Brace yourselves for a lot of page breaks.
Chapter 11:
"Why are we here?" Mom asked as she looked at me
"You're part of the next group of sacrifices." I answered "I'm guessing seeing as the Sheriff's still alive though that she's going to kill the three together." I grumbled
"What group?" Mom asked
"Guardians." I said "You weren't taken as a healer, you do a better job at being a parent." I smiled "Not just of Scott and I, but of Isaac," I turned to the sheriff "And Stiles. Just like the Sheriff does for all of us."
"You said she needed three," mum said. I nodded
"The sacrifices come in threes. First it was three virgins. Heather, Emily and the guy from the pool. Next it was warriors. Kyle, our music teacher, Mr Harris. The three doctors were healers, the two teachers and Tara, philosophers. And now, guardians." I explained
I let out a huge sigh.
"I can't believe I didn't see this. No wonder she agreed to go to the hospital, she needed mom." I said annoyed "I knew I hated her."
"But Alice," I turned to the sheriff "If we're the sacrifices, why did she take you?"
"We were stuck in an elevator together, with Derek, she watched me…" I took a deep breath as I looked at the sheriff "… perform a particular skill that could seriously hinder her plans." I raised the chains "Guess this was her way of preventing me from interfering."
"Why the chains?" mom asked. I smirked
"As if ropes would hold me." she nodded
"Alice, how do you know all this?" I took a deep breath and mom and I both looked at the sheriff.
"Because I can see the whole board." I admitted. His eyebrows furrowed and he looked at Melissa.
"Sheriff, what did you see at the bank?" I wondered. He looked at me
"Scott trying to push through an invisible wall. Something that was caused by a simple ring of black ash." I said "And he got thrown back by it." the sheriff took a deep breath.
"And the school?" I said "After Stiles tried to tell you the truth you saw Scott with glowing yellow eyes, fangs and claws. His face looked different and he suddenly had pointed ears and side burns." I explained
"We know all this because we know of the world in the shadows."
Stiles slapped Derek across the face as the dim light of the elevator only just illuminated them.
Derek didn't stir.
"Derek?" Stiles shouted. He slapped the werewolf again but still nothing "Derek, come on!" Stiles called. He shook the alpha's collar and raised his hand to slap him again.
Stiles glanced at his hand before forming a fist. He went to punch the werewolf before Derek's eyes suddenly snapped open and he grabbed Stiles' arm.
Stiles looked from Derek to his fist surprised as Derek looked around confused
"Where is she?" Derek breathed
"Jennifer? Gone with Scott's mom." Stiles admitted
"She took her?"
"Yeah, and if that's not enough of a kick to the balls, Scott left with Deucalion, okay? So we gotta get you out of here. The police are coming right now, and we gotta get you the hell out of here." Stiles grabbed Derek's arm and lifted him from the ground as he glanced down the corridor a few times.
"Whoa." Derek stopped as he sat up "What about Cora?"
"Isaac and Peter got her out." Stiles answered. Derek took a deep breath and looked at Stiles.
"Stiles. What happened to Alice?" Stiles looked at him confused
"What do you mean? What happened?"
"She was here with Jennifer and I when she attacked us." Derek said "Where'd she go?"
"I don't know I haven't seen her since she left with you." Stiles confessed. Derek looked at Stiles shocked as he looked around the elevator.
"She probably went after Jennifer and her mom. I'm sure she's fine, she's Alice. No one can kick her ass." Stiles said, though his voice shook slightly as he said it.
"No one but Jennifer." Derek disagreed.
Isaac stopped the car out the front of the hospital and turned to look behind them.
"You see the twins?" Isaac asked
"No." Peter assured before he turned to the front "But I see the Argents." he almost sneered the word as Chris and Allison came around from behind the ambulance.
The two suddenly stopped as a howl echoed through the air and they turned in it's direction.
"What is it?" Allison asked
"A retreat." Chris realised
"Not to bring up uncomfortable memories," Isaac began "but wasn't the last time you saw them the time you killed Kate and then they burned you alive, hmm?" Isaac turned around to find the back door where Peter had been sitting open, and the seat itself vacant.
Isaac quickly got out of the car as Chris and Allison reached him.
"Where are the others?" Allison questioned
"I don't know." Isaac admitted as he rounded the car "Scott and Stiles went back for Derek, Alice and Jennifer. I had to get Cora out." he admitted and they turned towards the door.
A car sounded and Derek's car pulled up beside them all .
"Where's Alice, Scott and Stiles?" Allison asked the second he got out from the car.
"Stiles is still at the hospital. He's gonna hold off the cops for us." Derek explained as he moved to Argents car and picked up Cora "We have to go right now."
"What about Scott and Melissa?" Argent questioned
"Jennifer took Melissa." Derek said as Isaac opened the door of the car for him. Derek placed Cora on his own back seat and shut the door.
"What about Scott and Alice?" Allison questioned over the wind. Derek walked around the car to the drivers side and didn't answer. "Derek, where are the twins?" she repeated. Derek turned to look at her.
"Scott went with Deucalion." he confessed
"And Alice?" Isaac asked
"No one's seen her since Jennifer left."
Stiles sat in the main hallway opposite the reception in the hospital as sirens ran out. The door opened and Stiles turned to see a tall man, dark brown hair and an FBI tag around his neck.
"Oh, just perfect." Stiles muttered as he spotted him. The man looked at Stiles and walked to stand before him.
"A Stilinski at the centre of this whole mess. What a shocker." he said as Stiles looked up at him. "Think you can answer some questions without the usual level of sarcasm?" he asked
"If you ask the questions without the usual level of stupid." Stiles retorted.
"Where's your dad, and why's no one been able to contact him?" Requestioned
"I don't know. I haven't seen him in hours." Stiles admitted
"Is he drinking again?" the FBI man asked. Stiles bowed his head with a sigh
"What do you mean, again? He never had to stop." he admitted
"But he did have to slow down. Is he drinking like he used to?" the man rephrased
"All right, how about this? Next time I see him, I'll give him a field sobriety test, okay?" Stiles retorted "We'll do the alphabet, start with "F," end with "U."" the man smirked
"How about you just tell me what the hell happened here?" he decided. Stiles sighed
"I don't know what happened here. I was stuck in the elevators the whole time." Stiles waved his hand in the lift's direction.
