Master Plan:
The noises around me seemed to be a wash of white noise and the voices surrounding me were echoing without actually making sense. I was vaguely aware of people talking to me and offering me their condolences but every word they said seemed to diminish before they reached my ears. Everything was moving in slow motion as I stood silently in the middle of the field and watched as the paramedics loaded my best friend's body into the back of an ambulance. My tears had long since dried up but my hands were still shaking slightly as I wrapped an arm around my waist as though that would be able to keep me from falling apart. Everything felt like it was falling apart around me but there was nothing I could do to stop it from happening. Jackson was declared dead not minutes before and Stiles was missing from the lacrosse field but worse of all, it wasn't over yet.
"It's not real." Someone's small almost frantic whisper broke through the mashed up sounds and I slowly turned my head to the side to see Lydia staring blankly at the ambulance. There were tears shining in her light green eyes as she licked her dry lips and I could see the utter heartbreak in her eyes.
"I can't do this." I whispered in a broken voice as I slowly shook my head and Lydia glanced at my in surprise when she heard my voice but nodded in understanding. She grabbed my hand in hers as I started walking backwards and I squeezed it gratefully as my fingers slipped through hers. I cast one more fleeting look at the ambulance before I turned around and started walking towards the locker room where I knew Scott would be. I didn't have the time to mourn the loss of my best friend when my brother's was missing with a complete psycho werewolf hunter on the loose and I didn't want Scott to go through what I was going through at that very moment. I closed my eyes tightly as I did what I did best and buried all the grief, anguish and pain that Jackson's death was doing to me so that I would actually be of some use to Scott in the search for his best friend. I knew that falling apart in the middle of this mess wouldn't do me any good so I suppressed my sorrow and focused solely on my anger directed at the Gerard as I took a deep breath to even out my heart rate.
"Is that everyone?" I heard Scott ask someone in the locker room as I turned into the hallways that lead to the locker room and I plastered an expressionless look on my face as I strutted into the locker room. Scott and Isaac both jumped slightly at the sound of my heels on the floor as they turned to face me in surprise but I ignored their worried expressions.
"I think so. Let's go." I announced in a firm voice as I walked towards them and pushed passed them as I strolled in between them.
"Sophie. Are you okay?" Scott asked me stupidly in a concerned tone as he grabbed my wrist and I snapped my head around to glare at him as I quickly removed his hand. Isaac rolled his eyes at my brother's idiotic question as he crossed his arms over his chest and Scott winced apologetically as he shot me a remorseful look. "What are you doing here?"
"I just lost my best friend. I'm not about to let you lose yours." I told him honestly as I glanced down at the ground for a second before looking back up at my brother with watery eyes and he meet my gaze with the same understanding shining in his dark brown eyes. Scott nodded sagely in understanding as he quirked his lips at me and then turned to face the set of lockers opposite where we were standing. I watched as Scott ripped the metal door off of one of the lockers in the middle of the row and it landed on the ground at Isaac's feet as the Beta raised his eyebrows at my brother.
"You're gonna find him by scent?" Isaac asked in surprise as Scott reached into the locker with a grim expression as he grabbed a few things from inside.
"Yeah, we all are." Scott replied easily as he threw a shoe at each of us and I caught the sneaker on reflex before it could hit me in the face as I frowned at him slightly.
"But how come you get his shirt and I get a shoe?" Isaac complained in a small voice as he looked down at the shoe in his hand with a slight pout and I fought a small smile at his comment as I turned the sneaker over in my hand.
"We need to talk." I heard Derek say from behind us and I spun around to face him in surprise as I took in the serious expression on his handsome face.
"All of us." Peter announced his presence with a smirk as he stepped out from behind the lockers and I felt my mouth fall open as I stared at the man I thought had been killed. I snapped my mouth closed as tears filled my eyes and Peter over in my direction with soft teal eyes as he smiled warmly at me. My emotions were scrambled as I meet his tender gaze because even though Peter had been like a father to me for over ten years, he was also a murderer that killed his own niece and forced me to turn into a werewolf by biting me.
"Holy sh – What the hell is this?" Scott asked incredulously as he pointed a shaky finger in Peter's direction with a frown and Peter broke his gaze from me to give my brother a patronising smile.
"You know, I thought the same thing when I saw you talking to Gerard at the sheriff's station." Derek countered back to him heatedly as he narrowed his greyish eyes at Scott and I frowned in confusion as I snapped my head up to look at my brother.
"Okay, hold on. He - he threatened to kill my mom. And I had to get close to him. What was I supposed to do?"
"I'm gonna go with Scott on this one. Have you seen his mom? She's gorgeous." Peter said casually as he directed his last comment at Isaac and I glanced over my shoulder at the confused Beta because I had just remembered that he had no idea what was going on or who Peter was.
"Shut up." Derek and Scott both snapped at the newly resurrected werewolf as they glared at him for his comment and Peter rolled his eyes childishly as he glanced at me with a smirk. I fought a small smile as I met his teal eyed gaze and I could see the man that I had loved like a father looking back at me deep in their depths. Anger, sadness and happiness all boiled within me at the same time as I pursed my lips together and narrowed my eyes at him as I stalked towards him. He was the one who bit me without knowing whether or not I would survive the transformation and I hadn't let myself acknowledge that fact because he was dead.
"Sophie…" Peter murmured with a warm smile when I came to a stop in front of me and I punched him in the jaw as hard as I could without saying anything to him. His head snapped to the side with a small droplet of scarlet red blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and I smirked in satisfaction as he raised his hand to his lip with a small smile on his playing on his lips. "I guess I deserved that."
"Who is he?" I heard Isaac ask Scott quietly from behind us as I smiled brightly at Peter and he smirked back at me as he cupped my face in his hands before pressing a chaste kiss to my forehead. Suddenly, everything just came crashing down around me as tears filled my eyes and Peter wrapped his arms instinctively around me as I buried my head in his chest like a child and wrapped my arms around his waist as he soothed my hair back from my face.
