Chapter Twenty Two - Going Under
~ A Teen Wolf fanfiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn.~
Walking into the upstairs bathroom at the house her mom grew up in, the same house Allison had been training them in, and the house that apparently Deucalion was going to keep them in until it was time to fight.
He really had a thing for holding people hostage right under everyone else's nose.
Reaching through the dusty cobweb over the dull metal knobs on the sink she turned the water on, the house was connected to its own well and no power was required to use the water. Which she was thankful for as she splashed some on her face.
Staring at herself in the mirror for a brief second before slowly lowering her gaze to the old leather bound book that had belonged to her mother.
Plugging up the sink with the old styled chain and weight stopper, she filled it with water and closed her eyes as she plunged both hands into the water and focused all of her attention on drawing power from the water, and forcing herself to travel beyond her body, just like she'd read in the book
The feeling of her conscious thought being tore away from her body, cell by cell was agonizing, but she had to remain focused through the pain. Pushing herself past her limits to understand what was happening, to know how close her mom was to completing her last group of sacrifices.
When her eyes opened she saw a face staring back at her didn't expect; Paul Young.
Seeing he was bleeding from the side of his head, she looked down to see her mothers hand extend as she tried to clear the blood away, but he flinched away from her touch.
"I don't understand…" He said, his eyes rimmed red as he stared back at someone he thought had been dead.
Taking his head in her hands her mother wiped the blood away and said, "I would give anything to no have to do this… I never wanted to leave Teagan with no parents. But rest assured when all of this is over, I'll take her under my wing, protect her. Her and Avery both."
He angrily struggled against the ropes binding him as he, shouted "You stay away from my daughter!"
With a sigh Aleine dropped her hands on her knees, as she was knelt down on the dirt in front of him.
"Oh Paul, just think about what you're doing." She cooed, before she looked over her shoulder to the other 2 parents, and added "What you're all doing. You're making this town, this world safer for your children."
He stared back at her, still in shock and barely able to see through his splitting headache.
"You're sacrificing people!" Melissa exclaimed as she frantically moved her shoes against the dirt in the root cellar.
Standing up she looked around, her gaze stopping on the Sheriff as she said, "You keep using that word; sacrifice. Tossing it around like you understand, but you don't."
"You're killing innocent people; pretty sure we got that part figured out." Sherriff Stilinski shot back at her.
"No, you're not understanding the word, it's derived from the Latin 'sacrificuim' meaning an offering to a deity. A sacred right. It's a necessary evil."
Ignoring the pleas for her to find reason and let the go she turned and headed up the steps of the root cellar, closing the doors behind her as she eyed the nemeton with a smug smirk on her lips.
"Avery, Avery! Wake up, oh my god!" She could hear someone saying, but the voice sounded too distant to get to, now that she was lost in total darkness.
Feeling a harsh tap on her cheek she grabbed onto it and tried to yell out for someone to help her, or at least to stop slapping her.
Finally she came to, her eyes snapping open just as Scott tapped her on the side of her face again.
"Stop hitting me!" She yelled sitting up and scooting back away from him.
With a heavy sigh of relief he sat back on the floor and stared at her as he said, "What happened, I've been trying to wake you up for almost an hour."
"What?" She gasped it had only felt like she'd been gone for a few moments, but long enough to see that her mom had gathered the 3rd victim she needed.
She'd been worried about all the other parents in town, even Allison's dad but she'd never expected her mom to take her best friends dad. One of her own closest friends.
Swallowing hard she ran her fingers through her hair and realized her mom was truly gone, up until then she'd hoped that there was still a part of her mom, the mom she'd known and loved that could still be reached. But not anymore, now she knew that woman was lost, gone forever and she had to take her down.
"What happened?" Scott asked, concerned lined his face as he saw her wiping away at a small trail of blood running from one of her nostrils.
"N-nothing…" she lied, not sure how he'd react to knowing she'd just walked into someone else's head, saw the world through someone else's eyes.
Scott opened his mouth to tell her that he didn't believe her, and whatever was going on she could tell him, but Deucalion yelled up from the first floor, saying they needed to be leaving.
~()~
Avery quietly walked beside Scott as they followed Deucalion into the woods. He kept looking over at her with a concerned expression.
