stiles! you can't make the barrier if derek decides to rip your head off.
[ 2.08 ]
Late Thursday night, Willow sat on the counter of the check-in desk at the animal clinic. Scott walked past her to unlock the front door, letting in Derek and Isaac, only one of which was originally invited.
"What's he doing here?" Scott asked, eying Isaac.
"I need him," Derek said, entering the building.
"I don't trust him," Scott told him.
"Yeah, well, he doesn't trust you either," Isaac muttered.
"You know what? And Derek really doesn't care," Derek said, getting annoyed.
"Willow thinks it's very cute when you all speak in the third person," Willow said, a small smile on her lips as she swung her legs back and forth that hung from the counter. Derek's lip twitched the slightest bit, the closest she'd seen to his smile in weeks.
"Now where's the vet?" Derek asked, looking at Scott expectantly. "Is he gonna help us or not?"
"That depends," Deaton said, coming around the corner and leaning against the wall. "Your friend, Jackson. Are we planning to kill him or save him?"
"Save him," Scott said at the exact same moment that Derek said, "Kill him."
"Save him," Willow said, shoving his stomach with her hand. Of course, he barely moved, and he grabbed her hand with his on instinct. Derek looked down at her, an unclear emotion in those green eyes that made her feel like she was burning. "Save him, Derek."
After a moment, he nodded and let go of her hand. A part of her wished he didn't. "Save him," he told Deaton.
Pleased with the answer, Deaton led them back into his main operating room — the same room Derek almost cut his arm off in. On the table, he had several jars of different substances lined up, all with Celtic symbols Willow didn't recognize.
Isaac reached for a random bottle, but Derek smacked his hand to stop him. It reminded Willow of a chastising mother. "Watch what you touch."
"So, what are you?" Isaac asked, leaning lazily on the table and looking up at Deaton. "Some kind of witch?"
"No, I'm a veterinarian," he replied, making Willow giggle. Isaac nudged her foot under the table to make her stop laughing at him. "Unfortunately, I don't see anything here that's going to be an effective defense against a paralytic toxin."
"We're open to suggestions," Derek muttered.
"What about an effective offense?" Isaac suggested.
"We already tried. I nearly took its head off. And Argent emptied an entire clip into it. The thing just gets back up," Derek said.
"Has it shown any weaknesses?" Deaton asked him.
"Well, one. It can't swim."
"Does that go for Jackson as well?"
"No," Willow told them. "He's the captain of the swim team."
"Essentially, you're trying to catch two people," Deaton told them. He grabbed a silver coin to show them which had a Celtic symbol on it. "A puppet and a puppeteer. One killed the husband, but the other had to take care of the wife. Do we know why?"
"I don't think Jackson could do it. His mother died pregnant too, and she was maybe murdered. I think he couldn't let the same thing happen to someone else," Scott said, and Willow nodded in agreement. "Same way he couldn't bring himself to hurt Willow that night at the pool."
"How do you know it's not part of the rules?" Isaac asked. "The kanima kills murderers. If Jackson kills the wife, then the baby dies too."
"Does that mean your father was a murderer?" Scott asked him.
"Wouldn't surprise me if he was," he muttered.
Willow leaned her head on his shoulder and kissed his clothed arm comfortingly. Yes, Isaac's father being killed was horrific, but at the same time, at least Isaac didn't have to put up with that abuse anymore.
"Hold on," Deaton said, getting an idea. "The book says they're bonded, right? What if the fear of water isn't coming from Jackson, but from the person controlling him? What if something that affects the kanima also affects its master?"
As he spoke, he spread some kind of black ashy substance in a circle around the coin, trapping it.
"Meaning what?" Isaac asked.
"Meaning we can catch them," Scott said, getting excited. "Both of them."
☽︎
When Stiles' jeep parked next to Willow's car the next morning, she got out to join them. They would be going to the animal clinic after school to finalize the plan with Deaton and Derek. Though Willow wouldn't be there because of cheerleading practice and then she'd be picking up Matt for the rave, she still wanted to be kept in the loop.
