A/N: Oh, I love you wonderful reviewers, but don't worry this story has me enslaved to its will already, I don't have a choice in writing it. I do plan on developing the other characters in this chap, but keep in mind everything revolves around Peter and Melissa, but their developing relationship affects what is happening with everyone else. Some unique confrontations that I've always wanted to see will be taking place later on. P.S., this story was inspired by fountainxxpenny and her wonderful story 'No Answer', please check it out!
Jackson couldn't help but sweat as he looked at the intense gaze of Derek Hale. The werewolf stood there regarding him silently from where he stood blocking the front door of the burned house.
"There's no one here." Jackson mumbled.
Derek slowly extended his claws, and seemed about to speak when his cell phone went off. Derek glanced at it quickly, and his eyes widened. He reread the message twice more, put away the cell phone and looked back at a trembling Jackson.
"You must have a guardian angel on your shoulder." Derek retracted his claws.
"What do you mean? You aren't going to turn me?" said Jackson, half angry, half relieved.
"No. I can't turn you. I just brought you up here to murder you and bury your dismembered and partially eaten body in the woods." Derek said this in a dead tone.
"What? Why?" Jackson had no doubt that what Derek said was true; hell, he had suspected it the moment they arrived at the house.
"You threatened to expose us. That's usually a death sentence. Do you honestly think you would ever be allowed to do that? We've remained hidden for hundreds of years. No teenage shithead is going to destroy that, no matter what kind of car he drives or what product he uses in his hair."
Jackson's mind struggled to process this even as he began to quake in terror at how close he had come to a grisly end.
"Derek…I won't tell anyone, ever. Please let me go home. I'll never bother you or Scott again! Please…you can't do this to me."
Derek shook his head, grinning.
"Sorry Jackson. The decision has been made. My uncle is the Alpha, and he's decided you get to join the club. I have no idea why he wants that, but it's not my place to question him."
Derek stepped up close to him.
"But he isn't going to be around forever. One day, I'll be the Alpha. And if you irritate me even slightly, you will wish I had killed you this instant…I promise you. He's coming now. Do me a favor and show him fear…or weakness…so I can watch him rip the limbs from your body."
Jackson collapsed backward on the floor.
"So…I get to be one of you?" in the midst of his fear, a very small part of him began to exult.
"You get to be a werewolf. You have a long way to go before you're 'one of us'."
They waited about half an hour, Jackson getting more and more nervous with each second. Where the hell was the Alpha?
Derek suddenly sniffed the air, and lunged at Jackson, pulling him flat to the floor. The windows shattered as the front of the house was peppered with gunfire from Kate Argent and two Hunters under her personal command.
"Goddamn, the witch ambushed us! Maybe this isn't your lucky day after all, Whittemore."
Jackson was completely terrified again, and was grateful for the cover Derek's body provided.
Then there was a scream , and the gunfire stopped. Another scream, and then all was still. The two slowly got to their feet, and Derek approached the door. It was suddenly opened by a naked Peter Hale, covered in blood and gore. Derek dropped his eyes in respect for the Alpha, but Jackson couldn't help but stare at the bloody leader of the Hale Pack. Peter fixed cold blue eyes on the frightened teen.
"Look down for fuck's sake, Whittemore." grated Derek.
Jackson did as he was told. "Um, sorry Alpha." he said nonsensically.
Peter smirked. "You can call me Peter, or just Sir. I don't mind telling you the rules once, boy, but twice is beyond my patience. That is the one and only warning you will ever get. Do you understand me?"
"Yes Sir, um, Peter…Sir."
"Shirt off, neck bared, eyes closed." said Peter, sighing.
While Jackson did as he was told, Peter looked at Derek.
"Kate was here with two of her friends. She must have followed you from the school. You allowed her to track you like that? I understand she is very talented for a human, but her henchmen were newbies. Surely one of them should have tipped you off."
Derek colored. "I have no excuse. I was otherwise…distracted." Derek cut his eyes quickly to Jackson who was still struggling with the buttons on his shirt with shaking hands.
"See that you are less distracted in the future. She nearly cost me two wolves, and managed to get away while I ate her friends…but her days are numbered, hers and the rest of that wretched family. She will know what it's like to burn, I think. That will be my final revenge on her for the fire that cost us everything. They will all burn. I may spare the daughter if she forgoes vengeance. Considering who her love interest is, it's likely. In that respect, choosing Scott to assist us was a wise choice."
Derek looked up, surprised before yanking his gaze back down. Jackson had removed his shirt by this point and stood there, shivering in the cold.