"You're not the one who put the name on the doors, are you?" the man asked, his eyebrows furrowed. Stiles looked up at him surprised
"What name?" Stiles demanded
The elevator doors began to shut as papers flew threw the corridor and the lights flickered.
Written in bold red, three letters on each door, was a name.
Argent.
Derek lent over his sister as Cora lay, sweating, on the bed. Her lips were black with goo. Isaac stood behind him and Peter, discretely stood at the top of the stairs.
"She's dying, isn't she?" Isaac muttered
"I don't know." Derek admitted
"So what are you gonna do?" Isaac asked
"I don't know." Derek answered after a few minutes. Isaac ground his teeth and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
"Want to figure something out?" he said "Because while Alice, Scott and Stiles were out there trying to help people from being killed, you were in here, rolling around the sheets with the actual killer." Isaac threw in his face "Cheating and breaking Alice's heart while you did it by the way."
Derek didn't answer, he kept his head leaning on his knuckles as he watched Cora worried.
"Do you get how many people she's killed?" Isaac whispered "Erica and Boyd are dead, Cora is dying, and you are doing nothing!" Isaac snapped, his face in anger. "Why'd you do this to us, Derek?" Derek blinked and swallowed. "Was it all about the power? Were you bored?" Isaac stepped towards him and leaned down "Were you lonely?"
"Maybe." Derek answered, turning to look at him. Isaac sighed and turned to walk towards the door.
"I told Cora I wouldn't leave. I'll help the others when I figure out how to help her." Derek answered.
"There's no time!" Isaac shouted "The full moon's coming. The sheriff and Melissa are gonna be dead, so I'm gonna try and help them." Isaac opened the door and stepped out "You can sit here and perfect the art of doing nothing." and he slammed the door shut.
"I wouldn't take it personally." Peter said from the stairs "Anger is just a tool." he stood up and walked towards his niece and nephew. "He's using it to excuse shifting allegiance from one Alpha to another. From you to Scott." Derek turned his head to Peter
"Scott's not an Alpha yet." Derek reminded him
"But he's on his way, isn't he?" Peter admitted.
Argent, Allison and Stiles walked into the Argents apartment as Chris removed his keys from the lock.
"The word is guardian, Allison. More than anyone, you know that's a role I haven't exactly lived up to lately." Chris confessed as he walked to his office.
"But she took Scott's mother and Stiles' father. That's not a coincidence." Allison admitted
"Yeah, I'd also consider the fact that someone put your name up in large block letters on the elevator doors. That kind of felt like a warning to me." Stiles said seriously
"I think it might be Morrell."
"Or Alice." Stiles added "She was there with Jennifer for a long time, she might have seen something."
"But why would Alice right the name instead of just tell us?" Chris asked. The two were silent for a minute "Has no one seen her yet?" Chris asked. The two shared a look and shook their heads.
"That's why I think Morrell's more likely." Allison confessed "She knows a lot more than she lets on, and she might even be trying to help us." Allison confessed
"Well, she needs to get on that a lot faster, okay? Seeing as how the lunar eclipse is less than two freaking nights away." Stiles complained. He ran a hand through his hair and turned to one of the seats before the desk.
"Stiles, don't give up hope." Chris said strongly
"They could already be dead." Stiles worried
"I don't think so." Chris shook his head "There's something about Jennifer's tactics. It's like she's still positioning, still moving pieces into place."
"And you're one of them." Allison added
"Then let's not wait around to see the next move." Chris grabbed the map with the telluric currents on it and placed it before him. "Everything she's done has been on a telluric current, so Melissa and the sheriff have to be somewhere on one of those currents, right?" Allison nodded and leaned over the map. Chris took a deep breath and looked at Stiles, who bowed his head in denial.
"Stiles, if we're gonna find them, we need your help." Chris admitted. Stiles shook her head.
"You seriously want to go after her? I mean, what if she just takes you like the others, huh?" Chris turned to his draw as Stiles worried "No offence, but what's the difference between you and them?" Chris rose his silver gun and checked the cartridge before putting it back in.
"I'm carrying a 45." he bashed the cartridge in with a click. "Maybe she can heal from a shot to the leg and a few slashes to the face, but personally, I'd like to see how she holds up with half her skull blown off." he said and put the gun down. "We've got one priority right now, and that is to find Melissa and your dad." Chris leaned on the desk seriously and ran a finger over the paper. "We've got a map and every clue we need to figure this out. The only thing we don't have is time, which is why I need both of you." he said seriously.
"This would be a lot easier if Alice was here." Allison muttered. Stiles looked up at her, his face in realisation.
"That's why she's not here." he muttered. The two looked at him "I think Jennifer took Alice too."
"Why?"
"Cause she can stop her." Allison realised
"Is Alice concentrates hard enough, she could see Jennifer's next move, or even find our parents." Stiles explained "I've seen her do some pretty incredible things, things she doesn't know how to control yet but if anyone could stop Jennifer I think it'd be Alice." Stiles said as he stood up and leaned on the desk.
"The problem is, she's in an emotional state at the moment and wasn't equipped to concentrate, her judgement is fuelled with anger and jealously." Stiles muttered. He took a deep breath and looked at them. "I said no one could beat Alice, and Derek said Jennifer could. Alice was in the elevator with them both. Now I know Alice, she wouldn't just run off and not show up again. And I know for a fact she wouldn't go with Deucalion." Stiles assured
"She's not a werewolf." Allison nodded and Stiles mimicked her
"The only reason she wouldn't be here is if Jennifer took her." Stiles said
"Giving Jennifer the upper hand." Chris realised.
"So she's not a sacrifice," Allison began
"She's a contingency plan." Chris finished
"Jennifer's plan B." Stiles sighed.
"Then we don't just need to find Melissa and the Sheriff," Chris said looking at the map.
"We need to find Alice too." Allison said and turned to Stiles.
"Where do we start?" he questioned
"The place where the sacrifices have been committed have usually been different from where the bodies have been found. I think the placement has to do with the strength of the current, so there's the school, the animal clinic, the bank." Chris lit up each of the spots with his IV light.
"Wait a sec, she wouldn't use the same place twice, would she?" Stiles wondered
"Only if she didn't succeed the first time." Chris answered. He hit the bank.
