fucking derek? derek gets you? this is the worst day of my life.
[ 2.04 ]
Derek was unimpressed as he yet again tossed Isaac to the side like a weightless paper bag. The alpha had been particularly irritated since things had ended between him and Willow, but he blamed his extra aggression on quite literally everything else. The thing that killed Isaac's father. The Argents. How useless his betas were during training.
It didn't help that Willow somehow avoided Derek each time she came to the train station to deliver Isaac's homework and help him. He was almost certain that Willow had asked Isaac to text her and let her know the times that he wouldn't be around. He hadn't seen her, spoken to her, and not seeing her was agony. Perhaps he deserved the agony, but he couldn't bring himself to apologize to Scott or see anything wrong with what he had done.
"Does anyone wanna try not being completely predictable?" Derek asked, letting his annoyance and anger overcome him.
Legs were suddenly wrapped around his waist — a stupid plan concocted by Erica and Isaac the night before as a last resort that Boyd was sure would end with them getting their arms broken. Erica threw herself at Derek, but not to attack him. She kissed him roughly, hoping to distract him, to not be predictable.
Timing truly must have been a bitch with a harsh vendetta against Derek Hale.
Their supernatural hearing picked up on the barely audible, hurt gasp that sounded throughout the underground station. It was followed by the sound of books and papers cluttering to the ground as they were dropped.
Willow was frozen in place, seeing Derek holding up Erica as they kissed rather passionately for two people that hadn't known each other for very long — at least it looked like that to her. And Derek looked like a deer in headlights — this wasn't how he was meant to see Willow for the first time. A second later, Erica's ass was on the ground as he dropped her.
"I, uh, Fre - French and chem," Willow stuttered out, trying to stop her voice from wavering. "Sorry for - sorry for interrupting. Call if you have questions, Isaac."
And then she was booking it up the stairs, thankful for the cross country record-breaking speed. Was it starting to rain? Couldn't the drizzle wait until she didn't feel like drowning? Willow couldn't let herself cry because she had broken up with Derek. He had every right to go make out with any hot girl that looked at him, even if it did sting from how soon it was. Though, if he never really cared for Willow as much as she cared for him—
Willow's spiral into self-pity and doubt while on the run to her car was interrupted by strong hands grabbing her and turning her around.
It was Derek. Of course, it was Derek. He couldn't let her leave thinking that he'd ever kiss another girl. Not when he still longed for her.
"Derek, I've really got to go. I've got to meet Lydia to study for a test. And then I need to bring Dad dinner. I was just dropping off Isaac's work for the week—"
"Willow—"
"I'm sorry for interrupting you two—"
"I wasn't—"
"Erica is really very pretty and she's so smart and makes lots of funny jokes—"
"Willow, don't—"
"I'm glad that you could move on—"
"She's not you!" Derek shouted, having to raise his voice to get Willow to listen. "Willow, Erica is not you."
"You can kiss whoever you want, Derek. You didn't have to run out here to try and smooth things over," Willow said, not seeing his point. "Now, it's raining, and I'd rather not get a cold so—"
"I didn't kiss—" Derek was cut off by Willow's phone loudly ringing, and he cursed as she went to answer it. "Can you just wait?"
"It's Scott," Willow said, stepping back. Though seeing him kiss another girl hurt more than anything, she still needed to remember why she had ended things in the first place. So, Scott's timing was impeccable. "You know? Scott, who you almost killed last week?"
Derek sighed, frustrated with himself as Willow answered the call.
"Hey, Scott. I thought you were meeting Allison tonight?" she asked, turning away from Derek.
"Willow, it's Stiles," Scott said, making her veins turn to ice. Though he quickly reassured her that he wasn't dead. "Something attacked a mechanic at the auto repair shop. It didn't get Stiles, but I knew you'd want to know."
"Oh my god. Is he hurt? Is he safe? I - I'll be right over," she said, beginning to freak out as she finished walking to her car. Derek was silently following, listening in to the call. "Y - you said something, not someone killed him."
"You can meet us at his place — I'm headed to pick him up. Stiles is alright, but it - it did something to him. It was like he was paralyzed for a little bit," Scott explained. "But from what it sounds like, I think the thing that killed Isaac's dad might have done it."
