"Trust … trust Scott!" Stiles said.
"Scott I trust." The former sheriff looked over to Scott. Well, if this could play into his favor ….
"You take Scott, I'll follow you to the station."
"Alright. Come on Scott. You'll tell me more as we go. Stiles, you had better be following me there."
His father and Scott strode down the stairs, but before he could so much as grab his phone, black mists coagulated into Aelfrick. Perfect timing. Maybe with some help, actually, but highly doubtful.
"I was wondering when you'd show up. Matt is the killer. I knew it."
"And hello to you as well, Stiles." Aelfrick wore those same white robes with red slashes. Official visit then. "Congratulations on learning the identity of the kanima master."
"I wouldn't say he's quite a master at it."
"Does the kanima kill as directed? Then he is sufficient as a the master."
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"
Aelfrick smiled. "Not the tone I was hoping for, but a proper greeting nonetheless. I'm here to help, as always. The council has appointed me as your liaison."
"You mentioned that before."
"Oh, well." Aelfrick frowned. "I suppose I have. Too many other memories in my head. Anyway, tell me about this Matt."
"I'd love to, you know, but I'm just about to get him convicted, well maybe, of murder, so if we can make this short?"
"Ah, your father is on his way to the station. Freeze time."
"Oh." Stiles touched the magic under his skin and poured it out to freeze time. He felt himself slow down, like he was weighted with unimaginable pressures. "This is not fun."
"Now you know why we rarely do it. But you've progressed well enough to hold the burden for long enough.
"Yeah, yeah."
"Magic is not the solution to this. Events should play out as determined by action. Know that you and your concomitant will be safe for this … if you play along. The Seer asked me to deliver a message for her. 'Watch the shimmer, know the glimmer leads to certain death. Wolves and weres, humans not fair. Drown, drown, drown.' Vague, yes, I know. She tends to be."
"That's super helpful. Like totally the helpfulest." Stiles grunted under the increased pressure of holding time at bay.
Aelfrick chuckled. "Keep it in mind. Magic may not be the answer tonight, but keep it ready. Oh, and one more thing. Do a cleansing tonight. It is your duty."
"Very well."
Aelfrick smiled and disappeared in black mists. Stiles let go of the magic and took a huge breath. He ran down the stairs, phone and keys in hand. Lydia's party had certainly been something else, and here they were, about to take Matt down.
-heading to the station with daddy-o and the scott. S.
-we have the identity of the kanima master. S.
-Derek? S.
-you must still be busy with the babies. txt when you can xoxo. S.
Stiles arrived moments after his dad and Scott pulled into the station and followed them in. Nancy was on night duty. The same one as when he and Derek came to free Isaac, what?, a scant month ago? He liked Nancy up until Derek decided to flirt with her. But that was in the past.
His dad was talking to her and so he spoke in low tones to Scott. It wasn't long before they were in the Sheriff's office—though he was still out on leave. Hopefully not forever. Stiles couldn't handle that.
Stiles wasn't paying much attention until Scott, thinking that his mother had arrive to identify Matt, came back, but with Matt himself in tow. With a gun. Great. Just what he needed. A crazy man with a kanima and a gun. As if one or the other wasn't bad enough. What was it with the crazies in the town? And of course, magic wouldn't work on Crazy Matt. Thanks, Jackson.
"Take out your cell phones and put them on the desk. Now. Don't be a hero like McCall trying to pocket call."
Stiles slide out his phone and laid it with the others on the desk. Thank god he'd already texted Derek. Hopefully, Derek would make it to meet them there. Otherwise …. He didn't want to think about that option.
"Is that your mom, McCall?" Matt said. "Let's all go greet her."
When the door opened, revealing Derek, Stiles let out a breath.
"Thank god you're here," Scott said. As Derek fell to the floor.
None other than Jackson stood behind him. Stiles should have known the kanima would be nearby, but had hoped for better. Though Derek was no master at stealth.
Stiles moved to help Derek only to feel the back of his neck split with Jackson's sharp claws. Oh great. He fell on top of Derek.
"How's it feel, to be a big bad werewolf taken down with just a little paralytic toxin?" Matt said. "Must be terrible."
"Come down here, and say that to my face," Derek said. "I've still got teeth."
"Yeah, bitch," Stiles volunteered. Though it could have been muffled into the massive chest below him.
