Chapter Text
“Yo Alex!” Stiles calls out to the waitress on the other side of the room. “Switch me to decaf on the next round.”
Alex, a slender woman of almost 30 (though she looks more like a college student), nods as she pulls brown hair into a ponytail. She picks up the decaf coffee pot this time and moves towards Stiles and Boyd’s table. Alex eats a piece of bacon off Boyd’s plate as she refills their mugs, ignoring the look of exasperation that the cook behind the counter gives her. “Anything?” she asks in a low voice.
“An older car, 70s sedan by the sound of it has circled a few times,” answers Boyd. Their booth is in the back of the diner, unseeable from the parking lot or the street, so she’s safe to linger a moment. Both boys have menus out anyway, pointing at items and making sure their expressions give the impression that they’re asking normal questions. “I thought you didn’t like to deal with people you don’t know.”
“Yeah, why so worried?” asks Stiles. “This isn’t like you.”
Alex pretends to scribble something in her notepad. “I take referrals from time to time. Have to if I’m going to stay in the game. But when my client called and asked me to meet with a new contact, something sounded off. Like they were being forced to make the connection. I don’t like it.”
Boyd frowns. “I’m calling Erica and Danny. Whenever this contact decides to stop, I want them searching the car. We’ll see if we can get any answers.” He pauses and cocks his head, a distinctly wolf-like movement that Stiles has never really been able to cure any of the pack of. At least it doesn’t seem strange to humans. “The car parked.”
“Thanks for the refill,” says Stiles in a slightly louder voice. “And I’ll add chocolate chips to those pancakes.”
The bell on the door clangs as Alex moves back towards the kitchen and when she trips and catches herself, Stiles knows the new customer is the one they’ve been waiting on.
While Alex continues her job and makes first contact, Stiles muses over how they got here. Its been about a year and a half since the pack moved away from Beacon Hills. The bay area was, as expected, the perfect college choice and its now October of their second year in the city. Once the pack had beaten Deucalion and Danny had revealed that he was a dryad, protecting Beacon Hills became a lot easier. They studied and trained, using Stiles’ skill with runes, Lydia’s banshee power, and Danny’s wisdom to create magical borders. There were still issues--that was kind of impossible to get around since they lived on ley lines--but now the pack tended to get warnings first. They’d dealt with a family of lost trolls the week after homecoming, but it was the pixies over Thanksgiving that allowed Derek and Scott to finally figure out how to mesh their individual alpha natures. Both alphas had completely different perspectives and yet had to lead the pack as one. It hadn’t been the easiest few months.
The rest of their senior year had been fairly calm and with the exception of a run in with some goblins their first year on campus, college had been quiet as well. They’d met with the requisite representatives of the San Francisco werewolf pack. Large cities had to be fairly accepting of transitional visitors, but courtesy was always respected.
Stiles and Lydia were both at Berkeley, where despite their original intent, Stiles was actually more focused on his academic studies, while Lydia treated hers as more of a hobby and focused most of her efforts on learning her family history with her grandmother. Boyd and Danny were both at Stanford, in the same computer science program. Scott was at UC Davis, enrolled in the Veterinary program. Allison took some classes in whatever interested her at the community college, focusing her time on hunter training and being the pack representative, while Erica and Isaac tended to tag along with whichever pack member they felt like. Erica always said she didn’t know what she wanted to do, so she wasn’t going to waste time in class until she did. Stiles privately figured that she hadn’t ever really expected to be around to make decisions about college and hadn’t completely alleviated that fear yet, despite being a werewolf. Isaac had shown an interest in cooking, but had tried one semester at the community college before insisting that he couldn’t learn in that environment. Instead he experimented with dishes at the pack house, letting the pack be the judge.
Jackson was at UC Davis with Scott, and Peter traveled back and forth between the pack and Beacon Hills.
Rounding the pack out was Derek, who after a little nudging had also enrolled in Berkeley’s MBA program, as he had a bachelor’s from Columbia.
