The three friends drove separately to a bar that was right on the out skirts of town. They needed a place where they wouldn't wouldn't be recognized, a place where people knew how to mind their own business, a place that was just as fifthly as they acts they were about to commit. A nice low rent, low class dive bar was just what they needed. They need to have a long over due conversation, and one that they didn't need to be over heard. So they found a booth that was in a nice dark corner that would afford them all the privacy that they needed. After ordering three rounds they still had not broached the subject that they had originally came to discuss.
"So are we going to talk about the elephant in the room or are we going to continue on like three old friends?" Stiles as bluntly. "Because if I was a betting man, and I am, I would venture to say that the two of you got the same lovely photo that I got with my invitation." Stiles was the blunt one. Sarcastic as the day is long, but there was always some amount of truth to his remarks. That was what made Stiles truly dangerous; his was of seeing right through people.
"Stiles if you are doing this for one of your bits or because in some sick twisted way you find this funny I will kill you." Scott quickly snapped his gaze falling on Stiles. This is exactly the type of dark humor that Stiles would find funny.
Derek couldn't fault Scott for his logic. This would be something Stiles would do. Years of pranks on mischief night, Halloween, and April fools day was more then enough evidence to prove that Stiles had a dark sense of humor. However, if what happened that night got out Stiles would have just as much to lose as the rest of them. "Lets just all calm down, and think." Derek reasoned. "Look someone obviously sent that note to us instead of the police, and that tells us something."
"What exactly?" Stiles asked oblivious to what Derek was getting at.
"Derek's right. They want something, and we can give it to them." Scott nodded agreeing with Derek.
"More importantly we can find them, and if we can find them we can put an end to this nightmare." Derek quickly added forming a plan.
"What are you thinking my captain, my captin?" Stiles joked trying to lighten the mood.
"Well my guess is that whoever is doing is going to be at the reunion so what we need to do is try and figure out two things. The first was who else knew about that night, and the second who hated us enough to want to hurt us this badly."
"That's going to be a long list man, we racked up a lot of enemies." Taking a long drink Scott replied sullenly. This was true they were a bunch of knuckle heads back then, and like typical boys they participated in not so honorable behavior.
"You both are forgetting one thing." Stiles added. He waited for his two friends to turn to him. "Who did Erica tell? We know she told at least one person." When Stiles got two confused looks he continued with a roll of his eyes. "For the love of God." Stiles mumbled under his breath. "Remember when the police questioned us it was because one of her friends told them that she was meeting us that night. It's obvious that they pointed the finger at us back done because they thought that we killed her. It must have festered in them all these years them thinking that we got away with murder. Which by my calculations gives them one hell of a reason to hate us."
"That's the plan then. We go to the reunion and try to find out who this asshole is and put a stop to him. Threaten them, pay them off I don't care." Scott replied rather aggressively. "I have to much too lose to let a mistake from ten years ago destroy everything I have built."
"What you don't realize Scotty is we all have just as much to lose as you do." Stiles countered his friend. Scott had the unique ability to make it seem like he was the only one in the room, or the only person worth a damn.
After finishing their drinks the trio left the bar joking an horsing around. To any outsider they looked like three friend, and not three men hatching a plot to over up a feloney and to catch a blackmailer. Not for nothing they were at one time the best of friends; friends that had a lot of catching up to do. Under different circumstances this would have been a pleasant visit home. Under different circumstance Derek wouldn't have been gone so long.
"Anybody else curious as to why now?" Scott voiced the one question that neither of them had considered.
"What do you mean why now?" Snapping his fingers the answer came to Stiles. "It's the first time that we have all been together." Stiles responded as if it was the most obvious answer scoffing in the process.
"No Scott has a point. I mean why this reunion? It's been fifteen years they could have sent the photo to as either fifth reunion, tenth reunion, or anytime in between. And we would have reacted the same way and came running back home. No they choose now for a reason." Derek was mildly impressed. It was often that Scott got a clue but when he did he was brilliant.
Little did the three of them that they would get an answer to Scott's question in short order. Because Derek was right. Whom ever was behind this bided their time, and waited for this reunion for a reason, and the reason was a delicious one.