"That's Peter, Derek's Uncle. Little while back, he tried to kill us all, and then we set him on fire, and Derek slashed his throat." Scott answered nonchalantly like it was the most normal thing in the world and I turned around to face everyone with my head still balanced on Peter's shoulder.
"Hi." Peter greeted the Beta mockingly as he waved at him with the hand that wasn't wrapped around my waist and I smirked slightly as I lifted my head off of Peter's shoulder.
"That's good to know." Isaac muttered sarcastically under his breath as his mouth quirked up in a quick half smile before fading and I crossed my arms over my chest as I linked my arm through Peter's comfortably.
"How is he alive?" Scott asked Derek as he pointedly ignored the werewolf standing next to me and Derek sighed slightly as he cast a quick glanced over his shoulder at us before turning back to Scott.
"Look, the short version is he knows how to stop Jackson. And maybe how to save him." Derek replied tersely as he pursed his lips together in a way that I knew meant he was just stalling and I felt a fresh wave of grief at the mention of Jackson's name but didn't allow my carefully built mask to crack.
"Well, that's very helpful except Jackson's dead." Isaac told them with a small frown on his lips as his steely blue eyes flickered over to me for a second and I looked down at the ground to avoid making anymore eye contact with anyone so that they didn't see the heartbreak in my eyes.
"Yeah, Jackson's dead. It just happened on the field." I informed them in a small voice as I cleared my throat gently and licked my lip nervously as I tucked a fallen strand behind my ear.
"Okay, why is no one taking this as good news?" Isaac asked in confusion as he looked between the two older werewolves who had frozen in shock and I felt a surge of anger at how casually the Beta had mentioned my best friend's death but just settled for glaring at him.
"Because if Jackson is dead, it didn't just happen. Gerard wanted it to happen." Peter answered calmly as he get go of my waist and walked forward a few steps as everyone turned towards him.
"But why?" Derek asked his uncle incredulously as he crossed his arms over his broad chest with a frown and I slumped with my back against the metal locker behind me as I wrapped an arm around my waist.
"Well, that's exactly what we need to figure out. And something tells me the window of opportunity is closing. Quickly."
We all went directly to the Hale house when Peter instructed us that there was something that he needed and I felt a cold shiver run up my spine when I entered the main parlour of the burnt out remains of the house my late best friend used to live in. Being in the house made me think of Cora, thinking of Cora made me think of death and death made me think of Jackson but I wasn't ready to deal of that when there was still so much that needed to be done to stop Gerard.
"Oh. Oh, they found Stiles." Scott announced in pleasant surprise as he looked down at his phone screen with a small smile on his lips and I sighed in relief for my friend as I gave my brother a half hug on my way past him. Scott smiled at me as he returned the hug before tucking the phone into his pocket and I strolled past him to see Peter climbing the main staircase as everyone else watched from the bottom.
"I told you, I looked everywhere." Derek told his uncle with irritation in his voice as he glared the returned werewolf and I leaned against the pillar at the end of the staircase as I tilted my head to the side in curiosity.
"You didn't look here." Peter said calmly as he squatted down gracefully and lifted the wooden board off of the steps as he glanced over his shoulder at his nephew.
"What is that, a book?"
"No. It's a laptop. What century are you living in?" he asked incredulously with a scoff as he pulled out a black rectangular case from under the floor board and Derek rolled his greyish eyes at the comment as I chuckled lightly in amusement. Peter stood up from the step with the laptop under his arm as he smirked patronisingly at the Alpha and then winked at me on his way down the stairs. "A few days after I got out of the coma, I transferred everything that we had. Fortunately, the Argents aren't the only ones that keep records."
"You have a bestiary?" I asked him excitedly as I pushed myself off of the pillar with a smile and Peter nodded at me in answer with a smirk on his lips as he stopped at the bottom of the stairs. I grinned eagerly as I practically skipped over to him and I tugged the laptop gently out of his hands.
"Hey!" he exclaimed in mock indignation as I balanced the laptop on my arm and I shot him a look over my shoulder as I walked towards the remains of the lounge room. I saw Derek smirk faintly in amusement as he followed me into the other room and I sat down on one of the chairs near the table in the middle of the middle. I heard a phone ringing in the other room as I placed the laptop on the table before opening in it up with Peter moving to stand behind me and I turned it on as Derek walked over to stand at the side of the table.
"Hey, mom, I can't talk right now." Scott greeted our mother in a rush as he walked into the room with Isaac trailing after him and I looked up at him from the laptop with a questioning look.
"Oh, yeah? Well, I'm so freaked out that I can barely talk either." Mom said in a panic through the phone as Scott frowned in confusion and I stood up from my seat with a quirked eyebrow.
"What's wrong?"
"Something - Definitely something. I don't know what, but I think you're gonna want to see this for yourself." Mom told him anxiously as I strolled over to stand at my brother's side and he frowned at the phone as the dial tone echoed through the line.
"What the hell does that mean?" I asked rhetorically with a frown as I walked back over to the table where Peter had taken my seat and I scowled at him as I approached with my hand resting on my hip.
"What?" Peter asked me innocently as he looked up at me with a mock confused expression and I rolled my eyes at him as I pushed on his shoulder gently.
"Up." I demanded lightly with a smirk as I gestured with my head for him to stand up and he sighed dramatically as he stood up before I sat down with a victorious smile on my lips. I made a show of getting comfortable in the seat as Peter rolled his teal eyes at me and I turned my head to look at my brother with a small smile. "Scott, you should probably go see what the hell mom was talking about."
"You don't want to come with me?" Scott asked me with a pointed look over my shoulder at the Hale werewolves and I rolled my eyes at him as I crossed my legs gracefully.
"No. It probably has something to do with Jackson's body and I just can't…." I trailed off sadly as I looked away from his knowing dark brown eyes and cleared my throat gently as I tossed my hair over my shoulder before turning back to my brother with a small smile on my lips. "Just go find out what's going on. Take Isaac with you. We don't know where Gerard is so it's probably best to be in pairs."
