HARSHER THAN THE BARK
A/N: Finale of season 2 yay! Season 3a is finished and I am currently working on 3b. Things are getting exciting and changes are happening so keep reading! As always, reviews fuel me to continue writing and I also really enjoy reading them whether they are good or bad so please, please review!
Enjoy!
The cops showed up along with an ambulance to take Jackson…well, his body, away. While everyone else thought he was dead because he had no pulse, Scarlett, Scott, Isaac and Melissa all thought differently. He couldn't be dead. Not just by stabbing himself with his own claws. It would definitely take more than that to take him down for good. So, due to their suspicions, Melissa rode along in the ambulance just to make sure no one else's suspicions were raised about Jackson.
Back in the boy's locker room, all the lacrosse players were giving statements and Sheriff Stilinski was talking to Scarlett, Scott and Isaac about Stiles. He was so worried, he knew Stiles was in trouble and it broke Scarlett's heart.
"His jeep is still in the parking lot which means…" Sheriff Stilinski looked down in defeat. "I- I don't know what that means. Look, if he answers his phone or if he answers his email or if, if you see him…"
"We'll call you." Isaac assured him. The Sheriff nodded, looking torn up about this whole thing.
"He's probably just freaked out by all the attention…or something." Scott said, trying to give the Sheriff hope.
"We'll find him." Scarlett promised.
"I'll see you." The Sheriff nodded, walking away.
"McCall." Coach said as he walked over to the trio. "We need you on the team but I can't put you on the field with the way your grades are." For the first time ever, he actually looked sincere. Well, as sincere as he would ever be able to look. "I know I shout a lot, but I don't hate you guys. Well, I hate Greenberg, but that's different, it's Greenberg. But all I'm saying is we need you. Get your grades up."
"I will." Scott promised, the determination shining in his eyes. With Coach gone the three teens were the only ones left in the locker room. "Is that everyone?"
"I think so." Isaac answered and without warning, Scott had ripped the door off of Stiles' locker.
Scarlett raised a brow. "You're gonna track his scent?"
"No." Scott answered. "We," He handed a shoe to Isaac. "Are gonna track his scent."
"Well how come you get a shirt and I get a shoe?" Isaac complained. Scott stopped and turned when he heard someone approaching them.
Scarlett and Isaac turned too to see Derek standing behind them.
"We need to talk." Derek said, his voice monotone.
"All of us." Peter added in, appearing from behind Derek, much to Scott's bewilderment.
"Holy shit." Scott said in astonishment.
Scarlett glared at Peter and Derek. "I thought when you told me to leave you were gonna kill him again. So, why, for the love of God is he still here?"
"You knew about this?" Scott asked Scarlett disbelievingly. "What the hell is this?"
Before Scarlett had a chance to reply, Derek beat her to it. "You know that's exactly what I thought when I saw you talking to Gerard at the Sheriff's station."
"Hold on, he threatened to kill our mom," Scott motioned to Scarlett and himself. "And I had to get close to him, what was I supposed to do?"
"I'm gonna go with Scott on this one…" Peter added in, earning a glare from Scarlett. "Have you seen their mom? She's gorgeous."
"Shut up!" The other four people in the room yelled simultaneously. Scarlett was happy to know that she wasn't the only one who couldn't stand Peter being back.
"Who is he again?" Isaac asked.
"Derek's uncle. Little while back he tried to kill us all, then we set him on fire and Derek slashed his throat open." Scott explained, never removing his glare from Peter.
"And after that we were all hoping he would stay dead. Forever." Scarlett added in, having to take a stab at Peter at any chance she could.
"Hi." Peter waved at Isaac.
"Good to know." Isaac murmured to himself more than anyone.
"How is he even alive?" Scott asked.
"Yeah I'd like to know the same thing." Scarlett said.
"Look, the short version is, he knows how to stop Jackson." Derek said, not having time for questions. "Maybe how to save him."
"Well that's all well and good but you're just a little late with that oh so helpful information." Scarlett said sarcastically, earning confused looks from Derek and Peter. "He's dead. We think." She clarified.
"What?" Derek asked immediately, looking even more confused and Peter looking worried.
"Jackson's dead. It just happened on the field." Scott told them.
When no one said anything, Isaac piped up. "Okay why is no one taking this as good news?"
"Because," Peter started, looking up. "If Jackson is dead, it didn't just happen. Gerard wanted it to happen."
"But Jackson was under Gerard's control. He could get him to do anything he wanted, so why did he want him dead?" Scarlett wondered aloud.
"Well that's exactly what we have to find out." Peter said, stepping forward. "And something tells me the window of opportunity is closing. Quickly."
