It was still early, but Chris cleaned up the table quickly, eager to call Deaton at the clinic. Again, he only reached Scott, who seemed to pull overtime at the clinic. It was further proof that their attention was divided in all the wrong directions.
"Deaton is meeting with a friend of his sister. He'll be back later on," Scott informed him.
"Any idea when the meeting will go down?" Chris asked, tapping his fingers on the table.
He heard a long, drawn-in breath, but otherwise Scott remained silent.
"Scott, I'm not going to shoot Peter's emissary," he explained, fearing that this was what Scott feared. Given that Chris had a history of threats of deadly force, some even against Scott himself, not mention the principal or others, it wasn't an unreasonable fear.
"It's just," Scott began and stopped, "Derek's going to be here, too."
Derek being there wasn't entirely unexpected, after all he seemed to have come back with the explicit purpose of helping out. Given the uneasy past between his family and the Hales, Scott's reluctance to put them in the same room was understandable.
"I'm not going to shoot him either." Chris rolled his eyes.
He hoped his more recent actions had shown his ability to put differences aside to solve immediate and larger problems. It wasn't that he was looking forward to work with the werewolves again, it was that he felt he had to. At any rate, it was best to put the cards on the table. "Look, if Derek or even Peter have anything to add that can stop these killings, I'm listening. Just don't tell Allison, she's livid and can't be reasoned with right now."
He could hear Scott sigh at the end of the line. "I know, Isaac's pretty worried about her." Another pause, one that almost made Chris say something, before Scott continued. "She'll be here in the afternoon."
"She? So, the emissary is a woman," he thought out loud.
"Yes, and Deaton also said she's been in Beacon Hills for a while. He doesn't seem to like her, but who can tell, but he's convinced she knows what she's talking about. So, I guess we'll just have to see."
The skepticism toward the new emissary probably came mostly from who her charge was than Deaton's veiled opinion about her. There was a time when he felt similar about all emissaries as he only knew them as those who gave aid to the werewolves.
"Who else's going to be there?" Chris wondered.
"The three of us, the emissary and possibly you, though Stiles and Cora might join us. Deaton needed someone to drive out of town and get some rare herbs, something might helps against zombie bites," Scott explained.
Those last words gave Chris a very queasy feeling in his stomach. If Deaton was preparing for zombie bites, then it seemed like there was a lot to Peter's claim that it was this Zombie Master creature. He had to check the bestiary again for references to zombies. If only his archaic latin wasn't so basic that it was almost useless.
"I'll be there, and I'll bring copies of the police reports. Maybe Derek can use them to figure out something we've overlooked," Chris said and thought he might as well make a second set for Peter's emissary. He briefly considered asking John for his permission but decided it was probably better if the Sheriff didn't know. The results were all that mattered and they had already gone far beyond what was legal.
When it came to the supernatural, there was no relying on ordinary methods.
"That's good," Scott agreed. "Maybe Derek can think of something."
"Okay, see you later."
Chris hung up - he had never been one for long-winded goodbyes. Going into his study, he got his copies of the reports and began sorting them into two staples: one that he could copy in one go and the others he would need to make individual copies of as they weren't fitting into the slot of the copier.
He decided to make three copies, one for Derek, one for Peter and his emissary and then a third one just in case. He started it by doing the individual ones and then as the whole stack of uniform sized papers were read into the copier, he began sorting them into threes. Luckily, the copier did the main sorting on the other batch, so that all he needed to do was sort the right photos and other notes to the reports.
It took him two hours after which he opened the bestiary and started looking for hints of undead beings and printed those pages out as well. Chris couldn't be sure he had gotten the right or even relevant entries but with an obscure online dictionary he annotated a printed out bestiary page.
The entry that seemed to talk about zombies wasn't just obscured by the Archaic Latin but also by religious overtones. The hunters in the 1920's who must have written it originally, were working with crosses and holy water. They made quite a show of the process of destroying someone who had come back from the dead and started to feast on the living.
It had been a creature who looked much like a werewolves with fast movements, claws, pointy ears but even more bestial. The word for muzzle was used and they creatures were covered in dirt and filth. Eyes were described as glowing green. Being too dangerous to face in direct combat they had lured it into a trap: spikes in a ground hole. Chris was sure all the fancy ritual did nothing for the actual destruction which happened by burning it to ashes. Either way it wasn't helpful and he hoped he'd never have to deal with the creature or the type of hunter who described every they did to the screaming creature with such glee.
