Pure × Isaac Lahey

70.

        "Well, you're heavily guarded," said Stilinski, "Although I guess the alarming detail is that you're one move away from being in checkmate."

         "It's not a message from Stiles," Chris suddenly said. "It's a threat from the nogitsune."

        "He's at the loft," Isaac said. "That's what he's trying to tell us."

        "And he wants us to come there," added Allison.

        "Night's falling," Derek said, arms folded.

        "This couldn't sound any more like a trap," Argent told them.

        Stilinski shook his head, "I don't think it is."

        "I think your opinion might be slightly biased, Sheriff," the hunter countered.

        "Hear me out," Stilinski said. "What we're dealing with here is basically someone who lacks motive. No rhyme, no reason, right?"

        "Meaning what?"

        "Our enemy is not a killer," the Sheriff said. "It's a trickster. The killing is just a by-product. Yakunan killed Katashi to set you guys up and put you in jail so you were there when the bomb blew. To put a fake bomb on the bus."

        "If you're trying to say it won't kill us," Charlie said, "I'm not feeling too confident about that."

        "It won't. It wants irony," replied Stilinski. "It wants to play a trick. It wants a joke. All we need to do is come up with a new punch line."

        "Well the sun is setting, Sheriff," said Chris. "What do you have in mind?"

x x

        "It's done. Noshiko's sword is in one piece again."

        Elora paced the center of the Hale loft, flustered as Stiles boredly sat on the only sofa in the building.

        "That thing wasn't supposed to be in play," said Stiles. "You should've left it buried with that Army boy in Eichen."

        "Oh, yes, I'm so sorry I found it while you let yourself get shot up with leichen," El snapped. "It was your idea to give the sword to Kira."

        "I didn't realize she was a thunder," Stiles flatly defended.

        "Jesus, I could've told you that." Elora stopped pacing. "They're almost here."

        "Good," Stiles said, standing from the sofa and wandering to the wall of windows as molten sun spilled through. "You know where to go."

        Elora vanished out of sight as Stiles looked toward the foggy windows.

        Within a minute, the loft door rolled open at Sheriff Stilinski's hands.

        Stiles turned over his shoulder, face filled with despair. "Hi, Dad."

        Sheriff Stilinski pulled out the cuffs from his belt, not saying a word.

        "You want to handcuff me?" Stiles asked, sounding like himself.

        "If my son is still here," said Stilinski as he descended the stairs and walked toward his son, "if there's still part of him standing here in front of me,  then he'll put these on willingly and he'll come with me, because he knows I'm here to protect him from himself and others."

        Stiles, appearing to nearly be in tears, held his hands up as Stilinski neared him. He let the cuffs go on, but as he looked back up to the father of his host, it was clear Stiles was gone.