I AM SO SORRY! I got really busy... and then I didn't know what to write... then I got busy again... I think it's terrible, tell me if it is terrible! I am sorry.
"This is the place?" Chris Argent asked grimly to the two teens at his side. "That's what we've established." Allison nodded with an unusual tenderness. "We've pin pointed it to these three buildings." Stiles added with a failed attempt at hiding a yawn. It had been three days, a whole lot of sifting through the 4.2 square miles of Beacon Hills and a large amount of coffee consumption that did not come from Jo's cafe. Stiles was bitter and it showed terribly to the people around him. He hadn't talked to Scott or Lydia in those three days about anything that didn't have to do with finding Jackson Whittemore. He knew he had to fix things, mainly with Scott, and having Allison as his only source of true communication wasn't helping his case. The three humans knew what was going to happen. It was going to be dangerous and Stiles didn't think that the Argent duo wanted to be there anymore than he did. As the hunters and Stiles walked away from the abandoned warehouse district on the far edge of Beacon Hills, Chris Argent ruffled through his pockets and tapped his thumb twice on a modulator that was specially designed to throw off a werwolf's hearing, so their conversation would not be heard. Stiles wanted one, and was in awe over everything that the two had trusted him with knowing for the past few weeks. They treated him like he was family, something Stiles didn't have much of.
They walked into the thick woods, where Issac stood hovering near Stiles' jeep. He gave a thumbs up as the three entered, signaling that he could not hear their conversation. Allison smiled as Mr. Argent shook Issac's hand. Issac had been the most supportive of this truce. He respected Mr. Argent, saying that he reminded him a lot of his own father, and Allison just liked one werewolf not always giving her the third degree. Mr. Argent started typing on his cell phone. "Stiles, would you take Allison home? Issac and I need to take care of something." The two teens furrowed their brows, an almost exact expression crossed both their faces. Issac laughed and Mr. Argent rolled his eyes. "You two are spending too much time together." He insisted, but didn't mean it harshly. Allison knew her father was thrilled that she had at least one friend who wasn't supernatural in any way. "We're going to see Dr. Deaton. I'll explain later." Allison nodded at her father and hopped into Stiles passenger side, the boy followed watching the two leave. It was an unusual friendship, Issac and Mr. Argent. One a werewolf, one a werewolf hunter, though that had been the common theme around Beacon Hills. Unlikely people working together, becoming friends, forming a bond. Allison shook her head while fastening her seat belt. "My dad really likes him." Stiles laughed. "Never would have thought." Allison nodded in agreement.
"So are we going to talk about the other night?" She asked as they drove back into the core of town. "What do you mean?" Stiles played coy. Allison sighed. "Lydia was over your house?" Stiles licked his lips. "Yeah. She had a fight with Jackson and was crying to me about it. No big deal." Allison smiled at her friend. "What aren't you telling me, Stiles?" Stiles eyed her while turning onto Jefferson Street. "She kissed me." He nearly whispered. Allison wasn't sure if she heard Stiles correctly. It was hard to hear anything sometimes over the roar of his engine. But the sheepish look on his face confirmed her thoughts. "She kissed you? Stiles, that's amazing!" Allison beamed. He didn't look as impressed. "What?" She frowned immediately. "She loves Jackson, Allison. She's always going to love Jackson and I'm always going to be that stupid kid that obsesses over her. All she cares about is saving him and I don't know how much more I can take. I should have just slammed the door in her face that night." He stated honestly. She could hear the earnest, raw pain in his voice. He was hurting. Badly. "Also, Erica told Scott that we were holding hands the other day and now he hates me." Stiles let his head fall back on the seat. "And to top it all off, I have to go help save my arch enemy, again. Just so I can watch Lydia run back into his slimy arms and forget all about her laps of judgment in kissing me. Everything is going to just go back to how it was and I'm going to be right back at square one." He was breathing heavily, Allison wasn't sure if it was just his anger or if he was having one of those panic attacks Scott had told her about. Stiles had too much pride in showing his weakness, even to her, and right now she was too worried about him to think of his damn pride. He threw the clutch into park, she was amazed what Stiles could do under pressure, even drive a car so successfully. Gently, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Stiles." She whispered. "Listen to me.." She demanded. He didn't raise his head, but he sniffed back a sob she knew was on the brim of his breath and he grunted for her to continue.
