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On with the chapter!
Ch. 24
"This is the one controlling him?" Derek asked from his almost completely immobile place on the floor. Matt squatted down and observed the fallen Alpha."This kid?"
"Well Derek, not everyone's lucky enough to be a big bad werewolf." Matt replied with snark. "Oh yeah, that's-that's right. I've learned a few things lately. Werewolves, hunters, kanimas; it's like a fucking Halloween party every full moon." Matt's eyes darted to Stiles and Lennon. "Except for you two. What do you guys turn into?"
"Fairy princess." Lennon deadpanned as Stiles nodded. "I sprout glitter wings and pointy ears."
'Abominable snowman." Stiles supplied, shrugging. "But uh, it's more of, like a wintertime thing, you know? Seasonal."
Matt walked forward, smiling at them, then raised his hand and brought the butt of the gun down, smacking it against Lennon's head as Jackson crept behind Stiles, scratching the back of his neck and injecting him with the paralyzing serum.
"You bitch." Stiles whimpered as he fell, landing on top of Derek. Lennon's body crumpled at Matt's feet, a bit of blood seeping from her head. Scott moved forward to check for a pulse, but Jackson stepped in front of him, slowly waving a finger in his face to say not to make a single move.
"Get him off of me." Derek demanded.
"Oh, I don't know, Derek." Matt bent over their bodies. "I think you two make a pretty good pair. It must kind of suck though, to have all that power taken away from you with just a little cut to the back of the neck. I bet you're not used to feeling this helpless."
"Still got some teeth." Derek informed him. "Why don't you get down here a little closer, huh? We'll see how helpless I am."
"Yeah, bitch." Stiles cried. Another pouring of headlights waved through the room and Matt grinned at Scott.
"Is that her?" he asked. "Do what I tell you to, and I won't hurt her." Matt promised. "I won't even let Jackson near her."
"Scott, don't trust him!" Stiles yelled. Matt reached down and grabbed the back of Stiles' shirt and pulled him from Derek, onto the floor. He turned Stiles over and stepped on his throat, letting the weight of his body shift slowly to it.
"This work better for ya?" Stiles began gagging and choking, his face turning red.
"Hey!" Scott yelled. "Stop it!"
"Then do what I tell you to." Matt threatened.
"Okay," Scott agreed. "All right. . .Stop!" Matt glared at Scott, but removed his foot. Stiles coughed as air flooded his lungs once more, and tears ran down his face.
"You," Matt looked at Jackson. "Take them in there. You, with me." he nodded to Scott. Jackson moved and grabbed Lennon's ankle, and dragged her into the next room, then returned, grabbing both Stiles' and Derek's ankles as well, laying them next to her. He moved to the doorway and stood there, keeping one foot in the room and one out in the hall, glancing back at them every few moments, making sure that they stayed in place when gunshots rang out, and Stiles' dad yelled for Scott and Matt.
Stiles rolled his eyes to the right side and tried to see Lennon. She still seemed to be unconscious, but she was still breathing. He cursed under his breath. Stiles sighed and glanced at Derek.
"Hey," he whispered. "Do you know what's happening to Matt?"
"I know the book's not going to help him." Derek replied.
"What?"
"You can't break the rules, not like this." Derek explained.
"What do you mean?" Stiles asked.
"The universe balances things out." Derek told him. "Always does."
"Is it because he's using Jackson to kill people who don't deserve it?"
"And killing people himself." Derek added.
"So if Matt breaks the rules of the kanima, he becomes the kanima?" Stiles put together.
"Balance." Derek affirmed.
"Will he believe us if we tell him that?" Stiles asked.
"Not likely." Derek answered.
"Okay, he's gonna kill all of us when he gets that book, isn't he?"
"Yep." Stiles let out a long, aggravated sigh.
"Alright, so what do we do? Do we just-do we just sit here and wait to die?"
"Unless we can wake up your friend, or figure out a way push the toxin out of my body faster." Derek grumbled. "Like, triggering the healing process." Derek took a deep breath and the sound of skin puncturing met Stiles' ears.
"Wha-oh what are you doing?" he asked. "Aw, gross." Stiles averted his eyes from Derek, who was digging his claws into his own thigh, and looked over to Lennon. He noticed the drying patch of blood on her head and groaned. "Shit. So is that hypothetical situation we talked about getting any less hypothetical?"
"I think so." Derek answered. "I can move my toes." Stiles sighed disappointedly.
