Authors Note: I'm not dead! If you're reading this, thanks for sticking around for so many years. I promise this isn't a trick, I actually posted and have continued to write. Here's hoping it won't take me a decade to update again.
[Stiles POV]
We couldn't even go 24 hours without all hell breaking loose. The hunt for the Darach was at an all-time high, Derek was apparently sleeping with our new English teacher and there was a huge chance that the Alpha pack was hiding in a dumpster waiting to pop out when we least expected it. I didn't expect to wake up from my night with Maggie and live it up in a Hallmark movie, but one villain at a time would be great.
Scott sounded like he was running when he called to tell us about Deaton being missing. The tension in the Jeep made the bones in my jaw hurt from grinding my teeth as Maggie hopped out to hand Isaac and Boyd a duffle bag full of who knows what.
"Hey, I need you guys to go sit on Derek. The Alpha Pack is on the move and until we figure out who the Darach is and what they've done with Deaton, we've got to cover all our bases. These all have fresh sigils and there's a protective cord in there. Do not take it off." Maggie said firmly, handing Boyd the bag.
"I think I've got an idea to keep the loft protected. I might need to stop by Nathan's and grab a few things." Boyd seemed confident with whatever his idea was, putting his hand out for Maggie's keys but she held onto his hand. Boyd looked at Maggie confused.
"Whatever it is, please just be careful, okay? I need you guys to be safe. I need you whole." Maggie squeezed Boyd's hand making him roll his eyes.
"Aren't we always?" Isaac snarked earning a shove from Boyd.
"Stilinski!" Boyd bellowed making me jump.
"You got her?" Something about the way Boyd said it didn't seem like a question, more of a reassurance.
"Always." I reaffirmed. Boyd and I seemed to have a silent understanding when it came to Maggie. The type of love we both had for her might be different but it was equally strong. Maggie watched them drive off and took a visible breath. She looked over at me like she was waiting for me to say something but I started the Jeep back up to head to the clinic.
"I'm not going to tell you everything will be alright. We're up against the wall right now and shit is getting ugly but I can promise you that I'm going to be right here with you for all of it." I held my hand out and she pulled it into her lap and squeezed it between her hands. Something in my gut was telling me a storm was coming and we were in no way prepared.
Scott looked devastated when we walked into the clinic to see my dad and his partner taking notes. There wasn't much of a scene to really process at this point since the only thing out of the ordinary was the back door being open and Deaton's car still parked out front. Nothing was thrown around, there was no blood or signs of a struggle. He was just gone.
Dad squeezed Scott's shoulder before walking towards the front desk. Scott gestured to the backroom so Maggie and I could follow him to the back for a more private conversation.
"We have to tell him." Scott blurted. I looked from him to Maggie hoping he wasn't suggesting what it sounded like.
"Like tell him, tell him or like tell him something else that isn't telling him what I think you want to tell him."
"You know what I mean." Scott pressed.
"You remember how your mom reacted? She didn't look you in the eye for, like, a week." I reminded Scott.
"She got over it and it actually made us a lot closer." I felt Maggie shift closer to my arm.
"I don't know, he's already so overwhelmed Scott. Are we sure now is the right time for this?" Maggie questioning Scott made me feel a little easier about my own feelings.
"He's overwhelmed because he has no clue what's happening. He's got people dying under his watch, the town that he's supposed to protect and it's not his fault because he doesn't know what's happening." Watching my Dad try to navigate his way through being the Sheriff after Scott was bit and Maggie was killed had been disheartening. All those nights I wanted to just spill my guts so he would have an ounce of understanding as to what the hell was going on killed me.
"He's gonna find out sooner or later." Scott added.
"Yeah but how is telling him now going to change the situation?" Maggie asked.
"What if not telling him now gets someone else killed?" Scott looked at Maggie but I felt that heavy weight in my throat again.
"What if telling him gets him killed, Scott? I get that Deaton's been like a father to you but this is my- this is my actual father. I can't…" Maggie took my hand trying to stave off the anxiety that was on the verge of boiling over into a full-blown panic attack.
"I can't lose both my parents, all right? Not both of them." I squeezed Maggie's hand and Scott backed down.
"You're right. I'm sorry I pushed." Looking out at my Dad and seeing how exhausted he was made me realize the only thing that is putting him in danger is me not allowing us to give him all the tools he needs to be the cop I know he's able to be.
"No…no you're right. It's time. I'll tell him." I assured but Maggie nudged me.
"We'll tell him and we will protect him." Maggie didn't let go of my hand as we walked back out to the front surprised to see Ms. Morrell had joined the search.
"Please, whatever you need, however, you can help find my brother." Maggie let go of my hand at the sight of Morrell. Dad excused himself from the room and she made a b-line for us.
"What are you doing here wasting your time?" She was staring at Maggie.
"Moral support? Where am I supposed to be? Deaton never let me put any sort of talisman to protect or track him." Maggie explained.
"Then you need to be with the one person who might actually have the ability to seek out the supernatural." We knew Morrell was the emissary for the alphas so her trying to help us in any way is unlikely but if Deaton is her brother then she has a vested interest.
"We need to get to Lydia."
[Isaac's POV]
Boyd and I carried heavy duffle bags up the steps since it had appeared that Derek cut the elevator off so he could hear approaching visitors.
"How thrilled do you think he's going to be to see us?" I asked not earning any real answer from Boyd.
"Go back to school." Derek didn't miss a beat the second we walked through the door to see him casually reading a book like there wasn't a group of blood-thirsty alpha wolves ready to put his head on a spike.