Not wanting to waste any more time than they already had, the small group headed to the Hale house where Peter said he knew where he could find something that could help them, which, of course, Scarlett was sceptical about because it was Peter and he couldn't be trusted.
"I already told you, I looked everywhere." Derek stressed to Peter.
"They found Stiles." Scott said with a sigh of great relief. Stiles missing had been eating at Scarlett as well but she could see the absolute terror her brother had felt at the thought of something awful happening to his best friend and it broke her heart. She put her hand on Scott's and gave him an encouraging smile.
"You didn't look here." Peter said smarmily as he pulled away one of the steps on the stairs and took out a dust-covered object.
"What is that? A book?" Derek asked.
Peter looked at him strangely. "No. It's a laptop. What century are you living in?" Derek rolled his eyes, as did Scarlett. Scarlett moved to stand next to Derek, wanting to feel close to him physically because she had been feeling so far apart from him lately. "A few days after I got out of the coma, I transferred everything we had. Fortunately, the Argents aren't the only ones who keep records."
The group followed after Peter but Scott hung back to answer a call from Melissa.
"Ugh guys, my mom says that we need to get to the hospital." Scott announced to them, raising eyebrows from the other people in the room. "She says something's happening to Jackson."
"Something like what?" Scarlett asked. She knew he couldn't really be dead.
"I don't know but I'm gonna go. Isaac, you come with me. I'll call you and describe what's happening." Scott told them, leaving with Isaac as soon as he had finished speaking.
"Well, since you seem to know so much since your resurrection, I take it you know what's happening to him?" Scarlett asked Peter sassily, hand on her hip and a brow raised.
"Has anyone ever told you that you have trust issues?" Peter retorted.
"I don't have trust issues. I just don't like you." Scarlett countered. "And why should I? You're a maniac who tried to kill me and the people I love."
Peter went to say something but Derek cut him off. "Stop. Both of you."
Scarlett rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall while Peter got to work looking up whatever he could find about what was going on with Jackson and Derek stood looking over his shoulder, sparing glances at a very pouty Scarlett.
The silence between the three was broken eventually by Scarlett's phone ringing. She answered and walked over to Derek and Peter.
"It's Scott." She said and when she did, Scott wasted no time at all at explaining what they were seeing at the hospital. "They say he's in some sort of transparent casing made from the venom coming out of his claws."
Derek kept his stony composure while Peter had to add a comment. "Well that sounds sufficiently terrifying."
"They also say he's starting to move." Scarlett told them, lowering the phone when Peter announced he'd found something.
"Looks like whatever's happening to Jackson just now and what we've seen so far is just the kanima's beta shape."
"Meaning what, exactly?" Scarlett asked, peering over Peter's shoulder.
"Can it turn into something bigger?" Derek pondered.
"Bigger," Peter started, leaning back in his chair. "And badder."
Scarlett's eyes widened in terror at the image Peter presented them with.
"What the fuck is that?" She asked, her voice going an octave higher.
"Is he turning into that?" Derek asked, sounding as panicked as Scarlett. "That has wings."
"I can see that." Peter answered, his voice also not straying from the worry that they all felt.
"Scotty?" Scarlett asked, bringing the phone to her ear again. "You have to bring him to us."
"Yeah I don't think we have time for that." Scott answered, the fear evident in his voice as well.
"Oh look, somebody actually made an animation of it." Peter said, clicking on the animation as the other two leaned in to watch. "Maybe it's less frightening if we-" The animation played and a loud, blood-curdling screech came from the kanima-like monster on the screen. They all jumped back as Peter immediately closed the screen. "Nope." He turned to Scarlett. "Maybe we should meet him halfway."
"Scott, get him out of there now." Scarlett stressed as she followed after Derek. "Go now."
"Derek we don't have Lydia." Peter said, stopping behind both of them.
Scarlett turned and gave him a confused look. "Lydia?" She asked before turning to Derek. "Why would we need Lydia?"
"We don't. It was just a theory and we don't have time." Derek answered sharply.
"No." Peter held up a finger. "That's the problem. We're moving too fast, we're rushing and everybody knows that a moving target is harder to hit and here we are, running into Gerard's crosshairs."
"If I get the chance to kill Jackson, I'm taking it." Derek said, walking away.
Scarlett grabbed his hand to stop him. "No! You can't kill him, Derek."
"Did you not see what he's going to turn into?!" He yelled at her, taking her by surprise and even scaring her a little. "Do you not understand that people will die, if he doesn't? And that blood will be on my hands because I did this to him."
