Alison was suspicious as she followed behind her father. It was late at night and he suddenly decided it was a good time for a drive; neither Argent bothered to utter a word, allowing an oppressive silence to fester in between them. Alison was so relieved to finally be free from the car that she almost missed that they were at Beacon Hills Hospital. Almost. She turned to face her father, "Dad, what is this?"

He spared her a brief glance before walking towards the lit entrance. Anxiety bubbling in her gut, Alison hesitantly trekked behind the older hunter. She walked behind him as he led her through the halls of the hospital until he stopped next to a closed door. Beside the door stood a man dressed as an EMT. Alison saw the room's label and froze. Morgue. The man nodded at her father before easily unlocking the door and walking away.

Chris calmly walked into the dimly lit room; at the threshold, Alison paused. She felt a sense of foreboding wash over her but when her father gave her an expectant look, Alison released a shaky breath and stepped into the room. Its cool air seeped unpleasantly into her skin. The door closed soundly behind her. She stared at the scene in front of her; there were two bodies displayed on metal tables, their identities hidden by white cloths. Alison's father walked to the nearest body and checked its toe tag before checking the next.

"It's this one. Shawn," Chris announced casually into the still air, walking alongside the metal table. "Shawn was killed by this thing Gerard says is a kind of shapeshifter that hasn't been around for centuries."

"The thing you shot outside the club the other night," Alison muttered before her brain caught up with her. Was she supposed to know that? She wasn't supposed to know that. Chris paused mid-sentence and gave her a scrutinizing look, "South American legend that we know of calls it the Kanima."

Alison only nodded, her eyes skittering away from her father's intense stare. Something cemented behind Chris' eyes; his jaw clenched before he pointed towards the other body. "This one?" he began. "Jessica. She was smothered to death after giving birth. The police think it was done by someone else; we think it's the person who's controlling this other shapeshifter. That means two killers, Alison: one human, one not."

Chris took a moment to observe his daughter; he was certain she knew more than she advertised. He just needed to find out exactly what it was that she knew. "You know the first question I had after Gerard told me about our family? 'Why us,'" the hunter revealed to Alison. "He quoted me Winston Churchill. "The price of greatness is responsibility.' Personally, I think it's more about knowledge. We know the truth about this world and that? That makes us responsible. For a young couple, their newborn daughter, anyone who doesn't have the power to defend themselves. Are you starting to get it?"

Fed up with the lecture, Alison gathered her courage and met her father's unwavering gaze. "I get that this isn't a lecture," she said. "It's an interrogation."

Chris smirked softly at his only child. "See, that depends on what you know," he told her. "Gerard showed me the library. The cameras didn't catch everything but do you really think a little high school fight could explain that amount of damage?"

Alison lost her resolve and looked away; by now, it was resoundingly clear that her family were no longer under any illusion that she was just some clueless girl in this situation. If they even believed it in the first place. Knowing this, it would be so easy for Alison to simply expose everything she knew and let the more seasoned hunters deal with the problem: after all, this is what her family did. They hunted what needed hunting and protected who needed protecting. However, the problem lay in the fact that her friends, her boyfriend, didn't quite fall on the right side of that line. And she promised she would help them.

"We know you're trying to protect your friends," Chris said patiently. It was easy for him to figure out the reason for her silence, but this was bigger than her. Bigger than all of them. He needed to make sure she could see that. "But people are dying, Alison. A child was orphaned. What you know makes you responsible. Make you responsible for this." He ripped the sheet off the woman's dead body, exposing her to Alison's disbelieving eyes.

At the appalling sight, Alison felt something break deep within her. She had to tell him. She wanted to say something before but she promised not to because Scott said he would handle it. But he hadn't and people are dying. People are dying and as an Argent, it was up to her to stop it from happening again. It was her duty and in the end, everything would work out better if she was a part of the plans. I'm sorry, Scott. Alison stared at her father, "What do you want to know?"

He stepped closer to Alison and grabbed her tightly by her shoulders. "Anything you know," Chris demanded softly. "Anything that can lead us to answering the one question that can change everything. Who controls the Kanima?"

Scott stood at the front desk of the clinic, waiting impatiently for Derek to show up. His soulmate. Blushing, Scott shook his head to clear away his confusing thoughts. Now wasn't the time for that. Hearing the sound of a car approaching, Scott walked over to the locked entrance. Unlocking the door, Scott looked up only to freeze. Isaac was here. Isaac Lahey, Derek's first bite. Isaac Lahey, Derek's first Beta. Competition. Scott frowned at the Alpha, "What's he doing here?"

"I need him," Derek said simply, pushing Isaac into the building before following behind him. Scott's eyes zeroed in on the brief touch before glaring at the new Werewolf, "I don't trust him."