"Thanks for volunteering me." Isaac complained sardonically as he shot me a sarcastic smile and I grinned back innocently as Scott nodded reluctantly in agreement.
"Alright, I'll call you as soon as I know anything. Call if you need anything." Scott ordered me sternly as he glanced distrustfully at the oldest werewolf in the room over my shoulder and I just nodded patiently because I knew that Scott would never trust Peter no matter what I said. I watched as Isaac and Scott both left the burnt remains the of Hale house before turning back to the Apple MacBook pro on the table with a sigh and started clicking through the digitalised copy of the Hale's assorted lore, records and reference books.
"This thing is awesome." I murmured to myself as I looked at all the different species of supernatural creatures that were in the world and I marvelled at how detailed some of the entries were as I read silently. "I don't think I'd want to be a werecoyote."
"And why not?" Peter asked me curiously as he leaned his hip against the table next to me and I looked up at him with a smirk playing on the edge of my lips.
"Wolves are more badass." I answered nonchalantly with a shrug of my shoulders as I looked back at the screen and he chuckled at me as Derek smirked faintly. "So, are you going to tell me how you're alive? Because the last time I checked, getting your throat slashed open was a non-recovery kind of injury."
"I had a backup plan in case something happened to me the night of the dance. Just before my death I infected Lydia with a portion of my spirit through which I was able to give her instructions on how to fully revive my corpse." He explained as though it was no big deal that he was the reason that my best girlfriend had been practically going insane for the last few months and I turned away from the computer to narrow my eyes at him.
"You're a horrible human being."
"I know. It keeps me awake at night."
"Will you two shut up?" Derek snapped in annoyance as Peter and I glared at each other and I turned my head around to scowl at the Alpha as I tossed my hair over my shoulder.
"You're so rude." I said under my breath as I looked back at the laptop and began skimming through the entries for any mention of the kanima. "So, how are we saving Jackson?"
"There's a myth that you can cure a werewolf simply by calling out its Christian name. It's just a myth but sometimes myths and legends bear a hint of truth. Our name is a symbol of who we are. The kanima has no identity. That's why it doesn't seek a pack. It seeks a master. And who else grows up with no pack? No identity? An orphan. Like Jackson. And right now, his identity is disappearing beneath a reptilian skin and we need to bring him back." Peter explained patiently as he looked down at me with a small smile on his lips and I nodded in understanding as I leaned back on the seat with a thoughtful frown. "Even somebody as burned and dead on the inside as me knows better than to underestimate the simple yet undeniable power of human love."
"We'll need Lydia. Jackson loves her. She'll be the one to break the hold the kanima has on him." I told them with a quirk of my eyebrow and Peter nodded in agreement as he stood up from the edge of the opened his mouth to retort but my cell phone rang in my pocket and I held up a finger for him to wait a second as I reached into grab it with the other. I glanced at the screen with a small grimace when I saw that it was Scott calling me and I silently handed the phone over to Derek before turning back to the laptop screen. The Alpha rolled his eyes at me as he took the phone and walked a few feet away from us as he answered my brother's call.
"They say he's in some kind of transparent casing made from the venom coming out of his claws." Derek told us as he walked back over to the table where we were sitting with the laptop and I frowned deeply as I quickly made my way through the files.
"That sounds sufficiently terrifying." Peter commented lightly as he leaned over my shoulder to see the screen as well and I hummed in agreement as I flicked through the entries of supernatural creatures.
"They also say he's starting to move."
"Okay, look, I think I found something. Looks like what we've seen from Jackson is just the kanima's beta shape." I informed them as I leaned back in the seat so that they could both see and Derek bent down to look at the screen.
"Well, meaning what? It can turn into something bigger?"
"Bigger and badder." Peter told him as he pointed a finger at the picture of a green reptilian-like creature with a mouth full of fangs and wings coming out of its back.
"He's turning into that? That has wings." I exclaimed in horror as I covered my mouth with my hand and Peter nodded sagely as I grimaced at the thought of my best friend turning into the creature depicted in the bestiary.
"I can see that."
"Scott, bring him to us." Derek demanded in a stern but slightly terrified voice as he held the phone back up to his ear without taking his greyish eyes off of the screen and
"I'm not sure if we have time for that." Scott said in a panicked voice through the phone line and I frowned in concern as turned to look at the phone in Derek's hand as though it would answer my unasked question.
"Look, somebody actually made an animation of it. Maybe it's less frightening if we – " Peter suggested in a cheerful voice as he leaned over my shoulder to click on the video on the laptop and I turned back to the screen just as an animation of a frightening looking creature popped up on the screen with a high pitched shriek. My eyes went wide as Peter hastily clicked the video off and turned to his terrified looking nephew with an anxious expression on his face. "Nope, not at all. We should probably meet them halfway."
"Scott, get him out of there now - go now." Derek ordered hurriedly into the phone as he stared at the screen of the laptop before hanging up on my brother and I snatched my phone from his hand as I stood up from the seat. Peter and Derek quickly headed for the door as my phone started ringing and I reached for the phone as the other's paused in the doorway with frowns on their faces. I looked down at the unknown number on the screen with a frown and Derek cleared his throat to get my attention as I glanced up at him with a small frown.
"You guys go ahead and I'll catch up." I told them with a nod as I waved a hand dismissively and Derek opened his mouth to argue as he shook his head at me. "Derek, I'm trained and I'll be right behind you."
"Fine. Hurry up." he grumbled with a deeper frown as he sighed at my stubbornness and I smiled reassuringly as they left but I noticed Peter glancing back over his shoulder at me with an anxious frown. I glanced down nervously at the unknown on my phone once more before I held it up to my ear and I held my head up high to give myself a small sense of authority even though the other person couldn't see me.
"Hello?" I greeted the person on the other end of the phone in a hard voice as I walked back over to the table where the laptop was sitting.
