Chapter Seventeen

It took us one month to figure out how to bring Jackson back and it was a hell of a lot of complications.

First we had to figure out if the Kanima already had a leader, seeing as he'd already killed someone and yet he'd been unwilling to kill me in the clinic. That meant that he wasn't calling the shots, and after investigating Mr Lahey's life we uncovered an incident that happened about ten years ago. Which led us to Matt—the one who had been drowned in a pool when he was a boy. It hadn't taken a lot to get him to talk—five minutes in a room alone with Derek made him crack like a boiled eggshell. He admitted to seeing Jackson transform on the night of the full moon and how he'd found out he killed Isaac's dad for him, and he had known he would do it again. Or at least he thought he would, but since that night he had been nowhere to be found. That had been a relief; if Jackson hadn't completed any murders under Matt's direct orders—being as the first had been a result of intuition— that meant the bond between them hadn't fully formed yet. So the Kanima didn't have a leader, at least not officially.

This revelation led to us searching for the legends about how the Kanima had become man again, or in this case werewolf. Seeing as Derek had heard that sometimes the bite can cause the person to take on a shape that reflects who they really are, and the Kanima didn't know who he was, it led to the realization that Jackson needed his anchor, something that tethered him to his humanity and to the person that he was. Which led us to Lydia. They had loved each other, shared a genuine bond that Jackson didn't have with anyone else, so there was no question about it—it had to be her. So the weekend before the full moon we all packed up and met Deaton at the house, prepared for this to take all weekend if necessary. After we made sure Jackson was still in his human form, Deaton explained what was going to happen to the co-captain from the door that led to the basement, while the teenager stood on the stairs and listened, hopeful.

None of us had wanted to intrude, so once he had transformed, we reminded Lydia not to go near the barrier and to yell out if she needed anything. We'd all (Stiles, Scott, Allison, Derek, Deaton and Isaac) had sat in the living room; too anxious to talk as those of us with supernatural hearing focused encase the strawberry blonde needed us. What had felt like hours later, Lydia called us and we all released a sigh of relief when we saw Jackson fully transformed as a werewolf. We waited until the weekend had passed before releasing him, just to be sure that it was permanent, but as we made our way back home I could tell we were all relieved that particular crisis was averted. Jackson was buzzing because he had now gotten exactly what he wanted—to be a werewolf.

Of course, as one crisis was dealt with, we were reminded of Lydia's need for help when she arrived at the abandoned train station at three in the morning, completely soaked through to the bone, her gaze unfocused. I had been staying the night and had been sound asleep when the alpha had shaken me awake to inform me of Lydia's appearance. It had taken a while for us to bring her around, but when she did she told us that Peter had come to her again, and gave her very specific instructions about what she had to do or risk him taunting her until she went crazy. After I'd settled her down, I offered her some of my spare dry clothes and took her to one of the spare compartments. I stayed with her until she slept and after placing another blanket over her I went out into the main area, pulling out my laptop from my school bag and diving into my research, which was more successful now I had the specific instructions that needed to be completed, it was easier to locate the ritual Peter intended for Lydia to complete. Derek had found me thirty minutes later and unceremoniously lifted me from the sofa and tucked me back into bed, assuring me that the solution would still be waiting for me in the a.m. I'd protested, albeit rather weekly, but it was past three o clock in the morning, so I'd fallen asleep without much more resistance.

With the full moon and Lydia's birthday being two days away, we knew we needed to act fast, so the next morning the four of us—Derek, Lydia, Isaac and I—met my twin and Stiles at the clinic. I'd printed off the ritual I'd found and Deaton had been able to provide us with the proper steps needed to keep the former Alpha out of Lydia's mind. It had taken an amulet inscribed with a symbol that meant protection and a concoction of herbs that she had to drink first thing in the morning and right before bed. He was confident that Peter's ability to connect with the banshee would fade after the full moon, but he gave her enough herbs to last for a month to be certain. We had all relaxed after that—Lydia especially— we hadn't noticed just how much this had been wearing on her until she was protected from Peter. She came to school looking better rested and smiled a lot more than she had been, and I realized that was because she was no longer on edge and waiting for a hallucination to overcome her.