"There's got to be some other way to get tickets, right?" Scott asked. He had failed to get tickets for the underground show that night, and the whole plan relied on Jackson and the one controlling him to be there.
"It's a secret show. There's only one way, and it's a secret," Stiles said, rolling his eyes at Scott's optimism.
"Hey," Matt called, having just secured his bike on the rack. All three of them stopped and waited for him to walk up to them. "Any of you guys know why no one's getting suspended after what happened the other day at school?"
"Just forget about it," Stiles said, shrugging. "Nobody got hurt."
"Matt got hurt," Willow said, frowning.
"I - I had a concussion," he said in confirmation.
"Well, nobody got seriously hurt," Stiles said.
Matt narrowed his eyes at Stiles. "I was in the E.R. for six hours — thank you, Willow, the only one who came to check on me."
"Of course," she said, smiling sweetly.
"Hey, do you want to know the truth, Matt? Your little bump on the head is about this high on our list of problems right now," Stiles said, bending over to hold his hand an inch above the ground.
Willow pulled him up to stand straight. "Stop being mean, Stiles."
"Are you okay?" Scott asked Matt, ignoring Stiles.
"Yeah, I'm fine now. So you didn't get any tickets last night either?"
"Are they still selling?" he asked hopefully.
"Uh, no, but I managed to find two online. You should keep trying. Sounds like everyone's gonna be there," Matt told him. Then he grinned at Willow. "I'll see you later."
"Can't wait," she told him as he walked toward the school.
"I don't like him," Stiles muttered. But he eventually forgot about it. "Hey, are you sure about this?"
"Last time, whoever's controlling Jackson had to kill somebody because he didn't finish the job, so what do you think he's going to do this time?" Scott asked, raising an eyebrow. Things could get much worse if tonight didn't work.
"Be there to make sure it happens," Stiles stated.
"Don't worry," Willow said, linking arms with both of them. "We've got this."
"Who is this we that you speak of?" Stiles asked while Scott grinned. "You're gonna be dancing the night away with some creep."
"Matt's not a creep."
"Yeah, and you haven't memorized all the words to the Pitch Perfect script."
"But I have done that."
"That's his point, Willow."
☽︎
After school, where Jackson was not present, Scott and Stiles headed to meet Deaton at the animal clinic. Much to Stiles' annoyance, Derek was there as well. He wasn't going to leave anything to chance and needed to know every detail of the plan if his pack was going to be out there in danger.
"Ketamine?" Scott asked as Deaton held up the vial.
"It's the same stuff we use on the dogs, just a higher dosage," he explained. "If you can get close enough to Jackson, it should slow him down enough to buy you some time."
Then Deaton grabbed a jar of black dust and showed it to Stiles specifically. "This is some of what you'll use to create the barrier. This part is for you, Stiles. Only you."
Stiles nervously glanced from him to Scott to Derek to the jar and back at Deaton. "Uh, that sounds like a lot of pressure. Can we maybe find a slightly less pressure-filled task for me?"
"It's from the Mountain ash tree, which is believed by many cultures to protect against the supernatural. This office is lined with ashwood, making it difficult for someone like Scott to cause me any trouble," Deaton told him. Meaning that the wolves couldn't touch it.
"Okay, so then what? I just spread this around the whole building and then either Jackson or whoever's controlling him can't cross it?" he asked, almost not believing it.
"They'll be trapped," Deaton assured him.
"Doesn't sound too hard," Scott said, trying to make Stiles feel more comfortable.
"Not all there is," Deaton said, shaking his head. "Think of it like gunpowder. It's just powder until a spark ignites it. You need to be that spark, Stiles."
"If you mean light myself on fire, I don't think I'm up for that," Stiles muttered. Derek scoffed and had to bite his tongue to refrain from making a sarcastic comment. It wasn't needed when Stiles already didn't believe in himself.
"Let me try a different analogy. I used to golf. I learned that the best golfers never swing before first imagining where they want the ball to go. They see it in their mind and their mind takes over. It can be pretty extraordinary what the force of your own will can accomplish."
