** Hey guys, I'm back. Sorry, this took longer than I wanted to write and post but I've been sick. I'm still sick, actually. But I was able to write some. Hopefully you enjoy the chapter. **
We got to the station with 15 minutes to spare. Stiles and I waved to the deputy on front desk duty and went straight into the sheriff's office. He looked up offering a smile before going back to his paperwork, taking a sip of whatever was in his cup. Stiles sighed at the sugary beverage the sheriff was consuming and went over to the mini fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and set it down on the desk hard then reached for the cup on the other side.
"Touch my cup and your grounded for a week." Mr. S told him without even looking up. Stiles, rethinking his actions, rolled his eyes and slumped into a chair in front of the desk with a long-drawn-out sigh. Mr. S. looked up at him in exasperation. "I'm allowed to have things other than water Stiles."
"Yeah but-."
"And, I have already had at least 3 bottles of water today… and I had the salad you packed for me for lunch." Mr. S. went on to say.
"Just the salad for lunch?" Stiles questioned. Mr. S. just shook his head at his son.
"Sometimes, I am really confused on whose the parent in this relationship." I told them with a laugh. It was so hard to tell some days.
"You and me both." Mr. S. replied putting away his paper work and then, to appease his son, he grabbed the bottle of water and drank down half of it before setting it back down, staring at Stiles who nodded approvingly at him. "So how are we doing this, boys?"
"I'm not really sure. I think I'm going to let him ask the questions he probably has for me and then go from there. I don't want to go into detail of everything right now, but I want to give him the basics. And some things I think are better left for a conversation between just me and him. Just some personal stuff."
"And you think having Derek Hale here will help him understand?"
"There are two reasons I want Derek here, for one he is just as involved in this as any of us. Argent needs to see that he is not a threat to him or anyone else really. He still has a disconnect when it comes to wolves and humans. He needs to see that we are still just people and for the most part we just want to lead normal lives."
"Okay, that sounds reasonable. What's the other reason?"
The other reason… I think having Derek here will show him how dangerous his sister and father really are, not just to supernaturals but to everyone. The battle we faced before I came back here was all started by them and I think, in Gerard's case, it went back to when Kate was 'killed.' Maybe even when she set that fire which is what started the warpath." I told him, sighing. "The only part of this I hate is having Derek go through that point in his life again, even if just talking about it. He really shouldn't have to relive that time, but I really think Argent needs to know what caused all this."
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Derek's voice said out of nowhere, making all of us turn to look at him, and Stiles to jump slightly in his seat.
"Jesus, I'm putting a bell on all of you." Stiles muttered. Derek chuckled as he came in, Cora right behind him. Introductions were made and everyone found a seat, Derek on the couch next to me and Cora leaning against a side table across the room from us.
"Seriously, I hate thinking about that time but if it helps then I'll do it. Is it just us?" he asked, and I knew what he was not asking.
"Yes, just us. I don't think Peter needs to be involved in this part. We'll pull him in once we get this part settled."
"Does he really need to be involved at all?" Derek asked.
"Wait, who's Peter?" Mr. S. asked and I groaned.
"I am guessing you didn't tell him." Derek said.
"Nope, hadn't planned on that just yet. But I guess it really doesn't matter at this point. He'll find out soon enough. Peter, is Peter Hale, Derek, and Cora's uncle and the one who bit me."
"The one that killed the girl in the woods. And I thought he was in a facility still recovering from that fire." Mr. S. asked.
"Yes, and the girl in the woods was actually Derek and Cora's sister, Laura. She was the alpha after their mother passed. I'll explain the why and all that later. But he really is needed for this plan to work. So, you can't arrest him, yet. And he was in a facility but physically he's completely recovered. It's part of the reason all of this is necessary." I told him.
"What exactly is the plan?" Cora spoke for the first time since arriving.
"Right now, it's to get Argent to understand. Hopefully, we can convince him this isn't a joke or set up or anything. Peter only knows enough to keep him in the loop. Until we have an official plan in place he's going to lay low."
A knock at the door interrupted our conversation and Mr. S. got up to answer. Stiles, preemptively got up from the only chair and moved it to right next to his dad's desk before going to stand by Cora on the other side of the room.
