I will not bow…I will not break…I will shut the world away…I will not fall…I will not fade…I will take your breath away ~ I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamins
Chapter 26
Stiles:
I woke up and for a minute I was confused about where I was. But it came back to me in a rush. My head hurt, from when I was hit and again when I was thrown into this cage, complete with a blanket and pillow and two bottles of water. I'm surprised they didn't supply me with a doggy bowl to complete the picture.
Scooting back against the back of the cage which was right up against a brick wall of the building I was carried into. I was literally thrown over a gargantuan shoulder and carried into the building. Talk about emasculating someone. Couldn't even let me walk in on my own. It's not like I had much chance of escaping them.
I opened one of the bottles and drank deeply. For all I know it could be drugged but I'll take my chances. I'm sure by now my friends know I'm missing. I hope someone helps Theo. Who am I kidding, mini wolf is all over that. Scott is probably beyond pissed and my dad is trying to compartmentalize what's going on so he can find me. Malia. I sighed leaning back against the wall.
Malia is probably losing her mind. I know I would be. She's probably contemplated ripping through the whole of Beacon Hills, she's probably growled and yelled and fought anyone who tried to stop her. of course, Scott won't let her, not without a plan. He's levelheaded like that. Well, that and he has Lydia to keep him from doing anything drastic. But Malia doesn't have that. I'm the one that keeps her calm, the one that keeps her from getting overwhelmed.
I'm not worried, not much, because I know that my friends will do what they need to do to find me. I know that they are probably meeting right now to figure out how to get to me. that's if they know who took me, Kate, or Corrine. if this is Corinne's doing, which I suspect it is, then she won't make the same mistake she did last time. I worry more that Malia will absolutely try to face her on her own to get me back. And as much as I believe in her and trust she can handle herself. When she gets too overwhelmed or to emotional she tends to slip up. And that could cost her, her life.
Looking around I catalogued the room. Nothing was in here. Just white walls, all brick, a cement floor, and this cage, which looked like a giant dog cage. I snorted at that. A single chair sat right next to the door that was opposite me, double layered steel I could tell just by looking at it and there was a fingerprint scanner to get in and out. I'm sure they didn't do all this for me. this was a holding room but for what or who, I don't know. the conversation Liam and Theo relayed to us about people being tortured came to mind. The room itself smelled like a hospital, cleaning products and antiseptics. It was strong enough to think that this was cleaned just recently, so who was in here recently and where are they now? How many kids and people have they taken? Maybe I will look into missing persons when I get back.
I heard the electronic beep and click of the door opening, and waited to see who was paying me a visit. I thought about acting surprised as if I had no clue when she came into the room, but my head still hurt.
"You don't look surprised to see me." Kate said, strolling in.
"I could smell the crazy from a mile away." I told her.
"Crazy. You think I'm crazy." She laughed.
"No, I know you're crazy. We all do. It's been an ongoing conversation for weeks now."
"What exactly makes me crazy?"
"You mean you don't already know? you should really work on self-reflection." I smiled at her.
"Such a smart ass." She rolled her eyes. I took another drink.
"So, trusting. Did you not question the water we left you?" she asked running her fingers across the cage.
"oh, I trust nothing here, not even the water. But I'm thirsty."
"Hmmm, there's nothing in it anyway. Just thought we should at least give you some water."
"How thoughtful of you."
"So, enlighten me Stiles. What makes me crazy? I'm just trying to make the world a safer place for humans." She said sitting in the chair, crossing her legs.
"Yeah, the suddenly supernatural wants to make humans safer. And yet here I am, a human kidnapped and stuffed into a cage."
"You're a special human though. You run with supernaturals. And you are not here for me, well not really."
"Yeah, Corinne, another psychopath." I muttered.
"She just wants her power back; you can't fault her for that."
"I can when her attempt to get it requires killing a 7-year-old girl and her mother and trying to kill Malia. I can most definitely fault her for that."
"So, tell me, what makes me crazy?" she asked again, ignoring what I just said. "Fighting for human survival? Fighting against the monsters that would so easily dispose of them like toys or food?
"does it matter?" I sighed.
"Humor me. we got time. Let's chat." She shrugged, smiling showing off fangs.
"Okay, so let's forget about the fact that you have a complete disregard for life, anyone's life. If they aren't of any use to you then they don't matter. But you literally set a whole family, well most of them anyway, on fire. You didn't seem to care that there were humans in there, non-shifters, non-supernaturals. Kids, women, elders you didn't care. And for what? Daddy's attention?" I snarked. Her eyes clouded before clearing and she smirked.
