Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I make her do or say."

And another heads up. This chapter ended up being insanely long as well. (Again, at least in my opinion). Just FYI.

Okie dokie. Please enjoy! :)

Chapter 9: Episode 4x9

When Jordan wakes up, he's in one of the standard police cruisers from the station. And he immediately knows something is wrong.

After getting Nixie to promise to let him help her with her injuries, they'd formed a sort of routine. Every day, she'd drop by the station, and they'd lock themselves in the lounge area for a little while so he could tend to her. And if she couldn't make it to the station, he'd come by Kira's house and tend to her that night.

She kept telling him to stop bringing food. And he just kept bringing it anyway.

In any case, last night he'd gone to her, with food and more bandages. Her wound was healing very nicely. And then, after he'd made certain she ate something, he left for the night.

That was when he'd gotten ambushed. He'd pulled over to help someone that looked to have a blown tire. Next thing he knew, he was hit upside the head, and his world was going black.

Now he's in a cop car, a pair of zip-tie handcuffs locking his hands to the steering wheel. And he can hear someone walking around the vehicle, splashing some sort of liquid everywhere. And judging by the smell, it was gasoline.

Bad. Extremely bad.

Jordan turns his head to try and see who it is, and then says, "Hey! Hey, what are you doing?! Listen… listen to me! I'm a deputy with the Beacon Hills Sheriff's department… I…"

But when Haigh lowers down at the passenger window, Jordan knows it's pointless to have said that. Haigh already knew who he was. Which, consequently, made this already bad situation, that much worse. Haigh looks at him in surprise and says, "Damn. I was hoping you'd be out longer."

Stunned, Jordan says, "Haigh?! What the hell are you doing?" With contempt obvious in his voice, Haigh answers, "You're a good guy, Parrish. But… the list says your worth five million dollars."

Jordan stops struggling with the wheel for a moment as he remembers the dead pool. Looking to Haigh, he says, "What? I don't know what you're talking about!" Haigh scoffs, "Oh, you mean to tell me that you, the sheriff's deputy, don't know about the dead pool yet? I find that highly unlikely, all things considered." "Haigh, please listen to me. I mean… I barely even make forty-thousand a year."

Bending down to look in the driver's window now, Haigh scowls at him and says, "I only make thirty-six; sheriff's deputy." And then he begins throwing the gasoline into the car with Jordan, drenching him in the foul smelling substance. Choking on it, Jordan pleads, "Haigh, please! Just stop! You don't have to do this. Look, if you're having money problems…"

Haigh laughs at him and says, "You're worth five million dead, Parrish. Sounds like you got the problem." He walks around the car again to the passenger side. Bending down to look at Jordan again, Haigh shakes his head in disgust and says, "You're a good guy. A good guy. That's what everyone keeps saying. Parrish is a good guy. Well, I'm sick of hearing it. And I'm sick of seeing you at the front desk, working hand in hand with the sheriff, when I should've been given that position. I've worked here three years longer than you."

Jordan shakes his head and says, "Haigh, please stop this. It's not a matter of years or experience. It's just…" But Haigh smirks and says, "I know it's not a matter of years or experience. It's not a matter of quality at all, I'm quite certain. It's just all about who her favorite happens to be."

Frowning, Jordan clearly doesn't understand. And as Haigh backs away, looking at the vehicle as though doing a final check, Jordan glares at him and asks, "You're just gonna stand there? You're just gonna listen to a fellow deputy burn to death?"

Haigh just smirks again and pulls out a pair of earbuds to put on. Then he pulls out his zippo lighter, and ignites the tiny flame. Looking at Jordan again, he says, "You've been her favorite since you first arrived, Parrish. Why Nixie likes you so much in such a short amount of time, I've never understood. But don't worry. You're little girlfriend is on the list too, and I'll get to her soon enough. I was going to go for Scott… but Nixie is worth just as much, so that will be a sweeter victory."

Jordan's entire body freezes in terror for a second. Not only was Nixie on the list, but Haigh was going to try and kill her next. Struggling in earnest, Jordan screams, "Leave her alone!" But Haigh just tosses the lighter at the car and says, "Goodbye, Parrish." "Wait! WAIT!"

And even as he walks away, leaving the scene of his crime, no amount of music playing in his ears drowns out the sound of Jordan's tortured screams as he and the vehicle are consumed by the flames.

With Lydia and Stiles in tow, Nixie waves eagerly at Noah, who is currently across the room with another officer at the moment. He comes over and walks them into his office. And before Stiles or Lydia can say anything, Nixie asks, "Where's Jordan?"

It wasn't lost on Noah that, every day for the past week or so, Nixie would come in and talk to Jordan. Not that it was strange. She did that often and regularly anyway. The slightly odd part of it, was that both of them would eventually disappear for fifteen or twenty minutes at a time, and then reappear together. Noah wasn't sure what they were doing in that time… but he wasn't oblivious to it by any means.

He'd actually already confronted her about it. Because getting together with Jordan, which was something Lydia very much wanted for them, was one thing. But being with him and coming to the station to… well, to do whatever they were doing? He wasn't sure he was going to let that slide.

However, when Noah talked to Nixie about it, asking her what the hell they were doing in the breakroom for twenty minutes at a time… Nixie's glare shut him up rather quickly. She was in love with Jordan. She was done trying to argue with herself about that. But she was not about to be accused of allowing herself to be taken and pleasured in the sheriff's station. She was in love. She wasn't stupid.

She ended up telling him that he was simply helping her with some private matters. And when Noah asked what those were, she gave him another look and told him that he could ask when they were done dealing with all this other bullshit. And since he now knew that there wasn't any 'funny business' going on… he was letting is slide. For now, anyway.

Raising an eyebrow at her, he says, "Nice to see you too, Nixie." "Sorry. Let's rewind." She takes a step back, as though demonstrating her restart, and then says, "Hi, Noah. How are you today? Where's Jordan, by the way?"

Stiles chuckles at her, and shrugs when Noah rolls his eyes at all of them. Nixie glances back towards Jordan's desk outside in the bullpen, a bit of concern working it's way onto her face. He was almost always there. Or, if he wasn't, then he was close by, and easy to hear and find. But he didn't appear to be anywhere right now.

She supposes he could be on a patrol, but Noah had actually been purposefully keeping Jordan closer to the office lately, for fear he would be attacked because he was on the dead pool. He hasn't demoted Jordan or anything. He still has plenty of work. Noah just… tries to keep him within a certain distance of the station, at all times.

Nixie is very grateful for that… even if Noah isn't necessarily doing it on her behalf.

Noah leans back against his desk and says, "Jordan hasn't shown up today." Frowning deeper, Nixie asks, "Why?" "Nixie, how would I know that? I'm not his keeper." "You're his boss though! Surely he told you he was going to be running late." Noah shakes his head to that, and then holds up a hand to stop her. Looking to Stiles, he says, "What are you all here to tell me? You might want to get that out pretty quick, before Nixie sends me out on a search party for Parrish."

Lydia grins over at Nixie, who blushes a little. But to Noah's credit, she doesn't argue that she wasn't going to send him out to find Jordan.

Stiles briefly explains about the code that Lydia found in some of her grandmother's things. Then he says, "It's not just that she could still be alive." Lydia finishes, "It's that she would've had to fake her own death."

Noah glances between them for a moment, and then asks, "You're grandmother? Lorraine Martin? Faked her death?"

And Lydia can't help but grin and laugh when Nixie says, "No. We're talking about the other Lorraine Martin. Of course we're talking about Lydia's grandma." Noah gives her a look, but then asks, "How certain are we that she faked her death?" Stiles immediately says, "Definitely." Lydia gives him a look while Nixie waves her hand cautiously and says, "Maybe." Stiles concedes that they aren't positive yet, but comes back saying, "But more than likely. Yes."

Noah crosses his arms briefly while he thinks, and then asks, "And, I'm guessing you've all got a story to back this up?" Silence for a moment, and then Lydia says, with a bit of shame in her voice, "She… might be helping the Benefactor."

Stiles, of course, adds shamelessly, "Or is the Benefactor." Lydia sighs, but then smiles when Nixie puts an arm around her and says, "Hey. No stressing about the fact that it's a blood-relative, Lydia. We can't help who we're related to. And we can't help it if they sometimes don't turn out to be exactly who we think they ought to be. We can't take on trying to make sure they were all good people. We just have to focus on us, and make sure we are the best we can be."

Lydia nods, and then laughs when Stiles says, "After you're done comforting Lydia, maybe you could try working a bit of magic on Malia. She still doesn't seem to get that we're not doomed to our parent's mistakes." Nixie smiles, "Oh, have no fear Stiles. I am all kinds of all over this."

Noah smiles gently down at her as well. Then he says, "Now… back to the Benefactor. This story… it sounds like a story worth hearing. So, let's have it." He closes the door to the outer office, and then turns back to them to hear the story.

While Stiles and Lydia begin explaining it to him, Nixie glances back out at the office. And when Noah looks over at her, he finds a deep look of worry covering her face. Pausing Stiles in his story, he moves to the door and cracks it open. Sticking his head out, he asks, "Anybody seen Parrish?" No one responds, so Noah looks to Haigh, who was supposed to be riding with him this week, and asks, "Haigh? Seen Parrish?"

Haigh snaps his attention up to Noah, a bit more nervy than usual, and then shakes his head and says simply, "Haven't seen him."

Noah nods to that, stepping back into the room and shutting the door again. To Nixie, he says, "Soon as we're done here, I'll swing by his place to see if he's still there. We don't know anything yet, so…"

But Nixie had snapped her attention to Haigh, and was still staring at him angrily. Moving into her line of sight, Noah says, "Hey. What's going on? I know you don't like him, but…" "He's lying." Stiles and Lydia glance at each other, and then Lydia asks, "What do you mean? How do you know?" "I don't know! Same way I usually know when people are lying to me, I guess. I can just feel it. And he's lying. He knows where Jordan is."

Bringing her confused eyes back to Noah, she says, "I just… don't know why he would know when no one else does. I mean… why would he…" And right about that time, Nixie's eyes shift to look past Noah, into the office. Widening as huge as saucers, she brings a hand up to her mouth in terror while whispering, "Oh my God."

Meanwhile, as soon as Noah had returned to his own office, Haigh had typed out his message to the Benefactor, inquiring as to how he could get the money he thought he'd earned in Jordan's death. He was even grinning, thinking that it would be easy to get Nixie next at this point. He could make up a story about where he'd last seen Jordan and get her to come with him alone, and that would be the end of it.

But it wasn't. Not even close. He was still waiting on a response when the doors to the outer office opened, and Jordan came walking in.

He was covered from head to toe in black soot and ash. Charred and burnt pieces of clothing hung from his skin, only the barest pieces remaining to keep him even close to decently covered. He looked like a man who'd been through hell and back, and was actually still attempting to walk through it.

And though it was terrifying to see, Nixie couldn't help but also think that he looked sexy as hell. She was scared about what happened to him, but she couldn't deny that he looked like a sexy-ass fireman who had just saved everyone from a burning building.

