It was a bitter realization that the level of screwed they once were, was beginning to look like heaven compared to the depth of hell they currently resided in. Rachel was infuriated with herself for even thinking that they had the time to confess all of their supernatural secrets to Sheriff Stilinski before Jackson the teenaged lizard found his way to the police station.
Because, they sure as hell didn't.
Whilst Allison had gone home to tell her father of the rising chaos, Rachel had accompanied Stiles & Scott to the police station, in hopes of helping with the supernatural revelations. Ones of which would also clear her name (and Derek's, once his little werewolf secret was out) & justify the burial of Laura on their property. All was great, fine & wonderful; up until they'd arrived to find Jackson, a Sheriff's jacket draped over his shoulders, seated comfortably in an interrogation room beside his father - a fucking lawyer.
A formal restraining order, one of which prohibited them from going within fifty feet of Jackson Whittemore. Not that Rachel had any intentions of catching a movie with him anytime soon, but it would've been useful to be able to speak with him again, in attempt to convince him of the monster he didn't know he was. But seeing as how the deal had been sealed long before they'd even arrived at police station, that option was gone.
Following the official reading of the rules & regulations, the Sheriff had proceeded along with the next step in standard protocol, and seeing as how the trio were all underage; it was to contact their legal guardians. Since Stiles was already seated (un)comfortably beside his, he'd only been left to make two phone calls; one to a very angry Melissa McCall, who'd been forced to leave work to pick up Scott; and one to Rachel's legal guardian. Derek.
It's safe to say the brunette was terrified - and slightly confused of how Sheriff Stilinski had gotten Derek's number - but mostly just terrified. Even more so once she'd seen the look on his face as he arrived at the police station, and proceeded to drag her out to the Camaro with a bone-breaking grip on her wrist. She'd managed to spit a few remarks about how she wasn't a rag doll he could throw around, but fell silent as he (quite literally) threw her in the passenger's seat & slammed the door.
They'd been driving in silence for nearly ten minutes, when Derek finally spoke up. Unlike Rachel's expectation, he hadn't even yelled; his voice was monotone, almost calm. "Are you going to tell me who it is?"
"W-What?" Rachel stuttered out, her eyes narrowing in confusion.
"The Kanima." Derek snapped, not taking his eyes off the road in front of them. "Who is it?"
"Okay, what the fuck?" The reflector hissed, a look of shock forming on her face. "I just got a restraining order filed against me, and that's the only thing you care about? You've reached a new level of low, even for you."
"I don't care about the restraining order!" He deadpanned, turning down the road the warehouse was on. "I care about finding the Kanima before the Argents, and if you'd seen the way Gerard looked at it- you would, too."
"Please, Derek; I care more about Stiles' comic book collection than I do about Gerard's sudden lizard fascination."
"Just tell me who it is, before I-"
"Before you what?" Rachel challenged, cocking her head to the side. She'd heard the hesitation in his voice, and she knew he had nothing. He wouldn't hurt her- because the day he did, he'd lose her forever; and boy, Rachel hoped he knew that. "Before you torture information out of your little sister? If I didn't know any better, I'd swear it was Peter sitting beside me, not you."
"That's not what I meant, and you know it." The alpha stated firmly, slowing to a stop as the vehicle pulled into the garage, hidden by a variety of overgrown brush outside of the doors. "Gerard wasn't afraid of it. He's planning something, I know it; which is why I need to find that thing before he does. Tell me who it is."
Rachel laughed dryly, shaking her head as she sunk back into the leather seat. "You're so concerned about Gerard like he's your only problem, but look around you, Derek. You've got your little toy soldiers all prepped & ready for battle, but you're forgetting the upcoming full moon. You taught them how to fight, congratulations; but you didn't teach them to resist bloodlust."
"There hasn't been time." Derek countered, removing the keys from the ignition. "They'll be fine. I've got enough chains to hold them."
"That's the problem! You promised to teach them, and now they're taking a backseat to Gerard; who, ironically, if they get out, will kill them."
"They won't get out."
