Without bothering to knock, the dark haired girl pulls open the door to Derek's loft, thanking the man for refusing to lock the place. She steps into the bright living space and looks around, allowing her suitcases to fall to the ground with a loud bang. Clearing her throat she speaks.
"Derek? Peter?" the girl calls into the seemingly empty loft.
She steps down the stairs right in front of the door and onto the flat floor, her eyes scan the wall of windows as she allows the sense of nostalgia she feels wash over her.
"Peter's not here," Derek says after a moment, coming into the girl's view, "and while we're having family talk, maybe you can tell me what you're doing back here when I told you to stay in Argentina?"
The girl scoffs, "Well, after you left that werebitch Selena tried to claw my face off and I just now got back to town. Aren't you happy to see me, big brother?"
"Of course I am, Cora," the man says as he pulls his little sister into a hug, "I just wish you would've listened to me… for once."
Hugging her brother back, the girl asks, "What the hell is going on in this town? Erica is alive and you're requesting me to stay in Argentina with those asshole wolves. Spill the beans, Derek."
"I hope you've got some time," he says, "because it's a long story."
TEEN WOLF
At the same time, Erica sits at her desk in Economics, waiting anxiously for someone she knew to show up. Everyone was on edge that day, seeing as it was the first time they were back in school since the shooting. It was also Erica's first time since her parents' death.
She takes a shaky breath and pulls out her phone, intending to text Isaac.
Before she can text more than "Where are", Isaac walks in, his arm lying lazily across Camilla's shoulders. He spots Erica and nods.
"Hey, how are you?" he asks after he sits in a seat near the blonde. Camilla does the same and Erica can see a bit of worry on her face.
"I'm fine. Everyone seems to be a little paranoid and sad, so we're one in the same," Erica answers, setting her two friends at ease.
"If you need anything, let me know. When I went back to school after my mom died, I was still a wreck. I was lucky to have friends who knew when to distract people or get me out of the classroom. So seriously, if you need anything at all, I'm your girl," Camilla tells her as she pulls out her notebook.
"Thank you," Erica gets out just before the bell rings.
Coach wastes no time getting into things and takes attendance quickly, jumping into the day's plans right after. The students are instructed to pair up, and rather than the obvious pairing of Camilla and Isaac, the dark haired girl sidles up to Erica.
"Want to be partners?" she asks with a gentle smile.
"Doesn't Isaac want to be with you?" Erica asks, looking over at the girl's boyfriend who seems to have already found another partner.
"He did, but I told him I wanted to work with you. So now he's got Molly to deal with," Camilla smirks, watching as Isaac looks over at the two girls and makes a face, indicating his uncomfortableness.
Erica laughs and shakes her head, "I never thought I'd see the day when Isaac Lahey was whipped."
"He's not whipped," Camilla laughs, nudging Erica gently. "He just loves me is all." Camilla looks back over to her boyfriend, the awe evident on her face. Isaac looks at her too, his face softening when their eyes meet.
"Yeah, he made that clear to the whole school this weekend," Erica laughs, remembering his speech.
Camilla turns back to Erica and smiles, "How did your night go? The last I knew you were feeling kind of lovesick."
Erica smiles sheepishly and tucks a blonde strand behind her ear, "Well… When I got home, Derek was sitting on the couch waiting for me. And he was beyond pissed. I tried to just go to bed, but of course, he had to chastise me." She rolls her eyes, remembering his anger.
"And then…?" Camilla eggs her on.
"And then we got into a screaming match, basically. But the next thing I knew, I was crying on the couch and then his lips were on mine…" the girl trails off, blushing at the thought.
"What?!" Camilla gasps loudly, earning her a stern look from Finstock as well as other students. "Details!"
"Calm down, horn dog. Before it got too heated he shut it down, using my drunkenness as an excuse to stop. But God, I wanted to keep going."
Camilla laughs, "And then what? You just went to bed with the feel of his hands all over your body, the taste of him on your tongue, and a tingling on your lips?"
Erica looks quizzically at the brunette and responds, "You read too many romance novels."
"Spill!" Camilla begs.
"Well, I didn't want things to really end so rather than going to my own room, I slipped into his and prayed he would join me, which he did." Camilla's eyes widen, wanting to hear more. "But nothing else really happened, he just held me and I fell asleep in his arms. But when I woke up, he was gone."
"Coooold," Camilla says, tsk-ing.
"I got up and he eventually showed back up, he claimed he had things to do, but I think he was just scared."
"Did you guys talk about it at all?"
"Yeah, a little. I asked where we should go from there and he said he didn't know. I told him I didn't either, so he told me to take time and figure out what I want, and that he would do the same. Our relationship would kind of complicate things, but it's not like we can just ignore what happened," Erica reveals, picking at the ends of her hair as she does.
Camilla nods, taking in the information, "Well have you made up your mind?"
"It hasn't even been a day!" Erica exclaims, laughing at the eagerness on Camilla's face.