Lydia's birthday was celebrated at her house, with just the pack, and Jackson, present. She's been contemplating a huge party but opted out of it encase something happened. Derek hadn't been able to come as he'd had to take care of Isaac over the full moon, and while I'd been concerned myself over my own stability, I'd been relieved when I stayed in control and ended up having a nice time hanging out with my friends as we ate pizza and drank cheap beer. The night passed without incident and Lydia was put to bed around ten when her mom came home and broke up the party. I went to check on Derek and was relieved to find the beta asleep and the alpha unscathed. After he'd carried Isaac back to his compartment, we went to his and fell into a deep, well-deserved sleep.

We got some peace after that, and slipped back into a somewhat normal routine. My AP classwork was finished up over spring break and my teachers had agreed to let me take my end of year exams early in all my classes so that I could volunteer for a few months at the hospital before summer school started. It meant I could get my hours in for my collage application and still take some Junior year classes early. Lydia was doing the same thing and I was happy to have a friend to do it with me—I hadn't done it before and having the strawberry blonde around would offer me a sense of familiarity and comfort. Our exams were done over the first few weeks of returning from spring break, and just like that Lydia and I were Juniors. Stiles wasn't happy—it meant he no longer got time with the banshee at school, but they were still hanging out after so I didn't think he was that angry. Scott didn't like not having me there, but I was pretty sure that was because he was so used to having his sister around; I was like his safety blanket. But seeing as the shifts I was doing at the hospital was 8-4, I was still able to meet him at the library to help him study afterward, before we headed over to the clinic for our shift, and so the transition wasn't too difficult. Jackson also left before the year was over—his father had been offered a job in London and after a goodbye and a few lessons from Derek on how to remain in control, he was gone.

Of course, as we entered the fourth week of returning from spring break, everything went to shit again. Allison's mother was killed by the omega that had shown up all those months ago before disappearing. No one knew why he'd suddenly decided to come back, but he'd shown up at the Argent house while Chris and Gerard were on patrol and Allison was out with Lydia. Her throat had been slashed and her liver removed. Somehow the eldest Argent had jumped to blaming Derek for the attack—claiming that he had been a beta that the Alpha had banished from his pack and rendering him an omega. While Allison had been devastated when her father called to tell her what had happened, she knew that the only beta Derek had created had been Isaac, so her grandfather's manipulative attempts fell short. After the funeral had passed, Gerard's desire to find the red-eyed wolf became more desperate and he started sending out groups all over Beacon Hills to draw him out. But all that did was send him further into hiding. Isaac still went to school to avoid suspicion—as far as we knew the Argents (aside from Allison) didn't know about the curly haired beta and we wanted it to stay that way. After school he'd go to the library with Scott and Stiles, where I'd meet them and help with homework before dropping Isaac off back at the station. We always took the remote way, just encase we were followed, and after I dropped him off I waited until I heard him inside before driving off and heading for my second shift of the day. When that was done, sometimes I went home, but more often than not I found myself at Derek's, my car parked in the hidden garage with his.

Eventually the source of Gerard's determination was revealed when he fell down the stairs and knocked himself unconscious. They'd taken x-rays and discovered he had stage three cancer. Chris had put the pieces together and after Gerard had told his son that he intended to use Allison's grief to manipulate her into luring out the alpha, even if that resulted in her death, Chris had shot him in between the eyes. Apparently his code extended to those who were human as well, and Gerard's willingness to use his granddaughter's life for his own gain was the same as a wolf hunting one of them, at least in his eyes. His death had been covered as a suicide and that had been that. Chris had even come around to Scott and the rest of us—I wouldn't say we were best buddies anymore, but apparently he was willing to accept that being a werewolf didn't immediately make you undeserving of trust. I assumed his own father's evilness had something to do with it, but we weren't complaining as a delicate truce was formed as a result and the back up Chris had called to Beacon was retired and sent back to wherever they were needed. Scott and Allison didn't have to sneak around anymore, though they weren't comfortable enough to act like a couple in front of the elder Argent, but I couldn't exactly blame them for that.

