Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters. If I did, Sterek would be canon.
A/N: The Pack get their groove back, plans are made and the Darach makes a move.
The Hale Pack: Come Back Home
"Great, I'll talk to the Pack tonight and I'll hopefully have an answer for you tomorrow." John smiled kindly, then turned and left the room, heading to his office to call his son.
Once in his office, John sighed, and decided to call Melissa first, after a few rings, she picked up.
"Hey."
"Hey." John smiled at the sound of her voice. "How's work?"
"Rather uneventful at the moment, but that could change at any second." John hummed in agreement at Melissa's words. "How about you?"
"Well, I just came back from talking to Kali. Apparently she and Ennis want to leave the Alpha Pack. They're willing to help us with the Darach, then she swears they'll leave and never come back. I just need to talk to the Pack about it and make sure Ennis is actually willing to do as she says."
"Wow, first the twins want to leave, now Kali and possibly Ennis, it's not much of Pack, is it?" Melissa commented. "Do you believe her?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Okay. then I'm sure that the others will all agree."
"I hope so" John muttered. "Anyway, the main reason I called is because I sorted out the reservations for our date on Wednesday." He grinned, feeling proud of himself, he had managed to get them reservations at one of the fanciest places in town. Scott had told him that Melissa had wanted to go there for a long time, but hadn't had the time or money.
"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" Melissa asked in exasperation, causing the Sheriff to chuckle. "You know that I hate surprises."
"I'm sorry, but you're just going to have to wait and see." John grinned at Melissa's sigh. "I will tell you, though, that it's pretty fancy."
"So jeans and a t-shirt aren't going to cut it?" Melissa asked with a chuckle.
"No, I'm afraid not." John stated, then looked at the clock. "I'm sorry, but I have to go, I need to call Stiles and talk to him about Kali."
"Okay but he won't answer." Melissa stated. "He's here, visiting Derek, so his phone is off."
"Right." John sighed, running his hand over his face. "Can you let him know that I need to talk to him as soon as possible, and ask him to call me when he can?"
"Of course."
"Thanks, I'll talk to you later."
-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-
Back at the Hale house, the Pack, the Argents, Peter and the twins were sitting around, waiting for news from Stiles about Derek. Chris was telling everyone about a 'spell' he had found, that was likely the 'spell' that Jennifer cast on Derek.
"According to what I've found, we can't break the spell, Derek has to be the one to trigger it, but once it's broken, she can't cast it on him again."
"Is there any way we can help him break the spell?" Allison asked hopefully.
"Remind Derek of who he really is, remind him of how he really feels about you." Chris told her with a reassuring smile. "That's really the only thing you can do."
"That'll be difficult." Cora muttered bitterly. "Last night, when he started freaking out, his eyes opened and it was like he didn't even know who I was."
"He was freaking out?" Isaac asked in surprise.
"Yeah, he started digging his claws into his palms and thrashing about, then he just stopped, it was weird, he got this-"
"Burn?" Erica jumped in with wide eyes. "On his cheek?" Cora nodded, eyeing her Mate curiously as the members of the Pack who were at the motel looked to each other in shock.
-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-
The night before, Alan Deaton had been stood in the animal clinic, muttering words in a language that definitely wasn't English. In front of him, on the metal table, were many herbs and trinkets, along with lit candles, an old, leather-bound book and a large black bowl, with smoke floating from it. He continued reciting foreign words as he picked up a handful of mistletoe, Jennifer's weapon of choice, and dropped it into the bowl as he yelled the final words. Almost instantly, the mistletoe went up in sparks and the flames on the candles doubled in size. In the bowl, all but two of the ingredients were completely charred. The two unharmed ingredients rose to the top, the crimson a stark contrast to the dark ashes. Two drops of blood, one came from Stiles, the other from Derek. As the flames on the candles shrunk down, the drops moved closer together, and when they finally collided in the center of the bowl the flames went out and darkness enveloped the room.
Meanwhile, Derek was lying in the hospital, trying to fight his injuries. His head told him to go to Jennifer, that she could help, but his body refused to move. Besides, it wasn't Jennifer's voice he kept hearing. It was Cora, John and Melissa, and even Peter. They all kept saying Stiles' name.
Stiles.
His face flashed in Derek's mind.
He saw Stiles on the side of the road, outside the school, in the Jeep, in his arms, in their bed, in their home. He saw Stiles cooking for their Pack, he saw Stiles cleaning their pup's wounds, comforting them.
He saw the pain in his mate's eyes when Derek told him that he didn't love him.
He saw Stiles, stood in a car park, crying, light dancing off of his face. He then saw Scott, soaked head to toe, an empty canister of gasoline by his feet and a lit flare in his hands. He heard Scott's anguish, as the boy blamed himself for Derek being hurt. He felt Stiles' fear as they watched Scott break down.
Derek couldn't move as Stiles started to talk Scott down, his heart started racing when Stiles stepped forward into the puddle, and told Scott that he was going to have to take Stiles with him.
He felt the heat from the fire, and the weight of Lydia on Stiles' back. He felt the relief when Stiles realised that his Pack was safe.
Derek was mostly calm after that, watching the events unfold, then Stiles began freaking out. Stiles dug his claws into his palms, and Derek did the same. Stiles thrashed around, trying to escape those surrounding him, and Derek did the same. Stiles stopped trying to hurt himself after being burnt on the cheek, and Derek did the same. Stiles drifted off to sleep, hearing loving whispers, and Derek was the one whispering to him. Things were rather quiet in Derek's mind after that as his body healed. The most noticeable thing was that he no longer felt the urge to seek out Jennifer, but he did feel the need to find Stiles.
Derek remained in a state of restless sleep for hours, unable to force his eyes open. Until Stiles arrived. He began returning to consciousness when the scent hit him, his fingers twitched when he heard his mate's voice, and when their hands touched, his eyes shot open.
He immediately looked at Stiles, who's eyes were wide in shock. He went to pull his hand away, but Derek grabbed it firmly, but not hard enough to hurt Stiles. "I'm so sorry." He croaked, just then noticing how dry his throat was, but he didn't care. "I'm so, so sorry!"
"Derek?" Stiles gasped, gazing into his mate's eyes finding relief in the guilt and love he saw there.
"I'm sorry." He repeated, and a huge, watery smile spread across Stiles' face as he lunged forward and hugged Derek. Derek pulled Stiles so that he was fully on top of Derek, and buried his nose in the boy's hair, breathing in the familiar scent. "I love you, I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault." Stiles replied immediately, trying to take in as much of Derek's scent as physically possible. "I love you. We'll be okay." He assured honestly, he refused to say that it was okay, because it wasn't, but in that moment, in Derek's arms, he knew that Scott and Lydia were right, they'd get through this. It may take some time, but they would get through it, together.
-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-
An hour later, Derek was allowed to go home. Stiles had called his dad to give him the good news and learnt about Kali's offer, then he called the Pack and told them about it and that Derek was himself again, and his pups gleefully told him that Jennifer wouldn't be able to do it again. The amount of joy and relief in that phone call was immeasurable. The Argents, the Twins and Peter had left to give them some privacy and the Pack anxiously waited in the living room, wanting -no, needing- needing to see for themselves that Derek was himself again. They wanted to go to the hospital to see him, but the Sheriff argued that Derek would be happier at home. So they stayed, tidied up around the house, freshened up Stiles and Derek's room, trying to get rid of the strong scent of loneliness and hurt. By the time they had finished, the scent was barely there, and Stiles and Derek were pulling up to the house. They all ran to various windows of the house, watching as the pair climbed out of the car. Derek's eyes fell on his Pack smiling at him, and his face lit up.