"Dude, I can move my toes." he informed him. Suddenly, the power cut off, and the emergency lights came on. Loud, sharp sirens sounded through the building, and Lennon twitched.
"Len-Lennon!" Stiles yelled. "Lennon come on, wake up!" he shouted over the sirens as rapid gunfire shot through the building. Derek was starting to move his upper body and Lennon's fingers stretched out as she raised her head.
"St-Stiles?"
"Yeah, yeah it's me." he grinned. "Listen, you gotta get up and get out of here." Lennon rubbed a hand over her face, then winced and reached up, gingerly touching the wound on the top of her head.
"What happened to you guys?" she asked as she looked over to them.
"Paralyzed." Derek grunted as he tried sitting up, only managing to roll over to his side a bit. "You need to go."
"I'm not leaving you guys defenseless." Lennon insisted. Derek scoffed.
"You're not much of a defense against a kanima or a gun-wielding psycho."
"At least I'm not paralyzed, asshole." Lennon spat. She struggled slowly to her knees as smoke began sifting into the room. "Shit, did he set the place on fire?"
"No, I think the Argents are here." Derek said. "Take Stiles and go!"
"I don't think I can carry him." Lennon shook her head, instantly regretting the movement as the room tilted in front of her. Suddenly someone rushed in, and Lennon saw Scott. He leaned down between Lennon and Stiles.
"Take him!" Derek commanded. "Go!" Scott lifted up Stiles, tossing his arm over his shoulders and helping Lennon up with the other.
"You go, I'll stay with Derek."
"I'm fine, go!"
"You're still on the ground flopping like a fish, you're not fine." Lennon told him, raising her voice to him. "You guys go." Scott didn't hesitate to drag Stiles from the room.
"What are you going to do if Matt or Jackson come in here?" Derek asked, rolling into an army crawl position. Lennon shrugged.
"I don't know, but I've been the test reader for one too many military films. No man gets left behind. Besides, they'd be too busy maiming and killing me to notice you getting stronger." Derek scoffed and Lennon grabbed at her bag strap. She gasped, an idea suddenly popping into her head. She flipped open the satchel and gripped the handle to the Chinese ring dagger Allison had given her. "I have this." Derek looked up as she twirled the knife and clutched it in her hand, a move Allison had taught her a few days prior.
Derek was up on his knees now, and Lennon had risen to her feet, glancing anxiously between the doorway and the Alpha. Derek grabbed onto the back of a chair, and raised himself up.
"Move, Lennon." he said gruffly. Lennon looked back at him. He turned and his eyes were glowing red, his face transfigured into the werewolf side of him. Lennon moved from the door and Derek shot up, taking off outside. "Find Scott and Stiles! Stay with them." Lennon nodded and took off down the hall, in the opposite direction. She clutched the dagger in her hand and followed the path of broken doors, finally reaching an office where the door was wide open, and there was no sign of Stiles or Scott.
"God dammit." Lennon groaned. She turned and bolted back down the hallway, heading towards the cellblocks. She saw the bottoms of Stiles' sneakers going around the corner. "Oh god please don't be dead and being dragged down the hall for dramatic purposes." she inched down the hall and followed, hearing grunts and groans of pain get louder. She turned the corner and saw Stiles still on the ground, reaching towards his dad, who was trying to pull free of the handcuffs as Melissa rooted him on. Lennon could see the hurt on Stiles' face as he watched his father struggle.
Paul gave a final yell and pulled the entire cuff from the wall, ambling back from the wall with the force he used. Lennon was going to move forward but a force slammed into her back and she fell to the ground next to Stiles. Matt ran past her and up to Paul, giving him a hard hit to the face. Paul fell to the ground and was out cold. Lennon watched as Stiles choked a bit, reaching for his father from so far away.
"Matt, Matt please, listen to me." Melissa begged. "My son has been shot, and I've heard other gunfire and I don't know what's happening, but can you please just let me see my son?" Lennon moved to get back up to her feet, but a large hand rested on her back. She turned and saw Derek next to her, watching Matt closely.
"Stay here. Stay down." he instructed. He moved forward and streaked like a bolt of lightening to the door across the way.
"How totally clueless are you people?" Matt mocked. Derek let out a growl and Matt turned. Lennon heard hissing behind her and dropped her head, playing dead and the small ticking of claws passed by her and Stiles. She glanced up as the kanima stood upright. It let out a growl and Derek ran at it, the kanima springing into action and meeting him in the middle. Matt took off and Lennon grabbed the back of Stiles' shirt, pulling him back so they wouldn't get caught in the fray.