They all lived in a house Derek bought closest to Berkeley’s campus. It made for an hour drive for Boyd and Danny to get to Stanford, while Scott took the shuttle up to UC Davis for his classes. Allison usually tagged along with Scott so they always had two pack members together.
It was during the first semester that Stiles had found the diner he and Boyd were at now. Most of the pack liked diner food and Stiles studied best with ambiance noise. But as the pack focused on things that interested him, he was too easily distracted. Moon’s Kitchen (Stiles still laughed at the irony) was the perfect fit. Nice and well-kept, so it didn’t attract undue attention from unsavory types, but still too low-key to be in the tourist guides. The prices were fair and after Stiles tipped exceedingly well his first week, the staff stopped caring that he stayed for hours at a time.
Alex had taken a particular shine to him, insisting that he was one of the only people he’d met that could match wits with her. She liked Erica and Boyd too, since they had the same wicked sense of humor.
Spring semester was when Alex got brought into the know about them. Stiles was trying to get his hands on a set of rare books, with some information on particularly complicated rune design, and was finally able to make contact with a fence who had the right contacts. The meeting was set up for the diner, with appropriate symbols to flag each other down. Whether Alex or Stiles was more shocked was hard to say.
The books Stiles was trying to get were what brought the goblin problem in and though there weren’t any extra witnesses at the diner that night, they’d had to come clean to Alex.
The result had been perfect. Alex’s job as a server was merely a cover, a way for her to stay off government radar and provide an easy meeting place with clients. She used her network to find information for Stiles and artifacts for Allison or Lydia, and in return the pack worked as security when she had an item to fence. The enhanced hearing worked wonders for picking up on encroaching law enforcement or other thieves.
Alex was always very particular about her clients, which was why her unease about this one had more of them involved.
Boyd finishes texting Erica and Danny, showing Stiles the phone screen to relay the message that both were already in the area.
Stiles watches the contact, a man who has his collar up and hat pulled low. It could easily appear as though he’s blocking out the wind and rain, but the feather in the band is what Alex had as her clue. The man sits at a booth a few rows down from them, waiting for Alex.
“He’s not supernatural,” whispers Boyd.
“Good,” returns Stiles. “At least that’s one problem we won’t have to deal with.”
“I still don’t like him though. He smells wrong. Evil.”
“Evil has a smell?”
“You remember that feeling you had about Matt Daehler?”
Stiles goes still and deadly serious. “That’s the vibe you’re getting off this guy?”
Boyd nods and refocuses on the man as Alex steps closer. Her gasp and visible paling when she sees the guy’s identity has Stiles on even higher alert. Something’s wrong.
“Matthew Keller,” says Alex. “I thought you were in prison.”
“Escaped,” answers Keller, his voice slimy. Why are they always named Matt, thinks Stiles. “I’m gonna need a favor. I’ve got a couple paintings I need to unload, expenses, you know how it is. You always did get the best prices.”
“Erica and Danny are searching the car,” says Boyd in a low voice. Stiles keeps an eye on Alex and Keller but nods at Boyd to keep talking. “Erica says she can smell a woman in the car, but they can’t find her.”
“Trunk?” suggests Stiles.
“Tried that.”
“A false bottom?”
Boyd listens and nods. “Erica’s checking.” He’s quiet for a moment and then grins. “False back to the trunk between it and the backseat. Danny’s getting the woman’s body temp back up and doing that dryad thing he does that makes people get stronger. They’ll join us in a minute.”
Alex makes a noise of pain ahead of them and Stiles makes a snarling sound when he sees Keller has ahold of Alex’s wrist, trapping her with him. He’s at the booth in a flash, only briefly registering Erica and Danny coming in through the back with an older woman.
“You’re going to want to let go of her now,” insists Stiles, his grin feral as he steps into Keller’s line of sight.
