Plume Black: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying this story. As for your question: no, I want to focus on Jackson's POV more. I've always felt bad for his character. They set him up so much in season 2 and then it all went *poof*. This is my version of the story, how I wished things would've been. Hopefully you'll like all that's about to come!
Happy reading, guys!
Chapter 12: Magic Will Find You
"So, Isaac.. what do you think of the youngest Hale?" Jackson looked at the blonde beta through his rearview mirror. He had a little smirk on his face as he focused on driving and sneaking a glance at his packmate. Stiles frowned from the passenger seat. "Saw you got pretty chummy with her yesterday."
Stiles turned slightly to look at the tall beta. He was shocked to see the blonde's face reddening at Jackson's words.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I was just showing her around the school!" He sounded suspiciously defensive. Jackson continued smirking.
"I know. I saw you. I also saw and felt your joy at being the one to be her tour guide." Stiles raised his eyebrows at that. He looked at Jackson who turned to wink at him playfully.
"Oh my god! You have a crush on Cora?!" Stiles exclaimed as he turned again to look at Isaac. The beta jumped slightly at his loud voice and refused to make eye contact.
"Will you keep it down? I would like to have all my limbs attached to my body, thank you. Derek will murder me if he finds out." Jackson was laughing quietly now. They entered the school parking lot and he found a spot to park his car.
"But you live with Derek. Cora lives there too. You sure you can hide your feelings?" Stiles asked with a hint of concern in his voice. He and Derek were.. something now. They hadn't put a label on it yet but he knew Derek liked him enough to hear his council. But he had no idea how the Alpha would react to someone having the hots for his baby sister, let alone his own beta.
"I'm working on it. Knowing Derek and his protective side, it's easier to focus on something else whenever she's in the room." Isaac said a little dejectedly as they stepped out of the car.
"Aw, don't worry pup. I'll protect you from the big, bad Alpha." Stiles slapped the taller beta's shoulder who grimaced. Jackson just shook his head at their antics.
"Yeah, only you can deal with our Alpha. Being his loving wife and everything." Jackson had an amused smile on his face as he saw Stiles choke on air. They kept shoving each other playfully as they strolled closer to the school.
Stiles got an uneasy feeling at the back of his neck as soon as he passed the school entrance. He felt Jackson and Isaac tense up beside him as well. They were both staring at something. He followed their gaze to see what, or who they were staring at. It was the twins. They were standing by the lockers and looking at them.
They both had identical smirks on their faces.
"I've got a bad feeling about them." Stiles muttered under his breath.
Coach was making them run that day. Stiles was struggling to keep up with the werewolves but he managed. The wolves were clearly holding back their speed to not raise any suspicion. Also, they decided to flock close to Stiles and keep an eye out for the 'wonder twins' as Stiles called them.
At one point, the Alpha twins managed to catch Isaac away from his pack and crowded him from both sides.
"Your Alpha will lose everything. Soon." One of them muttered low enough for anyone with werewolf hearing to listen. Isaac turned towards him mid-run to growl lowly. The twin on his other side took that chance and shoved him hard enough to knock him down. Isaac went tumbling on the ground. The twins smirked at the pack as they all glared at them.
"You okay?" Stiles asked as they all gathered near Isaac. Jackson pulled him up with one hand. Isaac brushed himself off and nodded. "Fine. I don't like them." He glared daggers at the twins who were now running far ahead.
"None of us do." Stiles shrugged nonchalantly. "I need to figure out this magic spark thing soon so I can fry their ass every time they try pulling a stunt like this."
"Hey ladies! Less gossiping, more running!" Coach Finstock yelled from behind them. "Lahey, you gonna be okay?"
"Yes, coach!" Isaac yelled back. Before they could start running, they heard a scream from somewhere ahead of their trail. The pack and coach all rushed towards the sound to find a bunch of people gathered around a tree. They shifted closer to see a body tied to a large tree. There was a dog leash tied around the guy's neck.
"It's the guy who went missing from Deaton's." Scott muttered.
The first couple of periods went without any incident. Isaac had a free period before lunch. He decided to study for the test he had the next day. Not because Stiles asked him to. Absolutely not, okay?
He was on his way to the library when he heard it. A scratching sound. He wanted to ignore it but it kept bothering him. He glanced around but couldn't see anyone. He decided to investigate the sound and went towards it. Soon, he stood in front of a janitor's closet. He looked around again but there was no one in sight. He heard the scratching sound again and went towards the closet. He pulled open the door and shuffled his hand on the wall beside the door to find a switchboard. His fingers brushed against a switch and he flicked it.
The small room glowed with a dim golden light from the old bulb. Isaac frowned and stepped inside the closet. He walked a little bit farther and tried to listen for the scratching sound again. But before he could find the source, the closet door slammed shut. He quickly turned around and went towards the door but there was no way of opening it from the inside.