"Lydia is a lot of things, but if I know my best friend, then there isn't a doubt in my mind that what happened in your room was mutual, Stiles. Okay? You are way too smart to let anything happen that wasn't meant to. Your feelings aside." Stiles smiled at Allison. "Okay." He mumbled after a long breath. "But, can you hardly consider Lydia your best friend, since you two haven't spoken more than a sentence to each other all summer?" Allison looked at Stiles innocently. Her doe eyes in full affect. "Oh, when I said I know my best friend? I was talking about you." Stiles laughed, a tight throaty sound that came from the deepest crevice of his heart. It was an appreciative sound, and he was overwhelmed with what a few simple words could do to him. "Thank you." He mouthed at her, looking deep into her eyes. She grabbed his hand off the console and kissed the middle of his knuckles. It was more of a maternal expression than anything romantic, as anyone who walked passed his jeep would be quick to assume. It was warm and kind and just like Allison was always meant to be. She brought him out of a panic attack whether she knew it or not, and he was grateful, words really weren't important in translating it to her. "Now." She sighed, lacing her fingers with his and leaning back comfortably on his seat. "Please drive me home." "What are you talking about? We're-" Stiles looked out his window and the stale coffee in his stomach churned over, solidifying itself, making it hard for Stiles to breathe. "Ohmygod!" He muttered to himself, mortified. Allison tried not to laugh. The pair was outside Lydia Martin's house. Stiles had drove all the way there without even realizing. It was not something he was proud of. He let go of Allison's hand and glared at her. "Shut up." He mumbled while quickly driving away from this scene.
Lydia was at the Hale house, in fact, she barley left in the three days that it took them to find Jackson's whereabouts. Derek was slightly annoyed, but she was a huge help, her brains and wits were a match to Stiles', something the pack had been missing in those short summer months. She was probably smarter than Stiles, but Derek wouldn't admit that, not to her anyways. She was a pain in the ass. Erica wasn't pleased with her taking up residence either. She could smell it, Stiles all over her, and it had nothing to do with being territorial, as Lydia so tactlessly pointed out. It had Body and Derek snickering but it had nothing to do with that. Lydia was bad news. She claimed to love Jackson, god knows why, and then goes behind his back at the first sign of insubordination to Stiles. Lydia knew how much Stiles cared about her, everyone knew how much Stiles cared. It wasn't fair of her, Erica thought, her icy brown glare boring into Lydia the whole while she was there, intruding on their place.
What Erica didn't know was that Lydia agreed with everything the blonde werwolf was thinking, and was kicking herself for just how insensitive she was. She went to Stiles on the fourth of July because he was the only person she could think of trusting as willingly as she did. She felt safe and wanted and genuine with him. But she ruined it. She heard Scott and Erica talking about Stiles and Allison the day before. How they hold hands and grab coffee together. That they train together. That was who the red head at the coffee shop meant what she asked if Stiles had another girlfriend. She meant Allison. That did something inside Lydia, made her feel things had she had absolutely no right to feel. She screwed with Stiles and his sweet, innocent emotions and she felt like a monster for it.
But all she could think about was Jackson right now. He deserved as much, didn't he? She loved him, she was always going to. Your first love never dies, and all that Nicholas Sparks junk. Sure it was a screwed up relationship, doomed from the start. The second time around was no different, and she was done with Jackson. She just needed to find him and tell him that. Just because she didn't want to be in a relationship with him any longer didn't mean that she wanted to leave him with a sadistic pack of alphas who wanted to control him and everyone he loves, or well, tolerates. They, all of them, couldn't understand that. Not even Stiles, who always understood her, no matter what.
She kept thinking abut that kiss, it wasn't the sweetness or his lack of experience. She knew she was his first, and Lydia resented that she couldn't give him the same satisfaction. It was intensity of Stiles and his kisses that got to her the most, that surprised her and swept her off her feet. It had been so long since anyone had the power to take her completely off guard, and Lydia had been secretly pleased that Stiles was the deviance in her life. He had always spoke of feeling these things for her, but finally having him prove it, it left her breathless. She never wanted to go back to an impassive kiss again. She didn't think that Stiles could ever kiss her, kiss any girl, without emotion and passion and true, blissful feeling. It was what made him special, and what made her yearn for him at this moment. She would give back every kiss she had ever had, with any guy, just to have Stiles' lips on hers again, just so he could stand there, engulf her with that serenity and protection, and kiss her until she was seeing stars.
Lydia blinked. Trying to control her heart, her breathing. She was surrounded by people with the annoying ability to pick up on anything that wasn't mute normality, and the images in her mind of Stiles right now were anything but normal. "Lydia, Stiles is outside and needs to speak with you." It was like a gift from heaven. She nodded at Boyd, a little flushed and let herself out, greedy for the fresh air. Stiles was leaning against the hood of his jeep, which he had driven all the way to the porch. He looked at ease, tired but content. Like something terrible wasn't happening. Like they all weren't about to walk right into the line of fire. Maybe to him it wasn't such a terrible situation. She sighed, trying not to get angry at something she wasn't even sure of. She carefully climbed down the steps and landed right in front of a much taller Stiles. She had to blink, size him up. He looked a lot stronger and bigger than the other day. She was slightly aware that she was not in her usual heels, but Stiles being so much larger than her at the moment was kind of comforting to her, maybe he wouldn't be in danger, that he wouldn't get hurt, like her overly creative mind had imagined for hours now.. "Hi, uh, Boyd said you needed me?" She muttered, awkwardly. All she could think about was the kiss they shared and how hurt he was when he thought she forgot about it. But she could never forget about something like that.