"Here, boy." Peter beckoned.
Jackson hesitated, but the look on Peter's face convinced him to obey quickly. When he was standing next to the older man, Peter looked down at him and studied him for the first time.
"Good physique. You'll probably survive the bite. Not everyone does, you know. Do you still want it?"
Jackson quailed inwardly at this news, but was smart enough to know that his choice in the matter was long past.
"Yes, Sir." Jackson turned his head, exposing his neck and shoulder, his eyes focused on a small unburned spot on the far wall. He locked his gaze there and waited. His trembling slowed, then stopped as he suddenly mastered himself. This was it…the end of his human life…one way or the other.
Peter nodded approvingly at the boy's efforts. Jackson heard a low growling sound, as well as the moist popping noises coming from Peter that indicated he was transforming. Clawed hands gripped his shoulders. Jackson stared down at the one in his view, hardly daring to imagine what the face of a creature who owned that paw must look like. Jackson brought up his own hands, and placed them on top of the Alpha's, steadying himself, and closing his eyes with a small sigh. The clawed hands squeezed gently once, then there was the soft wind that a sudden swift movement makes, and the Alpha's beartrap jaws were ripping into the tender meat of his shoulder. Jackson hitched in a great breath to scream, but let it out again in sudden determination to show bravery to his new leader. He clamped his mouth shut and gritted his teeth together, tears pouring from his eyes as the agonizing pain roared through his body and mind. When he was released, he was shoved gently backward; only his iron will kept him standing on his feet when all he wanted was to crumple to the floor and scream.
A low throaty chuckle escaped the Alpha.
"That was good. Impressive even. You might make a decent wolf yet. You've earned the right to look at me, cub."
Jackson looked at the Alpha, took in the monstrous form now with awe and fear in equal measure. This creature had…accepted him…made Jackson like himself. Jackson did not have to be afraid…well, not as afraid anymore."
"You may have been a better choice than McCall." The monster growled. Slowly, he shifted back until he was once again a mild looking thirtyish young man.
Jackson sneered, suddenly full of a strange cold bravado. He struggled to speak steadily, though the pain increased tenfold while he did so.
"If…if you had…chosen me…you…would already be…be avenged."
Derek drew in a breath sharply at Jackson's daring, but the younger teen's eyes never wavered from Peter's.
"That's either a wild boast or a daring challenge, Jackson. How, pray tell, would this have occurred? Keep in mind that I despise braggarts."
"They wouldn't have known… about me. They're overconfident. They make mistakes. Allison could have been mine when… she broke up with Scott. I get in the house for a 'meet the boyfriend' dinner… and slaughter them while their hands are full of… appetizers instead of weapons." Jackson was still gasping in pain as he struggled to get the words out.
Peter laughed out loud, and even Derek looked mildly impressed.
"About a 35% chance of success, more than I would have thought. And you would find it so easy to kill? It's not like in the movies, you know."
Jackson gave a little half-smile that caused Peter's grin to vanish. Even Peter had never seen anyone smile with a ripped open shoulder before.
"What do you think? For this kind of power? To get on your good side? I'd have committed murder… just to be Captain of the Lacrosse team. I actually considered it when they made McCall… my goddamn co-Captain."
"I see. Ah, the cold-bloodedness of Generation Y. Or is it Z now? McCall is part of my Pack, regardless of his faults. I will have cooperation between you two. The rivalry ends now. I am impressed with you, Jackson. Don't forego my favor for the sake of petty high school drama. Lacrosse is no longer important. You are playing with the adults now, and it is time to put away childish things. Am I understood?"
Jackson looked unhappy, but nodded.
"Yes, Sir."
"Go home, and if you are alive tomorrow then come back here after school. No one save for Scott is to know you've turned."
"He'll tell Stiles." Said Derek and Jackson together.
"Ah, the Stilinski boy. So resourceful. Another possibly useful asset. No worries. Get you gone and rest up. Big changes lie ahead."
Jackson crumpled his shirt up and pressed it against the open wound, hissing, and left the house. They listened to his Porsche drive away.
"What's happened? Why have things changed?" asked Derek respectfully.
"Are you telling me you regret not having the chance to eat that young man?" asked Peter softly.
"No. I didn't want to, but I realized the necessity. There's more to him than I thought, but I'm not sure it was a wise idea to turn him." Peter stiffened. "But there was no other choice. I am merely suggesting…respectfully…that you watch your back with him."
Peter nodded absently.
