Hey guys, I'm back! I took a break from writing for a while 'cause I was going back to school and it's my last year so things are already pretty intense but I had some free time over the weekend and decided that it was time for another chapter. Thanks to everyone who followed or favourited me or the story, and a massive thanks to everyone who reviewed. Reviews are what keeps me writing. I especially love hearing from you guys about the Derek-Skyler-Stiles dynamic because I'm not really sure where I'm gonna take that yet. R&R and most of all, enjoy! Xx
It still hadn't sunk in for either Skyler or Stiles that Jackson was the kanima. A boy they had known, in Stiles' case, for years. For Skyler, she hadn't known Jackson quite as long but she had known him much better.
"Is it definitely Jackson, though?" Stiles asked sceptically after a long period of complete silence other than Skyler's directions.
"It seems so. I don't know who else it could be," Skyler said, keeping her eyes on her phone.
Since the night of the formal, when Stiles had figured out Scott's username and password for his phone, they had been able to track the young werewolf when he had been on his night time jaunts. They were using it now. Derek had taken off after the kanima, leaving Boyd to heft Erica and Isaac onto the Camaro parked down the street. Scott had been hot on his tail moments later. Stiles had hesitated for a few seconds before darting to the jeep, Skyler following, shouting over her shoulder for Allison to take Lydia home. Now there were following Scott, or his phone at least, through the industrial area of Beacon Hills. Stiles was freaking out every second minute because her nose was still dripping every so often.
"Maybe Jackson left the house and it was someone else that just happened to be at Scott's house," Stiles suggested weakly.
"Not even you believed that," Sky scoffed, glancing over at him.
"No, but it was worth a try."
"Left up here."
Stiles took a hand brake turn scratching his wing mirror against a chain link fence. Skyler flinched, and swore that she would never let Stiles drive her car. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, telling her that she had a text.
"It's Allison," she told him, unlocking the screen. "Lydia's home and safe. Ally doesn't think she's going to say anything about what happened, but we need to come up with some explanation or she's gonna go nuts trying to work out what's going on."
"She's already going nuts from what you told me," Stiles reminded her. "She's hallucinating. She's seeing Derek, or more likely Peter. She says she knew that it wasn't Kate that attacked her, so she knows that, in some way, we're lying to her. Is that everything?" Stiles furrowed his brow for a second. "Oh, that's right. And her boyfriend's a murderer killing lizard monster. Great."
"Yeah, it's kind of a total clusterfuck right now," Sky agreed and pointed to the right. "Down that alley."
"Has she told Morrell any of this?" Stiles asked, following her instructions.
"What do you think? She'd sound insane." Sky kept staring out the window, watching for signs of the kanima in the darkness. "And she wouldn't accept help from Morrell anyway. You know what she's like."
"I don't actually," he corrected her. "I might have been interested in her-"
"Stalked her."
"Been interested in her for years, but I don't really know her," Stiles admitted. "I mean, I know that she's smart but she hides it, she's hot, she can be funny, really nice to be around when she's not being evil-"
"Uh, Stiles, remember when you found out that Derek came to visit me, and you thought that we had something so you got Scott to talk to me about it, and it made you feel like shit, and you still feel kind of insecure around him?" Stiles nodded apprehensively. "Well that's how I feel when you talk about Lydia."
"Oh, right, sorry, God. I'll shut up. I'm shutting up. This is me, all shut up." Stiles ducked his head down, then realised that that was a stupid thing to do while driving and straightened up again.
"No, Stiles, I wasn't trying to make you feel bad," Sky explained soothingly. "I was just letting you know. After all, communication is the key to a healthy relationship."
"And do we have a healthy relationship?" Stiles asked somewhat nervously.
"Absolutely not. We haven't even had our first date, you took my best friend to a school formal dance, our relationship is completely based on mutual fear of being eaten by werewolves, food and television." Sky tucked one foot under her, watching Stiles' amused smile. He knew that she was only joking. "It's also based on the fact that we have most classes together and that means that you can carry my books for me. Oh, and you give good presents, I like that in a boyfriend." She fingered the dream catcher necklace that Stiles had bought for her, and that she had taken to wearing.
"Oh, and that's it?"
"That's it, babe," she said with a grin. "Our relationship is so unhealthy, it's the relationship form of eating McDonalds each day for seven years and never exercising."