Willow's wide eyes snapped to Derek, who looked just as concerned. "What if it goes after Isaac? O - or Stiles again for witnessing the attack?"
"Look, if it wanted Stiles dead, it sounds like he'd be dead. But I know you won't actually stop worrying until you see him, so get over there and we'll be there soon," he told her.
"You tell him to expect an hour-long hug and a How I Met Your Mother session," she said sternly, as if it was some kind of punishment.
"Do I get an hour-long hug?" he asked, laughing.
"Were you paralyzed and forced to watch a brutal murder?" she shot back, raising an eyebrow. "I believe you have your answer."
"Is this still payback about trying to pimp you out?" Scott grumbled. "Mom already took away my Xbox controller for that."
"You're getting it back in two days, you baby."
After hanging up, Willow unlocked her car. For a moment, she almost forgot that Derek was near, not wanting to leave her alone in the dark, especially after learning of the new murder.
"Scott tried to pimp you out?" Derek asked, clearly confused. Given that he was considered the bad guy now, he wasn't familiar with all their new shenanigans.
"Well, it's not like I have a boyfriend to be bothered by it if he did," she said, trying to act like she didn't care. "Just like you don't have a girlfriend to care if you go around kissing your new betas."
"I didn't—"
But Willow was already in her car, speeding away, leaving behind a crushed Derek.
From below in the station, three nosy werewolves had listened in to the whole thing. Boyd looked to Erica with wide eyes.
"He might actually kill you for that stunt," Boyd stated. Now they knew why Derek was always so grumpy.
Erica cut her eyes to Isaac. "You could have told me that Willow and Derek had a thing. I never would've tried that."
"It's more fun this way," Isaac said, shrugging.
Boyd scoffed and shook his head. "Not once he breaks all the bones in your fucking body when he finds out you suggested the plan."
"I never said it was a good plan."
☽︎
"I'm so sorry about the other day. I'm trying. We'll get through this. Uh, I know, because I love you. I love you more than—" As Willow giggled, Stiles cut himself off. "Oh, my God. I can't! You and Allison just have to find a better way to communicate."
Given how closely the Argents were watching, Scott and Allison had resorted to passing verbal messages through Stiles. And the boy was getting tired of some of the sappier replies. And it was hard to take it seriously whenever Willow acted as if Stiles was the one saying all the sappy and romantic things.
"Come on, you're the only one that we can trust other than Willow," Scott whined.
"Then Willow can say the sappy shit," he muttered. Willow rubbed Stiles' arm comfortingly. "She tells us she loves us at least once a day."
"Do you not want me to tell you that I love you?" she asked, a fake pout on her lips.
"No, no," he denied quickly. "Love the Willow-Love." Granted, Stiles would rather she be in love with him, but that was asking too much, he supposed.
Willow beamed and kissed Stiles' cheek. "Love you too, Benchwarmer."
"Is she coming to the game tonight?" Scott asked, getting them back on track.
"Yes. Okay, message complete," Stiles said, sighing. "Now, tell me about your boss?"
After Derek attacked Scott, he went to the animal clinic. It was there that Scott found out Dr. Deaton knew more than just veterinary science. He knew about all of it — Scott being a werewolf, the Argents, and even that there was a mysterious creature killing people around town. It had killed Xavier, the young hunter who was helping Chris to train Willow.
"He thinks that Allison's family keeps some kind of, uh, record of all the things that they've hunted. Like a book," Scott explained.
"He probably means a bestiary," Stiles told him, and Willow nodded in agreement.
"What?" Scott asked.
"A bestiary," Willow stated.
Scott snickered, not believing that Willow would discuss such an inappropriate topic. "I think you guys mean bestiality."
Neither Willow nor Stiles were as amused by Scott. "Nope, pretty sure I don't," Stiles said in a flat tone. "It's like an encyclopedia of mythical creatures."
Scott's smile dropped as he realized it was a real thing. "How am I the only one who doesn't know anything about this stuff?"
"Okay, you're my best friend, you're a creature of the night, it's kind of like a priority of mine."
"Okay. If we can find it, and it can tell us what this thing is," Scott said.
"And who," Stiles added.
"We need that book!" Both boys spoke in unison. They looked at Willow to make sure she was on board.
