Authors Note: YAY FOR SEQUELS! Thank you for all those who read Strangers and reviewed. You guys are awesome. I'm so happy to finally get this story up because I've been getting tons of people asking for it. This is the start of season 2. Please be sure to review and let me know how you like it and be sure to check my blog for snippets of what's to again for reading, you'll never truly know how much I appreciate you. Enjoy!
[Stiles POV]
It only took a week for Maggie to heal once she had woken up. Everyone was confused and baffled by her quick recovery but even though her body was physically healed, she still hadn't left her room. Dad was starting to worry that she may have brain damage but I knew why she was hurting. She had turned me down every day that she had been back at the house whenever I offered her something fun to do. I just wanted to distract her or remind her of the good things in the world but I understood what it felt like to lose someone special. I couldn't help but feel guilty about the whole situation. Scott was no help either since he was now sneaking around with Allison every chance he got. He said that all Maggie needed was time but I think he was thinking with something other than the head on his shoulders. Maggie didn't seem to mind Scott's absence though. She barely even noticed when someone came in the room to get her to eat something. Last night I went into her room to try and get her to come downstairs for dinner and she got angry with me.
"CAN'T YOU TAKE A HINT?! LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!" She screamed and I rubbed my head furiously.
"I'M TRYING TO HELP YOU!" I yelled back frustrated.
"I think you've helped enough." Her words were bitter and she stared at me like I had killed her family with my bare hands. I left it at that and went back to my own room to look at all the pictures in my phone. Thing's seemed easy before all this stuff started happening. Thing's with Derek and werewolves. I was too invested in Maggie's happiness to just stop now. I needed her to be alright. I needed her to want to live.
The next morning, I walked past her room thinking she was waiting for me to drive her to school only to see she was still lying on her back with her eyes closed.
"Hey I thought you were going to try and get back to school today? Dad promised Nathan he would get you back to school while he was trying to figure things out." I said holding onto the door knob. She didn't reply or even open her eyes but I knew she wasn't asleep.
"Seriously? Come on, Maggie. Get up. You should at least try and do some school today." I tried the tough love approach as I entered the room.
"If you don't stop pretending to be asleep then I'm going to tickle you." I threatened.
"You tickle me and I'll throat punch you." Her voice was soft but she spoke without opening her eyes.
"She speaks. That's good. How about opening your eyes?" I sat on the side of the bed and put my thumb on her cheek and felt it was damp. She opened her eyes and they were full of pure sadness. It actually hurt to see her open her eyes like that.
"Look, I know you are still hurting but you can't keep yourself locked up here. You need to keep going or else you might as well have just died." I said without thinking.
"That was kind of the point Stiles, please just leave me alone." She rubbed at her head and I sighed heavily.
"O-K. That's it. You have 5 minutes to get dressed. If you aren't dressed by then, you'll wear what you have on. We're skipping today and getting some fresh air in you." I said standing up.
"Stiles-" I cut her off when she groaned.
"Maggie please okay? I know I'm being selfish or whatever but it's killing me to see you like this. Just take one ride with me and I swear that if you still can't find one reason to get out of bed then I'll run you over myself." She looked up at me and bit her bottom lip.
"Fine." She sits up and I clap my hands together excited.
"Awesome. I'll grab some snacks and be in the jeep." I said leaving her in the room. I had only been sitting in the jeep for 20 minutes when she came out squinting at the sun and tugging on her hoodie. She jumped up in the jeep and looked at me as I pushed the CD into the player.
"I made us a road mix of things from my iPod and yours." I smiled but we both jumped when a loud, screaming song filled the car. She covered her ears as I hit the button to the next song which was Lost and Found by Katie Herzig.
"Sorry about that. Let's get on the road." I pulled out of the driveway and headed towards the preserve. There were tons of back roads there and I figured it would give us some nice scenery. She remained quiet as we drove and I rolled her window down so she could get some air on her face. She leaned on the door and stared straight ahead blankly and I started to worry this wouldn't work.
"How do you feel?" I asked her glancing over at her.
"My chest aches, I'm an orphan and my lips are now chapped. How about you?" She turned her head and looked at me.
"Does your chest hurt because of what happened or because you miss your family?" I asked clearing my throat. She looked back out of the window and took a deep breath.
"I'm fine Stiles." She said without much emotion.
"That's the thing, you're not fine. You are the complete opposite of fine actually. You are so unfine that I'm actually nervous you really want me to run you over." I said honestly and she didn't respond.
"Is there seriously nothing on this entire planet that makes you want to keep living? I mean TV is pretty much teen pregnancy shows and the music scene is being taken over by dubstep but there's gotta be something out there." I said as the song changed. It started slow and I figured sad music wouldn't make her feel any better but when I went to change it she stopped me.
"What's wrong?" I asked and she blinked at the radio before looking at me.
"This song…" She said squinting at the dashboard.
"Is sad and probably won't make you feel better." I pointed out and she looked at me with a hint of a smile.
"Do you remember when that one time we talked about songs that make you get lost?" She asked and I nodded at her.
"Of course. You sang for me." I reminded her and she sat back in the seat.
"Well despite how insanely artsy that made me seem, it was something my mom always did when she was trying to get us out of a funk. Every time we would have to pack up and leave town she would pick a new song but this song…" She shook her head and let out a chuckle as a tear fall down her cheek.
"Maggie?" I reached out and took her hand and she closed her eyes.
"This is the song she played whenever I asked her if she'd come back for me. This was her song." Maggie got choked up and I felt horrible. This trip backfired much bigger than I could have ever imagined and now she was crying.
"I-I'm sorry. I'll take you back to the house." I said and she shook her head.
"Can you just…can you speed up?" She asked and I cocked my eyebrow at her before speeding up slightly. I was nervous she might barrel roll from the car but when she rolled the window all the way down and let the window wipe her hair around I could see her lips turn up in a smile. I couldn't help but smile as she let the wind hit her skin and breathe some life back into her face.
"What?" She asked curiously.
"I've been trying to get you to smile since you opened your eyes and all it took was a song." I laughed to myself.
"It's not just the song. It's what it means to me. It's like she's trying to tell remind me that she isn't far and that I need to find my strength." She looked over at me before taking my hand in hers.
"I'm trying Stiles. I really am. I know it doesn't seem that way but every morning I wake up, I can't help but think maybe she'll be there. None of this is your fault, you don't have to take care of me just because you brought me back. I was meant to come back. I've apparently got unfinished business here." She said and I let her hold onto my hand enjoying the warmth.
"Maggie, you are my best friend and I love you. That's why I want to take care of you. I'm here and I'll always be here. You can fight me, yell at me, throw things at me and I won't care. But when you need someone to drive you around and listen to music, I'll be there." I gave her hand a squeeze and she smiled at me faintly before taking my hand between both of her hands and cradling it. She held onto my hand the rest of the drive.