"You say that now."
"Rachel."
"Derek."
"I'm not going to argue with you." Derek sighed, shaking his head as he opened the door, exiting the car. There was no point in trying to reason or plead his case, because Rachel had already chosen her side; and it wasn't his,
"So, what? You're just going to walk away?" She questioned, staring at him in disbelief. She wasn't all that surprised; he'd done it far more than once. Derek didn't like confrontation, especially when he couldn't use violence to solve his problems. "Fine! Go, get yourself killed- see if I care!"
Rachel let out a huff of annoyance, flinging open the door of his Camaro careless of whether or not there was anything behind it. Derek had already disappeared from sight, likely off on his trek to hunt down the Kanima; who she was 90% positive Derek knew was Jackson. The whole act of being clueless, she wasn't buying it.
Derek Hale was far from clueless, and often, he knew more than she did. If anything, he merely wanted her to confirm his suspicions so he didn't rip out the wrong person's throat. At least he had the decency to get a guarantee, but sadly, if didn't make a difference. He still had every intention to kill an innocent person, who couldn't control what they were doing; and for that, Rachel refused to assist in his plans.
She had her own set of plans; ones that she'd been plotting since he'd initially asked her for the Kanima's identity. Derek always had a way of being two steps ahead, and Rachel was about to put a stop to it; all she needed to do was persuade a beta to spill some secrets. The easiest targets were Boyd & Isaac; whereas Erica would likely wring her neck if she was within a ten foot radius, let along trying to talk to her.
All she had to was make an offer they couldn't refuse & she'd get everything she needed. No more advantages for Derek, and maybe if she was lucky, she'd actually be able to convince them that having Derek as an alpha would get them killed. Hell, maybe if she was extra lucky she'd give them a fighting chance on the night of the upcoming full moon. After all, it wasn't their fault they had a shitty alpha who'd conveniently "forgotten" to teach them control amidst the Kanima drama.
Slamming the Camaro door shut as she solidified the plan in her mind, Rachel casually strolled into the main work area as if she'd just been stopping by. A quick glance of the room ensured Boyd was nowhere to be found; especially not in his usual spot on the stairs with Erica, meaning that Rachel would have to deal with the king of arrogance. That is, if he hadn't left, too. She wouldn't blame him if he did.
She sighed quietly, turning towards the broken train car as a semi-familiar box caught her attention from the corner of her eye. Rachel turned to notice a box of chains set aside for the impending full moon, causing her to instantly cringe at the headband contraption. Don't get her wrong, she hated Erica; but Rachel had been through a full moon with that thing before, and she could say with a 100% honesty that she'd rather hammer a box of nails into her head than ever wear it again. Sure, it knocked down her pain tolerance a tad; but it was not worth it.
The migraine lasted for days after, without a single cure; it was torture at it's finest. Not to mention the way the chains had left black bruises on her wrists, causing her to be confined to oversized hoodies to avoid questioning. Luckily for werewolves with the capability of actually transforming, they healed whilst completely out of their minds. Rachel, however, had to put in an effort to heal herself, and despite being slightly out of her mind, she didn't get more than claws, fangs & colourful, glowing eyes.
She had to say, she did feel a tad bit of sympathy for Derek's betas at that point in time. It wasn't like he was an evil mastermind, plotting every second of the day; life wasn't like an episode of Phineas & Ferb, and Derek sure as hell wasn't Dr. Doofenshmirtz; even if his plans did have a few memorable failures. Regardless of that, Derek could've at least taken time to teach them more than the basics; he brought them into the supernatural, only to neglect them when they need him most.
Rachel exhaled loudly, pushing away the thoughts & shaking her head softly as she rounded the corner, only to be greeted by the sight of a plain, old car; void of the usual egotistical teen wolf. As confusion set in, she furrowed her brows, walking down to the end & back to be sure he wasn't hiding behind one of the many large pieces of scrap metal & disassembled car walls in attempt to avoid her. Or Derek; if he'd already gotten the news about the full moon; which was more than likely judging by the box of chains.