"Like I do with you, nephew? As for the reason why I am altering our plans…well, I have the most wonderful news. I've found my mate."
Peter laughed at the bewildered expression on Derek's face.
"Who?" A connection was made in Derek's mind. "No…her? But-"
Derek could have finished that sentence in any of a dozen ways, all of which were likely to get him killed. He knew Peter was telling the truth, and he also knew well the power of the mating drives and instinct. If Melissa McCall was the one, then that's all there was to it. Derek's mind reeled as he considered how things would have to change now.
"It was unexpected. No one is more surprised than me. If she accepts me…Derek, there's a chance I'll be myself again. My only capacity to feel emotion…my very soul… is riding on her answer. If she says no, we go back to the original plan, and you get to be Alpha. If she says yes, then I'm afraid I'll have to cling to life again. That's fine with you, isn't it?"
Derek's eyes smoldered. "Whatever you think is best." Lying was pointless.
"Good. Wish me luck, nephew." Peter left to return to wherever it was he stayed. Even Derek was unaware of the location. He had hoped he would get to avenge Laura, but it looked like goddamned Scott's goddamned mother had to throw a monkey wrench into his plans. Leave it to the McCalls to be a family of screw-it-ups. Derek growled, and retired to his own hidden lair.
Melissa McCall woke up the next morning feeling more alive and well than she ever had before. It was almost like she woke up ten years younger. She got out of bed and marveled that the morning sluggishness that usually refused to leave until after her fourth cup of coffee was gone. Maybe first dates energized you in some way…especially when they looked so promising. She whistled, then hummed and finally sang out loud her favorite Patsy Cline song 'Crazy' while she showered. She put on her robe and sat before her vanity ready to try to cover the burgeoning wrinkles with about ten layers of Oil of Olay. She started at the reflection she saw before her.
This was impossible…
The skin on her face was toned, creamy and smooth. The wrinkles around her eyes, mouth and on her forehead were gone. Did Peter slip her some Botox? She got up and went over to the full length mirror, dropping her robe to the floor. Only a woman who paid such close attention to her body as Melissa McCall did would have noticed the subtleties…but they were there. A scar on her left knee, present since childhood when she had tripped and fallen on a broken piece of glass was gone. Wrinkles that had crowded around the base of her neck were gone. Her breasts lost the only slightly noticeable droop developed in the past year. She bit her lip. One more change to check before she whirled around like a madwoman on a mountaintop in the Sound of Music. She turned around and shrieked as she glanced over her shoulder. Then she examined her thighs. The cellulite, which stubbornly persisted even after months of Pilates, had disappeared. Tears started pouring down her face. Some fairy had come and taken ten, maybe fifteen years off of her. Melissa was a nurse, no one knew more than she that this was impossible. Yet, here it was. All the tiny imperfections that together gave her an ever decreasing sense of self-esteem…vanished overnight. She was firm, taut…and goddamnit, hot. Maybe Peter wouldn't bolt for the door the first time he got to see this.
She flushed thinking about it, embarrassed that she was already thinking of having a sexual relationship with him. Wait a minute, screw that. She had lived the life of a nun for years, and deserved to have a little more fun. She glanced in the mirror again and saw the almost unknown look of confidence on her face. Oh boy, when she finally said yes to that hunk of man, was he going to get a big goddamn surprise…and she hoped he might have some surprises as well.
Melissa dressed, forgoing make up almost completely (just some lipstick and eye shadow) and just arranging her hair (and was it thicker and longer and even shinier than yesterday? She thought it was) the way the younger nurses did, as if she were not a nurse but an adult film actress playing one. The dark wavy hair spilled over her shoulders, the tendrils bouncing with almost a life of their own. No split ends that she could see either. She spritzed on some Opium perfume and nearly gagged at how overpowering the odor was, but she grew used to it after a minute. She hadn't worn the fragrance in months, maybe it had gotten stronger somehow. She went to put on her false diamond stud earrings when she realized her earlobes were whole again. That couldn't be, her mother had it done when she was two, for crying out loud…
A door slammed, distracting her, and she knew Scott was up and showering for a miracle, so she nipped down stairs (still high on this weird morning energy she had tapped into) and made him an enormous breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon. The bacon smelled heavenly to her, and she kept snatching pieces of it off the plate, rocking back on her heels in pleasure with each bite.
She heard Scott's bathroom door slam, and a minute later he came stomping down the stairs in jeans and a Beacon Hills Lacrosse team letter jacket. She had forgotten he was now co-Captain, and she swelled with pride in him once again.