"Sophie? It's Chris Argent." Chris' familiar gruff voice sounded through the voice and I felt myself relax slightly as I smiled slightly.
"Chris. How can I help you today?" I asked him curiously as I closed the laptop down and sitting down on the chair as it powered down. I hadn't seen the veteran hunter since the night that Matt held us hostage at the sheriff station where he helped dig the bullet out of my stomach when I couldn't do it myself and I felt like I owed something to my friend's father because not everyone would have stopped to help.
"It's Allison. Gerard's been filling her head with lies just like he did with Kate at her age. I can't let that happen. I can't let what happened with Kate happen to my daughter."
"Allie is my friend and I owe you. What do you need me to do?" I asked him sincerely as I closed the lid of the laptop and stood up from the seat as I picked it up.
"Where are you? We need a plan to stop Gerard." He told me in an almost desperate voice as I walked back over to the main stairs in the burnt parlour and picked up the wooden floor board before slipping laptop back into its hiding place.
"Meet me at the entrance to the Hale house. I'll be there in a minute." I said casually as I hung up the phone and then stood up from the stairs before quickly rushing out of the dilapidated house as I tucked my phone away. The night air was cool as I made my way to the end of the dirt road that connected the highway just out of Beacon Hills so that I could meet up with Chris. I didn't know whether or not Chris knew the true reason behind why Derek bit his wife but I knew that he would do anything to keep his daughter safe and if that meant killing Scott than that's what he would do. Every logical part of my mind was telling me not to trust the veteran hunter but past experiences had made it clear to me that he would do anything to keep Allison safe and at the moment I was the best option. The leaves crunched under my feet as I ran at werewolf speed to the end of the road where it connected to the highway and stopped a few metres away from the road as I tried to control my rapid breathing from the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I glanced down at the hairband on my wrist before quickly tying my hair up in a tight ponytail so that it was out of my face and sighed heavily as I closed my eyes for a second to let all of the information I had just received. If the kanima was still in its Beta shape than that meant that Jackson was still alive and that thought brought a small smile to my lips as I slowly opened my eyes. The forest around me was illuminated with light from a pair of headlights approaching on the highway and I narrowed my eyes at the driver to see who it was as I stepped forward. The black SUV pulled to a stop in front of me as I smiled at Chris in the driver's seat and jogged over to the passenger side door before slipping into the idling car.
"Thanks for coming." Chris greeted me with a short nod as he pulled the car back on to the road and glanced over at me with a small thankful smile on his lips.
"Thanks for calling."
"I didn't know what else to do. Gerard has manipulated Allison the same way he did with Kate. I'm losing my daughter the same way I lost my sister and I don't plan on letting that happen again." He said sagely as his hands tightened on the steer wheel and I glanced at him sympathetically but didn't say anything because I knew he didn't want my pity over his losses. "Where am I going?"
"The hospital. Scott and Isaac are there because Jackson's body was encased in venom. Apparently, the kanima is only in its Beta shape at the moment." I informed him woefully as he glanced over at me with a slightly shocked in expression and I sighed as I leaned my head back on the headrest with a faint frown on my lips. We travelled the rest of the way to the hospital in silence as I contemplated the situation we were in and just sat for a minute in a peaceful serenity that I knew was about to be broken. Chris pulled the SUV into the hospital car park and I saw Scott and Isaac carrying a black body bag out of the back door of the hospital. The werewolves heard the tires of the car as it came to stop in front of them and Scott dropped the top of the body bag in shock as Chris climbed out of the driver's side door.
"You're alone." Scott stated in bewilderment as he stared at the veteran hunter distrustfully and Isaac dropped the other end of the body bag as he frowned.
"More than you know." Chris added dejectedly with a sigh and I huffed indignantly as I climbed out of the passenger seat gracefully. Scott and Isaac both gaped at me in shock as I walked around to stand next to Chris and I smirked at them before turning to face the hunter.
"You're not totally alone." I countered with a quirk of my eyebrow at the older man and he offered me a small smile that was hidden from the others.
"What do you want?" Scott asked him pointedly as he glanced at me quickly to make sure that I was okay and I nodded with a reassuring smile as I leaned back on the hood of the SUV with my arms crossed over my chest.
"We don't have much in common, Scott. But at the moment, we have a common enemy." Chris pointed out calmly as he looked my brother in the eye and Scott glanced down at the body bag knowingly before looking up at the hunter.
"That's why I'm trying to get him out of here."
"I didn't mean Jackson." He informed Scott with a small shake of his head and Scott furrowed his eyebrows in confusion until realisation dawned on him. "Gerard has twisted his way into Allison's head, the same way he did with Kate. And I'm losing her. And I know you're losing her too."
"You're right. So can you trust me to fix this? Then can you let us go?"
"No." Chris answered after a second of hesitation as he glanced at me from the corner of his eye and Scott sighed in defeat as I smirked knowingly at the hunter. "My car is faster."
I was sitting in the front seat of Chris' SUV as Scott and Isaac held the black body bag in the backseat while Chris drove towards the Beacon Hills Warehouse District where we would have privacy for whatever supernatural situation was about to happen. I sighed slightly as we pulled to a stop next to one of the abandoned warehouses and climbed out of the passenger side door as everyone else followed suit.
"I think he stopped moving." Isaac said in surprise as he looked back into the backseat with a frown and I quirked an eyebrow at him as I also glanced at the still body bag.
"Where's Derek?" Chris asked gruffly as he looked at Scott for an answer to his question but before my brother could say anything I held up my hand for him to remain silent and I frowned slightly as I focused my werewolf hearing on the sound of feet on metal. I glanced up at the roof of the warehouse just in time to see Derek jumping down gracefully before running towards us on all fours and then doing a perfect flip in the air as he landed in a crouch in front of us with his glowing red eyes of an Alpha.
