I Wanna See Your Animal Side - Chapter 17

~A Teen Wolf fan-fiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn~

"So… what movies are you thinking?" Teagan asked as they walked around the video store.

"Umm, we could have a Halloween movie marathon." Avery said as she eyed the wall of horror movies.

"Or we could watch something a little less scary." Teagan said as she wandered over to a wall of a new releases.

"What happened to me picking the movies?" Avery questioned as she followed her.

"You know I don't really like scary movies." Teagan said as she read the back of a romantic comedy.

"And scary movies won't help you get over Derek, they will only remind you of him." Teagan said, her voice harsher than she meant it to be.

She was still pissed at Derek for hurting Avery, herself and Jackson.

Avery bit down hard on the side of her cheek, she wanted to tell Teagan why he'd been so mean to her that night and how things were really good with him now.

The girls gathered a few movies and went to the counter to check out.

"Hello?" Avery yelled irritation in her voice from people not doing their job and not being where they were supposed to be.

"Be nice, A… maybe they're busy in the back or something." Teagan said as she nudged her friends arm.

"Busy with what? Previewing the latest pornos?" Avery said, loudly.

"Shh!" Teagan hissed her eyes wide.

"Well… this is bull." Avery sighed as she walked behind the counter.

"What the hell are you doing? Get out from behind there!" Teagan said as she watched Avery use the machine to remove the security holders from the D.V.D rental cases.

"They've got 2 minutes to get out here, or I'm leaving with these movies." Avery said as she stacked the cases and walked around to the front of the counter.

"And get arrested for stealing?" Teagan called over her shoulder as she started to make her way through the video store.

"Excuse me?" Teagan called loudly but with a polite tone.

As Teagan looked down an isle she gasped loudly in horror at the sight of a man's body on the floor covered in blood.

"T!" Avery exclaimed as she ran towards her.

Teagan shakily walked backwards away from the corpse.

"I'm… I'm calling 911." Teagan said as she pulled her phone from her pocket and shakily tried to hit the right buttons.

Avery walked closer to the body being careful not to step in any of the blood.

"A! Stop it!" Teagan yelled at her as some tears started to run down her cheeks.

Avery swallowed hard and leaned down to get a better look, her heart sank when she saw the man literally had his throat ripped out.

"T… forget the freaking cops we have to go now." Avery yelled panicked.

Teagan stumbled and lost her balance knocking down a ladder that was placed under an open light fixture.

An exposed wire from the ceiling got caught on the ladder and was pulled from the ceiling, causing an electrical short in the entire store's circuit.

"Oh my god." Teagan said her voice hoarse as the whole store went dark before a few lights dimly started to flicker.

Avery thought for a second that it looked like a scene from a horror movie.

Teagan grabbed Avery's arm and started to pull her to the front door.

Hearing the door chime Avery looked up to see a pair of red eyes glowing at her.

She grabbed Teagan's arm and jerked her backwards.

Teagan almost screamed when she looked up and saw the large being; it was covered fur like a wolf but stood up on 2 legs like a human.

Avery pushed her behind a shelf of movies and ducked down with her.

It was the alpha werewolf, Scott had told her about what it looked like when he'd gotten bit.

"What is that?" Teagan whispered as tears fell down her cheeks.

Avery covered her friends mouth and shook her head back and forth.

Hearing a loud crash they saw the far row of shelves toppling over and taking the next shelf out like dominoes.

Avery looked at the back exit door; it had a chain through the handle. They only way out would be the front of the store.

Hearing more loud bangs they knew the row of movie shelves they were crouched down behind was also toppling over.

Avery raised her head and looked around, she didn't see the alpha anymore and her eyes stopped on the front door.

She nodded for her best friend to follow her as she jumped up and started to race to door with Teagan's hand in her own.

The girls came to an abrupt stop when a shelf was thrown down right in front of them, blocking their path.

Teagan was a few steps behind Avery.

Both girls started to panic even more when the alpha raised up from behind one of the still standing shelves and started to walk towards them.

"Oh my god, we have to go." Teagan sobbed desperately pulling on her friends arm.

Avery backed up some with her friend but looked around the store, there was no way to get out and they'd never make it past the alpha.

They gasped and squeezed each other's hands tighter as the monster slowly stepped towards them, the shelf broke under his feet as he moved closer.

"Oh my god… we're going to die…" Teagan cried as she hugged Avery's arm against her.

"Yeah… we are." Avery barely squeaked out as tears now poured down her own cheeks.

They took a few steps back again, but before the alpha could get any closer they heard a loud shatter of glass and looked over to see Derek jump through one of the large windows.

For a moment Teagan wondered if maybe Derek had something to do with what was going on, until he jumped between the alpha and the girls.

