A few days later, Peter and Bella were back in Beacon Hills. They were currently staying at the loft while Scott and his pack were still working to find Derek. Bella was starting to worry about Derek.
Bella was in her old room. She couldn't concentrate on the textbook she was reading as she had been reading the same page over and over. She slammed her book and made her way downstairs
"Dad?" Bella called as she walked down the spiral staircase.
"Yeah?" Peter replied as he looked up from his book. He was sitting on the couch reading his own book.
"Can I ask you something?"
"You can always ask me anything, kiddo." Peter said, as he had told her many times before.
"Will you tell me again about when you and Derek were kidnapped by the Calaveras?" Bella asked as she sat down next to Peter. She held his gaze. She knew that Peter could read her worried expressions.
"Is this about Derek?" he asked
"He's still missing. Scott and his pack are leaving for Mexico tomorrow to try and find him."
"How do you know that?"
"They send me regular updates on the search." Bella told him
Peter let out a soft sigh before taking his book and paving it on the coffee table. "Well, as you know Araya and her minions captured us. They chained us to a metal fence. We were tortured badly, burned and beaton. I even had one of my fingers cut off. Araya kept asking us about a 'She Wolf' but neither Derek or I knew who or what she was talking about. Still don't. I think that Derek couldn't let it go. He never told me. But, I suspected that he was researching, trying to find any answers he could. If I had to guess, I would say that Derek was out looking for who or what this 'She Wolf' is."
"If Derek had left on his own, why wouldn't someone have heard from him?" Bella asked
"Because Derek is a Hale." Peter answered
"Still doesn't explain the mess that was left in the loft."
"I'm sure when Derek is found, he will explain it all."
Almost 48 hours had passed. Bella was up in her room, stretched out on her old bed, reading through all her old family text books when the sound of the loft sliding door opening was heard.
Bella perked her head up when the sound of a girl spoke "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing." a male voice said. It was Scott
"Your heart is beating like crazy. Are you nervous?" the girl asked
"He's just bad at introductions." Peter acknowledged
"Peter..." said Scott "This is Malia."
Bella closed the book and began to make her way downstairs
"Beautiful eyes." Peter said "Did you get them from your father?"
"Mother, actually." Malia replied
"Interesting." Peter said as everyone turned to see Bella marching down the stairs.
Peter suddenly relaxed
"Anyways, I'm sure they told you a lot about me?" Peter asked Malia
"The homicidal killing spree came up. Oh, and also your daughter." Malia shot back
"Well, we're all a work in progress." Peter said, wrapping his arm around Bella. "And of course, Bella wasn't even a part of that."
"Hi." Bella greeted
'So this is my sister?' Bella asked herself
Malia shrugged, "Well, when you progress to your next killing spree, why don't you try and make sure they all stay dead."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Peter asked quickly, narrowing his eyes at her.
"What do you know about people being turned by a scratch?" Scott asked Peter
Peter turned his attention towards Scott. "Did you scratch someone, Scott?"
Scott just tilted his head
"Don't worry about it." Peter told him as he started to walk off "The claws have to go pretty deep."
"But is it possible? Like if you clawed out someone's throat?" Scott continued
Peter leaned his back against the table "Well, yeah. It's possible. It's also beyond rare. Like one in a...." Peter stopped talking as he lowered his head and his voice dropped as he said "Million." in a very annoyed voice
Bella could feel her father's annoyance and anger.
"Scott..." Bella turned to Scott "What's going on?"
Peter turned his back to Scott, Malia and Bella, slamming his hands on the table in front of him "Can't anyone in this town stay dead!?
"I think they were hoping you would." Malia shot back at him
Bella let out a low growl at her, flashing her eyes. Malia flashed hers back at Bella before Peter quickly whipped his head around and gave Bella a 'don't' expression.
Bella let it go as she moved towards Peter, who once again turned his back towards them "Dad, who are they talking about?"
Peter turned his gaze towards his daughter. "It would seem like Kate is back."
Bella frose. "Kate? Kate Argent?"
Peter slightly nods
"She's alive?!" Bella burst
As Bella began to panic, Peter grabbed hold of her and said "It's alright. Find your anchor."
It took a few minutes for Bella to calm down. "How?"
Scott explained how he and his pack found Derek in an Aztec temple in Mexico and now has the appearance of a 15 year-old boy.