"Mr. Argent, come on in." Mr. S. said, ushering him inside.
"Thank you. Call me Chris, please." Argent answered politely before stepping inside and stopping, seeing Derek there. Mr. S. closed the door and went back to his seat; Argent stood in the same spot, staring. "I wasn't aware that a Hale would be present for this."
"Two, actually. But they are a part of this as well." I said, standing and holding out a hand to him.
"Two?" he asked, cautiously shaking my hand.
"Have a seat and we will do introductions." Mr. S. told him, gesturing to the chair. Argent took the suggestion, sitting stiffly, holding the envelope I gave him in his hand. "You already know Scott, Derek, and my son Stiles. This is Cora Hale, Derek's sister."
Argent nodded to everyone and then did a double take when Cora was mentioned.
"Cora Hale, I thought-."
"I survived. No thanks to-."
"Cora." Derek barked, silencing her. She huffed rolling her eyes.
"Okay, usually I would start this with show and/or tell but I don't think I need too. You already know about the supernatural and you already know what Derek, Cora and I are." I said, quirking a brow. He nodded slowly. The letter I had put in the envelope already explained that I was a wolf as well, so he wasn't surprised by the information. "So, there is no need for me to shift to prove it to you. Let's start with questions. Do you have any on what I gave you?"
"I have a lot of questions about what I looked over. The first being Why did you give it to me?"
"Because I know that despite what you do, you are actually a good man. You just want to do the right thing and keep everyone safe. I really admire that." I told him honestly. "The thing is. that I'm going to be telling you a lot of things that you are going to either find hard to believe or not want to believe at all. And though I understand that we really don't have time to ease into this. Things are happening fast, and I need you to be clued in so that we can head off trouble before it really gets started."
He nodded studying me but said nothing in response.
"What other questions do you have?" I asked.
"And the reason we are meeting here?"
"This is mostly for your comfort. I imagine being a hunter, being in the room with 3 wolves wouldn't sit well with you. Stiles suggested we do it here since no one can do anything against someone else in a sheriff's station and especially not in front of the sheriff himself." I told him. "Look, I get this will be uncomfortable for you, it's not exactly comfortable for us either, just as you have reservations about us, we have the same reservations about hunters. We haven't exactly been treated fairly by your group."
"Fairly? You think shifters should be treated fairly, given what they can do?"
"I think humans should be treated fairly regardless of what they can do. Where I came from the hunters were more dangerous than those they were hunting. Despite your misgivings and experiences with shifters in the past, we don't all go on rampages or kill innocents. Most of us just want to live as normal a life as we possibly can without fear that we could be slaughtered at any given moment over something we can't control. And regular humans can be just as dangerous as supernaturals, sometimes more so."
I could see a bit of respect in his eyes, even begrudgingly. He nodded and pulled out the papers from the envelope.
"What exactly do you know about this?" he asked, holding up a picture of a black mask with a grotesque smile on its face.
"The Oni mask." I said. I knew, if nothing else, that would get his attention. "It's the mask of a spiritual species of supernatural demonic warriors. They have a connection to the Nematon and have to be summoned by someone. Usually, they do the summoners bidding. Technically they are neutral beings but depending on who summons them and for what reason they are… contracted by them to do what they want. It's usually to kill though. Since these particular beings are hard to put down, fighting them is almost pointless. The only thing that has been shown to have any impact on them is silver. Which is why you were able to hurt one when you were 23 and was sent on that deal by your father."
His face remained blank as he watched me, but I could hear his heartbeat speed up.
"You were sent there as a test by Gerard to see if you could handle yourself in a tense situation. He didn't tell you that you were meeting the Yakuza and just let you walk into the situation blind, so to speak. But something happened during that deal. The Oni showed up as if appearing out of thin air. You weren't sure what was going on until you saw that the leader at that time change, and the Oni cut him down. You hid underneath some of the bodies of the bodyguards that tried to protect the leader and were also cut down. Then you took your shot and aimed for the face, which shattered the mask but didn't kill it. You said that all you saw behind the mask was a darkness, an abyss."
His hands clenched in his lap as he narrowed his eyes to me.