"Well we have our first date tomorrow night," Stiles reminded her. "That could be like a workout. Get a bit more healthy, move it down to six and a half years of McDonalds."
"If our date is any actual exercising, I will break up with you on the spot," Skyler threatened him. "Two lefts."
"It is not exercising, I promise you," Stiles said with a grin. "Just dress comfortably."
"I don't like that I don't know what's happening," she grumbled, but she appreciated everything that he was doing for her and she knew he was trying to make it special. Most selfless people in this situation would say, 'There's so much going on right now, maybe we should postpone the date', but Skyler was not selfless, and she felt like she deserved a break. "Alright, park up here."
They were in the back parking lot of a large warehouse with music blaring from the upper windows. She didn't think that she had been here before, but she could guess fairly easily that it was a club. Scott was visible near the fence surrounding the lot. Sky and Stiles slipped out of the Jeep and jogged over. They were nearly on top of Scott before he realised that they were there. Stiles was less than a foot behind him when he turned.
"Holy cr..." Scott clutched at his heart, breathing deeply because of the fright of seeing Stiles there.
"Wha...," Stiles looked at him confusedly for a second before he understood what he had done. "Sorry, I'm sorry. Did you see where he went?"
"It's a 'he' now?" Skyler asked in disbelief. Okay, so it was actually Jackson, but it was also the kanima and she couldn't bring herself to call it 'he'.
"It's Jackson," Scott said irritably. "And no, I lost him."
"What? You couldn't catch his scent?" Stiles screwed up his nose.
"I don't think he has one," Scott explained.
"All right, any clue where he's going?"
"To kill someone," Scott suggested flatly.
"Ah. That explains the claws, and the fangs, and all that." Stiles nodded and pursed his lips. "Good. Makes perfect sense now." Scott raised his eyebrows at him, and Skyler huffed in irritation. "What? Guys, come on. I'm a hundred and forty seven pounds of pale skin and fragile bone, okay? Sarcasm is my only defense."
"How do you have any friends?" Sky asked him lovingly.
"Just help me find it," Scott implored.
"Not 'it', Jackson," Stiles reminded Scott of what he had said to Skyler a minute ago.
"Yeah, I know, I..." Scott rubbed a hand over his face, tiredly. "I know."
"All right, but does he know that?" Stiles asked, starting to hop from foot to foot. "Did anybody else see him back at your house?"
"I mean, I don't think so," Scott said.
"Did Derek know that it was Jackson?" Sky asked. She was peering around at the warehouse. It was starting to look familiar and she could've sworn that she had been here before. "Because he would kill him."
"No. No, probably not," Scott reasoned. "Jackson already passed Derek's test, so why would he think that it was him."
"Yeah, but that's the thing," Stiles pointed out, confusedly. "How did he pass the test?"
"I don't know," Scott admitted.
"Maybe it's like an either or thing," Stiles suggested as Sky craned her neck and looked around.
"Yeah," she agreed. "Like Derek said, a snake can't be poisoned by its own venom."
"And when is the kanima not the kanima?" Stiles continued for her.
"When it's Jackson," Scott finished.
"Uh, guys."
Sky was staring up at the corner of the warehouse, watching intently. The kanima was crawling slowly around the corner of the building, roughly sixty feet above the ground. Skyler screwed up her nose at the idea of Jackson being that thing. She was pretty sure that it looked at them for a few seconds before scuttling in through the window.
"He's inside," Scott breathed out.
"Thank you, Sherlock, I hadn't noticed," Sky drawled.
"What's he gonna do in there?" Stiles asked.
Scott's head tilted upwards and he sniffed the air. "I know who he's after."
"What, how? How?" Stiles was frantic. "Did you smell something?"
"Armani."
"What?" Sky said after an insanely confused silence. "He's after Armani?"
"No, no, no," Scott waved his hands. "He's after Danny. Danny wears Armani."
"Alright, I'm just gonna say it," Sky looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "It's fuckin' weird that you know that."
"I just smelled him once at practice, Sky."
"That makes it worse."
"Alright, it doesn't matter how Scott managed to smell Danny," Stiles interrupted. "We need to get inside."
They hurried over to the only door that they could see in the corrugated metal side of the warehouse. Stiles rattled the handle, groaning as he realised that it was locked. Skyler didn't know what else he had expected.