"Morning, Mom." He said absently, stealing three pieces of bacon before tearing into the other food like a shark coming off a hunger strike. He was in the middle of his second plate when he got a really good look at her.
"Jesus, Mom. You auditioning for a rock video today instead of going to work?" he said around a mouthful of eggs.
Melissa laughed. "No, but thank you for the compliment. Just thought I'd try things differently, now that Date # 2 is on the horizon. That comes around less often than Leap Year."
Scott swallowed the eggs noisily.
"Mom…just be careful with him. There's a lot of stuff he's not telling you, and I think you should hold off on letting yourself…get carried away until you find out everything about him."
"You sound like you know more about him than I do. Is there something you want to say?" Melissa's ears tingled, and suddenly the sound of Scott's heartbeat was audible to her.
He debated what to say that would not earn him Peter's fury. Melissa actually heard the heartbeat skip as he said:
"No. I'm just worried about you."
He got up and left for school, leaving Melissa with the stunned surety that her beloved son had just lied to her.
Melissa drove to work, now listening to Gloria Gaynor's 'I will survive' on her Classic Hits CD. After she punched in and made her first set of rounds with her assigned patients, she filled out her reports in record time and forwarded them to the correct doctors. All of the nurses and not a few of the doctors gave her compliments, especially Dr. LaMar, who directly supervised her. Since her rejection of him some time ago, he had been cold and brusque towards her. Today, he acted as if he had never seen her before. He kept engaging her in conversation, as if he had a chance after making her work schedule a living hell for years. Instead of being flattered, the attention was starting to aggravate her. She felt a pulsing in her jaw as she, for the third time in as many minutes, gently pushed his hand off her shoulder.
"Excuse me, Doctor. Nature calls." She escaped to the ladies room where he could not follow, and got her breathing under control. She was furious with him; what was it with some men that they felt they had some right or privilege to invade her personal space when she obviously didn't want it? The more she thought about what she would like to do to him, the more her blood boiled. She gave a short scream and punched the metal wall of the toilet cubicle next to her. The wall dented noticeably, and Melissa pulled her hand back and stared at the damage. When did she become the She-Hulk? She checked her hand for injury and found none, though the pulsing had now spread from her jaw to her whole head.
She closed her eyes and made an effort to calm herself. Had she looked into the mirror just then, she might have screamed at the sight that awaited her, but she avoided doing so until she was sure she was calm. Taking a deep breath, she exited and returned to her desk. LaMar was gone, thank the gods.
Her phone beeped with a text message.
'Thinking about you. Movie tonight? Peter.'
Melissa punched back 'Sounds wonderful.' All the tension left her, and she basked in the (wanted) attention the handsome pharmaceutical rep was giving her. Finally, a decent man found her attractive. She just hoped that whatever Scott was going on about was just overprotectiveness and not something major. She hadn't wanted something like this so badly in such a long time. When things ended with Robert, she felt like someone had torn out her heart and eaten it. She hoped Peter wouldn't make her feel that way, she didn't think she would survive it.
Speaking of Robert…she checked her bank balances on the computer and saw that the deposits for child support and alimony were late…again. She sighed, fuming only slightly at his passive aggressive antics. He was now making a fortune, and he begrudged her the comparatively tiny portion of his earnings that she needed to raise his own son. This occurred at least once every three months, and she thought it was almost his way of forcing her to keep in contact with him. He always sent the money when she did, claiming absent-mindedness. Maybe he'd remember if she scratched a reminder into his flesh with her fingernails. The thought gave her a surge of grim pleasure. She continued with her work routine, all the while indulging herself in the back of her mind with alternating erotic fantasies of Peter and violent ones of Robert.
{}{}{}{}
Scott found Allison already in class ten minutes early, and he hopped in the seat beside her.
"We have to talk. There are things you need to know." he said slowly.
She looked at him, dark circles under her gorgeous eyes. Things were bothering her more and more lately, and not just having to do with him. He suspected she was learning exactly what her family business was. Given the turn matters had taken lately, Scott would need to help enlighten her fully…and quick.
She got up, grabbing her bag and he did the same. Finding a quiet spot in the hall he looked at her, wishing he didn't have to do what he was about to. He was likely going to lose her forever, but he would rather that than have her come to harm.
"You know I've kept things from you. Your family has secrets too, and they're connected. God, Allison, the truth is a bombshell. It's gonna to destroy how you look at your life…you still want to know?"
Allison shook her head, her eyes brimming.