They heard Stiles say "I told you so." As Derek all but ran to the house. The Pack rushed to meet him at the door and tackled him into a hug. Derek immediately began breathing in their scents, and scent marking them.
"I'm sorry." He whispered.
"Stop that right now." Cora ordered immediately, attempting to glare at her brother through Erica's hair. "This is not your fault."
"But the things I said and did, I-"
"Don't." Jackson whispered, pressing his face into Derek's shoulder. "Please don't."
*Flashback*
The Pack was at school, and walked into their English classroom, and froze in shock at what they saw. Jennifer was leaning against her desk and Derek was pressed against her, kissing her as if his life depended on it.
A fresh wave of hurt and grief rolled off of Stiles, drawing Derek's attention to them. He groaned, and pulled away from Jennifer, but still kept her pressed against the desk. "What are you doing here?"
"We have class." Jackson growled, glaring at the alpha, but there was no anger towards Derek in his scent, only sadness. The Pack and the twins proceeded to take their seats, trying to ignore the 'couple' in front of them.
It was mostly fine as the rest of the class trickled in, then Jennifer announced that Derek would be 'observing' the lesson. There were curious glances from Stiles to Derek, and whispers of "Isn't that Stilinski's boyfriend?"
The Pack knew that Jennifer was doing it to mess with them, so they tried to not let it get under their skin. That didn't work out too well.
Halfway through the lesson, Jennifer brought up the subject of Romeo and Juliet, and how it could be seen in many different ways.
"Most people see it as a tragic love story, or a story about two people who were destined to be together, but the world didn't have a place for them." She explained casually, walking around the classroom, she slowed her pace tauntingly when she passed Stiles' desk. Letting him catch a good whiff of Derek's scent on her. "I see it differently." She stated once she reached her desk again, and fixed her eyes on Stiles. "I view it as a story of an impossible relationship. The pair of them should have known it would never work out, and when it all fell apart, they should have let it go rather than chase a fantasy."
"I disagree." Lydia spoke up calmly, causing Jennifer to look at her, with a fake smile on her face.
"Pardon, Lydia?"
"I said that I disagree with your views." Lydia stated, locking eyes with the woman. "I don't think it was an impossible love, in fact, I believe it was a destined love. It was other people getting in the way and trying to take what wasn't theirs that messed everything up." Jennifer went to say something, but Scott spoke up before she could.
"I agree with Lydia. It was the meddling of others that turned the love story into a tragedy." The crooked jawed boy began, surprising some of their classmates. "Take Paris for example, I understand that in those times, marriage was about status and not love, but he claimed Juliet as his own without any second thought. Had she not faked her death, then actually died, she would have been forced to marry him, despite loving Romeo. She had no choice in the matter. She and Romeo could have had a wonderful, happy life together, but the meddling of others led to their downfall, leading to their deaths."
"Those are interesting views, Miss Martin, Mr McCall, but I didn't ask for a debate." Jennifer replied, a fake smile still plastered on her face.
"Then why bring it up at all if you don't want us to think about it and come up with our own ideas?" Jackson asked incredulously, with his best bitch face on, and most of the class made some gesture or noise of agreement.
"Isn't the whole point of school to learn?" Danny spoke up with a raised eyebrow. "How are we supposed to learn without hearing other ideas and interpretations? If you stick to one view, that's all you'll ever see. You need other opinions, other perspectives to be able to see the bigger picture, the other meanings. Without them, the world is going to become pretty boring, pretty fast."
"I think you're all being rude." Derek glared at the Pack. "She is your teacher, you should respect her."
"We didn't say or do anything to disrespect her, Derek." Cora argued, glaring at her brother defiantly.
"I think questioning her teaching methods counts as disrespecting her." Derek glared, and Cora rolled her eyes, as did several other Pack members.
"Right, sure."
"If questioning something means disrespect," Allison began, with a faux confused expression. "Does that mean scientists disrespect gravity? That people disrespect life? The earth? As human beings, we question everything, that doesn't mean that we disrespect it. It just means that we want to understand it."
Erica nodded in agreement with Allison as she kept a glare fixed on Jennifer. "As a teacher you're here to educate us, Miss Blake. I would have thought you'd be happy that we want to learn, and have proved that we have an understanding of the material." Jennifer was struggling to keep the smile on her face, but then Derek spoke.
"Jen, may I take some of your students outside for a word?" Derek asked the Darach kindly, and she nodded in agreement. "Stiles, Scott, Lydia, Allison, Jackson, Isaac, Danny, Erica, Boyd, and Cora, come with me." He ordered, using the last thread of Alpha control he had over them to force them to go with him. They all stood from their seats and grabbed their bags and books, then followed Derek into the corridor. Once the classroom door was closed behind them, Derek spoke to the Pack. "Leave her alone." Derek all but growled at them.
"That's kinda hard to do considering she's our teacher." Jackson drawled easily. There was a part of him that still told him to bare his neck and obey his alpha, but he knew that this wasn't truly Derek anymore, his wolf knew it too, which made it easier for Jackson to treat Derek like he would any other person who was opposing their Pack.
"Stop showing her up, stop disrespecting her, stop-"
"We weren't doing any of those things." Lydia stated, folding her arms over her chest. "We were sharing our opinions on the material that she presented. We did not say that her views were invalid or of lesser value than ours. The most we did was question something we didn't understand, the way we have always been taught to, therefore we neither showed her up nor disrespected her."
"Alright Lydia, you can shut up now, nobody likes a know-it-all." Derek sneered at her, angering the Pack. "Oh, give it a rest, like any of you stand a chance against me." Derek rolled his eyes and spoke to the Pack one by one, starting with Scott. "Scott, you're so afraid of hurting me, that you'll go down without a struggle. Allison, you may come from a big bad hunter family, but you knew nothing about it less than a year ago, your little arrows won't be able to save you. Isaac, all I need to do is lock you in a closet and you'll be crying like a baby. Danny, you're a wuss, the worst you could do is send me an angry email. I know you're already a murderer, Jackson, but the way you cried afterwards really shows that you wouldn't be able to bring yourself to kill me. Lydia, you'd probably freak out if you broke a nail. You'd just mess up, Erica, and leave yourself exposed. Boyd, you're far too slow to even compete with me. Cora, you don't even stand a chance, your time in South America really degraded your fighting skills. And Stiles, you're nothing more than a hyperactive spaz, you really need to move on and accept that I don't love you. Hell, I don't even like you." Derek's eyes were fixed on Stiles, who was fighting back tears. "There you go again, crying. It's pathetic, Stiles. Pack mum? Yeah right, you don't have what it takes. You can barely keep yourself together, how do you expect to do it for the Pack? Huh?" Stiles turned his head away from Derek, who was stepping closer to him, despite the warning growls from the Pack. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" He growled. "You worthless little-"
Derek's words were cut off as a loud smack sounded and his head shot to the side. Scott still had his fist raised when Derek looked at him again. "Fuck off." He ordered darkly, glaring at the older wolf. "If you talk to any of them like that again, especially Stiles, we will end you, despite what you may think. Nobody talks badly about my brother, my Pack, my family. Not even you." Derek growled, eyes flashing red as he wrapped a single hand around Scott's throat and lifted the wolf off of his feet. Barely a second had passed before Derek was attacked from all sides. He released his grip and Scott fell to the floor, gasping for oxygen. Isaac and Allison immediately rushed to help their mate to his feet, as the others eyed Derek cautiously, ready to defend themselves.
Erica tore her eyes from the alpha, and looked around to see if anyone had seen anything, there were no people around, but a security camera was pointing straight at them. She panicked for a second before her phone pinged. It was a message from Victoria regarding the footage, saying that she'd 'take cake of it'.