"Aw, come on," he groaned. He took a few steps backwards, looking up. "All right, maybe there's, like, a, uh... like, a window we could climb through..." He babbled on mindlessly as Scott stepped up to the door.
"Could you pull that off?" Sky flicked the door handle with a fingernail. Scott grinned at her and closed his fist around the handle.
"Or some kind of..." Stiles trailed off at the horrible sound of crunching metal. Scott stood there with a self satisfied grin and the door handle in his hand. "Handle that we could rip off with supernatural strength. How'd I not think of that one?"
Scott pushed the door open and slid inside, Sky and Stiles behind him. They were in a short corridor with bathroom doors on either side and an unmarked door at the other end. Scott lead them down the hallway, keeping close to the wall. They reached the door and Scott paused for a second before bursting through and into the large open space of the warehouse. Sky realised why the parking lot had been so familiar. She had been here before with Danny.
There was a bar at the other side of the room, shelf upon shelf of drinks lining the walls. Men in tight shirts were serving behind the counter. There was a raised platform to the left, a DJ booth and record decks set up. Pulsing lights and multicoloured disco balls spun and flashed behind the platform in time to the thumping music. Men were dancing and grinding all across the floor, women too, but a much smaller number of them, maybe one woman to each ten or fifteen men. She crossed to the bar, Scott at her side, scanning the room as he went. Stiles was a few steps behind them. They were stood a few feet from the bar when the reason for the man to woman ratio dawned on Scott.
"Dude, everyone in here's a dude," he called out to Stiles, turning back to face him. "I think we're in a gay club."
"Man, nothing gets past those keen werewolf senses, huh, Scott?" Stiles replied in a mocking congratulatory voice, shouting slightly to be heard over the music. He was stood in a circle of bright, colourful, larger than life drag queens, each one of them reaching out to stroke some part of Stiles' body.
Sky grinned widely, taking in every inch of the delightful scene.
"Can you guys just stay like that for a minute, please?" Sky asked politely, reaching into her bra for her phone. She held it up to them and snapped a quick picture before grabbing Stiles' hand and pulling him away. "Sorry, ladies, but we have business to attend to."
"Well you seemed overly happy with that attention," Scott noted. He was leaning on the bar, smirking at the pair of them.
"You're catnip in a gay club," Skyler said jokingly. "Should I be worried?"
"Nope," Stiles replied with a smile. "I'm all about you."
"That's so disgustingly cheesy that it's almost romantic, but it was also a terrible line," she told him scornfully. "Points for trying though."
He shrugged happily like had tried his best and was proud of the job that he had done. He sauntered over to the bar, trying to look as cool as possible. He leaned on the counter on one elbow and cocked an eyebrow at the bartender. "Three beers." He held up three fingers.
"IDs?" The man asked. Scott and Stiles both rummaged in their pockets for the fake IDs that they had had made up a few months ago. Skyler hadn't brought hers, so she hung back and let Stiles order for her. The barman appraised the IDs with a raised eyebrow, obviously just humouring them by pretending to consider serving them. He smiled condescendingly and slid the IDs ack across the bar. "How 'bout three Cokes?" He asked, not unkindly before turning away and pulling out three glasses.
"Rum and Coke? Sure." Stiles pushed, grinning jauntily. The bartender threw down a few napkins, three full glasses of Coke followed a few seconds later. "Coke's fine actually," Stiles conceded, pcking up his drink and handing the second one to Skyler. "I'm driving anyway."
"That one's paid for," the man behind the counter told them, pushing the last drink towards Scott. He jerked his head to the right, indicating a cute guy about their age at the other end of the bar who raised his drink in salute. Scott turned away, smirking in a self-satisfied manner.
"Oh, shut up," Stiles snapped at his friend.
"I didn't say anything," Scott protested, barely trying to hide his smile.
"Yeah, well, your face did," Stiles grumbled. He faced the dance floor, pressing his front against Skyler's back. She sipped her drink through a straw and searched the crowd for Danny.
"I found him," she called to the other two after a minute, catching sight of her friend grinding and swaying with a tall, dark guy wearing a shirt that wasn't much better than being actually shirtless. "What are we gonna do? Grab him and drag him out? Dance in a circle around him?"
"I'll stay near him, protect him," Scott offered. "You guys- I found Jackson."
Skyler and Stiles' eyes snapped up to the roof where Scott was pointing. The kanima was clinging to a corner of the roof, tail swishing back and forth, trailing across the ceiling. Its amber eyes were roving across the crowd, presumably searching for Danny.