"So what? You either want something or you don't. On Saturday you were all about being with Derek, why is there doubt now? He obviously wants you too, or there's no way he would've let things go that far. I think you should give it a shot."
Erica processes Camilla's advice and after a moment says, "Well what do you suggest I do? What if he decides he doesn't want anything, and I look like an idiot?"
"Don't give him the opportunity," Camilla says easily. "He's probably not expecting anything to happen any time soon, so catch him off guard. When you get home from school, don't waste any time. Right when you see him, jump on him. Don't give him any time to process what's happening. He'll be putty in your hands."
Camilla leans back in her chair, satisfied with her advice.
"You think it will work?" Erica asks.
"You'll never know unless you try it."
Before the two girls can continue their conversation, their teacher interrupts them and demands they get to work.
Isaac smirks at the two, teasing them just like they teased him earlier.
Erica pulls out a pen and begins her part of the assignment, her thoughts on Derek rather than market economies.
TEEN WOLF
Scott and Allison walk out to the lacrosse field holding hands. The two have been inseparable since Camilla's birthday party and they aren't worried to show their love in front of their peers. Scott leans in and gives Allison a soft kiss before pulling away to smile at her.
"You're so beautiful," the boy says.
Allison chuckles and brushes her chocolate brown hair out of her face, "You're too sweet, Scott McCall."
Scott squeezes his girlfriend's hand, "I love you so much. I never stopped loving you."
"I never stopped loving you either," the girl replies, "the whole time I was in Paris this summer I was thinking of you. I missed you so much, Scott. And this… holding your hand, kissing you, it just feels right."
Scott covers his mouth with his hand, "Oh my god… that was so beautiful."
"Shut up!" Allison says, slugging him in the arm gently.
The couple laughs as they reach the field. Scott sees his father standing beside Coach Finstock, talking intently. The dark haired boy is curious as to what his father is doing at school and is quick to express his concerns to Allison.
"I don't know," she says with a shrug, "but I've gotta go. Nolan and I are going into full on research mode; hopefully we'll find a way to get Malum out of this world. I'll talk to you later, okay? Let me know how everything with your dad goes!"
Scott nods as Allison plants a kiss on her boyfriend's cheek and then hurries away to her car, leaving Scott to stand by himself on the sidelines of the field in his practice gear. He stares at his father and Finstock who, upon noticing him, signal him over.
The boy walks over slowly, passing Stiles who sits in the bleachers watching the boys practice. Coming up to his father and his coach, Finstock shakes Rafael's hand and then walks away – allowing the man and his son to talk.
"What are you doing here?" Scott asks his father.
Rafael stares down at his son and says quietly, "We need to talk."
Scott nods and follows his father back behind the bleachers where they stand for a moment in silence before Scott can no longer handle the anticipation and asks again, "What are you doing here?"
The older McCall hands the boy a piece of paper and says, "I'm going to speak with your mother about this tonight and if all goes well, let's just say I hope you enjoy Virginia ham."
"Are these custody papers?"
"Now I know you're not going to be a fan of this idea at first, but…"
"But nothing," Scott says, cutting his father off, "I'm not coming to live with you. There's no way. Mom isn't going to let you relocate me halfway across the country! All my friends are here, I'm co-captain of the lacrosse team here."
Rafael nods, "I understand, but Scott this school isn't safe. Last week with the shooting and all the deaths – I can't risk you getting hurt and I know your mother wants you to be safe too. The private school in Virginia is just the safe place you need. This is in your best interest, Scott."
"That's bull. Why do you keep trying to be my father? You haven't had anything to do with me for the last ten years and now all of a sudden you're trying to be Father of the Year. I've got news for you; you're nothing more than a gene donor! I got my eyes and my hair color from you – that's it."
"Scott," Rafael begins, taking the paper back from his son, "you've got to understand where I'm coming from. Not only are you going to be safer in Richmond, but you'll also have more opportunities. The lacrosse team at the school is better than this one; you'll have more chances at scholarships for college. This is the best thing for you."
The boy shakes his head, "I've got practice."
Before he can hear his father say anything else, Scott is halfway on the field, stopping only when he hears Stiles call his name.
"Dude, what was that?" Stiles asks his best friend.
"I don't freaking know," the boy replies.
Stiles moves down to the last row of bleachers and asks, "Are you really going to Virginia?"
"McCall!" Finstock shouts, blowing his whistle for extra emphasis, "Stop flapping you gums and come play lacrosse!"
Scott shrugs in response to Stiles' question and then hurries onto the field, putting all of his anger into practice.
TEEN WOLF
Erica takes one last deep breath and pulls open the door to the loft. She looks around and spots Derek on the couch, reading over what looked like a mythology book. His eyes go right to her, traveling all over her body and taking in every inch of her.
"Erica, I—" before he can continue, Erica drops her bag and crosses the space between them in mere seconds. Without hesitation, she puts her mouth to his. Derek, surprised at first, tenses up, but his passion takes over and he kisses her back.
Erica, who was bending to reach Derek's height due to his position on the couch gets suddenly pulled down to his level, feeling strong arms circle around her.
