Secrets and Raves
The steady sound of the EKG machine was all that could be heard in the hospital room. Calla laid in the bed with a brace on her right wrist and oxygen tubes in her nose, her hair falling over her shoulders. Sitting at her bedside was Derek, who held her right hand in both of his, softly caressing the back as the veins in his wrist rippled and turned dark for a few seconds.
The teenage girl let out a soft gasp as her heartbeat increased slightly before returning to normal. "I'm gonna make him pay for this." the Alpha vowed under his breath, reaching out to brush a few strands of hair from Calla's face. "For hurting you." His fingers lingered on her cheek and her face turned into his palm.
The door opened and a female doctor stepped inside, her mahogany colored hair faintly glowing under the fluorescent lights. Rose couldn't help but softly smile, seeing the way Derek kept his eyes on Calla as he caressed her cheek.
Rose cleared her throat to get Derek's attention, moving to stand beside the chair he sat in. "Gabriel and Gerard will be here soon to pick her up." she informed. "My guess, in less than half an hour."
"Fine." Derek sighed, placing his hand over Calla's as he stood up. "I won't let this happen again." he promised, leaning down to kiss the sleeping girl's forehead. "No matter what, I'll always be around to protect you." He touched his forehead to hers, their noses brushing against one another's, before placing a soft peck on her lips.
Rose opened the door for Derek as he turned to leave, and placed her hand on his shoulder, "Thank you." she told him, her brown eyes meeting his green ones.
The younger Alpha gave her a nod, "I care about her, Rose." Derek admitted, his voice soft as he glanced back at Calla, feeling his heart constrict in his chest for having to leave her.
"I know." Rose replied, moving her hand from his shoulder to his cheek. Derek gave her a small smile before leaving. Rose looked back at her daughter before closing the door and heading for the doctor's lounge.
"Hey Rose." greeted a male doctor with blue eyes and short, dark hair.
"Hey Julian." Rose replied shrugging off her white coat and hanging it up in her personal space. "You heading home too?"
Julian nodded, throwing on a sweatshirt. "Yeah, after spending all day in the OR, I'm ready to go home to my girls." He slid on his gold wedding ring and slung a duffle bag over his shoulder.
"Well say hi to Lucinda and little Annabelle for me." Rose told her co-worker with a light chuckle.
"Will do." Julian patted her shoulder on his way out. "Goodnight."
"Night." Rose waved as he walked out. She sighed and reached into her purse, pulling out a necklace that held two rings and fastened it around her neck, caressing the silver wedding band.
Calla stirred awake, her eyes fluttering open. "Hello sweetheart." Gerard said in a low voice.
"Grandpa?" the blonde question as she sat up, wincing when she moved her right arm. "What happened?" Calla raised her hand to her forehead, which had a butterfly bandage over a small cut. Images flashed across her mind of Jackson half-transformed attacking her in the library and a woman in a doctor's coat with mahogany hair.
"Nothing you need to concern yourself with." Gerard answered, setting a stack of clothes on the edge of the bed. "Now, get dressed and I'll get you discharged and take you home."
"Alright." Calla sighed, slowly getting out of bed. Gerard gave his granddaughter a smile and kissed her forehead before leaving.
After changing into a simple dark red sweater and black windpants, Calla slipped out of the room and sat in the waiting area while Gerard was signing her discharge papers. She brushed some hair behind her ear, and in the moment, she felt the warmth of Derek's fingers on her skin. Her breath hitched in her throat as she remembered how it felt when he kissed her forehead, his voice echoing in her ear "I'll always protect you."
From afar, Matt saw her sitting alone and he smoothed out his black leather jacket, and walked up to her, "Hey Calla, you okay?" he asked standing behind the chair beside her.
"Huh?" Calla muttered, snapping from her momentary daze. "Oh, yeah. What about you? How's your head?" She asked.
"Oh, it's fine." Matt replied with a chuckle.
Calla nodded and glanced over to the reception desk where Gerard was finished signing the papers. She gave Matt a polite smile and goodbye before leaving the hospital with her grandfather.
