A big drama takes place at the Hale-house. In the meantime, Mr Stilinski is doing some research and what he finds out about Alex' mom is almost mindblowing. Joy leaves the mansion to look for Troy and Eric. Allison and Derek have only one focus. Stiles is dying! If a bite can save him, Allison has to step up.
Alex was balling up the paper table cloth when he heard Scott scream for help outside. Lydia was holding the trash bag, and she dropped it instantly. They looked at each other for a second, before they rushed to the window. Something happened at the far end of the yard, where the cars were parked.
They could both see Scott, and it looked like he was wolfing out. Derek was running across the yard with Allison at his tail, both practically diving in between the trees next to Scott.
Suddenly, Lydia crouched down as if she'd been hit by something. Alex stared at her and tried to grab her, but she waved him away. "No, no, I'm fine, but... Stiles is not." She managed to get up again as she gestured out the window. "One of them is going to die."
Alex didn't hesitate. He darted towards the door and rushed outside. The moment he set foot on the porch he could see Chris' SUV speeding towards the house, but it stopped before it reached the yard. Scott was on the ground punching someone. Alex didn't even wonder about who it was; he was sure it had to be Troy.
Chris jumped out of the car with ha gun in his hand. Alex took in the scene without knowing what to do. As he watched, Troy managed to push Scott away and get up. He seemed to be looking for an escape when Chris came up behind Scott. He practically leaned his hand with the gun on Scott's shoulder and pulled the trigger.
Troy sunk down on the ground, and Chris fired two more shots into his head. Isaac was also out of the SUV now, but he didn't even look at Troy. He stared at something that was outside Alex' line of view.
Alex was about to approach them, when a vibration in his pocket startled him. It took a few seconds before he realized that it was the phone, and he instantly knew who the caller was.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
When Mr Stilinski came to work with nothing else to do at the moment, he decided to check into Isaac's request. Stiles and Isaac and pulled him to the side when he arrived at the party. The question he got from Isaac was a bit strange. He'd asked to talk to Alex about it, but both boys were adamant about keeping it a secret from him.
"If Alex came and asked if I could find his mother, it would be something I could look into, but this..." He'd shook his head. Isaac kicked up some gravel and sighed. "Okay. Maybe I'll..." Stiles had suddenly and quite impolitely cut him off. "Shut it Isaac! Dad! Can't you just check. If you find her, we can tell him. You don't have to tell us, uh, Isaac anything. Just... see if it's possible."
They'd expected Alex to be back any minute, and some of the guests wanted to greet Isaac and wish him a happy birthday. The conversation ended abruptly when Allison came over and practically dragged Isaac with her. Stiles had stared at him for a few seconds before he too got called away to help out with something.
At the station, Mr Stilinski figured he could do a quick search. He'd heard part of Alex' back story, and was a little curious about the woman who'd given up on her son. Nobody at work questioned it when he went straight to the computer. He wasn't their boss anymore, but he still had a kind of authority there.
He'd planned to stay on for only a few minutes, but what he found kept him focused on the screen for more than an hour.
It was a sad and disturbing story that got unraveled through court documents and reports from the local PD. This woman, Sonya Johnson, had a rap sheet long as his arm. In her youth, she'd been arrested for possession and suspicion of prostitution on multiple accounts.
She'd served a few months for the drugs, but the prostitution charges never stuck. During a routine medical in prison more than two decades ago, it was discovered that she was pregnant. The rest of her sentence were served at a rehab facility, and she'd obviously stayed clean after that. At least there wasn't anything to find.
The next time her name showed up in any police records was when she reported her son missing. Mr Stilinski knew when Alex had left home, and the missing persons report was filed almost a year later. He knew that the FBI or the police wouldn't put too much effort into the case. A fifteen year old who'd been missing for that long was either dead or he didn't want to be found. Fliers were made, but the mother didn't push them much either.
Mr Stilinski dug a little deeper and found a mention of an interview. An officer had been at the house, and in a note, he'd written that Mrs Johnson was about to go into labor and that the interview had to be postponed.
He couldn't find more about that case, but there were new and more recent developments in the story about Sonya. Only two months ago, this woman had been brought in as a witness when her husband had been found shot to death in his bed. It had taken less than two minutes before she'd confessed, claiming it was self defense.
That the guy had been shot in his sleep, making the self defense claim a little dodgy, didn't change her story. Her six year old daughter had been taken care of by the child protection services, and after a quick examination, it was established that the girl had suffered abuse. She'd been put through a more elaborate exam where they found no indication of sexual abuse. Except for the obvious welts on her bottom, her arm had at one point in time been dislocated. Medical records had shown that she'd suffered a fractured radius six months prior, and the doctors had concluded that it could also have been as a result of abuse.
Sonya Johnson was at the moment incarcerated awaiting trial, and the girl was put into foster care. They had not been able to locate any relatives yet, but the investigation was ongoing. In a footnote, Alex' name was mentioned, but it seemed more as an afterthought than a real option.