Stiles had no idea what he was doing in front of Lydia Martin right now. As soon as he dropped Allison off at her actual home he jetted to the woods. He knew she was there, Issac had told him on the way to the factories that morning that she barely left the premises. He was comforted in knowing that she was safe in a decrepit house full of werwolves. Odd as it sounded. And he was equally comforted in knowing that Peter Hale kept his promise and was far from Beacon Hills. But standing in front of Lydia now made him very much aware of how alone and how close they were. He couldn't stop staring at her lips. Not that he hadn't stared at them for the past eight years, but now they weren't just a fantasy, they had been on his, he had felt first hand just how soft and dominant they were. He had to stay strong. He cleared his throat and gave her a pointed look. "We need to talk about a few things." He found himself saying, though he had no idea what was going to come out of his mouth if she agreed. What could he say?
'I thought you liked me?'
'Am I a bad kisser?'
'Are you always going to love Jackson?'
This shouldn't have been awkward. But it was. Lydia nodded at Stiles and the two walked into the thick forest. Their hands brushed twice and Stiles gave up his avail and grabbed her soft hand on the third time around. Lydia smiled and squeezed it tightly. "Look, I know you are probably really confused, but I honestly didn't mean to hurt you." She began, stopping in a rather shady area and faced him. Stiles looked down at her, not sure what she was going to say, not sure if she was about to end something they never started. "Jackson is always going to be important to me Stiles, I think I may always love him." Stiles looked away. "But-" She quickly grabbed his face with the hand not already folded inside his. "But I don't want to pretend that I don't have feelings for you. This whole summer I have been ignoring what's been right in front of me. All the times I wanted to call you, how hard I tried to get you to spend time with me. It always meant more. I think we both know that." She whispered. Stiles gave a quick smile, eager to listen. "I'm going to end it with Jackson when we find him." Lydia wasn't looking at Stiles, just used both her hands to play with his fingers. "Lydia-" She looked up. "If you tell him that it's over, it might not give him a reason to stay." Stiles regretted saying it. He could tell by how green her eyes were that she was telling the truth. The honesty warmed him in placed that coffee and kind words from Allison couldn't. It was in those dark crevices of Stiles' mind that he knew only Lydia Martin could alter. She would always be the one to scorch his heart, like the whiskey from his father's liquor cabinet. "You don't want to try and be with me?" She mumbled flatly, her eyes narrowing in a challenging way. "No- I'I mean yes. God yes." Stiles quickly stuttered, leaning down and cupping her face in his hands. They were eyes to eye. "I just want everything to work out first. I want to know my dad's going to be safe and a pack of crazy werewolves aren't going to turn Beacon Hills into a remake of The Village. You are the only thing that seems to get to Jackson, and I'm not going to be selfish." Lydia frowned. "Okay." She whispered. "But where does that leave us?" She wondered, that same fire in her eyes from three nights ago. Stiles smiled at her, leaning in and brushing his lips gently across hers. It was so chaste, so innocent and light that Lydia couldn't help but wrap her arms around his neck and sigh. He was so different than Jackson, so different than any other boy.
She knew that he was giving her an out, that he was trying to tell her it was okay if this was just a lapse of her very strong judgment, the kiss was both a goodbye and a promise. He didn't let himself fully believe her when she said she wanted him. He couldn't believer her, and she couldn't blame him for that. She messed up far too many times with this boy who was wrapping his arms around her in that intense way that made her heart flutter. She had her mind set on breaking up with Jackson, Stiles telling her that he couldn't be selfish about his feelings just added to that fire. He was so unlike Jackson, in so many wonderful ways and she was still surprised with how much it surprised her, after knowing all that she knew about him. Jackson wouldn't hesitate to make her break up with Stiles if this was reversed. The thought wouldn't leave her mind.