Derek let out a deep growl as he faced the alpha and leaned down slightly, ready to spring forward and attack if he needed to.

The alpha jumped through another window and left the store.

Teagan gasped as Derek turned around to face them.

His face looked completely different, he didn't look human anymore. His eyes were glowing blue and he had large canine fangs showing as he breathed heavily through his open mouth.

Avery pulled her arm from Teagan's grip and slowly walked up to him. She had seen his glowing eyes and fangs before, but she had never seen his face when he shifted.

As she got closer he turned his head for a few moments taking a deep breath while he shifted back to human.

Teagan couldn't believe her eyes as he turned and looked at them, his face looked completely normal.

"Are you okay?" He asked Avery as she now stood in front of him.

"I… don't think so." She admitted, her wide eyes meeting his.

He stepped forward and took her face in his hands, wiping her tear stained cheeks with his thumbs before he pulled her against him.

Her body shook in his arms and she clutched onto his leather jacket.

"It's true? Werewolves are real?" Teagan managed to say as she stared at Avery who didn't seem the least bit scared standing in one's arms.

"Oh my god…" Teagan breathed out as she put a hand over her stomach, feeling sick.

Derek looked at Teagan as she stared at them. The last thing he needed was more people knowing his secret, especially ones who seemed to hate him like Teagan did.

But there was no way he was going to let anything kill Avery.

"I hear sirens." Derek said quietly as he let go of Avery and tried to step back, but she was clutching onto his jacket so tight her fingers we're white and cold.

"It's okay… it's gone." Derek said as he slid his hands down her shaking arms and started to pull her hands off of his coat.

"It… it was going to kill us." Teagan continued to realize everything out loud as the adrenaline rush started to fade.

"You're one of them?" Teagan gasped still letting everything sink in as she looked at Derek.

She blinked her eyes several times trying to get the image of his werewolf face out of her head, but she knew she'd never forget it.

Once Derek pried her ice cold fingers off of his jacket he looked around the store and said, "The cops will be here soon."

"It's fine… I won't tell them you were here." Avery said her voice shaky and hoarse.

He nodded and started towards the door.

"You'll stay close right?" She asked her eye still wide with terror.

He nodded again and looked at her one last time before he left.

"Avery…" Teagan said as her body shook from crying.

"We can't tell the cops about Derek being here, he doesn't need any more trouble with the law, okay?" Avery said walking up to her as she hugged her best friend.

"He's a werewolf…" Teagan managed to repeat.

"And he saved our lives… when they ask us what we saw… we have to tell them it was a mountain lion." Avery explained.

Teagan pulled free of Avery's grip and said, "How could you not tell me this?" A feeling of betrayal rising inside her.

"I tried to tell you about Scott and you thought I was crazy." Avery reminded her.

"You only tried once… you've known this whole time and you still never told me anymore about it. How could you keep something like this from me?" Teagan asked still in a state of paranoia induced panic.

"You wouldn't have believed me." Avery argued back.

"You… you said you'd never put me in danger." Teagan said angrily wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"Teagan…" Avery started to say but she cut her off.

"Did that thing follow you here?" Teagan shouted cutting her off.

"You think this was my fault?" Avery asked shocked at her accusation.

"I think that you can't date a werewolf without putting your life and your friends in danger." Teagan said, she knew the words leaving her mouth weren't making any sense.

But she was feeling so many things at once that she didn't really know how to feel about any of it.

"You're not making sense." Avery said taking a step towards her.

Teagan backed up as she shouted, "You think I don't know that?"

The parking lot started to fill with police cars and other curios bystanders who were gathering around the video store.

"Teagan… you can't tell anyone. Not a soul, not even Jackson. You have to keep saying it was a mountain lion that attacked you. You'll put Derek in danger if you tell anyone." She pleaded with her best friend.

"He's… he's not even human." Teagan stuttered, not understanding how Avery seemed to have no problems with what he was.

"And it puts me in danger, T." Avery pointed out.

Teagan took a deep shaky breath and nodded as she crossed her arms over her chest and quickly brushed past her friend out of the store as a few police officers were coming inside to secure the scene.

The police took Avery and Teagan over to the ambulance where the E. began to check them out, even though both girls insisted they weren't physically injured.

Avery glanced around trying to see if she could see Derek in the shadows anywhere.

She looked up to see him on top of the building and smiled to herself that he really hadn't taken off and left her there.

"Thank you for staying." She whispered, knowing he could hear her from where he was.

"Teagan!" They heard Jackson yell as he got out of his car and headed towards the ambulance.

He was swinging by the video store after he got the food on his way to Teagan's to see if the girls were still there.

"Sir, we need you to back up." One of the police officers on the scene said to him as they stood in front of him.