"Someone certainly enjoys making an entrance." I remarked drily with a roll of my eyes as I crossed my arms over my chest and I looked to the side when I felt Isaac move forward to stand next to me. Derek narrowed his greyish eyes at the hunter as he stood up straight from his crouch and Chris lift his chin defiantly as he met the Alpha's glare with one of his own.
"I'm here for Jackson. Not you."
"Somehow, I don't find that very comforting. Get him inside." Derek ordered Scott and Isaac as he looked over at them and Scott nodded shortly as he walked over to the door to the backseat with Isaac. I watched nervously as my brother and friend lifted the black body bag containing my best friend out of the car before carrying it into the warehouse and then carefully placing it on the ground as I followed after them. Derek strolled over to the body bag as Scott came to stand next to me for comfort or protection or both and I looked around the empty warehouse with a confused frown on my lips.
"Where are they?" I asked Derek in concern as I glanced over at the Alpha and he frowned as he looked around the warehouse as though someone would magically appear.
"Who?"
"Peter and Lydia." I answered as though it was obvious as I watched him kneel down next the body bag and slowly unzip the bag as I stepped forward quickly. "Whoa, hold on a second. You said you knew how to save him."
"We're past that."
"What about – "
"Think about it, Sophie. Gerard controls him now. He's turned Jackson into his own personal guard dog. And he set all of this in motion so that Jackson could get even bigger and more powerful." Derek informed me sternly as he snapped his gaze up to glare at me slightly and I shook my head rapidly in denial as tears entered my eyes but I refused to let them fall.
"No. No, he wouldn't do that. If Jackson's a dog, he's turning rabid, and my father wouldn't let a rabid dog live." Chris protested in a firm tone as he looked at Derek unwaveringly and the Alpha stood up from the ground as he met the hunter's eyes challengingly.
"Of course not." A familiar voice echoed through the cavernous warehouse and we all turned quickly to see Gerard standing in the middle of the entrance. I felt my blood run cold at the menacing look on his face and stepped back so that I was next to my twin brother for support. "Anything that dangerous, that out of control - Is better off dead." Gerard declared in a frighteningly calm voice as I blindly reached for Scott's hand and I heard a sharp intake of breath behind me so I spun around to see a half-transformed kanima with its claws imbedded in Derek's chest. I covered my mouth with the hand that wasn't holding Scott's as I stepped backwards in shock and the kanima hissed as it tossed Derek's body to the back of the warehouse like he weighed nothing at all. "Well done to the last, Scott. Like the concerned friend you are, you brought Jackson to Derek to save him. You just didn't realize that you were also bringing Derek to me." he said ominously as he started slowly walking forward and I squeezed my brother's hand comfortingly as a piercing sound echoed throughout the warehouse. I gasped in shock when I saw an arrow flying directly at my chest and I ducked just before it could hit me but it managed to land in Isaac's chest because he was standing behind me.
"Allison?" Scott asked incredulously as I let go of his hand to run to Isaac's side where he had collapsed to his knees and I quickly grabbed him under the arm as I helped him to his feet. The Beta grunted in pain as we hobbled towards the back of the warehouse and Scott appeared on the other side to help us as I sent him a relieved look. I tried to ignore the sound of gunshots, high pitched snarling and breaking glass coming from the front of the warehouse as I helped Scott carefully place Isaac on the ground.
"Are you okay?" I asked the Beta as I crouched down next to him with a concerned frown and he nodded with a pained expression as I curled my hand around the wooden arrow shaft. I knew that I would have to remove it from his chest before the wound could start to heal but I wasn't really looking forward to hurting my friend more than he already was. "Ready?"
"Just go." Isaac uttered to me with a groan as I nodded before I yanked the wood out of his chest with a sickening squish and he pressed his lips together tightly to stop from crying out in pain. I pulled the collar of his shirt down to see the wound but his skin was already knitting itself together so that there was no evidence of an injury and I smirked slightly as I fixed his shirt before patting his chest.
"You'll live." I told him as I stood up from my crouch next to him and he sighed slightly as he pushed himself up to stand as well. I placed one hand on his shoulder to help balance myself as I lifted my legs up so that I could remove one of my heels and I noticed his perplexed expression as I did the same with the other. "What? I don't want to fight in heels. I might break one."
"You're such a girl." He teased me with a smirk as I stuck my tongue out at him childishly and let go of his shoulder as I close my eyes for a second so that I can draw my inner wolf to the surface. When I opened my eyes, I saw that Isaac had done the same as I had and I winked at him as I walked passed him to where Scott was standing with his own wolf feature present. Derek, Scott, Isaac and I all formed a loose circle around the kanima as we stared at the green scaled reptile like creature and I was almost glad that I couldn't see anything that reminded me of Jackson in its orange slitted eyes because I knew that we would most likely have to kill it before it could hurt anyone else for Gerard. Derek's eyes glow a bright red as he snarled at the kanima and he rushed forward to attack him but was instantly thrown to the floor. Isaac growled loudly when his Alpha was hurt by the creature before ran at him with his claws drawn to attack but the kanima sensed it was coming and it quickly fought back until the Beta was lying on the floor. I watched in horror as Scott also entered the battle with his own eyes glowing amber and I moved to join the fight as Scott was thrown into a wall but someone stepped in front of me. I frowned in confusion at Allison as she glared at me but saw the metal blades in her hands as the moonlight glistened off of them and I quirked an eyebrow at her with a smirk because I knew that I could take her.
"Allie, you don't want to do this." I warned her calmly as we started circling each other slowly like predators waiting for their prey to make the first move and I noticed her dark brown eyes were missing the life that they normally had.
"Oh, I really do." Allison insisted with a malicious smile on her lips that I had never seen before and I shook my head slightly in confusion with a frown on my lips.
"What the hell happened to you?"
"My mother died." She reminded me as she lunged at me with the Japanese Ring Dagger and I quickly sidestepped her as she stumbled slightly by missing but she turned back around to face me with a determined expression. She went to attack me once more but I blocked her move with my forearm and twisted around so that she stumbled forward with the momentum.