When she looked at the Pack again, Jackson was in front of Derek. "You better stay away from us." Jackson warned before he turned and walked away, most of the Pack followed, but Stiles stayed behind.
"Tell your Darach friend that we won't be in for the rest of the day." Stiles managed to say, looking directly at Derek with a stony expression. "I may not be the best Pack Mum, but I will always stand by my Pack. No matter who tries to make me doubt myself, I will carry on supporting them, I will be there for them because they are the most important people in my life, so are you. You can say whatever you want but you will not get me to abandon them. Ever. When this.. spell, or whatever, breaks, you can come straight home and we will welcome you, the real you, with open arms. But until then, stay away from us. You may be stronger than us individually, but when we work as a team, it's you who doesn't stand a chance. The real you knows that."
Stiles then turned and marched towards his Pack, not letting Derek see the broken look reappear on his face.
*End Flashback*
"You're back." Allison mumbled. "That's all that matters."
"Thank you." Derek replied, he wanted to argue, to say that they should be angry at him for the things that he had said and done, but he knew there was no point. "I didn't mean any of it."
"We know." Isaac replied softly. "Your heart rate would always change whenever you were forced to say something nasty to us." He stated, surprising Derek.
"Really?"
"Yeah." Boyd confirmed. "It was kinda weird. Other than your heart rate, and the fact that we all know you, there was nothing to indicate that you didn't believe what you were saying." Derek was torn between frowning and smiling at that, but before he could decide, Boyd continued. "But we could tell, honestly I think it's one of the few things that kept us going." There were noises of agreement from his Pack as Derek processed the words.
"I wish I could take it all back, but I don't know how. I remember saying those things, doing things," He shuddered at the memories of himself and Jennifer, doing things he should have only ever done with Stiles. "But it was never really me. There was my wolf and a small echo of myself there, in the back of my mind, but I couldn't- I couldn't-" Arms tightened around him as the Pack, somehow, grew closer together. Derek knew that he didn't need to explain himself to them, that they all knew. Maybe not the specifics, but they knew enough to know that he wasn't to blame. He knew that he wasn't to blame, but Derek still felt guilty, and felt like he owed them an explanation. They deserved an explanation. "I tried, but I couldn't gain control. I know that this isn't my fault, I know that she is to blame, but I still feel the need to make up for it. I'm going to try, you can't convince me otherwise. So, I need to ask you all to allow me to make it up to you."
"You don't need to." Scott replied immediately. "But if it's what you need to help you move past this, then fine. As long as it doesn't include me getting my nails painted or anything, I'll accept it." There was a pause, before Derek let out a chuckle. That chuckle turned into a laugh, and soon, they were all laughing. It wasn't even over what Scott said, not completely. It was more the fact that with Derek back in his rightful place and mind, a weight had been lifted, and they could laugh again.
Nothing else was said after that for a while. About ten minutes later, the humans were getting tired of standing and were cramping up slightly from lack of movement, so they broke the group hug.
"So, what are we doing now?" Erica asked, not speaking to anyone in particular. "I mean, we still have Jennifer to take care of." She sent a cautious glance to Derek, who flinched at the woman's name.
"We won't have long until she figures out that her spell has worn off, if she doesn't already know." Derek told them quietly, but they all heard him easily. "But she won't try anything yet, she wants to take out the alpha Pack, so once she knows that the majority of them are in prison, she'll try to figure out a way to get to them and that'll take a few days at least." He commented, finding it easier to talk the more he went on, which relieved the Pack. "So, if you all want to, I was hoping that we could have a Pack night tonight, start repairing the bonds. Then tomorrow, continue our training?"
"That sounds perfect." Stiles smiled happily, and the rest of the Pack eagerly agreed to Derek's plan. They all knew that they should probably focus on Jennifer, on taking her down before she could make a move, but they also knew, even without Derek telling them, that she wouldn't make a move that night. She wasn't stupid and had to know that anything she may have planned to do that night would just anger the Pack, and likely result in her death at the hands of Derek.
Isaac, Erica, Lydia and Danny went to the kitchen to start making a meal for them all, Stiles offered to help but they insisted that he stay with Derek like they all knew he wanted to. So Stiles and the rest of the Pack accompanied Derek as he scent marked the house, finally making it smell completely like home again. As Isaac and Erica were setting the table, the adults of the Pack returned, along with the Sheriff. They all ate their meals as the Sheriff informed them of the details of his conversation with Kali, and it was a unanimous agreement to give her the benefit of the doubt. After the meal, the Argents and Peter left and the twins joined the Pack for a movie, before leaving too. The Pack relocated to Stiles and Derek's bedroom, and piled onto the huge bed.
"I've missed this." Derek told them softly, finding comfort in the scent of Pack, the ease of being home, finally after far too long apart.
"So have we." Jackson informed him quietly, trying not to wake Danny, who had fallen asleep the second he closed his eyes. "We tried it a couple of times while you were… away, but it just wasn't the same."
"Is it bad if I say I'm glad?" Derek asked cautiously. It's not that he was glad that they didn't enjoy those puppy piles as much, it was that he was happy that they preferred it with him there. It made him feel less… replaceable.
"Not at all." Lydia assured, a sleepy slur edging her voice. "If I missed out on a puppy pile, I'd want to know that I was missed."
"Of course you would be." Stiles chuckled, opting not to tell her about the puppy pile they had without her the night Kate died. "We're Pack, when one of us is missing, we all feel it, and things don't feel right until they're back."
"Yeah, just think about when Danny went away during the summer." Scott reminded them, before letting out a big yawn. Within minutes, he was asleep. Half an hour later, everyone except Stiles and Derek were asleep. The mates were curled together, Stiles had his head resting against Derek's chest, an arm tossed over his waist and a leg tossed over him (His other leg was being used as Cora's pillow.) and Derek had an arm wrapped around him protectively.
"Do you think we can get past this?" Derek asked in a tone so soft, Stiles barely heard him.
"Yeah. I have no doubt that we'll be okay. It might take a while, but we'll be okay." Stiles replied softly. "I believe that."
"Me too." Derek admitted, and there was a small pause before he spoke again. "What is it?"
"What's what?"
"The thing you want to ask me."
"I don't-"
"Stiles."
"Did you-" Stiles swallowed around the lump in his throat before asking. "Did you sleep with her?"
"No." Derek told him immediately. It was true, he hadn't, thankfully. It was bad enough that he'd kissed her, but if he'd done that, he'd never be able to forgive himself.
"Good," Stiles sighed in relief. "I'm glad you don't have to go through that again." He commented, surprising Derek. That's what Stiles was worried about? Not that Derek had slept with someone else, but that he'd done it against his will? Stiles had always been upset about what happened with Kate, Derek knew that, but somehow he didn't consider that Stiles was mainly upset about the Jennifer situation for the same reason. Derek went to say something, but stopped when he realised that Stiles had fallen asleep.
Derek sighed softly, and took a deep breath and listened to his Pack's overlapping heartbeats. He allowed his eyes to drift shut, and joined his Pack in a restful slumber.
-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-
The next day, the Pack decided to talk to Kali before training. They took the twins and Chris with them, for backup and further assessment of Kali's honesty, Along with Ennis' now that he had come to. Deucalion had been rendered unconscious to prevent him from influencing the others in any way.
John had just finished explaining Kali's offer to Ennis. "I'm in." Ennis agreed without hesitation. "This whole situation is a little too messy for me, if I continue to work with Deucalion, I'm just risking my own life for nothing. I'll join Kali in helping you with the Darach, then we'll leave."