"So how is Lydia doing?" She asked out of the blue.
"She's alright. I haven't actually been in to see her since Scott and I checked her wound but they say she's doing well. Ms. McCall says she's giving her dad hell but nothing new there I assume. Did you want to go with me to visit her?" I asked making Maggie chuckle.
"I'm actually kind of tired. I think your dad was right about getting myself so worked up. After we get this funeral over this week maybe I can get back on track with my actual life." She rubbed her face with her free hand before resting her head against the seat.
"It seems like no matter how much sleep I get I still wake up looking like a train wreck." She pinched the bridge of her nose and I squeezed her hand getting her attention.
"Impossible. I've literally seen you at your worst and you still managed to look beautiful." She blushed and I considered it a simple win.
"You know, your dad told me that you never left the hospital after what happened. Scott said he was trying to manage his time sneaking around with Allison and keeping you company but-" I cut her off.
"I knew Scott couldn't take seeing you like that…or me like that. It was kind of pathetic. He practically forced me to eat and shower." I admitted.
"You know if anything happened to me in the future, I'd want you to take care of yourself. I mean, I hope it never comes to me laid up again but it would break my heart if something to you because you stopped taking care of yourself. Too many people need you Stiles. You're important." She put her free hand on top of our hands and I laughed.
"I'm not that important. You and Scott are important. You've got these skills-" She cut me off."
"That make people want to kill us. Get real." She snorted.
"I'm just saying, I'm the research guy. I help look things up. That's my job in all of this. Anybody could do it." I explained and felt Maggie staring at me.
"What?" I finally said as she stared at me.
"Do you really feel that shitty about yourself? I mean after everything we've gone through, watching Scott deal with this werewolf shit and seeing my own dad try and rip my heart out and you think being human is a weakness." I started to let go of Maggie's hand but she took it and put it on her chest making me swerve the car.
"Mag- what the hell are you doing?" I asked a bit frantic as she held my hand to her left breast.
"Do you feel that?" She asked making me swallow hard.
"Um yeah, yeah I feel that." I said making her roll her eyes.
"My heartbeat dork. I'm talking about my heartbeat." She corrected and I tried to focus on the strong beat against my palm.
"That's because of you. You're a human who saved my life. Stop selling yourself short because all of us would be lost without you." She said before kissing my hand.
"I guess we should head back to the house so you can get some rest. Maybe tonight we could watch a movie or something?" I suggested and she smiled.
"I'd like that." She said biting her bottom lip. Once we got back to the house she headed straight for the bed, kicking her shoes off and tossing her jacket on the chair. I walked over and started to pull her comforter on top of her which made her laugh.
"Tucking me in? It's like 4 PM Stiles. I'm bound to get up." She said pulling the blankets up further.
"Then I'll be here when that happens. I'll try not to be long at the hospital. Did you want me to call Scott to come sit with you or will you be alright?" I asked stroking her hair before I had time to process what I was doing.
"I think I'll be fine. It's just sleeping but if you could bring me something sweet home, you'd be my best friend." She joked as her eyes became lazy. I stood up and started towards the door.
"Stiles…take that crystal with you and give it to Lydia." I looked at the vanity and saw a small, rectangular crystal sitting on top of some school work.
"It's for quick healing. Send my best." Maggie was chewing on the inside of her cheek like she didn't want to show that she was trying to be nice to Lydia which I kind of thought was adorable.
"Get some rest." I said before pulling the door shut. I made sure to lock up the front and back door before I headed out to the hospital. I saw the vending machine on the way in and thought of Maggie. I reached into my pocket for some change and pushed the buttons to get a Reese's but it got hung up in the machine.
"Seriously?" I said out loud before hitting the machine. No one seemed to be around so I tried shaking it a bit. That thing wouldn't budge and I didn't have anymore change to try and get another so it was this one or nothing. I rocked the machine from the top until it started to tip towards me. I let out a yell right before it hit the ground. I was shocked no one came running when it hit the ground. As I tried to pick it up off the ground I heard a piercing scream from Lydia's room.
"Lydia? LYDIA!" I ran towards the room and Ms. McCall rounded the corner.
"What the hell was that?" She said as she followed me into the hospital room. The bathroom door was shut and the shower was on but I busted in any way to find that it was empty. Ms. McCall turned off the water in the shower and I felt a breeze on my face and saw the window was open.
"Oh my God." Her dad said holding up her hospital gown.
"You don't think she left out of here naked do you? It's freezing out." He started to panic and I immediately reached in my pocket to call Scott but he was already dialing me.
"Dude I just heard Lydia's scream. Isn't she still at the hospital?" He asked me.
"No she apparently freaked out and left…naked." I informed him.
"Naked? Why naked? It's freezing out." Scott said making me roll my eyes.
"I don't know man. If I can snag her hospital gown, do you think you can find her by scent?" I asked and I could hear him running.
"I'm on the way." Scott said before hanging up. I tried calling Maggie but she didn't answer so I figured she was asleep still. I heard my dad talking to Ms. McCall and decided to eavesdrop.
"Alright let's get an APB out on a 16 year old red head, any other descriptors?" He asked and I walked out of the room.
"5 foot 3, green eyes, fair skinned and she's actually strawberry blonde." I announced earning strange looks.
"Is that right?" Dad asked.
"Yeah." I confirmed as he gripped the back of my neck to pull me aside.
"What the hell are you doing here?" He whispered through gritted teeth.
"Providing moral support?" I tried but he wasn't buying it.
"You're supposed to be at home with Maggie, especially since I got a phone call that said you both were absent today." He said making me sigh.
"Maggie was having a rough day-" He cut me off.
"She's recovering from a major wound and she just lost an aunt. She's going to have rough days but you both still need to go to school." He said with frustration.
"Fine. I'll get back to the house." I said making sure to tuck the gown safely in my jacket as I walked past the maintenance guys trying to pick up the vending machine. Scott was waiting in the jeep as I came out and I hopped in next to him.
"This is the one she was just wearing?" He asked making me shake my head.
"I'm not going to let anyone hurt her, not again." Scott said trying to reassure her.
"Just shove the thing in your face and let's find her." I said as flicked the lights on and jumped when Allison appeared in front of the jeep. She ran around to Scott's window.
"What are you doing here? Someone could see us?" Scott said panicked.
"I don't care, she is my best friend and we need to find her before they do." Allison said glancing at me.
"I can find her before the cops can." Scott whispered as if it were some insult to my dad but even I knew that these days, werewolves were running the show.
"How about before my father does?" She asked.
"He knows?" I asked shocked.
"Yeah, he and three other guys just left my house in 2 SUV's. It's a hunting party." Allison said and Scott looked at me for confirmation to which I threw my hands up.
"Get in." Scott let Allison into the jeep.