Their kiss intensifies and Erica tugs on Derek's hair while wrapping her legs around the man. But just like before, Derek is the one to break it off before things go too far.
"Erica…" he breathes heavily, his pupils dilated.
"Don't," she stops him. "I don't care what bullshit reasoning you're going to come up with, it's not going to work. I want you Derek. I don't need time to figure that out. I want you, and I want you now."
Derek stares at the pretty girl as he processes her words. Rather than answering her, he leans in for another kiss, confirming Erica's thoughts that he wanted her just as bad.
Erica feels his teeth graze her lower lip as he moves their bodies so she is no longer sitting in his lap, but leaning against the armrest of the couch, Derek's body pressing into hers.
It's Derek who initiates the removal of clothing this time, pulling away from Erica to throw his shirt across the room. He leans back in and slides his hands under Erica's shirt, feeling her bare skin burning beneath his touch.
Hunger fills the two and this time, nothing is stopping them.
Except for when the door opens and Cora walks in.
"What the hell?" she exclaims, clearly not informed of their feelings for each other. "I knew she was staying in your loft, I just didn't know you were in her loft too." Cora crosses her arms and shakes her head.
Erica and Derek pull apart, and anger roars through Derek.
"Cora, this is none of your business."
"I definitely don't want it to be either," she tells them, shutting the door and coming farther into the loft. "Look, I honestly don't care whatever you two have going on, but as long as I'm staying here, put a sock on the door or something."
With that she rolls her eyes and leaves, going into a bedroom.
"Did she just go into my room?" Erica asks after a moment.
"Yeah," Derek answers sheepishly. "She kind of took it over."
"Well, I don't think I want to be roomies with the sister of my…."
Derek looks at her, wondering where she was going with that.
"You know what I mean," she says, standing up and fixing her shirt.
"You can stay in my room if you want…" Derek says his eyes glued on her form.
"Yeah, I guess that would be okay."
She begins to walk past him to go to the kitchen, but Derek catches her wrist, intercepting her.
In a quick movement, their lips are on each other's again. Erica pulls away and rests her head on Derek's shoulder, laughing.
TEEN WOLF
Allison's eyes scan down the pages of the book. Although she knows French, this text appears to be French and German mixed, not knowing totally what the book is saying, Allison closes it and throws it onto her bed, moving over to where Nolan sits at her desk.
"Anything?" the brunette asks.
Nolan shakes his head, "This one mentions a few things about the 'First Evil' and the 'Source of Evil' which I assume are just other names for Malum. Of course they also all say that these entities can't leave the Netherworld… which we know isn't true since Malum is here and wreaking havoc."
"Wait, the Source of Evil?" Allison asks.
"Yeah, why?"
"I've heard that before I just can't remember when… where have I heard that?"
Nolan shrugs and looks back down at the book when Allison suddenly exclaims, startling the boy.
"The Bestiary! Oh my god, I'm so stupid! Hang on," she says, leaving the room for a second only to return with a small flash drive in her hand. She smiles brightly and then says, "Want to see a Hunter's Bestiary?"
"Always," Nolan says with a smile, getting up to sit beside Allison on her bed.
Allison plugs the flash drive into her computer and waits until it comes up on her screen. The cover of the book is plain and in a minute Allison is clicking through the pages like a madwoman, along the sides of each page are little bubbles with the text translated. Going past pages with titles like "Demons A-Z" and "Hybrids" she finally stops on a page titled "The Source."
"This is it," Allison smiles as she scans down the page, "I should've had Lydia translate this one. Hang on I'll call her."
"Is that Archaic Latin?" Nolan asks.
Allison looks up from her phone, "Yeah, why?"
"I can read it," he smiles before continuing, "It says here 'The Source of Evil goes by many names, most commonly Malum Radix.' Holy shit I think we found it. Okay, 'Malum Radix is an elusive monster who can only come into the Human Plane if a human wanders into the Netherworld. Malum Radix wishes to cause chaos, his roots are usually tied within the natural world, and his tie to our world can only be broken if he is drawn to his roots and taken back to the Netherworld.'"
Allison looks at the mess of letter on the screen, "So we have to get him to his roots, then what?"
"Okay, um, this says, 'He can be taken back to the Netherworld in only one way. The person or persons who allowed him entrance are in control, they are the only ones who can get Malum Radix back – but by taking Malum Radix back they may not be able to return themselves.'"
"So basically whoever went into the Netherworld has to go back and make sure the Root stays there?" Allison asks.
Nolan nods, "Yeah, but if that person goes back they might not make it back a second time… and I'm not seeing any alternatives. We're going to have to find one though."
"No we don't," Allison says sternly, "I can go back to the Netherworld and take Malum with me. I'll be able to get back again too, I did it once before."
"Hell no," Nolan says, "no way. None of us are going to let you do that. Allison, you're my friend and I like to be honest with my friends, and to be honest you're an idiot if you think any of us are going to let you dive into the Netherworld. It's potentially a suicide mission."
