Chapter 12: You can't be at two places at once
"Does this darkness have a name? This cruelty, this hatred.
How did it find us?
Did it steal into our lives or did we seek it out and embrace it?
What happened to us?
That we now send our children into the world like we send young men into war, hoping for their safe return.
But knowing that some will be lost along the way.
When did we lose our way?
Consumed by the shadows, swallowed whole by the darkness.
Does this darkness have a name?
Is it your name?"
~one tree hill~
...
She barely registers the bullet whizzing past her, the ringing of her ears the only side effect, as she slides her razor sharp claw into Gerard's throat. She sees the terror churning in his eyes, tears leaking out as he registers the reality and finality of the situation. His error was thinking he could weasel his way out of this one, she didn't want his empty apologies and neither would anyone else.
She withdraws her claw with a sweeping motion, taking his entire trachea out with it, painting the ground around them red with blood spatter. He's dead within seconds. She's done what needed to be done but it still feels too quick, too peaceful a death compared to how he killed her kind. She takes a deep breath trying to control herself, the urge to tear his body apart like she'd done with so many before him.
Closing her eyes she tries to calm herself, ''Not all monsters do monstrous things.'' her words come out as a growl, shoulders tense, breathing heavily.
''Not all monsters do monstrous things.'' She repeats, her breaths become calmer but rage still radiates off of her even as her claws retract.
Her eyes turn from blue to brown, her voice softens. ''Not all monsters do monstrous things.''
She turns around slowly, unsure of what she will face. Her face scrunches up as she smells her own anxiety. Will they look at her with disgust, would Argent ever look at her with warmth in his eyes again? Will Talia accept her being in Beacon Hills, in her territory, after witnessing this?
But when she turns around she is faced with a whole nother situation for which she was entirely unprepared. Argent sat there on the ground, unmoving except for his trembling bloody hands in his hair and the harsh breaths he was taking. A few feet over sat Dean, Deucalion's beta awkwardly trying to help the shocked hunter without touching or getting into close proximity of him.
Talia is on the phone calling someone, either Deaton, Victoria or possibly the sheriff's station. Though the latter was unlikely. She can't tell for sure though, unable to focus on anything other than the shell shocked hunter and the body of his dead mother.
Opening her mouth she wants to say something, anything to console him but nothing comes out. She repeats this a few times before her sight gets blocked by Deucalion. Growling she flexes her sharp claws as a threat when he continues to block her view of her friend in pain, separating them once more.
''It's over.'' He says, gripping her wrists tightly.
She tries to pull her arms out of his grip but can't, he is an alpha and had the strength that came with that title. She stops trying to look around him towards Chris. Focusing on Deucalion she glares at him with now burning blue eyes, ''Let. Me. Go!''
''Not until you calm down.'' He answers with glowing eyes of his own, a sea of bright red staring into her ocean of fiery blue. ''Whatever Gerard did to anger you so is done. He is dead, rightfully so. However children should not pay for the sins of their parents. So I'll let you go once you've calmed down.''
In the blink of an eye, with a single sentence he shifted her mood towards him. He thought she was going to kill Argent too, her own friend. Her mentor and her packmate. Deucalion was trying to protect him… from her, when in reality he'd be the last person here she'd ever lay her finger on. She blinks, shifting back to her human features immediately. Looking into his eyes, she searches for something, anything to tell her what he thinks of her now.
She swallows, unable to gauge his reaction to her actions just now. ''I would never harm him.''
Letting go of her wrists he keeps eye contact with her as she stays put. He wonders what goes on in her head. If her chemo signals were any sign then she's in for a depressing ride. Fear, anxiety and guilt taint the air as her anger dissipates and is replaced by the former three. ''I would never harm him'' she said so casually, so loving as if they were close. The same could not be said for the younger Argent, he didn't even know she was a were-coyote simply referring to her as she-wolf.
There's something niggling at the edge of her mind, like she's forgetting something really important. She shakes the thought away, nothing could be more important than this could it?
Stepping past Deucalion she slowly makes her way over to Argent, her feet feeling as if they are made from lead. Had his mother died around this time in the original timeline as well or did she just orphan one of her friends years ahead of schedule. Sure he was an adult, capable of caring for himself, but she knew that made little difference to the pain it caused.
Squatting down she tentatively reaches her hand out to Argent, placing her hand on his shaking shoulder. Seeing that he doesn't reject her touch she pulls him into a hug, he stiffens at the gesture but it doesn't last.
He lays his head on her shoulder, not caring who might see and he lets out all the grief. Letting out the heart wrenching sobs he'd been trying to compartmentalize like he was trained to do. His father just killed his mother… and this woman comforting him had torn out his father's throat without hesitation, inadvertently saving him from having to kill his own father.
After a while the two break apart, both sets of eyes lidden with tears. She utters sincere words he'd never expected to hear from a werewolf.
''I'm sorry.'' Looking into his saddened eyes she pulls him in for another hug, ''I'm so sorry, Chris. This was never supposed to happen.''