But he was no where to be found; meaning that more than likely, he'd left.
Rachel sighed, running a hand through her hair in exhaustion as she spun around to leave, only to let out a strangled scream at the sight of a smirking werewolf a little too close for comfort. She was getting seriously sick of werewolves sneaking up on her; especially when she was equipped with a set of her own supernatural senses. "Jesus! What, did Derek teach you the art of giving me a heart attack?"
"Nah." The teen wolf chuckled, finding humour in the way she was easily startled. "I learned that all on my own."
"I don't suppose you've learned any aspect of control all on your own, now have you?" She shot back, cracking a smile as his fell. Rachel could tell by the way his demeanour suddenly changed that he'd already gotten the four-one-one on how the night of the full moon was going to play out, she had a feeling he didn't quite approve. "Don't worry; I won't be bothering with you & the other mutts. I happen to have a birthday party for a certain strawberry blonde friend of mine to attend."
"So that's why you're here?" Isaac questioned, raising a brow at her. He knew she had to be here for a damn good reason, especially after her fight with Derek; he was beginning to think she'd rented a motel room just to avoid interacting with any of them.
"No." Rachel shook her head, keeping her gaze locked on the floor as she focused on keeping her heart rate steady over the course of her next few words.. "As matter of fact, I'm here to apologize."
"You're lying." He deadpanned, easily managing to hear her failed attempt at hiding a lie. And, if she was really sorry; she would've apologized far sooner. People who were genuinely sorry didn't wait two whole days, and then proceed to be a complete & utter bitch before the alleged apology.
The brunette groaned in annoyance, rolling her eyes. She had to play it off as though she'd been expecting him to believe it; when in actuality, she did it purposefully. If she bluntly told him the offer, it'd be far too suspicious, so in order to throw it off, she was testing her acting skills. Which, by the smug look on his face, weren't as bad as she initially thought. "Fine. I'm here to make you an offer."
"Do you want something in return?"
"Is that even a question? Of course I do, I'm a Hale." Rachel scoffed, rolling her eyes. She wasn't asking for a million dollars; she was asking for information to get the upper hand & prevent her brother from killing an innocent person; one of whom was only in danger because of an idiotic decision she regretted more than asking Derek to give Erica the bite. That was a close second, though.
"Then no." Isaac shrugged, seemingly careless of what the reflector had yet to say.
"You haven't even heard the offer." Rachel argued, her eyes narrowing into slits.
"Something about the look on your face tells me I'm about to, whether I want to or not.. Which, by the way- I still don't."
"I'll teach you everything I know about control on a full moon - and while I can't promise you it'll help, it's more than Derek would ever tell you."
"What do you want in return?" He cocked his head to the side, considering her offer as he awaited a reply. It sounded surprisingly good; but in the short amount of time he'd known Rachel, he knew she'd want a lot in return. She didn't seem like the type to help out of the goodness in her heart; in fact, from the two he met, no one in the Hale family did.
"I want to know what Derek's up to; at least, what he's told you." Rachel shrugged, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. It wasn't all that much to ask, and it was more than reasonable with what she had to offer. "And... I want to know how you managed to sneak up on me."
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Twenty minutes later found the two out behind the warehouse.
Without another question, Isaac had decided that her offer was too good to refuse, even if it meant telling a few of Derek's secrets; after all, it wasn't like Rachel was the enemy, they fought for the same cause, despite having different views & beliefs. In the end, she'd learned that Erica had been sent off to "get on someone's good side" or in other words, "slut it up" and get a confirmation on the Kanima's true identity in order for Derek to proceed with his plan to kill it. As for how he's managed to sneak up on her; he refused to tell. Rachel had a feeling it'd been luck, but Isaac wasn't about to admit it.
That conversation had taken all of five minutes, leaving fifteen for Rachel to run up to her room & change from the outfit she'd been wearing for the past two days of hiding Jackson. She loved her skinny jeans; but after having them on for fourty-eight hours, she never wanted to see them again. She'd ended up changing into one of her fifty different workout outfits, (because that's basically all the Hale family does; work out & run from people trying to kill them) which consisted of plain black yoga pants, a purple sports bra & a baggy ripped tank over top. Usually she'd go without the tank, but she wasn't trying to show off.