"I'm fine." She quietly said, but she really didn't know if she was. Getting into her mom's took more power and energy out of her than she'd expected, and she was still recovering. But at least the nose bleed had stopped.
As they came to a stop, Avery noticed Deucalion was staring off into the distance, and then she noticed what he was staring at.
"It's a firefly." She pointed out, looking to Scott with a shrug.
"Unusual for this region isn't it?" He questioned.
When Scott stayed silent, Avery spoke up, "Yeah, the first time Teagan and I saw one was one vacation as a kid, I've never seen them here."
Then a pained expression fell over her face remembering the vacation, her family being whole and having her best friend by her side. If she'd only known how everything would have turned out she would have appreciated those moments more.
"It's because of Aleine, isn't it?" Scott asked, "Just before all of this started a deer crashed into Lydia's car. The cats went crazy at the animal clinic…bird flew into the high school."
After a few moments Deucalion said, "They say animals can sense natural disasters when they're about to happen. Maybe they can sense supernatural ones as well…"
Avery looked down to the ground, a part of her still couldn't believe that it was her own mother who was doing all of this.
"She scares you…" Avery realized.
"She concerns me if she's willing to kill that many innocent people for her cause. People like Scott's mother and Stiles' father."
Scott glanced up to the sky then back down as he asked, "Are you willing to kill innocent people?"
"I'll kill any living thing that gets in my way."
His words sent a chill down her spine as she and Scott exchanged looks.
They trio continued their trek farther into the woods until they came across Ms. Morrell standing in a circle of mountain ash, while the alpha pack stood angered around the circle.
Avery looked down and then up to the schools guidance counselor with wide eyes, as she realized that thin line of ash was the only thing standing between Morrell and sure death.
"How did you know, Marin, that we'd come for you?" Deucalion questioned stepping closer to the circle.
"Because Aleine and I are the same. And I know you've always been suspicious of us and what we can do." By the end of her sentence she seemed to almost being staring a hole through Avery.
"With good reason… we know you sent that girl. The one who helped, Isaac." Kali hissed, as she closed in on the barrier.
Avery's lips curled in digust at even the sound of her voice. She hated Kali with everything that was in her, for everything that she'd done.
Sensing the eyes on her back, the female alpha turned her head and flashed her asinister, fanged smile.
"What was her name…" Deucalion questioned, in a tone to reveal he already knew the answer.
"Braeden. And I sent her to do what I've always done; maintain balance." Ms. Morrell snapped at him.
"What do you know about Aleine Dukate?" Kali pushed.
"Nothing more than you know…" Her voice trailed off as she looked to the teenagers and said, "This isn't you, Scott go back to your friends."
Avery crossed her arms over her chest as Morrell nodded to her and said, "You'd be wise to run too."
"They can decided for themselves." Deucalion's voice cut the silence of the cool night.
"Not without all the information, have you told them everything you've done? How you've piled up bodies in a narcissistically psychotic effort to form your perfect pack?" She asked, with her eyebrows raised as she looked around the circle to the alphas.
Flipping her head back to Kali she admitted, "Bodies that include Ennis, by the way. My brother saved him! He was alive when Deucalion went in to see him."
Kali shook her head back and forth, clearly not believing what she was being told.
"He wants you to go after Derek, Kali. To force his decision."
An eerie silence fell over the group before Ms. Morrell looked at Avery with her head cocked to the side and said, "It's why he went after you, its all part of his master plan. He knew you were the weakest, you join the pack and then Derek would choose to join over losing you forever."
Avery's jaw tensed and she could feel her heart starting to beat faster.
"And if Derek joins then it paves the way for Scott." Morrell continued.
With a sigh Deucalion dismissed the accusations, "The lies people will tell when they're begging for their life."
"Ask him." She nodded to Kali, but before anything else could be said Deucalion tossed his cane, with the concealed blade exposed at the guidance counselor and hit her in the shoulder.
Stunned from the sudden action and the pain she was in, she not only stumbled backwards, but as she fell her foot broke the circle of mountain ash.
Avery looked over to see Scott racing to her aid, and she followed behind him.
The twins growled as they closed in but Scott yelled, "Hey! Back off!"