"And I found Derek," Sky whispered. He was across the floor, eyes glowing red. She didn't think that he knew they were there, or he would've been next to them, threatening and demanding to know who the kanima was. Sky was unsure of whether or not the boys had heard her, but maybe it was better if they hadn't. The last thing she needed right now was the boys starting up when they were trying to protect Danny.
"Get Danny," Scott instructed, head down.
"What're you gonna do?" Stiles asked. Scott raised his head again and his eyes were gold, claws extended and glinting in the bright lights. "Works for me," Stiles said simply.
Stiles snagged Skyler's wrist with his finger tips, both placing their empty glasses on the counter. He started to tug her in the direction of her friend, bobbing up and down, side to side to keep Danny in their sights.
"Wait, Stiles," Sky dug her heels in and pulled him to a halt. "Look, Derek's here. And it's gonna kick off if he thinks we know who it is. I'm going to talk to him and try to calm him down a a bit, okay?"
"Okay, go. Be careful." Stiles said, letting go of her hand and darting off into the crowd with only a quick glance over his shoulder.
Sky had thought that he would've fought her on it a bit more seeing as he couldn't stand Derek. They seemed to have some sort of a grudging respect for each other however. Stiles accepted and appreciated the fact that Skyler was friends with Derek and that he was a fundamentally good person, even though fifty percent of his choices were the wrong ones. And Derek seemed to understand that Stiles was brave and that, for someone who was just human, he could look after himself and every choice Stiles made was to protect the people he cared about. But they were also chalk and cheese. Black and white. Night and day. And Sky cared about them both for different reasons.
Stiles cared about her, romantically, and still platonically in some ways. They were still more like best friends than girlfriend and boyfriend. He worried about her as well, a bit too much sometimes. Other than that, they had so much in common that every so often it felt like they had the same brain and it was kinda spooky. She knew that, in a situation that called for it, Stiles would lay down his life for her or Scott or his father or any of his friends, and she loved that about him. He was sweet and kind and a small bit broken and falling apart in places but that was okay, because Sky was a bit broken too. He understood the situation she was in after her mother's death, and he helped her with it. He was human and humans had cracks in their shell.
On the other hand, Derek was a giant crumbling wreck. He didn't have cracks, he had massive chunks missing. Unlike Stiles, he didn't wear his heart on his sleeve and he put on a mask. Derek pretended to be selfish and careless, but Sky knew that there were some people that he would die for. And whether or not the others believed it, Sky did think that he in some way cared for the members of his pack. Skyler had said several times that they were just numbers, that they meant nothing, but his efforts to force her to accept the bite made her think that there might be more to it than she had previously thought. He wanted people he trusted and possibly even liked to be part of his group it seemed.
He was harsh and angry and unforgiving and ready to kill, but he didn't seem to relish the idea of taking someone's life. He was brutal and honest and sharp and unflinching, the opposite of Stiles. And Derek cared about her too, but he cared about her while still understanding and acknowledging that she could look after herself, which was something Stiles couldn't do sometimes. He was snappy and sarcastic and never took anything she said to heart. He was so dark and lonely and mysterious, and she couldn't deny that it was alluring and it was one of the reasons that she couldn't keep away from him completely. He was like a werewolf Heathcliff. And to be honest, if Stiles truly hadn't been an option, Skyler would've probably considered Derek. Probably would've gone after Derek.
She shoved her way into the crowd, wriggling between couples and pushing single people out of her way as gently as possible. Derek was prowling around the edge on the dance floor, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of the kanima. Skyler wriggled her way through the last few feet of the crowd before stumbling out the other side and nearly colliding with Derek.
"Oh for God's sake," he huffed, rolling his eyes. "Why are you here?"
"For a good time."
"Where is it?"
"I don't know," she lied, hoping that the music was so loud that it drowned out her heart jumping slightly.
"And how did you know it was here?" He asked disbelievingly. He was leaning against a wall, to someone who didn't know him, Derek looked like he was on a night out, waiting for his boyfriend, but Skyler could see that he was anything but relaxed.
"Scott followed it here, just like you did," Sky told him.