"Force of will," Stiles summarized.
"If this is going to work, Stiles, you have to believe it," Deaton said, giving him a pointed look. It was all resting on Stiles' shoulders.
"W - why can't Willow do it?" he asked, still nervous. "She's human too."
"Can Willow lift a seventy-pound bag of mountain ash?" Deaton asked doubtfully. He had seen the girl's arms and lack of muscle definition. Sure, Stiles didn't have supernatural strength, but every player on the lacrosse team had to participate in the workouts.
"Probably not," Scott muttered. Then he looked back at Stiles. "Besides, she can't. She's gonna be busy all night."
"Why's Willow going to be busy?" Derek suddenly asked. "She shouldn't be involved in the plan at all."
Stiles let out an excited gasp and looked like a kid on Christmas morning. "Let me tell him. Oh, please, let me tell him."
"Tell me what?" Derek asked harshly as Scott sighed.
"Willow can't help because she's going to be on a date," Stiles said, smirking at the alpha.
They all noticed how Derek's face fell and he clenched his fist. Clearly, it wasn't what he'd been expecting. For someone who had years to build up walls and cold expressions to hide his emotions, he looked crushed.
"Oh," was all he said. And for once in his life, Scott felt bad for Derek.
"I - I don't think it's anything serious," Scott told him.
"Yeah," Stiles added. "He's a total creep, and it's not going to last. Just like you were a total creep and it didn't la—"
"Stiles!" Scott hissed. "You can't make the barrier if Derek decides to rip your head off."
"If Willow is going to be there, then we make sure she stays out of it," Derek interrupted. "I won't be able to get in there with the barrier, so everyone that is needs to make sure she's safe."
"Of course," Scott said, knowing none of them would risk Willow getting hurt.
"So," Stiles said, rocking back and forth on his heels. "How ya feel about that date news?"
The vein in Derek's neck seemed to grow, showing his anger. But he managed to contain it. "First off, Stiles, how I feel is none of your business. Second, she can date whoever she wants. I don't care."
"Well, that's just not true," Scott whispered, though he was still heard. Derek glared at him, and Scott put his hands up in defeat. "Heartbeat."
Stiles chuckled, glad to see that Derek was at least facing disappointment in his love life. He thought he deserved it after all they had been through.
"I bet tonight's gonna be fun."
☽︎
"Thanks so much for finding Allison a ticket," Willow told Matt as they entered the venue.
Allison hadn't told Willow the real reason why she wanted to go to the show so suddenly, which was that her family and the hunters had a plan to catch Jackson. Allison was in charge of finding him in the crowd. Perhaps things wouldn't have gone so wrong if the girls had shared their plans, but in Willow's defense, she thought Scott had told Allison everything.
Anyway, the hunter promised to not hang around Willow and Matt unless they sought her out, not wanting to ruin Willow's first date since Derek. But Matt had come in clutch with a spare ticket, which Allison happily paid him back for. Willow hoped the two could become friends by the time the night was over, as Allison hadn't actually branched out much aside from Lydia, Willow, and Scott.
"It was no problem," he told her. He also smiled at Allison. "Hope you have fun."
"You too," she said. Then Allison trailed off, seeing Scott in the distance. And he didn't look happy to see her there. "Excuse me."
Matt and Willow watched her for a second, and it was clear that she and Scott were arguing.
"Are they doing alright?" Matt couldn't help but ask. "They don't act very close at school anymore."
"They're just... going through it," she said, forcing a smile. "I'm sure they'll work through it though."
"Hope so." Then Matt grinned as he looked over her outfit. "By the way, you're dressed perfect for a rave."
"Thank god," she said, laughing. "Lydia picked it out just like you suggested."
Willow was dressed in a white skirt and matching cropped tank top that showed off her stomach and it glowed when the blacklight hit it. To make it a little more covered up, she had a black mesh shirt thrown over it. Lydia also dusted her with glitter and put her hair into two little space buns before setting her free.
Any event that Willow could wear glitter to was a fun event.
"Let's dance," Matt said, leading her over to the dance floor.