"I just need you to do one thing for me." Stiles mumbled, breaking away from the hug to see her face clearly. She was radiant, filled with a purpose that she hadn't had for some time. The sun was streaming through the thick branches and made her hair sparkle like amber. "What is it?" She asked, rubbing her pink lips together. Stiles sighed. He knew she was going to protest, but he at least had to get it out there. "Would you maybe stay back, wait for us to get Jackson and then talk some sense into him." Lydia tilted her head to the side, letting his name fall off her lips in a tired way. "I don't want you to be there. I don't want to worry that you're going to get hurt." Lydia smiled. "It's sort of defeating the purpose if I don't go." Stiles groaned. "Yeah, I know. But I just want you to be safe." Lydia could see how serious, how hard Stiles was fighting to not just drag her back to his jeep and run away from this place. Part of Lydia wanted him to do just that. She licked her lips. "I'll think about it." Stiles narrowed his eyes. "That's a no." Lydia smiled and grabbed his hand. "We have a lot to worry about, okay. Please, don't keep insisting that I'm at the top of that list. I am more than capable of taking care of myself." Stiles grumbled as she pulled him out of the forest and back into the clearing. Scott was coming up the man made path, his backpack slung across his shoulder. Stiles forgot that he was still in summer school. The real world a distant memory. "Having a quickie in the woods?" Scott glared. "Shocked it isn't my girlfriend." He glowered before going up the steps and slamming the door shut behind him. The two heard Derek yell at Scott to be careful with the house, or something along the endangering property lines, but everything was fading away as Lydia turned to Stiles. "Allison?" Stiles shook his head. "She's just my friend, Scott and everyone else can't seem to accept that." Lydia smiled awkwardly. She heard the stories, but she knew how Stiles felt about her. "I believe you." She shrugged, then added "If it helps." Stiles smiled down at her. "It does."
Stiles didn't want to think about how much of a downwards spiral his life had turned into as of late. He was in love with a girl that was doing everything in her power to save her boyfriend, while promising that she wanted to be with him. Could Stiles handle something like that? Having feeling for Lydia Martin had always been somewhat second nature for him, but being with her, loving her, the way she deserved, that was a pressure that Stiles Stilinski wasn't so confident he could surpass. A girl like Lydia deserved someone amazing, someone who could listen to her, and put up with her scattered behavior, sardonic mood swings. She needed someone who appreciated her, treated her like a princess, not a kid who drove a beat up jeep and has to drink decaffeinated coffee because he twitched too much. Stiles couldn't believe that this was happening. That he more or less wore Lydia Martin down until she had no other choice but to give him a chance. He had been going about this ten year plan all wrong, it had nothing to do with showering her with affection and elaborate, over the top birthday gifts; it had all to do with ignoring the girl of your dreams until it makes her angry enough to do something about it. The only thing Stiles knew now was that he knew absolutely nothing about girls.
He also hated the way Scott was so callous and cynical towards him. All the back and forth anguish and jealousy left Stiles' head spinning. He hated that things were so unsecured between them, like the knots in their solid friendship loosened and Stiles was desperately attempting to tie it back up before it was deemed beyond repair. He couldn't let their friendship suffer over a girl, especially a girl that Stiles had absolutely no feelings for. It was one thing when Stiles was upset that Scott kissed Lydia, that was simple. Stiles liked Lydia, Scott knew that. This was completely different, and Scott was being unreasonable. All the worry he had over his own life seemed to vanish more and more as the sun disappeared outside Stiles' window. It was becoming very real what was about to happen. Stiles was about to go risk his life, break into an abandoned warehouse with a bunch of werewolves, without having a clue about how these alphas operated, why they were doing what they were doing, and what it would take to stop them. They were unprepared and it didn't seem to matter to anyone but Stiles.
The moon was high in the sky, the crickets were chirping their signature song. The hot wind was whipping around the woods, shaking the trees that seemed to increase the darkness. The abandoned factories didn't have lights. Not after the fire that shut down their operation over twenty years ago, Beacon Hills sort of forgot the place even existed. Which made it a perfect makeshift home for a rabid pack of alphas. Two cars drove onto the scene slowly, making sure not to make a lot of noise until Mr. Argent had a chance to turn on the modulator.
Once he did, Stiles climbed out of his jeep fiddling with a wolfs bane soaked knife. He was trying hard to latch it into the cuff on his wrist but his hand was shaking too hard. "For the love of God, Stiles!" Scott muttered exasperated while shutting the passenger side door to the jeep. He secured it on his best friends wrist swiftly. The two looked at each other, there was fear in Scott's eyes, but there was more jet black determination. That comforted Stiles, that Scott's mind was on the game, not on other things. "Look, man-" Stiles started solemnly. "We really need to talk." Scott nodded. "I know, just-" "Not now." Stiles finished with a quick smile. Scott clapped Stiles on the shoulder roughly. "I don't care what's going on with the two of you." Scott's eyes darted to Allison who was in quietly conversing with her father. "I just need you to promise me that you'll protect her, no matter what." Stiles smiled at Scott. "Of course I would. But I gotta tell ya, she'll probably be the one protecting the both of us." Scott laughed, looking at the dark ground. "I hope so."