There was still time after he had prepared everything for the meeting and part of him wanted to stop by Esoteric Books to see if he could find out more but decided he was going to wait until after the meeting. During the day, he was too likely to be noticed. If anything was amiss, he couldn't afford anyone seeing him. If there was nothing wrong and Yoon was a perfectly normal shopkeeper, he'd just seem like a stalker to her and the idea didn't sit right with Chris.
While Chris was busy making up his mind on what to do in the next two hours, the doorbell rang. Not the one downstairs but the one right outside his door. Tension gripped him and his hand went for the gun in his belt. Slowly, he approached the door, ready to draw and shoot instantly if he was attacked. As he looked through the spy, he saw a familiar face that he couldn't place at first. The tall good looking young man in front of his door was clearly not labeled under threat, as he felt calmer. He had to be a classmate of Allison, Chris thought and let go of the gun. Part of him was still prepared to use it but he didn't want to appear to an ordinary kid from school like some deranged psycho. It was bad enough that he scared the principal to death.
"Hello, Mr. Argent."
The young man's greeting sounded almost like a question and suddenly the coin dropped. Chris had never talked to him but they had seen each other. This was the boyfriend of the gay alpha twin. Someone Chris wished he could warn about the danger he was in.
"Yes, Danny, isn't it?" He wasn't too sure about the boys' name. "I'm afraid Allison isn't here."
"Oh," Danny sounded disappointed. "Yeah, it's Danny. I got this project with Isaac and I couldn't reach him and Mrs. McCall said he was with Allison. Since I was anyway here, I thought I'd stop by and give him this."
He held out a CD from a video documentary series that the school used, Chris could only assumed they needed to watch it for the assignment. "I suppose you don't know if he's coming back here before going home?"
Chris wanted to say, that he couldn't tell him for sure but then he said. "Don't worry, you can leave it here and I'll make sure he gets it tonight."
"Really?" Danny asked surprised.
"Of course, it's no problem," Chris said and took the CD. "I've heard that Ethan wasn't feeling well - I hope he's better."
Danny sighed and shrugged. "I think so, Aiden wouldn't let me in. Said Ethan was sleeping and was still sick. I've no clue what's going on." His disappointment about being kept in the dark was obvious.
"Sorry to hear that, I'm sure it'll sort itself out." Chris didn't want to encourage Danny but he also didn't want to make him feel worse. He wondered what was wrong with Ethan that he didn't even want to see his boyfriend. He couldn't still be injured. As an Alpha, Ethan should have recovered by now.
"Yeah, hopefully," Danny shook his head and then smiled at him. "Thanks for passing on the CD!"
They said awkward goodbyes and then Chris closed the door. As he walked to his study, he wondered if he should check up on the twins as well. The problem was, if something was wrong with Ethan, it was all the more likely that Aiden would lash out, unless there was another reason why they wouldn't want Danny or someone else in the apartment. Or, since they were immature teens, it could just be that Aiden was sulking.
Chris placed the CD on the reports and decided to check his mail. There were no new messages from the other hunters but it was just a question of time until they would make their move. He had blackmailed Gerard into telling them to stay out of it for a while but that would only last so long. Given how dangerous and unpredictable his father had become, Chris expected that at any moment he might change his mind and call the others up himself. Threats and the false promise of Deaton maybe having found something that could keep his constant pain away was all that kept Gerard in line. At least, with Derek no longer being an alpha, killing Derek wouldn't revert the curse. Otherwise, Chris worried what might happen if Gerard found out that Derek was back in town.
Sitting in front of his laptop, it occurred to him to google for Yoon's bookstore. He hadn't really expected to find much, so when Chris stumbled over the small website, it surprised him. It was nothing special though: a welcoming page, opening times, google maps, a description about the content of the store, a short history with pictures of the opening day. Yoon was in some of the photos but she was never looking at the camera.
The only page of interest was the "ask me a question" part. Which was run by a script and had Yoon giving solid advice to people seeking books or other stuff to solve their problems. Chris found himself reading through a couple of them and was surprised by the amount of straightforward advice, especially with how often Yoon was replying to people that meditation and spirituality could aid them but they had to seek professional help to deal with grief and other problems that indicated mental issues of any type.