She was holding up her end of the bargain; and that was all.
After tying her hair up into a tight ponytail, she'd hurried out to the backyard; finding the teen wolf in the process of lacing up his sneakers as if they were going for a run. Rachel let out a snort of laughter, leaning against a tree. "Seriously?"
"Took you long enough." Isaac huffed, standing up straight. "Just tell me what I need to know to fight the bloodlust."
"You don't fight a storm, you endure it." She explained, opting not to snap a bitchy remark at his impatience. After a moment of quiet, the brunette exhaled loudly as it became evident that he hadn't understood her metaphor. "You can't fight it, and you won't. Fighting only makes it worse."
"Then how do you control it?" He asked, furrowing his brows in confusion. Her explanation was almost as cryptic as her original proposing of the offer; and it was beginning to get on his nerves. Hell, everything she did got on his nerves; she had that effect on people.
"By not letting it control you." Rachel answered, placing a hand on her hip. She couldn't be sure that her strategies would work for someone with the werewolf curse running through their veins, but for his sake, she hoped it would. "You're more human than wolf; and you can't forget that. Find someone that you care about & use them as an anchor. But keep in mind, they have to truly mean something to you, or it won't work."
"Like who? If you haven't noticed, I have no one." Isaac deadpanned, a hint of sadness hidden behind the snarky tone. As much as he'd never admit it, (especially not to Rachel) the truth hurt a lot, and hearing it said aloud only made it more real.
"It doesn't have to be a someone. It can be a something; as long as it means something to you." She continued, immediately reaching for the chain clasped around her neck. The moon shaped charm was hidden beneath her shirt, but the silver chain could be seen lining the back of her neck, as always.
"What's your anchor?" He questioned curiously.
"My twin sister." Rachel answered in a monotone, feeling the familiar ache in her heart at the mention of Cora, as her hand dropped back down by her side. She didn't exactly want to explain the reasoning behind it, nor the reason as of why she was no longer around; but the brunette had a feeling that the teen wolf lacking a filter would likely question it.
"You're a twin?"
"I was."
Isaac seemed confused for a moment, before realization hit & he instantly regretted asking. It was one thing to bluntly ask about her supernatural status, but pressing on the subject of a deceased family member was pushing it too far. "Oh."
"Don't bother with the sorries; I've heard them too many times." Rachel sighed, kicking at a few twigs on the ground. She couldn't even begin to recount all the times people had apologized for her loss, as if they'd actually cared. "The important part, is that your anchor can be anything; even if it's just a memory."
"Got it." He nodded, opting not to press farther into the subject of Rachel's past - for now, at least. "Anything else? Like, oh, I don't know; maybe some tips on how not to change?"
"It's better if we work on that after the full moon passes." She said, disregarding the sarcasm. She'd learned that it was better not to acknowledge it; especially when it came to one of the two most sarcastic (and just plain mean) people she'd ever met. "And yes- I'm implying that I'll help you until you can control it. Hell, maybe I'll even consider helping Erica & Boyd, too. But for now, you're going to have to try & live with it; because there's absolutely no way you're gonna learn everything I know in less than a week."
"I think I could."
"No."
"I know I-"
"No." She huffed tiredly, continuing before he had a chance to speak again. "No, no, no & no. Remember what I told you- find an anchor & you'll be fine; but if on the off chance that you aren't, make sure you hit Derek a few times."
"I'll get right on that." Isaac remarked, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Anything else you'd like me to do while I'm a psychotic killing machine?"
"Uh, nope; just stay away from Lydia's house if you break out. " Rachel gave her best fake smile, quickly adding on another useful piece of information. "Oh, and don't get shot. Pain keeps you human; and when you're being chased by hunters, human is the last thing you want to be. Just don't kill anyone & you'll be fine."