"Can you think of a reason Kate would turn Derek into a teenager?" Scott asked
"What color were his eyes?' Peter asked
"Blue." he answered
"After Paige. Which could have been about the time he first met Kate." Peter told them
"Derek and Kate knew each other?" Scott questioned with shock in his voice.
Peter turned to Scott, giving him a cocky smirk "Biblically. That's right, Scott. You weren't the first wolf to climb into a hunter's bed."
"Oh, gross." Bella cringed
The group continues to talk about why Kate would turn Derek into a teenager. About the timeline she chose, before the fire.
"She took him back to the age when he still knew her. When he still trusted her." Peter said. The tension in the air grew thick. Scott called Stiles to fill him in and to tell him that Kate would be coming to look for Derek. But it was too late. By the time Stiles had told him that Derek had gone with her, Peter took Bella's hand and began to run out the loft.
"Wait!" Scott called after them
"For what? Kate is out there twisting her way into Derek's head yet again. We need to find her." Peter said as they turned to face Scott.
"All we need is a scent." Malia added
"But that could take hours. If we want to get ahead of her, we need to find out where she's going." Scott explained as he walked towards them
"Not to underestimate my own cognitive faculties, but we aren't exactly a brain trust of geniuses here." Peter replied
Bella squeezed onto Peter's hand and shot him a glance, which he returned with a smile, causing her to smirk back.
"Then maybe we should call one?" Scott suggested as he pulled his phone out
Lydia had already found a crime scene. She had sent pictures to Scott and the group stood in a circle, staring at the gruesome horror scene on his phone.
"Why would she want to kill a gas station attendant?" Malia asked
"I don't think she could help it, this was done in a frenzy. This is not a murder, it's a sympton." Peter answers
"Of what?" Scott asked
"She can't control the shift." Bella jumped in, looking up at Peter as if to ask if she was correct. He nods in agreement
"Derek said he had the same problem on the full moon, that he's still learning." Scott added
"Kate's still learning?" Malia asked
"She wants to learn." Peter replied
"So she wants Derek to teach her?" Bella asked skeptically
"No. She wants the triskelion" Peter said. Everyone stood quiet for a moment "I know where she's going. The high school."
Scott, Malia and Bella gave one another a confused glance before jogging after Peter
Peter and Bella climbed in his trick and Scott and Malia took off on Scott's dirt bike. Peter turned to Bella before starting the engine
"Are you sure you're up for this?" Peter asked
'It's four on one right? What could go wrong? Besides, I have to try eventually." Bella shrugged.
Peter started the truck and drove towards the high school. Before they got out, he turns to his daughter once more "Stick with me no matter what. I'm sorry I haven't told you this sooner."
"Told me what?" Bella asked in confusion
"You'll see." Peter groaned as he he exited the truck
They caught up to Scott and Malia, jogging up the front steps of the school when Malia suddenly stops.
"What? Did you catch a scent." Scott asked
"I smell something too." Bella said smelling the air
Peter protectively pulled Bella behind his back
"It's the same one. The same one in Mexico." Malia said and Bella took a step closer to Peter
"What's happening?" Bella asked
"What is she talking about?" Peter asked Scott
"One of them came after us in the church ruins." Scott said
"And one on the road." Malia said "They couldn't have followed here?"
"But they could have been brought by Kate." Scott replied.
Suddenly a low growl came from around them. Peter reached behind him to hold Bella close to hi,
"Ooooh. I've heard that sound before. Did it have an animal skull? A human wearing a skull over its face?" Peter asked Malia worriedly
"I think so." she relied
"What are they?" Scott asked
"Berzerkers." Peter answered
"Oh god." Bella said worriedly
Malia growled and started to lunge towards it but Peter grabbed her wrist
"Are you crazy?" he asked
"It's just one of them." She said, still ready to go
"Yeah, that means we have a chance." Peter replied, sounding scared
"To beat him?" Malia asked
"To survive!" Peter dropped her wrist and grabbed Bella's hand, pulling her behind him as they took off running.
At one point, Bella glanced back and saw that Scott and Malia were no longer behind them. Bella wanted to go back but Peter told her to stick with him no matter what. The two of them ran hand in hand until they reached the 'Beacon Hills High School' stone sign. There was a large staircase going under it. Peter let out a heavy sigh before dropping Bella's hand and slowly descending down the stairs. Bella followed right behind Peter, speechless.
