Maggie and Caleb got a text to go to the Animal Clinic and made their way there.
As soon as everyone had arrived, Scott told them that a pregnant woman had been killed.
Scott looked between everyone. "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."
Isaac frowned. "How do you know it's not part of the rules? The kanima kills murderers. If Jackson kills the wife, then the baby dies too."
"Does that mean your father was a murderer?"
Isaac shrugged. "Wouldn't surprise me if he was."
Something crossed Deaton's mind. "Hold on. 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."
"Meaning what?"
Caleb smirked. "It means we can catch them both."
---
At school the next morning, Scott and Stiles were talking about tickets for a show. Maggie figured it was the show Matt invited Allison to.
Scott frowned, like he was thinking. "There's got to be some other way to get tickets, right?"
"It's a secret show," Stiles pointed out. "There's only one way, and it's secret."
"What's the big deal about this show anyway?" Maggie wondered as she walked up.
Stiles turned to her. "I don't know! It's a secret show."
Maggie shot Stiles an annoyed look and began walking away, not wanting to be yelled at, and bumped into Matt. She fell to the ground. He frowned at her and Caleb pulled her up as Matt asked, "Hey. Either of you guys know why no one's getting suspended after what happened the other day at school?"
Stiles shook his head. "Just forget about it. Nobody got hurt."
"I-I had a concussion."
"Well, nobody got hurt."
"I was in the E.R. for six hours," Matt retorted.
Stiles pursed his lips a moment. "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." He crouched down and placed a hand about two centimeters off the ground.
"Are you okay?" Scott asked.
Matt shot Stiles a glare and Scott a nod. "Yeah, I'm fine now. So you didn't get any tickets last night either."
"Are they still selling?"
"Uh, no, but I managed to find two online. You should keep trying. Sounds like everyone's gonna be there."
Matt walked off and Stiles narrowed his eyes. "I don't like him. Maggie doesn't either. Hey, are you sure about this?"
Scott ignored his friend. "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?"
Stiles frowned. "Be there to make sure it happens."
Maggie stopped by her locker and heard the boys mention Derek and Argent. "I'm coming."
Stiles frowned at her. "No. Absolutely not. What if you get hurt?"
"I can use magic. I don't want you doing anything stupid alone."
"Maggie-"
"I'll go to the station or your house and tell your dad what you two are up to if I can't come." She went to leave. "Oh, and I come, Caleb comes."
"She and Caleb can come," Scott said.
Stiles frowned. "What? Seriously? What if she gets hurt?!"
"Like she said, she can use magic."
Stiles huffed. "Fine. You can come, Maggie."
Maggie grinned. "Thank you." She turned to walk away again, a stride in her step.
Stiles looked at Maggie who'd walked up to her brother. She still seemed uninterested and that hurt more than he cared to admit. He wished she felt as he did. But nearly ten years into knowing her and loving her, it didn't seem like anything would change. Although, there had been times as of late when she had let her guard down around him, so maybe there was a chance. But he'd just had to wait and see. And he would; no matter how long it took.
Scott went to talk to Allison and returned to his friends. "We gotta head to the clinic."
Stiles drove the three of them to the Animal Clinic and as soon as they got inside, Deaton told them about something called ketamine.
Scott frowned. "Ketamine?"
Deaton nodded. "It's the same stuff we use on the dogs, just a higher dosage. If you can get close enough to Jackson, it should slow him down enough to buy you some time. This is some of what you'll use to create the barrier. This part is for you, Stiles. Only you."
Stiles licked his lips nervously. "Uh, that sounds like a lot of pressure. Can we maybe find a slightly less pressure-filled task for me?"
Deaton smiled slightly. "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."
Stiles frowned. "Okay, so what? I just spread it around the whole building and then either Jackson or whoever's controlling him can't cross it?"
"They'll be trapped."
"Doesn't sound too hard."
"Not all there is. Think of it like gunpowder until a spark ignites it. You need to be that spark, Stiles."
Stiles glanced to Maggie and Caleb before turning back to Deaton. "If you mean light myself on fire, I don't think I'm up for that."
Deaton let out a sigh. "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 repeated.
"If -- If this is going to work, Stiles, you have to believe it."
"Mm-hmm."
They drove to his house because he needed to grab something. He tapped his steering wheel in frustration.
"Stiles, what is it?" Maggie asked.
"Deaton. It's too much pressure," Stiles replied.
Maggie glanced at Stiles. "I can be there if th make the pressure easier."
"Uh, yeah. Yes. That would help. A lot. Yes."
"Stiles, relax. I just offered to come. That's it."
"I'll be back. Wait here."
He walked inside his house and came out a few minutes later.
Stiles found out that his dad had been stripped of his position as sheriff.
Maggie noticed Stiles' expression and asked, "What is it?"
He shook his head. "We need to pick up Scott."
They arrived at the warehouse and Stiles muttered. "Oh, shoot."
"You three okay?" Scott wondered.
Stiles nodded. "Yeah, why?"
"You just didn't say anything the whole way here."
"He doesn't have to tell us, Scott," Caleb said on Stiles' expression.