"Scott's boss." Allison remember
"Deaton. It was her only failure. That could mean something." Chris nodded
"That's just one place so far. We're gonna need a lot more help." Stiles admitted
"What about Lydia?" Allison wondered
"Lydia? What can she do?" Chris asked confused
"Uh, Lydia's got sort of a talent." Stiles admitted glancing at Allison. "She somehow ended up finding a couple of the bodies, um, without actually looking for them."
"What is she? Psychic?" Chris wondered
"She's something." Stiles nodded.
I stood in the loft beside Derek, watching Cora. It didn't matter how much he hurt me, or how angry I was. I felt bad for Derek.
He was practically watching another family member die, when he had so few already.
He'd lost Paige and both Kate and Jennifer were threatening his family, both on the road to killing.
He really couldn't pick 'em, could he. It was like he purposely went for the bad ones, as though he didn't deserve anything better.
I don't know where I come in under that, but it could explain why I was tossed aside.
Cora lay, wheezing on the bed as Derek reached for her arm. Black lines ran up Derek's arm as he took as much pain was possible.
Derek's breath heaved as he took deep breaths, feeling her pain as Cora gasped, it getting easier for her. Her chest rose and she suddenly released a relieved sigh.
Derek panted and I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, trying to give him some reassurance as his expression had returned to the hard, yet worried mask.
Peter walked down the stairs as he watched, eyeing the too.
"Careful." Peter said slowly. Derek yanked his arm away from her and raised it, his fingers shaking.
"Don't worry." Derek panted "I know going too far could kill me."
"That's not exactly what I meant." Peter admitted. Derek glanced at my hand on his shoulder and I removed it immediately.
I took a deep breath as I opened my eyes, back in the cellar. The Sheriff watched me, confused yet slightly curious as he stared at my violet eyes.
"This happened to you through a bite?" Sheriff asked. I nodded
"Ironically, it's kinda like rabies, the disease is passed on." I said, they both pulled a face and I nodded.
"I only contracted half the disease." I explained "I get all the bonuses, like the heightened senses, the ability to heal. The speed and strength. But I don't get the ability to shift, to be effected by the full moon. I don't have claws or fangs, just a lot of mental power."
"So, Scott's a werewolf," I nodded "Isaac's a werewolf." I nodded again "Derek's a werewolf," The Sheriff counted on his fingers.
"So's his sister Cora and his uncle, Peter, who Derek killed and is now unfortunately back from the dead thanks to some weird ritual that I don't know the details about." I said looking at both him and my mother this time.
"The two twins at school, Ethan and Aiden, they're werewolves." I added "Boyd and Erica, the two missing, and actually both are dead now, they were werewolves too."
"You're, what? Some sort of half werewolf?" the Sheriff pointed
"I guess." I nodded "Jackson was a homicidal lizard that was killing for Matt's sake. But he died and came back to life as a werewolf." I waved the thought away "Deaton the vet is a Druid. Really wise people, usually emissaries to the werewolves. So Deaton knew Derek's mother really well. His sister, Ms Morrell who is the guidance counsellor, also a druid, that's why her guidance is so good." I said "And the women who kidnapped us, Jennifer Blake, she's a druid gone bad." I sighed "As known as a Darach." I stared at the celling.
"The reason she's doing all this is because her werewolf, Kali, tried to kill her to join this, mega bad werewolf named Deucalion. Jennifer's killing people in order to get revenge."
I looked at the two, both looked slightly confused.
"Sort version is, by sacrificing all these people, Jennifer is getting power to kill Deucalion. And you two, plus another, are her last ounce of power." I said. "And I'm her plan B for when everything goes wrong."
"'When'? don't you mean 'If'?" Sheriff asked
"No. I mean 'when'. Because someone like Jennifer doesn't stand a chance against four werewolves, two werewolf hunters, Stiles and his brilliant mind, plus five more werewolves that are evil and will kill her without hesitation." I listed "Oh plus Lydia," I added "But that's another long story so…" I trailed off.
Allison and her dad grabbed a heap of weapons and laid them out over the desk. Stiles watched as Allison grabbed her ring daggers and the cross bows also came out.
Chris aimed a gun and Stiles stepped back slightly, it being aimed in his direction.
"Whoa." he muttered. Chris stood beside him and picked up yet another, looking through the lens. "I thought you guys were retired."
"Retired, yes. Defenceless, no." Chris said as he put the gun down and turned to Stiles. "Make sure your phone's on. If you hear from Scott, you let us know immediately."
"Yeah, I'm thinking that's gonna be kind of unlikely." Stiles admitted as he looked at his phone. Chris and Allison shared a look as Stiles pocketed the device.
"Both of you, try to remember he's just doing what he thinks is right." Chris admitted.
Footsteps sounded and Allison's expression grew surprised as her father turned around.
Isaac stood in the doorway.
"I can't shoot a gun or use a crossbow, but— " Isaac raised his hand "Well, I'm— I'm getting pretty good with these." he flared his fingers and his claws grew.
Cora moved her head in the bed as Derek stood at the end and Peter at the desk, his hands down as he leaned on it.
"I've heard it's something only an Alpha can do," Peter began "—and with good reason."
"Which is?" Derek asked
"You know normal wolves never abandon an injured member of the pack. They care for it. They bring it food from a kill and then regurgitate it into the mouth of the injured wolf. They even give it physical and emotional comfort by intensely grooming it. In a way, they can do more than just ease pain. They can be instrumental in healing their own." Peter explained
"If you're trying to tell me I can save her, just tell me." Derek snapped turning to stand in front of his uncle
"I'm telling you— I've heard it's possible." Peter repeated
"How?"
"It's that spark of power that makes you an Alpha. When you take her pain, she draws on the power that provides you with those special gifts. The power that heightens your senses, your strength. The power that transforms your body." Peter explained and Derek turned to his sister. "As an Alpha, you have that bit of extra, that spark intensifies the colour of your eyes from a bright yellow into a searing red."
"If I can save her—" Derek began
"If." Peter cut him off and pointed to him "If. I didn't say it works every time. It could just as easily kill you." Derek looked at the table then at Cora. He took a deep breath first.
"How do I do it?" Peter turned to glance at him "By taking her pain?"
"And then some. Because there's a cost." he admitted.
Lydia moved the collar of her shirt as she looked at the bruised mark where Jennifer had tried to strangle her.
