Chapter 10: Strength

Isaac stood outside his house, his hot breath making puffs of smoke waft up to the sky. The contemplated what he would do after everything was over; would he run, would he go to jail, would Scott still look at him the same way? All these questions, however, were drowned out by the half bottle of Jack Daniels that he held in his hand. "Screw it," he said softly and threw the bottle into the garbage bin outside his fence.

He walked up to the front door and banged on it twice, calling out for his father. "Dad? DAD!" he shouted, slurring very slightly, raising his voice till it hurt. The door swung open after a minute and there stood his father, lazily leaning on one foot, a smile on his face. "So you've come back," he said innocently and anger swelled in Isaac's chest. His father laughed and put his face forward a little, "Want to hit me? Go on, do it." Isaac lost it then.

The first hit took his father by surprise, Isaac surprising himself at his strength. His father stumbled back, his hand going up to his jaw where Isaac had clocked him and as Isaac's fist came around again, his father ducked and hit his son in the ribs. Isaac shouted out and doubled over a little, but not before he managed to slap his father's hand away from grabbing onto his hair. "C'mon you little shit," his father taunted at Isaac and picked up a letter opener from a table. Isaac looked around for anything he could use, but he found nothing.

Isaac looked at his father and straightened up, spitting out a little blood. "You hurt Scott, you hurt Derek and you hurt Mrs. McCall," Isaac said, breathing hard, "Now I'm gonna hurt you." There was a deadly glint in his father's eyes as he stalked towards his son, "My, how you've grown." Isaac lunged for his father, fists balled and a shout like no other escaping him. They fell onto the couch and as they tumbled, Isaac managed to hit his father against the coffee table, a deep gash cutting through his father's forehead.

He scrambled up and darted for the kitchen, but his father was faster and just as Isaac caught sight of the kitchen knives, he felt himself being tugged and thrown down a flight of stairs. Isaac hit his shoulder, feeling a sharp pain and he knew that he would only have his right arm to fight with now. He got up, trying to focus on the figure descending the stairs, but his vision had gone blurry. He blinked, trying to clear it and just before everything went dark, he saw a huge fist descending on his face.

Scott had tried to convince his mother and the police that Isaac was about to do something stupid, but no one was really paying attention to him. A bank was in the process of being robbed and the needed all the available officers to be present at the scene. "But he's going to get hurt!" he shouted to Sheriff Stilinski as the sheriff was getting into his car. "I'm sorry, Scott," the sheriff said with a sigh, "But we're needed there." Scott raked his fingers through his hair in frustration as he saw his mother get off her phone with a worried look. She came up to him and as he tried to start convincing her again, she shook her head. "Scott, there's been an accident on and I need to get to the ER," she said and Scott couldn't believe her. "But this is Isaac!" he pleaded with her and she took her son's hand. "Honey I know," she said sympathetically, "I'm worried about him too, but they need me. Just stay here and I'll be back as soon as I can, alright?"

As he watched his mother drive away, Scott sighed and sat back in his wheelchair, softly saying as he tried for the twentieth time to get through to Isaac, "Please pick up."

Isaac came to slowly, his head throbbing and a sick feeling rising in his stomach. There was a bright light over him that seemed vaguely familiar and then all at once, the dread took him. He tried to move his arms and legs, but when he felt the pull of leather, his heart turned to ice. "N-No," he said and heard a laugh from in front of him. "Back to square one, Isaac?" his father said and as Isaac's vision cleared up, he saw his father leaning on the washing machine, a cruel looking blade in his hands.

"NO!" Isaac shouted and struggled against the restraints, but his father just laughed. "Yes, scream and shout all you want, no one is going to help you," he said and walked over to him and plunged the blade into Isaac's thigh. Isaac screamed and his father caught a hold of his chin. "When are you going to learn," he said as he pulled it out and pushed it into Isaac's other thigh, slower this time, "That you're always going to end up here." Isaac opened his mouth as if to answer his father, but instead sunk his teeth into his father's hand, biting down hard. Isaac pulled hard and a chuck of flesh ripped out from his father's hand.