"Did Scott tell you that he followed it here after a fire fight with the Argents?" He asked, still barely looking at her. "And that they both emptied several clips into the kanima. It did nothing. That thing just got up and ran." Sky didn't say anything, unsure at what Derek was getting at. "If you know who it is, and you're protecting them, then you're putting everyone around you in danger. If it kills someone, then that's on you."
"I'm not forcing him to kill anyone," she sniped back, crossing her arms over her chest.
"So it's a him," Derek asked, smirking.
"No. No. I just meant-" Skyler swore angrily in her head. She had just given Derek enough information to narrow it down to about fifty percent of the population of Beacon Hills. "It was a generalisation, asshole."
He raised an eyebrow at her, smiling almost fondly at her. She took a deep breath in through her nose, and blew it out again, glaring at the floor. Neither of them mentioned the fact that Derek had been ready to kill her best friend an hour or two ago. Or that his Beta had nearly broken her nose and Derek hadn't seemed happy in the least about it. Protectve Derek made Skyler feel all kinds of tingly.
"Just tell me who it is," he said softly. If anyone else had used that tone then she would've called it pleading, but there was a hint of a threat in his voice.
"I don't-"
There was a thumping sound behind them, barely audible over the music, but it registered with Derek and Sky spun to see what had attracted his attention. Skyler couldn't work out what it was until a man about fifteen feet away from them dropped like a rock. After a few seconds, another person, a few spaces beyond the man they had just seen fall, hit the ground in a similar manner. Sky glanced over her shoulder to warn Derek that the kanima was here, in case he wasn't already aware, but he was gone. She groaned and tugged on the ends of her hair.
Was Jackson paralyzing everyone in his immediate area, looking for Danny. Why did he want to kill or paralyze his best friend? His only friend. Screams started to pierce the air as other patrons started to notice the random paralyzing epidemic that was spreading through the club. Skyler pushed up unto her tiptoes, peering over the heads of the crowd to see everyone streaming towards the exit.
"Stiles!" She roared at the top of her voice. "Scott! STILES!"
"Sky!"
Stiles' arm was up in the air, waving and beckoning. He was stood close to the exit that lead out to where the Jeep was parked. Skyler dove into the crowd, weaving between terrified customers, ducking and dodging. She nearly tripped over a young man, lying face down on the floor, crying out for help. Sky knew that she had to get out of there, try and find the kanima, but his sobs were so gut wrenching that she had to stop and do her best to flip him over. He flopped onto his back like a dead fish and started to thank her furiously over and over. She nodded and darted off as fast as possible, feeling guilty that she hadn't waited to help him further but the last thing she needed was to be seen at another crime scene. Her legs skidded on a puddle of spilled beer and Stiles had to catch her to stop her falling flat on her face.
"What the fuck's going on?" She gasped.
"Jackson, the kanima, he just started paralyzing people." Stiles glanced around hurriedly. "Danny got hit. He's alright, he's okay," he told her, seeing the worry on her face. "And someone called an ambulance, but we gotta go. Now."
"Where's Scott?" Sky shouted, still having to raise her voice because the DJ had left at a run without switching off the music.
"I think he's still trying to get Jackson under control." Stiles ushered her out past the toilets, shouldering the door open. "Where's Derek?"
"Disappeared," she ground out in irritation. "I don't think he knows who the kanima is, but I might have let slip that it was a he."
"And what did he say about trying to kill Lydia?"
"Oddly enough, it didn't come up. And he didn't kill her, anyway, and he's not going to. So let's not dwell on it."
Stiles shot her an unreadable look as they jogged across the parking lot, still trying not to get caught up in the crowd. There were several ambulances and cop cars already on the scene. Sky's head was starting to pound from the overthinking and the fear of being paralyzed and the seriously annoying music. The Jeep looked like a calm, shining haven from here. She nearly collapsed when they reached Roscoe, leaning against the spare tyre and pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes.
"Uh, guys."
Skyler dropped her hands away from her face, furrowing her brows at Stiles. They poked their heads around the side of the Jeep to the source of the voice. Scott was stood, one hand on the Jeep, bent over slightly, on the floor in front of him was Jackson. Jackson was lying on the cement, totally naked. Skyler made an 'ew' noise and screwed her eyes shut. She had heard Lydia talk about it and felt like she knew every inch of it, but she still did not feel the need to be personally acquainted with Jackson Whittemore's penis.
"Jesus Christ, Scotty," Stiles groaned. "What the hell did you do?"
"Knocked him out," Scott explained quietly. "Let's get him in the car."