"I thought it was already agreed upon that we needed the book as soon as we found out it existed," Willow said, shrugging.
Then she and Stiles parted from Scott. They found Allison sitting at a picnic table in the courtyard, where they quickly relayed all the information from Scott. And just like the werewolf, her mind went to a horrible place.
"I think you mean—"
"No," Stiles cut her off, rolling his eyes at the grin on Allison's face. "I mean bestiary. And the two of you, I don't want to know what's going on in your heads. How dare you mention such things around innocent little Willow."
Allison chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Okay, um, can you describe this thing?"
"Uh, it's probably like a book. Old, worn," Willow told her. She was picturing something that would be found in a magical castle, so it probably wasn't accurate, but it'd be close enough.
"Like, bound in leather?" Allison asked, raising an eyebrow.
After explaining to Stiles that she had seen a book similar to that with her grandfather, he was off. Willow opted to sit next to Allison and do some homework, not wanting to run around and get sweaty in her nice outfit.
In the time that she finished an economics worksheet, Stiles ran back to them twice, getting more out of breath each time. He had even swiped Scott's inhaler — Willow wasn't sure if it actually helped or if it was for dramatic flair.
"You know, drug dealers have been using disposable cellphones pretty successfully for years," Stiles complained.
"My parents check every call, email, and text message I send. Trust me, they'd find it," Allison said, and Willow nodded in agreement. They searched her room every day while she was at school, no doubt.
"All right, can you get the book?" he asked her.
Allison frowned and shook her head. "Not without his keys."
As Stiles again ran off, Willow put down her glittery pen and squinted at the fleeing boy. "I guess I could call Stiles while he was with Scott and you were with me. Then he wouldn't have to run."
She picked up her phone, but Allison swiped it from her hands with a mischievous grin. "Maybe, but this way is much more fun, don't you think?"
"You are evil, Allison Argent," Willow said, grinning. "I'll let him go another trip or two, but then we'll switch to a call. I don't want him too tired out from the game."
"The game that he won't be playing in?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Willow nudged her shoulder and giggled. "Meanie."
☽︎
"Are you gonna tell me what's going on with you?" Willow asked, taking a seat next to Jackson on the bench.
It would still be a bit before the lacrosse game started, and people were still arriving. Willow saw the boy sitting alone on the bench and decided to join him. He hadn't been himself since the full moon, and she wanted to know why.
"Nothing's going on," he said tensely. Willow only gave him a pointed look, knowing he was lying. Jackson sighed and looked down at his hands. "The bite didn't work. At least, not all the way, I think."
"What do you mean? You've got the claws and the fangs and the strength—"
"No, I don't," he stated, shaking his head. "And nothing happened on the full moon — at least, I think. I borrowed a camera from Matt and videoed myself. Danny's looking through the footage to make sure the camera didn't break during the night, but there's nothing. I'm nothing."
Willow took one of his hands and squeezed it comfortingly. "You're not nothing, Jackson. Maybe - maybe your turning has just been delayed."
"Yeah, like that happens," he said, scoffing.
"I'm serious," she insisted. "Look, some stuff is happening, and we're trying to get our hands on this thing called a bestiary. It's basically a book with lots of knowledge on supernatural creatures. I'll find everything I can about delayed werewolf transformations. It could have something about why you were bleeding so much after as well."
Jackson's face softened as he looked at her. "You'll really help me figure this out?"
"Of course. I'd do anything for you, Jackson," she promised. "But until then, you just focus on winning this game, Mr. Co-Captain. I heard number forty-two is very big and scary."
"I'm sure I'll survive," he said, rolling his eyes playfully. Then Jackson pulled off his team windbreaker and slipped it over Willow's shoulders, who was shivering.
"Thanks," she said, slipping her arms into the jacket. "These uniforms are cute but warm they are not."
"You'll never catch me complaining about the short skirts," he said, winking at her. Willow giggled and bumped her shoulder into his.
"Yeah, well, don't forget your promise to put this bad boy on for the first pep rally of senior year," she reminded him. Jackson lost a bet with her and Danny, which ended with him having to dress up in the cheerleading uniform — they let him push the date back a few years to save him some embarrassment. It would certainly make for a memorable last first pep rally of the season.