Isaac sneered at him, "Yeah, well, he doesn't trust you either." Sighing, Derek turned around to scowl at them. "And Derek really doesn't care," he snapped. This wasn't the time for petty teenage rivalries or whatever was going on (although something flared in the back of Derek's mind at the jealous look on Scott's face). The two Betas looked away from each other, displeasure clear on their faces. "Now, where's the vet? Is he going to help us or not?"

"That depends," the doctor stated simply, appearing at the doorway. He stared the young Alpha down, "Your friend, Jackson, are we planning to kill him or save him?"

"Kill him. "Save him." Scott and Derek turned and looked at each other. Scott shot him a look that had Derek huffing but backing down. Relieved, Scott faced to his boss, "Save him."

Deaton hummed before pushing off the wall, "Follow me." Isaac immediately set after him, leaving his Alpha and Scott alone in the reception area. Derek moved to follow but Scott grabbed his hand; Derek stopped and looked at their joined hands before his eyes rose to meet Scott's. Scott's eyes darted around the room before locking with Derek's. "Can we talk after this?"

"I have Isaac," Derek said. Isaac, Scott thought heatedly. Of course. "I can drop him off and then meet you at your house." Strangely relieved Derek wasn't prioritizing Isaac over him, Scott smiled slightly, "That's fine. We just need to talk."

Nodding, Derek released Scott's hand and began walking towards the backroom, Scott following silently behind him. They found the doctor rifling through his cabinets and drawers while Isaac stood idly by the table. Derek went to stand beside his Beta, waiting for Deaton to find what he was looking for. Deaton turned around and placed a tray of jars onto the table. Isaac reached out to touch one but Derek grabbed his wrist.

Scott frowned but said nothing. He had no actual claim to Derek nor did he want one. Or do I? They really needed to talk. "Watch what you touch," Derek warned Isaac before releasing his hand. Deaton searched through the jars contemplatively, picking up and placing down jars periodically.

Isaac placed his elbows on the table, smirking at the man, "So, what are you? Some kind of witch?"

"No. I'm a veterinarian," Deaton said. He placed down the final jar, "Unfortunately, I don't see anything here that would be an effective defense against the paralytic toxin."

"What about an effective offense?" Isaac suggested. Derek shook his head, "We've already tried that. I nearly took its head off and Argent emptied an entire clip into it. The thing just gets back up."

The doctor frowned, "Has it shown any weaknesses?" When Derek told him about its ability to swim, his frown deepened. "Does that also apply for Jackson?"

"No," Scott said. "He's the captain of the swim team." Deaton paused in deliberation; he grabbed a two-sided coin and held it up to the light, "Essentially, you're trying to catch two people: a puppet and a puppeteer." He placed the coin onto the table and looked at the young Werewolves, "One killed the husband but the other had to take care of the wife. Do we know why?"

Scott shrugged, "I don't think Jackson could do it. His mother died pregnant and she was possibly murdered; I think he couldn't let the same thing happen to someone else."

"How do you know it's not part of the rules" Isaac asked, thinking about the lore. "The Kanima kills murderers but if Jackson kills the wife, then the baby dies too."

"Doesn't that mean your father was a murderer?" Scott challenged. Derek shot him a warning glance but Isaac only shrugged. "Wouldn't surprise me," he admitted nonchalantly.

"Hold on," the doctor announced, a realization dawning on him. "The book says they're bonded, right? What if the fear of water isn't coming from Jackson but the person controlling him?" Deaton grabbed a jar full of dark sand and opened it, pouring it around the coin. "What if something that affects the Kanima also affects its master?"

They all stared at the display; Isaac hummed, "Meaning what?" Scott looked up from the coin, "Meaning we can catch them…both of them."

"So," Melissa started suspiciously, digging into her take-out container. She watched her son fidget in his seat nervously again for the umpteenth time. "Is there a reason you're so jumpy?"

Scott glanced up from his lo mein, fidgeting again, "Huh? Uh, no. I mean, I'm not jumpy. I just wasn't expecting you to be home." His mom's eyes narrowed at those choice of words, "Why? Is that a problem?"

"Why would it be a problem?" Scott asked, chuckling awkwardly. It's not like I have a twenty-something year old man coming over soon to talk about some supernatural bond that makes me want to jump his bones twenty-four/seven even though his personality leaves much to be desired. Suddenly, Scott heard the low scraping sound of his window being opened. Turning to his mom, he grinned falsely, "I'm actually pretty tired and I have some homework left so I'll just head off to bed."