"Okay, sweetheart, this is not a problem." Her mother sat beside her, a blush brush and foundation in her hand. "Having gotten my share of hickeys in high school, I developed some patented cover-up methods." she smiled.
Lydia quickly moved her hand down to her mother's wrist, stopping her. Ms Martin looked up at her daughter.
"If you don't want to go to school, honey, you don't have to." she assured
"That's not it." Lydia shook her head as she looked in the mirror. "It's just—" Lydia thought "Someone tried to strangle me— And I survived. I don't need to hide that." she shook her head strongly. Her mother smiled at her and closed the foundation, putting it down.
"No. No, you don't." Ms Martin moved Lydia's hair from her face and kissed her cheek. "But we're still gonna do your hair, right?" Lydia smiled
"Of course we are doing my hair." she said before the two chuckled.
The door to the vault opened and Chris looked around, quietly stepping inside. Allison and Isaac stepped in behind him, their eyes trailing along the walls.
"It's empty." Allison noticed
"Be careful anyway." Chris raised his electrical stick, the current running up it. Isaac noticed and looked down at it
"I thought you only used those on werewolves," he commented
"I do." Chris turned around and pointed the stick to Isaac. The werewolf bent over and gasped as his body shook from the shock.
Allison gasped before staring at her father shocked who dropped the electrical weapon. Isaac dropped to the ground seizing next to it as Chris grabbed Allison's wrist. He quickly clamped a hand cuff over it and attached it to the fence around the vault.
"What the hell are you doing?" Allison demanded
"I'm sorry." Chris said as Allison stared at him, her mouth hanging open. "But you're just gonna have to trust me on this." he walked away from her and turned to the volt door, pulling his gun out of his pocket. "I knew for a long time she didn't just operate on the currents. She was in sync with them." Chris dropped his gun and stood waiting as someone appeared at the doorway. Isaac rose his head as Jennifer grinned at them.
"Now this is a sacrifice." she nodded. Allison stared at her father as Jennifer screeched at him.
"Chris." I muttered
"What?" Mom asked "Alice what did you see?"
"Jennifer." I whispered and looked at them both "She has Chris Argent."
"I don't believe it." Lydia proclaimed. She sat down with Stiles leaned on the back of a chair in front of her. "Scott can't really be with them. He can't be." she said
"You didn't see the look on his face, though. It was—" Stiles shook his head with a sigh
"Then what can I do?" Lydia questioned "I mean, I get that I'm some kind of, like, human geiger counter for death, but I don't know how to turn it on and off yet." she shook her head "All I know is that she tried to kill me because of—" Lydia stopped as she looked at her floor, her face growing in understanding.
"Because of what?" Stiles questioned "Hey, Lydia, what?" Lydia looked up at him.
"When she called me a banshee, she was surprised by it." she remembered "What if that's not why she tried to kill me?"
"Then why did she?" Stiles whispered
"That's what we need to find out." Lydia nodded.
Isaac pulled on the handcuff, being careful of Allison's wrist, before the chain broke. Allison fell onto Isaac, grabbing his arms for support.
"Why did he do that?" she breathed, sobs threatening to break through.
"I don't know." Isaac whispered "We need to go. Okay? We need help." Isaac went to move and Allison grabbed his arm again, refusing to release him as her fingers tightened on his clothes. "Allison—" Allison's breath hitched in her throat as Isaac moved her, trying to get her to snap out of it. "Allison, we have to go."
Allison looked up at him silently, her eyes watery with tears.
"They're all gonna die." she suddenly said. Isaac looked down at her "Aren't they?" the werewolf grabbed the hunter and held her close as she sobbed, a few tears escaping.
Peter watched Cora as Derek walked up next to him. Peter put his arm out to stop Derek.
"I can understand not seeing a downside to this, as you haven't exactly been Alpha of the year, but think about what else you'd be losing." Peter said watching Cora.
"I don't care about power." Derek admitted "Not anymore."
"What about the power to fight back?" Peter wondered "Correct me if I'm wrong, but Kali's ultimatum still stands. The full moon is tomorrow night, and if you couldn't beat her as an Alpha, how do you think you're gonna fare as a beta?" Peter smiled slightly
"I don't care." Derek said slowly
"What if this was exactly what Jennifer was hoping for? She would know the only way for you to save Cora would be giving up your power. Maybe that's what she was gonna have you do at the hospital." Peter rambled
"Why?" Derek asked
"So that you wouldn't be able to face the alphas without her." Peter snapped "She wants you to come to her. It's all part of her little seduction, and she is still seducing you. She needs you on her side." Peter exaggerated his words to try and get them through to him.
"Personally I don't know why you didn't stick with little Alice, she's gorgeous, and we know she's not evil." Peter muttered, more to himself. Derek looked at him annoyed for being reminded. "You're the one who pulled the little stunt." Peter shrugged.
Stiles and Lydia walked down the stairs in the school as Lydia looked at her phone.
"Aiden's not texting me back." she admitted, putting the phone away. Stiles stopped looking at Lydia worried. She stopped and turned to him as Stiles looked down the corridor.
"Okay, well, maybe we could just we could go over there and—" Lydia stopped as Stiles' phone buzzed. Stiles pulled it out and Lydia watched the device. "What?" she asked as Stiles raised the phone. "Oh, God." she stepped towards him "What is it now?"
"It's from Isaac." Stiles admitted "Jennifer, she t— she has Allison's father. She took him." Stiles breathed "She's got all three now." Stiles' hand began to shake as he tried to put his phone back in his pocket.
He took a deep break.
"There's still time. We still have time, right?" Stiles looked at her but everything looked blurred. He let out a breath as his hands shook and his breathing picked up.
"Stiles? Are you okay?" Lydia asked as Stiles turned to look around. "What is it? What's wrong?" Stiles turned back to her, panting suddenly, the words sounding muffled and far away. "Stiles." Lydia asked. Stiles stopped as he panted and raised his arms
"I think I'm having a panic attack." he rushed out suddenly.
We watched as the doors above to the cellar opened and Jennifer walked in, only, she didn't walk in alone.
Chris Argent was in her arms.
Mom and the Sheriff looked at me as I eyed the Darach.
"Comfortable?" she asked as she put Chris down next to another post.
"Does it matter if we aren't?" I questioned. She smiled at me before beginning to tie Chris to the post. She wound it around his neck, crossed his chest, bound his hands behind his back and his feet together. He had a wound on his forehead which bled down his face, slowly sticking as it dried.
