# Chapter Two
***SCOTT LOOKED BETWEEN them for several seconds, apparently waiting for one of them to explain. When neither did, he sat down on the coffee table again. "Together as in dating?" Stiles glanced at Hope before looking back at him. "No, Scott. We've formed a small business. The hand-holding is part of the branding." Hope pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh, while Scott gave his best friend a tired look. "I'm asking because yesterday you didn't mention a girlfriend."***
***"Yesterday I didn't have one," Stiles replied. Hope felt his thumb move once over the back of her hand, an absent little gesture that made her smile. Scott noticed that too. "You met yesterday?" he asked. This time, Hope answered. "Yes." She wasn't rude about it, but she didn't offer an apology either. Scott seemed to realize he was staring and rubbed both hands over his face. "Okay. Sorry. I haven't slept much."***
***Stiles's expression softened. "I know. What did Lydia's mom say?" Scott lowered his hands. "She said we can use the scarf I brought back last night. It's upstairs." He stood, then hesitated. "You're sure this won't hurt her?" Hope nodded. "I'm looking for her, not doing anything to her." That seemed to help. Scott went upstairs, and Stiles leaned slightly toward Hope. "For the record, forming a small business with you is still on the table." She nudged him with her shoulder. "Find a better name than whatever you're thinking."***
"He's going to keep doing that, isn't he?" Klaus asked.
"Making her smile?" Hayley replied. "Hopefully."
Rebekah settled more comfortably into her seat. "His friend could have managed a congratulations."
"His friend is looking for a missing girl," Stefan pointed out. "I think he's allowed to be distracted."
***Scott returned carrying a pale scarf and a folded street map. Hope cleared a space on the coffee table while Stiles found a glass from the kitchen. There weren't any candles within reach, and she didn't need him searching the entire house for one. "The scarf is enough," she told him when he started opening drawers. He stopped, closed the drawer he was holding, and placed the glass beside her. Scott watched all of this with an expression that suggested he was trying very hard not to ask ten questions at once.***
***Hope spread out the map and laid the scarf across her knees. "Were you able to follow her scent?" Scott looked at Stiles before answering. "Some of it. Then I lost it." Hope glanced up. "Rain?" He nodded. "And other people. Cars. I don't know." He sounded frustrated with himself. She understood that better than he probably realized. "Then we try something else," she said, reaching for the scarf.***
***Stiles sat beside her but kept his hands to himself. It was a small thing, and she noticed it immediately. He wasn't trying to help without being asked or leaning over to see whether she knew what she was doing. He simply waited while she closed her eyes and began the spell. Across the table, Scott went completely still.***
Bonnie watched Hope's hands. "A personal object should help."
"Provided the girl's alive," Damon said.
Elena turned toward him. "You could have kept that to yourself."
"What? We were all thinking it."
"No," Caroline replied sharply. "Some of us were hoping she finds her."
***The map shifted beneath Hope's free hand. She opened her eyes as a dark mark appeared near the hospital, spreading slowly along one of the printed roads. Scott leaned forward. "She's still there?" Hope shook her head. "Not necessarily." The mark continued moving, leaving a thin, uneven line behind it. Stiles reached for a pen, but she stopped him with a glance. "Wait."***
***For several seconds, the line held. Then it broke into three separate stains. Hope frowned and pressed the scarf more firmly between her fingers. One stain faded. Another widened. The third remained near a service road behind a group of municipal buildings. She stopped the spell before the paper could tear beneath her hand. Scott was already looking at the last mark. "There?" he asked. Hope exhaled. "That's where we start."***
***"Why did it split?" Stiles asked. There was no accusation in his voice, only interest. Hope looked down at the scarf. "It could be showing places she's been. It could be interference. I don't know enough about her to tell you which." Scott's shoulders tightened. "So it might not work." Hope met his eyes. "It gave us somewhere to look. That's more than we had five minutes ago." Scott opened his mouth, closed it again, and nodded. "You're right. Sorry."***
Freya smiled faintly. "Good."
"Good that it split?" Alaric asked.
"Good that she didn't pretend she knew why," Freya replied. "That's how people get hurt."
Klaus studied the mark on the map. "And now they're taking her somewhere they haven't checked."
Hayley glanced at him. "She's helping find a missing girl, Klaus. She's not going to stay on somebody's couch because we're worried."
