Keep Walking
towards the trouble
"What happens when we kill them?" Stiles asks, his voice a bit startled and confused, as if he's not sure what he's asking. He seems distracted to everyone in the room, and Jackson actually whimpers when he hears his mate ask that question, because for a moment there he actually thought they could work.
When no one answers, Stiles looks around the room and sees wide eyes staring at him from everywhere – even Peter looks a bit startled.
"The ALPHAS, you bunch of insensitive, irrational beasts! Jesus Christ, you'd think you guys would know me better than to say okay to killing Lydia Martin. And my mate. What happens when we kill all of the Alphas, do they grow back, is it a bigger group than the one we have here, are they going to come here and demand retribution, what happens when they are dead?"
Again, no answer, but it's a different kind of silence now.
A considering one.
"Seriously, it's become quite clear we don't have any other options, and Peter's evil plan for world domination won't work. We have to make this happen, and fast. There'll be no killing of anyone in the Hale Pack. These Alpha douches just have to go."
"It'd be a show of strength. No other Pack would bother us for quite a while, actually, if we could pull that off. Which we can't, because they are five Alphas, working together and in harmony for years, and we are a ragtag bunch of teenagers who can't barely stop arguing long enough to breathe, let alone fight such a well-prepared, capable, powerful Pack of Alphas" Peter says, and Stiles stares at him, unimpressed.
"Wow, Peter, do tell us how you really feel about your pack. Don't feel bad about being all warm and fuzzy on us", Stiles replies, his tone showing his annoyance.
Peter looks at Stiles for a moment, and then turns to Derek, his face a mask of fond irritation.
"If I had bitten that kid, he'd be the Alpha of this pack, you know that, right?"
Derek doesn't deign him with an answer, sighing and visibly trying to restrain himself from going out and trying to take down the Alpha Pack all by himself – and getting himself killed in the process.
"Stiles is right, though. We have to kill them and end this. There's no other way."
"There's killing Jackson and Lydia" Peter points out in a whisper, and Jackson and Stiles actually growl at him – which is ridiculous, and just a tiny bit endearing, because Stiles's growl sounds just like a kitten's, but Jackson isn't going to think about that now.
"Didn't you just say that killing them would be a show of strength?" Danny asks, and all the others turn to look at him, "If getting them killed is a show of strength, then doing what they want you to do would be a show of weakness. Everything that exists would feel entitled to come and attack you guys", he points out rationally, and Derek nods at him.
"Exactly. We're not killing Pack. That's not how we work" Derek says, and Peter looks at him with a faint smirk.
"Did you rewrite the guidelines these past few weeks? Because I clearly remember Stiles throwing a Molotov at me, Scott helping his then-girlfriend ignite it, and Jackson throwing another one, just for giggles. Also, I remember you ripping my throat out. Funny how now it's we don't kill pack."
No one actually answers to that.
"Well, this is awkward" Stiles points out, passing Jackson, and getting to the living room. The other boy follows him, and Stiles runs a hand over his head, "Does anyone wants breakfast? Also, how long did they give us?"
"Two days. Counting from the first body being found, which was yesterday afternoon, so we have until tomorrow afternoon to do something. After that, they come after us, to wipe us out" Peter supplies gleefully, and Jackson feels as if he's starting to lose it.
He doesn't really think he can handle this shit anymore, it's just… there's no ending to the craziness! It's one thing after the other, and he rues the day he actually thought being a werewolf would be a good thing! It's not!
"Jackson?" Stiles voice startles him from his internal freak out, and he tries to focus on him for the moment, "Are you okay?"
He wants to look at Stiles and tell him he's great. A death threat directed straight at him is just the way to begin his day, but he can't quite find his voice, so he just takes in a deep breath and nods.
Stiles doesn't really look like he believes him, but the boy lets it go, turning to the rest of their… pack.
"So, who's gonna help me with breakfast?" he asks, motioning to the kitchen, and Scott is the first to follow. Isaac looks on the verge of tears when he goes into the kitchen, and Jackson remembers that he, Boyd and Erica were a pack for longer than all the others – except for Scott and Stiles, that is. Danny is next, and then Derek. Jackson looks to the side, and sees Peter watching him, a small smirk on his lips.
He hurries into the kitchen too, after that.