But that was beside the point. Because as Jordan walked in, Nixie could see that he had tunnel vision. And it was all directed at Haigh, who finally looked up from his desk. Recognition was quickly replaced with horror, as Haigh realized who was coming for him. Shaking his head in disbelief, Haigh says, "No… you're dead."

Nixie's heart stops upon hearing that, no matter how untrue the statement clearly was. Jordan was alive. A little worse for wear right now, but alive.

And the fact that he was hurt at all… was apparently Haigh's fault. At least, that's what Nixie thinks it must mean, when Jordan grabs Haigh by his front and picks him up. As though the man were nothing more than a rag doll, Jordan slams him against the nearest wall as hard as he can, yelling angrily in his face.

Haigh grabs his gun, but Jordan seems unfazed and grabs hold of Haigh's wrist, holding his hand out and away so there's no chance of being shot. Noah, from within his office, watches in shock as Jordan then drags Haigh off the wall and slams him down onto the floor. Then he quickly hurries out of his office. Drawing his gun, not quite understanding what was going on, he shouts, "Hey! Parrish, what…"

But as Jordan begins punching Haigh in the face, the gun goes off again, and Noah is taken slightly back at it hits him in the shoulder. He drops down to the ground to hopefully avoid being shot again, and hurriedly brings Stiles and Lydia to the ground with him. Then he looks back and shouts, "Parrish! Parrish!"

Jordan either doesn't hear him, or doesn't care. He just keeps punching Haigh in the face as hard as he can. Nixie is still staring at him in shock, watching him beat the ever-living-crap out of Haigh, when she hears Haigh repeat in confused horror, "But you're dead. You're dead!"

That only gets him punched in the face harder, and if anyone were to take a guess, they'd probably wager that Jordan was trying to flatten Haigh's head onto the ground. And he'd continue to punch him for however long that took.

Noah was still shouting at him, trying to get his attention. That's when Nixie moved out of the office. Standing next to the door, she says, "J… Jordan?"

The voice that washed over him, that finally penetrated through his thoughts, wasn't what he'd expected. People, when describing the voice of the person they liked, often said that they had a voice like honey, or silk… like it was a warm and soft thing that wrapped around a person.

But not Jordan. Nixie's voice didn't feel warm to him. It felt cool. Which… well, was exactly what he needed. Her voice, to him, had the same calming effect that Nixie had spoken to him about when she had described why she liked the rain. It was like her voice washed over him in a cool and refreshing spring shower.

In that moment, nothing had ever felt better to him. Not in his whole life.

His arm stops mid-swing, and Nixie blinks in surprise at him. Noah had just been shouting at him to stop moments ago, but it wasn't until she spoke his name that he seemed to respond at all. Then he rises from the floor with an exaggerated slowness, his raised hand lowering to his side. Haigh remained in the floor, now a bloody mess that didn't look very threatening at all anymore, and probably never would again.

Jordan's attention then slowly shifted, turning so he was looking at Nixie. And she can't help but feel that the entire scene feels like something out of a horror movie. The exaggerated slowness, and the blankness that still seems to rest in Jordan's eyes. And Nixie has always hated horror movies.

But as Jordan begins moving again, walking towards her, she's not frightened by him at all. She's afraid for him. They still have no idea what happened. But… she was not afraid of him. Never, in a million years, would she be afraid of this man.

Noah, upon seeing where Jordan was headed now, tries to move and lift his arm to aim his gun again. Nixie glances at him, and then looks to Stiles and says, "Keep him still." Stiles listens, without question. Noah looks up at her and says, "Nixie, you need to back off. He's…" But Nixie shushes him and says, "It's alright, Noah."

And as Jordan gets right in front of her, she adds, "He won't hurt me."

He was crowding her though. She tries to keep at least some semblance of respectable space between them, given Jordan's state of almost complete undress. But he just moves with her, and as her back meets the wooden frame of Noah's office behind her, Jordan gets within a mere inch of their bodies touching. She can feel the incredible amount of heat still coming off of him, and she honestly wants to look over the rest of him, to see what else might be wrong with him. But for now, she keeps her eyes on his.

His hand raises slowly, and Nixie can hear Lydia whimper in distress, apparently worried that Jordan might try to hurt her. But Nixie says softly, "It's alright." His hand lands gently against the side of her neck. His thumb rubs gently against the back of her ear, where it rests, and for a moment, that's all he does. He just stands there, looking at her, with his hand gently on his neck.

Then his eyes suddenly start blinking rapidly, and the hand that was on her quickly moves to brace against the window pane that's behind her. A clarity enters his gaze again when he stops the blinking, and as he looks around, confusion wracks his features when he sees where he is. He can't ask how he got here though. He tries to speak and finds that all he can do for now is groan as his body begins to slump wearily out from beneath him.

Cool hands and arms wrap around him, attempting to support him. And though she can't exactly catch him, Nixie does manage to guide his slumping frame so he falls into the chair on her left, rather than falling into the floor.

She stares at him a moment longer, and then snaps her attention to Noah, Stiles, and Lydia. To Stiles, she says, "You need to get your dad to the hospital. I think the bullet is still in his arm." Stiles nods and helps his dad to his feet, keeping pressure on the wound to make sure it stops bleeding. While he takes care of that, Nixie turns to Lydia. "Call Scott. And Derek. Maybe he'll… maybe he'll know something. I don't know."

Lydia takes off to talk to both of them, and then Nixie turns her attention back to Jordan.

His hands were gripping the arms of the chair so tight, if he weren't covered in soot, she would've seen his white knuckles. He wasn't sure how he'd gotten to the station. He wasn't sure how he'd gotten out of the car.

Most important… he doesn't have any idea how he survived being burned alive by Haigh. He looks at the man on the floor, now a bleeding and broken mess. Then he glances over at Nixie. Her eyes were wide as she looked at him, and he's certain he sees terror in her eyes.

God… what had he done? Had he hurt her? What if he had? And what if he'd scared her? He knows that a moment ago, he would've continued pummeling Haigh into the ground, if not for her calling his attention elsewhere. He does remember that much.

Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, Jordan tries to remember what he'd done; tries to remember if he'd done anything that he could set right, to hopefully remove the frightened look from Nixie's eyes. Because it worried him beyond belief, to think that he might've done something horrible enough to make her hate him. That thought alone, more than anything else right now, felt unbearable.

He was still struggling to remember, when cool hands landed on his shoulder. He relaxes a bit in relief as they take away some of the heat still on his skin. Opening his eyes, he finds Nixie before him again, her eyes still wide, but roaming over him now. Her hands shook as they traced out his shoulders, down his biceps, and over the rest of his arms. And for a moment, Jordan thought he needed to reassure her that he wasn't going to harm her.

But fear was slowly leaving her eyes as she found no other injuries on his body. And though he found the search unnecessary, he didn't dare tell Nixie to stop. And if he's honest… well, the search is merited, after all. He'd been locked in a burning and engulfed cop car. There should be several injuries. In fact, it shouldn't even be the injuries that she was worried about. He should be dead, and he wasn't. That's what they should be worried about.

Her eyes finally land on his again, and with her hands still shaking, she asks through her teeth, "What the hell did he do to you?"

Jordan blinks in confusion for a moment, but then he realizes he was reading it wrong. She wasn't afraid of him. She wasn't frightened by him. She was afraid of what must've happened to him, even if she wasn't sure what it was.

And her hands weren't shaking because she was afraid or upset. They were shaking out of anger; out of pure rage. She was pissed as hell. And the only reason she wasn't over top of Haigh right now, finishing what Jordan had started, is probably because she was a little more worried about Jordan, than she was angry at Haigh. But only a little.

When he doesn't respond after a few seconds, Nixie shakes one of his shoulders and says, "Hey. Can you talk?" Nodding, Jordan clears his throat, and then looks around at everyone else that happens to be in the station right now. "Um… maybe not here, Nixie."

Glancing to her side, she nods in agreement, and then glances back at Haigh. Jordan feels a tremor run through her body, and her hands become even colder than they already were. Finally, she says, "Lydia."

Lydia had been waiting just inside the sheriff's office. She was trying to give Jordan and Nixie a bit of space. Coming forward now, she says, "Scott's gonna text me where we're meeting in just a minute. Then we can…" But Nixie shakes her head and says, "Find Jordan's SUV, wherever it is, in the back. Stiles needs his jeep to go with his dad, and we can't all get on my bike." She nods towards Jordan's desk and adds, "The keys are in the top right drawer of his desk. Get them and pull it around to the front."

Lydia nods, but says, "I don't know where we're going to go though." "I don't care, Lydia. I don't care if we just get in the damn car and drive in circles for the next hour." Looking up at her friend, Nixie says, "We… I need to leave, Lydia. Or I am going to kill him."

She nods after a moment and says, "I'll get the car. You get him outside." Nixie nods, and then turns back to Jordan. Gently, she asks, "Can you stand?" He nods and rises to his feet. And though he feels much steadier than before, he keeps an arm around Nixie's shoulders for support.

Well… that's what he tells himself it's for. But if he's honest, he's not so sure that she won't still try to kill Haigh if he doesn't keep her close.

Lydia pulls up a few seconds after they get out the door, and Nixie helps Jordan slide into the backseat. Gripping his chin gently, she says, "Do not move." He doesn't argue, and then watches after her as she shuts the door and meets Lydia at the front of the car.

To Lydia, she says, "I'm going to grab one of the spare sets of clothes he keeps in his locker here. Wherever we end up going, he needs a shower before anything else. I'll be right back."

Once she has the clothes, she hands them to Lydia, who has taken a seat behind the wheel again. Then she climbs into the backseat, on the other side from Jordan. Closing the door, Nixie says, "Drive, Lydia."

Then she turns to Jordan. Scooting closer, looking over his body again, she asks, "What did he do to you?" Jordan watches her for a moment, and then says, "He… trapped me inside of a police cruiser. He covered it in gasoline. And then he set the whole thing on fire."

The look that enters her eyes is like nothing he's ever seen. He'd seen her angry. He'd seen her glare at people and had watched those people wither away from her in fear. But this… this was the worst he'd seen yet.

And he noticed that Lydia was cranking up the heat in the car, because it had suddenly become frigid, despite the warm temperature outside.

Her cold hands then land on him again, once again trying to discern if there were any injuries on him that she wasn't already seeing. Finally, Jordan grips her hands in his to stop her. Tilting his head, he asks, "Why aren't you afraid of me?"

Her eyes snap up to his, and with a frown, she asks, "Why the hell should I be afraid of you?" "I'm afraid of me. I don't… I don't know how…" Nixie softens her gaze a bit. Sighing, she says, "You are, quite literally, one of the least scary things I've ever seen. And I have seen some truly terrifying, and bat-shit crazy, bullshit in this town; so don't argue with me." Cupping his face in her hands, she says, "You are not dangerous. Not to me. And not to the people that matter to me. And that's all I care about. You're a good man."