***Stiles took a photograph of the map before folding it, then looked toward Scott. "Call your mom. Ask whether anybody's checked that side of the hospital." Scott nodded and stepped into the kitchen with his phone. Hope picked up the scarf, brushing a loose thread from her jeans. When she looked up, Stiles was watching her. "What?" she asked.***
***"Nothing bad." He glanced toward the kitchen before lowering his voice. "You okay?" Hope raised an eyebrow. "That was a locator spell, not open-heart surgery." He smiled. "I was asking about Scott. He gets a little intense when he's worried." She looked toward the doorway, where Scott was pacing as he spoke. "So do I." Stiles considered that for a moment. "I'm beginning to suspect I have a type."***
***Hope laughed quietly, then reached for his hand before he could stand. "You don't need to check on me every five minutes." He looked down at her fingers around his wrist. "Would ten feel less invasive?" She tried to keep her expression serious and failed. "Stiles." His smile softened. "Okay. I'll stop hovering." She let him go, satisfied, and he immediately picked up her empty water glass. "This is hospitality. Legally distinct."***
Caroline laughed. "He's learning."
"He'd better," Hayley said, though she was smiling too.
Klaus looked unimpressed. "He agreed to stop and then continued."
Rebekah turned toward him. "Nik, if we begin judging people for excessive concern, you're going to have a difficult afternoon."
***Scott's mother hadn't heard of anyone searching the buildings marked on the map. She told them to call if they found anything and made Scott promise not to turn a search into another hospital visit. Stiles heard enough from the doorway to look personally offended. "That happened one time," he said when Scott ended the call. Scott stared at him. "Which time?" Hope took the folded map out of Stiles's hand before he could answer. "I'm driving the conversation back to the missing person now."***
***They took the Jeep. Scott sat in the back without commenting, though Stiles caught him looking at Hope's hand when she briefly rested it on the center console beside his. Hope noticed the glance in the rearview mirror. "You can ask," she said. Scott looked up. "Ask what?" She turned slightly in her seat. "Whatever you've been trying not to ask since we left your house."***
***Scott hesitated. "How long have you been a witch?" Stiles made a quiet noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. Hope ignored him. "My whole life." Scott nodded slowly. "And there are more people like you?" She looked out the windshield for a moment before answering. "People with magic? Yes." He seemed to hear the distinction. "But not exactly like you." Hope turned back toward him. "No. Not exactly."***
***Scott accepted that, then looked at Stiles. "You're taking this really well." Stiles kept his eyes on the road. "You grew claws in front of me. I've had time to adjust my expectations." Hope looked down to hide her smile.***
Damon grinned. "Oh, he's enjoying that."
"He's practiced," Bonnie said. "That answer came too easily."
"He's been keeping a secret from his best friend," Elena replied. "He probably has a lot of answers ready."
Freya watched Stiles check his mirror. "And she's already helping him keep it."
***The service road led behind an old county maintenance building, where a chain-link fence separated the parking area from a strip of trees. Stiles parked near the entrance rather than driving through the open gate. Hope looked at him as he switched off the engine. He shrugged. "My dad was very specific about restricted roads." Scott was already opening his door, his attention fixed on the building.***
***"I can smell her," he said. Hope got out and looked toward the trees. "Recent?" Scott nodded, then frowned. "I think so." Stiles reached behind his seat for a flashlight and handed it to Hope. She glanced at the bright morning sky. "Planning ahead," he said. "This town has an unreasonable number of basements."***
***They followed Scott along the fence. Hope kept the scarf looped around one hand, checking the ground while Stiles watched the open doors of the maintenance building. A faded sign warned that part of the property was closed for repairs. Beyond it, a greenhouse leaned against the back wall, several of its roof panels missing. Scott stopped near the entrance. "She came through here."***
Alaric leaned forward. "They should call the sheriff."
"They should have called before getting out of the car," Caroline said.
On the screen, Stiles pulled out his phone.
Hayley pointed toward him without taking her eyes off Hope. "There."
***Stiles sent his father their location and a short explanation, leaving out the spell. Scott glanced back when he heard the message go through. "He'll tell us to wait." Stiles put the phone away. "Then we can enjoy the novelty of doing something sensible." Hope looked through the greenhouse doorway. A muddy footprint marked the concrete just inside. Another lay farther ahead, smaller and less distinct. Bare feet.***
***"Scott," she said, pointing. He came back immediately, crouching beside the marks. Stiles stood near the door while Hope stepped closer to the second print. Something pale lay beneath a workbench, half-hidden by an overturned tray. She bent to look, and the metal frame above her creaked.***
***Stiles saw the loosened support before either of them did. He lifted two fingers beside his leg. The falling roof panel stopped just above Hope's shoulder, held long enough for him to reach her and pull her back. He closed his hand as they cleared the workbench. The panel dropped behind them, striking the concrete with a crash that brought Scott to his feet.***
***Hope caught Stiles's arm, startled more by the noise than the movement. He didn't ask whether she was all right. His eyes moved over her face, her shoulders, the hand gripping his sleeve, and only then did he look at the broken panel. Scott stared at the space where she had been standing. "How did you get over there so fast?"***
The theater went quiet.
Klaus leaned forward, his expression hard enough that Elena glanced toward him.
"He stopped it," Bonnie said quickly. "He had it before it reached her."