"If she's turning would they actually kill her?" I asked hoping for a positive answer.
"I don't know, they won't tell me anything. All they keep saying is that we'll talk after Kate's funeral when the others get here." Allison said catching my attention.
"What others?" I asked.
"I don't know, they won't tell me that either." She rested her face on her hand pouting.
"Okay, your family's got some serious communication issues to work on." I looked towards Scott as he was leaning out of the window trying to find Lydia's scent.
"Scott, are we going the right way?" I asked him shifting in my seat and feeling something in my pocket jab me.
"Take the next right." He said as I made the turn and pulled the crystal that Maggie gave me out of my pocket.
"What's that?" Allison asked as I rolled it in my fingers.
"Maggie told me to give this to Lydia for quick healing. I never got a chance to give it to her." I explained and Allison put her hand on my shoulder.
"How is she doing?" she asked as I pulled up to the preserve sign.
"She's working through it." I said simply hoping Maggie would sleep through this craziness.
[Maggie's POV]
I felt my bare feet hitting the forest floor as hard as they could, rocks and sticks tearing the skin apart but something told me I was running for my life. I don't know how I got to the woods or why I felt such sudden urgency but I was genuinely afraid as I could hear my heart beating loudly in my ears.
"Hurry!" I heard a voice say next to me and I realized someone was holding my hand. It was Lydia. It was then that I realized it wasn't my heart beat I was hearing but Lydia's.
"What is it?!" I asked her too afraid to look back but she didn't answer me. The night air hit my skin harshly and I tried not to let the pain my body was going through effect me. I had to get away from whatever was chasing me, chasing us. Lydia tripped and we both hit the leaves hard. I looked back and saw the red eyes in the darkness. She started to scream and scramble but I reached for her hand pulling her to her feet.
"Run!" I told her. I wasn't going to let her get hurt. I'd face whatever was chasing us head on and give her a chance to get away.
"I can't! I can't leave you here!" She cried and I felt my chest ache where Peter had stabbed me. She let out a loud scream as a growl shook my entire body.
I snapped up in the bed, breathing heavily and feeling the familiar burn of the new scars Peter adorned my chest with. The scream echoed outside of the window and I realized that it wasn't just a dream. I threw the sheets off of my legs and walked to the open window as the wind carried into the room. A strong smell of fear and sweat hit my senses and I knew I had to follow it. I hurried down the steps and started out of the house shutting the door behind me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath taking it all in. My feet started to move in the direction of the preserve. I started to bump into trees and I kept trying to open my eyes but it was like certain sense were taking over and my body wouldn't allow it. Then I heard the scream again and my eyes opened. I looked around the preserve and I didn't see anyone, not even Lydia but when I looked in front of me I knew exactly where I was.
"Ah." I winced as my scars started to burn now that I stood in front of the burnt down Hale house. I hoped I would never come back here after what happened but I was now standing, barefoot, bloody and freezing in front of the exact stop where I died.
"Come on Maggie, you've got to know a spell or something to fix this. Come on." Stiles said frantically.
"I can call Deaton, he can help." Scott stumbled to pull his phone out and I reached out towards him.
"Scott...Scott, there's no time." I said weakly.
"Don't you do this to me, Maggie. You promised me that we'd have more time. This...this isn't supposed to be like this." Stiles was crying and Scott didn't know what to do.
I opened my eyes trying to shake the memory. I had to focus on why I came out here.
"Lydia?" I called out and tasted blood in my throat. The wind wiped in the trees and stepped towards the house.
"Come on, show me what you want me to see." I said through chattering teeth to no one particular. I was tired of all the mind games that came with the supernatural world. Something brought me out here. I walked up the stairs and remembered watching him drag Kate Argent into the house. I could smell stress, tension in the air. The moment I walked into the house I felt my stomach turn and I vomited. I reached out and gripped the dusty staircase and panted.
Flashes of Peter attacking Lydia as she tried desperately to get away flashed in front of my eyes.
"LEAVE HER ALONE!" I screamed.
"That's not how the story goes my dear." I heard his voice and swung my arm out trying to hit whoever it was coming from but no one was there.
"You and Lydia are two sides of one very important coin." I swung again but this time I splintered the wood on the wall. I felt the strength of the wolf creeping up on me and I tried to shake it.
"No…I won't let you. I'm not going to become a monster." I breathed the dust in as I felt like I was being broken. I flipped over on my back and seized up.
"This is your fate." The voice said and I screamed in agony before crawling towards the couch.
"NO!" I screamed until the pain stopped. I started to breathe heavy and I let my body fall back against the dirty wood floor.
"I won't…I won't." I whispered to myself trying to fight my inner wolf and I knew it was working when the coldness of my skin and the pain in my hand and feet started to settle in fighting the healing.
[Scott's POV]
"She came here? You're sure?" Stiles asked me as we walked up on the Hale house.
"This is where the scent leads." I said knowing what my nose was telling me. Stiles rolled his head around looking towards the house. None of us had been back to the house since…well since Maggie died and Derek killed any chances of me being normal again.
"Alright but has Lydia ever been here?" Stiles asked Allison who shook her head.
"Not with me." She said as Stiles kept inching towards the house. I knew he never wanted to come back here and I didn't either but I knew we had to find Lydia fast before Allison's family caught up with her.
"Maybe she came here out of instinct, like she was looking for Derek?" She suggested.
"You mean looking for an alpha?" I added.
"Wolves need a pack right?" She said but I huffed. I thought I was doing just fine on my own.
"Not all of them." I said dismissing it.
"But would she be drawn to an alpha. Is it instinct to be drawn to a pack?" Allison stopped me to ask.
"Yeah we're stronger in packs." I said.
"Like strength in numbers." She added.
"No like literally stronger, faster, better in every way." I explained making Allison shake her head. Stiles was weeding through some leaves when I caught a strong smell that wasn't Lydia.
"What's wrong? What are you smelling?" She asked as Stiles continued what he was doing.
"I don't know, I'm getting a lot of another smell right now." I walked closer to the house and looked around.
"What is it?" Stiles asked as he bent down to touch something.
"Maggie." I said making him stop.
"Probably because she bled out a few yards that way, not breaking news Scott but check this out." I kept looking at the house as Allison walked towards Stiles. The next thing I knew something grabbed my ankle and was taking me off my feet swiftly.
"Stiles?" I called out making both of them turn around.
"Yeah buddy-oh." He saw me upside-down and Allison tried not to laugh.
"Next time you see a trip wire…don't trip it." I said rolling my eyes.
"Noted." They walked towards me to help me down when I heard footsteps.
"Wait! Someone's coming…HIDE!" I gritted out as Stiles grabbed Allison's arm and tried to hide. I knew who it was as the scent got closer.
"Scott." It was Chris Argent.
"Mr. Argent." I replied.
"How are you doing?" He asked as I hung upside down in front of him.