"And you don't want anything?" John asked with a raised eyebrow. "You're not going to try to bargain for anything?"
"No, you saved my life, I owe you and I'm still asking for my freedom once this all over. You have every right to arrest me for the crimes I've committed here, as well as the others I've committed elsewhere. Yet, you're willing to let me, and Kali, go because you're an honorable man, Sheriff, so I'm not going to bargain. I'm not going to try and get anything else from you, I promise." Ennis looked John in the eyes the entire time he spoke, assuring the man of his honesty. John turned to look at the Pack and their associates, all of the wolves and Chris nodded at him, so he turned to look at Ennis again.
"Alright." John said as he pulled a set of keys from his pocket. "But if anyone of us gets so much as a suspicion that you or Kali are planning to turn on us, the arrangement is off, and you are straight back in a cell beside Deucalion." Ennis nodded in agreement and John undid the specially made handcuffs. "You're free to leave the station now. Kali will be released within half an hour, then you and she need to be at the Hale property tonight at seven to discuss planning. Understood?"
"Understood. You won't regret this, Sheriff."
-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-
Derek hit the ground hard, letting out a pained noise as he did so. He looked up at Lydia in shock, who was turning towards Jackson, who was charging at her. She let out a scream and pushed her hands out, and Jackson went flying. Derek watched in awe as Lydia took down her Pack mates with ease, using a mix of fighting and her voice. She was using her voice as a weapon, something Derek didn't even know was possible. Soon, Lydia was the only one standing. "How did-" Derek began, but Lydia cut him off.
"Danny read about it." She told him with a grin. "It took me a few days to learn how to do it, but now that I've found my way, it's so easy, I can't believe I haven't been doing it forever."
Derek just nodded at her, unsure of how to respond.
-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-
Kali and Ennis arrived at the property at exactly seven and were surprised to find not one, but three houses there, along with a pool.
"This place is huge." Ennis commented as they walked up the drive. "Which house do you think it is?"
"This one." Ethan's voice called out from the porch of the largest house. The pair of Alpha's turned to see both of the twins standing on the porch watching the couple, clearly amused.
"This is the Pack house, the others belong to two of the Pack member's parents." Aiden explained, as he had been given permission to tell them that.
"You're just in time, dinner is just being served." Ethan said as he turned to walk into the house, confusing the couple.
"Dinner?" Kali asked in surprise as she and Ennis climbed the steps to the porch. "I thought this was a meeting to plan what we're going to do about Julia."
"It is." Aiden confirmed with a nod. "But no one wants to plan on an empty stomach."
"Come on." Ethan urged from inside the house. "Stiles made steak, it's his specialty."
"And his homemade curly fries are incredible." Aiden told them with a grin, before turning and walking into the house. The couple shared a look before following.
The inside of the house was just as impressive as the outside, if not more so. Kali closed the door behind her and followed the twins to the dining room, admiring the house as she did so.
"Alpha Kali, Alpha Ennis, we're glad you could make it." Melissa greeted with a smile. "I'm Melissa McCall, I'm Scott's mother."
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Ennis smiled genuinely. "Though I have heard your name before. You're the doctor who saved my life."
"Well, technically, I'm the nurse who helped." Melissa corrected with a soft smile. "I'm glad to see you're okay." Kali bowed her head to Melissa for a second, then looked her in the eyes whilst grabbing Ennis' hand.
"Thank you."
"There's really no need." Melissa assured her with a smile. "Now, please take a seat, dinner's ready."
An hour later they had all finished eating the wonderful meal, and relocated to the living room. Kali told them about how, when she was her Emissary, Julia/Jennifer liked to draw on Telluric currents for more power. As it turned out, Danny had been searching said currents for a school project, so he brought out his research to help them out. They discovered that the abduction and body dump sites all ran on Telluric currents.
"So, what does this mean, exactly?" Scott asked aloud. "I get that these enhance her power or whatever, but what's her endgame? She has to be building up to something!"
"The Nemeton." Chris stated and Deaton nodded in agreement.
"The what?"
"The Nemeton. It's a sacred meeting place consecrated by druids. Druids would pick the largest and oldest tree in the grove, which would become the centerpiece of their rituals. The tree represented the world. Legend has it that if any harm came to a Nemeton, the surrounding towns and villages would suffer misfortunes. The Nemeton contains powerful magic and is fueled by ritual sacrifices." Deaton explained, causing looks of horror to appear on some faces, and confusion on others.
"So, what you're saying is..." Stiles began, running a hand over his face in frustration before continuing. "Every time she kills someone, not only is she powering herself, but the Nemeton too?"
"Yes."
"And what happens then?" Jackson asked impatiently. "What happens when you... power up this Nemeton?"
"It's like a beacon," Chris stated, glaring at the map, as if it was to blame. "for supernatural creatures."
"It's how the area got its name." Deaton told them. "It was cut down a few years ago, but it didn't lose it's abilities. It's just out of power at the moment."
"Think of it like a battery." Chris took over from Deaton. "Each sacrifice adds a little more fuel to it, more energy, power. The more sacrifices she commits, and the more power the sacrifices had, the more power it gets."
"Once it's 'fully charged' it'll be able to become self-sufficient. It'll draw other creatures here, from all over. Pulling them in like a magnet. Their presence will not only provide the town with more supernatural energy, but more chaos as well. Creatures will want this land for themselves, and will challenge you all for it. Be it them, or you, who survives, there are more sacrifices, more energy it gains. It will never stop."
"So, as long as we keep her from committing any more sacrifices, it'll be fine?" Allison asked hopefully, but she knew that it was just wishful thinking.
"I'm afraid not." Deaton told her, earning several groans of annoyance. "She has killed six people, so far. That's a fair amount of energy. Enough to lure in creatures from nearby towns."
"And by luring them here, the Nemeton get's more power from their energy." Lydia sighed in realisation. "So, it's practically already self sufficient."
"Basically, yes."
"How can we… shut it down?" Derek asked through gritted teeth. "There has to be something we can do." Chris and Deaton shared a knowing look. "What is it?"
"You can't shut it down, but there is something you can do."
-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-
"That's a terrible idea!" John exclaimed, slamming his hands down on the table.
"Dad-" Stiles sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's the only thing we can do that doesn't end with a ton of people dying. This is our best option!"
"Stiles, you're seventeen years old, you can't-"
"Yes, I can and I will." Stiles cut in, frustrating his father further. "This is something that I have to do. I didn't tell you to ask for your permission, I told you so that I didn't have to lie to you."
"You really are your mother's son." John sighed, startling Stiles. "Once she set her mind to something, there was nothing I could do to stop her." Stiles smiled as his father so easily spoke of his mother in a way he never could before. "She'd have been so proud to see the brilliant young man you've become." Stiles felt tears form in his eyes as his dad wrapped him up in a hug.
"She'd be happy for you, too, dad. I think she's smiling down at us, glad that you're finding happiness again." Stiles told him softly.
"I think you're right." John smiled, pulling back to look at his son. "Come on, let's get this crazy plan of yours sorted."
"It's not that crazy." Stiles defended as they began to walk to the living room.
"Yes it is."
-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-
The next night found Stiles and Derek alone in their bed for the first time in weeks. Derek wasn't sure how he felt about that. On one hand, he was happy to finally be able to hold Stiles in his arms through the night, without anybody else there again, but on the other hand, he felt like he didn't deserve it. Stiles was so easily letting him in again, trusting and loving him like nothing had happened, and Derek felt like he shouldn't.
He felt like Stiles should be pushing him away, forcing him to work for that love, not just giving him it for nothing.