Gritting her teeth again, she says, "And I will kill him for what he did to you." Her eyes go back to roaming over every inch of him, until finally Jordan pulls her closer. He still felt too hot, and Nixie was cold and refreshing. Pulling her in close, turning her so her back was to him, he wraps his arms around her. Leaning his head back as her head rests back on his chest, he says "I'm fine, Nixie." "Don't lie to me."

She feels him kiss the top of her head, and then he says, "I will be fine. I promise." She nods to that, gripping one of his arms that is wrapped around her, holding it in place, as though afraid he might let go. But he wasn't letting go. Not a chance in hell.

He'd never felt it before, ironically enough. Everyone always talked about how Nixie's hugs were a thing that always brought comfort and security. She pushed stress and worries away. And… he supposes he felt it in smaller senses before, but never like this. In fact, he often felt like he was the one comforting her, and being able to do that filled him with a sense of pride and completeness.

But he felt it now. Like every care he had was being lifted off his shoulders. His overheated skin cooled to a much more comfortable temperature as she remained against him, and he closes his eyes and relaxes, though he keeps a tight grip on her.

Lydia's phone goes off, and after she's done talking, she says, "We're meeting at Derek's loft. He can shower there." Nixie nods in approval, but doesn't say anything else.

She doesn't miss Lydia smiling a little as she looks at them in the rearview mirror. Because in spite of everything… Lydia was happy to see the two of them so close together. But, to her credit, Lydia keeps herself quiet, and drives them in silence to Derek's loft. Hopefully, where they'll find some answers.

As Derek turns over Jordan's hands, looking at them in his own amazement, he asks, "He covered you in gasoline?" Jordan nods, glancing over at Nixie who is leaning against one of the support beams in the loft.

She'd become a bit distant again. Almost as soon as they got to the loft, she withdrew. Not in a hurtful way though. She still wasn't afraid of him, and she stayed by him when they brought him inside. Scott and Derek were already there, and Derek told Nixie where to take him so he could shower. Well… he told Nixie once he got over his moment of shock upon seeing Jordan's soot covered body.

Jordan could also see that they all had questions they wanted to ask him… but Nixie's look told them to not even think about asking them right now. Not until he was clean and changed, would anyone be allowed to ask him anything.

But she was still distant again. The same way she had been when they'd first come to the station, to show him that he was one of the people on the dead pool. And she'd done that for fear he would be angry with her, or suddenly resent her for that secret.

When he comes back out of the shower, he's still not wearing his shirt. He runs the towel over his head once more, and then looks up to find Nixie still standing in the hall, waiting for him. She was leaning against the wall, deep in thought. Her arms were crossed, her eyebrows drawn together in deep concentration. And she was biting her lip. Not even like normal. It would forever be an action that would make him want to kiss her, dangerous as that temptation might be.

But this time… well, she looked like she was about to bite a hole through it. And her position against the wall doesn't change. Not until he comes to stand in front of her. Tilting her head up gently with his fingers under her chin, he smiles gently when she jumps in surprise. Then he asks, "And what are you thinking on so hard over here?"

She shrugs in response, but she also immediately bites at her lip again. Shaking his head, Jordan asks, "What's wrong?" Her eyes snap up to his, and Nixie says, "Jordan. Seriously, quit worrying about me. I am fine. You, on the other hand, we are very worried about. A sick and twisted bastard tried to burn you alive. No… we are worried about you. Extremely worried. And that is all."

Nixie makes to head back up the hall at that, but Jordan catches her elbow and pulls her back. Maybe with a little more force than necessary, because she stumbled into him, her hands landing on his bare chest and her body pressed closer to his than usual. Eyes widening, she tries to take a step back, but Jordan puts his hands against her back to keep her in place.

Shaking his head again, he says, "That's not all I'm worried about. Now, tell me what's bothering you." She stares up at him for a moment, and then lowers her head so her forehead presses against his chest. For a moment, they just stand there like that.

She finally takes in a breath, and looks back up at him. "Jordan. There's… you're about… to be told a lot of things. You're going to learn a lot today. And… and before you do that… I just… I have one request. If… if that's alright?" Jordan nods and says, "Done. Name it." Blinking, she says, "I haven't even asked you yet." "I don't care. Anything to stop you from looking so sad."

The tiniest of smiles makes her lips quirk on the right side, and then she says, "Just… don't hate me. Not right away. Give me, like, just five minutes, where you don't hate me. Then… then you can go and think whatever you want about me."

Jordan still thinks it's the most ridiculous request in the world. Who, in their right mind, could ever hate Nixie? He didn't get to ask her that though, or ask why she thought he would ever hate her. She finally started blushing at their close proximity, and squirmed out of his grasp until he finally let her go. Then she led him back down the hall to the main room of Derek's loft.

Now he's standing here with Scott, Lydia, Derek, and Nixie. And while he'd nodded simply enough to Derek's question, he finds himself struggling not to laugh when Nixie says, "No, Derek. Haigh covered him in flowers and wished him a nice fucking day. Obviously, he was covered in gasoline!"

Derek looks over at her with a raised eyebrow, but goes back to looking Jordan over. Lydia then asks, "It's the hair and nails, isn't it? The, uh, parts of the body that are essentially dead." Derek nods in answer, but then says in bewilderment, "Well, they should be gone."

Jordan looks at all of them and says bluntly, "I was set on fire. All of me should be gone." Scott shakes his head though and says, "Not if you're like us." Tilting his head, Jordan asks, "Like you?" Nixie sighs and steps up to join them now. Nudging Scott, she says, "He's on the list. I'm pretty sure that makes it a given, that he's like you guys."

While Scott and Lydia look at each other, clearly wondering if Nixie would agree if she knew she was on the list, Derek looks at Jordan again and says, "I don't think he's like us. At least… not entirely." Nixie raises an eyebrow while Lydia asks, "Then what is he?"

Jordan looks at all of them in bafflement while Derek says, "Sorry, but I have no idea." And if Jordan weren't so interested in figuring out what the hell was going on, he would've laughed at how ridiculous the conversation sounded. Because here they were, just standing around, talking about 'what' he was. Like this was a normal, everyday, conversation for them.

Well… he'd wanted to be in. Now it looked like he most certainly would be.

Scott looks to Derek and says, "But you knew about Jackson and Kira." Derek gives him a look, "This is a little out of my experience." Nixie tilts her head and asks, "You mean you don't have all the answers when it comes to supernatural shit? What a shocking surprise."

Derek narrows his eyes at her, but grins all the same. Then he suggests, "There might be something in the bestiary. Did you try Argent?" Scott looks over to Nixie, who says, "He's not answering me. Which reminds me, don't let me forget to slap him in the head next time I see him. Nerve of him… not answering me right now. Unacceptable."

Derek nods that he'll remind her, and then they all look to Jordan when he throws out his hands and asks, "Okay, hold on. What the hell is a bestiary?" Nixie raises an eyebrow and asks, "That's your first question?" Giving her a look, he says, "No, now that I think about it."

His tone must've come off a bit harsher than he meant it, because Nixie snaps her gaze from his, down to the floor. Easing himself a little bit, he says in what he hopes is a lighter tone, "Just… just tell me one thing." They all look at him, waiting for the question. Then he asks, "Are all of you like Lydia? Are all of you psychic?"

Derek smirks and asks, "Psychic? You think that this one, is…" Jordan would've thought to ask what else he was supposed to think, when they'd never explained any of the rest of this to him before. Because if Lydia wasn't psychic, then what the hell was she. And Derek's tone right now, one of slight mockery, was not helping.

He didn't have to comment or defend himself though. Derek didn't even get to finish his last statement, before a slap rang through the loft. Nixie, standing between Derek and Scott, had snapped her hand up and whacked him on the head before anyone else could even blink.

And it had apparently been a while since he'd been slapped in the back of the head, because he turns to look at her in surprise while asking, "What was that for?" "Currently, for annoying me. What the hell else is he supposed to think, when she shows up with all the dead bodies for no other apparent reason?" Derek raises an eyebrow, and might've teased her about how defensive she was being towards her deputy. But Nixie points a stern finger at him and says, "My day has not started off great, and appears to be sliding downhill as we speak. My patience, while usually in great supply, is in very short supply right now. Do not test it. I'm in a murderous mood."

Nodding finally, Derek looks over to Scott, a sign that he should continue leading the conversation. Scott turns to Jordan and says, "No, we're not psychic. None of us are." Jordan watches Nixie a moment more, and he can tell that even though she would've told him all of this long ago… she was still worried about his reaction when he heard it.

He'd just have to make sure his reaction was a good one. To Scott, he asks, "Okay. Then, what are you?"

It's not lost on Jordan that, though Nixie told him it was not her decision to make alone, the other three automatically turn to her to see if she thinks this is a good idea. Should they tell him? Nixie looks up at them, and then turns to Scott and says in exasperation, "My mind has not changed. It has remained the same, from the first time I saw him, to now. So show him your damn eyes, explain stuff to him, and then we need to work on coming up with a plan so this shit will finally end. Because if somebody doesn't come up with something else for me to do, and soon, I'm going to institute my own plan for the day."

She begins backing away to the support beam again, when Derek asks, "And what plan is that?" "Murder Haigh. And anyone else that tries to get in my way."

To Lydia's complete and total joy, Jordan is the one who comments, "That could get pretty messy." Nixie simply leans back against the support beam and answers back, "And that is why God invented bleach."

Scott nods to her reassuringly, and then turns back to Jordan, with his eyes glowing bright red. Jordan leans back in surprise, and then takes a seat on the couch while Scott begins explaining to him what they know about the supernatural world.

About five minutes in though, Lydia's phone rings. "Hey Stiles. How's your dad?" "He's fine. Listen, um… is Nixie there? I thought about calling her phone, but then I thought, she might be busy."

And seeing that Nixie already heard the question, Lydia just puts the phone on speaker while Nixie says, "When have I ever been too busy for Stiles? Like… ever?" Stiles chuckles, but then sighs and runs a hand through his hair. He smiles again though when Nixie asks, "What's wrong? I can see your hands twitching and you biting your nail from here. What happened?" "I… it's just the insurance. Dad needs surgery in the morning. And… well, there's actually a representative of the insurance company here today. And he's… well, to be blunt, he's being an ass. Expects me to quote the part of the policy that says they're responsible for getting the bullet out of my dad's arm. And he…"

Stiles stops when Nixie asks, "Where is he?" "Oh, he's right…" "Give him the phone."

Jordan watches the others in the room as they smirk or grin at each other, and then settle themselves down to watch Nixie work. The man that answers the phone says, "Hello Miss Haven. Now, I'm sorry, but…" "No, you're not." "Beg your pardon?"

Glaring at the phone, Nixie says, "I'm an exceptionally hard person to lie to, so do not bullshit me with false apologies. You are not sorry. Yet. Rest assured, you will be, for causing my boy any kind of grief today. Now, let's go over Noah's policy, shall we." "Oh… um… well, certainly. I have a copy of the normal and standard version here. If you want to come down, I can…" "I have my own copy. Consequently, I did not say 'let's go over the normal and standard version'. I said 'let's go over Noah's policy'. Clear distinction. Do try to keep up with me, I have very little patience today. Turn to page twenty-three."

