Five
After finishing his homework, Stiles was cooking dinner for him and Noah. A nice, healthy honey mustard chicken breast with brown rice and steamed broccoli. Followed by vanilla cream puffs for dessert. Stiles made enough to bring Scott and his mom some. Which he will drive over after he and Noah eats. It has become an almost nightly thing. Noah walks in as Stiles is finishing putting the cream puffs together. They sit and eat in silence. Afterward, Stiles does the dishes, then boxes up the rest to drive over to the McCall residence. Noah doesn't take leftovers for lunch so Stiles doesn't worry about it.
During the drive, Stiles was going over his relationship with Noah and its recent tension. Noah had asked Stiles about future plans after high school but Stiles had no answer. The answer used to be at the tip of his tongue when Stiles was younger but now, not so much. Noah used to be Stiles' role model but that changed over the years after Claudia's death. Stiles began to see Noah was not as great a role model as one would think. Stiles felt there was a bit of darkness to Noah but could not fathom what it could be.
He was so engrossed in his head, Stiles didn't see the glowing, red eyes following him. The Alpha was curious about his new betas and how they are adapting to their new status as werewolves. Stiles has driven the route to the McCall household so much he could probably do it blindfolded. The muscle memory of every turn and stretch of road led Stiles to drive from home to Scott's without truly paying attention. Then without realizing it Stiles had pulled in front of Scott's house, parked in his normal spot, and walked up to the door. Stiles never bothers knocking and walks right into the house and drops the containers on the kitchen counter.
Stiles could hear Scott's heavy footfalls coming down the stairs knowing there would be, "Food!" Stiles snickered at his best friend's enthusiasm. Stiles plated Scott's food then smacked his hand away, "Leave some for mom." Scott wiggled his hand to quell the burning from the slap, "Okay, okay. Sheesh, you didn't have to slap so hard." Scott was only playing. This was a normal thing for the two of them. Stiles knew this but playfully growled anyway. After staring at each other for a few moments, they both burst out laughing. Scott almost choked on the food he had in his mouth which had Stiles laughing harder. And that's how Melissa found her two boys when she walked in from her shift at the hospital. She, too, sat down and enjoyed the delicious meal her honorary son cooked.
During the night, the red eyed alpha stalked two men through the woods. The men had swiped several bottles of liquor from the local shop and had already drained three between the both of them. Both stumbled their way further into the woods to a campsite they had claimed, neither noticing they were being watched. One of the guys almost crashed into the barrel fire they had built earlier as he threw in some more wood reigniting the blaze. The sound of the crackling fire did nothing to hide the intense angry growl of the alpha.
They turn toward the direction the growl came from, "What was that?" "I don't know. A wild animal? We are in the woods," The other says. "Nothing around here sounds like that," The man standing next to the fire barrel keeps trying to see what made the noise. His friend was standing on the other side of the barrel before he was snatched up into the trees by the alpha, "AAHHH!" "Barry!" Spinning around to face where his friend had stood and saw he was gone. Another scream is heard from above in the trees before dying down to nothing but gurgles and gasping.
Mark keeps looking for whatever took his friend but can't seem to find anything. It was at this moment, the Alpha tackles Mark to the ground. Mark gets a good look at the creature pinning him to the ground. The Alpha is soaked in blood with a psychotic smile and murderous madness in his eyes. The Alpha roars in Mark's face causing the man to scream and soil himself. The man is then lifted from the ground and shoved head first into the burn barrel where he struggles as he's burned alive.
Due to how far into the reserve the men were, their bodies weren't found until a week later. The medical examiner was barely able to identify the men. Noah was not stupid as some may think. He grew up in this small town of Beacon Hills. He knows there are things that cannot be explained by science only. However, he can't just blurt it out. People will think he's insane. It is best to try and solve what's going on from a human's perspective.
Scott was still having trouble controlling his wolf. He had gone to Derek for help and barely received anything. All Derek told Scott was to avoid instances that would raise his heart rate. For example; Lacrosse, and of course, his girlfriend, Allison. After Derek had taunted Scott enough to piss him off, they fought. Derek overpowered the new Beta and proceeded to tell Scott to stay away from Allison and not play Lacrosse. But Scott is too stubborn for his own good and decides to ask Stiles what they should do?