"I didn't realise that turned people into rage bitches." I snapped at her as she tried to stab me in the side with one of the daggers while swiping at my chest with the other and I grabbed one of her wrists before she could cut my chest but could stop her from piercing my side. I cried out in pain as a dull throbbing began at the wound site and I stumbled back out of her reach as I glared at her. "That hurt."
"It was meant to."
"Congratulations then." I told her with a smirk as I blocked her next attack with my arm but the dagger lodged it's itself in my skin and I grunted in pain as I pulled it out of my arm like it was nothing. I twirled the dagger around my finger expertly as Allison gaped in shock that I now had a weapon other than my claws to use against her but she quickly masked her fear and stabbed the other dagger into my chest before I knew what was happening. I cried out in pain as I fell to my knees with tears in my eyes and the dagger dropped from my hand as I ripped its partner out of my chest. Blood was pouring from the wound but I could already feel it healing itself and I closed my eyes for a second as the pain turned from a sharp burn to a dull ache. I heard the sound of footsteps approaching me slowly so I looked up to see Allison standing in front of me with an unreadable expression on her pretty face and she tilted her head to the side as she bent down to pick up the fallen ring dagger from besides me. I felt tears glistening in my eyes as I stared at my friend as though I didn't recognise her and I caught sight of a thin silver chain hanging from her neck. I let out a breathy laugh as I shook my head slightly and Allison looked at me with a confusion frown. I slowly raised my hand to pull the silver chain out from under her shirt before tugging it off of her neck and she gingerly reached up to touch where it used to lay. I smiled softly at the memory of me giving her the friendship necklace for her seventeenth birthday and pulled the matching one from under my bloodied shirt before pulling it off my neck. I grabbed Allison's hand roughly as I slammed the two necklaces down in her palm and then slowly climbed to my feet even though I was still feeling a little weak. I turned around to see Isaac lying on the ground a few feet away as he groaned in pain and I frowned in concern as I rushed to his side. I saw massive amounts of blood on his shirt but he was still unconscious as he tried to sit up on his own and I immediately helped him with a slightly amused smirk when I saw him struggling. I lifted up the bottom of his shirt to see the already healing wound marks from Allison's Japanese Ring Daggers and I ran my finger gently down his tone side as he shivered at my touch.
"It's cold in here." Isaac informed me defensively as he pulled the shirt out of my hand and I nodded in mock agreement as I fought a smirk. "Shut up.
"I didn't say anything!"
"You weren't saying anything very loudly." He said under his breath as he pulled himself to his feet and held out a hand to help me up as I chucked lightly at his comment.
"No, Allison!" Scott called out in a panic from behind us and we quickly spun around to see Allison walking towards a paralysed Derek with her dagger's at the ready. I felt my eyes go wide in shock as the kanima rushed up behind her and knocked the daggers out of her hands before wrapping its clawed hand around her throat. I gasped in horror as I blindly reached for Isaac's hand for comfort and I felt his surprised gaze on me without looking at him before he squeezed my hand reassuringly.
"Not yet, sweetheart." Gerard told his granddaughter lightly as he strolled calmly out of the shadows and I turned my gaze to him with a small frown as Allison gasped for breath.
"What are you doing?" Allison asked him in a confused small voice as she tried to remove the kanima's hand from her throat and I glanced out the corner of my eyes at Scott as he moved to stand next to me.
"He's doing what he came here to do." Scott answered for the old hunter as he glared at him and positioned himself in front of me slightly.
"Then you know. It was the night outside the hospital, wasn't it, when I threatened your mother. I knew I saw something in your eyes. You could just smell it, couldn't you?" Gerard asked with a knowing glint in his dull eyes as he looked at my brother and Isaac shifted slightly on his feet as he sniffed the air gently.
"He's dying." Isaac stated in comprehension as he stepped closer to my side and I squeezed his hand tightly without taking my eyes off of Gerard as his gaze flickered over to us.
"I am. I have been for a while now. Unfortunately, science doesn't have a cure for cancer yet. But the supernatural does."
"You monster." Chris hissed at his father in disgust with a distraught look on his face and Gerard snapped his head around to meet his son's gaze unwaveringly with a faintly amused smile on his lips.
"Not yet."
"What are you doing?" Allison cried out in a panic as Gerard nodded vaguely at the kanima and it tightened its hold on her throat slightly as she gasped for breath.
"You'll kill her too?" Chris asked in outrage as he glanced at his daughter quickly before turning back to Gerard and I felt tears running down my cheeks as I watched the Argent family crumble around them.
"When it comes to survival, I'd kill my own son!" Gerard declared passionately as he glared at Chris with an underlining manic fury and Chris inclined his head slightly in acceptance that his father was now the enemy. I hastily wiped my cheek with my free hand as Gerard's gaze flickered around to all of us before landing on my brother with a certain amount of amusement. "Scott." He stated knowingly as he raised an eyebrow at him and I frowned as I looked over at my brother. Scott glanced at Allison with a contemplative frown on his lips as he let his werewolf features reside and I stared at him in shock as he slowly walked towards where Derek was lying helpless on the ground.
"Scott, what are you doing?" I asked in small voice as I watched him grab the back of Derek's neck roughly and start to drag the Alpha to his feet as Derek groaning in pain. Scott glanced at me with an apologetic frown on his lips and I gasped in horror as I tried to move forward but Isaac grabbed me around the waist to stop me from getting involved any more than I was. I tried to wiggle out of his grasp but his arm was encircling my waist stopping me and I finally slumped back into his chest as he relaxed slightly but kept a hold of my waist.
"Scott, don't. You know that he's gonna kill me right after. He'll be an Alpha." Derek said in a strained voice as he breathed heavily and lifted his head slightly to glare at Gerard.