"Scott, I can't not know. Everyone has been lying to me lately, but they…are getting worse at it. Or maybe I'm just paying more attention now. I feel like everybody is in this 'club', my family, even you. And I don't get to be in it. The worst thing is, I feel like the reason people don't want me in it because they think I'm weak, or fragile. I'm stronger than any of you give me credit for. Whatever the big secret is…I can handle it. Just tell me."
Scott looked searchingly in her eyes, but he still couldn't be sure she would not just freak out.
"There are two clubs, Allison, not one. And they hate each other. I'm in one club, your family is the other. We're almost like Romeo and Juliet."
"What are you talking about, like a secret society? Just tell me!"
"I can't tell you. I have to show you. God Allison, I don't want to do this because I know I'll lose you!"
"You'll lose me if you don't, Scott." Allison folded her arms.
"Let's go. I can't do this here at school."
They managed to get off school property without getting caught, and Allison drove them into the woods around Hale property, though Scott kept them well away from the actual house.
"The day before you got to school, something happened to me. That creature that's been attacking everyone? The one that tried to kill us in the school? Well, it was a werewolf."
Allison stared at him. She opened her mouth to speak, her eyes narrowed in disbelief. Scott held up a hand, silencing her.
"Allison, it bit me."
Her eyes widened at the implication of what he just said.
"Scott, this can't be true. You aren't…" She stopped herself as puzzle pieces began to come together in her mind.
"I'm going to show you. But you can't freak, you can't panic…and God, Allison everything depends on this: You can't run. I have some control, and I promise I won't hurt you. If you run, it might set me off. Stay still until I shift back. You promise?"
Staring, Allison nodded.
Scott felt the Beta phase overtake his features, and Allison took in a great hitching deep breath.
"Oh my God…oh, my, Scott…" Her feet twitched, and she made a half-turning motion when Scott growled at her. She froze, and looked back at him. The glowing amber eyes…the fangs jutting over the lips…Jesus, the claws…this couldn't be Scott…
When she showed no signs of moving, Scott relaxed and closed his eyes. He reached out one razor tipped hand toward her. She almost stepped back, but then struggled with herself and made her own hand gently take his. The wolf like features seemed to melt away as she watched.
Scott opened his brown eyes to look at her. His expression was so…lost…she felt her heart beat painfully in sympathy for him, despite everything.
"Before you say 'Why didn't you tell me?'-"
"Why didn't you tell me?" she interrupted.
"Isn't it obvious, Allison?" he sat back on the ground, and out his head between his knees.
"It's ok to run now. I won't follow you." His voice sounded hoarse, and she realized he was crying and trying not to let her see.
"God, I don't want to be this way, I have to hide it from you, from my Mom, from your family…always afraid I'm gonna hurt somebody…"
"What does my family have to do with this, Scott?" Allison was still in blank shock over what she had just heard and seen, but mention of her family acted like a slap to the face.
He looked up at her, his eyes red, and his face flushed.
"They're werewolf killers, Allison. It's what they do. Your name is Argent, Jackson told me it means 'silver'."
Amazingly, this revelation rocked her even more than the first. More puzzle pieces flew together, but there were still some gaping holes.
"What else?" she asked, her voice steady.
"Derek Hale is a born werewolf. So was most of his family. He tells me that they never hurt people though, they just wanted to be left alone. Your family has a code about not killing unless there's a reason to…but Allison, your Aunt Kate burned Derek's family alive six years ago, even humans and kids. She's a cold blooded killer. The pack leader, or Alpha, was a survivor of the fire, Derek's uncle Peter. He's the one that bit me, and he's killed everyone your aunt got to help her, and now only she's left. He's going to kill her."
Allison shook her head.
"No, Kate would never do something like that…"
"Allison, I saw it! Peter showed me, don't ask me to explain how! It's true! She's evil, Allison. Or crazy, or both. You wanted the truth? I told you that you wouldn't like it. Peter wanted me and Derek to help him take her down, but I've been fighting him. He can control my wolf though, and it's getting harder to fight. And now, God, this sounds crazy, even to me…he's dating my Mom."
"WHAT?" Allison for a moment wished she had listened to Scott's warnings and kept herself ignorant. Her life had gone from slightly troubled to television show ridiculous in one hour.
"Okay. Tell me everything you know, from the beginning. Slowly. Scott, don't lie or leave anything out. Start." She sat across from him, looking intently at him while he slowly, stumblingly got the whole story out. She questioned him about parts she didn't understand, and he answered her as truthfully as he could. When he was done, she at last had the whole picture in her head. The puzzle was finally complete. God help her.