"I think you should listen to Derek sort of. It's not just the rising heart rate, it's the accompanying emotions that also trigger the shift. Mostly anger," Stiles adjusts his backpack straps as the duo walk the halls to their next class. Scott huffs, "But that's Lacrosse. It's a violent game." Stiles nods, "I know. It's a double-edged sword. We get angry while playing which could cause us to shift but it also relieves the tension from said anger. We both had a close call that last game. What else did he say?" "I should avoid Allison," Scott says with his head down. Stiles pats Scott on the shoulder, "We'll figure this out." They enter the classroom and take their seats still deep in thought, barely paying attention to the teacher.
Upon the death of the school bus driver, Garrison Myers, and the mauled bodies found in the woods, Chris Argent calls his sister to help find and put down the Alpha. He stresses to his sister that Allison is not ready to be exposed to the family legacy. Kate thinks otherwise and plans to hint at it and start the young girl's training. Chris' wife, Victoria, agrees with her sister-in-law and will push her daughter to learn about the family legacy no matter what Chris thinks is best.
During lunch at school, Scott and Stiles' table is bombarded by the popular clique; Lydia, Jackson, Danny, and Allison. The werewolves' conversation gets cut off by Lydia when she takes a seat at their table. Lydia starts a new conversation when she brings up Scott and Allison's date that night. It soon turns into a double date with Lydia and Jackson as it is decided to go bowling. Lydia tried to invite Stiles but he politely declined, not wanting to be a fifth wheel.
Stiles teased Scott, "Dude, you can't bowl to save your life." Scott huffed, "I know. I'm an idiot." They continued walking to their next class before Stiles said, "I'm sure you'll do fine. Just don't let Jackass get to you." The next class ended and they were walking the halls when they heard the Sheriff talking to the principal, "I need you to make an announcement about the curfew in place. Anyone under the age of 18 is not to be out after 9 pm due to recent events." Principal sighed, "I will make the announcement as soon as I get back to my office." The sheriff and his deputies turn to leave, Noah sees Scott and Stiles. Stiles gives his "dad" a sheepish wave which Noah shakes his head at.
While Scott is embarrassing himself at the bowling alley with Allison, Lydia, and Jackson, Stiles is researching his mother while avoiding Noah. The Sheriff had made it clear Stiles was to stay inside until the one responsible for the recent murders is caught. In the back of Stiles' mind he was thinking about the wolf that bit him and Scott, wondering if it was Derek or another wolf. The only reason Stiles thought it may be Derek because the Alpha has not shown himself yet but Derek has.
Soon, Stiles' phone was ringing, "Hello?" "I won," Scott's excited voice came through the phone. "Cool. How did you manage that?" Stiles teased. "I don't know. I just did. The first frame sucked but then Allison whispered in my ear something I'm not going to repeat and I wasn't as nervous anymore," Scott said in one breath. Stiles snorted, "Well, glad you did good. How did Jackass react?" Scott laughed, "Badly. He thinks I cheated and that you and I are hopped up on Steroids and that's why we got better at Lacrosse." Stiles lightly growled, "That's Jackass for you."
Stiles hears a glass shatter in the kitchen, "Listen, I got to go check on something." Scott grew concerned, "You okay?" Stiles sighed, "Yeah, it's probably Noah." Scott sighed as well, "Alright. Talk to you later." "Laters, Dude," Stiles hung up and went downstairs. He found several empty bottles scattered over the kitchen, a few of which had shattered onto the floor. Noah passed out at the kitchen table. Stiles shook his head, carefully woke an intoxicated Noah up, and dragged him to bed. Stiles didn't downplay his strength since Noah was drunk and won't remember anyways. Then he cleaned up the mess of empty and broken bottles. This has been a regular occurrence over the years. Noah had slowed down on his drinking but some nights he would get black-out drunk.
The next night, Jackson and Lydia pulled into the video store to rent a movie. Jackson was trying to convince Lydia to watch a sports movie but she wanted "The Notebook" for the umpteenth time. Jackson entered the video store after losing the argument, "Can I get a little help looking for The Notebook?" He gets frustrated when there's no response. Walking further into the aisles Jackson saw a pair of feet sticking out from behind the last movie shelf. He moved closer and grew pale when he saw it was the video clerk with his throat torn out lying in a puddle of blood.
Jackson scrambles away from the body, hiding down one of the aisles. He hopes that whoever killed the clerk was long gone, but that hope was crushed. An animalistic growl was heard a couple rows behind Jackson. He stayed very still and tried to quiet his breathing but it was useless. It was the Alpha. The werewolf threw his body into the video shelves and knocked them over, crushing Jackson beneath them. The Alpha jumped onto the shelf pinning Jackson down and dug his claws into the back of the boy's neck before leaping out of the front window of the shop.