"I saw."
Hayley had one hand pressed to her mouth. She lowered it slowly. "So did Scott. He saw something."
***"I was standing by the door," Stiles answered. Scott looked at the door, then at the workbench. Hope could practically see him measuring the distance. She loosened her grip on Stiles's arm but didn't move away. "He saw it falling," she said. Scott looked back at her. "Did you stop it?"***
***Hope hesitated just long enough for Stiles to notice. She wasn't going to answer for him, and he wasn't going to let her lie because he had put her in an awkward position. "Can we discuss the collapsing building after we leave the collapsing building?" he asked. Scott glanced upward, apparently remembering where they were, and nodded.***
***Hope crouched before either of them could object and picked up the pale object beneath the workbench. It was a hospital wristband, torn near the fastening. Lydia Martin's name was printed across it. Scott took one look and headed toward the rear exit, calling her name. Stiles caught his sleeve. "Slow down. If she's scared, running at her isn't going to help." Scott looked ready to argue, then took a breath and called again, more gently.***
"He could have let her claim it," Freya said.
Bonnie nodded. "He didn't want her covering for him."
"Or he didn't want an explanation Scott could start picking apart," Damon said.
"Both can be true," Elijah replied.
***They found Lydia beyond the greenhouse, sitting against the far side of a concrete planter. At first, Hope saw only her hair. Then Scott moved, and she caught sight of the hospital gown and the dirt covering Lydia's feet. Her knees were pulled against her chest, and she didn't look up when Scott said her name.***
***Hope touched his arm before he could crouch directly in front of her. "Give her a second." He stopped, breathing hard despite the short distance. Hope lowered herself a few feet away, making sure Lydia could see her. "Hi. I'm Hope. Your friends have been looking for you." Lydia's eyes shifted toward her, unfocused at first. Then she looked past Hope to Scott.***
***"Where am I?" she asked. Her voice was hoarse. Scott crouched, keeping more space between them this time. "Not far from the hospital. We're going to get you back, okay?" Lydia looked down at herself, and her expression changed. Hope recognized the moment she became aware of the gown, the dirt, and the fact that three people were watching her. She took off her borrowed sweatshirt and held it out. "Here. You can put this around your legs."***
Hayley closed her eyes briefly.
"She knows what that feels like," Elena said.
Nobody joked about Stiles's expression as he looked from Hope to Lydia. He was already calling his father, his voice steady as he explained where they were and asked for medical help.
***Lydia accepted the sweatshirt with shaking hands. Hope helped spread it over her knees, then sat back rather than crowding her. Scott kept talking quietly, telling her that her mother knew people were searching and that she wasn't in trouble. Stiles finished the call and crouched beside Hope. "They're coming. Dad said to stay here."***
***Lydia looked at him then, really looked at him, and frowned. Stiles waited. "You look terrible," she said. He glanced down at his shirt, then back at her. "Good. Your observational skills appear intact." Scott let out a startled laugh, and Lydia's mouth moved as though she might have smiled if she hadn't been so tired.***
***Hope looked toward Stiles. He was watching Lydia now, his concern obvious and ordinary. Whatever he had told Hope about choosing her, it hadn't erased the people he already loved. She was glad. She wouldn't have known what to do with someone who could stop caring that easily.***
"There," Stefan said quietly. "He does care about them."
Klaus glanced toward him. "Nobody said otherwise."
"No," Stefan replied. "But caring about Hope more doesn't have to mean caring about everyone else less."
Hayley nodded, keeping her eyes on the screen.
***The sheriff arrived before the ambulance. He took in Lydia, the sweatshirt over her legs, and the three teenagers sitting nearby before fixing his attention on Stiles. "You found her." Stiles stood. "Yeah." His father looked toward the greenhouse. "And you went inside a building marked unsafe." Stiles opened his mouth, but the sheriff held up a hand. "Later."***
***Hope stood while he checked on Lydia, brushing dirt from her jeans. Stiles noticed the thin line of blood near her elbow before she did. His expression changed immediately. "You're cut." She followed his gaze. "It's a scratch." He reached toward her, then stopped before touching. Hope turned her arm so he could see it. The cut was already closing.***
***Stiles watched until the skin had healed. "Useful," he said, though his voice was tighter than usual. Hope looked up at him. "I told you I could take care of myself." He nodded. "You did." She waited, expecting an argument, but he simply took off his overshirt and handed it to her. "You also gave away your sweatshirt."***
Rebekah smiled. "I'm definitely keeping him."
"You're not collecting people," Elijah told her.
"Says the man who has spent centuries following Nik around and introducing him to people he ought not murder."
Damon turned toward Elena. "She has a point."