His mom's eyes trailed his movements as he packed up his food and placed it in the refrigerator. Scott pecked his mom on the cheek, "Love you, Mom. Night." He didn't wait for her reply as he took the steps two at a time. Quickly entering his room, Scott completely locked his door before spinning around to see Derek lying down on his bed. Scott squirmed, something rolling in his stomach at the sight. Focus, Scott. That wasn't the point of this meeting. You wanted to talk. "Uh, hey. My mom's home."

"I know," Derek responded, sitting up from his reclined position. "You wanted to talk?"

"Right," he mumbled. Scott hesitated before he moved across the room and sat on the edge of his bed, making sure to keep a healthy distance between their bodies. "I have questions. A lot of questions, actually."

"Ask away," Derek said diplomatically. Scott couldn't figure out what to ask first so he said the first thing that came to his head, "I'm not gay. I like girls."

"That's not a question," Derek deadpanned. He turned his body to face Scott's, "I like girls, too. I've never been with another guy."

"But you said your first connection was a boy," Scott said, confused. Derek looked at him blandly, "I also said I was five. I don't think I was attracted to anyone at that age."

Scott remembered always wanting to hang out with the neighbor's niece, but then again, he also felt the same way about Stiles and he definitely was attracted to him. "That makes sense. Doesn't it freak you out, then? That your so-called soulmate is a guy?"

"A complete no would be a lie but a yes would also be a lie," Derek admitted. "Being born a Werewolf, I was surrounded by a culture of acceptance. Many people in our Pack were in a same-sex relationship. It's also very common for at least one of a person's Potest Coniunctum to be of the same gender."

"Then why have a problem with it at all?" Scott asked. Derek frowned, "I've only been attracted to girls before, but that's not really an issue for me. I just figured I'd never be with anyone. Now, I have to be."

"That's another question," Scott exclaimed. "I'm not in love with you! I mean, you're really handsome and you give me all these weird feelings, but I'm in love with Alison."

"That is also not a question," Derek stated. Scott glared at him and huffed in irritation, "How can I be your soulmate when I'm in love with someone else?"

Derek had so many responses to that question, so many routes he could take. How in love with the human could he be if he constantly dreamed and fantasized about being touched by someone else? How in love could he be when he was leaning into Derek's space, cheeks flushed and pupils blown? How in love could he be when she was only one of his Potest Coniunctum but Derek was his only soulmate? Derek had felt the love of a connection and had loved in return but it already paled in comparison to what he felt in Scott's presence and he didn't even love him yet. At least he didn't think he did. Saying any of those things, however, would only anger Scott and expose Derek's heart more than he already had. "I don't know."

"What's so great about having a soulmate?" Scott demanded. "What's so great about forcing two people to be together?"

Derek tilted his head, "There isn't a lot of solid information on soulmates and most of what people know are only stories and legends and myths. It's said that soulmates can share power or experience increased power. At one point, only soulmates were able to conceive. They say the bond of soulmates is a very powerful thing, its pull capable of bringing someone back even from death. There are plenty of stories I can tell you about the amazing thing being soulmates is, but we won't know the truth until we actually bond."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Scott reluctantly said, staring at his hands. Derek already told him there was little information on their situation; he was just as lost as Scott. Scott rose his head and found himself mere inches from Derek's face. He didn't hear the bed creak nor did he remember moving. If the pull of a soulmate could bring someone back to life, Scott didn't doubt its ability to shorten the distance of two feet. Feeling the need to touch Derek but knowing he didn't really want to, Scott compromised and brought his hand up to caress the back of Derek's left hand.

Electricity crackled in the small space between bodies, overwhelming Scott even though nothing was truly happening. Touch him more. Have him touch you. Scott jolted when he felt Derek's rough fingertips trace along the column of his neck. A breathy noise fell from his lips and Scott would've been more embarrassed if he didn't notice Derek's eyes darkening with lust. Scott found himself rising onto his knees, his fingers grasping the fabric on Derek's shoulders. Scott felt light-headed, his blood rushing alarmingly.

"Kiss me," Scott rasped breathily, pressing his body closer to Derek's. Derek wavered as his eyes searched Scott's face, looking for proof that Scott wanted this. Scott stroked the nape of Derek's neck, pressing their foreheads together. "Please," he whispered.

Derek groaned and leaned forward, brushing his lips against Scott's once, twice, before slotting their lips together. Scott's eyes fluttered shut as he lost himself in the sensation. Their lips slid against each other slowly as the tension built up in their cores. Derek ran his tongue over Scott's lips and Scott opened his mouth, pulling Derek's tongue into his mouth. Scott's fingers tangled in Derek's hair and he pulled lightly as he bit Derek's bottom lip. Derek let out a surprised gasp before flipping Scott onto his back on the bed. Scott moaned as his hands slid under Derek's shirt, his claws raking against Derek's taut stomach.