"Everyone understand the plan?" Derek asked coolly. He received nods and a few grunts. "Our goal is to get Jackson and get out, at any cost." The group looked at each other, Stiles could see everyone's skepticism now, they were all unsure, do they believe everything Peter Hale said? Do they try and save Jackson, save their home? Or do they go back to the house and pray for the best. Stiles wasn't sure what he wanted anymore. He wasn't sure what was right. "These are powerful werewolves we are dealing with, they are all force, we need to be smarter than that." Derek looked at Chris Argent with a nod and he cleared his throat. "As of right now we are sure that there are five of them. They are relying on their brawn, not their brains. We have both, so we need to use it to our advantage. I have lined the perimeter with mountain ash. From here on out, we're in this together." Stiles looked at Allison, both realizing why her father went to Deaton. "The alphas cannot leave either, so we have no choice but to overpower them." Mr. Argent took out the sound modulator from his pocket. "They cannot hear us coming, that will be an advantage. But do not take that as their weakness. They can think fast on their feet. They want Jackson to join them, we need to keep him from doing just that." Derek signaled for someone to come into the circle that the wolves and hunters were crowded in. Lydia emerged from behind a very tall and dark Derek Hale. Stiles felt a panic in his chest. She wasn't supposed to be here.
"Lydia!" Stiles spat. "You weren't supposed to come!" Lydia looked down. "I'm sorry, Stiles." "Stiles, she needs to be here." Derek's voice was unusually soft. "She is immune, a bite won't even hurt her." "Yeah, but no one is immune to death, Derek." Stiles glared, squeezing his fists, though they both knew he wouldn't be using them. Lydia sighed and walked over to him. "I need to do this, you can't keep trying to protect me." Her voice was soft, though it didn't make much of a difference, considering the company they kept. "Yeah I can." Stiles nodded. "It's not a challenge, Stiles, it's a fact. I want to be here. I'm just as much a part of this as anyone. I can help." Stiles was immediately dragged back to his room, the night Jackson died, the night Lydia finally came to him for comfort, for help. This was the same situation, just different scenery. They would always be fighting over Jackson and his worth to the both of them. Stiles sighed and ran a hand through his cropped hair. "I hope you're right, Lydia." Stiles walked away then, angry.
Derek seemed pleased enough as Stiles relinquished his fight, and carefully eyed his betas. His jaw set in a look that spoke volumes of seriousness. "Issac, Boyd. You two go listen for any disturbance in the far building, Erica, you and Scott will censor the middle. I will take the last one, if you hear anything, a voice, a crash, anything, give the signal. Chris is going to turn off the modulator. No one, make a sound. You got me?" Threatening Derek was back. The wolves went to their places, leaving Stiles, Allison, Lydia and Mr. Argent alone. Mr. Argent gave a quick signal with his flashlight and clicked twice on the button. The werewolves were careful, listening for anything out of the ordinary. Erica grabbed onto Scott's arm, he nodded, they heard something. Quickly, Erica gave a flash of her own small flashlight and Mr. Argent immediately turned the mute back on. Everyone rushed to the center building. "This is it?" Derek grunted and Erica nodded. "I could hear Jackson." She whispered. The group all took a breath. Ready to encounter something new, something they never have done before. No one knew what they were getting into.
Derek opened the large metal front door and the group scrambled inside. It was dark and oddly cold within the factory, despite the thick July air outside. They raced up the stairs, circling until they found several doors, Boyd was paying close attention, he had developed an odd attribute for heartbeats, being able to hear one from a farther than normal distance. He sensed a faint sound coming from the very end of the hall. The double doors were large, at least twelve feet from the floor to ceiling and were the same cold, dusty metal that the group met at the front door. Derek and Chris pulled the doors open, and the group was faced then, with a very spacious, very high beamed ceiling room. In the center, Jackson sat with a dark figure. The two were hovered close together, but with the force of the open door, he jumped from the thin couch. He was actually smiling when he caught sight of the pack. "Jackson!" Lydia yelped, stepping in front of Derek. "Lydia!" Jackson gave a very breathy, astonished call back. Stiles tried not to roll his eyes.
Jackson moved to stand at the side of the alpha with him. He had a face that was hard to mistake for someone else. He was tall, skinny but with unquestionable muscle mass beneath the dark clothing. He was smiling, bright teeth radiating his already pale face. His hands were placed behind his back, attempting to seem casual and aloof, though the danger looming in his coal eyes couldn't be ignored. He had dark hair that was cut short above his ears, but with the minimal light coming from some stray lamps, you could see the fine hairs had a copper tint . "So this is Jackson's family." The soft voice didn't fit the person. He was cautious, with some suppressed angry just simmering beneath his surface. It seemed effortless to control, but you could still tell that it was there. He smiled at the group. "Jackson and I were just getting to know each other a little better." The man bellowed. "I am Daniel." He gave a quick tilt of his head.
He didn't seem evil. Stiles declared to himself. He was trying to mask the twitch in his right leg while swallowing back his fear and frustration. It reminded Stiles a lot of the feeling you experience when you are going up the tracks of a roller coaster. You know what's coming, and you are preparing, but it won't come soon enough. "Derek Hale." The alpha nodded. You could see the similarities, both were strong, quiet types. Having all this power and strength within them and doing a very careful job of keeping it concealed. "I know who you are." Daniel's voice was a little threatening. "I suppose you've come to collect Jackson." "You've supposed right." Lydia answered, stepping even closer to the opposite alpha, anger to her tone. "And who is this?" Daniel asked, as if he was talking to a child. "Jackson's little girlfriend?" Lydia stood her ground as Daniel circled her. "Pretty." He turned back to Jackson, "very pretty." He mumbled approvingly. Stiles clenched his fists. He didn't like the way this guy was staring at her. "I'm afraid Jackson and I have more to discuss, he isn't leaving." Daniel was firm, turning his back on the group, dismissing them.