"Great." He breathed, choosing to ignore her comment about Lydia's party. The continuous reminder wasn't really all that purposeful on Rachel's behalf, but in the teen wolf's eyes it was seen as an attempt to see if she could get him to start a fight; and Isaac was getting progressively annoyed by it. "If you want a fight; you know you could just ask, right? I could use the practice."
"Oh, I don't want a fight." Rachel laughed dryly, twirling her ponytail absentmindedly. She wasn't trying to start a fight; she was trying to annoy him, and she was certainly succeeding. It was becoming a hobby of hers, annoying people; it was more entertaining than you'd think. However, her only intention with repeatedly mentioning Lydia's party was to emphasize the fact that she was invited, and Isaac wasn't, even with his new bad boy rep. "You remember how that went last time, right? I knocked you out cold."
"It was three against one."
"You're seriously counting Stiles?" She asked in disbelief, knowing full well that the spastic boy was easily thrown aside. He wasn't exactly what you'd call strong, (or capable of any form of combat whatsoever) nor was he a genius like Lydia; but he was Stiles & that had to count for something. Just.. Not in this particular case. "Y'know what? It doesn't even matter, because I knocked you out once, and I can do it again."
"I'd like to see you try." Isaac chuckled, disregarding her threat. "You've been gone for awhile now; Derek taught us more about fighting & survival."
"Really?" Rachel inquired, taking a step closer to him. She wasn't buying that load of bullshit for a second. It didn't matter what Derek supposedly taught anyone; none of it mattered, because his strategies were completely opposite of Rachel's. "So, that must mean you're an expert now, huh? You know all about fighting."
"You could say that."
"Prove it." She snapped, taking a few steps back before continuing. "Explain a strategy that would work for any opponent."
"I don't need a strategy." He countered, holding up his hand before flicking out a sharp set of claws. "I've got these."
"That's cute." Rachel commented, holding up her own set of claws to match. "So do I- and it was a trick question, by the way. You need different strategies for different opponents. For instance, if you were fighting me, I'd just break your stupid claws."
"And I'd break yours, too." Isaac smirked, finding humour in the way she believed she could beat him in a fight. He couldn't be bothered to take any of the conversation seriously; because after the fight with Derek, it was evident that the alpha's advice in fighting was far more useful than Rachel's.
"You'd have to catch me first." She mused, continuing to walk backwards along the edge of the woods. "If you took the time to observe like I do, you would've learned that agility is one of my strongest assets; right next to flexibility."
"If you're so observant, then what are mine?" He challenged, leaning against a tree with an everlasting smug look on his face, as if he expected her to be completely stumped by the question.
"Not attacking directly, that's for sure." The brunette remarked, laughing softly as she remembered him easily being thrown aside by Derek when they'd begun training. He was beyond predictable, indicating moves before even making them; and in many cases, that was a fatal flaw. "The way you snuck up on me in the train car- that'll help you, but from what I've seen, you're nothing special."
"Thanks." Isaac scoffed, acting as though he was actually offended. He knew he was a better fighter- even if he didn't know the various strategies. A reflector may have needed to plan her attack, but a werewolf didn't. "But I'm gonna stick with my way, it's been working quite well for me."
"Right." Rachel mused, confident in herself. She'd been on the run for seven years; and prior to that, she'd still lived in fear of the Argents. She learned to reflect before she learned to speak, and not to mention, she spent her younger years fighting with Cora. She had a lifetime of experience defending herself & training with her abilities, whilst Isaac's been a werewolf for about a week. "Because I totally didn't knock you out with one hit at Scott's house."
"Still dwelling on that?"
"Definitely still dwelling on that, because I totally kicked your ass."
"Let's see if you can do it again." He challenged, eager to prove her wrong. The first time she'd beaten him was purely out of luck- he was more focused on Stiles & hadn't noticed that she was up. But out here in the woods, there was no Stiles; only Isaac & Rachel. Not even Derek was there to interfere; he was likely somewhere within the abandoned building, prepping a complete lockdown for the impending full moon.