"That's true. But I think he already knows that, don't you, Scott? He knows that the ultimate prize is Allison. Do this small task for me, and they can be together. You are the only piece that doesn't fit, Derek. And in case you haven't learned yet, there is just no competing with young love." Gerard declared almost manically as he grinned at the pair and I scowled at him as he slipped out of his jacket.
"Scott, don't! Don't!"
"I'm sorry. But I have to." Scott said as he plied open Derek's mouth so that his fangs were clearly visible and Gerard watched intently in fascination as he stepped closer to the werewolves. The old hunter rolled up his sleeves to reveal his skin before placing his arm inside Derek's mouth and Scott forced the Alpha's mouth closed. I cringed in disgust when I heard the sickening crunching sound of the bite happening and turned my head into Isaac's chest when Gerard let out a loud pain filled scream. I felt Isaac flinch slightly as he brushed my hair from my face and I looked back at them just as Scott dropped Derek's body to the ground. Gerard held his arm up in the air like a trophy he was immensely proud of as he laughed victoriously and I could clearly see the red bit mark on his forearm as I stepped out of Isaac's arms. The wound began leaking an oily black liquid as I smirked in triumphant and started strolling forward with my arms crossed over my chest. Everyone in the warehouse stared at the oozing black goo in horror as Scott looked over at me with a matching smirk and Gerard seemed to notice the looks on everyone's face. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he looked down at the leaking Alpha bit on his arm before his eyes widened and he glanced up at my brother.
"What? What is this? What did you do?" Gerard asked Scott in horror as he lowered his arm from the air and I chuckled in amusement as I walked to stand supportively next to my twin.
"Everyone said Gerard always had a plan. We had a plan too." I informed them all with a smirk as I shared a conspiratorial look with Scott and realisation dawned on Gerard's face as he reached for his pills quickly.
"Are you out of your mind?" I yelled at my brother as I placed my hands on the end of the metal examination table and glared at him pointedly as he lowered his head in shame. Scott had just informed me that Gerard had been threatening people to get Scott to do his dirty work and that the old hunter was dying of osteosarcoma that he had to take pills for.
"I didn't have a choice, Sophie. He threatened you and mom! What was I meant to do?" Scott asked me in a desperate tone as he looked up at me with pleading dark brown eyes like he was actually hoping for an answer and I sighed at him as I ran a hand through my messy brunette hair.
"You should have told me, Scott. I could have helped you. Or just been there for you." I said in a small voice as I looked at my brother with a small frown on my lips and he shook his head sadly at me as he opened his mouth to say something. "I'm not a child, Scott! In fact, I'm older than you. I'm not some helpless little girl. I've never been helpless."
"I just don't want you to get hurt."
"You keep forgetting that I've known about the supernatural for nearly ten years, Scott. I've been studying and training in mythology with Dr Deaton since I was fourteen. I've been able to probably shot a gun since I was eight, I'm a black belt in karate and I've been training with Derek in hand-to-hand combat and with Allison in throwing daggers and archery. If anyone should be careful, it's you. You know, the one with little to no training." I reminded him pointedly as I tilted my head to the side with a patronising smile on my lips and Scott sighed in exasperation as he placed his hands flat on the table at the opposite end. "Scott, I'm in this whether you like it or not. I've always been a part of this."
"Gerard wants Derek, Sophie, and he's not going to stop until he gets him. He wants revenge for Kate's death before he dies." Scott told me miserably as he shook his head dejectedly and I frowned in concern for the Alpha as I crossed my arms over my chest.
"But, Derek didn't kill Kate."
"Peter's dead though, so I guess Gerard thinks that his closet living relative is the best he's going to get."
"No, it's something else." I said thoughtfully as I shook my head at Scott's reasoning and bit my lower lip in contemplation as my brother frowned at me. "If all he wanted revenge for Kate he would just kill any werewolf he could find, but he's basically left the rest of us alone."
"What does he want then?" he asked me as though I would have the answer but I just shrugged helplessly and started pacing the length of the examination room of the animal clinic as I thought it through. "What does Derek have the rest of us don't?"
"Oh, my god!" I exclaimed in realisation as I froze in the middle of the middle with a grin and I turned to face my brother's surprised face as I practically skipped over to stand in front of him before planting a kiss on his cheek. "Scott, you're a genius."
"What? Why?"
"What does Derek have the rest of us don't? He's an Alpha. And what can an Alpha do that the rest of us can't?" I asked him with a knowing smile as I trailed off and he frowned for a second in confusion before his face lit up in understanding.
"He wants Derek to turn him." He stated in comprehension as a slow smile broke out across his lips and he laughed loudly as he wrapped his arms around my waist before twirling me around. I giggled in surprise as he placed my back on my feet and he frown once more as he look over at me. "But how does knowing what he wants help us? Once he gets the bit, he's going to kill Derek so that he can be Alpha. Gerard isn't the type of guy to settle for just being an Omega or a Beta."
"I say…" I murmured softly as I walked over to the cabinet over the sink and stood up toes as I reached up to grab one of the clear containers. I smirked to myself as I looked at the label to make sure it was the right one before joining Scott back over at the table and placing the plastic container of black ash down in the middle. "… that we give the man what he wants."
"What is this?" Scott asked quietly as he picked up the container carefully and frowned as he read the label before a smirk crossed his lips. "Mountain ash."
"If you can lift his pills, I can replace them with capsules of mountain ash." I informed him with smirk as I took the container from his hand and threw it in the air before catching it with a laugh.
Gerard tipped the remaining pills into his hand as he scowled at them and then he crushed them in his hand as the mountain ash powder floated into the air.
"Mountain ash!" Gerard growled in outrage as his face contorted with rage and then he suddenly froze as a black substance started to spill from his nose and eyes. I watched in horror as the same black goo began to violently erupt from his mouth as he choked slightly before he collapsed onto the ground and he seemed to twitch with his eyes closed as we all stare in astonishment over what had just happened.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Derek asked us breathlessly from the ground and I turned my head to look at him with my eyebrow quirked.