Scott stood in the lobby of the vet clinic and opened the door when he saw Derek's Camaro pull into a front parking space and Brittney stepped out of the passenger seat. The young werewolf was a bit surprised when he saw Isaac along with them.
"What's he doing here?" Scott asked as they walked in.
"I need him." Derek answered.
Scott narrowed his eyes slightly, "I don't trust him."
"Yeah, well, he doesn't trust you either." Isaac retorted with a scoff. Brittney pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head.
"And Derek really doesn't care." the Alpha rolled his eyes, turning to Scott. "Now where's the vet, is he gonna help us or not?"
"That depends." Deaton answered, leaning against the doorway of the exam room. "Your friend, Jackson. Are we planning to kill him or save him?"
Derek and Scott both gave opposite answers, Derek voting to kill Jackson while Scott voted to save him. Deaton led the werewolves to the exam room and set a tray of various herbs between them as they stood around the exam table.
"So, what are you?" Isaac asked, leaning into the table. "Some kind of witch?"
"No, I'm a veterinarian." Deaton answered, looking through his various herbs. "Unfortunately, I don't see anything here that's going to be an effective defense against a paralytic toxin."
"What about an effective offense?" Brittney questioned, folding her arms across her chest.
"We already tried." Derek said. "I nearly took its head off. And Calla emptied an entire clip into it." he informed, the memory of Calla firing her gun into the Kanima's chest flashing through his mind. "The thing just gets back up."
"Has it shown any weaknesses?" the vet prided.
"Well, one-it can't swim." Derek answered.
"Does that go for Jackson as well?" Deaton pressed.
"No." both Scott and Brittney answered at the same time. "He's the captain of the swim team." Scott added.
Taking a moment to process the information, Deaton came up with something, "Essentially, you're trying to catch two people. A puppet, and a puppeteer." he informed. "One killed the husband, but the other had to take care of the wife. Do we know why?"
"I don't think Jackson could do it." Scott answered after a minute of silence. "His mother died pregnant too, and she was maybe murdered. I think he couldn't let the same thing happen to someone else."
"How do you know it's not part of the rules?" Isaac questioned.
"What do you mean?" Brittney blinked, glancing to the taller male beside her.
"Well, the kanima kills murderers right?" Isaac met Brittney's eye. "If Jackson kills the wife, then the baby dies too."
The lone female werewolf quirked her brow, "Does that mean your father was a murderer?"
This time the taller male quirked his brow, "It wouldn't surprise me if he was." Isaac muttered.
"The book says they're bonded, right?" Deaton questioned, to which Derek nodded in response. "What if the fear of water isn't coming from Jackson, but from the person controlling him?" He took out a medallion and set it on the table, sprinkling a black powder around it. "What if something that affects the kanima also affects its master?"
Isaac crossed his arms, "Meaning what?"
"Meaning we can catch them." Scott concluded. "Both of them."
Calla stood at her locker, a brace still around her wrist, as she switched out her books for her next class. Her blonde hair fell over her shoulders and she wore a simple pink sweater with dark colored jeans and tan ankle boots. She nudged her locker door closed and turned around, catching her aunt walking towards her at a fast pace.
"Aunt Victoria." Calla greeted.
"Have you seen Allison?" Victoria demanded, blocking her niece's path.
Calla skidded to a halt with a jolt, biting her lip since she bumped her injured wrist against her books. "No, I haven't." she answered. "I think she was heading for the Science Lab. Sorry aunt Victoria, I've got a French test. See ya at home." She walked past the red-haired woman without another word.
Brittney touched up her makeup, checking her reflection in her locker mirror and teased her bangs. She grabbed her History textbook, notes binder, and her pencil case. When she turned around, Isaac was right behind her, holding up two tickets. "Whaddya say?" he asked.
"Say to what?" Brittney questioned, taking a breath to calm her racing heart, her eyes quickly glancing over him.
"You and me going to this rave tonight." Isaac chuckled. "I mean, I know we're all going to stop Jackson and all, but that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun."