As his father shouted out and stabbed Isaac in the shoulder repeatedly before backing away, Isaac spit out the piece of flesh and smiled a bloody smile to his father. "I-I'm not the Isaac you used to know," he said as he fought the urge to scream because of the pain. His father came up to him and punched him in the face, "You fucking bastard! I'm going to fucking kill you!" He raised his hand, the blade glinting in the light and Isaac spit in his face. "You'll never kill me," Isaac said and raised his knee, kicking his father in the stomach and he turned a little, aiming another kick at his father's head.

He head the loud thump as his father hit the floor, blood spurting from his now broken nose and smiled at his father. "Derek taught me that," he said and bit back against the fresh flash of pain that went through his body. His father got up slowly, slipping a little on his bloody hands and went for Isaac, hitting him repeatedly on the body and on the head. Isaac grunted and shouted out a little, but he knew that his father was losing. For once, Isaac was beaten bloody and raw, but he had won.

When his father finally stumbled backwards, tired out, Isaac spit out a little blood and smiled at his father. "Are you done?" he asked and he saw the look of total rage and hatred on his father's face. As he rose, Isaac shouted out as loud as he could, "DEREK NOW!"

All at once, the room exploded with lights and shouts and Isaac had to squint at the amount of flashing lights. Derek stormed into the room with four other people, heavily armed and huge. They came in and knocked Isaac's father over and pointed their guns at him, telling him to stay down. Derek came over to Isaac and shook his head at him. "What, no grand finale, kid?" he asked as he released Isaac from his bonds and Isaac fell into his arms. Isaac smiled at Derek and took the handgun that Derek had strapped to his side. He slowly went over to his father with the help of Derek and aimed the gun at his father. "You have tortured me for years. You've shown me no love and you have treated me worst than dirt," he said as his father cowered at the dryer, "You're not fit to live." Two shots rang out into the night and at the police station, Scott looked up at the sky, sensing something had happened.

Two hours later, Scott got a call from the Emergency Room and all his mother had to say was Isaac's name and Scott got one of the officers left at the station to drive him there as fast as he could. He burst through the doors of the Emergency Room and his mother met him there. "Where is he," Scott asked as he quickly wheeled himself down the hallway. "There," Mrs. McCall said and went into one of the rooms with Scott. Isaac lay on the bed, propped up and bandaged, but he smiled broadly when he saw Scott. "Hey," he said as Scott wheeled himself up to the bed. "W-What…" Scott said and his face turned angry, "Where is he?"

Isaac just smiled and took Scott's hand, "He won't be a problem anymore." Scott's anger turned to confusion and he looked questioningly to Isaac. "He was going to shoot his father," a voice said and Scott turned to see Derek leaning against a wall, a look of smugness on his face. "Did you?" Scott asked and Isaac shook his head, "I couldn't in the end, but I did shoot the floor near him. I think that scared him." Derek chuckled, "Scared him? Isaac, you made him wet his pants." Despite himself, Scott smiled and held onto Isaac's hand tighter. "You really are something," he said and Isaac smirked at him and looked at Sheriff Stilinski who had just arrived.

"I head what happened," he said to Isaac and Isaac noticed that Mrs. McCall had suddenly straightened her back and patted her wispy hair down. "Lahey Sr. has been taken into custody for his crimes and he's going to face life imprisonment," the sheriff said and Mrs. McCall smiled at him and hugged him. "Thank you," she said and Scott crooked an eyebrow at the exchange, then looked at Isaac.

"You think-?" Scott asked and Isaac nodded to him. "Definitely," he answered and looked at Derek who was silently trying to not exist. "Derek," Isaac said and Derek looked up from a particularly interesting piece of floor and came over to him. "I never thanked you," Isaac said and Derek smiled at him. "I'm just happy you're safe, Isaac," Derek said and scrutinized Isaac's condition, "You know what I mean."

Isaac smiled and nodded, leaning his head back to the pillow.

He was safe. Isaac was safe and he had gained a family and absolutely nothing could bring him down.