"Good, you know just hanging out. Is this one of yours? It's a nice design, very constricting." I joked but his face didn't seem amused.
"What are you doing out here Scott?" He asked cutting to the chase.
"Looking for my friend." There was no point in lying to him.
"That's right. Lydia's in your group now isn't she? Part of your clique or is there another way to put it." I knew what he was getting at.
"Part of your pack?" He questioned.
"Actually clique sounds about right to me." I said firmly not showing fear.
"Good because I know she's a friend of Allison's and you are a special circumstance, obviously and until we know what Maggie is exactly, we can't be too cautious." Mr. Argent narrowed his eyes at me.
"Maggie is what she's always been, innocent." I could feel my temper rising.
"Scott, do you know what a hemicorporectomy is?" He asked randomly.
"No but I have a feeling I don't want to." I admitted.
"Medical term for someone that's amputated at the waist. Cutting them in half. It takes a tremendous amount of strength to cut through tissue and bone like that. Let's hope a demonstration never becomes necessary." He threatened running his hand across my abdomen before standing up and walking away. Allison and Stiles ran up quickly once Chris Argent was out of sight.
"Are you okay?" Allison asked sounding concerned.
"Yeah just another life threatening conversation with your dad." I said throwing my arms out. She ran over to the tree with Stiles to try and get me down but I heard a heartbeat from the house and cut myself down.
"Well look at you being self sufficient werewolf." Stiles joked and I put my hand up.
"Did you hear that?" I asked looking up at the house. They looked at me confused and I broke out into a run towards the house.
"Stay there." I said stopping Stiles and Allison at the door. I stepped into the house and looked around before I saw a body behind the couch. I ran over and saw that it wasn't Lydia but Maggie.
"Maggie?! What the hell are you doing here?" I knelt down and put my hand on her shoulder, which was freezing.
"I-I don't know. I thought I was dreaming and I just ended up here." She rubbed at her head and I took my jacket off to put around her.
"Let's get you home." I put my arms underneath her and she wrapped her arms around my neck.
"No…I've got to find Lydia. I came with Lydia." I looked at her but she was in pajama clothes with cuts all over her legs and feet, practically turning blue from behind out here so long. I knew I had to get her back to Stiles before something worse happens.
"It's going to be okay. I've got you." I started towards the door and the moment they set their eyes on me, I could smell their anxiety.
"Lydia?" Allison said but Stiles moved quickly.
"Maggie?! What the hell is Maggie doing here?" He asked frantically.
"I don't know but she's freezing and cut up. We've got to get her back to your house. Stiles took his coat off and draped it over Maggie as I carried her through the woods and Allison took off her gloves to put on her hands.
"How did she get all the way out here on foot? Your house is a hike." Allison said as we practically ran back to the jeep. I could hear Stiles heartbeat the whole way back to his house as we tried a number of things to warm Maggie up. Allison helped get her cleaned up and finally her injuries started to heal. I could tell Allison wanted to ask why hadn't they healed sooner because of the wolf in her but she didn't.
"I should get home. My mom has called me 3 times already. Will you let me know if you find anything about Lydia?" Allison asked as Stiles hovered over Maggie with another hot water bottle.
"Of course. Be careful going home." I said before kissing her. She glanced over at Stiles and Maggie before heading back down the stairs. I walked into Stiles room as Maggie sipped tea in a bundle of blankets.
"Body temp is up. How do you feel?" Stiles asked Maggie as she rubbed her head.
"Like I'm losing my mind but I guess that's nothing new." She said clearing her throat.
"Do you remember what you said to me back at Derek's?" I asked her and she shook her head.
"I had a dream. I was running through the woods and I had no idea why until I realized Lydia was holding my hand." She explained.
"Was she naked?" Stiles asked making Maggie squint at him.
"It wasn't that kind of dream, perv." Maggie said.
"Lydia went missing tonight. Took off from the hospital without any clothes. We were out looking for her when we found you." I explained and she shook her head.
"But it was just a dream. What would he want with Lydia?" She asked out loud making Stiles look at me concerned.
"Who?" Stiles asked making Maggie snap out of it.
"Peter." Maggie's words shocked both Stiles and I. We figured she was just exhausted so we moved her from Stiles bed into the spare room. I stayed up most of the night thinking about what Maggie had said. How could Peter possibly be communicating with Maggie or Lydia for that matter. Derek clearly ripped his throat out. I was there. The next day, Stiles gave me a ride to school and was catching me up on what he heard from his dad about the graveyard robbery last night.
"She ate the liver?" I questioned completely grossed out.
"No I didn't say she ate it, I said it was missing and so what if she did? The liver is the most nutritious part of the body." Stiles defended and I shook my head.
"How was Maggie this morning?" I asked concerned.
"She was knocked out when I started getting ready so I figured I'd just let her sleep but she didn't mention Peter anymore after you left." Stiles said as we walked up the steps of the school.
"I guess that's a good thing. Our main focus is finding Lydia right now. I know Kate's funeral is today so I'm going to have to stick close to Allison but I'll do what I can to multitask." I said making Stiles stop me.
"Well you're kind of the test study for this whole werewolf shenanigans so what were you drawn to when you were turning? I mean if I can use your knowledge to track her down then you can do the whole secret boyfriend thing for Allison." Stiles said but I bit my lip.
"The only thing that mattered was Allison." Stiles made a face and rolled his eyes.
"My life is like a permanent viewing of the Twilight saga in reverse. I swear to God if vampires show up in Beacon Hills I'm going to kill myself." Stiles said as Jackson pulled into the school lot.
"Maybe we can get Jackson's help." I suggested and Stiles gave me this look like he'd rather chew glass but he started towards the locker room. We had morning practice that was pretty much a bust but we did catch Jackson before class.
"If Lydia wants to take a naked hike in the woods, why should I care?" He said rolling his eyes.
"Because we have a pretty good idea that she might be...turning." I said discretely.
"Turning? Into what?" Jackson played dumb and Stiles huffed.
"A unicorn, what do you think dumbass?" He sniped at Jackson.
"Well I think if Lydia is turning then you shouldn't be worried about her but everyone else." Jackson smirked.
"What do you mean?" I asked confused.
"Well she could do some serious damage on me with just her fingernails. Imagine what she'd do with a real set of claws." He said making Stiles shake his head.
"You're a real piece of work, you know that? I never thought Maggie would care more about Lydia then you would." Stiles said making Jackson laugh.
"Maybe Maggie should worry more about herself so she doesn't end up in a padded room." Jackson smirked before he pushed past the both of us. I had to hold Stiles back so he didn't go after him but we had bigger things to worry about. We walked into chemistry to take a pop quiz and I could feel the tension in the air.
"It's causing me severe mental anguish to say this but he's right." Stiles said from behind me.
"About Maggie being in a padded room?" I asked confused.