"Actually, we can't. Boyd and I are incredibly and unbelievably sick." I explained.
"What, with brain damage?" Derek looked up from his spot on the staircase. I pulled out the notes from my pocket and waved them around.
"I have a migraine and Boyd has explosive diarrhea. Maggie wrote some very convincing notes if you need to verify our wellness." I offered seeing him shake his head.
"So I can only assume Maggie isn't at school either so what is it that you're doing here?" He closed his book and sighed.
"We're here to protect you." Boyd finally spoke, looking to Derek with concern.
"You're here to protect me? Well, now I'm really in trouble then." Derek descended the steps as I sat down on the metal table opposite the newly branded window.
"Actually Boyd came up with a pretty solid plan." Derek snatched the book out of my hand.
"Yeah I thought about the time Gerard had me and Erica locked up, tied up with electrical wires pushing current through us. I was wondering how we could use something like that to our advantage on a wider scale." Boyd pulled the wires that he had taken from Nathan's docking supplies and showed Derek.
"Please tell me you didn't steal that." Derek huffed.
"No Nathan and I talked about rewiring the lights on the dock. They were exposed and made the pier dangerous for anyone walking on it at night so this is what was leftover." Derek crossed his arms over his chest as Boyd started moving bits of furniture around the loft while I stood against the wall watching.
"A little help would be nice." Boyd shot a glare at me and I rolled my eyes.
"A bit more information so I can assist would also be swell. I haven't been palling around with the local fisherman about electrical circuits." I pointed out picking up one end of the couch.
"In a pool of electrified water, it can take up to 50 milliamps to kill a normal human, less than the power it takes to turn on a light bulb." Once the furniture was moved, Boyd hooked up the hose to one of the exposed faucets Derek had near the balcony door.
"That's comforting." We both watched as Boyd drag the hose across the floor.
"If we disable the circuit interrupter in the building's electrical room, the current will keep coming." Boyd flipped the water on, starting the flooding of the loft floor.
"And anyone who steps foot in here will be in for a pretty shocking surprise." Boyd smiled devilishly.
"Especially someone who's barefoot." I added. I now understood the plan and was ready to light those alpha bastards up. Derek gave an approving nod as we watched the water slowly fill, hoping it would raise enough to cover the entire floor before we got any unwanted company.
"Don't forget to hang these up for Maggie." Boyd handed me the pieces from the bag and I walked them around the room like Maggie had shown me before. I had watched her make protection seals the entire summer and I still didn't quite understand how they worked but when they did the job, it was amazing.
"If I live through this, I'll definitely need new furniture." Derek watched as the bottom of his couch started taking on water.
"From what I hear, that might be for the best anyway. At least a new bed." Derek looked over at me with daggers.
"My sex life is no business for the minds or mouths of teenagers." Derek reminded sternly.
"We're just glad you have a sex life." Boyd spoke up moving the couch a bit further from the water to protect it.
"You know if we're going to watch my loft flood, we can certainly do that in silence. I actually prefer silence." Derek scolded us both into a tense silence as the water grew higher and higher and the sun got lower and lower.
"Any word from Maggie?" I asked checking my phone for the millionth time.
"Nothing yet." Boyd knelt over the water and tossed the wires into the dark water and flipped the switch on the wall. You could hear the electrical current traveling through the water.
"Is this going to kill them?" I asked worried about getting too close to the water.
"I hope so." Boyd took a seat on the wooden platform. I was careful not to get too far from my own platform. All we could do now was wait.
[Scott's POV]
The three of us burst through the school doors in hot pursuit of finding Lydia.
"She's not answering her phone." Stiles said pocketing it.
"We're going to have to split up. Stiles, check the gym and locker room. Maggie- check the cafeteria and the bathrooms. I'll hit the labs and study hall rooms. Text when you find her." We each took off in opposite directions looking for Lydia. I wasn't sure how Lydia would be able to track down Deaton but the longer it took for us to figure it out, the greater the chance of us running out of time to save him.
Someone apparently pulled the fire alarm right before we got here because the halls seemed more crowded than normal. I honed in trying to listen for Lydia or catch her scent but a familiar tapping sound was drawing me in. I started following it and immediately picked up Deucalion's presence. He wasn't speaking, simply tapping his cane slowly but he wasn't moving.
I rounded the corner and ran into Maggie. I put my hand up to stop her from saying anything and she realized I was listening to something. We both started walking towards the music room and I made sure to keep Maggie behind me as we opened the door.
"Ah I was hoping for you two would find each other along the way." Deucalion sat calmy at the piano. Maggie's whole body tensed.
"Two on one seems like a bad idea for you. I'm surprised you would put yourself in such a vulnerable position." I looked at Maggie trying to get her to back off. We don't have time to fight.
"As you well know Maggie, I am fairly capable of handling myself without any issue. Feel free to test that at your own detriment." Deucalion threatened casually.
"With pleasure." Maggie growled and I stepped in front of her.
"We didn't come here for this." I stood in front of Deucalion ready to fight if necessary but I knew that Deaton was running out of time.
"Do you know what a metronome is? It's a tool to help you maintain a steady rhythm. Once you've set the tempo. Something tells me the tempo of your lives has sped up considerably in the last few hours." I tried to keep my cool so he wouldn't know how I was feeling.
"Not so much yours Maggie, seeing as how you're constantly finding yourself in a life or death conundrum with the ones you love." Maggie shifted and I stopped her from advancing.