Everyone is jittery and visibly freaking out, but Stiles keeps a string of commentary that never ceases. He talks about the weather, about pancakes, about the bacon he's putting on the pan, and about the origins of yogurt. He keeps on babbling all the freaking time, and Scott, at some point, starts replying, and suddenly, his mate's best friend looks a little less freaked out.
A little less as if he's going to die soon.
Together they pull Isaac into the conversation, and the boy who was once shy starts answering them back, helping around when he can. Together, the three of them drive Derek annoyed enough that he starts correcting some assumptions they all seem to have about werewolves in movies, and Stiles's smile turns less maniac, less fearful and more teasing. When Danny finally starts joining in the long stream of subjects coming out of Stiles's mouth, that's when Jackson can practically feel Stiles starting to freak out less too.
He looks at his mate to find him sneaking a glance at him too, and he tries to smile at him, just to put him at ease a bit.
And that's when he gets another part of Stiles he hadn't thought of so far. He's never really stopped to think that Stiles would be the kind of person who's good to have around in a moment of crisis – he's too loud and obnoxious, but then he realizes that him being loud is actually helping right now. He's trying to give all of them a sense of normalcy so that when they'll actually stop to think about a plan, a way to attack the Alpha Pack and succeed, they'll have their heads right, and not freaking out like they were fifteen minutes ago.
He's not perfect, but he's good. A good person, with a mean streak a mile wide, but still – good enough that he's not taking the easy way out, and letting Jackson die.
He refuses to think about the fact that Lydia had come first in Stiles's refusal of letting them die, but still. He could be rid of them.
They could be rid of him.
And yet they are willing to fight, and probably die, then let him go without a fight.
He can't remember the last time he actually trusted someone to do that. Not Lydia. Not even Danny, because while they are best friends, he's never really thought Danny would die for him.
He is… a part of them. He actually is.
He's never even realized how much he wanted to be a part of something, how much he missed this, until this second, when he realizes he can actually have it.
All he has to do now is find a way to remain alive long enough to enjoy it.
X
"Where the hell is Peter?" Stiles asks as soon as the food is done, and everyone is trying to find a place at the table to eat.
Except for Derek, who's broodingly leaning against the doorsill.
"He left the moment you started cooking" the Alpha answers him, and Stiles frowns at the werewolf.
"I'm going to pretend you didn't just insult my cooking abilities for the sake of the crisis we're having" it's his answer, as he shoves a too large piece of pancake in his mouth.
He's worried.
He's worried sick, because if there was a time when he freaked out before about his chances at surviving whatever came their way, it's nothing compared to knowing the Alphas could just come and kill him.
Not a single problem in doing that.
He and Danny are the ones most at risk, if he stops to think about it, because all of the others can actually try and fight, but them? What do they have? Knowledge in computers and research skills aren't going to win them any friends once the killing spree starts, and then what will they do? Hide behind Jackson?
Not good odds.
Not good odds at all.
He wants to ask Derek for a plan, any plan. He wants to know Scott will fight for them till his last breath, he wants to know Isaac won't skip on them like Erica and Boyd did, he wants to be sure Jackson won't freak out and run on them – and he can't.
He can't do any of these things, because there's no way they can have a plan this fast.
Actually, he's feeling that there's no way they're winning this.
He takes a deep breath and tries very hard to ignore all of it, at least until he's alone. He can't be seen panicking, because that will freak Scott out, which will then freak Isaac out, and that will make Derek all growly and trying to be threatening so he can get his way, and Jackson will probably fall apart.
It's not really ignoring the problem until it goes away, it's just… not acknowledging it until he has the peace and quiet enough to deal with it on his own.
They eat, and they talk, and they even linger around a coffee pot, but there's only so much stalling that can be done before someone has to come out and say it.
"What are we going to do, Derek? For real?" he asks when he can't take the sense of impending doom anymore.
Derek looks around the table, and Stiles actually looks at them too.
Scott is pale, but looking determined. Isaac has a hold of Scott's hand, and looks like he'll die before he lets go – and, oh my god. He won't think about what that means right now, but oh my god – Danny is practically shaking on his seat, but he hasn't freaked out too much yet, so it's a good sign.