Chris wondered if he should use this to ask her about the shooting by posing as someone who had seen it but couldn't understand it. As he kept thinking about a way to pose the question, he noticed that he had spent too much time reading through this section. It was almost time to go to the animal clinic. As he bookmarked the page and the pop up blocked most of the page, Chris saw, a small almost unnoticeable link at the bottom overlaying the Greek letter psi. When he clicked it, it asked him for a username and password.
That was making him wonder what was hidden there. As he had no time to worry about that, he closed the laptop and put two sets of the files into a backpack along with the CD. Chris didn't want to tell Danny he was meeting Scott to avoid awkward questions but giving it to Scott would ensure the CD got to Isaac.
Fetching his jacket, Chris switched off the light, checked the gun on his back and left the flat. Due to people being scared to be outside with all the killings, the streets were already very empty despite it being hours before curfew. Nobody wanted to be outside where they were exposed to an unknown threat.
As he pulled up on the parking lot of the animal clinic, he saw an older couple leave with a pet carrier. Judging by the size, it was probably a cat. They were putting it onto the backseat of their car as Chris stopped his car close by. He gave them a nod as he got out grabbing his backpack in the same motion. As they saw his face, there was this hint of recognition and they quickly turned away and got in their car.
"Those damn newspaper articles!" Chris slammed the door of his car shut.
It had been bad enough after the articles had identified Kate as the crazy killer but it was getting even worse this time around. He locked the car as he walked up to the building, a tight grip on the backpack as he pushed the door open.
Deaton was sorting through some papers lying on the desk behind the counter. "You're early."
"Traffic was light," Chris said, surprised by the aggression that still swung in his voice.
"Stressful day?" Deaton pushed open the door to the treatment room.
"I've got a teenage daughter on the hunt for a crazy alpha," Chris pointed out with a sigh.
"That would make every day very stressful then," Derek said dryly.
Being early, Chris hadn't expected him to be there already. He immediately tensed up: it was an automatic reaction and his hand went towards his gun, but Chris stopped himself before drawing it. He couldn't even say if the comment was meant to be provocative as it was said so dispassionately.
"Actually, Allison was doing fine, until your uncle decided to rape and kidnap her best friend." Chris had wanted to keep this meeting without arguments but the words slipped out before he could think about it. Only Derek wasn't shouting or yelling back. Instead, his lips pressed together and he looked at the floor for a moment.
"I still can't believe he'd sink that low," Derek grumbled.
Scott stepped closer and put his hand on Derek's shoulder. "That's not your fault."
"I take it you've no clue how to find Peter, either?" Chris asked despite knowing the answer already. He felt they needed to stop this blame game and focus on the issues. They had nothing else to say to each other that wouldn't lead them back to their unfortunate history.
Derek shook his head. "No, I felt he was around enough. So I never bothered to find out where he lived."
"I doubt he'd stay in the same place if he thought anyone knew about it, he's clearly prepared this," Chris admitted, standing somewhat awkwardly in the room.
Reminded of his backpack, he opened it, noticing the alert motion coming from Derek, who clearly trusted him as much as Chris trusted him. That or it was just habitual, like his reactions. "Here's a copy of the files for you," Chris put the folder on the examining table between him and Scott while looking at Derek.
After a moment, he put the second one next to it. "Here's a second one."
"For whom is that?" Scott asked.
"I guess, it can't hurt if Peter takes a look at those." Deaton understood right away.
"Wait - you're considering involving him, too?" Derek was probably as surprised by this gesture as Chris was by him actually doing this.
He looked at Derek decisively. "Deaton seems to think that the Zombie theory has some merit, and maybe by seeing the reports and photos, Peter can figure out who's behind the other killings. I don't want to work with him, I really don't, but if it saves lives ..." He shook his head. "That's more important right now than putting a bullet through his head."
It was such awkward statement that nobody said anything for a moment. Here they were again talking about killing and Chris wasn't even sure why it felt so weird. Was it because his family had already murdered so many Hales that it felt wrong to consider more? Or was it that Peter had refused to stay dead once already? Or was it because there was no disagreement from Derek or Scott this time?
"I think, it's best we focus on stopping the killings. If Lydia needs Peter to help her figure out her powers, then getting her back probably needs to wait." Scott sounded not entirely convinced himself.