As more and more people began to arrive, Willow stayed on the bench with Jackson. She ended up explaining why they needed the bestiary, as well as telling him all about Derek's new betas. He was extremely jealous that the shift had been so easy for all of them with no complications. Their conversation was put on hold when Jackson spotted Danny approaching, the camera in hand, and Matt at his side.
"What the hell is this?" Jackson asked, standing up. "Dude, I thought I could trust you!"
"Relax, it's my camera, okay," Matt told him. "He just needed to ask me some questions."
"Matt's the one who found it anyway," Danny added.
"Found what?" he asked.
Danny held out the screen for Jackson to look at, and Willow stood to peek at it. They watched as a clip of Jackson sleeping played. It was subtle and almost unnoticeable, but his hand shifted from the bed to his stomach.
"There," Matt pointed out.
But Jackson hadn't seen it. "There what?"
"It's an edit point," Danny explained, showing him the clip of his hand moving again. "It's been looped. Two hours worth."
"What does that mean?" Jackson asked, frowning.
"That means there's two hours of footage. Missing," Matt said.
"What would anyone want to hide?" Willow asked, looking at Jackson. Him turning into a werewolf wasn't some big secret to keep — especially to keep from Jackson. It also didn't make sense that he didn't remember. The only instance where Scott had issues remembering during a shift was after the bus driver attack, and that was because Peter had used his alpha power to alter his memories of the event.
Of course, no one had any answers for Jackson and Willow. They had to forget about the mystery of the video as the game began.
Willow had been right when she warned Jackson. Number forty-two on the opposing team was an absolute beast and he was injuring players left and right. It was the most violent game of the season, and Willow found herself wincing more than actually cheering.
"Come on, is that thing even a teenager?" Coach Finstock asked loudly. "I wanna see a birth certificate. Who or what is that genetic experiment gone wrong?"
"Eddie Abramovitz, Coach. They call him The Abomination," Stiles informed him.
Coach scoffed in disgust. "Oh, that's cute."
Everyone groaned when Abramovitz sacked a freshman so hard that he couldn't get back up. Paramedics had to carry him off the field, the poor kid groaning about being unable to feel his legs. Melissa McCall winced from the stands as they passed, thankful that it wasn't her son.
"He belong to you?" Matt asked, having spotted the look on her face. He was standing around and taking pictures, glad that Coach didn't put him in with that monster on the field.
"No, mine is still on the field. While I'm here really wishing that he would've stuck with tennis," she joked. Then she glanced at the camera in his hands. "You the yearbook photographer?"
"No, I, uh, I just take pictures," he stated.
"Just lacrosse, or other things?"
Matt looked down at his screen, zooming in on the photo he had taken of Willow at the top of the pyramid the cheerleaders had built. "Anything that catches my eye," he murmured.
Melissa grimaced at his off tone, feeling uneasy as she caught a glimpse of Willow on the screen. She really hoped the girl wasn't the only thing to catch his eye.
Eddie Abramovitz continued his reign of terror, taking out players left and right. Beacon Hills was beginning to run out of bodies to put on the field, and when the goalie got a concussion, Coach Finstock was feeling desperate.
"How many fingers am I holding up?" Coach asked, putting two fingers close to Danny's face.
"Four?" he guessed, holding his aching head.
Coach's face fell. "Say two."
"Two."
"Perfect, get out there, come on!" Coach ordered, getting poor Danny off the bench. "Get out there and have a stick."
"We're still short one player, Coach," he was informed.
Coach frantically searched for his last remaining player, who was nowhere near. "Where's Stilinski? Where's Stilinski?"
Willow frowned defeatedly, knowing that Stiles was already in the school, searching Gerard's office for the bestiary. He'd be crushed when he found out he missed his chance to play.
In need of a player, Coach searched the stands until he found the largest, strongest-looking boy he could. It just so happened to be a newly turned werewolf who certainly hadn't learned control. He pointed to Boyd in the stands, who was sitting next to Erica.
"You! You! You play lacrosse?" Coach asked, getting his attention.
Boyd thought for a second before going to stand. Erica quickly grabbed his arm and shook her head. "Uh-uh. Derek won't like this."
"Yeah. But I will," he stated, getting up anyway.