As Peter neared the bottom, he spoke "Quite the elaborate scheme you have here, Kate. Two countries, Aztec temples, Derek returning to a teenager. One who trusted you. One that loved you. All this complication just to gain access to our vault."
Bella stopped a few feet from the staircase as Peter continued walking towards Kate and Derek. When he spoke of the word 'vault', Bella finally knew what he was apologizing for earlier.
'Just to get your hands on that little piece of junk." Peter continued "Turn it over. Go ahead. There's a scrape on the back where it is used to say 'Made in China'.
"You lie." Kate told him, staring dead into his eyes
"I admit, I have a tendency to over exaggerate but in this case, the truth is much more fun. I'm sorry sweetheart, that little pendant is just a physical object to focus on." Peter mocked Kate "Talia used to use it to teach Laura. Tried to use it to teach Derek"
A roar came from above ground and they all turned towards it, except for Kate."
"Is this real?" Kate grabbed Derek's neck, pulling him close and shouting in his face. Bella took a step forward and let out a low growl.
"Didn't you hear that? That was Scott!" Derek replied
"Tell me!!!" Kate shouted as Belal took another step towards Peter, right behind him
"I don't know and I don't care!" Derek took off out of the vault to find Scott. Bella was torn between staying with Peter like she agreed tio and going to help Scott, but she stayed'.
Peter and Kate began circling each other
"Derek gave up on it when he learned another way to control the shift. WHen I taught him how to use emotion, to use anger and to focus on it. To feel every ounce of rage and hatred that he could summon. It was the anger that taught him control. So you want to learn to control it? You want to get angry, Kate?" Peter stopped circling, standing in between Bella and Kate. "Let's get angry!" Peter yelled as he roared, letting his claws and gangs out. Bella followed suit, roaring and shifting
The three were stopped before it even started. As grenades pouring smoke and bright splosions filled the vault, the three of them dropped to the ground. Whatever it was, it wasn't wolfsbane. Belal couldn't breathe. She choked on her words as she called out for Peter. She could see Peter trying to crawl towards her but he couldn't get to his feet.
"Wait!" Peter called out, but Bella couldn't tell who he was screaming at. Her vision was so blurry that all she could see were shadows.
When the smoke finally cleared, Bella could sort of see Peter. He was kneeling in front of an open safe, muttering to himself, but Bella's ears were ringing so loud that she could not make out what he was saying. Bella was too weak to get up. Suddenly, Stiles and Lydia came running down the stairs. Stiles ran to Bella's side, propping her up.
"Took what?" Lydia asked Peter
"Bonds. Bearer bands. They took them all." Peter replied
"Bearer bonds? Hold on, are you saying that you got robbed?" Stiles asked as Bella was coughing weakly in his arms.
Peter suddenly realized how bad of shape she was and rushed over to Bella, taking her from Stiles
"This was a heist. Someone planned this." Peter answered angrily
"How much did they take?" Lydia asked
"A hundred and seventeen." Peter answered, rolling his eyes
"Thousand?" Stiles exclaimed
Peter glanced back at the empty safe before muttering "Million"
Peter lifted Bella up into his arms and walked out of the vault, carrying her to his truck. Bella was a little pissed at him for leaving her on the ground in pain to mutter to himself in front of the safe, but she was too weak to protest. Peter loaded her into his trick and silently drove back home, to the apartment
As soon as Bella was laying on the couch, Peter took a seat across from her, on the coffee table.
"Are you upset I didn't tell you about the money?" he asked, dropping his gaze to the floor.
Bella narrowed his eyes at him and clenched her jaw. As soon as he looked up at her, she cocked her head slightly and stared right into his eyes.
"No, dad. I don't care about that right now. I am pretty pissed that you left me blind and choking on the floor when you muttered to yourself about how they took your money." Bella told him in a low, cold voice.
"Oh, god." Peter almost whispered as he slowly closed his eyes, as if he just realized he'd done that.
Bella forced herself to sit up on the couch. She was still weak and aching. She eventually got up off the couch and began to make her way towards her room
"I'm so sorry." Peter told her.
Bella simply nodded and said "Save it. I don't want to hear it right now."
She then made her way to her room, slamming the door behind her.