Jordan raises an eyebrow as Nixie paces near the phone. Leaning towards Scott, he says, "She's not holding the policy. How does she…" Scott grins as he watches her, and then says, "She memorized it."

The conversation lasts about ten more minutes, in which Nixie keeps the bastard on the other end flipping through pages, pointing out to him all the fine print of Noah's policy. He was about to ask her another clerical question, obviously trying to jip Noah of some piece of coverage, when Nixie snapped over the phone, "I am going to go over Noah's hospital bill personally. And I swear to God, if there is so much as one penny charged to him that you and your stupid company should have covered, I will have my lawyer sue you and the whole damn company for every single penny you have. Good luck staying in business, much less finding a job, when I am finished with you. Now give the phone back to my boy. Now!"

Stiles answers a moment later and says, "I swear, I think the man actually shit himself." Lydia bursts into laughter while Nixie simply says, "Happy to help, Stiles." "Thank you, Nixie. And thank you for the MRI research too. I don't know that I ever said that." "You don't need to. My services are a given." "Yeah, well, I'm thanking you anyway. Get over it." "I'll try. Might take me a while though. I don't think I've ever been so insulted."

Stiles just laughs, and Nixie grins before saying, "Be careful, Stiles. Tell Noah I love him." "Will do. Bye."

As Lydia pockets the phone, she crosses her arms and asks, "So, you can memorize insurance policies, but not all the answers to history test questions?" Nixie gives her a look and says, "I don't like history." "But you like insurance policies?" "No." "Then what…" Huffing, Nixie says, "It makes no sense to memorize history. Alright? We learn about history so we don't repeat past mistakes. All the mistakes I've learned about so far, I wouldn't have been stupid enough to make in the first place. Makes no sense to worry about memorizing it. So there."

She turns to look at Scott, and then waves over at them and Jordan and says, "Continue."

When all is said and done, Jordan takes a moment to try and process all the information he's just been given.

For Nixie… it probably should've been a sign that he wasn't ever going to be angry, when he didn't look at them all like they were insane. Instead, his first question, which was mostly out of curiosity, is, "So… wait. What's a kanima?"

Scott blanks for a second, and then glances at Nixie when he hears her laugh ever so slightly. She runs a hand over her mouth and just shakes her head at him. Scott then says to Jordan, "We'll get back to that. For now, just know that everyone like us, everyone with some kind of supernatural ability, is on the dead pool."

Standing up, running a hand through his hair, Jordan says, "But I don't even know what I am." Derek raises an eyebrow and says, "I'm pretty sure they don't care." Jordan gives him a look, but relaxes when Nixie pinches the bridge of her nose and says, "Derek, don't make me threaten to kill you. You've been doing so well."

Derek smiles gently at her. Scott does too, but then looks back to Jordan when he smells a sudden fear begin associating with his scent. And why might that be?

Because Haigh had told him last night that he would be going after Nixie next. Nixie was on the dead pool. She was one of the targets. And something told him that she wasn't going to be quite as lucky if someone trapped her in a car and set it on fire.

To Scott, he asks, "How many professional assassins are we talking about?" Scott shrugs while Lydia says, "We're starting to lose count." Scott nods and adds, "We take one down… and two or three more seem to appear to take their place."

Nixie frowns, deep in thought for a moment. Then she stands up from the beam she was leaning against and asks, "But is it still just professionals?" Scott looks over at her, "What do you mean?" "I mean I've never liked Haigh. He's the worst kind of douchebag. But… I would've never pegged him for a professional hitman." She looks to Jordan for his opinion on the man, so he says, "I don't think Haigh's ever tried anything like this. I think he was just taking a chance. Well… that, and he has apparently been holding a grudge ever since I got promoted over him."

Nixie rolls her eyes at that, but then looks over at Derek, who says, "Bottom line, if he wasn't a professional, that means anyone with the dead pool could take a chance." Nixie sighs, "Then how did he get it? He wasn't trying from the start, and he would've if he'd known about it this whole time." And Jordan adds on, "And if Haigh had it, then who else does? How easy is it to get this thing now?"

For a moment, no one speaks; because they don't have an answer to that. Nixie then looks up at Lydia and says, "While we're here, tell them about the theory involving your grandmother." Lydia nods and explains what they'd been telling Noah earlier that morning. How her grandmother had been a banshee, and how she may have even been the one to invent the code in the first place.

Jordan, through all of this, keeps his eye on Nixie. She'd looked over at him once, and then immediately averted her gaze again. He couldn't understand her fear. He didn't even know what the hell he was? Why was she so afraid that he would hate her for whatever she happened to be? And he was certain he was handling the rest of all this rather well. So there was no sense in her still being so worried about him hating whatever supernatural creature she was. So, for the life of him, he can't imagine why she's still so determined to avoid his gaze.

Eventually, even though he still hasn't figured that out, he has to get ready to leave. Nixie, along with his spare clothes, had managed to grab a spare policeman's jacket as well. Sliding it on, he's about to head out the door…

But he can't do it. He was in now, and since he was in, he wanted to know everything. More than that, he most wanted to know what Nixie was, since she apparently thought it was so terrifying. And even though they had told him a lot, and given him a lot to think about… no one had told him what Nixie was yet.

Turning back to the room, he says to Scott, "Just… let me make sure I have this right so far. You're a werewolf." Scott nods, and then Jordan points to Derek, "And he's a werewolf." Then he points to Lydia, "And she's a banshee?"

Lydia nods with a smile, and Jordan adds, "And Kira and her mom are foxes?" Derek puts in, "Kitsune. But same thing." "And Liam is another werewolf. And Malia is a… were-coyote?" They all nod at him, and then he turns to Nixie. Nodding, he says, "And Stiles is the only human."

Her response isn't what he'd expected. He thought she'd shy away from him, since he was obviously trying to imply that he was wondering what she was. But instead, she tosses up her hands and asks, "And what does that make me? Chopped-liver? I'm the second human in this group. Or… I guess I could be our pack ninja. But don't anyone dare start calling me compact-ninja! I'll wear out my hand slapping people."

Scott grins over at her, until he notices the look on Jordan's face. Jordan stares at Nixie for a moment in confusion, and then his eyes widen. Turning to Scott, Jordan takes a moment to consider how certain he is that they would keep it from her. Then he nods and says, "She doesn't know. You haven't told her."

Scott tenses immediately, along with Lydia and Derek. Nixie frowns at their reaction to Jordan's statement, and asks, "What? What don't I know?" Jordan and Scott stare at each other a bit more, until Nixie snaps at them, "Hey!" They both look at her, and she says, "Someone had best damn well tell me what I don't know. And then inform me why I don't already know it."

Scott watches her for a moment, a sad look coming upon his face. He'd been hoping to avoid telling her this. He'd hoped to at least have some idea from Deaton about what she was, before he intended to bring it to her attention. But he couldn't do that now. Taking a breath, he says, "You're… Nixie, you're on the list. You're on the dead pool."

Nixie lets out a sharp burst of laughter, but when she looks at all of their faces again, she realizes they aren't joking. Frowning deeply, she says, "No. No, Lydia sent me the last third. My name isn't anywhere, I checked. It…" But as the thinks on it, she remembers that the list had been doctored so that Malia's last name, at least on the copy Nixie had, said Tate, and not Hale. But on the actual list, it apparently said Hale, because that's how Malia figured out Peter was her real father in the first place.

Snapping her eyes up to Lydia, she asks, "What did you do?" Lydia looks at her sorrowfully, and admits, "I… took your name off the bottom of the copy I sent to you." "Why?" And using Nixie's words against her, Lydia says, "Because we have more important shit to worry about."

Nixie stares at her for a moment more, and then shakes her head and says, "That… doesn't make any sense. I… I'm not supernatural. I haven't been bitten by anything. I've been a human as long as I can remember. I… I haven't changed, nothing about me has changed. I… It… it doesn't make any sense."

Silence for a moment, and then Derek says, "It's… not the strangest thing to learn though." Nixie looks at him and asks, "What?" "Come on, Nixie. You're not exactly normal." "I never said I was normal! But I'm not supernatural! I…"

Scott says gently, "You hear things you shouldn't be able to hear." "I've always been able to do that." "And when you're extremely worried, sad, or even angry… the temperature in the area around you goes cold." "I'm a cold person. I've always been…" "I don't just mean how you're in a constant state of cold, Nixie. I mean when things happen to make you upset. In particular, when Boyd died. And… when Alison died."

Nixie tenses at that, and the temperature in the room does, indeed, drop a few degrees. Scott gestures around and says, "See? And that night, when you came out to where I was holding her on the ground… Nixie, it was a clear sky before you learned that Alison was dead. And the second you saw her, storm clouds came rolling in. The rain and water on the ground around you froze over with frost. We're in southern California, Nixie. It shouldn't ever be that cold. It only ever is when you're around, and you're upset."

Lydia then adds, "And you know instantly, whether you like somebody or not." Nixie shakes her head, "That is not a guarantee. I just have… feelings. And…" "Come on, Nixie. Even intuitive people need, at least a day, before they determine if they like a person or not. If they can be friends. It takes you a matter of seconds to make up your mind. With Jordan, it took even less time."

Nixie would've blushed in embarrassment at having that pointed out. That is… if she weren't still wracking her brain about why she was even on this list to start with. To try and ease her a bit, Derek says, "I mean… I guess it could be wrong. It…"

But Jordan snaps his head to look at them in disbelief, and as Nixie looks at him, she says, "Doubtful. How much am I worth?" Scott sighs, "Nixie, it's not…" "Scott, how much?" "It's not important. We…"

Jordan doesn't know the exact number, but he does know what Haigh told him. So he says to her, "You're worth the same amount that Scott is." Lydia, Scott, and Derek snap their gazes to him, and Scott asks, "How do you even know that?" "Haigh told me before he set the car on fire. He said that after he killed me, he was going to go after her instead of you, because you were both worth the same amount."

Nixie's eyes have nearly bugged out of her head. Clutching at some of her hair, she mutters, "Twenty-five million. Wha…" As she begins pacing, she asks Scott, "Deaton knows?" Scott nods, and then shakes his head when she asks, "Does he have any idea what I am?" "Not yet. He's trying to work on it, based on what he knows. He actually finds the most intriguing thing about you to be that you smell like safety and security. You smell like home, to anyone supernatural that has a nose to smell it. You draw good people in. You calm the room, and you hug people and refuse to let their stress stay with them."

Nixie huffs and says, "That's… it's just how I am. It's how I've always been." Scott nods and says back, "And what you are must be rare, and special. Because Deaton said that a true alpha was about a rare as they come. And you're right up there with me."