"No. I am not having him in the car without clothes on," Stiles protested. "I do not want his naked body on any part of Roscoe."
"I'm not getting in car with Jackson if he's naked," Skyler backed him up, still refusing to even turn in the direction of Jackson.
"Well we can't just leave him there," Scott pointed out, then stopped for a few seconds and cocked his head to the side. "Sirens. Not just the ambulance, the cops. They're on their way."
Stiles made frustrated eye contact with him for a few seconds before groaning and saying, "Fine. Fine. Whatever." He hurried over to Jackson and gripped his ankles, gagging theatrically at what was hanging between his legs. Skyler scuttled around to the back of the Jeep, unlocking the boot and stepping back to make room. Stiles hoisted his feet into the boot before dancing out of the way and screwing up his face in disgust. Scott threw his torso in afterwards, wincing at the loud thump.
"Danny's fine, by the way," Scott told Skyler, leaning against the Jeep.
"What d'you mean?" She raised an eyebrow at Scott, straightening her jumper.
"Well after the kanima got him. He's fine. He got taken into an ambulance."
"The kanima got him?!" She screeched, making both boys jump in surprise.
"Didn't you know?" Stiles asked tentatively.
"How was I meant to know? Neither of you told me," she said.
"Well I talked to him and he's alright. So's his ex, even though he got paralyzed too," Scott comforted her.
His ex? Sky hadn't even known that he had broken up with Brian. She dropped her head into her hands and groaned. She had been worrying so much about Lydia and not having enough time for Lydia that she had completely forgotten about Danny. She hadn't spoken to him in days. Zach either, actually. She made up her mind in that second to set aside some time on the next few days to hang out with her boys.
"Oh, shit."
Sky looked up at Stiles' exclamation. "What?" She groaned. "What now? What could possibly have happened to make this night any worse than it already is?"
"That." The Sheriff was pulling into to the parking lot, looking tired and like he wanted to be anywhere else in the world but at a gay club dealing with a mass paralyzation. "Get in the Jeep. Get in the Jeep." Stiles shooed the two of them towards Roscoe, Scott scrambling into the front seat and over, falling into the back. "You go too," Stiles instructed, holding the door open for Skyler.
"No, come on," Skyler gripped his hand and tugged him over to his dad, who was just getting out of the car.
He was staring around at the cars and the flashing ambulance lights until his eyes fell on the pair of them, and his face dropped. Sky didn't think that he could look any less pleased if he had seen a dead body. "What're you two doing here?" He asked.
Sky opened her mouth to respond that they were here with Danny because he had just gone through a bad break-up, but Stiles started to speak before she had the chance. "What do you mean what are we doing here? What? It's a club." Stiles pointed at the entrance to the club, swinging his hands wildly to possibly indicate dancing. "It's a club, we were clubbing, y'know? At the club." Sky rolled her eyes so hard that it hurt a bit.
"Not exactly your type of club," his father pointed out dryly.
"Uh... Well, dad," Stiles took a deep breath and drew himself up. "There's a conversation that we-"
"You're not gay."
"Wha..." Stiles exclaimed, sounding offended and letting go of Sky's hand so that he could throw his arms out in disbelief. "I could be."
Sky's head jerked back in shock, staring at her boyfriend with an open mouth. "Stiles!"
"Not dressed like that," the Sheriff replied sassily, eyeing him up and down. "And, I hate to be the one to point out the obvious but, Skyler. Your girlfriend."
"Yeah, Stiles," Skyler snapped from beside him. "Your girlfriend."
"Well, that's uh..." Stiles trailed off, glancing between the two of them uncomfortably.
"This is the second crime scene that you've just happened to show up on in the past few weeks. And at this point, I've been fed so many lie, I'm not sure I know the kid standing in front of me. Now, what the hell is going on?" The Sheriff was starting to lose his temper and Sky seriously did not want to see Stiles fight with his dad. His eyes flickered up over their shoulders for a few seconds and she turned, seeing Scott waving awkwardly from the Jeep.
"Dad, I... I..." Stiles searched wildly for an explanation and to take the focus away from Scott.
"The truth, Stiles."