Boyd pulled off his jacket, showing off his muscles, and Coach almost wet himself with excitement. "Oh, ha, ha, ha! We got ourselves a player!"
Boyd was quickly outfitted in a spare jersey and pads and put on the field. Even if he didn't know much about the sport, he was still a force to be reckoned with. And when Abramovitz set his sights on the new player, it was a mistake.
He charged at Boyd, who didn't even flinch when his body barreled into him. Everyone cheered as forty-two was finally knocked to the ground, out for the rest of the game.
"The bigger they are — the bigger they are!" Coach shouted excitedly.
"Go, Boyd, go!" Willow cheered, the only one on the squad to know the name of the new player.
With the so-called Abomination off of the field, Beacon Hills had no problem catching up. Though a lot of Scott's effort was put into trying to keep Boyd from shifting on the field. Eventually, the score got tied up, and the final play started. Everyone was on their feet and cheering as Scott got the ball and rushed toward the goal. He made the shot just before the buzzer sounded.
But the excitement was cut short when a player from the other team's stick rammed into Scott's leg, knocking him to the ground. Willow cringed, hearing bone snapping from her spot on the sidelines. She was one of the first to rush over to him, along with Allison.
"I'm fine, I'm healing, it's okay," Scott insisted as both girls reached him. "The book?"
"It's not in his office, it's gotta be at the house. Let's look at your leg. Oh, my God, your leg is broken," Allison said, freaking out. His calf was twisted in an awkward and broken angle, but they could see it already healing and moving back to the correct position.
"Not for long," he muttered, holding in a groan of pain.
"Don't move!" Coach shouted as he ran over.
"Scott," Melissa called worriedly.
Against Coach's instructions, Scott leaned on Allison and Willow as he got up, favoring his good leg. "It's okay. It's okay. I'm fine. I'm fine."
Melissa looked at his leg in disbelief. "I could have sworn I literally heard bone-breaking from where I sat."
"Heard it? I felt it," Coach said, grimacing.
"Seriously, guys, I'm - I'm fine," he assured them, testing a little weight on the leg. It was almost completely healed now.
Seeing that everything would be alright, Allison moved to her grandfather's side. She didn't want him questioning Scott's miraculous recovery. "We should go."
"Hold on. I want to ask him one more thing," Gerard said, setting his sights on Scott.
Scott and Willow shared a nervous look. This couldn't be good.
☽︎
Willow was so thankful that Gerard hadn't extended the dinner invitation to her as well. Since Scott and Allison would be busy at the most awkward and uncomfortable dinner in history, Willow was instructed to find Stiles, who still had Gerard's keys. They had to get those back before he became suspicious.
Willow walked briskly from the field toward the school, not wanting to be in the dark and cold on her own. She had called Stiles twice, but he never picked up. She was almost in the school when she spotted a familiar car leaving the parking lot. And when she caught a glimpse of Lydia's tear-streaked face through the window, she spun on her heel and ran to the car.
Lydia squealed and stomped on her breaks as Willow appeared out of nowhere.
"Are you insane? I could've hit you?" she asked, rolling down the window.
Willow squinted her eyes at her and frowned. "You've been crying."
Lydia quickly shook her head. "It - it's nothing. Don't worry—"
"Well, I am worried," she interrupted. "Tell me why you're crying right now."
"Can - can it wait?" Lydia asked. Willow went to protest, but she wouldn't let her. "I have to go meet my mom. Can I come to your house after though? I really, really need to talk to someone."
"Of course," Willow said softly. "Bring your jammies and we'll have a sleepover."
"Can your dad make cookies?" Lydia asked hopefully.
"The oven will be preheated before you even get there."
After making sure Lydia was emotionally stable to drive, Willow continued her mission. The first place she checked was Gerard's office, only to find it empty and Stiles nowhere in sight. So, she settled for roaming the halls and calling his name.
When she got no response, she began calling his cellphone, listening for the ringtone. Eventually, the echoing sound caught her ears and led her to the pool area.
What was Stiles doing at the pool? Or at least, what was his phone doing at the pool?
"Stiles?" Willow called, entering the facility. The lights were off, so she couldn't see much other than the glow coming from the pool. "You in here?"
"Willow?" Stiles' voice came from the water.