"Come on, it's taking one for the team!"
"No, we'll find another way. Now, pass me that book."
TEEN WOLF
Camilla swings the basket she holds containing a few items she and Isaac had picked up throughout the drugstore. Her other hand holds Isaac's, and she feels him squeeze it, causing her to look up at him.
"I love you," he whispers to her, leaning in to kiss her. She laughs and they make their way to the checkout.
Before they make it there, Camilla runs into a man with a gallon of milk in his hands.
"Sorry," they both say at the same time. It's then Camilla realizes the man is no ordinary man, but her uncle.
"Uncle Chris! Hey!" she says uneasily, trying to shove the basket behind her back before he notices her purchases. She moves too slowly, though, and she watches as her uncle's eyes widen after spotting the box of condoms in her basket.
"Shit," Isaac mutters under his breath.
"Um, I, um…" Camilla mumbles, trying to come up with an excuse and feeling her face turn bright red.
Chris clears his throat and says, "Well… I…"
"Please don't tell my dad," Camilla blurts out.
"I… I won't… At least you're um, being safe," he stammers, clearly extremely uncomfortable. "You know, I forgot to get eggs. Silly me. See you guys later."
With that, Chris walks away quickly, not turning back to look at his niece and her boyfriend.
"That was the most mortifying thing that has ever happened to me," Camilla states, staring blankly ahead.
"It wasn't… that bad…" Isaac starts, but when Camilla looks at him he says, "Okay, it was."
"Shit. Shit shit shit. I cannot believe that this, of all things, happened to me."
Moving his hand to the small of Camilla's back, Isaac urges her forward, "Let's just checkout before we run into your dad."
"Not. Funny," Camilla scolds, making her way up to the register and placing her items on the counter.
TEEN WOLF
Jackson watches as Danny slams his fist into the punching bag with such ferocity that the boy wonders if his best friend is possessed. A sheen of sweat covers Danny's muscular body as he continues to pound the bag.
"So he's just gone?" Jackson says after Danny takes a break, grabbing a water to drink.
Taking a big gulp the dark haired boy says, "Yep. I was the last one to know, if I hadn't overheard Ethan talking to Mrs. Trumbolt earlier today I probably wouldn't have known he was even leaving until I got a letter in the mail saying 'I love you, bye.'"
"That's pretty crappy; even I had the decency to let people know I was leaving when I did."
Danny nods his head and sits down on a bench and lets his head fall, "Why is it all my boyfriends turn out to be dirt?"
"Because," Jackson begins, sitting down beside his friend, "you're a good person and you tend to overlook the bad qualities in people. Take me for instance, you ignored my jackass qualities because you're a good person and you refused to listen to what other people said."
"You're a lot more than just a jackass, Jackson."
Rolling his eyes he says, "You get what I'm saying right? You need to find a dude who doesn't have a bad rep right off the bat. I'm pretty sure Stiles and Scott warned you Ethan was bad news – and if I remember sophomore year I told you Grayson was going to be an ass ache."
"I thought that was a joke," Danny says with a smile.
"Yeah, well, I was right wasn't I?"
"So what you're saying is I should look for a smart guy with a cute smile, that some people say is weird but he's really just kind of an introvert so he comes off weird. That kind of guy?"
Jackson nods, "Exactly!"
"Alright, that settles it, I'm gonna ask Nolan out," Danny says finitely.
"Hold up, you wanna ask Nolan out? My Nolan?" Jackson questions his friend.
Danny raises an eyebrow, "Your Nolan?"
"I, uh, he's just… are you sure he's the type of guy you want to be going after? He doesn't really seem like your type."
"You aren't my type," Danny reiterates for what feels like the hundredth time, "but Nolan is actually kind of perfect. He's cute and funny and he's not attached to anyone and doesn't have some weird family business going on that pulls him out of state. I think he'd be good for me."
Jackson's hands roll into fists, "He's just…"
"Are you going to tell me you have feelings for him now? Because I've been watching you ogle him for almost a freaking month now and it's starting to bug me."
"What are you talking about?"
Danny rolls his eyes and wipes some dripping sweat off of his face, "The Halloween Dance, that night at Jungle, basically every day in Chemistry… you eye that boy like he's something to eat and if you don't make a move on him I will just out of spite."
"I thought we were talking about your relationship," Jackson says with a narrowed gaze.
The dark haired boy gets up and walks over to the punching bag, hitting it lightly, "I need details. I need you to tell me exactly what happened when you took Nolan home after Jungle, and then I'll help you get that boy to fall in love with you."
"Danny…"
"Shut up," the boy smiles, "and let me help you. Allow my heartbreak to help make your love flourish."
Jackson stands up too and walks over to his friend, the memory of Danny coming out to him in eighth grade dancing in his head. The taller boy had been so nervous to tell Jackson and Jackson's response had simply been 'So are you gonna marry a dude then?'
Jackson slaps his hand on Danny's shoulder and says, "Thanks, man."
Danny smiles brightly in response.