Silence reigns for a moment, and then Nixie sighs as she rubs at her temples. Lifting her gaze again, she says, "We need to figure out who the Benefactor is. And we need to have figured it out yesterday. If Haigh had access to the list, then we have to assume that anyone and everyone with access to a computer or printer can somehow have access to the list. And from now on, no one goes anywhere alone."

Derek raises an eyebrow, "I thought that was already a rule." "Yeah, well, I'm reinforcing it. No one goes anywhere, to do anything, alone. And it is not up for debate. Until we figure this out, we're not safe anywhere."

They all nod to her, and then Lydia says, "I'm heading over to Stiles' house. We've been working on figuring out how to decipher my grandma's cipher. If we figure it out, we'll let you know." And for the benefit of Nixie knowing they wouldn't be alone, Scott says, "I'll stay here with Derek until Braeden comes back. Then I'll go check on Liam."

Nixie nods to that, and then looks over at Jordan. And he realizes that, though he may have just been brought into all of this, her rule was now in full force for him as well. Shrugging, he says, "I have to go back to the station. That's where I'll be."

He leaves the room at that, and Nixie takes another moment to think about it, before hurrying to grab her bag and follow him. Derek raises an eyebrow again and asks, "Where are you going?" "I'm going with Jordan. Who knows what other cop might have this damn list. He's not going to be there by himself… especially with Noah still in the hospital. I'll have my cell phone. And all of you, call me if anything happens or changes. And so help me, if you all keep anything else from me before we fix this situation, I'm going to end up giving you concussions, I'm gonna hit you so hard."

Jordan is standing by his driver's side door, honestly wondering if going back to the station was the best idea right now. He looks up when he hears the door to the loft slam shut, and he sees Nixie scrambling out of the building towards him. Frowning, he moves to the other side of the SUV and asks, "Everything alright?"

Nixie glances up at him, and then says, "Oh, yeah. Well, I mean, no. Nothing is alright. Several things are wrong at this point. Exceptionally wrong. But, nothing's gotten any worse since you left the room, so… yeah."

Her step immediately becomes more hesitant the closer she gets to him, and Jordan isn't about to wait until they get to the station to try and sort that out. Nixie was actually about to reach for the door handle herself, but he put his hand over it and then places one hand at her waist. Pushing gently until she's backed against the side of his vehicle, still mindful of her back, he pins her there so she can't leave.

She was about to protest, he could see it in her eyes, when Jordan cut her off by asking, "Are you afraid of me?" Her eyes snap up and she responds, "No! Of course not! I told you that you weren't scary to me! So…" He gives her a look, "Then why do you look like you're walking on eggshells around me? Again." "I've never…" "You did this exact same thing when Stiles and Lydia were with you at the station, showing me my name on the dead pool. Did I get mad then?" "Yes." "I was not mad!" "You were frustrated." "Maybe. But only a little bit. And I was not mad at you. So why are you afraid of me now?"

Giving him a slight glare, she says, "I'm not afraid." "Then what would you call it?" "Worried." "About what?" "I… don't know." "Nixie, don't lie to me." "I don't…" "Nixie…" "I'm worried about what you must think of me!"

Jordan blinks, and then asks, "Why? What has changed?" "You know everything now, Jordan. Well… everything that we know. And I kept it from you." He can feel her fidgeting beneath his hand. She obviously wanted to move and pace. But he reaffirmed his grip so she could go anywhere. Huffing a little, Nixie says, "First I didn't tell you that you were on the list. Then I also didn't tell you why you were on it. And you… you nearly died. Haigh tried to burn you alive. And I don't know what you are, or why it makes you fireproof, but if you were anything else, you'd still be dead. And maybe if I'd… if I'd filled you in sooner, then you… you know, you could've…"

Jordan honestly can't believe it. Nixie thought he was supposed to hate her for the secrets she'd been keeping? And not only that, but she thought he would hate her… because of what Haigh had done to him. Frowning deeply, he moves his hand that had been on the car, and grips her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Nixie. You do not get to do that. You understand me?" Blinking, she asks, "Do what?" "Blame yourself for what that bastard tried to do to me." "But…"

Shaking his head, he slides his hand down to cup the side of her neck. His thumb moving in a soothing motion, he says, "You are not the only person in your group to keep it a secret. And in fact, you blatantly told me that if it were just your decision, you would've informed me sooner. I have known for months, that you guys have been keeping a huge secret from everyone in this town. I mean… I knew it almost as soon as I arrived."

He tilts his head and adds, "But, you and your friends… you're very selective about who you bring into this world with you. And I cannot fault you for that. It's dangerous… far more dangerous than I think I could've possibly imagined beforehand. And you have to be careful about who you let in, because of that."

Hardening his eyes again, he says, "And Haigh… he would've tried to kill me anyway. Regardless of whether or not I knew anything. And knowing everything that you just told me… it wouldn't have changed that. I wouldn't be any closer to having any kind of idea about what the hell I am." He leans a little closer and says, "You do not get to blame yourself for him being a complete ass and a bastard. And you do not get to assume that I'm going to hate you for what he did to me, or for the information you finally just gave me."

Nixie stares up at him for a moment, and then asks softly, "You… don't hate me?" Jordan shakes his head at her and says, "I can't believe you ever thought I would. The very idea is, quite honestly, the stupidest thing I've ever heard." "I am not an idiot." "Maybe. I'm beginning to think that's up for debate though."

But he grins at her, and though Nixie tries to look offended, she ends up smiling. Ducking her head, but not in any sort of worry or fear now, she says, "I… couldn't help it. You matter to me." Grinning, Jordan pulls her off the side of the car and into her arms. Cradling her head against his chest, holding her tight, he says, "I will never hate you. There is nothing that you could ever do to make that even a slight possibility. Do you understand?" "You don't know all that I'm willing to do or have done yet. You don't…" "I don't know a lot of things, Nixie. But I do know that much, without a shadow of doubt. Okay?"

Her arms finally wrap around him in return, and she whispers, "Okay." She hugs him hard and tight, and Jordan can feel some of her tension finally leaving. Ever since they'd left the station, she had continued to vibrate with a barely contained sort of rage. And he imagines that she has every desire to try and find Haigh again, punching him in the face until he's nothing but a puddle of blood and shattered bones.

He can't really say he'd mind that. But he is glad that he can hold her this way and help some of that ease away. Kissing the top of her head, he says, "Come on. I need to get back to the station. Where can I take you?" "Oh, I'm coming with you." When she leans back to look at him, he asks, "You sure that's wise?" "Wiser than you being at the station alone. That's for sure."

Wiping at her eye a little, refusing to cry any kind of tears right now, even happy ones, she adds, "And if Haigh is still there, I'm going to bash his face in. And then I'm going to kill any other officer that so much as looks at you sideways." Jordan grins a little at that, and then pulls open the door for her and says, "Just try to do it away from my desk. Blood's hard to clean up." "Noted."

Her ability to scare anyone and everyone away with one of her glares was not something Jordan would ever doubt again. Over the past hours, well into the night and on through the next morning, she had remained at his desk, sitting in the chair next to him, or leaning against it while he worked.

When they'd first walked in, several people had stopped to stare at him for a moment. But as soon as Nixie came up behind him, they snapped their attention to her, and then instantly went back to their work.

He could see it in all of them though, that they were curious about what had happened earlier with him and Haigh. But no one dared to ask him anything.

And anyone that approached his desk, even just to hand him other paperwork and simple things, tried to keep a clear distance. They actually reached for his desk, as far as they could, in an attempt to keep themselves out of reach of him.

The first time it happened, Jordan had been confused. But then he'd seen their eyes looking towards Nixie, and when he looked up, there was her infamous glare. And it didn't appear to ever leave her eyes. He watched her after a while, and even when no one was approaching him, or about to speak to him… she still glared at everyone that seemed to come within a three-foot radius of his desk.

Even Sherman, who was Haigh's partner whenever Jordan wasn't, didn't dare to ask him anything. He'd been thinking about it. When he'd come in the room, he immediately started heading for Jordan's desk. And from the look on his face, Jordan had expected him to maybe even threaten him with a beat down or something.

That was when Nixie stood up from her chair to lean against the desk. And Sherman drew up short, and then glared back before walking away.

That particular event had Jordan struggling not to laugh. Sherman was at least twice Nixie's size, but even he didn't want to chance arguing with her glaring eyes. It occurs to him that maybe that's another part of what she does. Maybe that's part of her supernatural talents.

After the first hour, he stood up and touched her elbow to get her to follow him. Not that he needed to. He'd walked across the room once to file a report, and she'd followed him that short distance as well.

Now he goes into the breakroom, and locking the door behind them, he says, "Go ahead and take off your jacket." Nixie watches him gather the medical supplies he usually uses to check her wound, and says, "Jordan, we seriously don't need to worry about it today. We…" "Nixie…"

She pauses, and as he comes up to her, he says, "Humor me. This is what we normally do around this time. It's routine, at this point. And I could use that right now." She raised an eyebrow at that, but did as he said and removed her jacket and shirt so he could tend to her.

After unclipping her bra and removing the bandages, he takes a moment to consider how healed up her wound already was. She might not heal like werewolves. If he understood that much, when Scott got hurt, it usually only took minutes to heal, given that it wasn't all too severe. It was taking Nixie days to heal… but she was healing. And she was healing at a rate faster than a human.

He also notices that, though he'd done all he could to minimize what scarring should be left behind… her body seemed to keep the scar in its entirety anyway. It was not a small line that went down her back. It remained a wide scar; one that marked her so everyone that saw it would be able to see exactly how bad it had been at one point.

He makes a note to ask her if she'd ever noticed that before, though he doubts she has. Until he'd mentioned it, she didn't think anything about herself was supernatural.

Anyways, after looking at the wound for a moment and determining that bandages were no longer necessary, he pulls out a soothing cream to rub over it. Still a bit tender, Nixie jumps a bit when he first touches it. But as his warmth sinks into her, she relaxes back down. After that, he clips her bra back into place, and grabs her shirt to help her back into it.

And he's very aware, even as the thought hits him, that he shouldn't. At the very least, not right now. But he can't help it. As he draws her shirt back down, his fingers on the inside of it, he lets them touch against her sides as they slide all the way down.

It wasn't until he reached her hips that he saw her hand grip the counter tighter. That was apparently a pressure point for her, whether she'd actually known it before or not. Grinning slightly to himself, watching a blush rush to her cheeks, he pulls his fingers out from within her shirt, and then asks as calmly as possible, "Think you can tell me where that came from now?"

Nixie relaxes a little, and after her blush dies down, she turns and even laughs a bit before saying, "Um… yeah, sure. The, uh… the berserkers that we told you about? Well, the night we were at the hospital, they were there. Liam, Kira, and me were fighting one on the roof. He was about to take off Liam's head, so I moved to make sure I got in his way. He got my back instead."