"Maybe you can talk your uncle into letting Lydia call us regularly?" Chris suggested. It wasn't much but it would put everyone at ease.
Derek shrugged. "If he's worried you'll use that number to track him down, he might not go for it."
"He's already called and switched off the phone - there's no reason why he couldn't keep using that phone to let Lydia call us?" Scott walked over the files.
"If I see him again, I mention it," Derek slowly said.
"Wouldn't he try and convince you to join his pack?"
It was a fair question, after all that was precisely what Peter had done before. From what Scott had mentioned Peter had attempted to join Derek or at least partially clung to Derek while he had been the Alpha.
"Yeah, he would - but I think he's going after Cora first," Derek shook his head.
Scott turned suddenly. "But isn't she already part of the pack where she was staying for the past few years?"
"I wish," Derek looked a bit unhappier as usual. "She's wasn't very tight with the pack and since she left to come here, her standing has declined."
"There's something else, isn't there?" Chris could sense it.
"She's had this brilliant idea to go undercover in Peter's pack, hoping that she can find out more this way," Derek admitted. "Which I won't allow."
"You'd think Peter would harm her if he found out?" Scott swallowed hard.
"He killed Laura," Derek reminded them.
"That's not what you're worried about," Deaton spoke up again. "She's come here before to join a pack lead by a Hale. You're worried she might actually end up becoming part of his pack."
Chris could tell that Alan had nailed it. Derek face spoke volumes and Chris understood his problem: he clearly was unwilling to team up with his uncle let alone accept him as his alpha. But if Cora, his only other living relative would join Peter, it would leave him little choice but to follow. There was the fact that, clearly, Peter wasn't to be trusted.
However, having someone undercover could prove to be immensely useful.
"Given that she's familiar with his track record, how likely is that?" Chris had put the words out and suddenly understood what Isaac meant by Derek having this look that said 'this is the end of this conversation'.
"I just remembered," Chris said eager to break the tension and pulled out the CD. "Danny came by and dropped this off for Isaac. Thought you might want to give it to him."
"Danny?" Scott looked at him doubtful as he took the CD.
"Yeah, he tried to visit Ethan who, according to Aiden, still needs bed rest."
Deaton shook his head - just once - before he looked at him. "He should be fully healed by now. The wolfsbane delayed the initial healing but that effect had passed by the time the twins left."
"Who knows what's going on with them. Aiden seemed very upset when Lydia told us not to look for her," Scott said as he packed the CD into his bag. "It was hard enough to convince them to help out while everything was still okay between Aiden and Lydia."
"Aiden wasn't even very cooperative when I asked about the shooting in front of the bookstore."
"Probably because," Derek pointed out and stopped as a ring from the doorbell announced someone else coming inside the clinic. "He wants to settle this himself."
Deaton walked out of the treatment room while the rest looked at each other.
"I'm afraid you might be right," Scott said softly, as if afraid that whoever was outside might find that comment suspicious.
They waited a few heartbeats. When the door opened again Chris' face fell as he saw Yoon walk through the door. He knew what it meant but even as Deaton introduced her, he felt himself shake his head. "Everyone, that's Yoon Myung, she's Peter's emissary."
"I should've known." Chris stared at her and his voice couldn't sound more bitter.
"Well, once upon a time," Yoon said looking not really happy either, "there was this nice rule that only the alpha ever really knew who the emissary was. I guess rules don't count for much in this town."
Chris noticed her gaze drifting to Deaton while she said those last words. He had to admit he understand her wanting to keep it a secret, especially since the twins were also involved, maybe even considering his own past with Peter, but he was still upset.
"You two know each other?" Scott asked.
"She runs the bookstore, where Ethan was shot," Chris told them and began to realise that Deaton must have known that as well. 'Druids and their damn secrets', he thought.
"Where Lydia went for help with her dreams," Scott said with the distinctive happiness of someone who just had figured something out. "So Ethan came to check you out and ran into Peter's betas who were there to see you."
"That's about right," Yoon nodded and removed her bag and the leather jacket she wore and put them onto a chair. It clearly didn't bother her too much that her status was revealed.
He wasn't the only one looking at her with suspicion, Derek and Scott seemed not too thrilled by her behaviour either. If she had hoped to distract them with her tattoos then it wasn't working. Deaton tried to say something but Chris was faster, still angered by her playing with him like that. "You've been here for a long time and it makes me wonder how involved you were in Peter's plans to regain his alpha status."