TEEN WOLF
Cora is hesitant to enter the Hale house. The place held nothing but sour memories for her; she could almost still smell the gasoline mixed with burning flesh that still wakes her up in the middle of the night. Her heart races as she swallows her fear and steps inside.
"Uncle Peter?" she calls into the dark house, she hears nothing and turns around to leave when she comes face-to-face with Peter.
"Cora, my dearest niece," he smiles, which sends a chill down the girl's spine, "so glad to see you."
She nods, "Yeah, well, you asked to meet me here."
"That I did. Aren't you going to give your uncle a hug?"
Rather reluctantly Cora wraps her arms around the man and squeezes him lightly, "Good to see you."
When the two pull apart, Cora can instantly feel the change that goes through Peter's body and the presence of an unknown entity. Her limbs lock as she prepares for a fight. The man before her catches on to her fear and smiles.
Raising an eyebrow he asks, "What seems to be wrong?"
"Derek told me you'd been distant from the pack," she answers, "and it's suddenly hitting me that you're the person who killed my sister. Maybe you're on the bad guy's side, who knows? But Peter, I really suggest you let me go."
"Is that what you suggest?" Peter asks sarcastically, "If that's what you suggest, Cora, then by all means leave."
The girl moves quickly and pushes past Peter and to the front door, catching a whiff of burned wood as she does so. The smell makes her stomach hurt.
Her hand grips the cold metal of the doorknob when suddenly she's pulled by her hair. The force of the pull is so strong she gags from the pain, when she hits the floor she looks up to see her uncle clutching some dark brown hair – her hair. Reaching back to the spot he'd pulled it from she can feel it already healing.
"What the hell?" she nearly screams and although she is trying to ignore her anger she can feel her eyes change color.
Peter shrugs, "I just do what Malum tells me."
Without warning a figure appears. It's a tall woman with pitch black hair and a long neck, "So nice to meet one of Peter's friends."
It's then Peter's fist makes contact with Cora's face. The impact so hard the girl knows her nose is broken practically before its hit. She screams out in pain as blood gushes from her nose. She moves her hand, claws growing out and slashing Peter's arm. Blood runs from the spot she has stabbed and stains the sleeve of Peter's white shirt.
"This is John Varvatos!" he shouts, lifting her head up – again by the hair.
"Stop!" she screams, again digging her nails into his arm. She can feel the blood running down her hand as she does this and Peter is quick to howl. In the dim light she can see his face change into wolf form, his teeth snap at nothing as he lets go of her hair and grabs her hands – snapping them backwards as to break her wrists.
Cora screams, tears streaming down her bloodied face.
Peter leans down suddenly, placing his hands on either side of her face as he does so. His lips make smooth contact with her forehead as he whispers, "Say hello to your mother for me."
The man snaps his niece's neck without any hesitation and watches as the life fades out of her eyes.
There's a moment of silence that Peter thinks is fitting considering the death of another Hale. For a second he really questions the luck of the Hale family in the house and is almost thankful the place had been burned.
"I never told you to kill her," The Root says from behind Peter. From the shadows, Peter sees another man appear beside the guise that Malum has taken this evening. "I mean, I get you didn't want her to think you were some backstabbing asshole, but why'd you have to throw me under the bus?"
Peter rolls his eyes, "You're the Root of Evil, my friend. You were thrown under the bus the second you came into existence – you've been under bus and pulled for about 4,540 million years."
"Details."
"Care to tell me what Graham is doing here?"
The Root turns slightly too look at the boy behind him, "Ah, I just felt like bringing him back."
Peter stares at the tall boy, remembering the satisfaction her felt when he'd gotten to rip his throat out Saturday night. His neck looks scarred and that pleases the werewolf – knowing he left his mark on the now undead hunter.
"So what's he going to do?"
Malum smiles at the werewolf and snaps his fingers before he disappears into the air.
TEEN WOLF
Lydia puckers her lips, admiring the new sheen of gloss she had just applied. She fluffs her hair, rechecks her makeup, and then slams her locker shut. She flinches when she sees Stiles leaning against the locker next to hers, previously hidden by her locker door.
"My God, Stilinski, give a girl a warning before you creep up on her," she mutters, readjusting the history book she had clutched to her chest.
"Lydia I literally said hello to you when I got here," Stiles defends himself.
The girl frowns and casts her eyes up to the ceiling, trying to recall his greeting. When she doesn't remember, she shrugs and begins making her way to the history class she and Stiles shared.
Camilla falls into step with them and says, "Hey guys. Did you get the homework done?"
"Nope," Stiles replies with indifference.
Lydia rolls her eyes and replies, "I did. You can copy it."
"Thanks. I was planning on doing it but—"
"You were doing Isaac instead?" Lydia smirks playfully.
"Um, no. I mean, I was with him, but my book was at my place and I've been trying to avoid my dad so…"
"Uh huh," Lydia answers with sarcasm.
The three stop at the door to Mr. Panzarella's class which was unusually closed.
"Maybe he's meeting with a student," Stiles suggests.