"Because you might be an Alpha, but you're not ours." Scott answered gravely for the both of us as he shook his head slightly and I sighed heavily as I ran a hand through my hair. Derek glanced at me for a second with an unreadable look before looking away and I just shook my head as I turned back around. I heard the sound of cloth scraping against concrete so I spun around in surprise to see Gerard trying to crawl forward with black liquid still leaking from every orifice.
"Kill them! Kill them all!" Gerard yelled loudly at the kanima as he spat black goo on the ground and I gaped in horror at him as I stepped back a little closer to Scott but Gerard collapsed onto the ground without moving. I glanced over at the kanima to see what it would do now that its master was seemingly dead and was relieved to see that it had immediately removed its hold on Allison's throat. With a look of determination, Allison drove her elbow back into the kanima's face but it didn't even flinch as it pushed her backwards and she stumbled before she caught herself. The sound of tires approaching quickly shocked me as I spun around just as a familiar looking jeep drove through the metal sheeting and straight into the kanima making it roar as it disappeared from sight.
"Did I get him?" I heard Stiles ask hopefully in a frightened voice from inside the jeep and I had to chuckle softly as I looked over at him and Lydia with a small smile on my lips. The kanima appeared from nowhere and jumped onto the hood the jeep making Lydia shriek in surprise as Stiles screamed.
"Sophie!" Lydia screamed at me as she climbed out of the passenger side of the jeep and I frowned at her in concern as I ran over to her side. Stiles quickly scrambled out of the car as well before rushing over to Scott's side and watching as Lydia turned towards me.
"Lydia, are you okay?" I asked her quickly as I looked over her body for any obvious injuries and she nodded jerkily as she gripped my hands in hers.
"I'm fine. I'm fine. I promise. Listen, everyone's saying that only the person who has Jackson's heart can being him back. That's you, Sophie." she told me hastily as she glanced over her shoulder at the kanima on the hood of Stiles' jeep and I followed her gaze with a small frown as she squeezed my hands. "It's okay. Jackson has always loved you the most. You're the one who has his heart. Just like he has yours."
"Lydia..." I whispered with tears in my eyes as I shook my head slightly but my strawberry blonde friend just smiled shakily and pushed me towards the jeep. I took a deep breath as I walked up to the car and the kanima hissed at me dangerously as he leapt down from the hood of the jeep. "Jackson!" I shouted at the kanima with tears in my eyes as it raised its arm to claw my throat with its claws and I pulled out the wolf paw print necklace that Jackson had given me when I turned before holding it up in front of me. "Jackson." I repeated to it in a softer voice as its eyes moved over to the pendent on the necklace and I watched in awe as the kanima's orange slitted eyes transformed into Jackson's normal teal ones that I loved. I knew that there were tears running unashamedly down my cheeks as I watched the green scales recede back into human skin and its clawed hand reached out to take the necklace from my shaking hand. Jackson's eyes looked at me as though they could see into my soul and I knew that my breathing was uneven as I watched him slowly back away from me. I shook my head slightly as he walked back into the middle of the warehouse without taking his eyes off to me and I covered my mouth with one hand as wrapped the other around my waist to hold myself together. Jackson held his arms out to the side like he was surrendering and I thought I saw him nod slightly as the rest of the green scales disappeared. "NO!" I screamed in horror as Derek and Peter both rushed towards him and Derek plunges his claws into Jackson's abdomen while Peter gets him from behind. Together they lifted him off the floor and Derek slashed his claws upwards before removing them. Jackson coughed repeatedly as he fell to the floor on his knees and I rushed forward to catch him before he could face plant on to the concrete as I knelt down beside him.
"Tell me…" Jack said weakly as he looked up to meet my eyes with tears in his teal eyes and I nodded rapidly as I cupped his face with my hands.
"I love you. I love you so much, Jack." I told him honestly as I pressed a kiss to his cheek before pressing another to his forehead and repeating the gesture over and over again while mumbling the same words over again. He grabbed my wrist in his hand as he rested his forehead against mine with his eyes locked on me and I pressed a kiss to his lips with as much love as I could put in the one gesture. Our lips melded together perfectly as he kissed me back with equal amounts of passion and I let out a strangled sob as I pulled back from the kiss. I looked at his handsome face cupped in my hands as I noticed that his teal eyes were closed and he wasn't breathing anymore as I rested my head on his shoulder for a moment while I cried. I heard the pendent necklace fall to the ground from his hand and I lifted my head from Jackson's shoulder with a gentle sniffle as I wiped my cheek with my hand. I gently laid him backwards on the ground as I continued to cry silently for the loss of my best friend and I pressed a lingering kiss to his forehead before I slowly climbed to my feet clumsily. I stumbled backwards slightly as I brought my hand up to my lips where I could still feel the haunting feel of his last kiss and I turned around so that I wouldn't have to look at Jack's body as I started weeping uncontrollably with my chest was aching with pain. I froze when I heard a scratching sound coming from behind me as I slowly lifted my head in surprise and I gradually turned around just in time to see the wounds on Jackson's bare chest healing them. Hope entered my heart as I watched if wide eyes as Jackson's chest started to move like he was breathing and suddenly, his normally teal eyes shot open to reveal vibrant bright blue irises. My heartbeat felt like it tripled as I watched Jackson stand up slowly from the ground in the glare of the jeeps headlights and he was upright, his head snaps back to reveal that he had the heavy brow, long sideburns and sharp teeth of a werewolf. The room seemed to echo as he let out a deep growl that shook me to the very core and I let out a joyous laugh as I covered my mouth with both my hands in shock. Jackson's new werewolf features receded after a moment and he looked over at me with an expression that was a mixture of happiness, shock and astonishment. I grinned brightly as I rushed over to him and threw myself into his arms without warning. I wrapped my arms around his neck tightly as though I was never planning on letting go and his instinctively caught me around the waist as I clung to him. I let out a startled laugh as I closed my eyes tightly and he pressed a kiss to my shoulder as he squeezed my waist tighter.
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