"I guess." Brittney sighed, leaning against the lockers, trying to keep a neutral expression, even though the thought of going with Isaac was enough to make her heart flutter just a bit.
Calla and Allison sat on the bottom stairs leading to the basement while their fathers led the meeting going over the plan to capture the Kanima. Calla wore black short heeled boots with black leather pants and a camo print tank top, her crimped hair falling over her shoulders. Next to her, Allison wore a yellow sweater over a light blue top and jean shorts, her hair pulled into a bun. Holly stood beside the staircase, clad in red leather pants and a black mesh halter top, under a blue leather jacket.
"The party's in a warehouse just inside the industrial sector. Calla and Allison have learned that Jackson Whittemore will be there seeking his next target." Gabriel informed, addressing the Hunters around the table. "Since we still have little clue as to just how strong he is, we need to be extremely cautious." He glanced to his daughter, who gave an understanding nod.
"When Allison or Calla have Jackson's location and has determined him to be at the optimal point where we can take him down, they'll signal us." Chris added. "'Optimal' meaning as far away from the crowd as possible."
"Yeah, uncle Chris, we knew that." Calla replied, her hazel eyes rimmed with dark eyeliner and silver/grey eyeshadow.
"Go on girls." Gabriel motioned up the stairs. "You three can go. We'll meet up with you."
"Sure thing boss." Holly winked and ran up the stairs with Allison and Calla behind her.
"As willing participants as they seem..." Gerard said once the two teenagers were gone, "...they appear to be under the impression that we're planning a trap."
"They don't need to know any more than that." Chris sighed. "Not yet, anyway."
"For the rest of us then, let's be perfectly clear." the elder hunter cleared his throat. "You don't trap a creature this dangerous." He pulled out a knife from its sheath, "You kill it."
Music blared from the warehouse as people filed in, the strobe lights shining through the windows. Isaac, Brittney, and Erica pushed past the plastic liner and looked out at the dancing patrons, trying to locate Jackson among the crowd. In order to blend in, Isaac took Brittney's hand and led her towards the middle of the dancefloor, the two starting to sway to the music.
Calla stood by the bar and downed her second cherry vodka soda, casually scanning the room for Jackson. She pulled out her cellphone and sent a quick text to Holly, saying she hasn't located Jackson yet. The bartender mixed her another drink, which she downed in a couple seconds.
Matt walked up to her and paid the bill for her drinks, "You okay?" he asked, glancing up and down her body.
"Just cuttin' loose." Calla answered, tucking some hair behind her ear as she caught sight of Allison in the corner talking with Scott. "Blowing off some steam. Trying to forget about everything else going on." She bit her lip, remembering the fight she had with Derek a few days prior and the pain in her chest was almost too much to bear.
"You wanna dance?" Matt questioned, his fingers brushing against her wrist.
Calla snapped out of her daze and sighed, nodding. "Sure." She put on a smile and let Matt take her hand, leading her into the crowd as they made their way towards the DJ booth.
Somewhere else among the crowd, Scott was talking with Isaac and Brittney about the plan they had come up with to incapacitate Jackson. "I'm going to make sure that Argent doesn't completely ruin the plan." he told the pair. "When you find him, you pull back on this plunger right here. In the neck is probably going to be the easiest. So, you find a vein, you jam it in there, and pull back on the trigger. Be careful."
Isaac let out a scoff as he took the drug from Scott. "I doubt it'll even slightly hurt him."
"No, I mean you." Scott corrected. "I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want anyone to get hurt." He cast a glance to Brittney, who nodded in understanding.
Strobe lights illuminated the area as everyone danced to the beat of the techno music being blasted through the speakers up front. Jackson stalked through the crowd, his eyes focused on his next target, until Erica came into view and wrapped her arms around his neck. A grin spread across her ruby-red lips as she began to grind her body against Jackson's in an effort to distract him, and it appeared to be working.