He leans into the hug, feeling the depth of her apology. ''Thank you.'' He mumbles into her shoulder, unsure of what he could or should say. Confused by her compassion and sincere apology for the death of a renowned hunter.
The wolves watch the pair with various expressions, Talia is the one who interrupts their weird little moment. ''I called Victoria Argent, she is on her way over.'' But unlike she'd expected the two don't break apart, just how did these two know each other?
James eyes the two with concern, one of theirs embracing a hunter… it would never end well. Whether they were simply friends or more didn't matter, they didn't associate with their kind unless absolutely unavoidable. ''Is there someone else you'd like us to contact?''
''Thanks but we'll take it from here.'' Victoria's voice cuts through the air. Freezing only minutely at the sight of her husband embracing another woman, a creature of the night at that.
Looking at the bodies of her in-laws she could already see the news broadcast; Tragic animal attack in Beacon Hills claims the lives of a local elderly couple. A vicious animal ripped open the man's throat and in an attempt to protect his wife he fired his gun at the wild animal accidently shooting and killing his wife instead.
Walking up to her husband and the beast she hesitates, she wasn't stupid she knew that she was far from warm or comforting, would she be able to be there for him as he had been for her? Just as she begins to doubt herself more the she-wolf turns her head, beckoning her closer.
Once she is bent down the she-wolf moves slowly, handling her husband as if he were fragile china. Sitting down where the she-wolf had been moments ago she feels Chris fall into her arms, she needs to be strong for him, compartmentalize for the both of them. But she also feels another's hand on her shoulder rubbing soft circles, looking up she sees it's the she-wolf's hand and her first instinct is to recoil but for some reason she doesn't.
Looking into Victoria's eyes, she sees a young woman much like herself. A woman with the world on her shoulders, surrounded by tragedy and death, trying desperately to stay strong for her family. ''I'm sorry for your loss.'' she whispers before turning away, walking towards her own kind.
…
The ride home was anything but relaxing, all eyes were on her, even Deans who was supposed to watch the road.
''What?'' she asks.
Talia taking the lead turns to her, face void of any expressions. ''How do you know Christopher Argent?''
She closes her eyes at the question, pondering on what to say. What would happen if she were to tell them the truth? Would they even believe her or would that be her one way ticket to Eichen? Would it help to tell them everything or would it only cause more issues, more deaths…
She swallows deeply, seeing Juliana Argents body before her again. What could she tell them that's close enough to the truth not to be perceived as a lie without revealing the actual truth?
Her eyes pop open having found the answer to her prayers, ''I get these flashes sometimes, like things that have happened but haven't happened yet, if that makes any sense?''
Dean sits up a little straighter at this revelation, intrigued by her explanation. ''So you're psychic?''
Deucalion frowns at the thought, a psychic were-coyote, was that even possible? And how did the Argents tie into all of this. ''And how do you see the hunters in these vision?''
Clearing her throat she turns around to look at them, ''Depends, some are like family while others-'' she pauses, trying to think of the best explanation. ''Others are like Gerard.''
''How do you know they're real and not just dreams?'' Talia asks, face still painfully neutral.
''I showed you, can't show someone your dreams now can you?'' Malia replied, quirking an eyebrow at the alpha.
Talia's expression doesn't change though, ''No, but if that was the future you saw then how was the future you's skin clear of any blemishes?''
Blemishes…
''So she was perfect?'' She asks disbelievingly.
Smile tugging in the corners of his mouth, Derek responds warmly though his voice is tinged with sadness. ''No one is perfect, especially not teenagers but she came close. She was beautiful, smart, strong and so much more. And I wished for nothing more than to be with her for the rest of my life…'' he trails off, looking to be in deep thought.
She puts her hand on his shoulder sensing the shift in mood, ''You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.''
Shaking his head he smiles at her, ''No, it would be nice for another person to know her, know her story.''
She smiles back, encouraging him to go on.
''She was pale like snow, her hair was brown just like her eyes. And she knew. She knew something about me was different and she still-'' swallowing he continues, ''She still loved me.''
Squeezing his shoulder she jokes trying to lift his mood, ''And you two were perfect, right?''
''And we were perfect.'' he nods, laughing wetly. ''You know I once called her perfect and her response was to quote the definition of perfection to me explaining that no one could be perfect, least of all her.''
Malia frowned in question trying to understand why she'd so definitively excluded herself from the perfection list, going as far as to say 'least of all me'.
Seeing Malia's question-filled face he explains further, ''She had this mole underneath her left eye, she thought of it as a blemish, I always thought it made her uniquely beautiful. She regarded it as ugly, some other people did as well, but I set them straight on that.''
''So why'd it end between you two?'' she frowns.
Smiling sadly, he looks away, ''It didn't. I was young and dumb. And I talked to Peter about it who told me something I already knew: my mother would never do it.''