"Jackson!" Teagan yelled as she jumped up from where she'd been sitting and ran to him.

Avery was happy Jackson was there for her best friend, because she knew how badly Teagan was scared; they had both come so close to dying that night.

She hoped that with time, Teagan would realize the attack wasn't her fault and start to accept her relationship with Derek.

As she continued to watch Jackson holding and comforting Teagan she couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Her boyfriend had to watch them from the top of the building, while she sat on the back of the ambulance by herself.

"What happened." Jackson asked as he held Teagan close to him and she cried against his shirt.

"We got attacked…" Teagan finally was able to say.

"Did they catch the guy? Because they better arrest him before I get my hands on him." Jackson said his jaw tense with anger as he spoke.

He thought that it was some kind of robbery at the video store.

"It wasn't a person, well not really." Teagan mumbled without even thinking.

"what?" Jackson asked confused.

"It was a mountain lion… busted right in through the windows. It killed the guy who was working." Teagan said as she glanced over to where Avery was sitting with her arms wrapped around herself.

She couldn't believe Derek saved them, she was glad he showed up but she was shocked. Teagan thought back to what Derek had told her about him not being the bad guy she thought he was.

"Oh my god…" Teagan breathed out, her voice muffled by Jackson's shirt as she realized that's how Jackson had the claw mark puncture wounds on the back of his neck.

"What?" Jackson asked as he rubbed her back.

After giving her statement of what happened, they agreed to let Teagan leave with Jackson.

Avery walked over to where Jackson was leading Teagan to his Porsche.

He lovingly helped her get into the passenger seat.

"Are you okay to drive yourself, or do you want a ride?" He asked as he turned and looked at Avery, with her mascara tear stained cheeks.

"She's okay to drive herself." Teagan said, before she pinned her eyes shut and shook her head in disbelief at herself.

Avery was her best friend and always had been, but at the moment Teagan couldn't really stand to be around her.

"Teagan…" Jackson breathed out in confusion.

"I'm sorry, I…" Teagan's voice trailed off as she looked up to where her friend was standing by the car and she saw Derek on top of the building.

"I just want to go home." Teagan said as she pulled the door shut.

"It's fine, thanks for the offer but just get her home." Avery said, trying not to let the tears burning her eyes fall down her cheeks.

"What the hell happened in there?" Jackson asked Avery.

"Too much." Avery said as she turned around and walked away leaving a very confused Jackson standing by his car.

As Avery started back for the ambulance the Sherriff pulled up and stiles jumped out of the passenger seat of his dad's car.

"Avery…" He said as she sat down on the edge of the back of the ambulance again.

"Hey…" She said as she looked up at him.

"What the hell happened?" He asked her.

Avery waited till the EMT's were out of earshot and said, "The alpha."

Stiles' eyes widened, "Are you okay?"

"I almost died." She said looking up at him.

"Yeah, stupid question…" He breathed out.

"I just want to get the hell out of here… did your dad say when I can go?" She asked.

They hadn't let her leave yet because she'd driven herself there and they wanted to make sure she was okay before she got behind the wheel.

"In a little bit I think." Stiles said, as he noticed she was wearing one of Derek's shirts.

"Who were you here with?" He asked glancing around them.

"Teagan, but she left with Jackson." Avery explained.

"Wait, Teagan saw the alpha?" Stiles asked.

Avery nodded.

He was silent for a few minutes before he said, "Do you want to go somewhere, or get something to eat?"

Avery looked up at him, "Are you kidding me? You wait until I'm with Derek and almost got killed before you got the balls to ask me out?"

Stiles' eyes widened.

"No, I, uh… I didn't mean on a date. I just thought maybe you needed a friend and didn't want to be alone after what happened." Stiles said.

Avery looked at him.

"Oh… well, I thought you'd finally grown some balls." Avery said with a small laugh.

"Anyways, I'm not alone." She said.

He looked over to where her car was parked but didn't see anyone else.

"Look up." She whispered.

"What?" He asked confused.

"Up, Stiles. Look up." She said.

He slowly raised his head and looked up, he saw Derek and said "Oh…"

"He's the one who saved me and Teagan from the alpha." Avery said softly.

Stiles nodded and looked back up to where Derek was watching the two of them intently.

"Avery, if you're feeling up to it they said you can go." Sherriff Stilinski said as he walked over to her.

"Thank you." She said with a nod as she stood up.

"Do you want me to call your parents?" He asked.

"It's just my dad and it won't really matter if you call him or not." She said before saying goodbye to Stiles and walking over to her car.

~()~

Teagan sat on the end of her bed and took a deep breath.

She still couldn't believe what just happened. She and Avery were attacked, attacked by a huge wolf with bright red eyes.