But here they were, lying in their bed, Stiles wrapped up in Derek's arms, just like they used to. The only difference was that Derek couldn't relax, and Stiles noticed.
Stiles twisted in his mate's arms until they were chest to chest. "Derek," Stiles sighed, looking Derek in the eyes.
"You should hate me."
"No, I shouldn't." Stiles replied immediately, causing Derek to sigh in frustration.
"Stiles." He sighed.
"Derek, listen to me, okay?" Stiles began and Derek nodded. "I'm not going to pretend that I'm okay with everything that happened, or that it doesn't hurt. And I'm not going to pretend that I'm not terrified that something like that might happen again. There's no point in lying, but what I can say, that is true, is that I don't blame you and I don't hold you responsible. Blaming you for this would be like blaming Lydia for bringing Peter back to life, or blaming Tammy for all of the people who were killed by the Kanima." Derek opened his mouth and went to protest, say that it was different, but Stiles wouldn't let him. "If you had the chance, would you go back and still spend those weeks with her?"
"No!" Derek immediately assured, eyes wide as he looked Stiles in the eyes.
"Exactly." Stiles stated, unfazed by Derek's frantic response. "It wasn't really you. That man, the one who told me he didn't love me wasn't you, wasn't my mate. He was a puppet wearing your face. That's not the man I love. The man I love, is the one lying here with me. The man who would do anything to protect me and our Pack. The man who would never intentionally hurt me, the man who is stubbornly determined to punish and blame himself for everything bad that happens around him, even when it's not his fault. I'm not going to let her come between us."
"How did I get so lucky to have you as my mate?" Derek smiled lovingly at Stiles, who was looking at him as he had hung the moon.
"I wouldn't call it luck, I mean, you've seen me in the mornings, right?" Derek chuckled and softly kissed Stiles for barely a second. The look of pure happiness on Stiles' face made Derek's heart melt.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Stiles gently placed a hand on Derek's cheek and gazed at his mate with pure adoration. He moved slowly, giving Derek plenty of opportunity to pull away if he wanted, leaning in until their lips met again, this time their kiss was far more passionate. The need to reaffirm their bond as Mates took over and soon enough they were making out heatedly and scrambling for each other's clothes.
-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-
A few days later, one of Melissa's co-workers went missing. She was on her way into work, when she vanished, her car was found, still running, rolling down a road. Chris announced that Jennifer was now targeting Healers, causing them all to worry for Melissa's safety. The Pack took turns watching over her, which rather started to irritate the woman, but she put up with it.
Even when she'd wake up to find werewolves staring at her from the foot of her bed. Though, sometimes they weren't staring at her. One morning, Melissa awoke to find Scott, Allison and Isaac all sleeping on her bedroom floor. She watched in amusement as they argued over who had been on watch last, which ended with Isaac realising.
"I might have been on watch last."
The nurse tried to argue that she wasn't a doctor, but her son responded that healer didn't have to mean doctor. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to assuage worry with letting herself be 'protected' by the Pack, Melissa let them continue, hoping they'd eventually ease up. However, their protectiveness only grew with each day that passed, especially after another person went missing. Then, the Darach tried to take Deaton. She had covered the windows with insects, enveloping the room in darkness. Fortunately, as this happened, Chris and Derek were walking up to the building. They managed to get there in time to save Deaton, but in the distraction, she ran off, and later took someone else. Nine down, apparently out of fifteen. According to their research Philosophers and Guardians were to be the next targets.
-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-
The following Tuesday night, Derek and Tara cautiously entered the High School, both Deputies placed their hands over their weapons at the sight of an open door. They continued forward, quickly drawing their weapons when a bang sounded. They exchanged a look as they moved forward, quietly making their way through the building. They suddenly turned when footsteps sounded behind them, only relaxing at the sight of students rushing past.
"What are you guys doing here?" Tara all but demanded as she and Derek lowered their weapons.
"Practicing for our recital tomorrow." Danny explained, glancing between the pair curiously.
"And you didn't think to tell me?" Derek sighed, with an unimpressed look on his face.
"I didn't think it was important." Danny shrugged. "Why? Is something wrong?" He asked as his eyes fell on their weapons at their sides. "There is something wrong, isn't there?"
"Someone made a nine-one-one call." Tara began, trying to express the importance of the situation. "All of you need to leave now."
"If you see anyone else, tell them the same thing." Derek continued, putting an edge of Alpha command in his voice, directed at Danny. Danny nodded in understanding, then led his fellow students out of the building.
"Dispatch, this is unit ten, do you copy?" Tara asked into the walkie-talkie, getting only static in response. "Dispatch, do you copy?" She asked again, and once more, got no response. So Derek tried through his walkie-talkie, and got the same response. Then, an odd chanting sounded through both of their speakers simultaneously. The chanting cut off with a sudden static, before a bang rang out behind them. They turned to see a pair of legs, seemingly being dragged, disappearing through a door. Derek moved in front of Tara, and began walking towards the door, Tara following closely behind him. They soon found themselves in the locker rooms. "This is Deputy Graeme-"
"And Deputy Hale-"
"Come out with your hands up!" Tara ordered, both she and Derek were on high alert. With no signs of someone corresponding with their demand, the pair continued forwards. "This is the Sheriff's department, come out now!"
They soon found themselves at the showers, and Derek noticed a body, slumped against the wall. He moved forward to get a better look, as Tara noticed it too. Soon, he was able to see the face- Tara's face. He quickly spun around, just in time to see the Darach try to strangle Tara. He roared, and the Darach looked at him, seemingly surprised, as if she hadn't known he was there. Taking advantage of her shock, Derek lunged forward.
As this played out, Lydia, Allison, Scott, and Stiles pulled up at the school. They had intended to go to the store to pick up some snacks and stationery for a study session. When Lydia changed course, no one questioned it, only mentally prepared themselves for trouble. "I'm sorry, but it's the same thing as before. I can't ignore it."
"It's okay Lydia." Stiles assured as he followed the redhead to the entrance. "We could save someone tonight, that means a lot more than a slightly later study session."
"Hey, isn't Danny here?" Scott asked suddenly with wide eyes. "The recital practice, it doesn't finish for another ten minutes, right?" His observation had them all moving faster.
The group rushed past the school's sign, and towards the main door, jumping in surprise when the door suddenly opened, then sighing in relief when they saw Danny and the rest of the music class walking out. "Derek's in there." Danny told them immediately. "He and Tara were responding to a nine-one-one call, and Derek said for everyone to get out."
"It's the same thing as the pool and the lake." Lydia told him, confusing their classmates, but causing a look of realisation to dawn on Danny's face.
"Well, I told you to leave, I wasn't told to make you." Danny smiled softly. "I'll make sure everyone else gets home alright, then I'll meet you at the House."
"Okay, just text us when you get in, okay?" Stiles half asked-half demanded, and Danny nodded. Soon, he and the other orchestra members were gone, and Scott, Stiles, Lydia and Allison were making their way through the school, the boys following Derek's scent. They soon found their Alpha and Tara in the boy's showers, arriving just in time to see Derek charge at the Darach, who was strangling Tara. The Darach simply flicked her wrist, and Derek flew backwards into the wall. The moment she laid eyes on the creature, Allison pulled her folding crossbow out of her bag, set it up, loaded it, aimed it at the Darach, then, as Derek hit the wall, she pulled the trigger. The Darach cried out and released her hold on the Garrote, allowing Tara to break free, then spin around and kick it in the gut. In a flurry of motion, the woman was gone.
-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-
The next day at school, the teenagers of the Pack were sitting in Jennifer's class, feeling quite smug over having Derek back and having saved Tara. Jennifer had been pretending everything was fine, but they could all see that she was irritated and frightened. All confidence from before had left with Derek.