"Well, I'm not waiting for them to finish up," Lydia asserts, moving forward to open the door.
When she does, a blast of copper-smelling air hits the students, making them wrinkle their noses.
"God, what is that?" Stiles gags, bringing his hand up to plug his nose.
"Blood," Camilla answers surely, pushing through the other two to enter the classroom and flip on the light switch.
It's then Lydia lets out a blood-curdling scream, just as all three of them spot the source of the smell.
Lying on top of his desk is Mr. Panzarella, blood covering nearly every inch of him.
Lydia turns away, but Camilla and Stiles continue to look, recognizing the carvings on the man's chest.
Students began to crowd the door, wanting to see what the big fuss was, and that's when all hell broke loose.
Soon enough, faculty members shoo everyone from the room and the police are dialed.
A few minutes later, Camilla, Stiles, and Lydia stand huddled together outside of the building amongst the majority of the students, awaiting directions from the staff.
Scott and Isaac spot the three and make their way to them.
"What the hell happened?" Scott asks.
Camilla is the first to answer, "The Root killed Mr. Panzarella."
TEEN WOLF
Lydia is the last one to get to the loft and as she enters her face is paler than usual. She shrugs out of her cranberry red coat and hangs it on the hook besides Scott's familiar jean jacket and then walks over to the rest of the group, sitting down absently beside Isaac.
"Basically, I want to know what the hell is going on," Stiles says from one end of the couch.
"Let's just keep cool heads about this," Erica says. "Us getting all out of sorts isn't going to solve any problems."
Scott nods his head and stands up, "Erica is right. The Root is evil; we've known that from the start – it's even in his name. Him killing Mr. Panzarella, while ruthless, isn't all that shocking. Nolan, Allison did you guys find any ways to get Malum out of here?"
"Actually we –" Allison begins, only to be cut off by Nolan.
"We didn't find anything," the boy finishes, "just more of the same. He comes, he kills, he conquers."
Scott nods his head, vaguely disturbed, and as everyone's attention falls back to the Alpha and Stiles who begin to discuss possible ways to subdue Malum, Allison asks, "Why wouldn't you let me tell them that we found a way?"
Nolan locks eyes with her, "Because that way is idiotic and is going to get one of you three killed."
"What's going on?" Jackson asks the pair.
"Nothing," Allison says, getting up and walking to the kitchen area.
Lydia's voice suddenly grabs everyone's attention, "I couldn't hear him."
"What is she talking about?" Camilla asks.
"Every other time, for the last year, if there's a body I can sense it. With Mr. Panzarella I had no idea… I think maybe the Root has found a way to block whatever magic it is that allows me to sense dead bodies. This way it's a total surprise for all of us," the girl says, her face is blank as she speaks.
Stiles gets up and goes to stand beside Scott, "So it's fair to assume that Malum is getting stronger."
"What are you all doing here?" Derek asks, coming out from the back room, "When did my loft become the HQ of the Supernatural Teenage Justice League?"
Isaac is the first to answer, "Uh, Erica and I figured that this was the best place. Since Scott's mom is usually at his house and Stiles' dad is usually at his house. Plus Camilla and Allison's dads are usually at their places… we don't really want to involve any of the parents."
"Yeah," Erica says coldly, "we know how Malum loves a good parent for dinner."
The room falls silent at the reminder that the Root had taken the lives of Erica's mom and dad. Camilla grabs a hold of Isaac's hand and squeezes it, the two share a smile before Derek finally speaks again.
"I'm out of here then," the ex-Alpha says, "way too much teen in here."
He walks over and without a second thought kisses Erica softly on the lips. Everyone sits in shock, watching as Derek pulls away and tucks a piece of blonde hair behind Erica's ear. As the man pulls on his leather jacket and leaves the room again fills with noise.
"That's certainly new," Stiles says with a half-laugh.
"What?" Erica asks, concerned.
Camilla elbows her friend, "He's talking about the wolf that just tried to eat your face."
"Oh, right… well… that is sort of new."
Scott is quick to pull everyone's attention back to the present, but Camilla grabs a hold of Erica's hand and pulls the girl out from the quasi-meeting, and to the bedroom from which Derek had just been in. Camilla's pretty face is alight as she feels hundreds of questions pop into her head.
"Thanks for sharing the news!" she blurts out, not sure what to ask first.
"Sorry, I didn't think about it… I was just caught up in… him, I guess," Erica says, failing to hide a smile.
"So my advice worked, huh?" Camilla states matter-of-factly. "I tooooold you."
"I know," Erica blushes. "I'm really glad I went for it."
Popping his head in, Isaac says quickly, "Erica, the pack is needed ASAP. Scott and Jackson already left, but we have to catch up with them."
"What's going on?" Camilla asks.
"Derek just called," her boyfriend replies, "apparently Dr. Deaton found a way to get rid of Malum."
TEEN WOLF
Stiles drops his bag to the floor of his room and immediately plops down on his bed, letting out a heavy sigh. His eyes shut as he tries to relax.