“You’re going to want to stay out of other people’s business.” The man seems unfazed by Stiles, probably assuming he’s a boyfriend or something.
“Alex’s wellbeing is my business and you’re hurting her. So like I said, let go.”
Keller smirks. “Oh I think Alex will stay right here if she doesn’t want innocent people to get hurt.”
“Innocent people like Elizabeth Burke?” asks Stiles. Danny said the name a second ago, loud enough for Stiles to hear but not enough for those unpracticed with the supernatural to notice.
Keller spins his head around, not letting go of Alex, to see the aforementioned Elizabeth--who appears shaken and tired but with a cold fury in her eyes--wave at him from between Erica and Danny.
“Yeah, she won’t be a bargaining chip anymore. And now you’re going to let go of my friend and leave.”
“Who’s going to make me?” Keller runs his other hand down Alex’s arm and she shudders in revulsion.
In the blink of an eye, Stiles has both of Keller’s hands off of Alex, twisted up behind his back, and presses his own thumb into the pressure point just under Keller’s jaw. “I suppose I am. Now, a little more pressure and you’ll be vomiting profusely. Would you like to see what happens if I press very hard? Or perhaps you want to rethink your patronage of this particular establishment?”
“I’ll go,” croaks out Keller.
Stiles smiles. “Good choice. You will be leaving town as well, and you won’t contact Alex again. Find another fence.”
“Fine,” snaps Keller.
Stiles applies the slightest bit more pressure, making Keller gag, before he lets go and steps away, watching as Keller exits the building. Alex sags in relief, hugs Stiles, and goes back to work. Keller sits in his car, not leaving immediately, and while Stiles keeps an eye on him, he goes back to the booth and slides in next to Boyd.
“Keep listening until he’s gone,” instructs Stiles and the two werewolves nod. “Now, Miss Burke…”
“Mrs. Burke,” corrects the woman. “Or I suppose you can call me Elizabeth after saving my life.”
Stiles’ smile is much softer and genuine this time around. “Elizabeth then. Why did this Matthew Keller kidnap you and why would he think that was good enough leverage against Alex?”
“Because my husband and boyfriend are Keller’s greatest enemies and they’ve arrested him a few times over now. Unfortunately, no matter how good Peter and Neal are at catching Keller, the prison system isn’t nearly as good at keeping him.”
Alex shoves in next to Stiles. “You and Peter finally hooked Neal? Good for you.”
“I got tired of the pining,” jokes Elizabeth.
“Sex is probably pretty great too.”
“I won’t argue with you there.”
“Keller?” asks Stiles, redirecting them back to the point.
Elizabeth frowns. “I don’t really know. This time around he never seemed interested in going after Peter and Neal, which is always why he’s kidnapped me in the past.”
“This has happened before?” questions Boyd.
“Its practically a habit at this point.” Elizabeth smiles gratefully at the plate of food brought over by one of the other servers and continues. “I’d only catch bits of conversations he had, but it was always focused on Alex. I got the feeling that I was there for leverage on her, not on my boys.”
“You two are close then?” Erica makes a gesture between the two women.
“I owe her husband my life and Neal a few dozen favors,” answers Alex. “It’s a safe assumption on Keller’s part to think I’d help to keep Elizabeth safe.”
Stiles thinks for a moment, letting Elizabeth eat. The sound of Keller’s car starting up in the background can be heard as well. “So what we need to figure out is why Keller wanted Alex specifically. There’s plenty of other fences that wouldn’t take as much effort. Alex, you should probably stay with us until we make sure he’s out of the city officially.”
“Shit,” hisses Erica.
“What?”
“I think I know why he needed Alex.”
“You do?”
Erica nods. “Keller just pulled out of the parking lot. Before he did, he said ‘Miss Reyes. Please inform Mr. Stilinski that I look forward to our next meeting.’”
“Alex wasn’t the target,” says Stiles, realizing what this actually means.
Danny confirms it. “We are.”
~