The pack slowed to a stop and looked to where the teenagers were trying to protect Morrell.
After pulling the cane out, Scott assured her, "I'm not going to let them kill you… but if you know something, I need to know."
Breathing heavily through the pain she explained, "The nemeton, you find that, you'll find Aleine."
Scott nodded and Avery glanced down to the ground, it was old information at that point but she couldn't let the others know that she knew that.
When Scott pulled her to her feet, she fearfully looked at the alpha pack and clutched onto her wounded shoulder.
~()~
After leaving the bank, Isaac drove around town with a silent Teagan beside him, unsure where to go until Stiles sent a text, telling him to meet them at the vet's office. When they walked into the building, Deaton and Stiles turned to look at them, both concern about the dead look in Teagan's eyes.
None of them were used to this version of her, they were used to cheerful, easygoing, full of life girl they all got to know within the last year. But the pain and hurt she was feeling now was familiar to her.
It's what she felt after losing her mom and it took time to pull herself out of that, it was never easy, but having her father, Avery, Isaac and her other friends around helped, but now after losing her father and best friend, it was hard to pull herself out of it again.
She was running out of reasons to go on. The only keeping her present at the moment was Isaac, if it wasn't for him, she would already be a lost cause.
Stiles reached out and laid a hand on Teagan's shoulder, giving it a squeeze, as he flashed her a tight smile, knowing how she felt. When she didn't react or even look at him, he looked over at Isaac, knowing what he meant now when he told him in a text message earlier how bad she was.
Stiles removed his hand, and took a step away from her, not wanting to crowd her. He saw Isaac wrap an arm around her waist and pull her toward him, whispering words of comfort to her.
Deaton cleared this throat then glanced over at Teagan as he said, "I know things seem bleak right now, but we do know where your dad is." He paused for a moment, waiting to see if his words would get a reaction out of her, when she didn't say anything, he continued, "We know where all of the parents are, which means we can save them."
"Has anyone found out where the Nemeton is yet?" Isaac questioned.
Stiles shook his head, then said, "But it has to be on a telluric current, or maybe even at the axis of two or where they all intersect. I just know it's where Derek took Paige to die."
"I talked to Allison; she said her dad and Gerard were there once. But Gerard said it was years ago, and he couldn't remember where it was." He continued.
"What about Chris?" Isaac questioned.
"He's still unconscious." Stiles answered, then added, "The doctors said he'll be okay, but they don't know when he'll wake up. It can be a few minutes or a few hours."
"And we don't have hours." Isaac said, stating the obvious. "Then how do we find this place?" He questioned, as he lightly rubbed his thumb against Teagan's hip when he felt her stiffen beside him.
"There might be a way. But it's dangerous." Deaton said, as he looked at the three teenagers in front of him.
Teagan looked over at the older man for the first time, then surprised everyone as she finally spoke up. "Whatever it is, I'll do it." She said.
"What's the plan?" Stiles questioned.
"Essentially, you two and Scott need to be surrogate sacrifices for your parents." Deaton said, as he looked at Teagan and Stiles.
"Whoa, wait... what-what does that mean, exactly?" Isaac asked nervously, as he tighten his hold on Teagan, already not liking the sound of this plan.
"It's similar to what we did for you, when we tried to regain your memories." Deaton said, as he looked at Isaac. He paused for a moment, looking at all three of them, as he added, "The difference is, if it goes right, the three of you will be dead."
"What?" Isaac breathed out in shock.
"For how long?" Stiles questioned with watery eyes. He didn't want to die, but like Teagan, he would do whatever to find his dad.
"It's hard to say. In your state of hyperconscious you will have a separate journey to complete before you can wake up. " Deaton answered.
"I'll do it." Teagan stated.
"Teagan... no-"
"There's something else you need to know about this." Deaton said, interrupting Isaac's plea to his girlfriend. "This is a dangerous thing for more reasons than one. You'll be giving power back to the Nemeton, a place that hasn't had power for a long time. This kind of power is like a magnet. It attracts the supernatural, the kind of things that a family like the Argents can fill the pages of a bestiary with. It will draw them here, like a beacon." He added.