Jordan just stares at her for a moment, and then asks, "You threw yourself in front of him?" Nixie nods, and then frowns when Jordan says, "Nixie… you have to be more careful." "I am as careful as I can be. I am, and I mean that. But I will not just let these guys hurt the people that matter to me. If I can prevent it, than I will." "Liam heals faster than you." "Yes, and I let him get hit, several other times that night. But when I saw the berserker about to take off his head…"

She shakes hers and says, "Werewolves can't heal from decapitation. And aside from that, Liam is the newbie. I'd rather not see him hurt at all." "So you get hurt instead? You? The one who doesn't heal as fast, and now has scars left behind when she does heal?" Nixie hardens her gaze up at him and says, "I will protect my friends. Always. I don't care if they 'heal' faster than me. I don't care if maybe it would be easier to just let it happen that way. They are mine, and I will die for them, before I simply stand back and just let bad shit happen to them. I am not built any other way."

Jordan watches her a moment more, and then nods gently. She makes to head for the door, but he draws her up short. Puling her back into him, wrapping his arms around her, he sighs and says, "I don't mean to berate you. Being willing to die for them is admirable, and I would not change anything about you to make that different. But… I don't want you taking a bullet for anyone. You're clearly not quite as durable as they are when it comes to that."

Nixie leans her head back to look up at him, and then grins and says, "Well, lucky for us, bullets are rather rarely involved in what we do. Well, unless Chris is involved." Jordan rolls his eyes while he chuckles, and then reaffirms his grip when she squirms to get away from him. Huffing, he says, "Stop trying to get away from me."

She pauses at that, and then says, "I'm not leaving or anything. I just… I mean… you're too close." Jordan raises both eyebrows at that, and just holds her tighter while saying, "You literally stand over top of people sometimes. You've done it to me on more than one occasion. And yet, I'm too close right now?" "Right now? Yes." "Why?!"

The blush that rushes down her cheeks and to her neck was about as telling as it could be. And he smirks as she ducks down her head to try and hide it. Because apparently, he wasn't the only one that was worried about all the things he wanted to do when they were together. She was too.

Hugging her closer again, he says, "Promise you'll tell me when you get hurt." "I already did that." "That was before you guys told me everything. Promise me again. Please?" She nods and adds, "Only if you let me go." He chuckles, "Well, we might have a problem then."

He relaxes when she laughs too, and then she hugs him back and says, "We'll figure this out, Jordan. We always do." H nods, and then kisses the top of her head before finally letting her go and leading the way back to his desk.

She was still scaring people away from him, when she jerked in surprise when Jordan gently tapped two fingers against her sensitive hip. Looking down at him she asks, "What?" "Oh, nothing. Just trying to get you to not glare for maybe a minute or so." She gives him a look, but then watches a smirk work it's way onto his lips as he returns to his work.

Ten minutes later, he did it again, and Nixie took to trying to cover that spot, as though protecting it. But she always eventually moved her hand, and he would do it again.

Problem with it wasn't the fact that he was doing it at all. The problem was that she didn't want him to stop at just a tap. She wanted to feel what it was like to have him press in on that spot, a spot she hadn't known existed before.

Lord, he was going to be the death of her.

It was about an hour before Jordan's shift ended the next day, when Stiles and Lydia showed up. Jordan looks up when they walk in, and then taps Nixie's hip again. She jerks at it, and then glares slightly at Jordan. He just grins, and then nods towards Lydia and Stiles.

Lydia is grinning at the both of them, until Nixie asks, "What? Did you figure it out?" Stiles looks at her, and then asks, "Have you been here all night?" "Yes." When he looks at her like she's crazy, Nixie asks "What? Jordan doesn't get off for another hour. And until he leaves, unless you guys need me for something, I will remain here and keep everyone else away from him. Now, what did you find out?"

Stiles hands the list over to Jordan and says, "We… uh, well, we need you to run these names?" Jordan raises an eyebrow when it comes out as more of a question, so Stiles says, "We're… used to handing this stuff over to my dad. Who will then hand it over to you, since he always gets you to handle any of the stuff we bring him that pertains to our supernatural crises."

Jordan takes the paper with a nod, but then asks, "Yeah, why does he always hand this kind of stuff over to me?" Lydia smirks and says, "Because that's what Nixie always suggests. You are her favorite deputy, after all." Nixie snaps her eyes over to glare at her a bit, but Lydia just shrugs with a smirk on her face. It was also becoming apparent to Jordan that, though Nixie was terrifying to most other people, her friends were never afraid of her. Her glares didn't have the same terrifying effect on on her friends that they had on the rest of the world.

Or on him, as he recalls. Smirking a little, he looks back at the paper and says, "Give me a second to make a copy of this. Then I'll get right on it." And as he moves past Nixie to do that, he lands his hand at her waist, his thumb brushing against her hip more firmly than he had previously in the day.

Even through her shirt, Nixie's heart skips a beat, and after he's gone, she reaches down to touch that spot gingerly. Then she turns to look at Lydia, who is already leaning towards her, excitement written all over her face. Nixie rolls her eyes and asks, "What? And by the way, I'm going to kill you for that." "Oh, you most certainly won't. I've never heard a bigger lie in my life. Now, onto more important things. Oh, my, God!" Nixie frowns and asks, "What? Is there something else?"

Lydia rolls her eyes at Nixie now, and says, "I'm not talking about 'life-and-death' important. I'm talking about 'your love-life' important." When Nixie just blinks in confusion, Lydia exclaims, "He was flirting with you, dumbass. Probably has been for a while, but that's the furthest I've seen you guys go yet."

Nixie huffs and says, "You're being ridiculous. We're in the police station. He's not stupid enough…" Lydia cuts her off, "He's not stupid enough to get caught. Doesn't mean he can't flirt a little. And he was. Don't argue with me. I have more experience, and I know what it looks like."

Nixie looks over at Stiles for help, but he shrugs and says, "Look, I can't argue with her. I'm the older brother in this situation, and I suddenly have the urge to warn him that if he hurts you, I know about a thousand different ways I could kill him and get away with it." Sighing, Nixie says, "He… we just… he just touched me." Lydia grins, "I know." "Well, he's not the only one to do that! You guys touch me all the time!"

Crossing her arms, Lydia says, "Yeah, because we're friends. But no one touches your hip the way he just did. Like it was a precious jewel that he was admiring." "Lydia, he didn't…" "Yes, he did. I was watching and I know. And you know it too, that's why you reached down to touch it just now." Smiling again, she says, "You've captured his heart and he's trying to see if he can capture yours back. I love watching the two of you. It's completely adorable."

Nixie blushes deeply, but says, "I… I haven't…" Stiles wraps an arm around Lydia's shoulders and says, "I put my arm around her shoulders, and it says that we're friends. I wrap my arms around Malia's waist, hold her the way I know she likes, and it says that we're more. So yes, the man is flirting with you." Then he smiles and adds, "New as that might be for you, deal with it. Take it as a compliment. And whenever you two finally… well, figure out what you want to be, tell Jordan he'd better be prepared for the big brother speech I have prepared for him."

Nixie grins at that and asks, "You have a speech?" "Yep. Been saving it up for just this occasion." She laughs, but moves to hug him and says, "You're the best." "No, that would be you. But I do try to keep myself in a close running for second." "Oh, shut up."

Then Jordan comes back, and after handing Lydia her copy back, he starts punching the names into the system. When he's finished, he says, "Well, it's not another dead pool. It's more like an already dead pool."

Lydia moves to his left side to see, while Nixie remains looking over his right shoulder. Frowning, Lydia asks, "All of them? All dead?" Jordan nods, "Within the last ten years. All suicides. And all at the same place."

Stiles, from the other side of the desk, leans over and bends his head down so he can see the screen upside down. Jordan raises an eyebrow, but can't help grinning when Nixie laughs and says, "Easy Stiles. I would've said it out loud." "Yeah, well, color me impatient." "Interesting choice. What color stands for impatience?"

Stiles gives her a look, but then gapes at Jordan when he offers up, "Yellow is probably a safe bet." Nixie smiles wide and says, "Yellow it is." Stiles gives her a look, and then says, "For those who haven't read the location yet… it's Eichen House."

Nixie goes back to looking at the list, but then snaps her attention to Lydia when she says, "You don't have to come, Nixie." Standing up straight, Nixie says, "Oh, hell no. If you're going into that nut house, I'm going with you. That's not up for debate." Stiles looks to both of them and says, "I think we should all remember that Eichen House isn't a library. Okay? We'd need a warrant to get files from there."

Sighing, Nixie says, "He's right. And we can't take Jordan again. Not after last time." Lydia nods, but says, "Okay, I get that. But guys, my grandmother left me a list of ten suicides. Including her own. There's gotta be a reason why. I mean… is there anyone else who'd be willing to help us?"

They all think about it for a moment, and then Stiles says, "No. But… there might be someone willing to take a bribe." Nixie glances up at him, and then sighs, "Brunski." Stiles nods, and says, "He'll take a bribe, Nixie." "I do not like him. At all." "And I get that. I do. But we need to see those files." "I'm not arguing, Stiles. I'm just saying. I don't like him."

Stiles then looks to Jordan and asks, "Unless you think there might be someone else here who might help us?" Jordan shakes his head and then points his thumb at Nixie while saying, "Probably not." Lydia looks over at her, and then crosses her arms while asking, "Why?" Jordan just leans back to look at Nixie. She rolls her eyes and then points a stern finger at Jordan when he raises an eyebrow at her. Then she says to Lydia, "I've been… glaring more than usual."

Lydia tilts her head, and then nudges Jordan and asks, "Define 'more than usual'." Nixie huffs and says, "Look I…" But Jordan steps in and says, "Oh, she hasn't stopped since she got here. I'm not even sure she realizes it, but when anyone gets within three feet of my desk, she targets them until they go away."

At Lydia's smirk, Nixie says, "Okay, seriously, we don't have time for this. And you…" She points to Jordan and says, "Not helping." To Stiles, she says, "We need to go." He nods, and then taps the desk while saying, "Thanks, Jordan." Jordan nods in response, and then catches Nixie's wrist before she can follow after her friends. Looking down at him, she says, "Look, I can't let them go alone. I…" "I know. And I'm not trying to stop you." "Oh… well, okay then. Are you going to be okay by yourself? I am worried about that. But they…" Jordan nods and says, "They need you. And yes, I'll be fine. Pretty sure I can handle these guys."

Pulling her a little closer, he says softly, but no less seriously, "Please be careful." Nixie nods after a moment and says, "I will be as careful as I can be. I promise." She squeezes his shoulder for emphasis, and then heads on out the door to get her bike.

Meanwhile, Jordan goes back over the list of suicides, trying to find anything else that might be helpful. Lydia was certain that it had to mean something, and Nixie didn't seem to be arguing. So… there had to be something more he could do to help them with this.

It was growing dark again outside, when Jordan finally found the common connection. All of the people on Lydia's list, including Lorraine Martin, were all delivered to the morgue by the same person. And that was Brunski.

The same man that Stiles knew would take a bribe.

The same man that Nixie and her friends are with right now, trying to find answers.

The same man who murdered ten patients from Eichen House, and made them appear as suicides. And a man who probably wouldn't have an issue with taking out three teenagers that were getting too close to discovering the truth.