"The thing is, the Oni were doing you and probably everyone else a favor by killing the leader. An evil fox spirit possessed him, called the Nogitsune or Void. They are very hard to kill if impossible. So far, it's only been able to be trapped not really killed. But I guess it is possible to kill one if you have an Oni. I guess it takes a dark spirit to kill a dark spirit."
His face went grim before he looked away, scrubbing a hand down it, and then looked back at me, ignoring everyone else in the room.
"You shouldn't know that story. No one knows that story, not even…"
"You're wife? I know. You have kept that well-hidden for years."
"But you know it. How?"
"It's why I gave you that information. What I have to tell you, you wouldn't believe me without proof first. And since I can't give you the information the same way I gave it to Derek I had to find another way to get you to believe me. Where I come from, it took a long time before you would trust me, and I get why. But we don't have that same luxury this time. Things are already changing and are happening faster than they did before. I want to get a head of it before it gets out of hand."
"Where you came from? What does that mean?"
"Explaining that requires me explaining what I am. So let me show you and then explain. Just remember, I am not the one you are looking for." I told him. Derek snorted beside me, and I ignored him. I quickly flashed my eyes and watched him jump up, backing away and reaching for his side. He must have realized that he didn't have a weapon on him, since bringing a loaded weapon into the sheriff's station with the intent to use it would be a bad idea, and his posture tensed.
"You're an alpha. You-."
"Am not the one you are looking for, but I do know him. He's actually the one that bit me." I told him, calmly.
"No one ever listens to the disclaimer." Stiles murmured.
"Mr. Argent, I advise you to have a seat." Mr. S. encouraged, sternly. Argent listened and sat back down, cautiously. "Thank you. Let him explain."
I nodded in thanks to Mr. S.
"I am an alpha, but I'm a different kind of alpha. I'm what's called a true alpha and that just means I didn't have to steal to gain that status. I didn't have to kill anyone. I was chosen, from my understanding it was the Nematon that made me a true alpha. Doing that formed a connection between me and it. That connection along with what I am, and my last moments of life created a… reset, kind of."
"A reset?"
"Did you read about the Ad Initium?" I asked. He nodded. "So basically, it reset my timeline. Everything that happened in my last moments brought me back to this point, at the beginning, when I was first bitten. But it couldn't reset my status, so when I came back, I didn't come back as just a regular wolf but as an alpha still."
"Wait, so you're saying that this Ad Initium sent you back in time?"
"Back to the future style." Cora and Stiles both voiced in unison, then laughed giving each other fist bumps. Derek and I rolled our eyes at them.
"Not back to the future style but yes I did come from about 3 years into the future. Really the Nematon sent me back. The Ad Initium is the name of the ritual or spell it used to do so. Deaton explained it better. Let me start at the beginning of how I got here and then move on to why I am telling you this."
"I'm listening." He said, settling back in his seat.
I started with the beginning of the battle with Monroe, leaving out his father for the moment. But I didn't filter my explanation this time, giving all the facts and information of what happened leading up to when I was killed and how I got back here to this timeline. Derek already knowing this information watched Argent closely. The sheriff looked angry on my behalf as he was hearing all of it for the first time. Stiles was nervously biting his nails as he listened, knowing most but not every detail before. Cora only looked semi interested but did pull Stiles hand from his mouth to stop him. He gave her an embarrassed smile.
"So, you being shot led you back to this point?"
"Yes and no. The way Deaton explained it is that something in the future went off course. That coupled with my wish to have a do over to correct some things in the past is what brought me back to this point, at the beginning of my journey, I guess."
"Okay, I can sort of understand that. I read enough on the Ad Initium to believe that all this could possibly be true. But what exactly does this have to do with me? I'm assuming that I'm involved, or someone in my family is."
"You are correct, you are involved as is your family. But to explain that I think you need to hear something else first." I said and then looked at Derek, who was staring at the ground, jaw, and hands clenched.
I set a hand on Derek's shoulder. He sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face before beginning his story of his high school sweetheart and how he met Kate. At one point I could hear Cora growl and looked to see Stiles grab her hand to offer support, she gave him a slight smile in return. I raised a brow at that exchange. That's interesting.