"If you'd like, I could help slow it down to a more manageable pace." The room felt like it was getting smaller and smaller.
"How?" Maggie's head whipped towards me.
"Scott!" She shouted.
"By helping you find Deaton." Deucalion's offer was tempting.
"You can't be serious. We cannot trust him, Scott!" Maggie grabbed my arm turning me towards her.
"Both of your hearts are pounding. You're worried you will run out of time to find Deaton and Maggie's heart is pounding with anger because she knows we're going to kill someone she loves." Maggie launched herself at Deucalion before I could stop her but he quickly snatched her by the neck and slammed her head into the piano.
"Maggie!" I dropped down on the floor next to her and she was knocked out with a cut in her hairline.
"Tell you what Scott, you take the cane away from me and I'll tell you exactly where you can find Deaton. How does that sound?" I didn't give it a second thought, I jumped for the cane and was caught in the knee, knocking me backward. I jumped to my feet, dodging several swings from Deucalion before jumping over his head to avoid being backed into a corner. Deucalion pulled the tip off his cane revealing a sharpened arrow that gave off the scent of wolfsbane. I tried to avoid the blade, but it caught me deep in the shoulder, bringing me to my knees in front of Deucalion.
"Impressive but you know I'm not the one slashing up innocent people, praying to ancient gods, or gathering herbs or whatever the hell Druids are supposed to do. No that's more set in your friend's wheelhouse." I looked over at Maggie who still lay motionless, with blood slowly seeping through the cut on her head.
"I am part of a pack that wants Derek dead though. Kali is coming for him, Maggie should consider herself lucky. She got away with killing one of my own already, killing Derek is only fair." I felt the burn of the wolfsbane in my shoulder and tried to keep my focus.
"You're about to face a difficult choice, Scott. Someone is going to die tonight, whether that's Derek or Deaton, that's up to you." Deucalion put the rubber tip back on his cane moving towards the door.
"Just tell me where he is." I didn't want to have to choose between Deaton and Derek. I couldn't choose between them. There was no possible chance of Maggie surviving losing Derek again, this time for real and I know our friendship wouldn't survive me making that choice.
"I'll give you a very important clue. Let the current guide you." Deucalion didn't look back as I tried to make sense of his clue. Maggie startled into consciousness and sat up ready to fight only to wince.
"Where is he?! Where did he go?" I helped her to her feet.
"He's gone. You're okay." Maggie grabbed my arm to steady herself and noticed the blood.
"He hurt you! I'll kill him." I stopped her from brushing past me.
"We need to find the others. I'll be okay." Maggie helped me put my jacket on and I wiped the visible blood off her forehead.
"Scott, please…you can't trust him. You just…he has a way of twisting things. Whatever he told you, whatever he promised, it won't end how you think." I could smell a different type of fear on Maggie. A fear like she knew exactly what Deucalion was capable of that I had only just begun to see.
[Lydia's POV]
I was just getting around to relieving some stress with Aiden when the fire alarm pierced through my ears.
"What are you doing?" Aiden looked surprised I was straightening myself out to evacuate the school as the alarm continued to ring.
"When in high school has a fire alarm actually been a real fire?" Aiden grabbed my arm.
"That's exactly the kind of thing you'd expect two dumbass students to say before just before getting burned alive." Aiden tried pushing past my logic with more advances, but I simply turned my head away.
"You first." I gestured to the door once more and Aiden reluctantly put his shirt on and left the office. I gave him a few moments to clear the doorway and pulled the door open only to run into Cora Hale.
"You don't have very good taste in guys, do you?" I didn't even dignify her question with a response, but she wouldn't allow me to move past her.
"Is there a problem?" The thing about the Hale family is they all looked a lot scarier than they were.
"Yeah, Derek would like to kindly ask you to stop seeing Aiden, which means that if I catch you with him again, I'm not going to pull the fire alarm. I'm going to pull your tongue out of your head." Cora threatened making me chuckle.
"Sweetheart, my last boyfriend was a homicidal lizard so I think I can handle a werewolf." I reached for the handle again and Cora grabbed my wrist roughly.
"Let go." She tightened her grip, and I took a deep breath.
"I said-"
"Let go! She said let go." Stiles appeared in the locker room out of nowhere and Cora released my arm.
"She's fraternizing with the enemy. I was politely asserting she make better choices." Cora gritted.
"Yeah I could see that you were using your typical Hale charm on her. We have more important things to worry about." Stiles looked at the arm Cora had grabbed before leading me to the science room.
"Stiles, what's going on? I thought Maggie was blowing up my phone because she shares the same disdain the rest of you do but I can handle myself." I sat down at the table and Stiles shuffled around the room.
"We'll talk about your love life later. Right now, we need to find Deaton who has been taken by the Darach and we don't have a lot of time to find him before he ends up the next sacrifice." Stiles tossed an Ouija board in front of me.
"Really? A Ouija board?" I rolled my eyes.
"Also called a spirit board, and it's worth a shot." Stiles explained.
"A shot in the dark." I muttered as he tossed the box.
"Could you just try it please, okay? Let's not forget who this is for: Scott's boss, the guy who constantly saves our collective asses on more than one occasion." I didn't need the reminder of how important Deaton was when it came to information into the supernatural that happens in this town but we'd yet to stoop this low.
"Do we all have to do this?" Cora volunteered. Stiles nodded and we all placed our fingertips onto the planchette.