"I don't care." Teagan said, sounding stronger than she had in the last few hours. "We'll deal with whatever comes our way, but right now, we need to save our parents. We can't let Aleine hurt them." She looked over at Stiles, as she added, "You know your dad would do anything to save you. Just like Melissa would do for Scott and my dad would do for me. We have to do this for them. We have to save them, Stiles."
Stiles swallowed hard, nodded his head, agreeing with her. He looked over at Deaton, as he asked, "Is that it?"
"No." Deaton answered, and then added, "It'll also have an effect on the three of you. You won't be able to see it, but you'll feel it every day for the rest of your lives. It'll be a kind of a darkness around your heart, and permanent, like a scar."
"Like a tattoo." Teagan quietly added, as she absent mindedly ran her fingers against the butterfly tattoo on her hip. She looked over at Deaton, as she asked, "What do we do now?"
"Now we need Scott." Deaton answered. He looked at Stiles, then looked over at Teagan, as he asked them both, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Teagan took a deep breath and avoiding looking at Isaac, she knew if she did, she might change her mind. Instead she looked at Stiles and Deaton as she said,"Go get Scott."
Stiles nodded as he took out his cell phone to text his friend, then he and Deaton left the office without another word, leaving Teagan alone with Isaac until they returned.
Teagan stepped away from Isaac, walking a few steps in front of him, keeping her back turned to him, scared to face his way. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to remain strong and not break down, before she finally turned around to face him and opened her eyes.
She looked at him for a minute, unsure what to say. She knew he wasn't happy about it, but she couldn't fully read his expression since he was now avoiding her gaze.
"Isaac..." Teagan softly said, trying to get his attention. When that didn't work, she walked toward him and reached out to grab his hand as she continued, "I know what you're thinking-"
"Don't!" Isaac snapped, as his head shot up and he moved his hand aside to keep her from grabbing it. He pointed a finger at her, as he barked, "You have no idea what I'm thinking right now."
"Then tell me. Tell me what you're thinking." Teagan said back. "Just talk to me, Isaac." She pleaded.
"That's rich coming from you." Isaac said bitterly. "I've been trying and trying for hours to get you to talk to me, but you would barely say a word." He said, as tears filled his eyes. He bit his bottom lip to keep them from falling, then continued sarcastically, "But now you have plenty of words to say as you agree to be used as a sacrifice."
"Isaac, I'm sorry." Teagan breathed out.
"I don't want your apologizes, Teagan." Isaac said a little harsher than he meant.
"Then what do you want? What do you want from me, Isaac?" Teagan questioned.
Isaac scoffed and shook his head, refusing to answer. Without another word, he turned around and left the room. Teagan heard his angry footsteps go down the hallway, then lowered her eyebrows in confusion when she heard a loud noise coming from one of the other exam rooms.
She ran out into the hallway and glanced in each of the rooms, looking for him, until she heard the noise again, coming from the last room on the left. She ran into the room and gasp in surprise when she realized what the noise was, it was Isaac punching the brick wall repeatedly.
"Isaac, stop!" Teagan yelled, as she ran over to him.
She grabbed his arm, stopping him from punching the wall again. She felt her heart racing when he turned his head to the side to look at her, his eyes glowing yellow and his fangs out.
"Isaac..." Teagan breathed out, then added, "Listen to me, you got to calm down."
"No!" Isaac yelled out, as he jerked his arm away. He walked away from her, breathing heavily but trying to stay in control, but the more he thought about it, the madder he was. He walked over to a table, where a few books and empty bottles were setting. He punched one of the bottles, shattering it, then moved his arm across the top surface, knocking everything else off the table in a fit of rage.
"Isaac!" Teagan cried out, as she rushed over to him. She grabbed his arm, looking over his hand and seeing shards of glass stuck in his hand. Isaac avoided her eyes as she picked the pieces of glass out. Once she was done, she held on to his hand, lightly rubbing her fingers over the back of it, as she watched the cuts close up.
When his hand was healed and back to normal, she lifted her head to look at him, as she softly said, "I know you're mad at me, but-"
Isaac shook his head, then softly said, "I'm not at mad you." He paused for a minute, taking a few breaths trying to get control of his emotions, then added, "I'm just pissed at the situation. And I..."