Derek muffled a sound that no one in the room could quite place, his green eyes darkened, and his jaw clenched tightly. "I think, he's coming with me." Derek's voice was low and mild, it was scratching at irritable, but the alpha was good at keeping his feelings deluded at times of need. "That is up to Jackson to decide." Daniel concluded, his soft voice was breezy and still not at all concerned with the hostility that Derek's pack was causing. Stiles wanted that, to be so confident and capable that he wouldn't sweat in this kind of situation, like he was sweating now.
"Jackson?" Lydia mumbled. She saw it before anyone else did, he wasn't going to leave. But she needed to try. There was no explanation that would satisfy her at this moment for him to stay here, with this man. "Jackson, come on, let's go home." She reached out her hand, it trembled only once, and walked even closer to the two. Stiles immediately stepped forward but Erica's arm was at his shoulder, immobilizing him in an instant. He gave her a pained look, but she ignored it with a fiery one. Silencing his thoughts. "I can't leave." Jackson sighed, looking away from Lydia, down at the floor. "What?" She scoffed. "You can't leave? What did he do? Who did he threaten?" Lydia glared at Daniel, accusingly, his poker face could win him millions. Jackson moved to Lydia, letting his hands rub circles on the base of her elbows. "I need to stay here, he knows things about me, about my parents, Lydia, my real parents. I have to-" He stopped, choking up. Lydia knew that this was the only thing that Jackson had wanted, the only thing of importance to him. Her heart wanted to stay here with him, but she knew that they both needed to go. "Come with me, okay, we don't need him, I'll help you find out anything you want to know about them, but you can't stay here. Okay? Jackson, they're dangerous."
A cackle came from behind the couple, who was too deep in thought to realize that they had even more company. Lydia turned quickly, her hair tossing behind her, hitting Jackson's chest. Her eyes widened, seeing a familiar figure with their hand around Stiles' throat. The sixteen year old gasped, seeing the fear and shock in Stiles' eyes. "I thought you liked this one?" The voice asked, mockingly, the hold on Stiles' neck tightened. "Oh my god." Allison whispered, stepping closer to her father. "Jo, that is no way to treat our guests." Daniel smirked, he still looked relaxed and poised. Jo, the woman that Stiles and Allison came to care about, slowly removed her long fingers from the boy's pale neck, the ugly red imprint of her hand wouldn't wipe away, no matter how many times Stiles rubbed at it, while coughing. Allison moved to him, her hand falling into his. Jo smiled and walked to the middle of the room, to stand at Daniel's side. "You're one of them?" Allison asked, feeling very much betrayed. Jo wiggled her blood red fingers with an innocent smile to her matching lips. "Guilty."
Allison lunged for her then, feeling helpless and angry, and everything that she swore she'd never feel. It wasn't like Allison confided in Jo or told her secrets, but it was the fact that she was a warm friendly face, in a cafe designated for werewolf free discussions, and normal coffee. She was part of that balance that Allison had, whether she had just realized it or not, and Jo took that all away from her, now that she was reviled to be one of them. A werewolf, an enemy, a monster. Scott stepped in front of her, before she could make her way to the other side of the room. She crashed into his powerful chest and couldn't even relish in the feeling of being this close to him again. She looked up into his eyes, he could see her hurt. He nodded at her while caressing the side of her face subtly. She calmed some. "Let's talk this out. Shall we?" Daniel offered, three more bodies stomped through the door, all large and cloaked in black. There was Lionel, Lydia recognized as Jackson's trainer. He was the largest and most gruff. He had a stoney look, glaring at the group. Next were twin boys, tall and lanky. They seemed amused, almost excited. Lydia stepped away, back into the group of people she knew. Jackson stayed in his place. Conflicted of where he belonged.
"You already know Jo and Lionel, they've been keeping an eye on you, so to speak." Daniel grinned, a hidden joke somewhere lost in the meaning. "They-" Daniel pointed to his side, at the dark twins, "are Felix and Franklin." One of the boys, who couldn't have been much older than the soon to be juniors nodded while the other one cracked his knuckles in a failed attempt at seeming destructive. Stiles' head was spinning. He couldn't stop imagining Jo in a brown apron, her red hair wild and free, serving him coffee and smiling genuinely. Not here, in a dark, abandoned warehouse snarling at the group like a older and more malicious version of Erica Reyes. It just didn't make sense to him. He could see Allison pale more and more by the second and no one looked incredibly determined any longer, mostly just wary and confused.