The sound of shattering glass scared Lydia and she screamed. The Alpha was momentarily immobilized by Lydia's scream then released and ran off. Lydia didn't know it yet, but the Alpha recognized she was an un-awakened Banshee. With that thought in mind, the Alpha disappeared into the shadows. What he didn't know was while Lydia was screaming in a panic she accidentally clicked her phone's camera shutter capturing a picture of the Alpha. It was not the best of quality but clear enough to tell it was not human.
Stiles was riding along with Noah when the Sheriff got a call to the video store to investigate a murder. Once they reached the scene, Noah told Stiles to stay in the squad car, but the boy didn't listen. He saw Scott and Derek on the roof of the store and snuck out of the car and joined them. Derek explained to the betas that the Alpha had killed the clerk. The gears in Stiles' mind were spinning. He has a theory that these murders are not random. Stiles could see Noah was getting agitated with Jackass, so he was going to cause a scene to distract everyone.
As Stiles went to jump down from the roof he noticed the different coloration of the roofing. He pointed it out, "Hey, Derek? Does this mean anything?" The three of them followed the painted path. Derek cursed, "Shit. It's a spiral." "Yeah, I see that. What does it mean?" Stiles snubbed. Derek glared at the young beta, "Don't worry about it." Derek starts to walk off but Scott stops him, "Shouldn't we worry? The paint is fresh." Stiles squatted and touched the 'paint', "I don't think it's paint. So, what does it mean, Derek?" Stiles stood and wiped his fingers on his t-shirt that he'ss throw away when he gets home. Derek rolled his eyes and huffed, "It means revenge." Derek didn't say anything else and walked off. Scott and Stiles left the rooftop as well, noting the symbol covered the entirety of the roof.
A few quiet nights later, Scott had entered the third floor of the parking garage with both arms full of groceries. He sets one arm full down to grab his mom's key fob to help him find where he parked. No luck. Fourth floor is the same. Finally, he hears the familiar honk of his mom's car half way through the fifth floor. On his way to the car, Scott's hair on the back of his neck stands. He feels like he's being followed. Scott looks over his shoulder and sees a dark figure closing in on him.
Scott drops the groceries and runs back down to the third floor with the figure closely behind him. Scott quickly dives between two cars in one of the darker corners but realizes his heartbeat is too loud, so he gets up to run again. Only this time he jumps onto the hood of some cars to set off their alarms to drown out the sound of his heartbeat. He runs further into the parking garage and hides behind another car. Scott feels like he's in the clear until his cell phone rings.
The ringing phone causes Scott to panic and dig through his pockets to silence it. However, it is too late. A clawed hand grabs Scott, picks him up, and slams him onto the hood of the car where he was hiding. A familiar voice growls, "You're dead." Scott looks into the face of his attacker and it's Derek, "What the hell, dude?!" The two of them start walking back to where Scott dropped the groceries. Derek says, "You may have evaded for a bit but your phone gave you away. That's why I told you to cut ties with her, she's a distraction. Until you learn control, it's best if you're not with her."
Scott's phone rings again and it's Allison. Derek sees her name and grabs his phone and tosses it against the wall. Derek shakes his head, "You know Stiles had no problem evading me until he reached his house. Then and only then was I able to catch him because I climbed through the window. Then I got a Nerf dart to the forehead." Derek could still feel the super glue residue in the center of his forehead where the dart struck. Scott snorted, then sighed, "So, I can't be with Allison." Derek also sighs, "Not until you have control and you know you won't attack her." Scott's shoulders sag when he remembers the date he and Allison have planned that weekend.
Chris Argent's sister Kate, was driving into town in the middle of the night when the Alpha jumped onto her car. Kate swerved a bit before gaining control and pulling over. Kate grabs her shotgun from the passenger seat and opens fire at the roof of her car. The Alpha jumps off but is still shot and runs off. She gets out of her car and notices she was on the outskirts of the warehouse district of Beacon Hills. She goes to the back of her SUV and grabs her assault rifle, loading it with a bullet filled with Nordic Blue Moonshook. A species of Wolfsbane. Kate used the scope and searched for the Alpha. She spotted a shadowy figure running over the rooftop of one of the warehouses and took the shot.