"You what?" Teagan asked, when he paused again. "Tell me what you're thinking." She added.
He pulled his hand away, and then took a few steps away from her. "I'm thinking you can't do this. I'm thinking I can't lose you. I'm thinking that, I can't just stand here and watch the girl I love die in front of my eyes." He began to say, his voice slightly cracking.
He turned around to face her, seeing that she was about to speak, but before she could, he continued, "But I get it. I know you have to. I know you have to do whatever it takes to save your dad. Just like I had did when I was trying to save my pack. I never really understood how terrified you felt, I mean I felt it coming from you that day, but all I could think about is, I needed to do this, but now, I get it." He placed a hand on his chest, as he said, "That gut wrenching feeling, that feeling that I may never see you again. Never hold you again, I'm feeling it and Teagan, I-I can't... I can't imagine my life without you."
Teagan bit her bottom lip to keep from crying out at his words, but when she saw a tear slide down his face, she couldn't stop a sob from escaping, as she rushed across the room and threw her arms around his neck. She buried her face in his shirt, as the two held each other as tight as they could, but it still wasn't close enough for her.
She lifted her head to look at him, seeing more tears roll down his face, then stood on her tip toes, as her lips crashed against his for a heated kiss. He rested his hand on the back of her head, then tangled his fingers in her hair, as he pulled her face closer to his.
After a long, salty kiss, the two pulled back and gasp for breath. He placed his hands on either side of her face, feeling the moisture on her skin from all the tears she shed. He leaned forward to rub his nose against hers, then pulled back again to look at her, memorizing her face.
She reached up to wipe a tear from his cheek, then cleared her throat, as she whispered, "I love you."
Isaac nodded his head, afraid to speak, knowing he would fall apart if he did. He kissed her forehead, and left several kisses in different places on her face. He couldn't speak the words at the moment, but he could show her how much he loved her.
She looked up at him, taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it, before saying. "I just want you to know, no matter what, that I-"
"Don't" Isaac whispered out, as he closed his eyes and shook his head, a pained look on his face. He opened his eyes to look at her, his voice cracking again, as he added, "Don't say your goodbyes. Don't do it because you are coming back to me. You are!"
Teagan shook her head, fresh tears rolling down her face, as she said, "But if I don't, just listen to me. Please, listen to me."
"I love you so much Isaac and I... I know you are it for me. You are the one I want to spend my forever with, even if my forever ends tonight, it'll be okay because I got to be with you. I was loved by you, truly loved and not everyone gets that, but I did and I am so grateful." She softly said. Sniffling as she wiped the tears from her face, and she whispered, "Thank you for loving me."
Isaac shook his head, as he said back, "No, thank you. Thank you for loving me, Teagan. Thank you for saving me, over and over again, you saved me and gave me a reason to live every day. And you're going to keep doing that, because you are coming back to me. You always come back to me, and this time is no different."
Teagan softly smiled at his words as she reached out and grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers. She brought his hand up to her lips, softly kissing the back of it, as she whispered, "It's you and me."
"Always." Isaac whispered back, as he pulled her toward him and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight.
~()~
Pulling his phone from his pocket, Scott saw that it was Stiles who'd texted him saying that Deaton had a way to save their parents, but that they needed him too.
Avery read his screen at the same time and the friends exchanged looks, they needed a way to get Scott away from Deucalion.
"I have an idea." Avery whispered as she stood from the chair she'd been sitting in and walk out of the back door through the kitchen, which led into the large overgrown backyard facing the large woods behind the house
"Avery." He greeted as he continued to stare off towards the woods.
She walked over and stood beside him as she tried to think of a way to start the conversation.
"Out with it." He instructed, knowing she was biting her tongue to keep from talking.
"I want to make a deal with you." She admitted, as she looked up to the night sky.
"You're bargaining.. with me?" He with an amused tone.
"I'll stay, I'll help you kill my mom and then I'll leave town with you and your pack, no protest and no backing out." She said, tears burning her eyes as she thought of everything she was leaving behind. All of her friends she'd never see again, how she'd have to grow up without Teagan by her side.
"In exchange for what?" He pushed.
"Call Kali off, don't let her hurt Derek." She pleaded.
"I'm surprised at you." He quietly admitted.