"What?! No! I meant about Lydia!" Stiles raised his voice and Mr. Harris hit the desk.
"This is a pop quiz Mr. Stilinski, if I hear your voice one more time I will give you detention for the rest of your high school career." He threatened.
"Can you do that?" Stiles asked making me shake my head.
"Ah there it is again, your voice. The only sound that has ever triggered an impulse for me to strike a student repeatedly and violently." Harris said.
"I'll see you at 3:00 for detention." He said as others in the class tried not to laugh out loud.
"I can't, I have to take care of Maggie Stevens. She's staying at my house and she needs medical-" Before Stiles could finish what he was saying, the door to the classroom opened up and Maggie walked in looking completely refreshed.
"Uh sorry I'm late. I have a pass." She held up the slip of paper before walking it towards Mr. Harris.
"We're taking a pop quiz. I hope you've studied in you absence." Mr. Harris handed Maggie the quiz and she took her seat at Danny and Jackson's table. I looked back at Stiles before glancing over at her back. Jackson's nose started to bleed and she handed him a tissue before he got up quickly and got a pass from Mr. Harris. I couldn't believe that this was the same Maggie who we found freezing in the burnt down house last night babbling about her dead father.
[Maggie's POV]
I woke up this morning feeling restless. I don't know what rejuvenated me but by the time I got to school I felt like I was ready to conquer the world. Everyone was staring at me as I sat in chemistry taking a pop quiz. Even Stiles and Scott looked surprised to see me but I didn't think it was such a big deal. I looked up to see Danny shaking his head at me.
"What are you staring at?" I whispered.
"The girl who I was told was actually dead like two weeks ago looking twice as hot since the last time I saw her. Were you really in an accident or did you go away to have work done?" He teased and I laughed.
"I just woke up this morning and felt like I was ready to get back to my life. I mean, I've got to start somewhere right?" I said making Danny smile.
"Well you look good and I'm glad you're back." He said as the bell rang. I got up and walked out into the hallway running straight into Isaac.
"Hey! Oh wow, I didn't even…Hi." Issac said looking stunned. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he hesitated before putting his arms around me.
"It's so good to see you." I said smiling at him but then I pulled back and noticed his black eye.
"I wanted to come visit you but Scott didn't think it was a good idea with Stiles always there. I was worried about you but you look…wow." He said again and I bit my lip before reaching up to his face.
"I wish I could say the same. What happened?" I asked concerned but he caught my hand.
"Oh I had an accident last night on the digger. It's no big deal." He brushed it off and I could hear the skip in his heartbeat when he lied. I shook my head and realized he was still holding my hand.
"What are you doing right now?" I asked him randomly and he looked around.
"Nothing I guess. I mean I have lunch right now but-" I cut him off.
"How about we go to the library and catch up. I've missed you." I admitted seeing his face light up.
"Really? I mean sure yeah." He smiled as we walked into the library. We walked over to a table and sat down. Isaac reached into his bag and pulled out a fake flower.
"I got this for you the night of the dance. I'm sorry I had to bail. I didn't want you to think that I had planned on bailing so I figured I'd give you this. Normal flowers die so I got the guys that do some of the flowers for the cemetery to pick one out for you." Isaac handed me the flower and I smiled.
"I didn't know what color you were wearing so I figured black would cover all my bases. Sorry it's kind of squashed. I've had it in my bag since I bought it." Isaac apologized but I leaned up to kiss his cheek.
"It's beautiful, thank you." I felt the silk petals as he adjusted in his chair.
"So how are you? They said it was touch and go for a while but you look like you've bounced back." Isaac said making me blush.
"I guess it was pretty bad for awhile but once I left the hospital, I knew I was going to have to snap out of it eventually. Karen would have wanted me to be strong." I said seeing Isaac's face drop.
"I'm sorry to hear about your family too. Your aunt was always really nice to me." Isaac apologized and I looked at him. He was genuine but he seemed nervous.
"She really liked you." I put my hand on top of his and he gave me a weak smile.
"I actually...I wanted to ask you about something else." Isaac said catching my attention.
"You can ask me anything." I said interested.
"I ran into someone you know the other night from your family, I think...D-derek? Derek Hale?" Isaac stuttered out as he glanced over my shoulder towards the window.
"He's my cousin. Did he say something to you?" I asked confused as to why suddenly Isaac was so tense but he shook his head and stood up.
"I've actually got to get going. I'm sorry I can't stay and talk with you more but-" I cut him off.
"Is everything okay?" I asked standing up quickly.
"No- yeah everything's fine. I just...I need to be somewhere." Isaac started to walk towards the door and I felt like I had scared him off.
"Isaac wait-" He turned around and gave me a sympathetic smile.
"I'm sorry." He apologized again before disappearing out of the library. Something was clearly bothering Isaac but I don't know what got under my skin more, that he was lying to me or that he was asking about Derek for some odd reason. I hadn't seen or heard from Derek since I was in the hospital but suddenly he was creeping around Isaac? That was all too suspicious to me.
"You mean the crazy bitch who killed all those people?" A voice broke through my thoughts and I looked around.
"Did you also hear that Maggie Stevens actually came back today. She's the only survivor of her aunt's rampage." Another voice broke through and I could tell it was two different girls talking to each other.
"How could she possibly be back already?" I walked around the library and didn't see anyone.
"Probably because she's a witch." They both laughed. I walked out in the hallway and saw Allison standing at her locker. I knew she was with Scott and Stiles last night but I didn't really say much to her. To be honest, I didn't have much to say anyway.
"Here we thought the witch was a freak, the other new girl is part of a serial killer clan." I finally caught sight of the girls and walked straight up to them.
"You want to know what's more pathetic than girls that gossip?" I asked with a smile clearly catching them off guard.
"Nothing." My face went serious and I hoped my point was made as they rolled their eyes and shut their lockers.
"Whatever." The girl said as she walked away. Allison took a deep breath and turned to me.
"Thanks. As if this morning couldn't get any worse, I thought I was going to fall apart just listening to them." Allison was looking at me but I didn't bother to look back as I stared the girls down.
"Yeah well I didn't step in for you so no need to thank me." I said bitterly.
"…what?" Allison was confused as I finally looked at her. All I could see was her shooting Derek with arrows and trying to kill Scott. My blood boiled when I looked into her eyes and I wasn't sure if it was just her or because I saw Kate when I looked hard enough.
"When they talk about you and your family, they are directly talking about my family and I'm not okay with that." I clarified.
"I didn't mean-" I cut Allison off as Scott popped around the corner.
"Let's not sugarcoat things, Allison. Your aunt murdered my family. My best friend loves you but that doesn't mean we have to be anything." I said harshly and I could smell the salt water as she tried to fight tears.
"I've…I've got to go." She slung her dress over her arm and started to walk quickly down the hallway. I watched after her as Scott pulled her into a classroom.