Scarlett struggled to hold back the tears that so badly wanted to flow free. "Do you not understand?" She asked brokenly. "If you kill him, you'll be killing an innocent kid who didn't ask to be this thing. It's not like he wanted to be a murderer. He had no control over what happened to him. It's not your fault. But it's not his, either. And you'll only feel guilty for the rest of your life if you don't at least try to save him. Please Derek, don't do this." She pleaded with him. Jackson had killed people. He had killed Mary, for God's sakes. But Scarlett didn't blame him. She blamed the people that were controlling him. The people that were using him to their own selfish, stupid advantage. She couldn't just stand back and watch Jackson die because of the way he was wielded, like a sword, by the evil people in the world… because despite everything horrible about Jackson, he was not evil.
"Why do you care so much, Scarlett?" Derek asked incredulously. "Jackson was nothing but a dick to you and he's killed people that you cared about. Why do you want to save him?" He honestly could not fathom the reasons why Scarlett would want to see Jackson live. He knew that she cared deeply about a lot of things but was Jackson really one of them? "Do you still have feelings for him?"
"What?" Scarlett asked, astonished and offended that he would ever ask a question like that when he knew damn well how much she loved him.
"Answer the question." He growled. Derek definitely wasn't himself. This was all getting to him.
"No! Of course I don't!" She said furiously. "But I've known him since I was five years old and he's a friend and I don't want to see my boyfriend kill him."
Derek shook his head. "I don't want you involved in any of this. Stay here. And you," He pointed at Peter who had been standing idly by, listening to their lovers' quarrel. "Stay with her."
They both went to protest but before they could, Derek was gone.
"Well that was interest- "
"Shut the hell up." Scarlett said, slamming Peter against the wall, in a display of incredible strength they were both surprised she had. She held her throwing knife to his throat, gaining his undivided attention and cooperation. "Can Lydia save Jackson?"
"Yes." He answered simply, although his eyes betrayed his cool composure. He was actually scared of her in that moment because, in that moment, Scarlett possessed the fire of mental and physical determination and willpower to do what she could to make sure an innocent person didn't get hurt.
"How?" She growled, wanting answers quickly.
"They love each other and believe it or not love could be just the thing Jackson needs to be saved." Peter told her.
Scarlett wasn't entirely sure what he meant but she was willing to go with it. "Is there a chance of Lydia getting hurt?" Peter didn't answer for a moment so she pushed the blade against his neck, drawing blood. "Answer me. Will she get hurt?"
"There's always the possibility. But I wouldn't count on it."
"If she gets hurts, I'm coming after you." She snarled in his face. "I will slice your throat wide open again and make sure you never come back." Peter nodded and Scarlett carefully stepped back, putting the knife back in her boot. "Do you have a car?"
Peter held up the keys and Scarlett snatched them, walking out of the house and towards Peter's car. They said nothing but Scarlett called Scott as they were getting in the car.
"Where are you?" She asked as soon as he answered.
"I just told Derek where we were. Why aren't you with him?" Scott asked.
"I don't have time to explain. Just tell me where you are." Scarlett said. He told her and as soon as he did, she hung up, started the car and took off, handing her phone to Peter as she did so. "Call Lydia, put her on speaker and stay quiet."
Peter did as he was told with a glare. He called her and she answered on the second ring.
"Hello?" She answered.
"Lyds, where are you?" Scarlett asked.
"With Stiles at his house."
"Okay, stay there. I'm gonna need your help." Scarlett said, taking a sharp left turn to get to Stiles' house. She nodded to Peter and he hung up the phone.
"You know; I'm impressed by you Scarlett." He said.
"Oh really? Wow, thank you." She said sarcastically.
Peter gave a small chuckle. "I always knew you had a fire, since I first met you but you surprised me. You've grown up. Gotten stronger. And I bet it has something to do with those hunter lessons." Scarlett stayed silent. When Peter spoke again his tone was more serious. "What are you doing? You know you can't be a hunter and be with Derek."
"I'm not becoming a hunter." Scarlett replied with a sigh. "I just need to learn to fight like one so that everyone else around me doesn't have to risk their lives to protect me because I'm weak."
"You're not weak, Scarlett." Peter countered quickly, taking Scarlett aback as he actually sounded sincere. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're one of the strongest people I know. But, you wouldn't need to go through all of this hunter training if you became got the bite." Scarlett was about to protest but Peter stopped her. "I know, I know, you would rather die. But, would you? I mean, really? Think about all the power you could have Scarlett. Your physical strength would be multiplied by a thousand. You'd never get sick. You could easily win any fight. You would be able to protect yourself and those you love most. You wouldn't feel inferior to Scott or Derek anymore. Just imagine being as powerful as them…isn't that what you really want?"