There were a few times that Willow spotted Jackson or Isaac or Erica in the crowd, but she did her best to ignore them. She was strictly instructed by Scott to try and have fun and stay safe. If they really needed her, they would come find her. So, she danced around with Matt, having a surprisingly good time.
"Want to move closer to the DJ?" Matt asked after a little while. They started playing a song that she shouted she loved, so he figured she'd like it. Willow nodded and grabbed his hand, not wanting to be lost in the crowd.
On the way, someone bumped into her and they saw Mr. Harris. Only he was dressed far too youthful for someone his age, and he had a suspiciously young girl on his arm. Willow and Matt looked at him with wide eyes, not expecting to see him there.
"She's twenty-one!" he snapped before dragging the girl off. "I told you I'd see a student here."
Willow looked back at Matt, both thoroughly creeped out. "If the first words out of his mouth were the fact that's she's twenty-one, then it's probably not a good sign," Matt said, shaking his head.
"That's gonna be all over school after we get back from Spring Break," Willow said, grimacing. Then she shook all thoughts of Mr. Harris away. "Come on. We're missing the song!"
Willow and Matt danced and talked over the music for almost an hour, having a nice time. But their feet got tired, so they made their way to the benches lining the wall to take a break.
"Are you having a good time?" Matt asked. "I know this isn't really your type of scene."
"I am, actually," she said, smiling. She tapped the ring of pink glow sticks around her head. "You got me my glow stick, they played dance remixes of two Taylor Swift songs, and I love to dance. This is the best date I've had in a long time."
"Mr. Ex-Boyfriend didn't take you anywhere memorable?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Willow's smile slipped away, and he knew he messed up. "I - I'm an idiot. Forget I mentioned him."
"It's alright," she said, shrugging.
Willow certainly wasn't going to tell him that Derek never took her on a date. She didn't hold that against him though. There was never any time, and then things ended so suddenly. You just couldn't really have a normal relationship when dating a werewolf.
"Thank you for asking me out, Matt," she told him, squeezing his hand. "I really needed a fun night away from all my problems."
"You took my mind off some stuff too," he said, smiling.
"So, take any good pictures lately?" she asked. "How'd that one from me and Scott in the hallway turn out?"
"Oh, um, there was a lens flare," he said, clearing his throat. "And, um, I - I have a few really great ones. Maybe you could come in and look at them on my computer when you drop me off."
"Sounds like fun," Willow said. "I don't know why you don't do yearbook. Your photos of the lacrosse team and cheerleading team are always fantastic."
Matt shrugged. "They tell you what to take pictures of. I just like taking pictures of what I like."
"Well, I am the most photogenic member on the squad and I love an action shot," she joked. "So definitely email me any good photos from the lacrosse final game."
"You got it," he promised. "I love taking pictures of you."
And then without warning, Matt leaned in and kissed Willow. It didn't last very long, but she was stunned and it took her a moment to react. Realizing that she wasn't kissing back, Matt pulled away with wide eyes.
"I'm - I'm sorry. That - that was - that was a huge mistake. I'm - I'm sorry," he said quickly.
"No. No, it's okay," Willow told him, managing a smile. "Really. I guess I just, I've never really kissed anyone that wasn't... him."
"I - Willow, I'm sorry," Matt apologized again. "I didn't mean to ruin things."
"No, you didn't," she assured him. "Really, you didn't. It is okay, but I guess I'm not a kiss on the first date kind of girl."
"I understand," he said, nodding. "What about the second?"
Willow gave him a small smile, knowing he was just shooting his shot. "Probably more of a third. If that's alright with you."
"Then I will try very hard to get to a third date," he declared. Then Matt stood and offered her his hand. "Until then, would you like to dance some more? I can ask the DJ to play a third Taylor Swift song."
"Sounds fun," she said, following him back to the dance floor.
They danced for a little while longer, thankfully not running into any more of their teachers. They also came across Allison, who decided to stick with them — evidently, her family had things covered. They had fun, and Allison definitely needed to relax, even if just for twenty minutes.