She smiled but without the warmth she had shown in the store. "Let's play the open cards game. I've been here for a while and I've known Peter for almost as long. No, I didn't know about his plans to steal Deucalion's powers, I neither assisted him with that nor did he mention it to me." Yoon cocked her head. "When he asked me to be his emissary, I said yes. That doesn't mean I'm okay with what he did to Lydia. Although, I can tell you, she's far less upset about that than any of you."
"That's what you're saying," Derek replied.
"She can tell you that herself, tomorrow, if you're agreeing to a meeting." Yoon met Derek's gaze before swerving to Chris. "Sorry, the invitation isn't for you."
"Of course not," he replied only to realise how childish his brisk tone was.
"Wait. Peter wants to meet and bring Lydia along?" Scott made sure he had understood this right.
"No," Yoon said firmly. "Peter doesn't really want to. He has to. There's no way he'll be able to bring down the Greater Zombie master with such a small pack, especially while keeping Lydia protected."
"So he's bringing Lydia along to convince us that she's staying of her own free will?" Chris wasn't sure if he wanted to believe that but he had to admit, it would resolve some reservations he had about accepting Peter's help. Over the phone, Peter could make Lydia say almost anything, but face to face, against another alpha and anyone else included in the meeting would make that impossible.
"You really think he'd risk losing his price?" Deaton asked her.
A smile appeared on her face, that was betrayed by her icy tone. "Peter happens to value my advice. Even if he doesn't like it."
"You might think that - but you've got no experience as an emissary," Deaton said, "you might think you know Peter, but you'd be wrong."
"I can hardly do a worse job than you, Alan," Yoon said very quietly.
Deaton seemed unimpressed. "With Peter as your alpha, you'd be surprised how much worse it can get."
"We'll see." With that she turned to her bag and opened it. "I've brought a few things along, just in case you do run into the things doing the actual killings."
"Actual killings?" Scott asked.
Yoon shrugged. "As Deaton might have explained - or not - the inconsistent bite patterns on the victims point to Tupilaqs."
There was clearly some animosity between the two druids, Chris wondered what was up with that. He was reminded again, that Deaton hadn't doubted her knowledge but he obviously thought she wasn't ready to be an emissary. There was this jab about having known about the Tupilaqs, a name that seemed oddly familiar as something entirely different. "Aren't those little statues carved from bones?"
"Yeah," Yoon nodded. "The cutest version of them. Carvings mainly associated with Greenland. They sometimes represent several animals in one statue." As she kept explaining, she put little bags filled with a white substance on the table and a number of spools with metal wiring. "What we have here is the flesh and bone version. Dead animal parts put together and re-animated by dark magic. The ordinary versions of them are nasty enough, the ones made by a Greater Zombie Master are even worse."
"Salt?" Derek picked up one of the bags, sounding sceptic or normal, Chris couldn't really tell the difference.
It was Deaton who replied. "Salt has an adverse affect on re-animated bodies."
"In case of these true tupilaqs, it's the only thing that works," Yoon followed up on that. Showing her own impressive looking metallic green painted fingernails to illustrate, she explained how it worked. "Use your claws to tear the bag, then throw it into the mouth and use this," she held up one of the spools, "to wire it shut."
With a smile in Chris' direction she added: "I don't recommend, the non-werewolves trying this. The good news is that the zombies made by the Zombie Master are destroyable by a headshot."
"So this is real. We've got a zombie maker on our hands and he's animating more these creatures and people?" Scott asked looking in turn at the two emissaries.
"From what Yoon told me about how Peter and Lydia identified it," Deaton said holding his alpha's gaze. "Yes, I think that's exactly what we're dealing with. Just because it's rare and seems unlikely, doesn't mean it can't be happening here."
"Just to make one thing clear." Yoon crossed her arms and looked at them with a serious expression. "These things are nasty, they're powerful enough without drawing from a Nemeton. If we don't stop it soon, there might be a chance this Zombie Master is capable of killing everyone in Beacon Hills. There's no telling what it will do afterwards, because never before has one of these things taken on a town of this size."
Chris could tell she wasn't joking. Looking at her still made him feel angry but he could see that she was dead serious, concerned, and well prepared.
"Are you really saying that this thing is going to depopulate an entire small town?" Scott said unbelieving.