"How'd you know?" Allison asked Scott.
"I could hear your heartbeat, what is it?" He asked her.
"I just...I can't do this. I can't take all these people talking about me and my family like I'm the one who killed all those people and now they think Kate tried to kill Maggie and she hates me because of it." Allison was crying and I could only imagine what Scott was doing to comfort her.
"Hey, stop that okay. Maggie is just going through some things right now. She doesn't know what she's saying." I felt my own heartbeat pick up and my anger was rising. How could he sit there and comfort her when I was the one left with no family.
"I can't go to this funeral. People are going to be there with cameras and I just can't." Allison was crying and I could almost hear Scott wiping the tears away.
"You can do this. I'm going to be there. Not in plain sight but I'll be there." The sounds of him kissing her made me turn and hit the locker.
"Little harsh don't you think?" I looked over at a guy who had apparently witnessed the entire exchange.
"I mean, the locker didn't do anything to you or at least it's not in the rumor mill yet." The guy said and I shook my head.
"Better the locker than my best friend's face." I said through gritted teeth. There was a moment of pause before the guy let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry to hear about your family. Welcome back, I'm Matt by the way." He extended his hand and I was leery about touching it. My senses were clearly too sensitive because of wolf trying to sneak through and I didn't need a look into this guy's life.
"I've got to go." I said before walking towards the doors. I could hear Stiles calling my name as I walked outside.
"MAGGIE! Where the hell are you going?" He asked finally catching up with me.
"I've got to get out of here. All I hear is heartbeats and stupid ass conversations. I need to get rid of this." I said running my hand through my hair. Stiles touched my arm slightly and I pulled away.
"What's going on? You can talk to me." He whispered as people walked by.
"I can't pretend it never happened, okay? I know Kate wasn't the one who tried killed me but she did kill my family. I can't just pretend that I'm okay with it." I explained as Stiles stepped closer to me.
"Please just don't touch me right now. It's nothing personal, these heightened sense are killing me and I don't want to latch with you and see something upsetting." I begged but Stiles tightened his lips together.
"It's skin contact right?" He said making me look up at him.
"Yeah why?" I cocked my eyebrow at him and he pulled my jacket up over my arms before pulling me into a hug, being careful not to touch my skin.
"It's going to be okay. Just take a deep breath." I did as Stiles told me to do before he pulled away.
"How about you go home and relax and I'll meet you there after detention?" Stiles was being really sweet and I couldn't help but think it was him trying to take care of me again.
"Thank you." I smiled up at him as he glanced at the clock. He ran inside as I turned away from the school feeling a bit more at ease.
"Hey, I just left Maggie. No I didn't tell her we were going to the funeral but I'm going to meet her after we check out the Argent's. I'm not going to be the one to tell her to cut Allison some slack. That falls on you big guy." Stiles was on the phone with Scott and I felt my face heat up. I was done with these random abilities. I practically ran all the way to the animal hospital to find Dr. Deaton working with a cat that hissed at me the moment I entered.
"Ms. Stevens, it's so good to see you-" I cut him off.
"Tell me how to stop it." I said firmly.
"Excuse me?" He asked confused as he put the cat back in it's cage.
"I don't want to be a wolf. I don't want these abilities. Tell me how to stop this or I'm going to do a spell to get rid of them myself." I threatened seeing his eyebrows go up.
"I don't recommend doing that. Perhaps you should just come in and talk with me for a bit. Tell me what's on your mind." Deaton gestured to a seat and I took it.
"I'm tired of hearing someone lie to my face or talk about me behind my back. I hate smelling people's emotions or the sudden urge to want to destroy things when I get pissed off. I can't control the wolf and my witch. I'd rather deal with the evil I know." I explained.
"While I understand your struggle, there is unfortunately no way to get rid of your wolf without killing you and that's actually a process in itself." Deaton said frowning.
"Great so I'm indestructible? Awesome. Even if I wanted to die, I couldn't." I said throwing my hands up.
"Oh it's possible but it's not easy and it's extremely painful." He pointed out.
"Then there's got to be a way I can silence the wolf. Control it from the outside, like putting a muzzle on it." I said resting my hands on the operating table.
"Well there is but you should learn more about what you are before you go and try to box it away. You are a very powerful being Maggie. You are a key part of something extraordinary." Deaton lowered his voice but I looked at him.
"I never wanted any of it and if I'm going to have to live with it then I want to be in control. I refuse to let what I am dictate how I live my life." I said as he stared at me sadly.
"Please Deaton...I can't deal with this right now. When the time comes I will let you be my Yoda but right now I just need to feel like I'm in control of at least one part of my life." I begged seeing Deaton's face lighten.
"In order to control your wolf, you need to find something that tethers you to your human side. Something like an anchor, something meaningful to you that you can attach to in order to keep the human side of yourself in control. You can fight it Maggie but I wish you'd embrace it." Deaton said as I stood up.
"You are also the only one that will be able to pinpoint Ms. Martin's location." I stopped and looked at him.
"You've been feeling the connection, haven't you?" He asked me.
"What does it mean?" I asked curiously but he shook his head.
"Now that is another story for another day. Right now, you need to use your abilities to bring her in from the cold. You'll know what to do when you see it. Trust your instinct and follow the moon." He said mysteriously. It was 4 in the afternoon and he wanted me to follow the moon? I started towards the door before he stopped me.
"Before you go, may I ask why you came to me and not Derek? I know he's not really your Alpha but he is your only living relative at the moment and he's a born wolf." Deaton asked me.
"I had a dream once that you came to my house and talked to my mother about what I was going to become and how important I would be. For a long time I thought it was just a dream but when I died...when I died I realized it wasn't a dream. You're a protector and I trust you." I said making him smile.
"I'm happy to hear it." He said folding his arms over his chest.
"But keep in mind that if you ever do anything that hurts me or the people I love, I will lose control in the worst way and you'll be my first target." I warned but his smile didn't falter.
"It would seem that you've found an anchor." Deaton said proudly. I shook my head at him realizing I had also found my anchor.
[Stiles POV]
I sat in detention for the additional half hour thanks to Harris and glared the entire time. I needed to meet Scott at the cemetery to get an eyeball on whoever was coming in town for Kate's funeral. Apparently this person was important since they were keeping it secret. I texted Maggie letting her know Harris was keeping me longer in detention but she never texted me back. When the clock finally hit 4:30 I put my hands on the table.
"You can go Mr. Stilinski but be sure to let your patient know that she's fallen behind quite a bit in her absence and if she doesn't get her work caught up then she'll be flunking for the semester." My jaw dropped.
"You know what she's been through. You couldn't even cut her some slack?" I asked a bit disgusted with Mr. Harris.