Mr Stilinski knew that he had to tell Alex. Getting custody of his half sister would probably not be possible though, all things considered, but he was a relative.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Joy didn't know where to look for Eric and Troy. She wasn't very familiar with the streets of Beacon Hills, but eventually she managed to find the building where Derek's loft was. She knew that Eric had taken the Accord and Troy left in the Mercedes, but none of those cars were there.
Pondering on what to do next, the front door opened and a tall lanky blonde came out. He seemed to be quite drunk. Seconds later, a bearded man appeared and together, they walked over to an SUV parked right outside. "Isaac Lahey and Chris Argent. A hunter and a werewolf." Joy spoke to herself as she shook her head. "This pack... friends with humans and hunters."
She decided to follow them. With no clue about where to look for the boys, this was her best bet. She tried to keep a distance, but the hunter drove pretty fast, so she had to speed up so she wouldn't lose them.
When they came the woods, she realized where they were going. She slowed down and saw the SUV disappear around a curve. She'd completely forgotten about the Hale-house. It had burnt down a few years ago, but for some reason, Hester had known that Derek was rebuilding it.
Joy parked the car at the crossroad where the long driveway up to the house started. She got out, and decided to walk the rest of the way. She didn't get far before she heard a gunshot. Frozen in her position, she wondered what had happened. Seconds later, the heard two more shots.
She didn't know if she should go any closer, but curiosity got the better of her. She stepped off the road and moved towards were the sound had come from, doing her best to stay invisible between the trees.
When she suddenly heard voices, she ducked down behind some bushes and held her breath. She was very close. If any one of them sniffed into the air, they'd probably catch her scent.
Very slowly, she stretched her neck to peek over the shrubbery. A couple of cars were partially blocking her view. She could see Chris Argent and Isaac. They both had their backs turned to her. Alex was also there. It looked like he was crying. All of them stared at something or someone on the ground that Joy could not see.
Nobody was talking at the moment, but then she heard Derek's voice loud and clear. "I can't. I don't have the power."
-o-o-o-o-o-
Scott couldn't move. He was also unable to transform back to human form. It was almost like he was completely frozen.
The ringing in his ears was so loud, that he couldn't hear much of what Allison and Derek was saying. The smell of blood and a faint scent of gunpowder was tickling his nostrils, and his vision was clouded by tears.
Chris was standing right behind him. He knew that the guy had fired several shots with the gun held only inches from Scott's ear, and that that was the reason for his temporary hearing impairment. Stiles attacker was lying at his feet with his head nearly blown off, but Scott didn't manage to focus on him.
The scene in front of him was so surreal that he almost thought it was a just a bad dream. His best friend was dying. Stiles, who really had nothing to do with this werewolf fight, had again been targeted.
He couldn't help but blame Derek for this. Scott knew who the dead guy was, and he knew why he was there. Hester's pack wanted revenge, and it was Derek that had brought her to their attention in the first place.
Allison and Derek were covering the view, so Scott couldn't see Stiles. As his hearing came back, he finally managed to calm down a bit, and he could feel that he was slowly transforming back. He couldn't smell the gunpowder anymore, but the sweet scent of Stiles' blood was still present.
Another scent came in with the little breeze that rustled the leaves. He knew for sure that it wasn't Allison's perfume, and when he turned to Lydia and inhaled deeply, he knew that it wasn't hers either.
Again, his claws came out and he felt that he was about to wolf out again. Troy had brought backup. One or both the twins were hiding somewhere between the trees. Scott's mind was clouded with concern for Stiles, but he still managed to think straight for a second.
He took a few steps backwards, trying not to alert anyone about his intentions. Everybody else was focused on Derek, Stiles, and Allison, so no one payed attention to him. He covered his face, trying to make it look like he was about to cry. It was technically not far from the truth, Stiles condition was serious.
When his back hit Lydia's car, he bent his head down and turned it a little to the side. A quick and clandestine sniff told him which direction do go. He peeked over to where Stiles was lying, but Allison and Derek blocked him completely.
For a moment, he struggled with himself. He wanted to run over to them, but at the same time he was adamant about catching whoever was hiding behind him.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"Did you meet them?" The question came the moment Eric entered the mansion. Jade sounded a bit distressed as she ran towards him. "Troy and my sister? Did they come back with you?"
Eric didn't know what to think. He'd left Beacon Hills with no clue that he'd been followed. "I'm sorry I'm late, but..." He huffed a little. "I wanted to spend more time with Alex. We talked, and... but what are you talking about?"
For a moment Jade looked terrified. "They, uh, they... I mean Troy went after you. He was angry and... I think he wanted to..." She sighed heavily and slumped her head down. "I wasn't firm enough with him. I should have stopped him."
Jade closed her eyes for a moment, and breathed heavily. "Joy wanted to stop him, but I was angry. I was pissed off because he doesn't want me, and I let him go." She grabbed Eric's shoulders and shook him violently. "You didn't see them? You, we... have to go back."