"We were here with Danny." Sky chipped in before Stiles could open his mouth again. "He broke up with his boyfriend, with Brian, a few days ago. I brought the guys here to help cheer them up. Stiles didn't really want to tell you, 'cause I know we're not meant to be in a club, but it was for Danny, and..." She tried to sound as sincere as possible, widening her eyes a fraction and smiling softly. The Sheriff looked to Stiles for confirmation and he nodded furiously.
"Well, that's really good of you guys," he said with a sigh. "You're good friends."
"He got taken away in an ambulance, though," Sky explained, faking confusion. "Does anyone know what happened?"
"No, and if I did, I probably couldn't tell you," he said, not unkindly. "Now you guys get home and stay inside, stay safe, okay?" He clapped a hand on Stiles' shoulder before walking off towards his deputies.
"Well, that went better than expected," Stiles breathed out, hands resting on his hips.
"If you're gay," Skyler said flatly. "I would rather you tell me right now instead of years down the line."
"Wha- What? I wasn't being serious!" He spluttered, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. "I mean, it's not like I haven't thought about it, but-"
"Stiles, I was kidding," she cut him off before he could explain his odd gay musings. "We should probably get back to the matter at hand."
"Oh. Right, the Jackson thing," he nodded and strode back to the Jeep, still blushing lightly from the sort of 'coming out' talk that he'd just had with his dad. He swung himself up into the driver's seat, starting up the engine as Sky settled on the passenger side.
"How did it go?" Scott asked from the backseat, leaning his head forward over the bench seat while they pulled out of the parking lot. "He didn't look too mad."
"We told him we were just here, supporting Danny, even though we knew that we weren't meant to be there," Sky said, glancing into the boot at Jackson's bare body and screwing up her nose in disgust. "But Stiles softened the blow by telling his father that he is, in fact, a latent homosexual deviant."
"I never said that!" Stiles exclaimed.
"Not in those exact words, but it was along those lines," Sky grinned. "And I'm never going to let it go."
"I absolutely do not want to know what the hell that was about," Scott decided, sounding horrified.
"Let's leave it alone then," Stiles said exasperatedly.
"Fine, buzzkill," she muttered. "Where are we taking it?"
"Uh, what about Scott's house?" Stiles suggested. It was probably the wisest move to keep the kanima near a werewolf that could incapacitate it if needs be.
"Not with my mom there," Scott protested. "We need to take him somewhere where we can hold him long enough to figure out what to do with him. Or long enough to convince him he's dangerous."
"Have you ever tried actually talking to Jackson?" Skyler asked scathingly. "He's impossible. And he's never going to listen to you."
"I still say we just kill him," Stiles said.
"We're not killing him," Scott snapped back.
"God, f..." Stiles groaned, then perked up. "Okay, okay. I got an idea."
"Does it involve breaking the law?" Scott asked apprehensively.
"By now don't you think that's a given?" Stiles gave him a pitying look.
"I was just trying to be optimistic."
"Don't bother," Skyler murmured softly, resting her head against the window.
"You might not make it home tonight, do you need to let Rebecca know?" Stiles turned his head to her for a few seconds, trying to keep his eyes on the road. She hadn't told Stiles about the blowout between the three of them and all of her feelings on the subject were starting to build up inside her until she felt like she was going to burst. She wished that she could tell Stiles about it but it just wasn't a good time right now. There was too much going on.
"I'll tell her I'm staying at yours," Skyler said, clearing her throat. "What is your plan, exactly?"
"Uh. You'll see when we get there," he replied. His tone made her nervous, it was a scheming tone.
She furrowed her brows at him and tucked her arms around herself. The amount of laws that they were breaking recently was starting to worry her. It worried her even more when he pulled into the parking lot of the Sheriff's station. Nearly all of the patrol cars and vans were missing, presumably dealing with the night club situation.
"Here's perfect," Stiles told them, drawing into an empty parking space. "You can't be seen from any of the security cameras." Sky and Scott both shot him an equally terrified look. It was scary that he knew that.
"What are you doing?" Sky asked again.
"Just stay here, and follow me when you see me. alright?" He turned off the engine and dropped the keys into her palm. "Don't get her stuck in a tree."
"Fuck you."
She took a friendly swing at him but missed as he slid out of the Jeep. Sky shifted over into the driver's seat, pressing her face to the window and watching Stiles disappear around the corner of the building into the tiny impound lot.
"What the hell is he doing?" Scott clambered into the front seat and dropped down next to her.
"I have no idea. Absolutely none." She started the engine back up, getting ready for whatever zany plan Stiles had in store. "And he never let's me drive Roscoe."