But the fun was interrupted when Willow saw Stiles frantically run to the exit, a panicked look in his eyes. Willow slowed her movements and glanced at Matt and Allison.
"I'll be right back. I just need to check on Stiles," she told Matt. "Keep Allison company?"
"Of course," he said, smiling understandingly.
Allison gave Willow a look, telling her silently to call her if something bad happened, and she nodded to let her know she would. Then Willow rushed after Stiles, who ran outside. Derek was there as well, stopping just past the perimeter that Stiles had made.
"Hey, um, so we kind of lost Jackson inside," Stiles explained. "But it's—"
Stiles cut himself off as Isaac and Erica came out, both of them stopping at the line of mountain ash just as Derek had. Isaac crouched down to examine it, realizing that they couldn't get past it.
"Oh, my God. It's working. Oh, this is - I did something!" Stiles said excitedly. Realizing they couldn't leave, the two betas at least decided to spend their trapped time well and search for the kanima.
"What about Jackson?" Willow asked, frowning. Allison and Matt — and plenty of innocent bystanders — were still inside.
"Oh, um, he got away, and it was very scary, but it's okay because this stuff works—"
"Scott?" Derek asked, looking around with a frown on his face.
Stiles looked at him, confused by the interruption. "What?"
"Break it," Derek suddenly ordered. Clearly, his ears had picked up on something bad.
"What? No way," Stiles denied.
"Scott's dying!" Derek shouted, startling them both.
"Okay, what? How do you know that?" Stiles asked.
"Oh, my god," Willow said, rolling her eyes. She dropped to her knees and ran a hand through the mountain ash, breaking the barrier. Derek shot off like a rocket, following Scott's scent.
Against Stiles' protest, Willow followed. Derek was much faster, meaning all the action was done by the time she arrived. Willow spotted him dragging an unconscious Scott out of a huge shipping crate with some kind of mist leaking out of the open door.
"Derek!" Willow called, running up to him. She placed a hand on his chest to steady him, as he looked near ready to collapse.
"I - I have to get him to Deaton," Derek said, taking deep breaths to get the wolfsbane out of his lungs. "To Deaton."
"Okay. Okay. Where's your car?" she asked.
Derek shook his head. "Boyd has it. Got shot and went home."
Willow dug through her small crossbody bag until she pulled out her car keys, which she placed in Derek's hand.
"You're in no state to drive. My car is just around the corner in the parking lot. Get Scott inside. I will be there in five minutes, okay. Five minutes."
Derek nodded weakly before beginning to drag Scott in the opposite direction. Willow ran back into the warehouse, where the party was somewhat dying down — it'd certainly die down when they found the dead body left behind by the kanima.
It only took a moment to find Allison and Matt, who hadn't moved from their spot on the dance floor. Both of them could see that Willow was visibly frazzled, and she looked at Matt apologetically.
"Um, so, I'm so, so incredibly sorry about this, but there's been a family medical emergency," she told Matt. Allison knew that Willow would fill her in later. "I - I have to leave right now. So, Allison, would you pretty please drive Matt home?"
"Of course," Allison said. "Just let me know if everyone is okay when you know."
"Of course," she said, nodding. Then she looked back at Matt. "Please don't be mad."
"I'm not mad," he assured her. "Go, and I'll see you at school once Spring Break is over."
"Ah, don't forget you're invited to Lydia's birthday party. And I really did have fun tonight," Willow told him.
Then she kissed both Allison and Matt on the cheek as a thank you before running out. The only thing on her mind was saving Scott from whatever had happened to him. Willow was also thankful that Derek wasn't in the same condition.
☽︎
They did make it to the animal clinic in time. It took some time, but Deaton managed to get the wolfsbane out of Scott's lungs that he had breathed in. He also patched up the wound on Derek's arm.
Victoria Argent, who found out that Allison and Scott were still dating, captured Scott and locked him in a sealed room with vaporized wolfsbane. He was on the brink of death when Derek arrived, who saved his life.