"Idioms, analogies, metaphors, similes; All tools the writer uses to tell their stories." Jennifer called out in her usual friendly tone as she walked around the class. She paused when she reached Lydia's desk, looking down at the redhead's drawing. "Lydia, I wasn't aware you had so many hidden talents."
"You and every guy I've ever dated." Lydia commented, smiling sweetly at the woman. Jennifer seemed thrown by that response.
"Well, that was… an idiom… by the way." Lydia said nothing and looked away, returning her focus to her drawing. Jennifer shook her head slightly, then continued walking. "Idioms are something of a secret, to the people who know the language-" She announced, stopping next to Stiles' desk. "Or the culture." She glanced nervously between Scott and Stiles, both of whom were glaring at her.
"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you." Cora muttered, causing Jennifer to look at the ground nervously.
"They're phrases that only make sense, if you know key words. For example saying 'Jump the gun' is meaningful, only if you know of the starting gun in a race. Or a phrase like; 'seeing the whole board.'"
"Chess." Stiles called out, not looking at the woman.
"That's right, Stiles." The teacher said in slight surprise, looking at him curiously. "Do you play?"
"Oh no, my father and boyfriend do." Her expression faltered for a second, but her fake smile quickly returned.
"Now, when does an idiom become a cliche?"
Scott turned to look at Stiles, once Jennifer had moved away. "Hey, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Stiles assured with a soft smile. "It's just… She tried to kill Tara. I mean, how many times has she helped me with my math homework, when I've had to wait at the station for my dad?"
"Yeah, but she failed. Okay? Tara's fine."
"I know, but now a security guard is missing. My dad told me about it this morning, he was only 22, Scott." A knock sounded on the classroom door, and a second later, Morrell walked in.
"Excuse me." She began, meeting eyes with Jennifer, who shifted uncomfortably. "I need to speak with Stiles, please. Privately."
"Of course." Jennifer nodded, and looked to the boy, who was putting his notebook away. "Stiles." He just nodded to her, then stood, nodding slightly at his Pack, who returned the gesture, then he left the room.
-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-
Stiles was walking through the school grounds, looking for somewhere quiet to sit and think. He'd had a rather emotional session with Morrell, and needed to be alone for a while. As he walked, he noticed someone walking towards him. He went to turn and walk in the other direction, but then he noticed who it was, and, okay, maybe he didn't need to be completely alone. "Oh, thank god," He sighed, and rather than walking away, Stiles ran towards Derek, who stopped and waited to catch his mate, who all but jumped on him. They hugged for a few seconds, breathing in each other's scents, before Stiles pulled back slightly, so that he could kiss Derek.
The kiss was needy and passionate, and lasted several minutes, until the bell rang, and Stiles reluctantly pulled back. Sighing, Stiles closed his eyes and spoke. "Ugh, sometimes I want to rip that bell out and destroy it." Which caused Derek to chuckle.
"Why not just come home with me?" Derek asked softly, running his hands up and down Stiles' sides.
"What happened to 'your education is important, Stiles.' Huh?" Stiles asked teasingly, leaning closer to Derek, so that their lips were almost touching again.
"Hmm, I changed my mind." Derek grinned, closing the gap between them. They continued kissing softly, before Stiles phone began ringing. "She was so shy, til' I drove her wild. I make them good girls go bad-" Derek gave Stiles a curious look as the boy fished his phone out of his pocket.
"Hey Catwoman, what's up?" Stiles greeted, answering his mate's unspoken question.
"Where are you?" The blonde asked worriedly. "Miss Morrell said you left her office ten minutes ago!"
Derek chuckled, and leant forward to speak into the phone. "Sorry, Erica, it's my fault." There was a hum of understanding, and a distant chuckle through the phone, and they both knew that the girl was smirking.
"Okay, you're lucky it's free period, Stiles. But you can't ditch the rest of the day, we've got a pop quiz in Economics." Stiles sighed in annoyance, as it had completely slipped his mind.
"Alright, you guys start studying without me, I'll be there as soon as I can." Stiles hung up the phone and pocketed it, then buried his face in Derek's shoulder.
"So, you're not coming home with me?" Derek asked with a chuckle.
"I'm afraid not." He mumbled, the sound muffled by Derek's jacket. "I wish I could, though."
"Me too." Derek murmured with a kiss to the top of Stiles' head. "This is probably for the best though. Dad's home too."
"Ah, so you were willing to take me to a place where my dad was, when I'm not supposed to be there, and risk getting me grounded?"
"Well. when you put it like that..."
"Mm hmm." Stiles rolled his eyes and kissed Derek once more. "I'll see you after school." He promised softly. "I love you."
"I love you too." With one last chaste kiss, Stiles turned away from Derek and walked away with a smile on his face. Derek watched his mate go, smiling softly.
-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-
Lydia walked down the otherwise empty corridor with Jackson and Danny as they made their way to the library. They had been idly chatting, when suddenly, Lydia froze. Jackson and Danny both turned to look at her when they noticed, and saw her bending down to pick up a piece of chalk. "Lydia?" Jackson asked cautiously, and the girl shushed him as she tilted her head slightly and the pair of boys realised that it was something Banshee related.
They watched her closely as she moved on autopilot into a classroom, walked to the board and wrote '2' in the symbol drawn on it. She stepped back, looked at it, then screamed.
-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-
Allison gathered her weapons, planning which ones to take with her that night. "It's just a recital." Isaac pointed out in amusement, form where he and Scott were perched on their bed.
"A recital organised by Jennifer Blake." Allison argued without looking at them. "I'm not taking any chances." Isaac chuckled as Scott shook his head at them, and laid back on the bed.
"You okay?" Isaac asked with a chuckle, as he looked down at his mate.
"M' tired." Scott mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. Isaac chuckled as Allison turned to watch them. Isaac grinned and moved, arranging himself so that he was hovering over Scott. "What're you doin'?"
"Waking you up." Isaac grinned, before pressing his lips to Scott's, the crooked jawed boy made a noise of surprise, but quickly got over it and returned the kiss eagerly. He wrapped his arms around Isaac's neck and pulled him in closer. Allison bit her lip as she watched them, feeling extremely tempted to join them.
They continued like this for a few minutes, before parting for air. "Well, that's definitely my favourite way to wake up." Scott told Isaac with a grin and Isaac just gave him a look. "Okay, second favourite." He amended. "Maybe if you did that when I'm actually asleep, I wouldn't mind waking up so much."
"I'll keep that in mind." Their lips met again, and across the room, Allison finally tore her eyes away from them and continued arranging her weapons. She started to put them in her bag, when Isaac broke the kiss to address her. "You could join us, y'know."
"And interrupt your time together? No, there's plenty of time for that later, you two carry on." She turned to give them a knowing smile and a heated look. "Besides, I've got to talk to Stiles and Lydia." She stated as she strutted over to their bed, smirking at the lustful looks she was receiving from her boys. "Now, if you both wouldn't mind, give me a kiss before I go?"
-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-
"So, Mr Westover and the security guard, uh… Jason." Stiles began as he, Lydia and Allison looked over the evidence photos (Which they obtained completely legally, of course) in the library of the second basement. Though the collection was smaller than that of the main library upstairs, it was far older and in depth. This library only had three of its four walls covered in bookshelves, the fourth wall was covered with a giant cork board. All of the bookshelves were filled with the Hale Packs collection of accurate supernatural texts. The cork board was covered in crime scene photos, news clippings and articles relating to all the cases currently active in their town, along with strings to represent the various stages in the investigations, and connections between the cases. There was a large table in the center of the room, just next to the table was a portable transparent glass board, to which Stiles was sticking the photos. Lydia stood next to him with a marker in hand.