After a few moments, the scuffling stopped, and Scott came rushing towards Lennon and Stiles.
"Stiles, can you move?"
"Just barely." Stiles answered, pushing himself up. Lennon grabbed an arm and put it around her shoulders, helping lift him to his feet. "We gotta get my dad."
"I got him." Derek said, holding up Paul's unconscious body. "He's just knocked out, Stiles, he'll be fine."
"Stiles, where are the spare cell keys?" Scott asked. Stiles told him, and Scott rushed off to grab them and unlock the cell. "You guys go ahead, go home."
"Are you sure?" Stiles called after him.
"Yeah, go!" Stiles, reach into your dad's pocket and get the car key.s" Lennon told him. She moved with Stiles towards the elder Stilinski and Stiles reached into his pocky, taking out the truck keys. Derek carried Paul out and Lennon and Stiles followed behind. Lennon drove the truck back to the Stilinski's and parked, and Derek pulled in with his car, going to lift Paul from the backseat.
"Just put him in his room, I guess?" Lennon shrugged, looking to Stiles.
"Yeah. First door upstairs on the right." Stiles walked around the front of the truck slowly, and met with Lennon at the porch after she unlocked the door for Derek.
"He's gonna be okay." she murmured, helping him up the steps to his own bedroom after Derek left, and they shut and locked the door behind him. "I don't know how we're going to explain this to him, but he'll be okay."
"What do you mean we?" Stiles asked curiously, glancing at her as he sat down on his bed. Lennon stuffed her hands in the back pockets of her jeans before walking over and sitting next to Stiles, then reaching over and taking his hand.
"I'm still new to all of this stuff too, maybe it'd help to have someone as sort of clueless as he is?" Stiles shook his head.
"I'm hoping he'll wake up in bed and think it's all a freakish dream." Stiles muttered. Lennon nodded. "I hate this."
"What?" Lennon questioned.
"The feeling of being useless." Stiles explained. "Scott and Derek can do all these really cool and powerful things, and even Allison is a trained weapons expert! How do I compete with that? I'm just human."
"Hey, we're a team, remember?" Lennon gave him a soft smile. "Team Human. And we don't have to compete with them. Or anybody. Stiles, look at all you've helped Scott do. You practically were his sensei when he first got bit. We have limits, yeah, but we're not any less powerful than they are."
"Thanks Lennon." Stiles looked over at her and nodded appreciatively. Lennon smiled and leaned onto his shoulder, but instead of being the sweet moment between friends, Stiles' body fell back from too much weight and they both flopped onto the bed.
"Sorry! Sorry." Lennon laughed. "I guess you haven't totally gotten over your paralyses yet."
"I guess not." Stiles chuckled. Lennon stretched and yawned, then let her arms flop down to her sides, closing her eyes.
"Hey, woah woah, no sleeping for you." Stiles said, sitting up and pulling her up.
"Why?" Lennon frowned. "I'm drained from everything. I wanna sleep, Stiles."
"Because, Matt hit you over the head with a gun, and you blacked out and bled." Stiles explained as if it were obvious. "You could have a concussion. I gotta keep you awake for the next twenty four hours and take you to the hospital first thing in the morning."
"Well then," Lennon looked up at Stiles through her lashes. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Star Wars marathon?"
"Yes sir."
Only a few more canon chapters left! I have an idea that's key to my little subplot to stretch out the chapters before I start working on 3A so bear with me. I'm sure you guys will still like it!
I felt bad just doing one shout out, so I decided to say thank to all the people who have reviewed since the beginning!
Thank you so, so much to: Liberty Blake, chey1235, blueblackgreen, letsnotbetaken, Isaac fan, moonlight53, DrAnime203, ALO.24.8, LynZann, hannahleep123, asharas, Sarah Lahey, XxXBeautifulXxXDreamerXxX, Atlantean-Child, , superherofan95, Rowan, DontHoldBack09, LisMaknae, joannacamilley, allycat413fishie, Phoebe Nixon, tara97, courtney99marie, MakingCookies4All, alyssia, poorxbrokexcollegexkid, TameTheGhosts, Rebecca2810, GraffitiX, LastOfTheDragons, Dr Pantalons, and all of the unnamed Guests!
Thank you guys so, so so much! You keep up the great reviews, I'll keep up writing the (hopefully) great chapters!
xoxo
kate