In order to get Jackson in the right position for Isaac to inject him with the Ketamine, Brittney decided to join in the dance with Erica, flashing her teeth in a flirtatious smile as she swayed her hips to the music. As he danced in between the two she-wolves, Isaac came up from Jackson's blind spot and jammed the syringe into the side of his neck, injecting him with the drug and instantly his body went limp. Quickly, Erica and Brittney slung one of Jackson's arms over their shoulders and snuck away to another part of the warehouse where they could interrogate him.
While everything was happening inside the warehouse, Scott stepped outside to make sure the Hunters didn't interfere. However, as soon as he stepped into the road, a red SUV came out of nowhere and slammed into him, knocking him out momentarily.
When he came to, Scott was laying on a table in a smaller warehouse. Sitting a few feet away was Victoria Argent, and next to her on a smaller table was a small vaporizer. "You probably recognize this device." she said in a smug tone. "Pot used to be smoked in a rolled-up piece of paper. These days, it seems like all you kids are given a free vaporizer with your medicinal marijuana card." The red-haired woman pulled out a small vial of purple powder. "This type of wolfsbane is one of my favorites." she chuckled. "Lovely smell. You probably won't think so though." she added as she placed the vial on the device and turned it on.
"What..." Scott sighed, as the room began to fill with a light fog. "What are you doing...?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Victoria asked with a smile, "I'm killing you." She let out a chuckle, "It's going to look like an accident, like you had an asthma attack and couldn't get to your inhaler in time." the woman rationalized as she stood up. "Your school records show you have a pretty severe case of asthma."
The haze in the room got thicker and was already affecting Scott, making him involuntarily begin to shift. "Stop..." he pleaded, coughing as the wolfsbane worked its way through his system.
"Too late." Victoria shook her head, watching the young wolf struggle. "Looks like it's working." When Scott moved, he rolled off the table and tried to push himself up, Victoria instead pressed her foot on his back and kept him down.
Brittney, Isaac, and Erica stood in a smaller room, staring at a still unconscious Jackson. The door suddenly opened and Erica immediately grabbed whoever entered, her claws ready. "No, no!" Stiles objected. "It's just me, don't freak. Alright?" he smoothed out his shirt after Erica released him. "He okay?" Stiles motioned to Jackson.
"Not sure." Brittney shrugged her shoulders, leaning against the wall. "Haven't checked yet."
"Well, let's find out." Isaac suggested, extending his claws. He went to strike Jackson, who suddenly jerked and grabbed his wrist, applying enough pressure to break the bone. Isaac bit back a scream and backed away, holding his wrist as it healed.
"Okay, no one does anything like that again, okay?" Stiles said, and the three werewolves nodded.
Brittney had her arm around Isaac's shoulders as his wrist healed. "I thought the ketamine was supposed to put him out?" she noted, glancing from Jackson to Stiles.
"Yeah, well, apparently, this is all we're going to get." Stiles stated. "So, let's just hope that whoever's controlling him just decided to show up tonight."
Jackson's eyes suddenly opened, "I'm here." he said, his voice deeper and somewhat distorted. "I'm right here with you."
"Okay..." Brittney drawled out, her arm tightening around Isaac's back, as his snaked around her waist. "...that's just creepy."
Stiles moved to stand in front of Jackson, who appeared to be in some sort of trance, "Jackson, is that you?" he asked calmly.
"Us." Jackson corrected, his voice still distorted. "We're all here."
Stiles continued on with the questioning. "Are you the one killing people?"
"We are the ones killing murderers." Jackson corrected once again, his jaw clenching in anger.
Brittney swallowed the lump in her throat and Isaac's grip around her tightened. "So, all the people you've killed so far..." she began to ask, but was cut off when Jackson said "Deserved it."
"See, we got a little rule book that says you only go after murderers." Stiles added in a matter-of-fact tone.
Jackson's head cocked slightly to the side, "Anything can break if enough pressure's applied." he noted with small smirk that made everyone shudder.
"All right." Stiles smacked his lips together. "So, the people you're killing are all murderers, then?" Jackson nodded in agreement. "Well, who did they murder?"
"Me." Jackson answered, his eyes changing from their human form to the Kanima's. "They murdered me." His hands started twitching as his nails elongated into claws.