Once that had passed, we settled back into normality and Derek even went on to turn two other beta's—Erica and Boyd. Both were of course told about the dangers of being a werewolf, the responsibilities etc. but they'd both agreed after taking a week to think it over. They weren't turned together; I'd pointed out that having two newly turned betas on their first full moon might be a bit much, even for an alpha. So, Erica had been turned first and Boyd had followed once the blonde had her transformations under control. I was surprised how happy I was that Derek had offered the bite to them both—it allowed for our friendships to evolve to a stronger bond, as now I didn't have to be cautious of mentioning anything supernatural to them. I hadn't realized how freeing it was, to be able to talk without filter or concern over saying the wrong thing. And both of them took to their new werewolf abilities well—Erica blossomed, her confidence in herself sky rocketing, while Boyd also became more sure of himself, happy to branch out and talk to others, allowing new friendships to form.

As the school term officially drew to a close, I found myself with a few weeks of free time before summer school started and I suggested we take a trip. It seemed like we could all afford to have some fun without the worry of another impending crisis hanging over our heads. The pack had been enthusiastic and before we knew it, we were packing up our cars to head down to the beach house we'd all chipped into to rent for a week. Stiles, Lydia, Derek and I had piled into Roscoe, while Scott, Boyd, Isaac and Erica had piled into Allison's car. The alpha and I had sat in the back, the banshee at the front shifting between navigator and resident DJ. Honestly, I couldn't tell you what happened during most of the journey, because I fell asleep not thirty minutes in, my head on Derek's shoulder. But that wasn't uncommon for me—I always fell asleep during long car journeys, it was almost a survival instinct and my body went into temporary hibernation to spare me potential boredom or discomfort at being squeezed into a tiny vehicle for so long.

The whole week ended up being wonderful—I couldn't remember the last time I'd been on vacation, much less the last time I'd laughed so much, or felt so relaxed and carefree. There ended up being four rooms, Derek and I took one, Scott and Allison another, while Erica and Lydia shared, and Stiles, Boyd and Isaac took the last one. Aside from Stiles complaining that both boys he was roomed with snored like foghorns, there were no problems with the sleeping arrangements. Most mornings Derek and I were the first to wake up—usually around six in the morning—and after drinking some coffee and watching the sun rise over the ocean, we went for a run for an hour or so. By the time we got back Allison, Scott, Erica and Lydia were usually up and eating breakfast. Derek would eat with them while I went to shower and when I returned he'd go up and take his own shower. The other three boys usually raised around ten, and by then the rest of us were on the beech. Lydia and Erica lay in bikinis, catching some sunshine, reading the books they'd bought and trading occasional conversation. Allison and Scott usually wondered along the beech, walking along the waterline barefoot, their hands entwined together as they spoke quietly to each other. Derek and I did something different every day. Sometimes we'd join the others and catch some sun, other times we'd swim in the ocean and even manage to lure some of the boys in when they finally rose from their slumber, or we'd be playing a game of cards. The game changed from time to time, but it became the activity we both enjoyed the most and more often than not, that's how we spent the last few hours of morning before lunch.

The afternoon usually involved group activities—Boys vs. girls beech volleyball, football, sometimes we even used the time to improve our fighting abilities. With that we were restricted as showing any supernatural strength and arousing the suspicion of other people on the beach was risky, so we only did that a couple of times and not for very long. Once the evening crept in, we retired back to the house, all showering and changing into pajamas. When dinner had been cooked and consumed, we settled in front of the TV and watched a movie—we'd resorted to putting everyone's name into a bowl and picking one out in order to decide who got to choose what we watched. I usually fell asleep half way through whatever movie had been put on, tired and too relaxed to stay asleep. I never woke up on the couch; in fact I always slept through until morning and woke up in the bed I shared with Derek.

All in all it was a wonderful vacation, and although I was disappointed to be returning to reality as we packed up the cars to head home, I found myself grateful for the wonderful people I had in my life. For the second family I hadn't realized I needed until I had it. I was a lucky girl, and I was never going to take that for granted.

I'm sorry if you felt like this was a little rushed, but I'll be honest with you guys—I didn't really want to write the whole Kanima story. I'm sorry if you feel like I've rushed over it, but to be frank I quite like how I've put it together and come to a solution with a lot less death and drama. I hope you like it and that you're looking forward to the third season, I know I am. I can't wait to start writing the alpha pack and the darach. It's going to be a good un' people, and don't worry this season wont be as rushed as this one probably felt.

See you next time,

-VampireGirl1797

Xoxo