"So, you're saying, you met my sister when you were 15, which made her 21 at the time and she-."
"Yes. At the time I didn't see it as manipulation. I didn't want to. I had just lost someone I loved, and I was grieving. She made everything seem better somehow. And maybe I was on the rebound, but I thought she genuinely cared about me. Stupidly I gave her information on my family. At first, I didn't know she knew what I was. I kept that information private from everyone, as much as possible. If I had been thinking clearly, if I had just…"
"Not your fault Derek. You were a kid who just lost someone major in his life. She's to blame for what happened after that." I told him. he nodded but I know he still didn't believe he wasn't responsible.
"He's right. If what you said happened, then that fire was all on her not you. She was an adult, and she knew better. There's a reason we have a code." Argent said, clenching his jaw.
"Kate doesn't follow the code, at least not closely. I don't know what she did before I met her but by the time she arrived back here she wasn't following the code. I also firmly believe that Gerard is the reason Kate turned out how she did, why she set that fire. He poisoned her mind against shifters. And if given the chance he and Kate will do the same to Allison." I told Argent.
"What do you mean? Kate would never hurt Allison." He said. I noticed he didn't mention his father at all.
"I don't think Kate thought what she was doing would hurt Allison. But when Kate comes back, she's going to get into Allison's head. She's going to be the one to reveal the hunters and supernatural to her. She's going to use the fact that you and your wife hid it from her to gain her trust in this. She's going to use that to twist her mind and try to turn her into what Kate is."
"Kate's due here Sunday. You mean to tell me that she's going to try to turn my daughter into a killer?"
"Yes, she is. and her doing that along with your father's manipulations at a particular low point in Allison's life will change her. I know that waiting until she is 18 to finally clue her in on the family profession is going to cause issues. If you don't tell her what all is going on, Kate will, and she will try to warp her view of what it is you all do. Gerard will try to manipulate her into doing things that she will later regret doing, and it will cause her to become more reckless in the future."
"Reckless how?" He asked, more alert now.
"She starts going off hunting on her own. She starts taking chances that she shouldn't, especially alone. I'm not saying she will be bad at being a hunter, but she was barely into training as one when things started happening. And I know a lot of her actions stemmed from what she went through during that period. Honestly, I'm not sure if I helped or not. I tried to keep her out of it as much as possible, but she had always liked to do things her own way."
"Yeah, she does do that, even now. the only reason we were waiting is to protect her. I'm not even sure I want her in this life anyway."
"To give her credit she does train well, and she is amazing with a crossbow. I'm sure if given proper training and guidance she would be a great hunter, but she didn't really get that. Kate started to train her but then things happened, you started training her after Kate was gone but then your father came in and things really went to hell."
"You mentioned my father. I will admit he is unorthodox and tends to go rogue, but I haven't seen evidence that he's taken it that far yet."
"I can't tell you when it started for him, but I do know that when he gets here, he goes completely against the code. I watched, well we," I said pointing at Derek and myself. "Watched him cut an innocent omega in half just because he happened to cross his path. He was only here because he heard there was an alpha he knew nothing about what was going on. Your father killed him and then stated that from that moment on there would be no negotiating, all shifters must die."
"What happened to set him on the war path?"
"Kate's death, well her first death."
"Her death?"
"Ultimately she will find the alpha she is looking for, but it won't go the way she thinks. He caught up to her and tried to kill her, but it didn't take. What ended up happening is that she is inadvertently turned into a shifter herself, a jaguar."
"Wait, what? How is that possible?"
"There's a rare myth that someone can be turned without a bite. The claws would have to go deep enough to change but not kill. So, when he thought he had killed her she ended up surviving. The Calaveras took her body knowing that she wasn't dead. They left her in a room with a blade and she was supposed to kill herself per the code. But she didn't. she ended up escaping and she was on the run for a while."
"Is she dead now, I mean from where you come from?" he asked.
"I honestly don't know. you were going to confront her and your father while I was at the school with Derek searching for the Anukite. I never did find out if you found them or not."
"And my father?"