"Where is Dr. Deaton?" Stiles asked out loud. I sat silently waiting for whatever answers he thought were going to come but when I noticed both him and Cora staring at me, I knew they thought I had the answers.
"Me? I don't know. I thought we were asking some sort of spirit." I offered.
"Well do you know any spirits?" Cora asked ridiculously.
"Is she for real?" I looked at Stiles who cleared the table of the board in a huff and rifled in his pocket.
"Okay new plan: these are Deaton's keys for the clinic. Close your eyes, I'm going to put them in your hand and we're gonna see if you can feel out his location. It's called psychometry." Stiles held the keys in front of my face.
"I'm not a psychic and this is absolutely more of a Maggie thing. Why not just ask her to use one of her trackers she has on us?" I offered.
"She already said Deaton never let her make one for him so that's not going to work. Please just put your hand out." Stiles was losing patience and I put my palm face-up, closing my eyes. I jumped when the keys hit my hand.
"What? Did you get something?" Stiles startled me enough to open my eyes.
"No…they're cold." Stiles's eyes looked ready to pop out of his head at the response.
"Lydia, please focus. We're trying to save lives here for the love of God!" I closed my eyes again and tried to think about the last time I saw Deaton, the last time I was in the clinic, or the last time Maggie even mentioned Deaton but I couldn't get anything.
"Stiles, I'm not getting anything." I put the keys back down on the table in frustration.
"Okay so let's try something else. Take this pencil and just…do your thing." I cocked an eyebrow at Stiles.
"Automatic writing? Really?" He thrust the pencil at me and I took it, drawing the same tree I'd been sketching for days. It's been in my subconscious, and I don't know where I've seen it before other than my daydreams.
"Lydia, what are you doing? What the hell is that?" Stiles stared at the very obvious tree.
"A tree." I kept sketching the tree and felt Stiles ready to implode.
"A tre- you're supposed to be writing words! Full sentences, coordinates, SOMETHING! We need to know where he is!" Stiles shouted.
"Well, maybe you should have said that." I pointed out finishing the tree.
"Maggie said she's supposed to be a genius." Cora piped up.
"Genius? Yes. Physic? No. Honestly, I don't know why you're bothering with me anyway. Especially since it's obvious you should be talking to Danny." Stile pushed off of the table confused.
"Wait, what? Why Danny?" Stiles seemed surprised at my suggestion.
"Because last night he was a target but it wasn't a sacrifice." Scott came into the lab holding his bleeding shoulder and supporting a clearly disheveled Maggie. All three of us jumped up from the table.
"Scott! You're bleeding." I tried to move his hand away from his wound but it was already almost healed. Stiles pushed Maggie's hair back making her wince.
"I'm fine." I pulled a napkin out of my purse and handed it to Stiles to put on her head.
"What the hell happened to you two?" Cora pressed.
"Deucalion." Maggie looked over at Cora who almost tensed.
"I'll kill him." Cora growled.
"He's gone, we need to stay focused." Maggie reminded Cora.
"Are they going to go after Danny?" I asked worried that he was unprotected.
"No the alphas seem to have their priority on Derek right now." Scott looked over at Cora who looked both terrified and enraged at the same time. Scott's phone went off and he flashed it to Stiles.
"Allison's got a lead, you guys head to the hospital and I'll meet you there once I stop by to see what she's got." Scott took off out the door before we could even try to send someone with him.
"I need to call and check on Derek." Cora reached for her phone and Stiles put his hand on her shoulder.
"Boyd and Isaac are keeping tabs on him, we need to get to Danny and find out what he knows." Maggie had stopped listening to Stiles and had wandered over to the drawing I left on the table.
"Did you draw this?" Maggie kept her eyes on the paper.
"Yeah, it's just something I keep seeing. I'm not sure where the exact tree is but-"
Maggie and I reached for the drawing at the same time and I felt like I was being pulled through a wind tunnel. Everything became dark, we were out in the middle of nowhere and the only thing that was between us was the tree in the drawing, wind howling around us but the tree didn't budge.
"Lydia!" Maggie and I stumbled backward dropping the paper on the table.
"What the hell was that?" Cora put her hand on Maggie's back supporting her.
"I'm not sure but I've been there before…I think." Maggie looked over at me strangely.
"Okay, no more latching until after we talk to Danny." Stiles threw his arms out and carefully picked up the piece of paper, folded it, and put it in his back pocket. Maggie reached out to me and I took her hand.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to pull you into that." She apologized.
"Have you really been there before?" I asked as we walked towards Stiles' Jeep together.
"I think so. I'm not sure of anything anymore. All I know is that when I see that place, I get this overwhelming pull to-"
"Death." I finished her thought because that was the same feeling I got every time it called to me in a dream. Whatever this tree is, wherever it is- it would bring devastation.
[Derek's POV]
The loft had grown darker as the sun went down. The floors were now fully flooded with the three of us sitting scattered on the raised platforms. The buzz of the electricity flowing through the water was oddly calming. I felt anxious sitting here alone, waiting for the fight that was to darken my door at any moment but having Isaac and Boyd here took me back to last year. Training them, teaching them how to be werewolves and protect themselves from all the things that would eventually try to hurt them. It felt like we'd all grown together even in the madness that is Beacon Hills.
"Scott just texted. He's got a lead on the Vet and Maggie is with Lydia, Cora, and Stiles on the way to the hospital." Isaac pocketed his phone.
"Are they okay? Did something happen?" I leaned off the wall ready to end this science experiment, but Boyd put his hand up reminding me how dangerous the water was.