No telling what could have happened to both girls, they could have been killed like the video store employee if it had not been for Derek; a werewolf looking Derek.

She closed her eyes and gasped when she saw the whole scene in her head again. Derek appearing with bright blue eyes and his canines bearing as he growled at the other animal.

She didn't think she would ever get that image out of her head.

When she felt someone sit down beside her she snapped her eyes open in fear then relaxed when she saw it was only Jackson. He handed her two aspirins and a bottle of water for her pounding headache.
She placed the pills in her mouth and glanced over at the bedside table she took a sip from the bottle. Her eyes landed on the picture of her and her mom and she felt tears in her eyes.

Her mom died from an animal attack and the same thing could have happened to her and Avery tonight. Or was it an animal attack?

She softly gasped when she realized that maybe it wasn't an animal after all. The official report was a big animal, but only because of the many scratch marks and animal fur that was left behind.

The police were always stumped on what kind of animal would attack and kill someone in the area they had lived in at the time. There were a few clues that suggested it could have been human but with no definite proof they had to go with animal. In a strange way a werewolf would make sense.

She felt a cold chill down her spine as she realized that not only were werewolves real but Avery was dating one and saw nothing wrong with it. It was like she didn't even know who her best friend was anymore.

As everything hit her at once she couldn't stop the tears that rained down her face. She felt Jackson wrap an arm around her and pull her towards him as she began to cry harder.

"Shh, you're ok. It's all ok now." Jackson mumbled as he held her tight against him which was just as much comfort for him as it was for her. He had never been as terrified as he was earlier when he pulled into the video store parking lot to see police cars and ambulances crowded around the building.

He felt his heart drop when he saw her sitting on the back of an ambulance as they checked her over. That was something he never wanted to experience again.

He continued to hold her against him until she was all cried out. When he heard her sniffle, he glanced down to look at the top of her head then whispered, "Hey, look at me."

Teagan wiped at her face then glanced up to look at him. She thought she was done crying, but when she looked into his eyes she felt more tears materialize.

Just looking at him reminded her of how close she'd almost come to losing it all. She would have never got to hug her dad or cuddle with Aspen or kiss Jackson ever again. Then she couldn't help but wonder if this is what her mom went through in her last moments.

Was she hopeful that she would be saved or did she know she was going to die and never get to see her husband and daughter again?

Jackson placed his hands on either side of her face before leaning down and softly kissing her lips. After a sweet and short kiss, he rested his lips against her, just needing to feel her lips against his for a moment.

"I love you." She whispered, their lips still barely touching.

"I love you too." He whispered back, before pressing his lips against hers again.

After the kiss he finally pulled back to look at her, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Other than knowing there was a wild animal in the building that killed one employee and attacked Teagan and Avery he really didn't know many details. At the moment all he wanted to know was if she was ok and figured he would find out the rest later.

Teagan shook her head, "No, I don't... I can't talk about it."

"Ok. We won't talk about it." Jackson said, not wanting to push her. He gave her a small kiss then pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, "Is there anything you need?"

"I just want to lay down." Teagan said softly, feeling numb all over.

"Ok, we can do that." Jackson said, as he stood up from the bed.

He reached down to grab her hands and pulled her up to her feet to stand before him. He kept an arm wrapped around her, letting her lean against him as he pulled the covers on her bed down then helped her lay down.
As soon as she laid down, Aspen jumped on the bed and laid down beside her. Jackson watched as she cuddled up to the dog and took a deep breath. She looked up at Jackson then added quietly, "And I think I want to be alone."

Jackson shook his head as he sat down on the edge of her bed before saying, "No way. I'm not leaving you alone."

"I'm not alone. I have Aspen." Teagan said, as she hugged the dog, then added, "Plus dad is right downstairs."

Jackson stroked her cheek and watched as she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. He was honestly scared to leave.

The last time they went their separate ways things didn't turn out so well. He realized in this moment that he needed her more than she needed him. But he had to respect her wishes didn't he?

"I love you Jackson, I do and I'm not trying to push you away or anything, I just need some time alone." Teagan explained. She had so much running through her mind and knew if he stayed she would blurt it all out and he would think she had gone crazy.

Jackson finally nodded his head giving in, but said, "Ok, but tomorrow I'll be back and you won't be able to get rid of me so easily."

"Deal." Teagan said with a small smile.
He gave her a quick kiss, told Aspen to take good care of his girl, then left the bedroom. Once alone, she closed her eyes, just wanting to put everything from her mind and sleep.

A/N- I hope you all liked the update; we're still having a lot of fun working on this story together. ^_^

We both make sets to go along with this story on our polyvore accounts, the links are posted on our profiles.

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