She looked at him waiting on a response as she smashed some grass down with her shoe.
"You obviously still care very deeply for him, so why not help get in the pack, then we all leave together?"
"Because I know how you operate, and in order for Derek to join your pack he has to kill his own pack, and he only has one beta that he turned himself left. Isaac, and not only would I never ask that of him, I wouldn't let him. With me gone Isaac is all Teagan has left." She admitted, a few tears running down her cheeks as she spoke, which she quickly tried to brush away.
"You're future? You're offering to give up everything you've ever wanted so that your friends can continue on… without you?" He asked, not quite able to hide his surprise.
"Those are my terms."
With a small laugh he twisted the cap on his cane between his finger and thumb as he thought the offer over.
"You're wise beyond your years." He sighed then nodded as he said, "You understand if you go back on your word, trying to run… "
"You'll kill me." She nodded.
"No, of course not… I'll hunt down and kill everyone you've ever loved."
"I understand." She said through gritted teeth.
She started to bring up the idea of letting Scott go but Deucalion said, "It's rude to eavesdrop, Scott."
Spinning around she saw him standing in the open doorway to the house, where he then slowly started walking towards them.
He kept his gaze on Avery, replaying what he'd heard in his head. She'd made up her mind, she leaving town with the alphas to rid her friends of their imposing danger.
He knew how close she and Teagan were, and he'd seen firsthand how determined and panicked she got if Derek was in danger, he'd learned that when she'd shoved him against the wall a year ago when Derek had went missing.
But with the way she'd been towards the alphas at the hospital, he knew how she felt about them, he could feel the hate oozing off of her when she was around them. Yet, she was ready to doom herself to a life of unhappiness beside them.
Avoiding his eyes she said, "I've made my decision, now you need to let Scott make his. Let him go."
Deucalion turned his head in her direction and she thought to herself how creepy it was that he still seemed to be looking right at her even though he was blind.
"Let him try to save his mom, if he fails… you know he'll back." She pleaded.
"And if he doesn't return?"
Avery's words sounded a multitude stronger than she felt as she explained, "True alpha or not during the eclipse, he'll be useless… if you want to win against my mom, you're going to need me."
Deucalion glanced down as he smiled, thinking what a great addition Avery was to his pack, she only thought she had druid blood in her veins; that she was destined to be an emissary; which he'd let her believe, but the truth was so much more.
"You're free to go, Scott. But when the time comes, make the right decision… join me." He said, truth was he wasn't ever planning on holding Scott against his will.
"Not without Avery." He confidently said.
"No." She argued.
Taking a step closer her said, "I'm not leaving you."
Nodding and trying not to cry she said, "Yes you are… we both know you're better at playing the hero than I am. So just go… save your mom and Stiles' dad, and Teagan's dad."
He started to argue then stopped as he asked, "Teagan's dad?"
"She has all three now, she's all set, just waiting on the perfect moment to kill them so you have to go, go now." She urged
Scott glanced back to the house and then back to her as said, "I'll come back for you, I promise."
But she cut him off, "Don't promise me that, Scott. Just go."
He stared at her a bit longer before turned and heading back to the house, calling Stiles on the way to find out where he needed to meet him.
~()~
Isaac wasn't sure how long the two stood there, just holding each other as they silently cried, when they heard a door open up front. They pulled back, looking at each other, with a nervous look on their faces, assuming it was the others returning, meaning it was time to start.
Isaac ran a hand down Teagan's arm, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze, as if to ask if she was ready. She looked over at him, giving him a small smile as she nodded her head once.
He kept a tight grip on her hand, as the two left the room together and walked down the hallway toward the front of the building. Teagan came to a stop and softly gasp when she saw who was standing by the front door. It wasn't the others like they had thought, it was an old friend. An old friend she was extremely happy to see at this moment.
"Jackson?" Teagan asked, still surprised to see that he was really standing there.
"Surprise." Jackson said, as he flashed her –his trademark smile.
"Oh my god!" Teagan breathed out, as she rushed across the room and jumped into his arms to hug him, missing the look on Isaac's face.
"What are you doing here?" Teagan asked Jackson once the hug was over.
"With everything going on did you really think I wouldn't come?" Jackson questioned, then smiled as he added, "I told you I am always here for you, T."