Unfortunately, he had to bite Allison's mother to do so. When Willow asked what the protocol was when a hunter was bitten, Derek remained silent. So she knew it wasn't good.
"Thank you," Derek said to Deaton as he leaned against the wall weakly.
Deaton only nodded before leaving them alone. It wouldn't be long before Scott woke up and they could take him home. Willow pulled a chair up next to Scott and held his limp hand in hers.
"Sorry we cut your date short," Derek said quietly after a few minutes.
Willow rested her chin on her shoulder as she turned to look back at him. "You will always take priority. All of you. Scott, Isaac, Erica, Boyd. Please don't ever hesitate to call me if you need me."
"I won't," he assured her. "Even if you can't lift a seventy-pound bag of mountain ash on your own."
"Hey, I'm getting there!" she said, grinning. "Mr. Argent added five pounds to my set just the other day."
Derek raised an eyebrow. "And what did that set weigh before?
Willow bit her lip and looked back at the table, suddenly embarrassed by her level of strength. "I don't really think the number matters, you know," she said, making Derek snicker.
They sat around the clinic for a little while longer, just waiting for Scott. And when he did wake up, he felt like he had been hit by a truck. He did at least have the energy to demand they never tell Allison about what her mother did.
"Let's get you home, Lungs," Willow said, grabbing his hand and swinging it through the air.
"I'm ready to sleep through the entire break," he grumbled.
Before they reached Willow's car in the empty parking lot, her phone rang. She dug it out of her purse and saw that it was from Allison, so she immediately answered.
"Thank you so, so much for driving him home," Willow said, not even giving her time to get a word in. "I will make it up to you however you want. I really did feel horrible leaving him—"
"Willow!" Allison interrupted, practically shouting. She sounded worried, which made Willow stop walking. And when Willow stopped walking, Scott and Derek started listening in.
"What?"
"Willow, it - it's Matt," Allison said, an audible tremor in her voice. "I - oh my god."
"What is it? Allison, is he hurt? Are you hurt?" she asked, assuming the worst.
"Willow, he - he left his camera in my car, and I looked at it before he came back for it," she said, taking a deep breath. "The first ones were just lacrosse and then cheerleading."
"Yeah, he loves taking pictures of the sporting events," she said, not seeing the big deal. "I pose for pictures all the time for him."
"Yeah, but I don't think you posed for the ones he took of you through your bedroom window," Allison told her.
Willow suddenly felt very cold and very small. "W - what?"
"You're—" Allison took a deep breath. "Willow, you were changing in some of them. You - you weren't wearing anything."
It felt like she couldn't breathe and she certainly couldn't look anywhere but at the ground as tears welled in her eyes.
"I didn't have time to take pictures as proof with my camera phone, but we can go to Stiles' father and—"
"I, um, I really have to go, Ally," Willow managed to say, sniffing. "T - thank you. Um, I - I have to go."
Willow looked at her phone for a moment before slipping it into her bag. She fumbled for her car keys, determined to get Scott and Derek home without ever making eye contact with them. But her hands were shaking so horribly that she couldn't even get the vehicle unlocked.
Derek's warm hands wrapped around hers, and she stared at his broad chest.
"Give me a name," was all he said, anger rolling off him in waves. "Matt what? I'm gonna put him in the goddamn ground."
Willow shook her head, still unable to get words out.
"Matt Daehler," Scott told, just as angry. In this instance, he was fine with violence being the answer.
"N - no," Willow said, shaking her head. "We — I'll do s - something - tell Stiles' dad - just focus on catching Jackson. Don't - I - I - he—"
As Willow continued to break down, Derek wrapped his arms around her tightly, letting her cry into his chest. He also slipped the car keys from her hand, knowing she wouldn't be in any shape to drive.
"We're gonna take Scott home, and then I'm gonna take you home," Derek said, resting his chin on the top of her head. "And I'm not leaving you there alone."
And if he caught even a whiff of Matt on the property, Willow's request would go out the window. Not even the kanima could keep him alive.
"P - please don't," Willow whispered, sounding so scared as she let Derek hold her. "Please don't leave me alone."