"You kids today think you can just do and say whatever you please well here's a harsh news flash for you: You're only children. If Ms. Stevens doesn't know to stay away from serial killers than she is more dense then even you. Now get out of my classroom." He snarled at me but I had to swallow my words because I knew if I cussed him out then it would make things even worse. I would just have to make time to help Maggie study for the upcoming assignments.
I parked a ways away from the cemetery and ran through the woods before I saw Scott hiding behind a statue. I stumbled and he rolled his eyes at me as I knelt behind him.
"What's going on, update me." I said hitting his shoulder.
"The old guy is Allison's grandfather and from what I can tell he's pretty scary." Scott whispered just as he looked over at us. We backed up and tried to stay still.
"Well he's definitely an Argent." I said as we peeked back around the statue. Allison met our eye line and Scott waved. I shook my head.
"Maybe he's just here for the funeral. What if they're the non-hunting side of the family. That's possible right? Non-hunter Argents. I mean what would they need more Argent hunters for?" I questioned and Scott looked back at me.
"They're reinforcements." He said simply.
"Do you think Karen's funeral will be this chaotic?" I asked but Scott shrugged.
"I hope not." Scott said before we were pulled up from the ground roughly by my dad.
"You two are unbelievable. Pick up my tie." He said through gritted teeth.
"Uh sorry, I know I'm supposed to ask-" I was cut off by the commotion happening just left of the funeral.
"It's Maggie." Scott said making the Sheriff squint his eyes.
"Ah dammit all to hell. Get in the cruiser." He tossed us towards the cruiser but we followed him towards where cameras and tv crews had swarmed her.
"Will you be pressing charges against the Argent family?"
"How do you feel after almost dying?"
"Do you have any actual family left to take care of you?"
Dad stepped in quickly and put his arm around Maggie.
"What are you doing here?" He whispered as he pulled her through the crowd.
"Mr. Lahey called and wanted the payment for the burial. I was just dropping it off." She said hiding her face.
"Ms. Stevens." We all stopped as the old man walked over to us. Maggie stared at him hard as he put his hands in his pockets.
"My name is Gerard Argent, I was Kate's father." He introduced himself.
"I'm sorry about the disruption Mr. Argent-" Maggie interrupted my dad.
"Disruption? His daughter murdered my entire family and you're apologizing for me paying a bill?" She said looking at my dad.
"Maggie." I said her name trying to get her to back down but she cut her eyes at me.
"It's no disruption, I merely wanted to express my deepest sympathies. It truly is a tragedy." He said a little too kindly. Maggie stared at Gerard for a few moments before shaking out of the crowd and going into the woods. My dad gripped my shoulder and pointed at me.
"Take her back to the house and stay there. Do you understand me?" He said with embarrassment and anger in his voice. I shook my head at him before turning and running after her.
"What the hell are you doing out here? I know you weren't paying a bill because we already did that." I pulled on her arm and she stopped.
"I need to get back to the house. I think I read it wrong." She said scratching her head.
"What?" I asked confused.
"The books...I'm working on something important." She said looking at some papers in her hand. We walked back to the jeep and Scott said he was going to stay just in case something else happened. I was so angry as I rode in silence with Maggie. She was working on her magic again and she'd only been out of the hospital for a week. She ran into the house and up the stairs quickly and I slammed the door shut hoping she would pick up on it but when I walked upstairs she was moving about my room.
"I was wrong. I read it backwards. She wouldn't be in the cemetery until tomorrow. I know exactly where-" I cut her off.
"What the hell were you thinking back there huh? Completely throwing my dad under the bus when he was trying to save you." I raised my voice and she looked up form what she was doing.
"I didn't need to be saved. I can handle myself." She said shrugging.
"Did that guy look friendly to you? Kate killed your whole family and you want to push up on the guy in charge?! Are you out of your mind?" I threw my arms out and Maggie shut the book she was looking in.
"I'm not afraid of the Argents! Peter was the one who killed me. I can handle them!" She stepped forward and I raked my hands down my face.
"You told me you would be at the house. You can't keep telling me you're going to be one place and not being there." I explained and she shook her head.
"I suppose Harris just decided to start making his detentions in the cemetery then? Don't get on my back about lying when you do the exact same thing." She pointed at me. She wasn't trying to understand the stress it was putting on me.
"Look we were trying to be gentle with you last night but it's time to get real. Lydia is missing and needs to be found. That's our number one priority." I said firmly making her squint at me.
"Why are you so upset? I was just trying to help." She tried to show me what was in her hand but I stopped her.
"You don't get it do you? I can't be here taking care of you when she's out there all alone. She isn't like you. She can't handle this crap. She's just human, Maggie." Maggie looked stunned as I unloaded on her but she took it.
"I guess you're right. But I wasn't in here studying up on my freakish abilities, I was trying to help you find Lydia. This is where she'll be." Maggie tossed a book at me and I barely caught it.
"Wait what? How did you-" I looked down at the book and then back at her as she backed towards the door.
"For the record, I don't need you to take care of me and I sure as hell don't want to hinder your search for Lydia but don't think you can just talk to me like I'm some child." She said with glassy eyes. I looked down at the handwritten piece of paper stuck in the page and it had an exact location. I suddenly felt like such an asshole.
"Mags, I'm sorry I didn't mean-" She cut me off.
"You better hurry. She might not be in that spot for long." She said before walking into her room and shutting the door behind herself. I wanted to follow her but I knew we had to find Lydia. I banged my head against the wall as my cell rang.
"Hey, your dad just rushed out of here on an emergency call. Something got in the back of an ambulance off of Route 5." Scott said over the phone as I glanced at the coordinates Maggie gave me.
"That's where these points lead. I'll meet you there." I said frantically as left my room. I put my hand on Maggie's door but didn't want to bother her. I hauled ass out of the house and got in jeep heading to where the points lead. I found Scott in the woods as the sun started to go down. We walked up on the ambulance and saw the guy that was torn apart in the back. Blood was everywhere and the driver was pacing back and forth while my dad was on scene.
"What the hell is Lydia doing?" I asked confused by how vicious the attack was.
"I don't know." Scott said not being able to take his eyes off it.
"What kept you from doing that? Was it Allison?" I asked.
"I hope so." Scott said as I thought about Maggie. I couldn't take all this stress. We needed to find Lydia so I could focus on things with Maggie. I didn't want her to think I was putting her on a back burner but I also didn't need Lydia turning up maimed.
"Do you need to get closer?" I asked Scott to try and motivate him.
"No, I've got it." He started to move and I stopped him.
"Just...just find her. I've got to know she's alright before I focus on Maggie." I said pathetically and Scott looked at me.
"Did something happen when you took her back to the house?" He asked and I shook my head.
"It's going to be okay Stiles. We'll get Lydia and we can focus on getting our Maggie back." He patted me on the shoulder and I nodded at him before he took off to chase down Lydia. After a while, I couldn't stand waiting in the bushes anymore and decided to drive up on the scene.