She shouldered the rifle and went in search of the wolf she shot, knowing she hit it. Kate didn't make it far before her brother showed up. She had called him when she first pulled over when the attack started. Kate was too distracted by her brother to continue her search. Neither realized they were being spied on by Scott and Stiles. They had jolted awake from the sound of gunfire. They track where the sound came from and overhear Kate tell Chris, "There were two of them. I know I got one and he has 48 hours give or take before he dies." Chris is concerned about the excitement his sister's exhibiting.
Chris shook his head, "Let's head back before Vickie bites my head off." Katie scoffed, "Always spoiling my fun." She shoulder checked her brother as she moved to get into her car. Chris took one last look around the area, when he didn't see anyone he got back in his car and drove home.
Scott and Stiles stepped out from their hiding place and looked to the direction of where they heard the shot. Both of them walked around the warehouse and came across a puddle of blood but the one shot was gone. Scott ran home and tried to go back to sleep but the hunters' conversation kept running through his head. He's more worried about Allison finding out about him being a werewolf than whoever was shot. Stiles was worried about the hunters shooting him next. Stiles stayed up and dug a little into who the Argents were and found the entire family were hunters.
The next day at school, Stiles and Scott were lost in thought for different reasons. Allison had told Scott her aunt was in town which he knew from the night before. He could see Allison was happy to see her aunt so he kept his mouth shut. Stiles kept thinking about the one who was shot and wondered if they're still alive. He got his answer at the end of the day when Derek stumbled in front of his jeep as he was pulling out of the parking lot. "Shit, Derek," Stiles jumped out of his jeep to help the wolf stand. Scott had joined the two, "Stop doing that." Scott had seen Derek's eyes shift from wolf to human and back. "I can't. It's out of my control," Derek clung to Stiles.
Stiles moved to the passenger side of his jeep dragging Derek with him, "Alright, let's get you out of here and figure out what to do." Scott followed, "Yeah, good idea." Scott moved to walk away but Derek stopped him, "You need to find out what kind of bullet I was shot with. She's an Argent, she's with them." "Why should I help you?!" Scott demanded. "Because the next time the Alpha calls you both, you won't be in control without my help," Derek says. Stiles knew Derek was right but Scott was hardheaded. "Look, you need me. I can't help you if I'm dead. Get the bullet," Derek slammed the jeep door closed and Stiles drove off.
Scott had a study date with Allison and would use that as an opportunity to get what Derek needed. Allison could tell Scott was nervous about something but he played it off as nerves for the subject he was failing. Which is partially true, he is failing Economics and needed help. But he was there for another reason. Scott had to figure out how to help Derek get the bullet he needed without getting caught by the two hunters inside the house.
Meanwhile, Stiles was driving Derek towards the Hale house. "Where are you taking me?" Derek asked. Stiles glanced over to the werewolf, "Your house." Derek paled a little more, "No, you can't take me there." Stiles slammed on his brakes, "Why not?" "I can't protect myself there. That's the first place they'll look," Derek practically shouted. He then pulled his jacket off and peeled back his shirt sleeve revealing the bullet wound. Derek's forearm was swollen, the area around the wound was grotesque, the veins prominent, black, and pulsating. The infection from the bullet wound could clearly be seen spreading up his arm at a fast rate.
"Oh my god! What is that? Is that contagious?" Stiles gagged. Derek tried to keep his breathing under control and not panic from seeing the wound, "Start the car." "You know, you're in no shape to give me orders. You should throw your wolf ass out of the car and leave you for dead," Stiles retorted. Derek was getting agitated, "Start the car…Or I'll rip your throat out with my teeth." Stiles stared at Derek for a moment before relenting and starting the jeep and driving.
Scott called Stiles, "I need more time. This place is like a Wal-Mart of guns." "You might want to hurry. He's starting to smell," Stiles says. "Like what?" Scott wonders. "Like death," Stiles honestly stated. Derek took the phone from Stiles, "Hurry up and find the bullet. I'm running out of time." Scott scoffed, "I don't see how that is a bad thing." Stiles heard him, "It affects me too, asshat." "Fine, I'll get your damn bullet. Where should I meet you?" Scott is getting more nervous. "I don't know. Can't take him to his place or mine. Dad would ask too many questions," Stiles trying to think of where to go. "Take him to my work. Deaton's gone by now." Scott suggests. "How do we get in?" Stiles drives in the direction of the Vet Clinic. "There's a key hidden behind the dumpster. I'll be there as soon as I can," Scott hangs up before either could respond.