Stiles gave another nod. "No, I'm fine. Just grab the other bag."
Scott shook his head. "I can't. Don't ask Maggie or Caleb either. Remember, Deaton said you have to do it alone."
"Okay, this plan is really starting to suck."
Stiles pulled something out, but was stopped by Scott. "No. Not here, not now."
"What? Scott! What am I supposed to -- plan officially sucks."
Scott darted inside and Stiles turned to the blonde and brunet in a panic. "Maggie? Caleb?"
"You have to do this alone," she reminded him. "Remember what Deaton told you?"
"Yeah. I have to be a force of will."
"So think it this way. You're using the Force."
"The Force. The Force! Why didn't you suggest that earlier?!"
"Stiles, this is the moment. Like Luke Skywalker learns to believe and use the Force, you have to believe and use the ash."
He nodded and began spreading the Mountain Ash. His excitement didn't last very long because he suddenly ran out of Mountain Ash. He looked to Maggie and Caleb in a panic and called Scott. "Scott, pick up. Pick up now. Look, I got, like, 50 feet of ash left, and I'm out. Okay? So you got to get your wolf ass down here to help me, Maggie and Caleb because I don't know what to do. And we're just standing out here and we're -- And we're all alone, and we're hearing gunfire and werewolves, and we're -- and we're standing here like frickin' idiots all by ourselves and I'm holding a handful of magic fairy dust. And I don't have enough. Okay? Okay, come on, think. Um, okay. He said you got to believe. You need to believe. Come on, believe, Stiles. Just, uh -- just picture it. Just imagine it working, okay? Maggie mentioned the Force. You're Luke Skywalker learning to use the Force. Just -- imagine."
His eyes closed for a second and the Mountain Ash spread the remainder of the circle. Stiles opened his eyes and cheered. "Yes!"
Maggie grinned and she threw her arms around him. "I knew you could do it!"
Stiles returned her smile and hug.
Caleb drowned as he separated them. "Okay, too close."
Maggie drowned. "Stop being annoyingly overprotective."
"Never."
Scott was in another area of the warehouse fighting Mrs. Argent.
Stiles grabbed Maggie's wrist and pulled her aside so they could join Isaac and Erica. Caleb followed them. Jackson was unconscious. Isaac flicked his claws, and Stiles raised his hands in surrender. "Uh, no, no, no! Just us, it's just us. Don't freak. He okay?"
Isaac looked at Jackson. "Well -- let's find out." He walked towards Jackson and his wrist was grabbed and twisted painfully. "God-"
With some struggle, Maggie freed Isaac from Jackson's grip. As soon as Isaac was free, Stiles turned to them. "Okay, no one does anything like that again, okay?"
Isaac looked at Jackson nervously. "Oh, I thought the ketamine was supposed to put him out."
Stiles let out a sigh. "Yeah, well, apparently this is all we're going to get. So let's just hope that whoever's controlling him just decided to show up tonight."
Jackson's gaze was foreign and his voice eerie. "I'm here. I'm right here with you."
Stiles stepped closer to him. "Jackson, is that you?"
"Us. We're all here."
"Are you the one killing people?" Caleb asked.
"We are the ones killing murderers."
Stiles frowned. "So all the people you've killed so far-"
"Deserved it."
"See, we got a little rule book that says you can only go after murderers."
Jackson smirked. "Anything can break if enough pressure's applied."
Maggie frowned and said, "Okay, so all the people you've killed. They've been murderers?"
"All. Each. Every one."
"Well, who did they murder?" Stiles wondered.
"Me."
"Wait, what? What do you mean?"
"They murdered me. They murdered me."
"They murdered you? What does that mean?" Caleb questioned.
Much to his frustration, he didn't get an answer. Jackson was waking up. Stiles turned to Isaac with a panicked look on his face. "Okay, all right. More ketamine. The man needs more ketamine. Come on."
Isaac shook his head. "We don't have anymore."
Maggie turned to him. "You used the whole bottle? Isn't that fantastic."
Isaac glared at her and Stiles noticed Derek and said, "Um -- okay, out, everybody out."
"Go, go, go, go," Isaac said.
Maggie found a bar that could be used to block the door.
Derek was standing outside the Mountain Ash and Stiles joined him. Maggie and Caleb joined Stiles' side moments later as Stiles said, "Hey, um, so we kind of lost Jackson inside, but it'd -- oh, my God." Erica and Isaac were stuck on the other side. "It's working. Oh, this is -- I did something. Maggie, Caleb, I did something!"
Maggie nodded. "Good job. Hey, Derek looks worried. What's wrong?"
Derek's head jolted up. "Scott?"
"What?" Stiles wondered.
Derek looked at the circle of Mountain Ash. "Break it."
"What?" Stiles scoffed. "No way."
"Scott's dying!"
Stiles frowned and Maggie's eyes widened. "Listen to him!"
He continued hesitating and asked, "How do you know?"
Derek glared at him. "Oh, my God, Stiles, I just know!"
"Ah-" Stiles began, using his hands to wave a hole through the Mountain Ash.
Derek ran off to help Scott and Maggie closed her eyes, hoping her friend would be okay.