Upon further inspection, Willow saw that Stiles and Derek were both floating in the pool. "What on earth are you—"
"Willow, get out of here!" Derek shouted, his eyes wide at the sight of her. "It's here somewhere. You have to go—"
Something hissed from behind Willow, and she spun on her heel, dropping her phone in shock. A scaly creature moved out of the shadows. It was huge with claws and a long, pointed tail. Willow tuned out Stiles and Derek, who were shouting at her as she slowly backed away.
The creature crept toward her until she was completely backed into the wall. She shut her eyes and whimpered as it raised a claw, ready to strike her. But the blow never came.
Willow peeked one eye open to see the creature looking at her with slit, yellow eyes. Its head was tilted, and it looked almost confused. It raised a clawed hand and hovered it near Willow's face, and she cowered in fear that it was about to attack.
It moved suddenly, leaving Willow pressed up against the wall as it went back to hiding in the shadows. It was still watching but it left her alone. Her knees began to shake and gave out from under her as she slid down the wall.
"Willow, don't move," Derek ordered. "It might attack if you try to escape."
Willow nodded in understanding before opening her eyes again. Stiles seemed to be holding Derek up in the water. "What happened?"
"In summary — lizard paralyze Derek, Stiles keep Derek alive, lizard can't swim, Scott not pick up phone, Stiles very tired of swimming, lizard apparently have crush on Willow," Stiles said, catching his breath in between every other word.
"The lizard does not have a crush on me," she said, rolling her eyes. "Derek, are you okay? Can you feel anything at all? Your toes?"
"Not yet," he said, gritting his teeth. "We've got to find a way to get you out of here."
"Willow should not be the priority considering the fact that the lizard didn't even touch her," Stiles said. "We need to get us out of here!"
"Scott's at Allison's house," Willow told them, eying her phone that was near the edge of the pool. Stiles' was close to it as well, just out of reach. "He's our only chance."
"Do not go for that phone, Willow," Derek said, trying to turn his head to look at her. "Stay there where you're safe."
It was agony, sitting and watching as the creature circled around the pool. It only looked away from Derek and Stiles a handful of times to make sure Willow hadn't moved. Then it went back to stalking its prey.
"Okay. Okay, I don't think I can do this much longer," Stiles admitted, struggling to keep them both afloat.
"No, no, no," Derek said, knowing he wanted to go for the phone. "Don't even think about it."
"Would you just trust me this once?" Stiles asked.
"No!"
"I'm the one keeping you alive, okay, have you noticed that?" he asked, getting more frustrated.
"Yeah. And when the paralysis wears off, who is gonna be able to fight that thing, you or me? You don't trust me I don't trust you. You need me to survive, which is why you are not letting me go," Derek argued. But then Stiles glanced at the phone once more, Derek's words going in one ear and out the other. "Stile—"
Stiles let go of Derek suddenly, who had no choice but to sink to the bottom. Willow acted quickly, not caring about the creature as she ran to the pool, jumping in as Stiles swam toward his phone. Willow swam to the center of the pool and then took in a deep breath before diving down. Derek was sitting at the bottom helplessly, trying to keep water out of his lungs.
Willow grabbed his arms and pushed off the bottom of the pool to try and lift him. He wasn't quite as heavy as if he'd been on land, but it was difficult for her to pull him up. Tears pricked at her eyes and were washed away as her lungs burned, scared that she wouldn't be able to get him above water.
Then a phone drifted past in the water, sinking to the ground as a hand grabbed Derek and lifted him fully above water. He and Willow took in big gasps of air, glad that Stiles finally helped. It was a little easier to keep Derek up with Willow helping, but still exhausting.
"Tell me you got him," Derek said, spitting water out of his mouth. But the look on Stiles' face told them that he hadn't. Derek swiftly cut his eyes to Willow angrily. "I told you to stay put!"
"You were drowning! I wasn't gonna watch you die, Derek," she said, unable to stop more tears welling in her eyes. "You - you can't die, Derek."
"Didn't know you still cared," he admitted quietly.
"How could you say that?" she asked, the hurt clear in her tone. "How could you think I don't still care about you?"
"Am I missing something?" Stiles asked, not understanding why the conversation had taken such an emotional turn. He was, of course, ignored.