"I am in no mood to make friends, Daniel." Derek glowered. "Then what have you came for besides Jackson?" The room was still, no one moved, only eyes shifted between the two alphas. "We know about your plan to use Jackson and take over Beacon Hills." Derek stated, figuring on not dragging out the inevitable for longer than necessary. His eyes narrowed, gauging his reaction. "I have no idea what you are talking about." Daniel answered, a small, ghost of a smile remained on his lips, but his eyes seemed questionable. "No idea?" Daniel shook his head. "We are only here to insure that Jackson knows his birth right, who his family is." "We're his family." Issac spoke, his voice strong. "Yes," Daniel drawled, his eyes landing on Derek with an usual excitement. "But, to have a Hale in the family insures you a lifetime of disappointment and danger." There was a growl and then, before everyone's eyes, Derek lunged through the air, hitting Daniel, the head alpha, in the chest. The two toppled over, signaling the beginning of a fight. Werewolves charged at each other.
Stiles blinked, surprised with just how quickly things happened. He caught sight of Lydia, running towards Jackson who was hiding in a corner. Stiles rolled his eyes and grabbed her arm, yanking her towards him. She slammed against him, her eyes squeezed shut. "What the hell are you doing?" Stiles yelled over the sounds around them. "I need to see if Jackson's alright." "Lydia, he's fine. Get the hell out of here! Now!" Lydia looked up at Stiles, his eyes were cold and his full, soft lips were set in a grim line. She knew he was right, that she had nothing to protect herself, and probably should go wait near the car, or in the woods; but she couldn't just leave Jackson there, scared for his life. She made her decision, and she knew Stiles was going to hate her for it. "I'm sorry, but no." She yelled, pushing away from him and running to where she had last seen Jackson. Stiles groaned. "Lyd-" He was knocked to the ground before he could finish calling her name. He blinked rapidly while moaning. The wood floor was hard and dirty. As his vision centered he saw one of the twin wolves hunched over him. "Felix?" He muttered. Not that it mattered, he really didn't care who the hell was about to kill him. "Franklin." The amused grin vanished momentarily as he deadpanned. "Oh, obviously." Stiles spat, rolling his eyes and regretting it. A sharp pain seized his brain. His heartbeat puttered rapidly through his eyes. "Why would a human come here?" The boy asked thoughtfully. "I mean those girls, they seem like they can do some damage, but you-" Franklin chuckled. Stiles really didn't feel like begin teased. He tried to look around, see who was where, if everyone was okay, but he could only make out dark jeans and boots. He rolled his eyes again at the urge by Derek to dress accordingly and tried to sit up. Franklin seemed puzzled that Stiles wasn't even listening to him. The lanky werewolf went to push Stiles back down, and without even thinking, Stiles grabbed the arm, and shoved him to the ground, in one fluid motion. Franklin staggered for a moment, shocked, before Stiles jammed one of the laced knifes into his opponents side. "I can do something, jackass." Stiles muttered and walked away, pleased and pretty surprised with himself.
"Seriously, kid, I did not peg you for the warrior princess type." Jo gripped, amusingly. Allison glared. "This is just a game to you? You were just spying on Stiles and I?" The seventeen year old walked around, matching the older alphas steps. They circled each other like boxers. "You walked into my cafe, remember? I was just trying to make you see that someone like that, is who you're meant to be with. Not someone like that Omega." Allison glared. "You don't know anything about us." Jo egged Allison on. "A wolf is meant to have a strong partner, someone who can stand alone." "You don't see me yelling for help." Allison tossed, shrugging. Jo smiled, a very catlike grin that reminded Allison a lot of Erica. "No, but you will be." With that Jo charged and Allison reacted almost immediately, using the arrow she had edged within her shirt to jam into Jo's chest, missing her heart by inches. But she meant to. "I'm an Argent, in case you forgot." Allison hissed before letting the redhead fall to the ground and walked away, receiving a high five from a very impressed Erica Reyes, who just finished knocking out Felix, the other twin with the help of Boyd.
Allison smiled, feeling good about the control she had, while adjusting her gripping glove. She looked around, Stiles was with Issac, looking at a cut on his arm, and her father was reloading his arrows, while struggling to keep up with Derek and Daniel. It is in her go around that she watches on with horror as Lionel, the larger than life werewolf came behind Scott, and slashed him with his own claws. "Scott!" Allison screamed, and it seems to echo on for eternity in that high ceiling room. Stiles' head snaps to Allison's voice, as she rushed, stammering while attempting to land an arrow into Lionel's back. But she fell to the floor besides a limp Scott before she could land a good blow at him. Her ear hit his chest, searching desperately for his heartbeat. "Oh my god, Scott!" Allison yelped, dropping her bow, with a loud echoing thud. "Oh my-" Her voice was clouded with tears, the sensation restricting even the smallest of breaths from passing. "No, no. Please stay with me." She begging to Scott's unmoving body. "Allison!" She heard her name, and looked up through glassy eyes at Stiles who threw her his car keys. She licked her lips and nodded at him. They knew what this could mean, her breaking the circle to rescue Scott could have this whole plan fail, the alphas could get away. But this was Scott and they would do anything for him. Allison struggled a bit, but managed to drag Scott out of the room. Stiles closed his eyes, prayed for his best friend to be okay.