Teagan smiled at his words and nodded her head to thank him. She felt tears in her eyes again, as she said, "Things are even worse since we last talked."
"What happened?" Jackson asked, concerned when he saw the look on her face.
"It's Aleine." Teagan said with wide eyes, still finding it hard to believe that the woman she looked up to as a second mother was the one doing all of this. That she was the one who kidnapped her father, as well as Stiles' father and Scott's mother, and planned to kill them all.
"What?" Jackson asked in disbelief.
"It's Aleine." Teagan said again, then continued, "She's the darach. She's the one murdering everyone. God, she's the one who almost killed Lydia. She-she took Stiles dad, Scott's mom and..."
"And what?" Jackson asked when she paused.
"And dad." Teagan whispered, as tears filled her eyes. She bit her bottom lip to keep them from falling, as she continued, "She took my dad and she's planning on killing them all."
"Holy shit." Jackson said, as he ran his hand over his hair. "So what… what are we doing to get them back?" He questioned.
Isaac stepped up beside Teagan, wrapping an arm around her waist, as he said,"She and the other two have to basically sacrifice themselves to find them."
"Wait, what the hell does that mean?" Jackson asked, as he looked at the couple in front of him. Like Isaac, he was not liking this idea already.
Before either one of them could answer, the door opened again, as Deaton, Stiles, Scott and Lydia walked in. Stiles had called the latter to swing by for support.
"Jackson..." Lydia breathed out, when she saw her ex-boyfriend standing in front of her.
"Hey, Lydia." Jackson said, as he threw his arms around her to give her a hug and ask how she was feeling. Even if the two were broken up, he still cared about her and wanted the best for her, he felt that way about both of his ex-girlfriends.
Teagan looked over at Scott, happy to see that he was okay, but had secretly hoped he would have brought Avery with him. "Scott..." She began to say, as she walked pass some of the others to get to him. She laid her hands on his arms, almost if she was using him to hold herself up, as she continued, "Where's Avery?"
"She's still with Deucalion. She made a deal with him." Scott said, as he shot her a sad smile. Wishing he had better news for her.
"What kind of deal?" Teagan asked.
"It doesn't matter." Scott said, sparing her the details. He laid one of his hands on top of hers, as he added, "Because we'll get her back. I promise."
Teagan nodded her head, then took a step back from him, wrapping her arms around herself. She glanced over the group in front of her, looking at each one of the faces, as everyone was having their own separate conversations or doing their own thing.
Lydia was talking to Jackson, telling him everything that Teagan had not told him yet.
Isaac was helping Deaton fill the three metal tubs with ice water and mistletoe.
Scott and Stiles were quietly talking to each other about what the three of them were about to do. The two were just as nervous as she was, but they all knew it was something they had to do.
Once everything was ready, Lydia gave Teagan a set of clothes that she brought her from her house. Teagan changed out of the jeans and t shirt, standing in a small room alone in her bra and underwear. She took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds, then blew it out as she closed her eyes, trying to gather all the strength and courage she needed to do this.
She glanced down at the tattoo on her hip. The one she got to remind her of how strong she was. She could swear she could almost hear Avery's voice in her head, telling her she could do this, that she was stronger than she knew.
She lightly ran her finger over the outline of the tattoo, as she whispered out to herself, "You're right A, I can do this."
Knowing the others were waiting for her, she quickly threw on the black loose-fitted dress Lydia let her borrow. She glanced over at the clothes she was wearing, then reached into one of the front pockets of the jeans and pulled out her mother's bracelet. Ever since finding it in the woods, she had kept it on her at all times.
With bracelet in hand, she left the room and joined the others in the main room where the tubs were waiting for her, Stiles and Scott.
Deaton looked over at the three teens, as he asked,"Alright. What did you bring?" He explained to them earlier they needed something personal that belongs to their parents.
Stiles showed them his father's badge and Scott had his mother's watch. After they both explained their reasons for picking that, everyone looked over at Teagan, waiting for her to speak.
She glanced down at the bracelet in her hand, running her fingertips across the charm. When she heard Isaac softly say her name, she looked over at him, seeing him nod his head toward the others, letting her know they were waiting for her.