They sat in silence for a few minutes, jumping and twitching every time there was a noise other than their breathing and the rumble of the engine. Every time someone drove past the entrance to the parking lot they would slide down in their seats until the headlights had vanished again. After almost ten minutes of anxious silence, they heard the low growl of an engine, coming from behind the station.
"Oh, he fucking didn't," she breathed as the tip of the vehicle made its way around the corner, Stiles' outline visible behind the wheel.
"What is that?" Scott was watching his best friend with a wide-eyed disbelieving expression.
"It's a prisoner transport van," Sky said.
Scott made a strangled whining noise as she kicked the Jeep into gear. Skyler could see Scott running his hands through his hair, swearing and freaking out.
"What does he want us to do with it?" Scott hissed, eyes darting over Jackson's unconscious form, then Sky, then the road, then back to Jackson.
"Keep him in it I suppose," Skyler said, jerking her head at the guy in the boot. "This is, by far, the most ridiculous thing he has ever done."
"You haven't known him as long as I have," Scott replied darkly, with the a look that clearly stated, 'You weren't there, man. You don't understand.'
"Oh, where the hell is he taking us?"
Sky frowned through Roscoe's windscreen at the transport van. Stiles had turned off the road and into the Preserve. There was a beaten track that lead about two miles into the woods, when the reached the end of the path, Stiles kept going. The Preserve was scary at night, the trees stretching up like spindly fingers towards the sky and the twisted gnarled roots looked like they were ready to pull themselves out of the earth and start to walk. It was unnerving.
Stiles finally pulled to a halt in a clearing, maybe ten foot by ten foot, near the cliff that overlooked the town. He had parked in the shelter of a few large oak trees and was clambering out of the vehicle.
"Alright, what the fuck were you thinking?" Sky snapped, not even bothering to turn off the engine before hopping out of Roscoe and striding across the forest floor, Scott on her heels.
"What else where we going to do?"
"There's having a bad plan, and there's stealing police property!" She yelled. "On a scale of one to invading Russia in winter, this is invading Russia in winter!
"Well, what do you suggest we do?" He shot back.
"I don't know," she admitted. "I don't... Fuck." She ran her hands through her hair, screwing up her eyes.
"Hey, it's gonna be okay," Stiles murmured. He took a few steps across to her and wrapped his arms around her torso and she slid hers around his waist. "I know it was stupid, I know." He pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "Look, we can take it back if you want, we still have time."
"No. No, this is the best idea possible right now," she said, nodding her head at him. "It was smart. So what are we gonna do?"
"Put him in the van," Scott suggested.
"He's naked," Skyler reminded him with a disgusted sneer.
"My lacrosse bag is in the Jeep, I have spare boxers in there," Stiles said with an identical look of horror. "But someone has to put them on him."
"Dibs not it!" Skyler yelled, pressing her index finger to the side of her nose.
"Dibs not it!" Scott copied her a second later.
"Dibs not- Screw you guys!" Stiles grumbled. He looked between the two of them. "Are you guys really gonna make me do this on my own? I'm not strong enough to lift him myself." He raised an eyebrow and gave Scott a pointed look.
"Fine," he sighed, rolling his eyes at Stiles. "You do not understand the rules of dibs."
The two boys set off the the boot of the Jeep while Skyler clambered up onto the bonnet of the transport van, lying back across the windscreen. She pulled her phone out unlocked it, sending a quick text to Rebecca to let her know that she wouldn't be home tonight, telling her that she would be at Stiles'. She had the sneaking suspicion that she would actually be spending the night in the woods, looking after the kanima. She could see, out of the corner of her eye, Stiles gripping Jackson's feet and Scott holding up his arms. They carried him across to the prisoner transport van and disappeared into the back.
"He's chained to the floor," Stiles told her, emerging from the van a moment later and making his way to Roscoe. "And smelly."
Skyler slid off the bonnet of the Jeep and strolled to stand next to the two boys that had slumped against the side of Roscoe. She settled inbetween them and leaned back against the driver's door. The sun was already starting to rise and the sky was turning pink. School was going to start in a few hours. Jackson was a murder killing lizard creature. They all stood in silence for close to half an hour, the shock and exhaustion of the night wrapping itself around them. Finally, Scott opened his mouth.
"What the hell are we going to do now?"