"With Jason and the attempt on Tara, I thought it might be Guardians, but Mr Westover suggests philosophers. Although, Tara used to be a teacher, so..." Stiles trailed off thoughtfully, Allison went to say something, only for someone to beat her to it.
"It's philosophers." Cora said confidently, as she walked into the room. "Apparently, Jason was a tutor, mainly for people with mental illnesses. Not just learning disorders, but people with depression, eating disorders, etc. He would help them get back on track with their work and get a handle on things. He had really low prices too, according to his mother, he'd lower the rates a little every time he got a new student. She said that he only charged to pay his way through college, once he'd found his right income to manage comfortably, he worked his prices around it, not wanting to take more than he needed from people." She informed them as she sat down at the large metal table, in the centre of the room. "He was a good person."
"And she killed him in cold blood." Lydia muttered angrily as she wrote the word 'Philosophers' above the photo's of the victims and intended victims. "All to further her power, so that she can attack a group that isn't even a group anymore, let alone a threat."
"We could hand the Alpha's to her on silver platters and she'd still kill to get more power." Allison said thoughtfully. "This isn't about revenge anymore, this is about showing them that she can beat them. This is about her showing them that she has power, enough power to kill them."
"I don't think we should worry about what she wants to do to them," Stiles jumped in, drawing confused looks to him. "We know what she wants now, she wants to commit sacrifices, gain power and kill the alpha's, but what then? What happens after that? When she has all this power, and the Nemeton is fully functional, what happens then?" Silence spread across the room as the four of the exchanged looks. None of them had a clue as to what she could want, and none of them really wanted to find out.
"At least we already have our own plan for the Nemeton." Lydia pointed out, trying to reassure them all, herself included. "And we know the kind of person she's after, teachers, educators. They're all going to be at the recital tonight. Sure, it's easier for her to get to one, but it's also easier for us to watch them all."
Cora nodded in agreement. "She's right. We can split into teams, organise ourselves around the school. Make sure we have eyes on her at all times. We can do this."
"You're right, you're both right." Stiles agreed with a nod. "Alright, Allison, gather weapons, Cora, Pack meeting in twenty minutes, tell the others. Lydia, come on, we're going to the training room. Tonight, you might have to use your voice."
-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-
"I can tie my own tie." Danny protested softly as Ethan worked on said item for him.
"Yeah, badly." He teased as he finished his work. "There, that's perfect." He said, then started to arrange Danny's hair. The Hawaiian looked around cautiously as Ethan pulled a tub out of his pocket, he then held up a breath mint. Rather than taking it, Danny opened his mouth and allowed Ethan to slip it through his lips. "Still nervous?"
"All good." Danny assured with a smile, which Ethan returned.
They continued to smile at each other for a few seconds, until Erica walked past, rolled her eyes at them and said "For the love of god, just kiss already." And lightly pushed Danny forward into the werewolf's arms. They looked at each other for a second, before giving in and allowing their lips to meet in a soft kiss for the first time since Ethan revealed his identity to Danny.
At the back of the room, Derek and Stiles stood side by side, "Finally." Stiles chuckled when he noticed the pair in front of the stage. Derek just glared. "Come on, they're clearly crazy for each other, and I really don't think Ethan will do anything to hurt Danny. If he does, you know I'll be the first one to kick his ass. Until then, just be civil, alright?" Derek sighed, but nodded and Stiles beamed at him. "Thank you."
Derek looked around the room, finding comfort in seeing his Pack and allies there. He had been hesitant about having the twins there, in case Jennifer tried to attack them, but he couldn't stop them, and knowing that they had his back was actually comforting. His eyes scanned the crowd, focusing on the potential victims.
Soon, the lights dimmed and the music started. It was fine at first. Then Lydia received a text from Jackson, who was positioned outside of the school with Boyd, watching to see if anyone arrives late or leaves early.
From: Jackson x (19:08)
Message: Need to see you right now! Life or death!
Lydia grew worried at the message and quickly turned to Scott, who was standing beside her. "Hey, Jackson just texted me, he needs me to go see him, I'll be right back."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Scott asked in concern, whilst digging out his own phone, to check for any messages.
"No, it's fine, I'm armed, I'll be okay." She assured with a smile, "I just needed you to know so that you can calm Derek if he freaks out when he sees that I'm not here." Scott nodded in agreement then Lydia smiled at him one last time before turning and making her way out of the room. Little did either of them know, just outside of the school, Jackson was frantically searching his pockets, looking for his missing phone.
Lydia made her way through the school, finding herself drawn to an empty classroom. Worried that it might be the next abduction site, Lydia entered, grabbing her gun as she did so. Back in the auditorium, Derek's eyes scanned the room, and his heart skipped a beat when he noticed that both Lydia and Jennifer were missing. "Where's Lydia?" He demanded, causing Stiles to snap into battle stance. Scott noticed and rushed over to them.
"Don't worry, she got a text from Jackson, asking her to meet him." He assured, and the pair relaxed for a second, until Stiles phone pinged. He read the text and his heart rate sped up in panic.
"Boyd just texted me, Jackson's phone is missing."
Back in the classroom, Lydia felt panic prickle under her skin when an odd chanting sounded. "You recognise it, don't you?" Jennifer asked as she emerged from the shadows, startling Lydia. The Banshee raised her gun, but with a flick of Jennifer's wrist, it flew out of her hand and smashed into her head, rendering her unconscious.
John, Scott, Stiles, Derek, Victoria and Cora rushed out of the school, meeting up with a panicked Jackson and Boyd. They quickly made a plan for who was going to search where and set off to find their missing friend. The remainder of the Pack reluctantly stayed in the auditorium, in case it was a diversion and to watch over Danny.
Allison stood beside Isaac and her father, on edge and wishing she was out there looking for her best friend. However, it was soon made apparent that something else was going on in the auditorium too. The band had changed from their soothing classical piece to the strange chant that had been heard on a recording a while back. Most of the people in the auditorium were confused, but those who knew of the supernatural became very worried.
In the classroom, Lydia soon came back to the land of consciousness, and immediately pressed her hand to her aching forehead, When she pulled her hand away, it was coated with blood. With a start she remembered what happened. Her vision focused and she finally noticed Jennifer knelt in front of her, preparing the Garrote. "What are you doing?" Was the first thing that came out when she opened her mouth.
"What's necessary." Jennifer replied easily. "I'm still surprised that none of you seem to get that. You call them sacrifices, but you're not… understanding the word." Jennifer stated as Lydia slowly managed to gain focus on her surroundings. As Jennifer rattled on about the meaning of the word 'sacrifice' Lydia mentally prepared her battle plan to get away. "-A necessary evil. And you don't know the alpha's like I do"
"It's not necessary." Lydia argued, looking the woman in the eyes. "The alpha Pack isn't a problem anymore, Deucalion is locked up, and the others aren't a threat anymore. "
"But they'll be others, people, monsters, who will go around killing people for power-"
"Like you're doing?" Lydia snapped, and Jennifer just smiled condescending at her, like Lydia was a child asking why the sky was blue.
"I'm doing this to protect people! So that I can fight back against threats." Jennifer told her confidently.
"No, that's what my Pack does, you're just a murderer."