"Okay. All right, more ketamine." Stiles snapped his fingers, backing away from Jackson. "The man needs ketamine. Come on."
Isaac pulled the vial from the pocket of his jeans and held it up for Stiles, "We don't have any more." he informed.
Stiles blinked, snatching the bottle from Isaac, "You used the whole bottle?" he asked incredulously. Jackson let out a shrill growl, as he continued to shift into the Kanima. "Um, okay, out!" Stiles yelled, scrambling for the door. "Everybody out!"
Brittney and Erica grabbed eachother's hands as they ran out and braced themselves against the door, panting heavily. Isaac stood on the other side of Brittney, his arm around her back and Stiles on the other side of him. "Okay, find something to move in front of the door." Stiles told the others.
Before they could even move, the Kanima bounded through the wall, creating a giant hole. "Or he'll just tear right through the wall." Brittney gaped, her arms around Isaac as she tried to control her breathing.
"Haven't seen him yet, but I did get a text from one of the hunters around the perimeter. Derek Hale and one of his betas showed up." Holly informed, her and Calla standing a few feet from the crowded dancefloor. "They're holding them off for now, but since he showed up, that means Jackson is here somewhere."
Calla nodded along and kept her expression neutral, trying to not to give away any hint that she was worried about Derek. She tapped her nails against the cup she held, wishing she had never agreed to go to the rave in the first place.
"Okay?" Holly asked. She saw the distant look in the younger huntress' eyes and lightly tapped her arm. "Calla, did you hear me?"
"Huh?" Calla blinked, snapping out of her daze.
Holly sighed, "I said I'll do another scope of the dancefloor for Jackson, and you stay here and see if he tries to leave." she repeated.
"Sure." the younger blonde agreed, putting on a smile. The older huntress returned the smile and patted her shoulder before disappearing into the crowd.
Calla sighed heavily and leaned against the wall, downing the rest of her drink before crushing the cup in her hand and tossing it into the trashcan by her boots. She leaned her head back against the concrete wall and closed her eyes. Images of her and Derek flashed through her mind; the feel of her hand in his, the warmth of his body next to hers, how safe she felt in his arms whether he was in human form or werewolf form, how she knew deep in her heart she could trust him whether she was looking into his normal green eyes or his blazing red eyes.
"Not having a good time, are you?" Matt's voice snapped Calla out of her thoughts, her head turning in his direction.
The younger teenager held out a bottle of water for her, "That obvious huh?" Calla muttered, taking the drink and unscrewing the lid before taking a giant gulp. "Ever feel like no matter what you do, everything turns out wrong?" she asked, her hazel eyes glancing at the strobe lights.
"No." Matt answered bluntly. "Unlike the rest of humanity, I'm perfect." He cracked a smile and chuckle, earning a small smile from Calla. He took her smile as some sort of signal and leaned in, capturing her lips in a kiss, which Calla quickly broke off. She pushed herself off the wall and stepped away, running her fingers through her crimped hair.
"I'm sorry." Matt apologized, faking sincerity when his eyes reflected slight anger at the blonde's rejection. "That was a huge mistake." He added, walking up behind her and seeing a photo displayed on Calla's phone screen, a picture of her and Derek taken by Lookout Point with his arm around her shoulders and his lips against her forehead.
"Yeah." Calla muttered, returning her phone to the home screen before clicking it off. She turned and faced Matt, "This whole night was a mistake." She shoved her phone into her back pocket and ran towards the nearest exit.
Stiles ran out of the warehouse panting and saw Derek running towards him. "So..." Stiles drew out, scratching the back of his head, "...we kinda Jackson inside, but it's..." both he and Derek looked towards the open door, where Erica, Isaac, and Brittney stood frozen, due to the line of Mountain Ash around the building.
"It's working!" Stiles exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. "I did something!"
Suddenly, a weak howl echoed around the area, a howl which Derek instantly recognized. "Scott." he muttered, looking to Stiles, "Break it." he told him.
"What?" the younger teen scoffed. "No way!"
"Scott's dying!" the Alpha informed.
Stiles blinked, "Wait, what? How do you know that?"