He banged loudly against the door. Sweat started to form on his forehead as he took in the closed space around him.
He screamed.
Stiles was only half-listening to the teacher as his mind was occupied with the dead body. His left cheek still tingled a little from when the girlfriend of the dead guy slapped him after he asked her if the guy was a virgin or not. He was okay with the slap since she did tell him what he needed to know.
Kyle was not a virgin. Which means the Darach was targeting something else this time. He needed to figure out what.
He suddenly felt Jackson tense beside him. The werewolf straightened and went rigid. Stiles looked at him questioningly. Jackson's eyes were wider than usual when he turned to look at Stiles.
"It's Isaac." Stiles's face changed at that. He straightened up as well with a serious expression on his face. "He has a free period now." Stiles muttered.
"Can I go to the bathroom?" Jackson called out to Mr. Powell who had just finished writing an equation on the board. "Sure."
"Me too." Stiles blurted out quickly. Mr. Powell frowned but didn't say anything, just nodded his head. "Make it quick and don't get into any trouble." He looked pointedly at both of them. They didn't wait another moment, just rushed out of the room quickly.
There were a few students in the hallway, some of them had free periods like Isaac. Jackson looked around frantically before taking a deep breath and trying to focus. Stiles kept looking at him expectantly.
"You know where he is?" Jackson didn't answer straight away. Stiles knew the werewolf was trying to focus his senses to find their packmate. After a while, the beta growled and shook his head. "No, there's too many people! I can't isolate his heartbeat or scent. I just feel his distress, and fear. Fuck!" Jackson almost screamed but he held back since some people were already starting to give them odd looks.
"Hey! Where's Isaac?" Erica's voice snapped them out of their thoughts. Stiles and Jackson looked to their side to see Erica, Boyd and Scott standing with equally worried expressions on their faces. "You feel him too, right?" Jackson asked no one in particular but all three betas nodded their heads. Erica looked like she would either start crying or slashing someone.
"How do we find him?" Boyd asked in a calm voice. He seemed collected but the wolves could tell the tall beta was also worried about the missing blonde.
"I guess all we can do now is spread out." Scott said looking at them all. He didn't look too happy with the plan himself but it was the best they could think of right now.
He couldn't breathe. His lungs burned with exertion but it felt like no oxygen was being supplied inside his body. The shirt clung to his back from sweat. He was shaking all over, his vision was blurry. He lost track of time already, images of his father, broken bottles and old freezers flashed in his head.
Claws sprung from his fingernails but he couldn't move to the door. His body was locked in fear. His heartbeat kept drumming loudly in his ears, deafening him to any other sound.
Stiles was only half-listening to the betas as they briefly discussed how they would spread out and cover more ground. Only one thought was running through his head.
Isaac. Where are you, Isaac? Where are you? Where are you...
"Stiles!" Scott's voice caused him to blink his eyes rapidly. He looked up to see that the betas had moved closer to him and were looking at him with a worried expression. "What?" He asked with a shaky voice. His fingers tingled and he quickly looked down at his hand but there were no sparks dancing.
"Your eyes just flashed purple!" Jackson said in a whisper-shout. Stiles stared at them disbelievingly but then he felt it.
A small tugging feeling in his chest that was pulling him somewhere. He started to walk where it was leading him and felt the tugging increase. The betas were already following him as soon as he started walking. He looked back at them for a second with wide eyes.
"I think I know where Isaac is!"
The wolves followed Stiles as he rushed through the school corridors. After a while, they came across a slightly deserted hallway. Stiles kept walking towards the end of the hallway that was just outside the auditorium which stayed empty except for school functions. Since there was no function anytime soon, the hallway was empty was well.
"Why does it smell like piss?" Erica groaned as they reached closer to a janitor's closet. "It's ammonia." Boyd said with his nose scrunched. "Someone tried to mask a scent here."
"I guess we don't have to wonder whose scent." Stiles muttered as they stood in front of the janitor's closet and unlocked the door.
Isaac was crouched in the ground with his hands wrapped around his knees. His face was hidden and he was shaking visibly. Erica let out a small whimper which caused the blonde werewolf to snap his head up. His eyes were flashing golden and he snarled at them before lunging forward. Jackson moved faster than the blink of an eye and pushed Stiles to the side. Boyd, Erica and Scott moved closer to hold Isaac who seemed to be in a trance. He kept thrashing against them, his eyes flashing golden now and then.
"Isaac!" Stiles's voice rang loudly over the snarling of the beta. He moved closer to the huddled werewolves and put his hands on Isaac's cheeks, forcing the beta to meet his eyes. Jackson didn't stop him but he remained glued to the Spark's side just in case.