Daniel stopped fighting once he saw Allison leave with Scott. A human and a wolf. Something inside of him snapped and he effortlessly dodged Derek, grabbing the alpha by the back of his neck and pinning him roughly to the ground. He growled a loud "Enough!" Shaking the beams on the ceiling, dust fell in a drizzle from the high rafters, and everyone in the room silenced their motions as if Daniel's command was law. The head alpha was breathing heavily, wiping some blood from his mouth and paced the room. "Look at what has been done, because of a Hale." He spat with much venom to his soft voiced words. Derek rose to a sitting position, weak and still very angry. "I am protecting my home-" "You have tainted information." Daniel glared. "Shit." Stiles muttered. "What?" Derek glared. "You weren't' the Hale he was talking about." Stiles let his head roll back with a groan. Lydia and Jackson came out of the small hiding spot they had found. "Peter? This is all Peter's fault?" Lydia asked, standing beside Stiles. "Isn't it always?" Erica hissed, crossing her arms.
Derek took several small breaths, looking up at Daniel. "So you do not want to take over Beacon Hills?" "No." Jo answered, gingerly holding her side, a dark circle of blood pooled into the fibers of her white shirt. "But you could." Boyd questioned. "Of course we could." Franklin scoffed, letting his still weak brother lean against him. "We only wanted to bring Jackson into our pack because it was what his mother wanted." Daniel tried to reason. "We were going to try and do this rationally, but he was never left alone. We never wanted to cause any harm." Derek squeezed the bridge of his nose. "Where is Peter Hale now?" Lionel asked, his deep voice like a cloud of dark smoke. "Gone." Issac muttered. "Figured as much." Daniel smiled, oddly. "But as I said before, this is Jackson's decision. Everyone looked at Jackson.
He grabbed onto Lydia's hand, moving her away from the others. Lydia was already crying, Jackson hated when she cried. He knew she had done it for half of the school year. That he was the cause of so many tears, but he had a chance to make this all right. "Lydia-" "I know, Jackson. I know." She whispered, sniffing. "What?" "You want to go with them." She looked up into his blue eyes. He nodded at her. "It wouldn't be forever!" He offered with a smile, moving some of her red hair out of her face. He twisted a piece between his fingers. Strawberry blonde. That's what Stilinski called it. Maybe he was right. He knew that Lydia was falling for him too. She wouldn't tell him, not now, but she would, eventually. Lydia could never hide her feelings for long. He sighed while bringing her into his hold. "I need to know about my parents. Maybe I'll finally know where I belong." Lydia broke away from him, glaring. "You belong here." She insisted. "No I don't." He shook his head. He turned away from her, looking at Derek and his pack, at the people that brought him in for a summer, without having much of a choice. But they were here now, and even though they believed it was for something much greater than just saving Jackson's life, he was grateful. "I'll be back." He nodded. "Can't miss junior year." "What about your parents?" Mr. Argent asked. Jackson forgot he was there. "I'll let you handle that one." He laughed. "I can never be the son they deserve without figuring out who I'm supposed to be." He turned towards the alpha pack. "They say I'm destined for greatness." "I've never doubted that." Stiles mocked, sarcastically. Jackson had to smile. If Lydia was going to be with anyone in that one horse town, he was glad that it was someone who cared so deeply for her, more than Jackson knew he ever could. But, maybe once he figured himself out, he could go back to her. He smiled. "Don't cry." He whispered at Lydia. "I love you, Jackson." "I know." He nodded. And he loved her too, he just couldn't say it. Maybe one day he could. He kissed her cheek lightly, and walked over, shaking Derek's hand. The most manly action he had ever given his alpha. Derek smirked. "Good riddance." He chuckled, though only half meant it. Jackson nodded. "Always a pleasure." He added crudely. "I'm sorry, how things happened here." Issac was the one to offer, he had always been the one that cared about others feelings more than his own. Daniel nodded.
The group left the warehouse, quietly and confused. They were leaving Jackson in the hands of powerful alphas, and they weren't sure if they would ever see him again. Lydia knew though, Jackson would come home, to where he belonged. She grabbed Stiles' hand as the two walked towards Mr. Argent's car. Stiles could see where Allison broke the line to rush Scott out of there, and asked Mr. Argent if he would drop Stiles off at Deaton's, that was where he belonged right now.
Everything else could wait until morning.