Scarlett couldn't deny that Peter really did have a way with words. He made becoming a werewolf sound like a dream. Scarlett actually thought about it for a second or two but immediately snapped out of the fantasy of being as powerful as her brother and her boyfriend. She didn't need to be supernatural to feel powerful, she just needed to find her own human strength.
"No. It's not what I want." She had forgotten just how cunning and sly Peter could be. She could tell he was trying to work his way into her mind but what she didn't know was, what for? What could he possibly gain from her being a werewolf. "And try not to worry about me, Peter. As you can see from your own experience tonight, I'm capable of taking care of myself."
"Oh Scarlett you are capable of so much more." He murmured. She was about to question him but thought against it as they pulled up to Stiles' house.
"Where do you think you're going?" Scarlett asked accusingly as Peter opened his door.
He gave her a blank look. "I'm going to get Lydia."
"Oh no, you're not. You're gonna stay as far away as possible from Lydia, you got that?" Scarlett asked.
Peter rolled his eyes. "So what would you like me to do?"
She handed him the keys. "Drive to the abandoned iron works. That's where Scott is. And, for the love of God, don't mess anything up." She said, getting out of the car and walking to Stiles' door, not walking in until she saw Peter drive away.
Scarlett let herself in. A habit that she had gotten into years ago. She headed up the stairs to Stiles' room where she found Stiles with a bloodied and bruised face and Lydia, who's cheeks were tear stained.
"What the hell happened to you Stiles?" She asked, walking over to him to inspect the side of his face like a concerned sister.
"Nothing worth explaining." He muttered, making Scarlett give him an incredulous look.
"What about you, Lyds? Are your tears worth explaining?" She asked gently.
"They wouldn't let me see Jackson." Lydia answered looking down.
"Actually, that's kind of why I'm here."
"Yeah, you said you needed my help?" Lydia offered.
"You're gonna help to save Jackson." Scarlett said simply, earning looks from both Lydia and Stiles.
"I knew he couldn't be dead." Lydia said with a knowing look on her face.
"The truth is; Jackson isn't exactly…human." Scarlett started to explain, deciding to throw caution to the wind and let Lydia in on everything that was actually going on in Beacon Hills. The fate of Lydia's not-so-human ex-boyfriend did depend on her helping out so she had the right to know what the hell was happening.
When Lydia didn't look that surprised, Stiles spoke up. "How much of this do you already know?" He asked, sensing that she knew more than she had let on.
Lydia shook her head. "Bits and pieces, I guess. God, it's like it's all a dream."
"Yeah, well the other half is like a freaking nightmare." Stiles informed her.
"So you'll help?" Scarlett asked.
Lydia nodded furiously. "Of course. I wanna save him."
"Great." Scarlett said. "We're gonna need your jeep and we need to leave now." She said to Stiles.
"Can't you go any faster?" Scarlett asked, leaning forward from the backseat of Stiles' jeep.
"We're almost there." He reassured her, stepping on the gas anyway.
"Stiles! Look out!" Lydia warned as they were about to go right through a blockade of thick plastic sheets hanging from the ceiling and stacks of boxes. However, Stiles didn't stop and they all braced themselves as they rammed straight through all of it, driving into the centre of the aftermath of the mayhem that had already taken place.
Stiles had managed to knock right into Jackson, in kanima form, when they drove in. "Did I get him?" Stiles asked just as the kanima jumped on the hood of the car and screeched, making the three teens scream and rush out of the jeep.
Scarlett's first instinct was to go straight to Derek's side as he lay there, healing from being paralyzed. "Are you okay?" She asked, touching his face with shaky hands. He nodded and leaned into her touch.
"Jackson." They all turned as Lydia stood in front of Jackson. "Jackson." She said again. The kanima ignored her and raised a claw.
"Lydia!" Both Stiles and Scarlett jumped up and were about to run for her but both were held back and forced to watch as the kanima stopped when Lydia held up a key. Scarlett knew that key. It was a key to Jackson's house and apparently the kanima recognised it too. Scarlett remembered when Lydia gushed about getting the key. It had meant so much to her, and to Jackson too. In a way, it was a symbol of the relationship they shared, of their love.
Without warning, the kanima reverted into being half Jackson and half kanima, still looking at the key and then at Lydia. Jackson took the key from a shaking, crying Lydia.
He began to stumble backwards and at this opportunity, Derek, not fully healed, got to his feet but Scarlett kept a tight grip on his hand. Her eyes were pleading but when she looked at Jackson, who raised his arms in surrender, she knew Jackson had made his own choice and she let go of Derek's hand, freeing him to do what he had to.