"I didn't kiss her, Willow," Derek said. What better time than when she couldn't run away. Willow turned to look at him, a question in her eyes. "She kissed me. I didn't want her to and I never would. You just came in at the wrong time."
"I'm so confused," Stiles muttered.
Willow bit her lip and looked at the water. Sure, it was a relief to hear that he hadn't wanted Erica to kiss him, but did that change anything? Really? "Well, even so, it's not like we're together anymore. You're free to kiss whoever you want, Derek."
"Anymore?" Stiles asked, appalled by the insinuation. "Oh my god! You two got together? Oh, that's gross. And in what world is that fair? Fucking Derek? Derek gets you? This is the worst day of my life."
"Stiles, shut up!" Derek snapped, ready to kill the boy. "Or I'll rip your throat out, and it'll be worth the drowning."
Stiles grumbled under his breath for a few more moments before giving up. He settled down after being reassured by Willow that no, they weren't still together. He wanted to ask questions, but Derek would've killed him, so saved them for later.
"I can't stay up any longer," Stiles said, beginning to lose steam. Even with Willow's help, it was difficult to keep the paralyzed wolf and themselves up. Their legs and arms were getting tired. "I need something to hold on to."
Willow looked around and spotted the nearby diving board. She spit some water out of her mouth that had gotten in after her mouth dipped below the surface before nodding to it. She and Stiles made sure they had good grips on Derek before paddling over to it.
Stiles reached for the base of the diving board, only for his fingers to slip. He lost his grip and momentum, slipping under the water from exhaustion. Derek went down with him. Willow tried not to panic as she took a deep breath and dived under. She grabbed each of their arms to try and push them back up, but it was useless. She just wasn't strong enough.
Suddenly, both boys were thrown from the water, and Willow soon followed. It was Scott who had arrived and saved them, easily tossing them out of the pool. Then he faced the creature and roared loudly.
Willow spit up water before crawling over to Derek, who seemed to be able to move his limbs a little bit. She helped him lean against the diving board and held the sides of his face gently as they both caught their breath.
"Are you - are you okay?" she asked, pushing the wet hair off his forehead.
Derek only gazed at her, silently savoring the feeling of her hands on his skin, her blue eyes boring into his green. He savored the feeling of her caring about him, thinking that his chances of it were long gone.
The sound of glass shattering broke the moment. Willow looked away from Derek and over her shoulder at Scott. The creature had flung him into a mirror. He grabbed one of the shards to defend himself, but the creature seemed to be looking at its own reflection with a confused look.
And then it was gone with a deafening screech, leaving them behind.
☽︎
Willow stood in between Stiles and Scott, a towel wrapped around her shoulders. Stiles' laptop was open on the hood of his jeep, the flash drive from Gerard's keyring plugged in. That was where the real bestiary was.
"Is that even a language?" Stiles asked, squinting at the foreign language.
"It's ancient Latin," Willow informed them, sighing tiredly. "I can identify some words, but I really only understand regular Latin. It's a long shot that I'll be able to translate it."
"How are we supposed to figure out what this thing is?" Scott asked helplessly.
"It's called a kanima," Derek said. He walked over with Erica, who had been knocked out by the so-called kanima but was fine now.
Stiles, Scott, and Willow all looked at him in disbelief. "You knew the whole time," Stiles said accusingly.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "Only when it was confused by its own reflection."
"It doesn't know what it is," Scott realized.
"Or who," Derek added.
"What else do you know?" Stiles asked, eying him suspiciously.
"Just stories, rumors."
"But it's like us?" Scott asked, raising an eyebrow.
"A shapeshifter, yes, but it's - it's not right. It's like a..."
"An abomination," Stiles offered, thinking of the player from the game earlier. Derek nodded in agreement, thinking the name fit quite well after seeing it up close.
"Derek, we need to work together on this. Maybe even tell the Argents," Scott said.
Derek glared at him, angered by the very suggestion. "You trust them?"
"Nobody trusts anyone!" he exclaimed. "That's the problem. While we're here, arguing about who's on what side, there's something scarier, stronger, and faster than any of us, and it's killing people and we still don't even know anything about it."
"I know one thing — when I find it? I'm gonna kill it," he declared, stomping away with Erica at his heels.