"Get him off of me," Derek growled.
"No, I think you too make an adorable couple."
"Now, McCall," Matt began.
Stiles tuned out most of what Matt said, instead, concentrating on the magic in his veins. It seemed to be mostly subdued. He couldn't do much with it, perhaps the toxin made magic less effective? Because it came from the kanima. Great.
Suddenly, he was on his back, a boot to his throat, and he couldn't breath properly. "Scott!" he tried to say.
"Okay, okay, I'll do it!"
"That's better McCall."
Stiles sucked in air.
"I want to know what this means." Matt lifted his shirt, revealing kanima scales. Oh how fun.
Then he heard footsteps move off. That probably meant that Ms McCall was here. Oh god.
"Stiles, you okay?" Derek's voice was low.
He coughed a few times for effect. "I think I'll be okay."
"Any, uh, 'solutions' to this problem?"
"If by solutions, you mean magic, then no. I can barely feel anything and that's probably because I'm right next to you. Otherwise, I doubt I'd feel anything at all."
"Me?"
"Didn't I mention it before?"
"Probably." Derek grunted. "Well, hypothetically, if I trigger the healing process, I should be able to get up."
"Trigger the—?" Stiles looked as far as he could. "Oh gross."
"Don't deal well with blood?"
"Nope, not at all." Stiles averted his eyes from the offending bodily fluid.
"Not a good idea to date a werewolf then, if a little blood scares you."
Stiles chuckled. "And you probably shouldn't be dating a mouthy teen."
"Enough said."
Stiles thought a moment. "That book won't help him, will it."
"No. I doubt it. You can't just break the rules and expect no consequences."
"As I've experienced," Stiles said. That had hurt like fuck. "Though, I've probably got the best deal from the Concord than anyone else. I just get lava veins and lots of pain. Hooray. You know, this whole paralyzed thing is overrated. I need my hands to talk!"
There was probably a sassy eye roll from Derek on that account. "We're possibly going to be killed by a monster lizard who doubles as a kanima on his off hours."
"Oh, very funny, Derek. And yes, we have bigger problems, which, I'd like to not focus on while paralyzed. The less I can move, the more I might panic, and panicking is not an option at the moment, thank you very much."
"Never mind then. Continue on."
"So, uh … is that hypothetical situation getting any less hypothetical?"
"I can move my toes," Derek said. He did have a sexy voice.
Stiles tried to move his, and the wiggled. "Dude, so can I."
"Fuck."
"Wait, I think I can help out. I might be able push some magic through the toxin and help get you on you're feet sooner."
"Try it. Anything to help."
"Better you than me up. I can't do much. You have claws."
"Stiles, shut up and do something."
He clamped his teeth shut and concentrated on the small burning under his skin. The feeling was stronger than before. He pulled out as much of the magic as he possibly could and channeled it at Derek to help the werewolf heal. Claws and fangs to fight crazy lizards and a man with a gun. It was agonizingly slow, but Stiles felt the toxin and the healing process warring within Derek and so Stiles bolstered the healing, as the toxin slipped around the magic.
Derek moved a little bit and suddenly, Stiles felt the turn of the healing to eliminate the toxin. Stiles opened his eyes to see Derek on his feet.
"Get him, kill Matt if you have to. Protect my dad."
"I will, Stiles. When you can move, get to safety."
"Okay." Stiles looked up. "Go!"
Derek shook his head and took off. Werewolves.
Stiles struggled with intense boredom and kept trying to move until he could roll over. Then He began to crawl toward the sounds. His dad was most likely in the jail room of the station. He'd been to the station so many times that he could tell where sounds came from anywhere. And Derek had run this way as well.
He heard triumphant shouting and a loud clonk noise and a thud. He heard a growl, and assumed it was Scott. Or Derek. It was hard to tell.
He got close enough to see from the corridor: his father unconscious on the ground. Or dead, but there was no blood, so unconscious it was. And Ms McCall was terrified in the back of one of the cells.
He backed away, unable to trust himself to not do something stupid. His mind went blank and he barely felt someone pick him up and carry him out of the building. It wasn't Derek, so it must have been Scott. He found himself propped up in his Jeep.
Stiles was numb inside, from more than just the kanima juice. He couldn't seem to feel anything at all ….
Notes: Sorry it took 82 years to get this chapter out :((