''And at this particular time there were a lot of alpha's visiting our territory, one of which had recently lost a beta. So I, uhm-'' Swallowing he looks at Alexander's crib to calm his emotions.
''So I asked Peter where they were staying and went there to ask him to give her the bite. That night I set up a meeting at the school, that's where the alpha bit her while I listened to her struggle to get away. By the time I'd changed my mind and tried to stop him, it was too late, she'd been bitten already.'' Grief taints the air around them.
''Stiles told me that bitten people don't always turn into wolves and some never turn at all…'' She trails off.
''Her body rejected the bite and when her pain became unmanageable I took responsibility for my actions, crushing her spine thereby ending her suffering.'' He ended before walking over to Alexander's crib. Looking at the small child peacefully sleeping. ''She died at fifteen years old, she'd barely had a chance to live.''
''Paige'' she whispered all of a sudden.
James and Talia perked up at the name of their son's girlfriend's name, ''What about Paige? How do you know her?'' James asks, dread filling his body.
''She's going to die if we don't get to the school. Now!'' She stresses her point.
Dean doesn't change the cars direction though, waiting for Deucalion or Talia's response and judgment on the matter.
''Do as she says.'' Deucalion orders. Whether or not she is telling the truth about her clairvoyance doesn't matter. Maybe it's just good intuition or perhaps something more, either way they should heed her warning and advice.
Having been given the ok Dean doesn't hesitate to turn the car around with screeching tires, racing through the streets of Beacon Hills.
Thanks to Dean they arrive at the school in no time. Rushing in, she smells the blood, they all do. The scene before her breaks her heart a little more, Derek is sitting there holding Paige in his arms, fear palpable as her blood begins to turn a deadly black color.
''Oh son.'' James sighs sadly, knowing the signs.
Looking up, Derek's terrified eyes glint with unshed tears. ''She needs help. Please help her.''
He's looking at Talia and James, his parents, begging for help but she can't help but feel like it was meant for her. She should've prevented this, she should've-
''It hurts.'' The young girl whimpers. Her pain is palpable even though Derek is clearly siphoning a lot of it.
''We could take her to-'' James begins to say but Talia shuts it down, not wanting to give her son any false hope.
Deucalion stays back, it was not his place to interfere in this. He feels for the Hale's, being utterly powerless to stop what was going to happen no matter how much their son loved that girl. Smelling Ennis' scent he sighs, discarding a bitten the moment they show signs of rejection isn't uncommon, it is frowned upon though. And surely the Hale's wouldn't thank him for leaving their fifteen year old to deal with his dying girlfriend alone.
Wrecking her brain a dangerous thought enters. Derek saved Cora by giving up his alpha spark to keep her from death's door, she wasn't an alpha but she did have the Desert Wolf's power in her as well. Did that count? Would that be enough to battle the rejection or would it just make her weaker, more vulnerable or worse, kill her?
She couldn't afford to die not when she still had so much to fix. She's on the brink of refusing to try when she thinks of her pack, no matter how hard things got they never gave up. They never gave up on saving people, not even at their own executions.
''We protect those who cannot protect themselves.''
If she wanted to keep her pack's memory alive as she knew them then she owed it to them to fight for what's right, to save whoever she can save.
Talia is attempting to coax Derek into handing Paige over to his father but the boy refuses to let go of her. Sadness & helplessness permeates through the air, making the boy rightfully scared of letting go.
''It's okay, Derek.'' Paige breaths out painfully.
Derek's grip loosens slightly making it possible to extract the girl from his arms. She picks the girl up as Talia and James hold Derek back. Deucalion follows her out the door, rushing to the car, ignoring the young wolf's desperate calls.
''No! Where are you taking her?! Paige!'' He tries and fails to break loose from his parents. ''Paige!''
…
''Go to the Adelaide house on the edge of the preserve.'' Malia orders as she lifts Paige into the backseat, jumping in next to her. ''Do you know where it is?''
''No one has lived there in years…'' Dean says as Deucalion hops into the passenger seat.
''Well now I live there so go!''
Dean does as she says and starts to race toward the Adelaide house. In the backseat Malia doesn't wait, not knowing if she can afford to. Pulling the pain even as the black lines start to travel up to her face, continuing even though it feels like she's on fire.
''What is she doing?!'' Dean asks, freaked out. A girl dying is sad but this is just creepy.
Deucalion shakes his head slowly, a scared look in his eyes. ''Taking her pain but it shouldn't look like… this.'' he doesn't dare touch the two, afraid that might do more harm than good.
Her glowing blue eyes start to fill with black lines as well, pain radiates of the were-coyote in waves.
It feels like she was doused in wolfsbane, confined by mountain ash and literally lit on fire. Every whimper the girl lets out spurring her on to continue, she does so even as Paige quiets down. Eyes burning a clouded blue, she continues even when she feels herself getting weaker and then there is nothing more to take, no more pain. And that scares her, because she knew what happened to the dying once they no longer felt pain.
They died.