks back at the girl his eyes go wide and he mumbles, "Oh my god, Autumn." Stiles, still staring, thinks to himself, 'It couldn't be her. She looks so different with the black dip dyed purple hair, but it must be her.' Stiles raises his hand eagerly and says, "I'll do it!"
The teacher nods and says to Autumn, "Okay, Stiles is your buddy for the day he will show you around after class."
Autumn mumbles to herself, "Great, just great." but smiles up at the teacher and says, "Okay. Thanks."
"Today, we are starting an assignment on The Crucible. I will put you in pairs and pass out the project sheets. It will list what you need for this assignment. When you get your paper write 'Due October 10th'. You have plenty of time to get this done, so no excuses." the teacher said, looking directly at Scott. Scott sinks back in his seat and looks around the room. The teacher starts passing out the assignment and starts listing the pairs "...Scott, you are partnered with Autumn. Catch her up on what we have read."
Scott nods, turns to Autumn and waves. Autumn laughs, waves back and says, "So my house or yours?"
Scott dumb foundedly said, "Excuse me?"
Autumn laughs again and says, "The project. Do you want to do it at my place or yours?"
Scott turned red and said "Oh. We can do it at my house, if it's okay with you?" Scott looks at her desk and is shocked to see a black leather jacket on the back of her seat. He dropped his pencil and watched it roll just passed Autumn's desk. He gets up to get his pencil and subtly sniffs the leather jacket. His mouth drops as he goes back to his seat.
"It's fine by me." Autumn says while eyeballing him.
Scott balls up a piece of paper and throws it at Stiles trying to get his attention. Stiles turns around and mouths, "What?"
Scott mouths back "It's her. The scent is her."
Stiles has a look of confusion on his face and mouths back to Scott, "Are you sure?"
Scott just shakes his head yes at him and turns back to look at Autumn, knowing something's going on.
**********
Stiles runs, more like stumbles, into the hallway after class, trying to catch up to Autumn. When he finally reaches her he trips right at her feet. "Always the clumsy one, Stiles." Autumn said, amused, looking down at him and reaches a hand out to help him up.
Stiles looks her in the eyes and says, "It's really you. Where have you been for the past 11 years?"
Autumn looks down at the floor then back up at him and says "I will explain everything soon, I promise. Look, Stiles, I need to know where Derek is."
Stiles looks confused and his mouth drops several times before saying, "Are you serious, Autumn, you have been missing for 11 years and you won’t even tell me where you've been or why you left, but you want to know where Derek is? How do you even know him? Did you even miss me or my dad?!" People walking by start looking at them.
"Calm down, people are starting to stare. I have missed you both like crazy, Stiles, I'm sorry I can't tell you now, but I said I will tell you later. Derek's family is really close with mine. I have known him since I was born and right now I need his help, so please do you know where I can find him?" Autumn anxiously whisper yells.
"No, he and Cora took off a while back. Haven't heard from him since. Why do you need his help? What happened? Are you okay?" Stiles says suddenly worried as he studies her face like it's going to give him some sort of magical answer.
"Stiles, stop looking at me like that. You're not allowed to look at me like that, remember? I worry about you not the other way around. I will explain everything once I find Derek. You can't tell anyone I'm back or who I am. It's really important I don't get found out." Autumn says.
Stiles looks down and fidgets with his shirt, unsure of how to answer that. He then looks up at her and finally says, "Alright, I wont say anything."
*******
Scott and Autumn sit at the dinning room table, working on the assignment. They are laughing and talking and having a good time when Scott finally gets serious and asks, "Why do you have Jackson's jacket?"
Autumn smirks and says, "You're a smart one. You figured out I knew him from a jacket. I will tell you once you answer me this: where's Derek?"
Scott looks at her confused and says, "I don't know but I have his number the last time we spoke he said he will be back in a few days. What do you want with Derek?"
"When was that? Give me your phone. I need his help." Autumn anxiously says while grabbing his phone out of his hand to look for Derek's number.
"Two days ago. Why do you need his help?" Scott says now concerned.
Taking Derek's number down, she says, "So he will be back tomorrow. I don't know you. I only know what Jackson's told me, but for some reason, I feel like I can trust you with this. Jackson and I were a thing back in London. I know he is a werewolf and I know you are, too. I know everything about everyone here because of him. He knows who and what I am. I don't know if you remember hearing about a family going missing 11 years ago, but I'm Autumn-"
"Lahey" a voice from behind them cut her off. They both turn to see Isaac standing in the doorway.
Autumn stands up and studies him for a minute and says, "Hey Isey"
"You're back. You're really back." Isaac says with tears in his eyes.