***Scott stayed with Lydia until the paramedics were ready to take her. Hope stood beside the Jeep, wearing Stiles's flannel over her shirt, while the sheriff questioned his son a few feet away. Stiles gave him an explanation that involved the scarf, Scott's familiarity with the area, and a considerable amount of luck. His father looked unconvinced but too relieved to begin taking it apart in the parking lot.***
***When he finally walked back toward the ambulance, Scott approached them. "My mom's going to meet her at the hospital," he said. Hope nodded. "Good." Scott looked down for a moment before meeting her eyes. "Thank you. I know I wasn't exactly helpful when you were doing the spell." She shrugged. "You were worried."***
***"Still." He glanced toward the ambulance. "We might not have found her without you." Hope accepted that with a small smile. Beside her, Stiles leaned against the Jeep, looking pleased enough that Scott narrowed his eyes. "Don't." Stiles blinked. "I haven't said anything." Scott pointed at his face. "You're thinking it really loudly."***
Caroline laughed, and some of the tension finally left the row around her.
"See?" Elena said. "He can apologize."
Hayley glanced at Klaus. "Another useful skill."
Klaus looked at the screen with renewed concentration, refusing to acknowledge her.
***Scott accepted a ride to the hospital with the sheriff, leaving Hope and Stiles beside the Jeep. Neither moved until the ambulance had gone. Then Hope turned toward him. "You held that panel." He looked at her, checking her expression before answering. "Yes." She folded her arms loosely. "And let it fall after we moved." He nodded again.***
***"You could have kept holding it," she said. Stiles glanced toward the greenhouse. "Until everyone was standing under it asking questions? I could have." Hope considered that, then looked back at him. "You weren't panicking." It wasn't quite a question. He shook his head. "I knew where it was. I knew where you were."***
***She had seen his face afterward. He had been frightened then, once there was nothing left to stop. During it, though, he had known exactly what he was doing. Hope stepped closer and straightened the collar of his T-shirt where it had folded beneath his jacket. "Thank you." Stiles's shoulders eased. "You're welcome."***
Freya leaned back slowly. "That was deliberate."
"Of course it was," Klaus said.
"I mean all of it. He wasn't discovering something he could do. He chose how much to show."
Bonnie nodded. "And Scott still noticed."
***Hope kept her hand against Stiles's chest for another moment. "He's going to ask again." Stiles glanced toward the road Scott had taken. "Probably." She waited, but he didn't look especially upset by the prospect. "Doesn't that bother you?" He looked back at her. "It would bother me more if I'd stood there and let it hit you."***
***"I might have stopped it." He nodded immediately. "You might have." Hope watched his face, making sure he wasn't simply agreeing to keep her happy. "You really believe that?" Stiles covered her hand with his. "Hope, I watched you find somebody on a paper map this morning. I believe you can stop a piece of glass. I also had it in front of me, and I wasn't going to wait to see whether you noticed."***
***She thought about that, then nodded. "Fair." He smiled a little. "We're going to have this conversation more than once, aren't we?" Hope stepped close enough that the fronts of their shoes touched. "Probably. I'm very stubborn." Stiles looked down at her with an expression she was beginning to recognize. "I'm starting to like that about you."***
Hayley smiled despite the worry still sitting in her chest.
Klaus watched Stiles bend his head and kiss Hope, brief and gentle, one hand resting against her cheek.
"He's still keeping something from her," he said.
"Yes," Elijah replied. "And she hasn't forgotten."
***When they pulled apart, Hope stayed close. "About last night," she said. Stiles's expression grew serious, but he didn't release her hand. "I haven't forgotten." She nodded. "Good. Because I like you, and I want this, but I don't want to spend the next week wondering whether there's something I should know."***
***He looked down briefly, gathering his thoughts. "There is," he admitted. "And it matters. I just need to make sure I can explain it without making you feel like I've decided something for you." Hope studied him. That wasn't the answer she had expected. "Have you?" she asked. His eyes returned to hers immediately. "No."***
***She believed him, though she still wanted the rest. "Then tonight," she said. "We talk tonight." Stiles took a breath and nodded. "Tonight." Hope squeezed his hand once before moving toward the passenger door. He opened it for her, and she paused before getting in. "And for the record, you don't have to find the perfect way to say it."***
***"That's reassuring," he replied. "Historically, that isn't my strongest area." She smiled, caught his sleeve, and kissed him once more. "I noticed."***
"He'd better tell her," Hayley said.
"He agreed," Elijah replied.
Klaus watched Stiles close the passenger door and stand beside it for a moment, looking down at the hand Hope had been holding. Whatever he was thinking, the pleased, slightly embarrassed boy from the parking lot was gone.
Freya noticed too.
"He's not worried she'll be frightened of his magic," she said quietly.
Rebekah turned toward her. "Then what is he worried about?"
On the screen, Stiles looked through the windshield. Hope said something they couldn't hear, and he smiled at her before walking around the Jeep.
Hayley's expression softened.
"That she won't want him after he tells her."