"Oh, sorry." Teagan mumbled. She sniffled then wiped a tear from her cheek that she never even noticed had fallen from her eyes. She glanced around at everyone in the room, then cleared her throat and began to say, "I know I should have brought something of my dad's, but this is my mom's bracelet. He gave me and her one a couple of years ago for Christmas."
"He said the smile on our faces was worth every penny he spent on them and for that reason, it was the most important thing to him because it made his two favorite..." She paused for a moment, tears filling her eyes, as her mind flashed back to that Christmas morning. "He said it was the most important thing to him because it made his two favorite girls happy and that is all he ever wanted. For us to be happy."
Isaac wrapped an arm around her shoulders, bringing her toward him, as she began to silently cry. She buried her face in his shirt, hating that everyone was witnessing her break down.
Deaton nodded his head, then began to explain the process to them. He explained that each of them will get in and will be held underwater until they are essentially dead and that the person holding them under must also be able to pull them back, kind of like a 'emotional tether' or anchor.
He looked over at Teagan first, getting ready to tell who her anchor was, when Jackson spoke up, offering to be her anchor. Since Deaton mentioned it had to be someone she had a strong connection with, Jackson figured that would be him. Even if they were broken up, they were still close and she was able to save him when he was the kanima, he wanted a way to save her back to thank her.
"That's very generous of you, Jackson." Deaton began to say, then nodded his head toward Isaac, as he added, "But I was actually referring to him. He is her strongest bond, he can pull her back."
Teagan looked over at Jackson, sending him a small smile, as if to apologize, but he just shook his head, saying it was okay.
Deaton glanced over at Lydia, getting ready to tell her to go with Stiles, until he felt a sharp pain in his head, like someone was trying to invade his thoughts. He bent over, grabbing on to the edge of one of the tubs, as he squeezed his eyes shut and tried not to yell out in pain.
"Deaton, are you ok?" Scott asked, as he rushed to his boss' side.
He nodded his head, and then stood back up, a small smile on his face as he realized what just happened. He cleared his throat then continued talking to the teens, as he paired off Lydia with Stiles, then informed Scott he would be his anchor.
Now all that was left to do was get in the tub and start.
Teagan glanced at Isaac for a moment, mouthing out the words,'I love you', then walked over to her tub. She balled one of her hands in a fist, holding on tight to the bracelet, and grabbed on to the side of the tub with her other hand.
Without stopping to think about it, she lifted her foot and stepped inside the tub. She gasped out loud at how cold it was, it felt like a million of needles sticking her at once. She continued to gasp, trying to breathe through the cold, as she placed her other foot inside the tub.
Deciding to get it all over with at once, kind of like diving into a cold pool, she quickly sat down, feeling the ice cold water covering most of her body, only her head was sticking out, as she took short breaths, trying to ignore how cold it really was.
She heard Stiles and Scott talking quietly to each other, and looked over at Jackson, giving him a small smile, as if to thank him for coming all this way to help. Then she laid her head back, looking up at Isaac, memorizing his face and hoping it wasn't going to be the last time she ever saw him.
She felt like time stood still, as Deaton nodded his head at the others, letting them know it was time to begin. She felt Isaac's hands on her shoulders and felt the pressure as he began to push her down toward the icy cold water.
She kept her eyes locked with his until she had to close them and hold her breath as she was pushed completely under water. She thrashed around a few times, but felt him holding her under until she began to lose consciousness. The last thing she saw before everything went black was a quick flash of everything and everyone she ever loved, after that it was nothing but darkness as her heart stopped beating.
A/N – Thank you all so much for reading! We both really hope you all liked the chapter.
Thank you so much for all of the support and to everyone who follows and/or favorites this story! We both seriously devote so much to not just writing this story, but making Polyvore sets and videos, playlists and posts on Tumblr. And to know that we have fans out there, just makes it all worth while. ^_^
We have also decided to split up our 3A and 3B, we'll be starting a new story for season 3B titled, 'The Dark Blue Moon'. 3A will end on chapter 27, so it's getting close! Very soon we will also be posting a teaser video made by my amazing collab partner, Miss E Charlotte, it will offer a glimpse of what to look forward to in the next story.
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