He doesn't stop to wonder how he's going to justify his presence at Eichen House this time. He grabs his gear and jacket, and rushes out to his SUV. And he's thankful for the stares Nixie has been giving people all day. Usually, when he rushed off like this, people asked him where he was going in such a hurry. But no one dared to ask him today.

Speeding up the road as fast as he can, he prays as hard as he can that he's not too late. That Nixie and her friends didn't go straight there, and maybe waited a bit to go to Eichen. He can't be too late. He just can't be.

When Nixie wakes up, it's to the sound of Lydia screaming for help. Wincing, she feels Stiles struggling on her left side. Together, they were all strapped to a support beam in the records room, bound by what Nixie thinks are the same zip-tie cuffs that cops use. Groaning a little, she hears Stiles say, "Lydia, there's a lot of people screaming for help in a place like this. I don't think anyone's listening." "Well, I'm open to better ideas. Because if you didn't notice… all of those suicides, were murders!"

Nixie winces again and says, "Please don't shout. I have a headache." Lydia turns to see her what little she can, "Nixie! Oh, thank God. I thought he killed you!" "Gonna take a lot more than his rinky-dink tazer to pull that off." Glancing around, Nixie asks, "Where's my jacket?" Stiles answers, "He took it off of you. Didn't want you trying to escape." "Great."

Lydia then says, "You heard me, right? About why my mother made the list…" Nixie nods and says, "They weren't suicides. They were murders. And she knew you'd figure it out."

And then Brusnki's voice says, "Once she was able to predict her own." Slamming the door as he comes back in, he says, "But they weren't murders. I'm not some serial killer, like Ted Bundy, going around cutting up college girls." Stiles glares and says, "No, you're just an Angel of Death." Brunski moves to get in his face, but is brought up short when Nixie hurls a lob of spit into his face. Seething at him, she says, "Stay away from my boy."

So intead, rather than argue, he gets in her face. "I don't think you understand my level of commitment to my work here. There are people here, who don't simply need treatment. They need release. I helped them. I helped Lorraine." Lydia whispers through her teeth, "You killed her." Brunski looks her way and says, "I helped her. And now, you can help me. Because there is something about it that's always bothered me."

As Brunski moves closer to her, he smirks at Nixie as she struggles to be closer to Lydia. But her hands are firmly stuck to the beam by the zip-ties. The harder she pulls at the restraints, the more she can feel that her hand won't simply be coming out. In order to come out, something else was going to have to give. And since it didn't look like the zip-tie was going to… well, it looks like it'll have to be her.

Considering the first time she'd come in on Derek and Scott fighting, and she'd ended up with a dislocated shoulder, she's alright with that. Nixie was prepared to bend, if it meant she could save her friends.

Brunski pulled out his tape player, and began playing the tape he had labeled as 'Lorraine Martin'. And though Nixie continues pulling at her hands, they all freeze in horror when they hear Lorraine's voice come over the tape. In a haze, she says, "What are you… Brunski, what are you doing?" Then Brunski's voice responds, "Don't worry Lorraine. It's going to be alright. You're just going to have a little trouble breathing."

Stiles turns as far as he can towards Lydia, their backs to opposite sides of the pole. Gently, he says, "Lydia, try to look at me. Don't listen. Okay? Don't listen to it." Lorraine's labored breathing can be heard coming over the tape, and Nixie glares at Brunski harder than she ever has anyone else. The only person that might compete would be Haigh.

Turning and pressing the side of her head against Lydia's shoulder, Nixie says, "Focus on his voice, Lydia. Focus on Stiles. Don't listen to it. Block it out. Okay? Just…" Brunski rushes forward and slams his elbow into her gut, forcing her to grunt and lurch forward. Stiles jerks closer to her and says, "Hey! Don't!" Then he hears Lydia crying and struggling again, so he shouts, "Hey! Turn it off!"

Brunski moves and punches him in the face, which then earns him a swift and harsh kick to his kidney in the back. Groaning, he turns to find Nixie had shifted so she could kick him. Just because her hands were tied, didn't mean her legs were useless." He makes to go at her again, but Lydia screams, "Stop! Just stop!" Moving back over to her, Brunski says, "Then listen… just listen. I need your help with this, Lydia."

Lorraine's voice on the tape says, "Please don't…" Brunski scoots closer and points to the tape player, saying, "Here it is. This is the part I never understood. Listen." Lorraine's voice says, "Please don't hurt her." "Don't hurt who?" "Ariel."

Nixie freezes at that, and turns to see Lydia calm down a bit as she realizes what this list was all about. In her last days, in her very last moments, Lorraine Martin had been doing everything in her power to try and prevent this from happening. She'd been trying to protect Lydia, her granddaughter, from what she had predicted would come.

And Lydia just looks to Brunski, who is waiting expectantly for an explanation. But she doesn't give it. She's not going to tell him anything. Brunski cracks his neck in annoyance, but then turns to Nixie when she says, "It's so frustrating, isn't it. To be so close to the answer, but not have any way to grasp it." "I could torture your little friend, Miss Haven." "Not likely. She's mine. And she's a hell of a lot tougher than you."

He launches a hard punch into Nixie's gut, making her choke and gasp for air, but she's still smirking when she looks at him again. But then Brusnki smirks and asks, "I wonder though, if she's as tough as you are? Could she handle it, you think? What you've been through?"

Nixie is sure he doesn't know what he's talking about. Or if he happens to be talking about the scar her own mother gave her, then Nixie would say he's barking up the wrong tree. That was child's play, compared to her more recent years.

But she freezes when he says, "I know more than you think, little Miss Haven. There was a patient here, who you might remember. His name was Brian Holmes." Nixie doesn't recall the name, but her entire body tenses when he says, "He didn't actually belong here, as it turns out. But he was committed here as a lunatic, by his own employer. The one and only, Gerard Argent."

Stiles and Lydia look forward at that as Brunski continues. "Oh, he raved on and on about how he couldn't understand why they'd done it. They were hunters, after all. They weren't supposed to harm humans. It went against their 'code'. He just couldn't understand why they'd kidnapped and tortured the young 'Haven' girl."

Raising a finger, he says, "Now, that name rang a bell with me. But it had been so long, I'd forgotten that you had to change your last name. It took me a while to figure out he was talking about you. But once I did, I made him my friend, and I got the whole story. About how Gerard had gone after a boy named Stiles, to try and hurt him and use him as leverage. But this young girl got in their way, so they had to take her instead."

Brunski smirks. "Oh, she was just as much of a catch as Stiles would've been. She was just as important to her little pack, so it worked out well. They threw her into a basement, and waited until she attempted to free her two friends that were trapped down there. Then they strapped her down to a table, and it began."

Leaning in closer, he says, "Holmes says Gerard was out of his mind. He was desperate and crazy. He took a knife, and he carved into this girl's chest, a wound that should've caused her more immense pain than anything she'd ever felt. But she never screamed. She never said a word. She just grit her teeth, and she glared at them as best she could. So then… Gerard took on a new tactic. He had her electrocuted, with one of these."

He holds up his tazer and says, "One with a lot more voltage. But he shocked her, and shocked her, and continued to do so, until she finally went unconscious from the pain. But she still… never… screamed. She never begged for mercy. She never gave the man any satisfaction in what he was doing to her."

Brunski snaps his tazer to life and jams it into her side, in the same place that Gerard had gotten someone to do it once before, in her freshman year. And Nixie still didn't scream. Her body tensed and jerked, but she didn't scream.

Brusnki wasn't trying to put her out though. He knew from earlier, that it would take more than that. When he'd incapacitated them earlier, he'd taken out Nixie first, knowing she would be the hard one. But it took far longer than he'd thought. He held it there for ten seconds, and when she had still come at him, he'd thrust it at her again and held it there until she finally just collapsed to the floor.

Pulling it away from her now, watching as she glares at him again, he says, "It took even longer to get Holmes to admit your full name. He was so ashamed of what he'd done, that he felt revealing who you were was almost a blasphemy. But he finally told me."

Pointing to her face, he says, "I am going to take great pleasure, in what comes next."

As he walks away, Stiles turns as far as he can and asks, "Nixie, what was he talking about?" "He's crazy, Stiles." "Bullshit." Lydia turns to her too and asks, "Is it another one? Another one of the scars, I mean?" Nixie gives her a look, and then sighs when Stiles exclaims, "Scars! As in, more than one already?!"

Then Brunski comes back, saying, "We get a lot of teenagers trying to break into our drug cabinets. Most of the time, they don't succeed. But you three… well, you look pretty clever to me." Nixie glares at him further while Stiles says, "Um… yeah, we're not that clever. You really do give us too much credit."

Smirking, Brunski looks over at him and says, "I'll admit, Stiles. I don't have any unusual talents, like Lydia. But… somehow, I just knew we were gonna get a chance to do this again." Then he looks to Nixie and says, "And as much as I'll enjoy killing you, I am going to miss being able to learn what you were supposed to become."

Nixie doesn't even flinch at his threat. She just glares at him, feeling a small amount of pride when his smile slips as he continues looking at her. And as he loads his needle with whatever drug he's chosen, Nixie can feel her wrist slipping a bit from the restraints. She just needed a bit more time… a bit more of a push.

And that push came, when Brunski didn't go for her first. No… he went after Lydia. And Brusnki, fool that he was, didn't understand that the sudden plummeting temperature of the room was a warning for him to quit while he was ahead. No, the bastard still just goes for Lydia, needle prepared to go into her neck, and he chuckles as Stiles struggles and screams, "No! No! No!" Brunski is about half an inch from her neck, when Nixie lets out a pained scream from behind her teeth. She can feel her wrist dislocate, hears it pop loudly in the room, and is then immediately moving. With more freedom, she swings herself around enough to kick Brunski square in the jaw.

With him backed up, Nixie spins herself enough so she is straddling Lydia, covering her as much as she can with herself. She tugs at her right wrist, whimpering when she can't force it loose like she had her other. She can hear Brunski moving again, scrambling to pick up his dropped needle. Bringing herself closer to Lydia, cutting off access to her, Nixie turns her gaze back to Brunski.

He'd been coming back, but draws up short when he meets her gaze. And Nixie can hear and feel the change in her own voice, when she says, "If you want her you will have to kill me first, you bastard!"

It was different… raspy and rougher than usual. Nixie has no idea what happened to bring out more of what she was at this point, but she is grateful for the extended period of time she has to tug at her right wrist.

Her powers of intimidation do have their limits though. Brunski stares at her, and what had been her glowing eyes, for a moment more. But as they glow dies down, he smirks and says, "Very well." And at the same moment when he comes forward again, Nixie feels her other wrist pop as it finally slips from the restraints.

Brunski, more alert this time, leans back from her sudden blow, and then lunges at her. Lydia screams as Nixie is thrown into a nearby wall, and then Brunski throws himself at her, landing on top of her on the ground. He winces when she brings her leg up behind him, hard, stinging his back with the blow.