"Isaac, look at me. Look at me!" Stiles tightened his hold on the tall beta's cheeks. "Hey, you're okay. You're okay, alright? You're safe. We're here." The betas felt Isaac stop struggling and they slowly loosened their hold. Isaac stopped snarling and thrashing but his eyes were still flickering between his beta shift and human color. Scott, Erica and Boyd stepped back a little when they felt Isaac was no longer trying to attack them.
Stiles moved towards the blonde beta, still holding on to his cheeks. Isaac shuffled down to the floor, breathing heavily. Stiles sat on his knees with him, holding his body close to his. The feeling of pack helped Isaac calm his wolf down, his vision finally cleared. His senses returned to him and he felt the warmth of Stiles's touch grounding him. Isaac hugged Stiles tightly, slight tremors were still making his body shake. He was sniffling but there were no tears in his eyes. Stiles held him in his arms and rocked him gently, brushing his hand over the beta's hair.
"I got you. It's okay, shh. We're here." His low murmurs of assurance seemed to get through Isaac. After a few minutes, the beta finally seemed to stop shaking. He untangled himself from Stiles and stood up. He didn't meet anyone's eyes. A slight blush was covering his neck.
"I'm so sorry, guys. Being in there- I was just, I was back there and it-" Erica stepped closer and wrapped him in a hug. "You don't have to explain, we know." Her voice was slightly muffled as her face was tucked in Isaac's shoulder. Isaac hugged her back and offered them a grateful smile over her head. The pack, especially Erica and Boyd were constantly offering comfort and initiating contact after they were rescued from the pack. After coming so close to losing them and the recent attack on Derek, the pack became even closer. They made sure to scent mark and touch other as much as they could, whether it was a human or a werewolf. The fear of losing any one of them was too overwhelming to deal with awkward touches or possessive wolf behaviors.
Erica stepped back with Boyd taking her place and hugging his packmate. Jackson just patted Isaac's shoulder a couple of times. After they broke the hug, Isaac looked at Stiles with a grateful smile.
"Thanks." His voice was soft but his eyes conveyed how much he meant it. Stiles offered a genuine smile of his own and touched the beta's arm. "Anytime, pup."
"It was them, wasn't it?" Jackson's voice was filled with anger when he spoke next. "The twins." Isaac nodded his head in affirmation which caused the other wolves to start growling.
"Don't worry. They'll pay for this." Stiles's voice was steely with determination. His eyes were not blazing purple anymore but something still sparked there.
"I'm sorry?" Allison asked with a confused look on her face, not sure if she was hearing the man right.
"I said, shoot me." Derek said slowly, like he was talking to a child.
All of them were in the preserve, in a clearing near the burnt Hale house. The pack as well as Allison and Lydia all showed up. After learning about what the twins did to Isaac, even the humans were furious. Derek didn't let it show on his face but he barely held himself back from going after them. He immediately pulled Isaac into a brief hug to let his wolf calm under his skin. It seemed to help Isaac as well who scent marked his Alpha by nuzzling on the side of Derek's neck for a second.
Everyone did perk up a little after Jackson told them about Stiles's glowing purple eyes and how he found Isaac. Erica also gushed about how Stiles helped calm Isaac from his hyperventilating state. Stiles ducked his head to hide the slight blush. He caught Derek's eyes who offered him a private smile. His smile was full of promises.
They all came to an agreement to gear up their training since the Alpha pack seemed like they would be a pain in their ass for a long time. The Darach problem was also increasing as more and more bodies dropped. Derek insisted on speed training for the day. Allison already had her bow and quiver with her when she arrived. She stood a good twenty feet away from Derek when he told her to shoot him. That gained a surprised reaction from everyone, except for Cora who just watched with curiosity.
"Whether it's a hunter, or another werewolf, sometimes your reflex is your best chance. It can save your life." Derek looked at each of them to make sure they understood what he was saying. "We might be immune to regular arrows or bullets but trust me, hunters will not use anything regular. So you need to learn how to avoid getting hit altogether. Allison, shoot me."
The young Argent still seemed to hesitate for a second but she nodded her head. Soon enough, she was drawing back her drawstring and an arrow was let loose. It swooshed through the air but before it could hit its mark, Derek moved quicker than the blink of an eye and dodged the arrow. It went somewhere in the trees, the wolves heard the arrow grazing a tree trunk and falling on the ground.
"Again." This time, Allison didn't hesitate at all. She already had another arrow nocked and at Derek's voice, she let it loose. Derek didn't dodge it this time, he caught it in his hand.
"Holy shit! You're like Loki!" Stiles said loudly, he was almost shaking with excitement.