Eric was still not sure about what had happened. "Did Troy follow me to protect me? I find that hard to believe." He shook his head and gave Jade a lopsided smile. She obviously didn't find it remotely humorous. "Maybe, uh, no. He went there for revenge, and I told Joy to let him go, because I didn't care if he died. But I do care."
Again she shook him vigorously. Eric started to get a picture of what had gone on in the mansion while he was gone. "When did they leave? Did they leave together?" He grabbed Jade's hands and forced them off his shoulders.
Jade shook her head. "No, Joy followed him in the Beamer. She left...maybe ten minutes after." She was a little calmer now and Eric let go of her hands. "Well, I didn't see them. Joy wouldn't know where to go anyway. Call her. Tell her to come back."
The look on Jade's face told him that she hadn't even thought about that. She ran over to the coffee table and grabbed the phone. "I can do that." She flipped through the list, but hesitated for a moment, looking at Alex. "What if they're hiding. Maybe I should wait."
Eric closed his eyes and pushed his hand into his pocket. "Yeah, maybe you should." He waited until Jade had her back turned to him before he looked at his own phone. "I just need to pee, I'll be right back." He walked away, and not knowing if he was doing the right thing, he hurried to find Alex' number and pressed 'call'.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Alex picked up the phone, and pressed it to his ear. He didn't say anything, but it wasn't necessary. Eric started talking immediately. "Troy followed me. He wants revenge. He wants to kill the Argent girl... or Derek... or Stiles, all of them really. Whatever comes first." He was whispering, but there was a nervous tone to his voice. A long silence followed. "Alex? Can you hear me?"
When Alex still didn't reply, Eric obviously got a little worried. "Alex? It is you? What's going on?" He sounded calmer now, but the urgency was still present in his voice. Alex cleared his throat. He didn't know what to say. This call came a few minutes too late. "It's me, but I can't do this. I can't talk with you."
He was about to hang up. The fact that Troy lied there dead would possibly change things. Even if Eric technically had nothing to do with this, it would – for everybody else there – be perceived as an attack from Hester's pack. The others would possibly think that Eric had been there to scout them out.
The conflict in Alex' head was almost unbearable, but he had to make a choice now, so he wouldn't be dragged into this as an accomplice. "I'm sorry. Do not call me again."
As he lowered the phone from his ear, he watched as Scott suddenly disappeared between the cars. Seconds later, everybody could hear a loud scream before he came back with Joy. She was squirming and yelling, but quieted down when Chris aimed the gun at her temple.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Allison took a deep breath. Tears were running down her face when she understood what Derek meant. "It can kill him, you know that." She stroked Stiles' bloodstained cheek. His breathing was labored and she could hear that his heart was struggling to keep up the beat. Derek closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "I know, but you're right. Without it he's going to die for sure. Just..." He was unable to say anything more. He hurried to wipe his eyes before he gave her an almost invisible nod.
Then he lifted Stiles' arm and rolled the sleeve up to the elbow. "Save him. He's my life. Without him, I'm nothing."
Allison hesitated for a split second before she leaned over and sunk her teeth into Stiles' skin. Her tears dripped down and got mixed with Stiles' blood. She could feel Derek's hand on her neck, and wondered if he'd kill her if she couldn't save Stiles. If Derek hadn't spent all his powers to ease the pain he could have done this himself, but now it was up to her.
The moment she opened her mouth and let go of Stiles' arm, Derek wrapped his arm around her and tugged her closer. They both looked down at the almost lifeless body. Suddenly Stiles stopped breathing. His heart was still beating, but Allison knew it would only be a matter of time before it too would cave in. Allison was about to cry out in frustration and sorrow. She could feel Derek's claws dig into her hip, and she welcomed the pain.
A commotion behind them didn't bother her. A loud scream got her a little startled, but she couldn't focus on anything but Stiles right now. If Troy had backup it didn't matter. She had to rely on her dad, Scott and Isaac to have their backs.
She didn't know that she was holding her breath, until the she involuntarily gasped for air. Derek was leaning on her with his whole body-weight, but she managed to hold him up. They both stared at Stiles' face, and Allison knew that Derek's vision was just as clouded by tears as her own.
Derek's heart was beating so hard that she couldn't hear Stiles'. She wanted to lean in for a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, even if she knew it would be pointless under the circumstances. Time seemed to stand still. Not a sound came from any of the onlookers.
The guttural gasp from Stiles came as a surprise to them both. He coughed a couple of times before he heaved his breath. His eyelids fluttered a bit, but then they fell shut again. The wounds on his neck stopped bleeding, and Allison turned her head briefly to look at his belly. The gash there was still seeping a little, but the flow had diminished significantly. She could hear that Derek's heart skipped a few beats before he almost completely collapsed next to her.
Stiles was laying in his lap and he was still holding on to Allison's hip. She felt that his claws retracted while she did her best to keep him upright.