"You think you have me all figured out, don't you?"
"No, and I honestly don't want to. I could care less of what your actual motivation is as long as me and my friends are out of it. but that's not your end goal is it?"
"What do you know about my end goal."
"Nothing, I have no clue what it is just that it involves Scott somehow. You seem to have a serious hard on for trying to ruin him. I don't know why though. Or maybe it's not really Scott that's the end goal, maybe it's that you know he would stop you if he ever discovered it. I don't blame you; I would be scared of that too if it were me." I said draining the bottle.
"I'm not scared of Scott." She scoffed. But I could see the twitch in her limbs when I said it.
"Yes, you are." I smiled. "You know he's the better person. He always finds a way, he always perseveres. You hate that, because it means that you have to try harder, think smarter. It means you have to think outside of the box and the last time you did that you set a family on fire. And we all see how that worked out for you. how is shifter life by the way? have you learned control yet?" I asked her.
She shifted and yowled at me. rushing to the cage and running smack into it, claws out full force.
"I guess not. You know he could have helped you with that. He helped Malia with it."
"Shut up. You know nothing. Scott McCall is a monster."
"No, he's not. He's a 17-year-old that got caught up in a world he knew nothing about and forced into situations that he has had to fight his way out of without losing himself. He came close a few times, but he always came back to himself. Now he's an alpha, a true alpha. A position he earned just for being who he is. He didn't have to steal it, didn't have to kill for it. hell, he didn't even ask for it, it was given to him, gifted."
She snarled.
"But that's why you hate him, isn't it. Because he is everything you're not. Controlled, good, strong, and still retains his humanity despite being a wolf. things you can't seem to be or do."
"We'll see how unblemished he is with what's coming his way next. We have big plans for him." she grinned dangerously.
"We? Who's 'we', Kate? Who are you working with; besides, Corinne I mean. Because we both know she could care less who Scott is."
She growled.
"Where did the berserkers come from Kate? After that first encounter with them we did a bit of research and of course Argent was a big help with that." I taunted some more. she turned her away and headed for the door.
"Is our conversation over already?"
She didn't respond just opened the door.
"Good talk then?" I asked.
The clang of the door slamming behind her was so satisfying. She didn't reveal as much as I had hoped but now I at least know she has another partner, I'm betting that the berserkers were part of their plan, but they can't control them, only her. But who is 'we'?
Malia:
I woke slowly still holding the picture. My head felt cloudy and my eyes sore from crying myself to sleep. Sitting up the throw slipped off me, which I don't remember covering up with last night.
I checked my phone, which had been plugged into Stiles charger, and saw it was 8:30 am. I could smell bacon cooking and coffee, and decided it was time to get up. I slipped on a pair of Stiles shorts and pulled the string as tight as it could go before opening the creaky door and shuffled my way down the hall. Mr. S. was in the kitchen fixing food, a steaming cup of coffee already on the table.
"Morning." He greeted without turning around. "Hungry?"
"Yes." I mumbled kind of embarrassed that I technically broke into his house to sleep in his sons bed. He turned and smiled gesturing to the seat with the coffee in front of it. I noticed that across from it was another cup that wasn't as steaming hot.
"Sit."
I curled up in the chair and took a sip of coffee which was prepared how I like it. Stiles would usually make me a cup whenever I stayed over while his dad was on overnight. I wonder how Mr. S. knew. He set a plate in front of me before sitting down with his own.
"I'm sorry that I snuck in last night." I said digging into the food.
"Don't be. I understand. If I had thought about it I would have offered you to bring you here myself." He said.
"You had a lot on your mind." I mumbled around a mouthful of food.
"And you didn't?" he quirked a brow at me. I shrugged. "how are you feeling this morning?"
Even though my eyes still hurt I still teared up as I gripped the fork in my hand, bending it easily in half. I set it down and wrapped my arms around myself.
"I'm scared." I admitted.
"Me too."
I looked at him and noticed the dark circles under his eyes.
"I can't lose Stiles. He keeps me sane. He keeps me human. He…" I sniffed wiping my eyes.
"I know honey. You love him." he said. I looked up at him, he smiled sadly. "He loves you too. he has for a while now. Even when you two were on the outs he loved you. you're not going to lose him. We will figure this out."
"How did you know? that we loved each other." I asked curiously.
"Because of Scott." He chuckled. I blinked at him not understanding.
"My son… is the most infuriating person in the world sometimes. He means well. always. He has always had two problems that he cannot seem to get over. One being he forgets he is only one person, and he can't solve everyone's problems for them and not on his own. The other is he tends to obsess over things. I'm sure you noticed how obsessed he can get." He said and I nodded. Knowing all too well.