"No, they're fine. Apparently, Danny knows something about murder locations in Beacon Hills or something. She said to sit tight, and they'll be here soon." Isaac leaned his head back against the pillar.
"Thank you." It came out of my mouth genuinely, but it clearly rubbed Boyd and Isaac the wrong way.
"You're welcome?" Isaac responded confused.
"Please don't get weird when our only alternative is to get electrocuted because I might take that dive." Boyd started to stand.
"I just realized I don't tell you guys enough how much I appreciate all you do for this pack, for Maggie…and for me." Boyd and Isaac exchanged a look before laughing.
"Correct me if I'm wrong here but I don't remember any pats on the back while you were kicking our ass those first couple of months in the train car. How about you Boyd?" Isaac gestured.
"He must really think he's gonna get taken out. Does this mean your car is up for grabs in the event this plan doesn't work?" Boyd teased.
"See this is why it doesn't pay to be nice to you guys." I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Derek, we might not have sought you out but we haven't turned our backs on you and we won't start now." Boyd reminded me of someone I knew when I was younger. A close friend I had desperately tried to keep my head above everything after the fire. He moved out of Beacon Hills after he graduated but he still encouraged me to move forward with my life and make my family proud.
"This Derek is too nice. If getting laid would have changed your tune, I would have given your number to Ms. Reynolds from Geometry." Isaac offered, gesturing at me from head to toe.
"Reynolds is like a million years old." Boyd cringed.
"If you're talking about Cynthia Reynolds, I'll pass. She taught Laura and by the time she taught me, let's just say she had a certain disdain for the Hales." I explained piquing Isaac's interest.
"That good old Hale charm isn't for everyone, I guess. She hates Maggie too." Isaac laughed.
"That's because she never shows up." Boyd admitted. The thought of what would become of Maggie if something happened to me again was a hard pill to swallow. She always seemed to teeter on the edge of letting her darkness consume her, but she had a pack. She needed them to keep her from slipping into that abyss. She couldn't let her pain influence her as mine did.
"Stop it." I was snapped out of my thoughts by Boyd's firm voice.
"No matter what happens to any of us, we will take care of one another. That's what being a pack is right? If you fall, if we fall- we always carry on together. No matter how tonight ends, Derek, Maggie will be okay." I was convinced that the pain that was felt when Erica was killed wasn't just felt by myself as her alpha but also by Boyd who loved her honorably.
"You know, when I first decided to make you both a part of the pack, it wasn't just because I knew you were friends of Maggie's. I watched you, learned as much as I could before making the decision. This world is a lot for someone who wasn't born into it and I wanted to make sure that when I offered you the bite that it would benefit your lives." They both looked at me surprised.
"I wanted Erica to be rid of her seizures. I wanted her to not feel like she was trapped in this shell that was like a ticking time bomb every second of the day." Boyd nodded his head and I looked over to Isaac.
"I didn't want you to feel scared to go home or at the very least feel powerful enough to go toe to toe with your father, a fear I've thankfully never had to experience and struggle to even imagine. I wanted you to find strength in yourself." I put my hand on his shoulder before looking over to Boyd.
"I wanted you not to feel alone Boyd. I didn't know about your sister right away but I knew you had experienced tragedy. I could feel that guilt and pain in you because I've carried that same guilt and pain with me since the fire that took my family. I wanted you to feel like part of a whole family again. I wanted you to have that second chance I got when Maggie came into my life." I remembered when I had decided on the three of them and how upset Maggie was with me. She had pressed the fact that they were all just kids but we are all just kids experiencing devastation, loss, and fear. A pack gives you a family to go through it together.
"Erica didn't regret her decision and neither have I." Boyd said firmly. I didn't realize how much I needed that confirmation until Boyd said it.
"Hey I hate to interrupt this moment but isn't that light over there supposed to be on?" Isaac pointed at the power box on the wall that was no longer lit.
"Yeah." I tensed.
"What does it mean when it's not?" Boyd started to rise knowing what that meant.
"Someone cut the auxiliary power." The main power went out leaving us with only the moonlight in the loft. Isaac and Boyd were now on high alert and on their feet. The first thing I noticed was the buzz of the electricity that was once pulsing through the water was no longer present. I took a step off the platform into the water and knew we were out of time.
"Derek? What do we do now?" Isaac said panicked. I felt my fangs dropping into place and my claws slowly pushing forward.
"We fight." Isaac and Boyd moved behind me as the pounding on the large door grew louder until it finally slid open. Kali walked in, claws out, brimming with rage.
"I gotta be honest Derek, when Ennis died I thought to myself I'll just go for it. Find you and kill you right where you stood. Then I remember how you surround yourself with these teenagers, always hiding behind them." I could hear additional heartbeats in the hallway behind her approaching.
"I thought- what's a girl got to do to get you alone?" She smirked glancing over her shoulder. Aiden and Ethan had Jennifer by the throat, dragging her into the loft. She was completely defenseless in their hold as her gaze met my wolf form for the second time. She didn't look as scared as she did the first time she had seen me like this but I could hear her heart beating.
"You and me Derek or they tear her apart." Kali put the deal on the table but I didn't believe for a second that this was a fair fight.
"What do you say? You think you can beat me one on one? No pack, no little witchy bitch…just you and me?" Kali moved a step closer towards me and I jerked my head for Boyd and Isaac to stand back. I felt their resistance in the water but they followed my silent command.