"I thought you were smarter than this, Lydia." Jennifer sighed, as she stood up and walked around Lydia until she was standing behind her. "It doesn't matter though, you're not a sacrifice, you're just a girl who knows too much. Actually, a girl who knew too much." Lydia took a deep breath as Jennifer prepared the garrote. "One last Philosopher." She said and went to wrap the device around Lydia's throat. The redhead allowed her to do so and leant forward. Her research told her about things that could give extra power to a Banshee's scream, being close to death was one of them. She reminded herself of this as her body struggled, fighting for oxygen. When the whispers became screams and dizziness prickled at her, she threw herself back, loosening the wire around her neck, she quickly grabbed it before Jennifer could strangle her again. "Lydia, don't!"
She ignored the woman, took in a deep breath and let out a powerful scream. The windows in the classroom shattered, sending glass everywhere. All over the town, werewolves doubled over in pain and covered their ears, trying to block out the sound. When the scream faded off, the members of the Pack who were looking for her jumped into action, moving towards where the scream came from.
Back in the classroom, Jennifer let go of the device and walked so that she was in front of Lydia. "Unbelievable." She gasped, gazing at the glaring girl in awe. "The Wailing Woman. A Banshee, right before my eyes. You're just like me Lydia." The girl scoffed at that.
"I am nothing like you."
"But you are. Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it." Lydia just kept glaring, making no attempt to escape. She had a plan now, and Jennifer was following it perfectly. "It's too late though." Jennifer stated as she pulled out a large knife.
"Yes it is." Lydia agreed. "For you." With that she raised her hands and screamed again, sending Jennifer flying through the classroom. When the woman stood again, blood was dripping from her ears. Lydia let out another screech, knocking the woman back onto the ground.
In the Auditorium, the Darach's chanting symphony continued playing. All of the band looked aggressive as they played. Then suddenly, it all stopped. A piano string had snapped and slashed open the pianist's throat. There were screams of horror as the crowd fled, the band members all looked horrified and confused.
Allison rushed to the front of the room to look at the body. Once she reached it, she noticed something in the blood. "Mistletoe."
Back in the classroom, Jennifer staggered to her feet once more, this time, holding Lydia's gun. She aimed it at the Banshee, who had taken on a battle stance, and was now wielding a throwing knife in either hand.
"Drop it!" A voice called out, and Jennifer looked to see the Sheriff aiming a gun at her. She smirked and quickly shot him in the shoulder. He dropped his gun and fell to the ground, but Jennifer wasn't in the clear yet, as was proven by the angry howl Stiles produced.
He charged at the Darach, who dropped the gun with a confident grin. He went to hit her, but she easily dodged it, but in the distraction, Lydia was able to get close and stab the woman in the shoulder. In the exact same place that Jennifer had shot Stilinski. "Nobody hurts my Pack." Lydia hissed in the woman's ear, before Stiles punched the brunette with all of his strength, rendering her unconscious. Lydia pulled her knife out, and allowed the woman to drop to the floor.
Stiles rushed over to his father and helped him up.
"Guess you didn't need us, huh?" Scott commented from the doorway, trying to lighten the atmosphere. The Sheriff chuckled as Stiles took his pain.
"I could use your help getting out of here." He stated softly, using the desks as support. "After I've rested a second." Stiles helped his father rest in the desk chair that Lydia had previously occupied. The aforementioned girl was currently pulling her first aid kit out of her bag as Jackson hovered by her protectively.
"Let me take a look, Sheriff. Of course, you have to go to the hospital, but we really should wrap it up now, to prevent anything from getting into the wound." She explained as she approached him. Jackson took over taking the man's pain as Stiles called Melissa. Victoria called Chris to find out how things were on their end, and Scott, Derek, Boyd and Cora prepared to move Jennifer.
However, as Cora stepped towards the woman, a wave of dizziness washed over her. "Cora?" Derek asked in concern, and it was the last thing she heard before collapsing.
-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-
The next day, Jennifer woke up in a metal cell in the sheriff's station. She smirked as she stood and looked around, the room was empty. She rolled her eyes at their carelessness. She walked confidently over to the cell door and flicked her wrist. Nothing happened. Okay, magic proof, that didn't matter. She gripped two of the bars tightly and began to pull. Once again, nothing happened. It was then that she noticed them, the tiny runes etched into the metal. She growled in frustration and suddenly, Derek marched into the room. She immediately put a scared expression on her face, it was a long shot, but she had to try. "Oh, Derek! Thank God, you have to help me! I don't know why I'm in here, they-"
"Save it." Derek growled, eyes glowing red. "Tell me how to save Cora." She dropped her facade immediately, and folded her arms over her chest.
"Let me out of here, and I will."
"No way. This isn't a negotiation. You have two choices. Save Cora, and spend the rest of your life in a nice, cozy prison, or spend every day being beaten until you save her. If she dies, it'll only be worse for you." Derek warned, voice low and dark as he glared at the woman. "I won't kill you, I won't give you the release of death, no. I'll show you how much it hurts to lose your Pack. Except, your pain will be physical. And to use Cora's analogy, losing Pack is like losing a limb. Will you be able to cover that with a glamour?" Jennifer glared at him as he raised a challenging eyebrow at her. When it was clear that he wasn't going to budge, Jennifer sighed before giving her answer.
-Teen Wolf-Sterek-Teen Wolf-Sterek-
Stiles coughed, trying to push the smoke out of his lungs as he staggered through the building. There was fire everywhere, he could barely see, barely breathe, but he had to keep moving, he had to find his Pack. The flames licked at his skin, the burns faded within seconds at first, but were soon replaced by new ones. The further he walked, the more he was burnt, and the longer it took to heal. Stiles had lost track of how long he'd been walking through the burning building, trying to avoid being hit by falling foundation. Just the day before, the Pack had Jennifer and Deucalion held captive, they had powerful allies on their side and were close to finding a cure for Cora, and now…
Now Stiles was stumbling through a collapsing, burning building, looking for his Pack. Jennifer was free, and probably kidnapping someone at that very moment, no one knew what on earth happened to Deucalion, Cora was dying, with no hope in sight, Erica and Boyd were losing their minds in worry, and their town was in danger.
How the hell was Stiles going to fix this?
A/N: I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know what you think!
Lynette Serina Jones Harkness: Thank you, I'm so glad that you like it xx
Chikacookie: Thank you, I really am sorry that it took so long, but I'm out of my funk now and hope to update a lot more frequently! xx
SilverShadow123: Of course, I am sorry it took so long. Wow, thank you so much! You have no idea how much that means to me! I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter too! xx
The Guest Who Tried To Guess: Thank you so much! I have ended the suffering and I hope that the flashback answers all of your questions about Derek. Yeah, I like to think that had Ennis not been killed by Deucalion, Kali would have wanted to leave to keep him safe, but idk, maybe it's just me. I have plans for Kali in relation to Deucalion before she and Ennis leave, so wait and see xD It doesn't sound weird at all, thank you for taking the time to comment and I hope that you like this chapter too xx
XxZessxX: I know, sorry, I just want to make up for the huge delay! I initially planned to just have them move in, but my friend way like 'Move the houses!' and I was like 'Wait, what? You can do that?' 'Yeah! It's awesome! Google pictures! It's so cool and weird!' and then it happened. So, yeah, I hope you liked it. They'll be 'officially' joining the Pack later, which I am personally looking forward to xD Thank you, I'm glad you liked it :D Oh, I love that song! That does fit well, actually. That's cool. I may or may not have cried whilst writing that scene… Yeah, I'm planning plenty of Derek angst, so don't think it's the end of that. Anyway, I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter xx
SquidaQdaloo: Thank you, there will be more angst soon, I promise. Something similar to what you want will be happening, and that's all I'll say xx
white collar black wolf: Thank you so much. I hope that you like this chapter too xx
lianis180: Thank you, that really means a lot, I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter xx
083: Oh wow, thank you, I hope that you like this chapter too xx