Derek looks at Stiles as he hands his phone back, "That's your best friend?" Stiles scoffs at Derek, "He's not adjusting that well to being a werewolf." Derek looks at Stiles a little more closely. He could see the changes in the kid. Stiles is still scrawny but is filling out more, like he has been working out more often besides Lacrosse. Stiles catches Derek looking at him, "What?" Derek shakes his head, "You two are polar opposites. He's fighting the change while you have embraced it." "Yeah, well I don't see a point in fighting it. I don't feel so helpless anymore. Scott, he has always tried to stay in the background. The bite has given him unwanted attention. But at the same time, he now has Allison." The conversation tapered off as they drove to the Vet Clinic.
Once they arrived and Stiles unlocked the back door, Derek stumbled in and started routing through all the drawers. "What are you doing?" Stiles watched as Derek tied a tourniquet around the bicep of his injured arm. "I'm preparing for my last resort if Scott doesn't get here in time," Derek looked through the shelves for what he needed. "Which is what?" Stiles' question was answered when Derek slammed an electric bone saw on the metal exam table. "You're going to cut my arm off before the infection reaches my heart." The thought of severing somebody's arm turned Stiles' stomach, "What now?" Derek re-tied the tourniquet tighter, "You're gonna cut off my arm."
Scott had excused himself to the bathroom and went in search of the bullet. He saw a guest bedroom door open and snuck inside. Scott noticed a duffle bag sticking out from under the bed and opened it. He saw a wooden box with the words, "Nordic Blue Moonshook" carved into the top. He quickly texted it to Stiles. Receiving a reply that is what they were looking for, Scott pulled two bullets out of the case, put the box back, and then zipped up the duffle bag. When Scott re-entered the dining room, Allison could tell he was ready to leave so she made an excuse and walked Scott to the door.
By the time Scott reached the vet clinic, Stiles was getting ready to turn the bone saw on. He announced himself, "What are you doing?!" Stiles was relieved, "Oh thank god! Please tell me you got it." Scott pulled one of the bullets out of his pocket and held it between his thumb and pointer finger as he stood at the end of the table. Derek reached for it but fumbled as his vision was starting to blur. Stiles grabbed it, "What do I do with it?" Derek took a deep breath, "You have to-you have…" He didn't finish speaking as he leaned over the table and vomited black sludge.
Stiles gagged, "Oh god, what is that?" Derek had spit dribbling out of his mouth, "My body trying to heal itself." "Well, it's doing a horrible job," Stiles remarked while still holding the bullet. Derek put his head on the cool, metal table, "Need to open the bullet and pour out the Wolfsbane. Put on gloves first, since you can't touch it." Stiles put on gloves and pulled the bullet apart and poured the powdered Wolfsbane onto the table. Derek could see this from the corner of his eye, "Now, set it on fire, scoop it up and dig it into the wound." "You want me to do what?" Stiles shook his head and did what he was told.
When the Wolfsbane caught fire, the smoke was blue and went up Scott's nose and he had to hold his breath so he wouldn't sneeze. Stiles scooped up the burnt powder and poured it into the wound before jabbing his thumb into it causing Derek to howl in pain. Stiles let go as Derek fell onto the floor, the wound slowly closing up and the infection retracted. Soon, Derek's breathing evened out and he was able to pull himself into a seated position to look over the previously injured arm.
Scott had the nerve to say, "Now that we helped you, will you leave us alone? Or I will go back to the Argents and tell them about you." "Dude, chill alright. He did nothing wrong. He's not the one who bit us and he's trying to help us get under control," Stiles defended Derek. "You don't get it, do you? The Argents don't care who they hurt, who they kill. A werewolf is nothing more than a monster to kill whether that werewolf has hurt anyone or not. You think they would let you leave their house alive if they knew you're a werewolf. Let me show you what kind of people the Argents are," Derek stood up and put his shirt back on. Stiles locked up as they walked out and went to Roscoe.
Derek directed Stiles to the long-term care facility wing at the hospital. The two teens followed Derek into a room where a badly burnt man sat in a chair facing the window. Scott asked, "What happened to him?" Derek was watching his uncle with a sad expression, "He was the only survivor from the fire. A fire that the Argents set, killing everyone else inside. 11 innocent people died, 6 of them were children under the age of 10." Derek let that sink in for a moment before asking, "Still think the Argents are good people?" Stiles kept silent and observed the comatose man. He took a whiff of the man's scent and was shocked. The scent was a little different but he could still tell, "Alpha."
AN: Derek doesn't get arrested. Scott is not that desperate since Stiles is going through the same thing and is able to understand and help.