"Yeah, someone's going to notice," Derek agreed with him.
Yoon shook her head and took a deep breath. "The zombie master has other abilities, he can alter memories, he can stop time, he can make it seem like nothing sinister is going on and then strike when he's ready. This thing is so much stronger than anything you've faced before."
"How do we find and kill it then?" Derek leaned forward, focused more on his uncle's emissary than anyone else in the room.
Chris did the opposite: he had stepped back a bit and observed the whole scene, noticing how Deaton seemed displeased but still listening very closely. Scott looked particularly uneasy, most likely because he blamed himself for everything that happened. Yoon wasn't as comfortable as she seemed, Chris realised. There was a look between her and Derek and the occasional uneasy glance at him didn't go unnoticed.
It was almost like she expected him to ask something else.
"You won't find it and even if you did, it is indestructible - at least for now." She let that message sink in, before she said: "This is where Lydia comes in."
Derek crossed his arms and kept staring at Yoon. "This seems awfully familiar."
"Due to what she is, the Zombie Master began blocking her dreams. Then when she went looking for what was responsible, it connected with her in an attempt to stop her for good. " Yoon rubbed her naked arms, he fingernails scraping slightly over her skin. "That was its big mistake, he gave her a way in. With her powers, she can use this to find out where it hid its head and hands."
"Did you say 'head and hands'?" Chris blinked at her.
"You heard right," Deaton chimed in. "A Zombie Master is indestructible as long as it's separated from his head and hands. It is for all intends and purposes, a head and handless torso, although it can take other shapes."
"I knew Lydia can find dead bodies but just that thing's parts?" Scott looked positively disgusted.
Yoon gave a melancholic smile at his remark. "It's a bit more difficult than that." She shook her head and made sure to look at each of them as she went on. "Peter can teach Lydia how to invade its dream and rummage through the memories but that will take time. While it can't harm Lydia through dreams while she's with Peter, it will try to gain more power and then attack by other means."
Clearly, Derek didn't bought everything she said and if Chris was honest, he had the exact same doubt and question that Derek brought forth. "How exactly does Peter protect her? Is his presence so abhorrent to the Zombie Lord that he simply stays away?"
Chris couldn't help but smile a bit at the way Derek put it, but it was again not Yoon who replied but Deaton. In his a total dispassionate voice, he explained why that wasn't a lie. "The Zombie Master might have established a connection with Lydia, but the existing bound between her and Peter runs deeper. If Peter's physically closer to her than the Zombie Master, there would be no way for it to break through."
"If the thing can teleport, couldn't it just appear closer to Lydia while they're both asleep?" Scott wondered.
"No," Yoon said looking at Deaton as if to ask him if he wanted to take this one. But he remained silent and she went on. "Werewolves aren't as vulnerable to its abilities like ordinary people are. Peter would sense its presence and while he can't destroy it, he could drive it off. With Deucalion's powers, he's way too dangerous for the Zombie Master to risk a direct attack."
"What you mean, drive the Zombie Master off?" Chris said. "If it's invulnerable then..."
"Not invulnerable - indestructible. Peter, or anyone, could injure it in a fight and force it to retreat to its hideout but any injuries sustained would be healed no matter how extreme. If an attack comes, the Zombie Master will stay in hiding and senet out its fiends."
If Chris was honest he still had a hard time buying it but Deaton calmly nodding and not once claiming that Yoon was spinning a tall tale made him aware how real this was. There was an undead monster in town that could animate dead animals and also people. What happened so far was just the beginning. It would get worse.
His first instinct was to call Allison and tell her to get home and then send her to her room but that was obviously not going to help at all. "How are we going to protect ourselves from this thing?"
"Keep your minds sharp and focused," Deaton said.
"It would also help having someone to watch your back. Team up so that at least the non-werewolves aren't alone." Yoon suggested.
Deaton nodded. "Entering a flat or house will be harder and more costly than teleporting onto a street or a public building."
"While Lydia tries to find the heads and hands - what are we doing?" Scott looked at Yoon.
"Hopefully, discovering more about the other killer, the mausoleum," she replied and tilted her head as she looked back at Scott. "I know. I wished we could do more." The look she shot Deaton at the end of her sentence wasn't very friendly, but he got where it came from. Deaton had suggested the ritual that while saving him and the other two parents, also started this whole debacle.