Jennifer moved to pat Chris down and we watched as she just pulled three knifes from Chris' cloths and a taser.
"I brought you company." she smiled at us all "Get comfortable. You're not going anywhere for a while." she assured us. She looked at me a while longer before turning and leaving the cellar.
"God I hate her." I hissed
"Why cause she kidnapped you?" Mom asked
"That and she slept with Derek." I admitted. Mom's eyebrows rose
"Poor Derek." she said
"I haven't lashed out yet." I muttered
"Poor Derek." she repeated with a nod before looking at Chris.
"How'd you know she'd caught him?" the Sheriff asked
"I can see the future." I shrugged
"Right. Course." he nodded
"Will he wake up?" Mom asked. I nodded
"Give it a few minutes." I assured.
Sure enough Chris jumped and gasped as he woke up. He coughed and looked around, blinking as his eyes adjusted.
"You okay over there?" Sheriff asked. Chris scrunched his eyes up and gasped again
"Chris? It's Chris, right?" Mom addressed
"Yeah." Argent nodded
"Are you alright?" I asked
"Alice." he noticed. I nodded
"Yeah. Taken captive."
"We knew there was a reason you weren't urning up." Argent nodded. I shrugged and he noticed the chains.
"Chains?" he asked
"Rather strong ones." I nodded with an annoyed sigh. "They don't wanna break." He sighed before looking around. Sheriff's eyes narrowed as Chris looked at the nemeton.
"Oh." he sighed annoyed. He slumped and chuckled slightly.
"Is it just me, or has somebody been here before?" Sheriff questioned.
"Years ago." Chris admitted.
"Just like you Sheriff." I admitted, he looked at me confused "This is where Jennifer was found all slashed up all those years ago. Just—" I looked up "Above us." The sheriff and Mom followed my gaze as Chris moved his legs to reach for his ankle.
"Hate to disappoint you, but we watched her take your ankle knife." Sheriff admitted. Chris stopped and then tried to reach up his sleeve.
"And the knife that's in your sleeve." Mom nodded, Chris moved again
"And the switchblade in your other sleeve." Sheriff added. Chris looked at them as he panted, regretful.
He began to move again and I turned to look up as the door opened. Chris stopped as the light from outside shone down from the open doors.
"And the taser in your jacket pocket." Jennifer added. Chris sighed annoyed. She glanced at us as the Darach walked down the stairs.
"Argent— The French word for silver." she monologged. Jennifer walked around behind Chris, a towel in her hand. She crouched down before him and raised the towel, Chris moved his head.
"Ah, ah, ah." she grabbed his chin and turned his head back towards her. "Interesting how truth becomes altered by legend— When it's not actually the metal silver that kills werewolves but the family." she said as Chris glared at her. "What's the Argent code again? "We hunt those who hunt us"? I hope you don't mind if I borrow it for a little while, since I've been hunted myself." she admitted
"Don't pretend like we have the same cause. I don't kill innocent people." Argent snapped
"That's why they call it a sacrifice, and I wish it worked another way." she said, annoyed no one understood the word. "But think about what you're doing. You are making this town even this world safer for your children." Jennifer turned to look at my mom.
"Well— Most of them." she corrected and mom shook her head with a sigh.
"At the moment, him being here is safer for them then ever before." I replied and Jennifer turned to me "They go by the code." I reminded her "Means you can't dish out that shit."
"The only people who die, are the people who deserve it," my eyes hardened at her "And nine dead civilians tends to do put you in that category."
The door to the locker room burst open and Stiles dropped his bag as Lydia pulled him with her.
"Okay. Come on. Come on." she ushered before they sat down on the floor, Stiles leaning against a locker. Lydia kneeled before him as he panted.
"Just try and think about something else, anything else." Lydia gasped
"Like what?" Stiles asked
"Uh, happy things. Good things." Lydia frantically thought "Uh, friends, family." Stiles looked at her annoyed "Oh, I mean not family." she corrected guiltily. "Oh, god. Okay, uh, just— Try and slow your breathing." she said as Stiles hyperventilated.
"I can't. I can't." he gasped out. Lydia put her hands on Stiles' cheeks and raised his head to look at her.
"Shh, shh. Stiles, look at me. Shh, look at me." she said as she rubbed her thumbs on his cheeks "Shh, Stiles." she whispered as Stiles looked at her panting.
Lydia suddenly leaned in and placed her lips to Stiles'. Immediately Stiles' breathing stopped.
Slowly Lydia pulled away and Stiles' breathing was normal again as he looked at her.
"How'd you do that?" he whispered as he took a breath.
"I, uh— I read once that— holding your breath could stop a panic attack." Lydia admitted "So when I kissed you— you held your breath."
"I did?" Stiles asked with a nod, still looking at her
"Yeah. You did." she whispered.
"Thanks. That wad really smart." he admitted. Lydia smiled.
"I just— I don't know. I just read it somewhere." she said as they adjusted their positions. "And if I was really smart, I would tell you to sign up for a few sessions with a guidance counsellor." she smiled and chuckled as Stiles nodded his head before thinking.
"Morrell." he muttered. Lydia looked at him.
The two bursted into the guidance counsellors office to find a girl sitting their waiting and Morrell not.
"Are you here for Ms. Morrell?" Stiles asked
"No, I thought this was gym class." she answered
"Sweetheart, we're not in the mood for funny. Do you know where she is?" Lydia wondered
"If I did, I wouldn't be waiting here for 20 minutes." the girl snapped "So how about you two back out the door and wait your turn?"
"We're not here for a session." Lydia confessed
"Well, I am. And I've got some serious issues to work on." she admitted
"Hey, wait, wait." Stiles stopped them "You're Danielle. You're Heather's best friend." he realised.
"I was Heather's best friend." Danielle corrected "We've been working on that issue three times a week." she pointed to Morrell's chair before her.
"Hold on, did you say Ms. Morrell's 20 minutes late?" Lydia asked confused
"And I don't know why either. She's always on time." Danielle admitted. Lydia turned to Stiles
"I was seeing her at the beginning of the semester. She was never late." Lydia admitted.
"Then she's not late. She's missing." Stiles realised looking around
"What if we're not the only ones who think she knows something?" Lydia realised. Stiles looked at the desk
"Then I want to know what she knows." he dropped his bag and crouched next to the draws.