"I think I realized how much he really loved you after what happened when Scott was shot and almost died. Well, he did die but…" he shrugged.
"Ever since his mom died he has held everyone except me and Scott at arm's length, even Lydia. Sure, he cared for her, but he never let her past that barrier, its why he never really pursued anything with her. But you, he let in. he let himself be vulnerable with you. that night he let you take care of him, and he let go of all the thoughts that were floating around in his head about that night." he smiled. I wiped more tears away.
"I checked in on him that next morning, just wanting to make sure he was okay and not obsessing over the what ifs. And I saw you two. You were both sleeping but instead of the stress and tension I was expecting to see he was relaxed and sleeping in your arms. I don't know what happened that night or how you ended up in his room and I don't want to know. but it was the first time I saw my son just let go and let someone else help him instead of the other way around."
We ate in companionable silence for a minute, me thinking over what he said. I remember that night well. I came in and Stiles was crashing, verging on a panic attack and I did the only thing I could do was to hold him and talk to him, keep reassuring him that Scott was still alive, that he didn't lose him.
"I'm not sure how I ended up here that night. I just… knew that Stiles was not going to handle it well. even though Scott was fine and healing Stiles would only be thinking about what almost happened. I just wanted to make him feel better."
"You did. but that's how I knew he loved you. you on the other hand. I think you loved him before then. Probably around the time you started going to school. You trusted Stiles so much to guide you, to help you. and for someone who has only known one way of life for so long, to be on your own for so long. The way you clung to Stiles; I knew there was something there."
It was weird to hear him say that. I wasn't even aware of my feelings then. I just knew I needed Stiles. Maybe I did love him but couldn't recognize it at that time. But it's why I had fought so hard to fix things between us when I screwed up.
"Finish eating. You're going to need your strength today." He said, pointing to my still full plate. "I'm going to run to the station and pick up something. Did you need me to come back to get you for the meeting?"
I just noticed he was already dressed for the day but not in his uniform but jeans and a polo. He set his plate in the sink and grabbed his gun and jacket.
"No, Peter said he would take me." I told him as I went back to eating.
"Okay, lock up before you leave. And Malia, use the door please."
I snort almost choking on my food and nodded.
JAMJAMJAM
Everyone was gathered by the time Peter and I made it to the meeting. I had dressed in another shirt of Stiles' and my shorts from the previous day. Scott chuckled when he saw it. it was one of Stiles favorites, just a plain black tee that read 'Hold On. Let Me Overthink This.' Lydia gave me a side hug as I went to stand next to her.
"Where's Liam and Theo?" I asked looking around and not seeing them. Mason was also missing but he was away with his family.
"Theo is still in the hospital. There were complications. Liam is with him." Scott explained. I nodded, feeling bad for Theo, and hoping he would be okay. I felt even worse for Liam, I know he had to be going crazy worried about him.
There was another knock on the door, and we were all confused when Mr. S. answered it and Parrish walked in, dressed down as well. he nodded to all of us and then stood next to Mr. S. as if this was all normal.
"What the…" Isaac said, staring. Parrish raised his hand.
"I know enough to want to help, that's all."
"Okay then. So, what's the plan." I asked.
"I had a thought on that?" Mr. S. said pulling out something small and black. "this is a tracker and listening device."
I took it from him and examined it. it wasn't a button, but it could pass for one.
"we can't go with you, if we do then…" he shook his head. "But with that, we should be able to track you and we can hear everything that is being said. If we are stationed far enough away as to where she can't see us but close enough to get to you in a matter of minutes maybe we can do something before either you or Stiles gets hurt. It will be tricky. From what I know you can't really sneak up on a shifter."
We all snuck glances at Parrish who didn't look phased by the word shifter.
"No, it's almost impossible, unless they're distracted. Is there any way to create a distraction?" Peter said.
"Not unless we know where we are heading. We don't know where she will send her." Scott said.
"Well, it can't be far if she expects her to show before the full moon rises. She has to be still in town, right?" Lydia said.
"Maybe. She wouldn't go back to the base would she?" Derek asked.
"Doubtful. She wouldn't repeat the same mistakes. We all know about that place. If she went back there she would expect everyone to show up again." Braeden said.
"Are there any other abandoned buildings in Beacon Hills?" I asked.
"Tons. But not any that wouldn't draw attention if a fight broke out there. They're all in town, surrounded by other businesses." Parrish answered.
"Okay so where then?" Allison asked.
"I got a map of Beacon Hills, let's see if we can figure out some places she might choose." Derek pulled out a map and spread it across the kitchen island.