"I'm going to rip your throat out with my teeth." I snarled ready for war and Kali responded with a growl. The fight for my life was on.
[Stiles' POV]
We pulled up to the hospital and Lydia was filing her nails in the backseat while Cora kept checking her phone.
"Okay we all can't go in without it looking suspicious so Maggie and I will run up to Danny's room and find whatever paper he's been working on that might give us a shred of direction to go in." Cora rolled her eyes at me.
"I will only babysit the headcase for so long before I take this tin can on wheels back to Derek's." Cora threatened.
"Sure honey, you sit over there thinking I'm the one who needs babysitting when you sound like a child in need of a nap." Lydia continued filing her nails and Cora glared at Maggie.
"You've got 5 minutes." Maggie and I sprinted across the lot and headed up to Danny's room, trying not to look out of place. Maggie snatched some flowers that were on the front desk and tossed the card. We opened the door slowly and saw that no one was currently in the room with Danny. Maggie pointed to her ear, and I knew she was listening for any unexpected incoming traffic heading this way.
"Danny…you awake?" I whispered before giving his shoulder a firm shake. I patted his chest gently testing to see how unconscious he was, and Maggie shoved me.
"What are you doing?!" She questioned in a lulling tone.
"What? I'm making sure he's sedated." I slapped his face softly and Danny took a sharp breath making me jump back into Maggie. We both froze. Danny seemed to drift back to sleep and Maggie slapped me in the forehead.
"Ow! What are-"
"I was just making sure you were focused." I frowned at Maggie teasing me but noticed her pointing to Danny's backpack on the floor. I let go of her and knelt next to the bed to search the bag.
"What are you doing?" Danny's voice sounded hoarse. I looked back to Maggie who gestured for me to freeze.
"I'm not doing anything, Danny. This is just a dream that you're having." I gave Maggie the thumbs up, she scowled at me.
"Why are you going through my stuff?" Danny's eyes remained closed.
"Right but only in the dream, remember? Dream…you're dreaming." I went back to searching the bag.
"Why would I dream about you going through my stuff?" I sprung back up.
"I don't know Danny. It's your dream, take responsibility for it. Shut up and go back to sleep." Maggie hit me again on the shoulder and I threw my hands up.
"Help a guy out here." I gestured to Danny and Maggie walked over to put her hand on his hand gently.
"It's okay Danny. We're just here to make sure you're okay. You can go back to sleep." Maggie soothed Danny back to sleep and I spotted the paper Lydia had mentioned.
"Danny boy you might've actually found something here." I flashed the paper at Maggie and she took her hand off of Danny. I walked towards the door and slowly poked my head out to see if the coast was clear but noticed Maggie was still standing there looking at Danny apologetic. I held my hand out to her and she took it to my surprise.
We returned to the jeep to read Danny's assignment when Scott called to let us know what Allison had found.
"Deaton's got to be at one of the six locations but even if we split up we won't be able to get to all of them in time. They're spread all over town." Scott explained.
"We might not have to. Danny was doing a project on something for Mr. Harris' physics class that might help us out. Something about telluric currents." There was a pause on the line.
"Did you say currents?" Scott was making some sort of connection.
"Yeah." I confirmed.
"Meet me at the clinic. I think I know how we can find him." Scott hung up before I could even question him.
"Alright, Scott's got something. We're heading back to the clinic." I hopped in the jeep and Maggie had to separate Lydia and Cora by putting one in the front and one in the back. I couldn't tell if my body was feeding off the anxiety pulsing through the car from everyone or if I was just about to have a meltdown but Maggie reached over in the car like she was fixing the collar of my shirt but instead ran her thumb over the pulse point in my neck. I knew what she was doing but I knew there was no way I could get her to stop trying to help calm me down.
We pulled into the darkened clinic that carried an eerie feeling just since Deaton's abduction and Scott had a map laid across the metal exam table. I spread Danny's project papers on the table and Cora shook her head.
"What does this kid's homework have to do with finding Deaton?" Cora was clock-watching.
"It's not just homework okay? It's a project on geomagnetic fields. They flow through the earth and can even be affected by lunar phases. Now, look at this." I flipped to the page of the report that Mr. Harris had made a note one.
"These are Harris' notes on Danny's proposal." Lydia pulled the paper towards her.
"I strongly advise you choose another subject. The ideas here, while innovative and thoughtful, border on pseudo-science. Not suitable for class." Lydia looked at Scott.
"Harris wasn't just a sacrifice, he knew something." It wasn't surprising. Harris carried himself like he knew everything.
"Apparently Allison's dad wasn't the only one with a map. This was in Danny's backpack. He's got all of the telluric currents marked. Now the weird thing about Beacon Hills is that it is a beacon." I explained.
"He's right. You wouldn't believe the amount of energy that flows through the earth around this town. It's why I pull so strongly to different parts of town." Maggie added.
"Bodies of water, the mountains, the woods- places in nature that allow your abilities to be untainted by the energy used in town." Lydia reminded pointing at Maggie.
"Wait…Stiles look! They match!" Scott started moving Danny's map around with Argent's map.
"Alright there are three places, right? Where they're kidnapped and where their bodies are found." Scott circled the locations on the map.
"That's right on a telluric current." Lydia pointed.
"So maybe the place they're sacrificed is somewhere in between." Scott was on to something. I took the pen from him.
"You said they're six more bodies to be found right? Deaton was kidnapped from here, so he's got to be somewhere in between." I started looking around the map and Cora grabbed my hand making me pause. When I looked up at her she looked genuinely terrified as she slid my hand towards something.