"Stiles, what the hell? I thought I told you-" I cut him off.
"I know but she's at home and she's locked herself in her room because I gave her crap about the way she acted." I said tucking my hands in my pocket. I hoped Scott found Lydia by now and was getting her some help.
"She's a teenage girl who just lost her family. She's bound to be a bit moody, son. Maybe once we find the Martin girl we can try and have a quiet night at the house. The funeral is going to be hard enough for her." He explained as we stood on scene.
"Are you okay? I mean you look a bit out of it. Was the argument that bad?" Dad asked and I just shook my head before something caught my eyes. Out of the woods walked a very scared and very naked Lydia.
"Lydia?" I whispered catching his attention.
"Lydia...LYDIA!" I repeated loud enough to snap her out of whatever trance she was in. She looked up at me and I could feel my eyes widen just trying not to drool.
"Well...is anyone going to get me a coat?" She asked throwing her arms out revealing two perky- NO! Calm down Stiles. I started to try and peel my dad out of his coat but I ended up tripping over my own feet hitting the ground hard. He walked towards her to give her a coat as the EMT's ran up to give her blankets. I looked at the sheet of paper and saw there was a time on it. I checked my phone and realized Maggie was right, like exactly right but I couldn't help but wonder if Maggie was dead on then who was Scott chasing through the woods?
[Scott's POV]
When I finally caught up to the wolf and tackled it to the ground, I realized quickly that it wasn't Lydia but he wouldn't stop long enough for me to ask it who exactly it was and why he was tearing people up in Beacon Hills.
"STOP!" I yelled just as he jumped into the same trap I had found myself in just last night. I tried helping him but was knocked off my feet by Derek.
"What are you doing?! I can help him!" I said fighting Derek as he drug me back towards the woods.
"It's too late! They're here! Stop fighting me." He growled as he bear hugged me to his chest. I watched as Chris Argent and his men ascended from the trees towards the captured wolf. I froze once I saw Allison's grandpa, Gerard walk up on him. The wolf screamed as Chris Argent used the same stun gun on him as he used to bring Maggie back to life. He came out of wolf form immediately.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Chris asked him.
"Nothing, I swear." The man said as he hung defenseless in front of them.
"You're not from around here are you? ARE YOU!?" Chris was growing impatient.
"No I came here looking for the alpha. I heard he was here and I figured he could show me where the Nyvlora was, that's all. Look I didn't do anything, I didn't hurt anyone. The guy in the ambulance was already dead." The man started to whimper.
"What is the Nyvlora?" I whispered.
"It's what Maggie is now." Derek growled back.
"Gentlemen, take a look at a rare sight. It's an Omega, a lone wolf. Possibly kicked out of his own pack or a survivor of a pack that was hunted down. Possibly alone by his own choice. Certainly not a wise choice." Gerard said before walking over to his bag and pulling out a huge sword. I felt my heartbeat speed up.
"Because as I'm about to demonstrate, an omega rarely survives on his own." He swung the sword cutting right through the guy and I started to panic. Derek held onto me and wouldn't let me go as I struggled to get away.
"Look! Look at them! Do you see what they do! This is why you need me, why we need each other. The only way to fight them and keep Maggie safe is together." Derek seethed.
"What are they doing? Why did they do that?" I asked sounding terrified.
"Declaring war." Derek said staring at them. Christ Argent walked up to Gerard as they all looked at the dead man hanging in the tree.
"What are you doing? We have a code!" He defended but Gerard didn't even bat an eyelash.
"Not when they murder my daughter. No code, not anymore. From now on these things are just bodies waiting to be cut in half." He said but Chris shook his head.
"She's just a girl." He was actually defending Maggie in a whisper.
"Are you listening?! I don't care if they're wounded and weak or seemingly harmless, begging for their life promising to never ever hurt anyone. Or some desperate, lost soul with no idea what they're getting into. Not even a 16 year old girl. We find them, we kill them. We kill them all." He said looking around the woods. Derek started to pull me away from them as Gerard and his men started to take the wolf out of the tree and I couldn't wrap my head around it.
"Peter killed Kate and you killed Peter, why would they go after us now? The debt is settled." I pointed out as we walked.
"They think I killed Kate and they're going after Maggie because she's their worst nightmare. Hunters go for centuries hoping that the Nyvlora never becomes a reality but the moment Maggie was born it was her destiny to become it. She is the most powerful hybrid of our kind. There are very few things that are as powerful as her but she's just a kid. She needs protection, the protection of a pack." Derek explained and I was stunned. I didn't know what to say. He jerked onto my arm stopping me.
"Look, you don't want to be a part of my pack that's fine but I'm going to do what I have to in order to protect Maggie. Either you're with me or against me." Derek let go of my arm and started to walk away. I thought about what he had said and what I just watched the guy go through and couldn't help but think that could be my fate. I saw the light on in Stiles house but no cars were in the drive so I looked in the window. Maggie was lying on the sofa with the TV on. I knocked on the door but when she didn't answer, I used the key under the flowerpot. I thought she was sleeping when I walked in but she let out a heavy sigh.
"If you're here to yell at me too then don't get offended if I keep my eyes closed." She spoke and I didn't know how to answer. I looked at her lying on the couch in old sweats and realized just how young we all truly were. She opened her eyes and looked up at me.
"Are you okay?" She asked concerned.
"Um- yeah sorry. Sorry I didn't mean to wake you, I just needed to tell you something." Maggie sat up as I rocked back and forth on my feet trying to figure out what exactly I came here to say.
"You know I love you right?" I said quickly.
"Oh God, what did you do?" She chuckled.
"I'm being serious." I said squaring my jaw. Maggie's heartbeat picked up slightly and I knew she was worried now.
"Scott, what's going on? Did something happen? Is this about Allison because I'm going to need some time before I can-" I cut her off as she started to panic."
"I just need you to know that you are like a sister to me and I love you more than anything. I'd never let anything happen to you, you know that right? You've got to know that." I didn't want to touch her because I was afraid she would see what I saw in the woods but she nodded her head.
"I know, I love you too." I smiled at her weakly as the front door opened.
"Lydia is alright, well as alright as a girl walking through the woods naked in cold weather can be. She doesn't even remember any of it." Stiles said as I passed him at the door.
"That's good man." I said without looking at him. Stiles stopped me by putting his hand on my shoulder.
"Whoa, are you alright? what happened in the woods?" Stiles asked as Maggie got up from the couch to look at the two of us.
"Just lock the door tonight, alright? I'll see you in the morning?" I said before walking out of the door. I looked back briefly to see Maggie and Stiles staring after me as I ran home. Derek was right. Gerard was declaring war and for the first time since I've become a werewolf, I truly felt like it may come down to saving Maggie or letting go of Allison.