And Jackson… Jackson looks uncertain and lost, and… little. As if he's afraid that when he blinks everyone will decide they are better off without him. Tentatively, he reaches out a hand and takes one of Jackson's with it, grasping it tightly – he's a werewolf, he can take it.
None of them looks at it, or acknowledge it out loud, and they stay, looking at Derek again.
"We don't have a chance with a plan. No matter what we try to do, or whatever we try to make, we can't win if we engage them in a fight."
"Which means we can't try and take them out before the date they gave us, or they'll know we won't kill members of our pack, and therefore they'll start killing us sooner" Stiles completes, and Derek nods.
"What we'll do… what we can do, is be ready for tomorrow afternoon. We'll meet at the house, we'll be ready to fight, and we'll fight until we win."
Or until we lose and each and all of us are dead, Stiles completes in his head, but he doesn't say it out loud.
"You should be safe until then" Derek continues, "They won't attack any of us before the time they set. Just… rest for today. And be ready."
He doesn't say anything else, and just leaves after that – Stiles can swear he's never seen Derek looking this defeated.
Hell, they truly are doomed.
Scott looks at him, and Stiles manages a small smirk.
"Do you have to go home?" he asks, and Scott nods.
"I have to go and calm my mom down. She must be freaking out."
"Are you going to tell her?"
Scott makes that face that makes him look like a puppy, and Stiles shakes his head at the besotted look on Isaac's face then.
"No. She doesn't need to worry about this, right?"
Which translates to 'there's nothing any of us can do, because we're screwed', but oh well.
"Your mate going with you?" Stiles asks, and Isaac almost chokes on a sip of coffee, while Scott just nods.
"I guess?" he says, and then looks at Isaac, only then realizing what he just admitted to.
His eyes widen, and Stiles throws a piece of leftover pancake at him.
"You could have told me, you jerk!"
"I'm sorry?"
Stiles just shakes his head, and soon after Scott and Isaac go away too.
It's just him, Jackson and Danny now.
"Do you guys have to go home?" he asks, and Jackson looks at him, surprised, "I mean, it's not exactly the cheeriest moment of all times, but we could stay home today? Hang out a bit?"
Which translates to 'I don't want Jackson alone, because maybe the alphas are going to kill him anyway', but only Danny seems to get that.
"I can stay" Danny says, shrugging, "I just have to call home to let them know, but I can stay."
Jackson is looking at him now, and Stiles rolls his eyes.
"I gather you're staying too, because you won't leave me here alone with Danny, right?" it sounds teasing, and Jackson just raises an eyebrow.
"As if I have to worry about that" he mumbles, and Stiles throws a piece of pancake at him too.
"Jerk."
"Bitch" Jackson answers, and Stiles's eyes go wide.
"No way" he whispers, and Jackson is smirking at him, while Danny looks on as if they're crazy, "No way that was a reference."
"I don't know what you're talking about" Jackson says, still smirking, and Stiles laughs at that, feeling just the tiniest bit lighter.
Maybe there's hope for them yet.
X
Peter is an awesome planner.
He knows his flaws, underestimating his enemy's intelligence is one of them, because he's met very few people who are as smart as he is, but even then, he's an awesome planner.
And therefore, of course he has a plan for this Alpha mess.
His nephew would disagree with it, of course, saying it's too risky, too dangerous, and too much of a burden to a single person to do it, but if Peter is an awesome planner, he's also cruel enough to hold grudges.
His world may be a whole lot of grey, and no black and white, but even he has standards.
He gets that Derek only killed him because he killed Laura. That, for him, evens out the odds: they are back to square one, no grudges, no problems between them. He also gets that Stiles and Jackson helped torch him because of what he'd done to Lydia on the field, and he even considers it a good enough payback for him using her to come back to life.
They are also even.
He fucked up Scott's life, so he understands why the kid tried to kill him – but, in all of this math there's someone whom he can't just even things with, because he's never done anything directly to her.
He didn't touch her. He didn't kill her. And the only person he killed that she cared about deserved so much more than what he did to her.
So Allison owes him. Allison Argent owes the Hale Pack. She owes them like there's no tomorrow.
And she is going to pay.
Because then Peter can finally let go of his grudges and maybe try to put his shell of a life back together.
But first, evening the odds.
It's the least he can do for his pack, after all.
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