"Good thing Allison doesn't use trick arrows that'll explode on my face, then." Derek said dryly but Stiles could see the mirth in those hazel-blue eyes he loved so much.
"That was awesome, dude!" Scott looked just as excited as his best friend, a huge grin on his face. "I'm still processing the fact that you've seen the Avengers." Jackson said looking at Derek with a little smirk.
"I was in New York, not Nanda Parbat." Stiles snorted at that. Jackson still had his smirk in place as he threw a quick glance at Stiles. "Glad to see your sarcasm is rubbing off on your hubby, Stiles." Derek avoided looking at the teen in question and drew everyone's attention back to training.
"Okay, focus. All the betas will go into the woods and move around. Allison will find you and shoot. Let's see how many of her arrows you can dodge." The betas immediately dispersed into the woods behind the Hale house. Allison decided to give them a minute of head start before chasing after them. Lydia, Stiles and Derek were the only one left behind.
"Did you guys find anything new about Sparks?" Derek asked as he took a bottle of water from a small gym bag. He took a quick few gulps and Stiles tried to ignore how the Alpha's throat moved as the water traveled down.
"It's too vague." Lydia looked a little frustrated. "Every Spark is different, so it's hard to know what Stiles can and cannot do. Even though tracking is a pretty common thing for Sparks, but sometimes it takes them months to master. Stiles already has it down and it hasn't been a week since his Spark was exposed."
"I wouldn't say down, exactly." Stiles rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish look on his face. "I mean, I haven't tried tracking anyone else. So I don't know if I'll be able to do it again or if it was just a one time thing."
"So let's try it out now." Derek shrugged his shoulders and gestured towards the woods. "Tell me where they are and I can see if you're right or not." Stiles hesitated for a split second but then his face turned determined. He nodded his head before closing his eyes.
He decided on to focus on Erica and pictured her face. The blonde bombshell always had a soft spot for him since he helped her out a few times before she got the bite. He was her Batman and she was his Catwoman. Soon he started to feel a little tingle in his chest, similar to how he felt with Isaac. He opened his eyes and moved a few steps towards the direction the tugging came from.
His own heartbeat was hammering in his ears. But he could see something. A faint golden string started to glow that was leading somewhere inside the woods.
"You guys see that?" His eyes were a little as he asked in a breathy voice. He felt Derek and Lydia move closer to his side. "See what?" Lydia asked with a frown.
"The string. You guys don't see the string?" His voice was a little panicked but he tried to keep his heartbeat under control.
"No." Derek said simply. He had a look of concern on his face. Stiles took a deep breath and pictured Erica again. Where are you, Erica? The string glowed a little brighter. He pointed to the 'seemingly invisible' string. "There. Erica, she's that way."
Derek looked at the direction he was pointing at and focused his hearing to find the blonde beta's heartbeat. After a few seconds, he nodded his head. "Yeah, she's about twenty meters that way."
Lydia looked at Stiles with a look of wonder on her face. Stiles looked to see his friend's proud expression. They both broke into a grin and Lydia squealed before hugging him. Stiles met Derek's eyes over her shoulder and saw the proud expression the Alpha was wearing.
"This is great, Stiles! Oh my God! We need to figure out your powers, everything else you can do. Too many possibilities, right? You might just be our wildcard against the Darach and the Alpha pack."
"Woah, woah! Let's not get carried away, okay?" Stiles threw his hands around as he exclaimed. "All I have now are GPS magic. I don't think that's enough to beat anyone."
"I don't think Lydia's wrong." Derek said calmly with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Sparks do have unlimited potentials. That's why they're so rare."
"Der, whose side are you on?" Stiles's voice was a little squeaky as he threw his hands around. A tiny smile graced Derek's lips. "No one's. I'm just stating facts." He shrugged innocently. Stiles narrowed his eyes when he stared at the Alpha.
Derek turned his head all of a sudden and stared intently towards the woods. He smirked a little, clearly listening to something the non-werewolves couldn't hear. A few moments later, a shuffling was heard before Erica stomped out of the woods.
"I hate this game!" She grumbled and threw an arrow on the ground. Her shirt had a little tear on her left arm but it looked like it was already healing. Stiles snickered which caused the beta to grumble more.
"Aww.. it's alright, Catwoman. You'll get it next time." Stiles lightly nudged her shoulder with his. Erica was still scowling but Derek could tell her mood was slightly better than before.
Stiles really is something else. I might be the Alpha but there would be no pack without him.
They all turned towards the woods and waited for the others to show up. Derek sneaked a glance at Stiles now and then. The spastic teen caught his eyes one time and winked at him with a small smirk on his face.
Erica frowned a little as she detected her Alpha's heartbeat spike up, just by a little. She threw a quick glance his way but he seemed nonchalant as usual.
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