We all checked the map, picking out places that had potential and places that would be quick for me to get too whenever she texted me and then figuring out where the others could station themselves to get to me quickly. There weren't a lot of options. My mind was going over any and every possible place she could want to meet.
We went over the map all afternoon and at about 4 pm I got a text. Everyone stopped talking and turned to me. pulling it out I checked.
"It's her." I said opening the message.
STILES: LET'S END THIS WHERE IT BEGAN, SWEETHEART. I CAN REUNITE YOU WITH YOUR FAMILY. 6 PM.
"That bitch." I growled my hand squeezing my phone. It was snatched out of my hand before I could crush it. I looked at Scott, who had moved Lydia to his other side as he read the message. His eyes switched to red, and I heard him growl. Parrish's eyes widened.
"What is it?" Mr. S. asked. Scott read the message and my growls grew louder.
"That sick bitch." Braeden remarked, her face twisted in disgust.
"She wants you back at the crash site." Mr. S. sighed.
"That's not an easy place to sneak up on her. the site is too close to the road she would see any car approach. And its wide-open woods. No matter how quiet we are, there's no way to avoid making some kind of noise." Scott said.
Everyone understood what that meant. I had to go alone. Even if I had the tracker there is no way they could get to us quickly without being close and she was making that impossible. It was going to come down to a fight between us.
"How are you getting there?" Parrish asked, staring off into space.
"Run, I guess." I shrugged.
"No, drive." Derek said, looking like he understood. "Take Stiles' jeep."
"Okay, why?" I asked.
"Because the back is big enough to hide a person." Scott added, seeing what they were getting at.
"But she would smell if someone else were there, or even hear their heartbeat." I told them.
"Not if you don't drive directly there. Just drive it close enough so that's visible but still out of range. She'll be concentrating on you enough that she may not notice."
"But what if she does?" I asked.
"She won't. she will have Stiles there right? So, between his and yours she won't notice another one far away." Allison insisted.
"Okay, but who is going to be the hidden person?" I asked looking around.
"I'll do it." Scott said and Lydia gripped his arm.
"No." Peter said. "I'll do it."
"What, no." I said, shaking my head.
"Yes."
"But-."
"Malia, you're my daughter. I wasn't there for you when you were born or growing up, and I wasn't there for you when all this started. I need to be there for you now."
"She's already shot you once." I reminded him.
"She caught me off guard once, and she was aiming at you not me. She won't get me again."
"Peter…"
"I'll be fine. You just need to keep her looking your way long enough for me to get a good position and then you focus on getting to Stiles. Leave her to me."
I looked at my other father and felt a connection I never expected to feel with him. it warmed me that he wanted to do this. But it also worried me that he was willing to do this.
"I'll be fine." He reiterated.
"Okay, we have a plan. And we have about an hour and forty-five minutes before she needs to be there. Wait, can you even drive?" Braeden asked me.
"Uh, kind of. Stiles has been teaching me. I'm okay with the actual driving part it's the parking that gets me." I told them all.
"At this point it doesn't matter. Hell, leave the jeep in the middle of the road if you have too."
"Wait how is Peter going to sneak out of the jeep without making noise? The doors creak?" Isaac asked.
"We can take the back door off. He will just need to hold on to something, so he doesn't roll out." Mr. S. said.
"What about the rest of us?" Isaac asked.
"is there any way to get there without the being on the road?" Lydia asked.
"We can run, Derek and I. if we can listen in to what is being said and done we can try to get there in time. It's a long shot but we can try." Scott said.
"How will you know where they are?" Parrish asked.
"Uh, we can… scent it out. I've been there before so I know what to look for." He answered uncomfortably. Parrish blinked at him.
"What am I doing?" Isaac asked.
"I need you to stay with Liam and Theo. Tonight's a full moon, but Liam won't leave Theo's side. I really do not think Liam will have problems but just in case someone needs to be with him to get him out of there if he does." Scott said.
"How can you be sure he won't have problems?" Mr. S. asked and the rest of us laughed, enjoying that brief moment of humor.
"Call it an instinct." Isaac snickered. "Okay, I'll head there after we are done here."
"We'll go with you? we're not needed for this." Allison said pointing to herself and Lydia.
"Okay, thank you." Scott said.
"Okay, so its settled, this is the plan. Everyone good on their part." Braeden asked.
"Yes. But try not to kill her if you can help it. remember she's wanted for murders across the country, if we can arrest her it would be better all around." Mr. S. said. Everyone but Peter nodded. I don't think he planned to actually let her live.