"What are you doing?" Danielle questioned
"Trying to find her." Stiles asked
"Those files are private." Danielle piped up
"Yeah, she's kind of right." Lydia confessed.
"That one's yours." Stiles handed Lydia a folder
"Let me see that." Lydia snatched it and opened it on the desk. She flipped through the papers and Stiles stopped as he saw the drawing of the tree.
"Wait, Lydia, that's your drawing." Stiles said
"Yeah, I know. It's a tree." she said simply as Danielle stood up to look at it.
"Yeah, good too." Danielle admitted
"Thank you." Lydia smiled
"No. But that's the same one, though." Stiles said standing up
"Same as what?" Lydia questioned confused
"The same one I always see you drawing in class." Stiles elaborated
"It's a tree. I like drawing trees." Lydia didn't understand
"No, but it's the exact same one." Stiles moved the paper in Lydia's hand out of the way "Don't you see?" Lydia looked at the drawing, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Give me your bag." Stiles said and grabbed Lydia's notebook. She held her arms out confused as her bag hit the floor and Stiles placed the book on the table opening it to a random page to show her drawing. The three of them looked at the two drawings to notice they were identical.
"There, see?" Stiles noticed. He glanced at Lydia before flipping through the notebook. Every page had a tree that was exactly the same as all the others.
"Okay, you can have my session. You got bigger issues." Danielle realised as she grabbed her bag and left the room.
"What is this?" Lydia demanded in a whisper. Stiles looked at the image before his eyes hardened. Slowly he grabbed the image and turned it upside down. The tree was now a stump and several large roots.
"I know where they are." he realised.
They bursted out of the office and into the hallway.
"It's the Nemeton. That's where she's keeping them." Stiles answered and Lydia clutched to her bag. "It has to be—"
"Stilinski." the FBI agent from earlier shouted down the corridor and Stiles stopped.
"Agh." he groaned annoyed before turning to Lydia as the man walked towards them. "All right, look, go to Derek, okay? He and Peter, they've been there before, so they'll know where it is. Tell them it's the root cellar, all right? They'll know." he assured. Lydia glanced at the FBI agent before turning and leaving the hallway.
Stiles turned to the man who sighed
"Did you know your dad's car is in the school parking lot and has been since last night?" he asked
"No. What does that mean?" Stiles asked
"It means he's officially missing."
The two moved to an empty classroom and Stiles sat on a table in front of the agent.
"Stiles, why am I getting the feeling you know something that could help us find your dad?" he asked
"If I did, why would I not tell you?" Stiles questioned
"If it meant helping your dad, why wouldn't you?" the man replied
"So you're asking me to tell you what I wouldn't not tell you?" Stiles confused
"First, I have no idea what you just said. Second, how about you just help me help you?" "Well, I don't know how to help you help me tell you something that would help you if I don't know it." Stiles rambled
"Are you doing this on purpose?" the man asked
"I don't know anything, okay? Can I just go?" Stiles demanded
"Where are your other friends?" he questioned
"You mean Scott and Alice?" Stiles asked with purpose.
"I mean Scott and Alice. I mean Isaac Lahey, Allison Argent, these twins Ethan and Aiden." he read from a piece of paper "I've been told your whole little clique didn't show up at school today."
"I don't have a clique." Stiles mumbled
"Stiles, come on. There's been a pretty disturbing amount of violent activity in this county in the last few months, several murders tied to this school." the man admitted "I don't know what's going on here, but it's serious." Stiles didn't even look at him. "And hey." Stiles looked at him "Your dad is missing." he reminded Stiles seriously. Stiles only sighed and refused his gaze. "Fine." the agent sighed, slightly annoyed, before standing up "But I don't want you going home alone. You have someone you can stay with tonight?"
"He's with me." the two turned to see Deaton standing in the doorway.
The loft door slid open as Lydia stood there and Peter appeared to face her. Lydia stared at him surprised.
"You." she muttered
"Me." Peter answered
"You." Lydia slightly accused. Peter sighed
"Me." he mumbled before turning around. "Derek, we have a visitor." he called.
Morrell ran through the trees befe she came to a sudden stop. She turned to look behind her as a howl ripped through the air before running again.
The twins, Ethan and Aiden ran after her, they summersaulted through the trees and paused for a minute, taking a deep breath in.
"This way."
Deucalion stood watching a firefly. Scott stood beside him and watched his gaze.
"It's a firefly." he confessed
"Unusual for this region." Deucalion admitted
"It's because of Jennifer, isn't it?" Scott realised "Just before all this started, a deer crashed into Lydia's car. The cats went crazy at the animal clinic. Birds flew into the high school. That was all her." Scott listed
"They say animals can sense natural disasters when they're about to happen. Maybe they can sense supernatural ones as well." Deucalion thought before taking a deep breath and turning his head.
"Does she scare you?" Scott wondered
"She concerns me if she's willing to kill that many innocent people for her cause, people like your mother and Stiles' father." Deucalion said
"Are you willing to kill innocent people?" Scott wondered
"I'll kill any living thing that gets in my way." Deucalion said heartlessly.
"You don't know where it is? But Stiles said you'd been there." Lydia admitted as she stared at Peter
"We have." Peter answered with a sigh, he turned away to look at Derek. "But after a few memorable experiences there, Talia— Derek's mother and my older sister decided that she didn't ever want us going back. She knew how dangerous it was and took the memory of its location from us." Peter admitted
"But then how are we supposed to find it?" Lydia questioned. Peter shrugged.
Morrell dodged the trees and glanced backwards before she ran into a clearing. She stopped and looked around before turning. She raised her hand and threw mountain ash into the air. It descended around her in a circle, creating a barrier.
The twins ran into view and snarled before they ran at her and crashed into the barrier. The twins flew back and hit the ground just as Kali came jumping out of the trees behind Morrell.
Deucalion and Scott walked out as the druid was surrounded by the werewolves.
"How did you know, Marin, that we'd come for you?" Deucalion asked
"Because Jennifer and I are the same. And I know you've always been suspicious of us, of what we can do." Morrell replied
"With good reason. We know you sent that girl, the one who helped Isaac." Kali admitted as she walked around the circle
"What was her name?" Deucalion asked
"Braeden." Morrell said as Kali circled her "And I sent her to do what I've always done, maintain balance."
