𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒 ➢ ᴅᴇʀᴇᴋ ʜᴀʟᴇ

Ch. 45 - THE FOX AND THE WOLF

Nova's outfit

Chapter Forty-Five
🦊 The Fox and The Wolf 🦊

"So, how's jail going?" Nova asked, resting her arms on the bars in front of Derek. She had gotten Parrish to ket her back in the holding cell room. "We're getting out today." Derek said putting his hands on the bars. "I know. I'm just enjoying this, I didn't get to see you behind bars the first time." She joked making him roll his eyes.

She looked down, chuckling making him look at her with raised eyebrows. "What's so funny?" He asked and she looked up. "I just think it's funny how Stiles got you arrested for muder twice." She chuckled then looked over at Argent, "Speaking of Stiles, he got out of Eichen House. And according to what Kira texted me a few minuets ago, he's back to being Void." She said and they sighed.

They were about say something but the door opened and Parrish walked in, "You know Nova, don't expect me to break the rules for you all the time." He said standing next to her. "You know Jordan, something tells me it's probably gonna happen again." She said and he gave her a look for using his first name making her smile at him. He unlocked the door to Derek's cell then unlocked Argent's, "Follow me." He said.

Argent instantly moved to follow him, while Derek wrapped his arm around Nova first and kissed the side of her head then they followed them out. Parrish took them to do some paper work but then took them to get their stuff.

"Sorry, but I can't let you walk out with this. It's way above the legal voltage limit." Parrish said, holding up Argent's stun baton, "I only use it for hunting." Argent said Derek gives Argent a hilariously exasperated look at this comment, and Argent can't help but roll his eyes in response. Nova snickered quietly, pressing her head in the back of Derek's shoulder so Parrish doesn't see her laugh.

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure you could use it to jump-start a 747." Parrish said and Argent squinted at him, "This property belongs to me, and the charges were dropped. Although, I'm not exactly sure who's responsible for that." Argent said looking over at Derek and Nova.

"I am." Stilinski said walking up to them, "I'll take care of this, Parrish." He said. "Stilinski, I'm not kidding- this thing's a few watts from being a lightsaber." Parrish said leaning over to Stilinski. "I want a lightsaber." Nova muttered, only to be heard by Derek who nudged her. "I said I'll take care of it." Stilinski said taking the stun baton.

Stilinski gestured for them to follow him and lead them into his office. "The specialist I saw in LA told me the thing that every doctor says when he's trying to avoid a lawsuit-- "We can't say for sure." And then, I spoke with Melissa." He said then pulled out sole scans, "These are brain scans-- my wife's, and Stiles'. I knew they were similar, but those are the same. Exactly the same." He said handing them over.

Nova grabbed them and lined them up making them match up perfectly. "And I'm guessing this isn't possible?" Derek asked and Stilinski shook his head, "Not even remotely." He said. "So, the trickster is still playing tricks." Argent said and Derek glanced over at him, "But why this trick?"

"Because it's something sensitive to both you and Stiles." Nova said and Stilinski nodded, "When I was in the Army, an officer told me, "If you want to defeat your enemy, you don't take away their courage-- you take away their hope." He said.

"You don't look like a man who gives up hope easily." Argent said and Nova sighed, "Stiles might. After everything that's happened since Peter, something like this could potentially be his final straw. The nogitsune is using this disease as some sort of psychological trick, so then this isn't just a fight for his body. It's also a fight for his mind." She said and Stilinski nodded, "My thoughts exactly."

"You know, he's left people severely injured." Argent said, "...And others severely dead." Derek said making Nova sigh and give him a look.

"That's why I need the three of you." Stilinski sighed, "I need people who are experienced in this kind of thing. I need you to help me stop him." He said.

"And by stop him, you mean trap him."

🦊

"This is everything non-lethal I could find." Allison says as they all follow her into Argents office, "Take all of it." Argent said. "What's the plan, here?" Stilinski asked coming up to stand next to Allison. "Our best shot right now is for Derek to try to pick up Stiles' scent at Eichen House especially if he went through something stressful there." Argent explained.

"Should all five of us be going to the same place?" Stilinski asked and Argent looked over at Nova, "Where else has Stiles been showing up?" He asked and she pursed her lips, "The school, the hospital." She answered.

"Okay, hold on-- we did this already. He disappeared, we started looking for him... then walked right into a trap at the hospital." Derek said making them realize what he was getting at. "He's getting us to repeat the same moves."

"So, what do we do? Wait for him to come to us?" Allison asked and Nova shook her head, "We can't. The Oni will go after him the second the sun goes down. Scott's working on that right now with Kira, but there's no telling how that'll take." Nova said.

"That's the problem-- we're all trying to outfox the Fox." Argent said making them all look down, "Listen... I'll understand if anyone wants to back out." Stilinski said making them all look at him and Derek scoffed, "I won't be the first Wolf to run from a Fox." He said, grabbing a taser and Nova gave Stilinski a small smile, "Stiles is like a brother to me, I won't give up on him."

"Apparently, I'm carrying a lightsaber." Argent said looking at Allison. "Dad, you, Derek and Nova hit Eichen House. Sheriff, it's you and me in the hospital. We all meet in the school." Allison said and they nodded.

🦊

Nova, Derek, Allison, Argent and Stilinski slowly and cautiously walked into Stiles bedroom, looking around. "What is all this? What are these sticky notes for?" Argent asked looking at a chess board. There was sticky notes on the pieces with names written on them. "This is what Stiles used to try and explain to me about... all of you." Stilinski said and Nova walked over looking at the board, "Well, maybe it's a message from Stiles-- the real Stiles." Allison suggested.

"Do you think there's any reason my name's on the king?" Derek asked and Nova picked up the piece that had her name on it and held it up with a slight smirk, "I'm on the queen."

"Well, Nova, you're powerful and the queen protects the king." Stilinski said making Derek and Nova look at each other, "And Derek, you're heavily guarded... Though, I guess the alarming detail is that you're one move from being in checkmate."

"It's not a message from Stiles-- it's a threat from the Nogitsune." Argent said in realization, "He's at the loft. That's what he's trying to tell us. And he wants us to come there." Argent said.

"Night's falling..."

"This couldn't sound any more like a trap." Argent said and Stilinski shook his head, "I don't think it is..."

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

"Hear me out! What we're dealing with here is basically someone who lacks motive-- no rhyme or reason, right?"

"Meaning what?"

"Our enemy is not a killer... It's a trickster. The killing is just a by-product."

"If you're trying to say it won't kill us, I'm not feeling too confident about that..." Derek said and Nova shook her head, getting what Stilinski was saying. "No, it wont. It wants irony. It wants to play a trick, it wants a joke."
Nova said looking over at Stilinsk who nodded, "All we need to do is come up with a new punchline."

"The sun is setting, Sheriff... What do you have in mind?"