"He's in the vault. He's in the same vault." Cora's voice shook and Maggie reached out to her.
"Cora?" The moment Maggie's hand connected to the top of Cora's she made a noise like all the air had been kicked out of her. She squeezed her eyes shut and we all knew what was happening.
"What is it Maggie? What do you see? Is it Deaton? Is he alive?" Scott was running down questions as Cora and I stayed trapped under Maggie's harsh grip while she was being sucked into a vision.
"It..it's dark. It's too hard to breathe. I can't..." Maggie stumbled back into Scott and took several deep breaths.
"Cora's right. He's in the vault but he's running out of time." Maggie steadied herself.
"I've got to go." Scott scrambled to the door and Maggie stopped him.
"I'm coming with you." Maggie snatched the extra helmet off the table.
"Maggie no. You need to go and check on Derek." Scott argued.
"Scott, I'm the only one who can help you revive him if we don't make it in time." Maggie argued.
"Guys…Boyd just texted. The plan didn't work. They cut the power." Cora looked helpless.
"Maggie, you go with Scott to save Deaton. Cora and Lydia are with me. We'll try and hold them off for as long as we can." Scott clapped me on the chest and ran for the back door.
"We can do this. We can save them both." Maggie paused looking between Scott and myself. She hesitated before closing the distance between us and kissing me hard on the mouth.
"Be careful, please." She pulled away staring at me.
"You know me. Go, I've got them." I nodded towards Scott and Maggie reluctantly let me go before running after Scott out the door. We gathered the maps and ran to the front where the jeep was parked and scrambled to get in.
"What's the plan?" Cora asked as I took off towards Derek's. I tapped my thumb on the steering wheel and glanced over at Lydia.
"Honestly, the best I got right now is to stay alive." I wasn't sure what we were going to show up to but we had to do whatever we could to hold them off until Scott and Maggie could give us some backup.
[Scott's POV]
Maggie held tightly onto my waist as we came to a skidded halt outside of the bank. She jumped off and paused staring at the darkened building. She had lost Erica in that building. She had fought so hard for so long to bring Erica and Boyd home safe and I know how much that weighed on her. Now here we are hoping Deaton is here and still alive. I hated this building.
"I can hear his heart beating but it's faint." I took off running towards the open vault door, not registering Maggie calling my name as I caught sight of Deaton hanging from the ceiling of the vault, not moving. I sprinted across the floor and was quickly jolted back with enough force to knock me to the ground.
"Are you okay?!" Maggie helped me to my feet and pointed to the mountain ash on the floor.
"Let me try." Maggie put her hands near the ash on the floor and the smell of searing skin was almost instant. She fell back with a yelp and I looked at her burnt hands.
"What the hell kind of mountain ash is this? I've never seen it do this." I watched as Maggie's hands slowly started to heal and she shook them out trying to rid herself of the pain.
"How do we save him? He's running out of time." I panicked. Maggie put her scorched hand on my chest.
"You're the only one who can reach him. You can break through this." I had no idea what she was talking about. We've never been able to break through mountain ash. Not without someone human.
"Scott, you can do this. You have more heart in you than anyone I've ever known. I know it, Deaton knows it. We believe in you okay. Just focus on getting to him. Focus on breaking the barrier and saving Deaton. You can do this." Maggie winced pulling her hands away and I looked between her and Deaton's lifeless body as his heartbeat continued to slow. I put my hands up and tried to plant my feet firmly, doing as Maggie had instructed to push through the barrier.
I felt the burn on my palms, then my face and it ran down my neck as I pushed against the invisible wall that was separating us from Deaton. He briefly opened his eyes as I screamed from the pain burning my skin but his eyes fell closed again and I felt like I was failing.
"COME ON SCOTT! KEEP PUSHING! FOCUS ON DEATON! FOCUS ON SAVING HIS LIFE!" Maggie shouted from behind me. I continued to push through the pain and focus on Deaton. I focused on the force I felt in the bones in my hands all the way down my arms to my chest. I focused on breaking through to save someone who had taken me in under his wing and fought so hard for me even before I was what I am now. I couldn't let him down, not like this. I continued to push when Deaton's eyes went wide at me once more but again I was jolted backward, falling into Maggie and landing on the floor hard.
"Scott…let me give it a shot." Sheriff Stilinski appeared out of nowhere, gun in hand, and pointed it towards Deaton. The single shot rang out making my ears ring and Deaton hit the ground with a hard thud. The Sheriff ran over to us, helping us to our feet before we all rushed towards Deaton. The barrier was now broken and we helped shift him to lean against the wall to catch his breath. Maggie's hands were still flushed with pain so I put my hand on his arm to pull some of his pain and help him breathe easier. He put his hand on top of mine and smiled.
"How did you find us?" Maggie looked over at the Sheriff.
"The vials at the clinic with the Celtic symbols on them. I knew that one of them looked familiar." He pointed over his shoulder to the symbol on the floor.
"Sheriff, thank you for being one hell of a detective." Deaton finally spoke and I felt more at ease now that I knew he was really okay and no longer a sacrifice.
"You bet. Let's get you an ambulance." He stood up and started out to his patrol car but Deaton grabbed ahold of Maggie and I stopping us from getting up.
"Your eyes were red, bright red." Deaton explained in disbelief.
"Alpha red." Maggie pressed.
"How is that even possible?" I wanted to chalk it up to Deaton's lack of oxygen, but I didn't know that Maggie had seen my eyes shift.