His peacefulness is interrupted when he hears a knock on the door.
"Yeah?" he calls, not bothering to open his eyes.
Rather than responding, the door creaks open and Stiles listens for his father's footfalls entering the room. When Stiles realizes he isn't speaking, he opens his eyes and sits up when he spots who had just entered his room.
"M-mom?" he chokes out, edging back on his bed a bit more.
The woman before him smiles a sad smile.
"No… no. This is a dream. I'm dreaming, and soon enough, you're going to try and kill me," he states, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head.
"Stiles…" she says softly, sorrow filling her face.
"Well, go for it, right after you kill me I'll wake up anyways," Stiles tells her, gesturing for her to come at him.
The woman before him frowns and shakes her head, "Stiles… it's me."
Before the boy says anything else, he hears a choked gasp come from the doorway. His eyes flash to the source of the sound, and there he sees his father standing, his eyes on his late wife.
"Claudia?" his voice whispers shakily.
The woman turns and locks eyes with the sheriff.
"Stiles what the hell is going on?" he says in a steady voice, not taking his eyes off of Claudia.
"Well, dream dad, it appears my dead mother has come to me once again, and I'm almost one hundred percent sure she'll be lunging for me in the next minute," Stiles replies, folding his hands on his lap.
"Stiles… this isn't a dream. What. The. Hell. Is. Going. On."
It's then Stiles starts to consider the possibility of being awake, but before he can elaborate, he hears the click of a gun being cocked. When he looks over at his father, he sees that the sheriff has taken out his gun and trained it on the woman.
"Dad, what are you—"
"Stiles. I want you to slowly make your way over to me," he turns his eyes over to Claudia and speaks again, "And if you make one little move, I'll blow your head off."
"Dad—"
"Stiles, now."
The boy obliges and slowly rises from the bed, inching his way along the floor to get to his father. He gets behind the sheriff safely and when he does, he watches as the woman he once knew as his mother stand tensely, worry on her face.
"Dad… I think this might actually be Mom," he says after a moment.
"And why in the hell do you think that?" his father responds, not lowering the gun one little inch.
"Well, uh, funny story… you know how Matt was… resurrected? Well… The Root has a tendency to bring people back to life and…" he trails off, letting his father connect the dots.
"Why would he bring back your mother?" his father asks after a minute, sorrow masking his voice.
"I honestly don't know," Stiles answers truthfully.
"What are we supposed to do? Doesn't this Root guy have control over the people he brings back? Like Matt?"
Stiles doesn't respond, not sure of what to say.
"Stiles… We can't let her run around under his control… We need to—"
The sheriff is interrupted when the woman speaks. Her worrisome demeanor fades, and she stands up straighter. A sort of smirk appears on her face.
"Now, I'm all for a gun show, but I like this body, so I'm going to skedaddle before you put a hole in me."
Stiles's face drains of color as he says, "Malum."
"Ding, ding, ding! I had you going for a while… never thought you'd think of re-killing your poor old wife, Sheriff. But I guess I had the Stilinskis pegged wrong," The Root responds. With that, they watch as the woman snaps her fingers and disappears.
"What the hell?" Stiles's father asks his voice husky and upset. His arms lower the gun, and he hunches over.
"Dad, I'm sorry… The Root does this a lot. I didn't ever think—"
"Stop…" his father tells him, sorrow on his face. "Just stop."
Stiles moves out of the way so his father can make his way down the hall and into his own room, where he slams the door shut.
TEEN WOLF
Camilla scrapes the last bit of fettuccine alfredo off of her plate and puts it into her mouth. She sets her fork down and lies back in her chair, moving her hand to rub her stomach.
"Full," she states with her mouth still full.
"I so admire your ladylike manners, I raised you well," Ron comments, mouth full of food also.
Camilla smiles brightly, still chewing her food. She stands up and grabs the plates from the table, careful to maneuver around the boxes still littering the floor from their move.
"You know," she calls to her father from the kitchen, "we really need to start really unpacking. It was okay when we were at Chris and Allison's, but now we've got a place of our own… we kind of need to make it our own."
"Yeah, I'll get right on that," Ron calls back. Camilla rolls her eyes, knowing her father does not intend to follow through.
She sets the plates in the sink and decides to wait until later to wash them. She begins putting the milk and parmesan cheese away when she hears the doorbell ring.
"Got it!" she hears her father yell. A few seconds later, she hears him exclaim, "Graham!"
Camilla's eyes widen when she hears his name. She hadn't seen or heard from him since Saturday night, and apparently neither had her father. Graham never even showed up to stay the night, her father told her.
Before she can sneak off to her room, she hears a grunt and a loud crash. Her instincts kick in, and she rushes to the front door where she sees Graham hovering over her father.
"What the hell?" she yells, grabbing Graham's attention. The look he gives her is full of malice, but Camilla notices emptiness in his eyes.
Her distraction gives Ron enough time to get up and knock Graham to the floor. For being over forty, her father was in incredible shape, and could still fight better than a 21 year-old.
