please keep the reviews coming, it's what keeps me writing, knowing that ppl like it or are reading it. plus i start posting faster. *cough* hint *cough*
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"Your mom just saw you both off to school?" Stiles asked as Cat and Scott got into the jeep the next morning. "And did she make you a lunch? How come she doesn't make me a lunch?"
Cat smiled, still surprised herself that she was handed a lunch on the way out the door.
"She's staying at my house, in our guest room." Scott told him. "Her dad went…"
"Psychotic?" Cat finished. "Big drunken, killer rage?"
"When you say killer, you mean…?"
Cat undid the scarf around her neck, showing her new set of bruises.
"Your dad tried to kill you?" Stiles asked in disbelief. "Oh my god! Why?"
Cat shrugged, turning to look out the window and Scott shook his head, telling him with a look that he would explain later.
When they got to school, the guys were again wondering how to get a ticket to the rave.
"Isaac." Cat reminded them, smiling at the memory.
"Hey." Matt called out to them, getting up from the bike rack. "Do any of you know why nobody is getting suspended after what happened at school the other day?"
"Just forget about it, nobody got hurt." Stiles all but snapped at him.
Cat nudged him in the side with her elbow.
"I had a concussion." Matt reminded him.
"Nobody got seriously hurt."
"I was in the ER for six hours." Matt replied in disbelief.
Stiles glared at Matt. "You want to know the truth Matt? Your little bump on the head is about this high on the list of problems right now." He lowered his hand about two inches off the ground to emphasize his point.
"Oh my god, Stiles." Cat groaned, giving the boy a shove. "Just stop talking. Are you okay?" She asked Matt
"Yeah, I'm fine, now." He turned to Scott. "So you didn't get any tickets last night either?"
Scott shook his head. "Are they still selling?"
"Ah, no but I managed to find two online. You should keep trying, sounds like everyone's going to be there."
He left and Cat turned and pushed Stiles again. "Tact, you idiot. Just a little bit, please?"
"I don't care about his bump." Stiles replied, straightening himself out as he glared after Matt. "I don't like him."
"So? At least be civil."
Stiles rolled his eyes, stopping Scott from continuing on into the school. "Are you sure about this?"
"Last time whoever is controlling Jackson had to kill somebody because he didn't finish the job." Scott reminded him. "So what do you think he's going to do this time?"
Stiles sighed. "Be there to make sure it happens."
"I should go to the office." Cat said. "Have fun at practice." She gave Scott a quick kiss on the cheek before walking off, leaving the two guys to finish talking.
She had just got in the door when Isaac stepped up beside her. She managed to give him a small smile. "You left last night before I could thank you."
He made a face. "I didn't want to watch the whole love fest going on. I would've barfed. More importantly, how are you?"
She shrugged. "I'm okay. Scott's mom said I can stay there. She's really nice. Tell Erica she was right and she is like how a mom's supposed to be." She softly said.
"You know, if you can't stay there long, Derek will take over guardianship of you too." He off-handedly suggested.
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "I don't want the bite." She told him.
He sighed. "Look, Erica's family, she cares for you so that extends to you too. Even if you don't want the bite, he'd do that for her. That way you'd be better protected."
"Scott can protect me."
He shot her a quizzical look. "But Scott's part of-"
"Lahey."
They both turned to see Coach Finstock yelling from down the hall. "Practice, now."
Isaac sighed. "I've got to go. Just think about it."
He left and Cat grabbed his arm quickly, smiling again at the flash she saw. "Can you make sure the guys get tickets to the Rave. It'll be fun for you." She promised.
He gave her a confused look before nodding and following after the Coach.
… … …
When they reached Deaton's after school, Cat was being standoffish and Scott couldn't figure out why. He had barely seen her until after school, he told her that Isaac had gotten the tickets and she had kissed him as she usually did but right after that had gone all weird and he couldn't figure out why. Stiles went ahead inside as he grabbed her hand, pulling her back.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing." She replied, avoiding his eyes.
"Something is." He pushed.
Cat shrugged. "It's just, you gave something away earlier and I know I shouldn't be mad I mean- but you and-and then your mom when she said- ugh." She turned away, throwing her hands up in frustration. "I saw you kissing Allison and I mean really kissing her, it was like super quick like you were trying to hide it or something. You're still in love with her, like a lot and I guess it just kind of stings, which it shouldn't, I mean, you're still with her technically and I know you said you wanted to be with me but you're still with her and your mom talking about condom boxes being empty and we only had sex twice. Meaning, I'm not your first, of course I should have realized that but-"
"Cat, you're babbling." He interrupted her. He was having a horrible sense of déjà vu. He knew she didn't remember that they already had this conversation but he really didn't want it going the same way as the last time. "It's okay and we'll talk about all this later, let's just get through the rave, okay?"
She nodded as he pulled her into a hug, still not feeling better but knowing that they did have to focus on more important things.