"Oh, my God, Stiles, I just know!" Derek exasperated. "Break it!"
Stiles bit his lip in frustration, but broke the line of Mountain Ash. Derek ran past him towards the loading docks, while the three teen Betas joined Stiles in the parking lot.
Calla ran out of the warehouse, nearly knocking over Gerard in the process. "Hey, it's okay sweetie." the patriarch soothed, wrapping his arm around his oldest granddaughter.
"This whole night was a mistake." Calla panted, pulling her leather jacket tighter around her as the pair walked away from the warehouse.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that, sweetheart." Gerard rebuffed, gently rubbing the blonde's shoulder. "In fact, I'd say the prognosis isn't nearly as dire as it seems." he assured, pulling his granddaughter closer to him.
The wolfsbane vapor was making Scott weaker by the second. "Allison." he muttered, his gold eyes drifting closed. "I'm sorry."
The next second, Derek broke the door down, finding Scott passed out on the floor. The strong concentration of wolfsbane in the air was starting work on Derek, dulling his senses and reflexes enough for Victoria to come up from behind him and jab a knife into his shoulder. Reflexively, the Alpha grabbed her arm and shoved her back into the side wall. In the midst of the fight, Derek bit down on Victoria's shoulder, and she threw him back and ran out.
Derek shook off the momentary daze and grabbed Scott, dragging him out of the room and once outside, he hoisted the unconscious teen over his shoulder and ran to his parked car.
Rose opened the backdoor of the Beacon Hills Animal Clinic, stepping aside as Derek walked in, carrying a still unconscious Scott in his arms. "Lay him on the table." she instructed, the door shutting behind her.
"Will he be okay?" Derek asked, looking to the older Alpha for the answer.
Rose placed her hand on his shoulder and nodded, "You got him here just in time." she answered. "Sit down and rest." The brunette Alpha helped him to a nearby chair while Deaton looked over Scott, administering something to help kick the wolfsbane from his system.
Derek reached out and grabbed Rose's hand, "Thanks." he told her, sincerely.
Rose smiled down at him and gently pecked his forehead, "Anytime." she replied.
Leaving the two males to rest, Rose and Alan stepped into the lobby, where an old friend of theirs sat. She had dark skin and black hair, "Long time, no see Marin." Rose greeted, leaning against the front desk and crossing her ankles.
"I can't decide if I admire your sentimentality or despise it." Marin replied, getting to her feet.
Deaton crossed his arms over his chest, "If I want your opinion, I'll make an appointment with the guidance office." he retorted.
Marin cracked a small smirk, "From the state of things, I think you both could use a little guidance." she noted, glancing from the veterinarian to the she-wolf. "Are you really going to leave all of this up to a couple of kids?"
"They're more capable than you think, my friend." Rose informed, tucking some hair behind her ear, her eyes flashing red.
The black-haired female met the Alpha's eyes, "Are you going to tell your daughter and her friends what's coming?" she asked. "Are you sure she's ready for them?"
"In due time." Deaton answered, placing his hand on Rose's shoulder, the red fading from her eyes. "They've got enough to worry about."
A/N: I am so sorry it took so long for yet another update on this story. I just have a lot going on in my personal life and sometimes I don't feel like writing. I'm trying my best to update as best I can, so I appreciate you guys being so patient with me. I've got so much planned for this series, not just Derek and Calla's relationship and their story, but other characters that I look forward to expanding on. Hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter. I'll try to have the next one up soon.
Now for some reader review responses:
Arianna Le Fey: No, Calla was poisoned. She passed out due to some injuries she sustained during the fight in the previous chapter. And, as you read during the first scene, Derek did visit her.
CarleighAlpha: Nice to know you ship Della (Derek/Calla). Sadly, things are going to get a little rockier between them, but don't worry, they'll get back together soon! Hope you'll keep reading to see how.
DemonGirl123: There will be more scenes with Rose, but her and Calla won't interact until the sequel, Dark Moon Rising. Hope you enjoyed this chapter (even though its years overdue). Thanks for the continuing support sis.