"He can't," Willow said quietly. "If - if it's like you guys, then there's an innocent person under there. They may not know they're doing this."
"I can't believe you dated that guy," Stiles grumbled bitterly.
Scott shoved him lightly, seeing the way Willow got upset by mentioning it. "Not the time, Stiles."
☽︎
Willow did her best to forget about the kanima as she sat at the dinner table with her father and Lydia. Warren had Chinese delivered for them so that they wouldn't have to wait for him to cook. They sat around the table, Willow giving a rundown of the rather violent lacrosse game.
"Sounds like that new player Boyd really saved the day," Warren commented, finishing off an egg roll.
"We definitely wouldn't have won without him," Willow admitted. "And now we're through the semi-finals. I'm sure we'll have another first-place title this year."
"I'll make sure to take off work for the final," Warren told her. "Lydia, will you and your mother be going?"
"You mean will my mother be going?" Lydia asked, a smirk on her lips. Warren rolled his eyes but didn't shut her down. "Yes, most likely. Be sure to save her a seat."
"Perhaps we could all go out to dinner afterward," he suggested.
"Or just you two," Willow said under her breath, making Lydia giggle. "I'm sure we'll be celebrating with the team, but Natalie would probably love a nice dinner just the two of you."
Lydia and Willow trying to set their parents up was nothing new. So, Warren sat through a few more teasing comments, a relaxed smile on his face. Besides, he had plenty of teasing comments of his own.
"Well," he began, sipping his glass of scotch, "if I ever do pursue Lydia's mother, I'll be sure to use her front door instead of the window to her bedroom whenever I wish to see her."
Lydia gasped, not really noticing how Willow's smile fell. "Derek sneaks through your window? That's hot."
"Ooh, so he has a name," Warren said, chuckling. "Oh, don't look so upset that I found out his name. I'm not about to stalk him on Facebook."
"No, it's just, uh—" Willow nervously fiddled with the tablecloth, avoiding eye contact. "He won't be sneaking in the window anytime soon, is all. Or at all, really, I guess."
"You broke up?" Lydia asked, genuinely upset for her. "When?"
"Um, earlier last week," she said, shrugging. "I should've told you earlier, but admitting it to someone else just made it more... real."
"I'm so sorry, Sweetheart," Warren said. "Why don't you two head up to your room and you can talk. I'll bring up the cookies once they're finished."
Lydia led Willow up to her room, never letting go of her hand. Then she gently sat her on the bed.
"Spill," Lydia stated. "I was totally convinced you two were about to use the L-word, so what happened?"
"He just changed," she said, shrugging. "You know, he was always kind of a bad boy, but now it feels like he's becoming a bad guy, and those are two very different things. I told him to stay away unless he realizes what he did wrong and changes."
Lydia squeezed Willow's hand comfortingly. "How is it that you've only been in one relationship, but you're already as wise and mature as a married woman in her eighties."
"So I did the right thing?" she asked in a small voice. Even without knowing all the details, Lydia nodded. "Because it doesn't feel like it. It just hurts."
Tears welled in Willow's eyes. God, she missed Derek. How was she supposed to keep this up when being away from him hurt so much?
"Will, heartbreak is a feeling so personal and also universal, and it's one of the worst things to go through," Lydia told her, wrapping her arms around her tightly. "And there's nothing wrong with mourning what you had with him. I'll be here if you want to talk about it and I'll be here if you want to ignore it and watch every Legally Blonde movie, including the horrible spin-off with those two twins."
Willow wiped under her eyes and smiled appreciatively at her best friend. "Let's go with option three. I'll talk about it eventually, but first I want to focus on you. Something is wrong with you. Lydia Martin does not cry, especially in her car alone."
"You're gonna think I'm crazy," Lydia said quietly, looking at her lap. "I think I'm crazy."
"Lydia," she said softly, tucking a strand of strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. "We have been best friends since preschool. I already think you're crazy."
Lydia managed a laugh as she leaned her head on her shoulder. "Something is wrong with me, Will. Something's happening to me."
"What is it?" Willow asked, growing worried.
"I don't know," Lydia said, her voice shaking. She had never looked so vulnerable as she sat on Willow's bed with tears in her eyes. "And it terrifies me."