She finally pulled back, putting a smile on her face for him. He smiled back, entwining his fingers with her's as he led her into the office.
"Ketamine?" Stiles was asking.
"It's the same stuff we use on the dogs, just a higher dosage." The vet was explaining, sliding it across the table. "If you can get close enough to Jackson, it should slow him down enough to buy you some time. Now this-" He picked up a jar full of some kind of black powder. "Is what you're going to use to make the barrier. Cat or Stiles will need to do this part. Only one of you."
Stiles looked down at it, then back at Deaton "that sounds like a lot of pressure." When Deaton put it on the table, Stiles slid it towards Cat. "Think you can find a less pressurized task for me?"
"It's from the Mountain Ash Tree, which is believed by many cultures to protect from the supernatural. This office is lined with ash wood making it difficult for someone like Scott to cause me any trouble." He smiled at his employee, knowing that Scott wouldn't do that anyways.
Cat sighed, pushing the jar back to Stiles.
"I don't want it. This job is all yours." Stiles told her, trying to push it back.
She glared at him, pushing it back again. "Stiles, I can't. You heard Doc."
"Yes, he said someone…." He trailed off, finally realizing what she was getting at. "Right, you don't do parties, I got this one covered."
Deaton looked at them in confusion. "Am I missing something else here?"
She looked at Scott, nodding at his questioning look.
"We kind of don't know what category Cat falls under." Scott hesitantly explained.
Deaton looked between them all with a raised eyebrow, waiting for them to continue.
"She's… a Seer."
He looked at Scott before his eyes turned to her Cat as he sized her up. "Well, this is quite interesting."
"It's not common knowledge." She said with an uncomfortable shrug.
"Understandable. So it looks like Stiles will have to do this then."
So what?" Stiles asked, taking the jar. "I just spread this around the building then neither Jackson or whoever is controlling him can cross it?"
The vet nodded. "He'll be trapped."
"Doesn't sound too hard." Scott said, trying to make it positive.
"Think of it like gun powder." Deaton continued. "It's just powder, until a spark ignites it. You need to be that spark, Stiles."
"If you mean light myself on fire, I'm not up for that." Stiles told him.
Cat let out a small snort of laughter as him and Scott exchanged a look of horror. Deaton chuckled, shaking his head.
"Let me try a different analogy. I used to golf and I learned that the best golfers never swing without first imagining where they want that ball to go. They see it in their mind, and their mind takes over. It can be pretty extraordinary what the force of your own will can accomplish."
"Force of will." Stiles muttered to himself, still looking unsure.
"Hey." Deaton told him, catching his eye. "If this is going to work, Stiles, you have to believe it."
Stiles took a deep breath, slowly releasing it as he smiled at them.
"You can do it." Cat told him, reaching out to squeeze his hand. When she didn't let go, he looked down at their clasped hands before looking up at her, a frown on her face.
"What do you see?" Stiles asked.
She only looked at him before letting go and grabbing Scott's hand, her frown deepening. Scott grabbed her other hand.
"What is it? Is something bad going to happen tonight?"
She tugged her hands out of his, reaching up to cup his face.
"Cat?" He tried again. "What's going to happen?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out." She snapped before stopping herself and taking a deep breath. "I can't see anything, why can't I see anything?"
"How does this… power of yours work, Cat?"
"I touch people I learn things I shouldn't." she said. "Sometimes I can control it, sometimes I can't, meaning it happens a lot when I don't want it to but lately when I want it to work, it works. It would be kind of useful right about now."
"No kidding." Stiles muttered.
"Can you see anything else that doesn't pertain to tonight?" Deaton asked.
"Think about something." She told Scott. Immediately, images flooded her mind and she dropped her hands from his face, a blush creeping up her cheeks. "It works." She squeaked.
"Oh. Oh gross." Stiles exclaimed, pretending to gag. "Can we please keep it PG?"
"Not like I'm telling you what he was thinking." Cat replied, sticking her tongue out at him.
"Cat, is there any way that the Kanima and his master know about you?" Deaton asked, bringing them back to the conversation at hand.
All three teens nodded, Scott explaining what had happened to her the day in the locker room and her subsequent memory loss.
"Interesting." Deaton said. "Could it be possible that whatever Jackson did to her that day has put up some kind of mental block against him and the master?"
"Possibly." Cat replied "But now we're going into this blind and that makes me nervous."
"Actually, it gives us the perfect excuse to have you stay home." Scott said.
She turned her head to glare at him. "No."
"But Cat-"
"No," She cut him off.
Scott rolled his eyes, grabbing the ketamine and her hand, dragging her outside to continue the argument.
Stiles looked around the room, feeling awkward. "So, how's the vet business treating you?"
Deaton smiled, pushing the jar towards him. "Good luck. There's a huge bag of this near the door. I'll be here if any of you need me."
The teen nodded, grabbing the jar and following the couple out.
… … …