"What do you know about Jennifer?" Kali demanded
"Nothing more than you know." Morrell admitted. She turned to Deucalion and Scott. "This isn't you, Scott. Go back to your friends."
"He can decide what's right for himself." Deucalion interjected
"Not without all the information." Morrell snapped "Have you told him everything you've done? How you've piled up bodies in a narcissistically psychotic effort to form your perfect pack? Bodies that include Ennis, by the way." she snapped turning to Kali, who looked at Deucalion "My brother saved him. He was alive when Deucalion went in to see him." The wolves all looked at Deucalion, questioning this information "He wants you to go after Derek, Kali, to force his decision. If Derek joins the pack, it paves the way for Scott." Scott glanced at Deucalion.
"The lies people will tell when they're begging for their life." Deucalion sighed
"Ask him." Morrell said to Kali. No one got the chance to as Deucalion removed the red cap from his walking stick and threw it at Morrell.
The walking stick imbedded in her shoulder and Morrell stepped backwards out of the circle of mountain ash. Her other foot dragged a break in the circle as she hit the ground.
Scott immediately made his way to her side as the others growled.
"Hey, back off." Scott snapped. The twins put their fangs away and took a step back. The same with Kali. Scott turned to Morrell and nodded his head, reaching for the walking stick. Morrell nodded and Scott pulled the weapon from her shoulder.
"I'm not going to let them kill you." Scot admitted to her "But if you know something, if you know where they are—" Scott began
"The Nemeton you find that, you'll find Jennifer." Morrell muttered, gasping a little "Find the Nemeton." she ordered.
Chris hadn't stopped wriggling since Jennifer had left. He was trying to remove the ropes from his body. I lied down on the dirty floor, just listening to his ropes.
"I don't wanna kill your optimism or anything, but, you know, the both of us have been trying to do the exact same thing for hours." Melissa confessed admitted.
"Unfortunately Jennifer knows you have the ability to get out and probably made it full proof." I raised my wrists and rattled the chains as proof.
Naturally Chris didn't stopped.
"You been tied up before?" Sheriff wondered, his eyes closed.
"Many times." Chris admitted.
"What, is that, uh, part of being a werewolf hunter?" Sheriff asked. Chris looked at him surprised before looking at Mom slightly annoyed. She turned her head and smiled at him with a shrug.
"I tried to download him on as much as I could." she admitted
"Where as I just told him everything." I said "Though it was confusing." I muttered
"Yeah, I was starting to feel a little bit left out." The Sheriff admitted
"You knew." Chris confessed, Sheriff looked at him confused "I remember meeting you once, before you were sheriff. You questioned me about a body. You knew something was up. You just weren't ready to believe it." he said. Sheriff tried to remember as Mom and I turned our heads to him.
"Stiles also tried to tell you, just before you were brought here." I muttered "Guess with all the pressure you were under you couldn't put the signs together and realise he was right." I sighed.
The sheriff looked down away from us and inhaled deeply.
"You're right." he muttered "There was a night— eight years ago the night my wife died. I was at the end of a shift, and a call came in. There had been a pile-up, and a young woman, she was a teenager, actually. She was trapped under an overturned car." he explained and the two turned away. "We had to wait for the paramedics. We were never getting her out. But I was able to hold her hand. She knew she was gonna die." he sighed "But I just kept telling her, "no, no, listen. The paramedics are on their way." And then I remember, her hand suddenly gripped mine so tightly that I— I literally thought she was gonna break the bones. And she looked me in the eye, and she said "If you wanna be with her, go, now." And I knew she was talking about my wife." Sheriff shook her head as he looked at Mom "But then that other part of my brain the part that looks for clues, for fingerprints, for logical connections that part told me that there is no way that this girl could possibly know about Claudia."
"And so I stayed. I stayed until the paramedics pulled her out. Until her heart stopped beating and they declared her dead." mom sighed "When I finally got to the hospital… I saw Stiles sitting in the waiting room with his head in his hands because— He was with Claudia when she died." his face was grave "But I wasn't." he whispered "I wasn't with her because I didn't believe. I just did not believe."
"That's not your fault." I muttered as I sat up. They looked at me. "Something similar sort of happened to us. Not as grave naturally but…" I took a breath.
"When Scott and I first were bitten we told Stiles about the sudden increase in our senses, the agility." I muttered "Stiles made a joke of us being infected with lycanthropy." I smiled slightly
"Scott and I brushed it off, naturally. Stiles didn't mean it either at first but… as the ballistics came back on the body, Laura Hale, he began to believe it more and more. Eventually he was convinced Scott was turning into a werewolf, and that I might have been also."
"I'd seen the signs, I freaked the hell out that night but Scott, he didn't believe. He ended up going to a party with Allison." Chris' eyebrows furrowed.
"Naturally as he had no idea what was happening he fought the moon and ended up at home." I sighed "Eventually however, he ended up in the woods." I muttered. I looked at them all "If it weren't for Derek, he probably would have gone and killed someone." I sighed "And if he'd listened to Stiles, he probably wouldn't have ended up with an arrow in his arm." I shot a look at Chris who raised an eyebrow.
I turned to the Sheriff.
"It's hard to believe it when you've thought your whole life that it's not possible." I muttered. "You can't blame yourself for not listening."
"Stiles knew about Scott before Scott did?" Sheriff asked
"Of course he did." I chuckled "He's Stiles."
"Why did Scott run off?" Chris asked. I smirked
"Scott thought Derek was the one who bit him and killed Laura Hale. Stiles told Scott Derek drove Allison home from the party and Scott took off to protect her." Chris pursed his lips. "You should have seen the amount of times that boy transformed and ended up looking for Allison, just to make sure she was okay. And every time, he regained his humanity back. He never once laid a claw on her." I smiled
"Allison was his anchor. She kept him human."
Stiles leaned on the medical table as Lydia stood opposite Allison and Isaac leaned against the wall behind Stiles. Deaton walked towards them.
"It has to be on a telluric current, or maybe even at the axis of two or where they all intersect. I just know it's where Derek took Paige to die." Stiles admitted
"My dad and Gerard were there once. But Gerard said it was years ago, and he couldn't remember where it was. And my dad obviously isn't here to tell us now." she muttered
"Yeah, mine either." Stiles muttered
"Then how do we find this place?" Isaac asked
"There might be a way. But it's dangerous." Deaton admitted "We're gonna need Scott."