"It's rare. Something that doesn't happen within 100 years. A beta can become an alpha without having to steal or take the power." Deaton explained.
"We had talked about this for so long, I knew if anyone could be one it would be Scott." Maggie smiled through tears.
"It's called a True Alpha. One who rises purely on the strength of their character, by virtue, by sheer force of will." I tried making sense of what Deaton was saying when I looked between him and Maggie.
"You knew this would happen." Deaton shook his head at me.
"I believed, from the moment I knew you were bitten, I believed." Deaton's acknowledgment was reassuring but now that I knew I had this ability, things with Deucalion started to make sense.
"You aren't the only one." I bit my lip anxiously.
"You're right. Deucalion was never after Derek. He's always been after the ones who possess the most power, the two strongest beings to walk the earth in over a century." Maggie and I looked at one another realizing what Deaton was saying.
"He's after the power of the True Alpha and the Nyvolore." Deaton's revelation left Maggie and I speechless. If Deucalion was after our power, he had to know that going after the people we love most would be the best way to get to us.
"We need to get to the loft, now."
[Derek's POV]
Jennifer's screams kept pulling my attention away from Kali's claws as they tore deep in the flesh of my chest. Her screams reminded me of what was on the line if I fall to the Alpha pack at this moment. They would likely gut Isaac and Boyd on the spot, tear Jennifer to shreds and all that would be left would be a blood bath for Cora and Maggie to come back to. I couldn't let that happen. I was fighting for more than just my own life. I was fighting for my pack, for my family.
"DEREK!" Jennifer wailed and Isaac made a move towards her but the twin had their claws to her neck.
"NO! WAIT!" I growled making him retreat. I didn't trust that Jennifer would be collateral damage in the midst of this fight. Kali swung her claws towards me again and I caught her arm only to be clawed by the other.
"Come on Derek! That's the best you can do! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE AN ALPHA!" Kali backflipped, catching my cheek with the claws on her feet and sending me backward. I got back to my feet and lunged again getting some of my own claws into her side but she rebounded much quicker than I could. Isaac started to shuffle again and caught my attention.
"NOW!" He ran across the floor towards the twins and Boyd ran towards Kali and me before a jolt tore through my body like I had been struck by lightning. I lost control of my limbs, my eyes, and my shift for a moment unsure of what had just happened. Kali had released me from her grip and fallen next to me but only for a moment as she growled towards the twins.
"TAKE HIM!" Aiden and Ethan grabbed ahold of me and I was able to get my eyesight back long enough to see Isaac had ahold of Jennifer. She was safe. I tried to fight Ethan and Aiden off of my arms as they now tried to take control of me. I growled, thrashing and extending my claws to get better control of my shift but Kali had another plan. She jerked Boyd to his feet and hoisted him in front of me and before I realize what she was doing, she dropped Boyd onto my claws. Boyd's cries flooded my sense and suddenly everything went quiet.
Enemy hands that once held me down were now gone, the screams of terror hushed into cries and Boyd was groaning as I tried to make sense of what was happening, my claws still embedded into his torso.
"I'm giving you until the next full moon, Derek. Make the smart choice: join the pack or next time I'm killing all of you." Kali warned before all three of them left me kneeling on the ground, holding Boyd's life in my hands.
Boyd started to collapse into me as I retracted my claws.
"No no, hey stay with me Boyd. Just hold on. We'll get Maggie. Maggie can fix this. You're going to be alright. Please just hold on." I felt hot tears searing my eyes looking at Boyd's as they became sluggish.
"It's okay." He slurred.
"No no, no it's not." I felt frantic listening to his heartbeat grow slower and slower.
"It's all okay, Derek." I looked at him in disbelief.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He looked at me with the hint of a smile.
"The full moon…that feeling…it was worth it." Boyd's heart started to drag.
"Did you know it was a lunar eclipse? I always wondered what that felt like for one of us. Erica…Erica thought they would make us stronger. She fought so-so hard." I felt a lump in my throat.
"D-do you think I'll get to- to be with her now? Or with my sister?" I held onto a gutted sob as I could count the beats of his heart now.
"T-tell Maggie…to look at the moon. She'll find us…she'll find us in the moon." Boyd's heart stopped and his weight fell from my grip to the floor, his body splashing the water around him as I collapsed back onto my knees. My hands were shaking, covered in his blood. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe.
I watched as Cora dropped to her knees next to Boyd's body and sobbed into his chest. I had killed Boyd. It was my hands that took his life. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder and I noticed my hands were shaking. I felt my chest tighten up and catching my breath became difficult.
"Derek…hey, Derek come on." I fell back and started to crawl away. Stiles followed me into the bathroom, and I started pounding on my chest trying to beat my lungs into working.
"Breathe Derek! You've got to let it out or you won't catch your breath." Stiles knelt in front of me and yelled at me. I choked out a sob, only enough to test the theory, and felt air enter my lungs. I kicked the back of the door repeatedly until I let the tears fall, feeling helpless to the emotion that took over. I buried my face in my bloody hands and sobbed. Stiles kept his hand on my back firmly, not bringing attention to my wave of emotions as I bargained with my body to breathe through the devastation of not only failing my pack but killing one of my own. This kind of devastation wasn't new to me, I've felt this pain before. This kind of pain changed who I used to be. After all these years, after all the time I've spent back here in Beacon Hills, finding my family, creating a new pack…and here I was again with the blood of someone I cared about all over my hands.