"If you're looking to help, Scott," Deaton said slowly, "I could use your help with the clinic tomorrow again."
"Are you still looking for your sister?" Chris asked.
Deaton nodded. "She has gone off before to do things on her own but she's not answering her phone, I can't even use the GPS to find it, none of her friends knew anything about her intending to leave. I've used other means but I'll need another day to pin-point her location."
Chris could see that Alan tried to play it down but in his eyes was a resigned look almost as if there was no expectation that Marin was still alive. Judging by the way the others looked, they were thinking the same, except for Derek, who just stared Deaton and suddenly asked, "You can find people with other means - yet you made them go through the sacrifice ritual?"
"That was different," Deaton looked at Derek and then at a rather upset Scott. "It was the only way, there was no time left to try anything else." Yoon rolled her eyes toward the ceiling, pressing her lips together as if she wanted to keep from saying something. When Deaton noticed her reaction, he said firmly into her direction. "I stand by decision."
"I know you do, we've had this discussion before," Yoon said with an annoyed sigh. "But if I might make another suggestion. Let me look for Marin tomorrow. If anything happens, it'll be much better if you're here to render first aid. It's not like there's another specialist in town."
Deaton seemed undecided and Chris found himself making a suggestion before he had even really thought about it. "I could go with her."
Everyone looked at him and it occurred to him, that maybe offering his help to Peter's emissary was a bit strange but he wasn't doing it for her. Not really. They needed to work together and besides, he felt reluctant to hold having a severely disturbed alpha against either Marin or Yoon. That was the way it worked. Following her around would also give him a chance to ask Yoon a few more detailed questions.
"You said it yourself," Chris told her, "we shouldn't be on our own."
Derek snorted, drawing an odd look from Yoon. It made Chris feel oddly self-conscious about eventual other reasons for wanting to go with Yoon. However, he could care less what Derek Hale thought about his motives for going with her. What he said was still valid and it wasn't like he could get much done by staying around in Beacon Hills.
"Well, Alan?" Yoon turned this around to Deaton.
If he wanted to look for his sister himself then that wasn't something anyone could criticize. Deaton considered it for a moment, looking at Chris and then back to Yoon. "Maybe you're right. You're probably better suited for finding her anyway."
Yoon swallowed and with a strange smile she replied: "Well, that's nice of you to admit."
Chris wasn't sure why she'd felt bothered by this compliment but maybe tomorrow when it was just the two of them, he could ask her more about it. There were tons of question he had and while she might not feel comfortable answering them since she had made it clear her position as Peter's emissary wasn't something she felt should be public knowledge, Chris could at least ask.
"How about we get back to things at hand?" Derek asked.
Scott agreed. "Yes, you said Peter would agree to meet with us and bring Lydia. Where and when do you suggest this meeting should take place?"
Everyone looked at her but Yoon turned her gaze towards him. It was a clear sign that whatever she had to say, it wasn't for him to know. Chris realised that the others followed her suit. He wasn't about to stand in the way of them maybe getting Lydia back or at least making sure staying with Peter to stop this thing was truly her idea.
"Well," Chris stepped towards the files and looked at Deaton. "Don't forget about these."
"I'll get started early tomorrow, be at the shop at six if you really want to come with me," Yoon told him.
Chris nodded. He considered saying something but instead he just left the room. It wasn't like he had any grounds to object being excluded. He couldn't even blame Yoon for being so secretive. He had yet to understand the strange relationship between Emissaries and their Alphas.
Marin was a good example of that. She did went along with a lot of the evil schemes Deucalion brought to town but at the same time she also rescued Isaac from them. Yet, despite knowing where they kept Boyd and Cora, she didn't say anything. There was a certain loyalty, but it clearly didn't go very far. Chris wondered how the relationship between Yoon and Peter was. Even with Deaton and Scott, he wasn't sure who was loyal to whom and what Deaton exactly did for Scott.
Deep in thought, he crossed the reception area and stepped out into the cool night air. Looking up, he realised that the full moon was approaching soon. A couple of days and the new beta Peter made was going to go through her first one which was something that might create more troubles as well and Chris made a mental note to ask Yoon about that as well.
Tonight, he decided to let it rest. Chris walked to his car, noticing the sleek black Honda motorcycle on the parking lot. Thinking to himself that he'd better supply the wheels tomorrow.