Graham's head slams to the floor and Ron slams his foot down over his chest to assure he won't get back up.
"You want to tell me what in the hell you think you're doing coming in here and attacking me?" Ron yells, spit flying from his mouth.
"Obeying orders," Graham replies slyly right before he grabs Ron's leg and pushes him off. Ron doesn't expect the move, and he flies to the side.
Graham jumps up and makes his way to Ron again, but before he can do any more damage, Camilla grabs a lamp and rushes toward her ex-boyfriend, slamming it hard against his skull.
The man goes down, knocked out cold. Camilla holds the now-broken lamp just above his unconscious body, ready to hit him again.
"He's out, Camilla," she hears her father say, standing up and wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. "Obeying orders? What does that even mean?"
Camilla drops the lamp and turns to her father, "I'll explain everything, but first, we need to tie him up."
"Why do I have a feeling I'm not going to like this?" Ron grumbles, grabbing Graham's slack arm and pulling.
TEEN WOLF
The pack stands around the exam room at the animal clinic, waiting for Deaton to come into the room. Erica stands between Isaac and Derek, both men appear to be fearing for her safety – although she isn't sure why, she's no longer the Root's minion, there isn't anything she needs to fear.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Deaton says as he walks into the room, "I had to finishing cremating a cat."
"Swell," Jackson says tensely, "you wanna tell us how we get rid of the Root or are we just going to talk business all night?"
"Don't be a jerk," Scott orders his beta.
"Sort of a second nature for him, if memory serves," Erica quips coldly.
Deaton shakes his head, "I'm afraid getting rid of Malum Radix won't be as easy as you might think. The process by which you got him to the reality wasn't all that easy and let's just say the process to take him back is even harder."
"Harder why?" Derek asks.
"When Allison, Scott, and Stiles went under the water last time they were going in search of their parents. The intent was good and the outcome was good, although I had warned them that they would be suffering with darkness from that point on," Deaton says. "This time however, the intent can't be considered good. While expelling Malum Radix would certainly be good for our world, the intent would be seen as bad because evil is explicitly involved."
"Okay," Scott says, "so it would be seen as bad. How do we even start getting rid of Malum?"
Deaton nods his bald head, "The process would involve going back to the Nematon in the Netherworld. You would have to cut one of its roots, calling Malum forth, his appearance at the Nematon along with the cutting on the root and some blood from one of the people who brought him forth would open a portal. The person conducting this would then have to take the root and bury it, tying Malum to that reality. Only this time – disturbing the habitat of the Netherworld would, well, it would link you to that world. And there's a great chance that that link wouldn't be severed and you would be stuck there."
"So Stiles, Allison, or Scott has to perform this ritual," Isaac says, "and by doing so there's a chance that they'll be stuck in the Root's world forever?"
Deaton locks eyes with Scott, "Yes."
"There isn't any other way?" Scott asks.
"I'm afraid not."
Scott looks at the wolves around him, his heart is racing and he knows the other can hear it. Jackson places a hand on his back, hoping to calm him.
"We can try to find another way," Jackson says reassuringly.
"There isn't any other way," Deaton restates.
Jackson growls, "There isn't any other way you know of. But there's got to be."
"He could be right," Erica says, "who in their right mind would have thought I'd be brought back from the dead?"
"Or that the Root of Evil would ever even be in Beacon Hills?" Isaac adds.
Scott eyes Deaton intensely and then says quietly, "Give us a minute."
"Since when do we take orders from you, McCall?" Jackson scoffs, before Scott's fist slams into his jaw.
Jackson lets out a yelp, even though there isn't any bruising or swelling, the impact still hurt. With a defeated sigh, Jackson leads the rest of the pack out of the exam room and into the main part of the animal clinic – and being the last one out, Derek shuts the door behind them.
When the pack is gone, Scott is left with Deaton. The Alpha's mind is racing as his thinks of the impending doom.
It doesn't take a genius to see that Scott is freaking and Deaton picks up on it quickly, "I'm so sorry Scott."
Scott simply nods, not really hearing his boss' words. Instead he focuses on Allison, how they had just gotten back together and how they were finally happy again… if she dies he'll be crushed. He thinks of Stiles, his best friend in the whole world, how he had almost lost him once and how he wasn't sure if he'd be able to do it again.
The boy makes up his mind then, knowing that no matter who died there'd be unhappiness, but that this was the right decision to make.
"I'll do it," Scott says, "I'll go back and take the Root with me."
TEEN WOLF
A/N: Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. We've got one more left! We really hope you have enjoyed your Run Like Hell Journey so far, because we have! We introduced Stiles's mom this chapter, and since she doesn't have a real character on the show, we decided to picture her as Holly Marie Combs. Thanks so much for your support! Lastly, we'd like to announce that RLH will not end next chapter, but we will for sure be writing a season four! Keep reviewing, following, favoriting, whatever. We love it all. Hopefully sooner or later we can get an even bigger fanbase, but so far we love that we have your guys' support! Stay tuned! - Narly