"Why?" She questioned, her everlasting smug expression remaining the same. If he thought he was going ti get her to fight thst easily, he was sadly mistaken. "So you can learn all my tricks now, and beat me later when it counts? I don't think so. If you haven't noticed, there's been a battle line drawn; and I'm not on your side."
"You will be." Isaac pointed out, continuing on with an argument. "C'mon, Rae- that stupid little balancing act, it won't last forever. Derek's your alpha, so sooner or later you'll have to come back."
"Okay for starters, never call me Rae again." She hissed, her eyes narrowing into slits. The only person allowed to call her Rae was Stiles- only because she knew no matter how much she told him not to, he'd never stop. Not even Derek, let alone the werewolf epitome of Norman Bates standing in front of her, was allowed to call her that. He let it slip from time to time, but almost always Rachel would correct him. "Derek is not my alpha; he's my brother, and if you think I'm somehow obligated to follow him blindly, you're freaking crazy! You, Erica & Boyd- you're all crazy."
"If I'm crazy, what does that make you?"
"From a psychologist's perspective?" Rachel queried, glancing up at the clear blue sky for a moment before answering her own question. "Probably insane."
She hated to admit it, but her response wasn't entirely a joke. In many ways, Rachel Hale was insane- and in denial about it. No sane person would ever return to the warehouse after the way Derek acted, especially not in an attempt to offer help to his betas; even if it gained her a little insight. No sane person would allow the slightest consideration of forgiving Derek, not for the Kanima venom test, nor for the fight itself.
No matter how far-fetched the thought was, she wanted more than anything to hold onto the hope that the old Derek was still somewhere to be found. Underneath the red eyes, the big bad alpha facade- she wished for nothing more than to have her older brother back, the one who'd do anything to keep her safe; the one who loved her, and the one who fought for her. She refused to believe that the Derek she knew & loved was truly gone, and had been permanently replaced by the unrecognizable person she'd seen today.
But perhaps the most convincing of all the arguments regarding Rachel's sanity, was the simple fact that she was still talking to Isaac. She was fully aware that anything said to him would more than likely be repeated word for word back to Derek, yet she didn't care. In fact; she wanted him to hear it all. Rachel wanted Derek to know that even if he wasn't willing to take five minutes out of his Kanima hunt in order to make the full moon a little easier for the teens he was responsible for turning- she was.
Rachel could've left ten minutes ago; her debt was paid. She'd told Isaac everything he needed to know about anchors & the full moon for the time being, and that was that; yet for a reason unknown to anyone on the face of planet earth, she stayed. Even though their conversation had consisted of nothing but pointless attempts at starting a fight, and possibly a hint of flirting (which had been obviously overlooked by Rachel) she stayed. Regardless of how many times he annoyed her, made an attempt at insulting her; or just acted as though he was the werewolf epitome of Jesus.
She still stayed.
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I s2g the Hale family's relationship reminds me of the Mikaelsons, but with less daggers.
You can probably see the exact placed where I stopped & then picked up writing a day later asdfghjkl I'm really sorry if some stuff is kinda repetitive, this took me forever & it's sorta rushed bc of procrastination.And no, Rae doesn't suddenly like him; I can't say she hates him- but they're not gonna be best friends by the next chapter, lol. I was originally gonna put her at school with Stiles, Scott & Allison, but I noticed the reads per chapter are starting to drop; likely due to the serious lack of actual cutesy fluff or even remotely relationshippy things going on here, so I figured I better do a chapter with mainly just Rae & Isaac. I actually liked this better, tbh. But basically the first part is Rae trying to find out stuff to wreck Derek's plans so he'll join Scott lmao.
But uh, anyways, ANYONE WANNA TALK ABOUT THAT PROMO? like, scott & stiles fighting - no, no, no you're not even allowed to remotely argue you're best friends. and all these rumours about jackson returning, pls chill. i'm more concerned about lydia & why the hell she's in eichen house & not with parrish (yeah, i ship it lmao) like, for real tho- lyds can't be crazy. if you wanna hear my theory, message me :~)
lastly -- comment opinions?