Her wrists throb in pain, and her hands aren't completely cooperating with her anymore, which gives Brunski the upper hand. Holding her head to the side, grunting when she manages to punch him in the gut as hard as she can, he then jams his needle into her throat. In her ear, he hisses, "Say goodbye, Nixie Bennett."

Nixie can hear Stiles struggling and cursing. She hears Lydia scream, "NIXIE!" She struggles under the weight of this man, trying to shove him off and stop this.

Then she hears his wonderful voice say, "Drop it!" Closing her eyes, she whispers in relief, "Jordan." Brunski glances down at her again, and then looks up at Jordan, who says, "Take your thumb off that needle, and slowly withdraw it from her neck." Scowling up at him, Brunski says, "Young deputy. You're just a kid yourself. I bet you've never even fired a…"

And as Brunski makes to press down on the needle, Jordan double taps him in the chest, sending him falling to the side. Still half on top of Nixie, she winces under his weight as she tries to shove him off with her throbbing hands.

She'd no sooner started though, when Jordan grabbed the man by the back of his shirt and tossed him to the side. Bending down to her, he pulls the needle from the side of her neck, checking to make sure nothing was injected into her. Then he grabs her arm to haul her into a sitting position. "Are you alright?"

Nixie nods and says, "Lydia and Stiles. Please. Please get them." "Nixie, are you hurt?" "I'm fine. Please!" Jordan stares at her a moment more, and then presses a kiss to her forehead before leaning her back against the wall behind her. Then he moves to cut Lydia and Stiles from their restraints.

Lydia looks up at him and says, "He killed my grandmother." And as she rushes over to Nixie, she adds, "He was controlling Meredith." Stiles takes Jordan's offered hand, and as he stands, he says, "He used her to create the dead pool." Over with Nixie, Lydia says, "And killed her when she tried to help us."

Cupping Nixie's face in her hands, Lydia says, "He almost killed you." "But he didn't." Looking up at Jordan, who is standing next to Stiles over them, Nixie says, "Thank you." He bends down to her with Lydia, and then asks, "How did you get out?" Nixie winces a bit, still trying to catch her breath. Then she just points at Stiles, who says for her, "I'm pretty sure the popping I heard was her wrists dislocating. That's how she got out."

Jordan reaches gently for her hands, and when she nods to him, he carefully twists and sets everything right again. Nixie gives a short cry of discomfort from behind clenched lips at first, but then relaxes and sighs in relief again. Then she reaches up to cup Lydia's face in her hands. Carefully brushing some of Lydia's hair away, Nixie sighs again and says, "You're alright."

Lydia just stares at her and says, "Nixie, he nearly killed you first." "But he went for you, initially." "And you stopped him. Stop worrying about me." Nixie lets out a scoffing laugh and says, "Okay, yeah, sure. Like that's actually gonna happen."

Stiles rolls his eyes and says, "Well, she certainly sounds okay to me." Nixie grins up at him, and then laughs when Stiles says to Jordan, "And you? Yeah, we're definitely keeping you." Jordan offers a small chuckle, and then jerks upright when Brunski suddenly laughs and coughs up a bit of blood. Choking a bit, he says, "You… you think you're safe? You think it's over?"

He looks up at Nixie and says, "You think that all this was me? That I was controlling her? You're all idiots. She… she was controlling me."

And Nixie figures she should feel something more, simply as a fellow human being, when she watches Brunski draw his last breath and the life leave his eyes. But she doesn't. He had been about to kill Lydia. He would've killed Stiles right after. And he'd tried to kill her mother too. So no… Nixie does not feel any remorse or sorrow over this man's death.

Besides. She apparently isn't entirely human, anyway.

Then Lydia gasps from beside her and says, "Oh, God. It's not him. He's not the Benefactor." And then a woman's voice from within the room says, "No. And… he wasn't on my list. But he was a bad person." Nixie stands up rapidly, keeping Lydia behind her, and stares in shock as Meredith comes out from behind some shelves. Completely and utterly alive.

Meredith, was the Benefactor? Nixie frowns deeply, and when Stiles looks over to see her confusion, he asks, "What? What's wrong? Nix…" She just shakes her head slightly and says, "I… I don't understand. It… doesn't make any sense." Lydia puts a hand on her shoulder and says, "No, it does. She was…" "No, Lydia. I got that. Logically it makes sense. I'm not talking about that."

Frowning, Lydia asks, "Then what?" "I… I don't feel any different about her. I… never have." Stiles ponders that a moment, and then says, "You mean your sixth sense. It… it never changed?" "No. Not in the slightest. I… I don't understand."

Meredith looks over at her, and then even has the audacity to smile before she opens her arms out to Nixie, as though waiting for a hug. Apparently, she thought they were customary of any visit with Nixie.

Lydia's hand on Nixie's shoulder suddenly turns cold, so she has to remove it. And she doesn't try to stop Nixie when she moves towards Meredith. She does gasp though, when Nixie punches the other banshee as hard as she can in the face.

Shouting in surprise, Meredith hits the floor hard, and then looks up in shock. But Nixie just glares at her, and in the same raspy voice from before, she says, "Do not ever come near me again." Her entire body trembles with the effort it takes to back up after that. And Jordan doesn't miss how Stiles and Lydia both start shivering at the dropping temperature in the room.

Then Nixie turns towards Jordan and asks, "Can you arrest her?" Jordan nods and brings out his cuffs so he can do that. Lydia and Stiles then help Nixie find the tape player, and her jacket from where Brunski had tossed it. Then, as Jordan takes Meredith out to his car, the others head back to Brunski's office to collect the rest of his tapes.

As they load everything into the trunk of his vehicle, Nixie then looks over at Stiles. Pointing to his head, she says, "You need to go to the hospital. You might have a concussion. He clocked you pretty hard."

He stares at her for a moment, and then flails his arms dramatically. "Nixie, I know you are not talking about me being hurt right now! He hit you three times, compared to my one! He tazed you, again, for God's sake! He plunged a needle full of drugs into your neck and nearly killed you! And you dislocated both of your wrists in the process of escaping! But I'm the one that needs to go to the hospital?!"

Nixie gives him a look, and then grins a little while adding, "I'm tougher than you." Stiles lets his mouth drop open, but then he says, "Yeah, I'm starting to get that impression. What the hell was he talking about in there? About Holmes and what Gerard did to you the night he kidnapped you instead of me? You told us he roughed you up a bit. You did not mention being electrocuted and carved into. I would most definitely have remembered that." "Stiles…" "No, Nixie. What the hell was he…"

Lydia puts a hand to his chest and says, "Easy, Stiles. Easy." He glances at her, then back at Nixie. And after a moment, he finally sighs and says, "After we figure this out. After we've saved everyone and gotten back into a routine. You are going to explain this to me. And anything else you've been keeping from me."

Nixie nods willingly to that. It's not like Lydia wasn't already going to make her. Stiles then moves in to hug her tight. Sighing, he says, "Please don't ever do that again." "Do what, exactly?" "Nearly get killed. I know you talk about not being able to lose us. And I know what losing Alison did to you. But Nixie… I can't lose you either. Do you understand that?"

She nods against him, and then kisses him on the cheek before saying, "Go. Get checked out. Lydia? You'll take him?" Lydia nods, and after giving Nixie a final tight hug, she heads off with Stiles.

Jordan shuts the trunk of his car, and then gently pulls Nixie by her elbow so she'll lean back against it. Moving to stand in front of her, taking her hands in his, he sighs and then says softly, "I'm pretty sure I told you to be careful."

His smile takes any reprimand out of the words he just said, and Nixie smiles a little back before saying, "I tried. I was as careful as I could be. It just… wasn't enough." He nods, and then says, "I… didn't see the whole thing. It took me longer than I'd like to pick the lock. But… I saw you jump over Lydia. I saw you throw yourself onto her, and I heard you tell Brunski that he'd have to kill you first."

Nixie nods, and then says, "I… didn't intend to actually let him. I didn't realize my hands would be so uncooperative when I dislocated my wrists. Not exactly something I do on a regular basis, you know." Jordan laughs a bit, but it also gets a bit stuck in his throat. Nixie then adds, seriously, "I was protecting my friend. I will always protect my friends, in whatever way I can. I would die for them, if it comes down to it, and if I have that choice."

Bending down a little so she can catch his eye, she says, "You do understand that, don't you? I don't just say that to be dramatic. I mean it." He nods, and then says, "I just… I hate what almost happened to you. I mean… what if I hadn't shown up? What if he'd killed you? What then?"

Nixie sighs and says, "I don't know, Jordan. I told you, I didn't intend to let him have the upper hand. I…" "I know, I know. I… don't mean to berate you. That's not what I'm trying to do." Nixie nods, and then lets out a shaky breath while saying, "He almost did though. He almost killed them. And I…"

Jordan draws her into his arms, rubbing a soothing hand up and down her back. She shakes a little as she cries silently against his chest. Kissing the top of her head, he says, "I'm glad you're okay." She nods, and then says, "Thank you for finding us." And this time, rather than his usual response, he says, "Always, Nixie. I will always find you."

She leans back to look at him, tilting her head at the new response. She smiles though, and then says, "Um… I'll follow you back to the station." "You can ride with me. I'll bring you back for your bike." But as Nixie glances at Meredith's silhouette in the back, she says, "No. No, I can't… be in the same car as her. I'll kill her." Jordan nods understandingly, and then glances up at the rain that had suddenly begun pouring.

Nixie glances up too, and then sighs as it lands on her skin. "I love the rain." Jordan smiles at her, and then they both glance at her phone when it goes off. Pulling it out, she answers, "Yeah?" "Nixie, it's Kira." "Hey Kira! How's your mom?" "Good. She's healing. Listen, I don't mean to be abrupt, but I need help." "Where are you?" "I'm at the school right now. Scott and the rest of us are trying to gather up the others still on the list. He, Malia, and Liam were almost killed tonight, and we need to stick together for safety."

Nixie's first question is, "What?! What happened to Scott?" "I'll explain later. Right now, I need help." "Alright. Where do you need me to go, and who am I getting?" "The high school. I can find Brett on my own, but his sister had to separate from him, and I can't find her. Can you…" "I'm on my way. Be there in ten. I will find her. Make sure Brett knows that." "Will do. And Nixie? Be careful." "Likewise, Kira. Likewise."

Hanging up, Nixie looks to Jordan again. Then she says, "Well… I guess it's obvious I'm not following you." He nods, and then asks, "You coming later?" "Oh absolutely. Because there is no way in hell Lydia is going near this bitch again, unless I'm there." Jordan raises an eyebrow at that, but doesn't argue. Instead, he walks with her to where her bike is. And before she slips her helmet on, he wraps her in another tight hug and says, "Be careful." "As careful as I can be."

He grins at that response, and then nods to her before she speeds off down the road again. And as she speeds off into the rain, mentally preparing for whatever she might end up facing while going after Lori, Nixie sighs. Because as long as this day has already been… it looked as though they were still going to be in for an exceptionally long night.

Here's hoping they survive it.

And that's Chapter 9! :)