Within a few seconds, Peter had appeared from nowhere and Derek had run forward and they had both plunged a clawed hand into Jackson, eliciting horrified gasps from everyone else. They lifted him in the air and as they did, Scarlett moved forward to hug Lydia and hold her back. They all watched as Jackson choked and coughed before they released their claws and let him fall. Before he hit the ground, Lydia had managed to escape from Scarlett's hold and run to Jackson's side, holding him up as he spluttered and choked, struggling to breathe.
Derek moved back to his place beside Scarlett, taking her into his arms so that she could cling to him but still watch Lydia and Jackson and experience the effect that love could really have on a monster.
Tears escaped Scarlett's eyes as she watched the heart-breaking exchange.
"Do you…d-do you still…" Jackson's struggled to ask the words but Lydia knew what he was asking.
"I do." She replied, tears streaming freely from her eyes. "I do still love you. I do, I do, I do still love you." With those words, Jackson fell on Lydia's shoulder and the key fell to the cold cement. Lydia cried, clinging on to Jackson, not wanting to let him go.
Scarlett cried into Derek's shirt as Lydia lay Jackson on the ground, the last of the kanima scales disappearing from his body.
Scarlett didn't know how to handle another person she knew dying. It seemed to be happening so often and every time it did, it took a toll on her. She was strong, but there was a limit to just how strong a person could be when they lost everyone around them.
"Where's Gerard?" Allison asked, breaking the silence. Scarlett hadn't even noticed her because she'd been so quiet.
"He couldn't have gotten far." Chris reassured her.
Lydia stood up and began walking towards the group. Stiles began making his way to comfort her but something stopped him. Everyone's attention was drawn to Jackson's claws scraping against the ground, even though he was supposed to be dead.
Scarlett feared the worst when she saw he wasn't dead. She knew what he could turn into.
They all watched in shock and confusion as Jackson, very slowly, raised himself from the ground, his eyes turning a cold but brilliant blue as he roared into the air, as a werewolf. They were all surprised. No one actually knew what had happened. But that didn't matter, especially not to Lydia as she, once again, ran to Jackson, who was now in human form.
In the end, it would seem, love really did conquer all.
Scarlett sat on the hood of Derek's car, admiring the view of Beacon Hills from the clifftop.
"Can you believe we survived all of that?" She sighed, taking another swig of Bourbon. It wasn't her usual drink but it was all she could find in Scott's bedroom. Derek hadn't been too keen on letting her drink but she had been through a lot of shit recently, and so had he so he could understand why the alcohol was needed.
"I knew you would." He said, leaning on the car.
Scarlett gave him an incredulous look. "Did you now?"
He looked at her and laughed. "Yes, because I wouldn't have let anything happen to you. And, because I know now that you can kick ass." Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Are you gonna become one?"
"One what?" Scarlett asked with a raised brow.
"A hunter." He said simply.
"You know." Scarlett sighed.
"Of course I know. You can't really hide anything from me."
"No. I'm not planning on it. I just want to get through the training and use it without actually hunting any werewolves." She explained. Derek nodded. "Are you mad?"
Derek sighed. "I can't be mad at you for wanting to learn how to protect yourself and feel stronger. You could have come to me- "
"You were a little preoccupied." Scarlett interjected.
"I know. And I'm sorry." He apologised. "I'm not gonna stop you from training with the Argents but just remember, I'm the reason Allison's mother is dead and she won't hesitate to try and kill me."
"No, she wouldn't try it. Not now. Not ever." Scarlett promised, casting her gaze over the town again. "I just wish that we could get out of here for a while, you know. Leave Beacon Hills behind and escape somewhere different, somewhere where are lives aren't in constant danger."
Derek stared at Scarlett, realising once again, how beautiful she really was. It was a rare kind of beauty. She was gorgeous on the outside but there was something beautiful about her personality as well. Her strength, her willpower, her huge heart and her ability to love a monster like him. He loved every single part of her. She made him glad to be alive, something he thought he'd never be again and he was so proud to call her his.
"Why don't we?" He asked, moving to stand between her legs.
"What?" Scarlett asked, confused. Derek smiled and reached into his pocket to reveal two plane tickets. Scarlett's eyes widened as she took the tickets. "No fucking way!" She squealed with excitement. "New York?" Her smile melted Derek's heart. "You really did this for me?"
"Scarlett, there is nothing that I wouldn't do for you." He said, cupping her face in his hands. "I love you."
"I love you too." She smiled through her tears of happiness and kissed him with all the strength she had in her. When they pulled away Scarlett beamed again and looked at the tickets. "These are for next week."
"I guess you better get packing then."