"If left uncheck they will both go on to do even more horrible things. That partner I mentioned in the story of how I ended up back here was Gerard. He's the one that recruited Monroe and he's the one that set the Anukite loose. Gerard did a lot of things just this year alone all to preserve his own life."
"What do you mean?"
"That's something we can discuss later if you want. Right now, we are worried about Kate. When she comes back, she will cause havoc. Her plan will be to go after Derek, again. She thinks he's a part of the alpha's pack and she wants to use him to draw the alpha out."
"Are you?" Argent asked Derek.
"No." Derek told him with a sharp shake of his head. "I just recently found out who he even was and the only reason I am not currently beating the shit out of him is because he needs to be a part of whatever plan we come up with."
"So, the alpha is doing all of this because of that fire. Why?"
"Because he was there. He was in that fire. He barely survived and ended up in rehab for months recovering. He spent months reliving that fire and reliving those moments. When he was finally well enough, he started planning his revenge for those responsible."
"He was in the fire, and he survived? Who is he?"
"Peter Hale." I answered.
"Peter Hale? Another member of the Hale family? What is he to you?" he asked Derek.
"My uncle." He answered succinctly. Argent sat back in his chair, rubbing at the scruff on his face.
"So, what is it you need from me?" Argent asked.
"Information. We need as much information on Kate and Gerard as possible. We know that Kate was responsible for the fire, and we know she had help. I have been able to keep Peter from killing anyone else as of late, but he's not known for his patience, and we need to come up with a plan asap in order to stop him and to stop them."
"What is your plan for them?"
"My plan is not fully developed, I think we all need to meet, everyone involved, and discuss what we can do versus what is impossible to do. I know this is a wildly unpopular idea, but I would like for this to result in no one else's death."
"You're right, that is wildly unpopular." Cora sighed from her perch. I snickered at her.
"I know, sorry. I have made it up until this point without having to kill anyone. I would like for that streak to remain as long as possible. Well, I guess I killed one, but I don't think that counts." I mused.
"Why doesn't it count?" Mr. S. asked.
"Yeah, it was kind of a monstrous werewolf called Le Bête. It was either kill it or watch it continue to murder more people." I explained.
"Le Bête? You mean The Beast of Gevaudan?"
"Yes, it came back in my senior year thanks to the Dread Doctors." I rolled my eyes.
"How the hell-."
"That's a long explanation and I will tell you about it, promise. But first I want to get past this current situation."
"Okay, I'll leave that for now. So, when is this planning meeting supposed to take place?"
"I think Saturday afternoon would be good. In the meantime, maybe, we could all come up with some ideas and we can just collaborate then on the best course of action."
"Sounds good. I think I need the time to process all of this. Just let me know time and place for this meeting and I'll be there. I will help with what I can." Argent said, standing. I stood up as well, offering my hand again.
"Mr. Argent."
"Just call me Argent, I think we are past formalities at this point." He said, shaking.
"Argent. All I just told you is only part of the information that I want to share with you. The rest can wait until we have a moment to breathe and recover after whatever is going to happen happens. But until we can really talk can you please keep this to yourself? Just this meeting. I do think you should key Allison in as soon as possible. Don't give Kate an inch in regard to her."
"In other words, don't tell my wife about any of this."
"Please, if you could. I know it's not ideal but right now it's necessary. There is some more information there as well but now's not the time."
"Okay, I don't feel comfortable doing that but for now I will not say a word about this meeting."
"Thank you."
He nodded and then shook hands with Mr. S. before heading for the door. Hand on the nob he took stock of the room again, stopping first on Derek and then on Cora.
"For what's it worth, which might not be a lot in your eyes given what you have been through. I am sorry for what happened to your family. It never should have been allowed to get to that point. I will do what I can to help make sure nothing like this happens again and that those responsible face the consequences of their actions."
Both Derek and Cora nodded to him. he gave one last acknowledgement to everyone before leaving.
"Well, that went splendidly." Stiles said, smiling. Derek and Cora snorted, I shook my head and Mr. S. facepalmed.
** Hope this chat came across okay. I didn't want to make Argent a complete hard ass, which is why I had Scott give him some information before meeting with him. Hopefully I did the talk justice. Thanks for reading. **