"Do any of you know how we're gonna get out?" Mom wondered casually
"Scott, Stiles and Allison wont give up." I assured "And I'm sure Deaton has something they can do, if they've figured out we're at the nemeton then all they need to do is find it."
"And if they can't?" Sheriff asked. I raised my arms
"Then I seriously need to try harder at breaking these." I said looking at the cuffs ad chains.
"How'd you guys find out?" Scott asked as he walked towards Deaton and Stiles
"Lydia." Stiles answered "You?"
"Morrell." Scott confessed looking at them both. "None of the other alphas know where it is either."
"So if this works, are you gonna tell them?" Stiles wondered
"I can't stop Jennifer without them." Scott nodded
"How about we concentrate on finding your parents first?" Deaton decided
"What's the plan?" Scott wondered
"Essentially, you, Allison, and Stiles need to be surrogate sacrifices for your parents." Deaton admitted. Scott turned and looked at Stiles surprised
"We die for them?" he asked
"But he can bring us back." Stiles assured, he then turned to Deaton. "You can— you can bring us back, right?"
"You remember the part where I said it was dangerous?" Deaton asked and Stiles sighed "If it goes right, the three of you will be dead for a few seconds, but there's something else you need to think about." Deaton admitted "This is a dangerous thing for more reasons than one. You'll be giving power back to the Nemeton, a place that hasn't had power for a long time." Scott sighed "This kind of power is like a magnet. It attracts the supernatural, the kind of things that a family like the Argents can fill the pages of a bestiary with. It will draw them here, like a beacon."
"Doesn't sound any worse than anything we've already seen." Stiles said confidently
"You'd be surprised at what you have yet to see." Deaton admitted, causing Scott to look seriously at him.
"Is that it?" Scott wondered
"No." Deaton admitted "It'll also have an effect on the three of you. You won't be able to see it, but you'll feel it every day for the rest of your lives. It'll be a kind of a… darkness around your heart, and permanent, like a scar." Deaton explained
"Like a tattoo." Scott whispered.
Chris began to bring something shiny from out of his sleeve. Sheriff turned as he stopped wriggling to take a look at it.
"What is that?" Mom asked
"Ultrasonic emitter a smaller version of what we use to corral werewolves." I groaned and the two looked at me "Only they hear it. Most of the time we use it to push them away. Let's see if it works to attract them." Chris pushed the button and I clapped my hands over my ears, the chains clanging. Mom and the sheriff looked at me confused as they listened, Chris glancing at the roof.
"Oh my eardrums are gonna be dead." I muttered slightly annoyed.
Cora chocked and coughed in her sleep as Derek sat on the edge of the bed, Peter pacing behind him.
"It's gotta be now. I don't have a choice." Derek believed
"You always have a choice. It's whether or not you can live with the consequences— facing Kali as a beta." Peter corrected
"But it's not just a full moon coming. It's a lunar eclipse. We'll all be powerless." Derek reminded him.
Ice went into water with the herbs as three baths were filled. Lydia and Isaac were helping Deaton set it up as Scott, Allison and Stiles walked in.
"All right." Deaton sighed "What did you bring?" he wondered
"Um, I got my dad's badge." Stiles held it up "Jennifer kind of crushed it in her hand, so I tried hammering it out a bit. Still doesn't look great." he muttered
"Well, it doesn't need to look good if it has meaning." Deaton assured. Allison held a silver bullet between her fingers, looking at the Argent family crest on it.
"Is that an actual silver bullet?" Isaac questioned
"My dad made it." Allison admitted "It's kind of a ceremonial thing. When one of us finishes learning all the skills to be a hunter, we forge a silver bullet as a testament to the code." she held it tightly in her hand.
"Scott?" Deaton asked, Scott held his mother's watch in his hand, running his thumb over the face.
"My dad got my mom this watch when she first got hired at the hospital." he confessed "She used to say it was the only thing in their marriage that ever worked."
"Okay, the three of you will get in. Each of us will hold you down until you're essentially— Well, dead." Deaton explained "But it's not just someone to hold you under. It needs to be someone who can pull you back, someone that has a strong connection to you, a kind of emotional tether." Lydia and Allison shared a smile immediately and Lydia turned to walk over to her.
"Lydia— You go with Stiles." Deaton decided. Allison and Lydia shared a look before Lydia looked at Stiles. He immediately looked guilty.
She smiled at him.
Allison looked at Scott
"Are you sure? I mean, Scott and I both have to go under." Allison admitted. Deaton looked at her as Lydia looked at Stiles.
Allison's gaze flickered from Scott to Isaac.
"It's okay." Scott assured. Stiles looked between the two as Scott moved over to one of the baths.
The three approached the cold water, the objects in their hands and Allison took the first step to get in.
She let out sigh at the cold touch and Stiles turned to Lydia. She gave him a reassuring look and he nodded, turning to the water. Scott and Stiles both stepped in and sat down with Allison, their bodies being completely covered.
Stiles turned to Scott and took a deep breath as they shivered.
"By the way, if I don't make it back and you do, you should probably know something." Stiles muttered "Your dad's in town." he admitted. Scott turned from Stiles gasping.
The FBI agent sat in Scott's room on his bed, he picked up an open book, 'The tale of Two Cities', and looked around guiltily, his eyes watering.
Derek smoothed Cora's forehead as she gasped and he took her hand in both of his own. Peter stood watching as Cora turned, just seeing Derek through her eyes.
The black lines began to travel up both Derek's arms. He began to pant seriously and ground his teeth in pain, his eyes scrunched shut.
Cora jumped and her eyes opened as she looked at Derek shocked.
Derek raised his head and shouted, it coming out as a growl as his fangs bared to the celling from the pain. His eyes glowed red and Cora gasped as Peter watched shocked.
As Derek shouted, the red from his eyes vanished and they returned to their original blue.
Stiles and Scott shared a look before Allison turned to them both. They're looks were worried as they shivered and Deaton rolled up his sleeves, standing behind Scott. Lydia and Isaac following his moves.
Each placed their hands on the three's shoulders and Scott nodded.
Allison, Stiles and Scott all took a deep breath before they were forced under the icy cold, medicinal waters. They eyes closed and they were still, both Lydia and Isaac looked at Deaton before Scott's eyes snapped open and glowed bright yellow.