The teens hid behind concrete columns, trash cans, dumpsters and steel barriers to escape the firing guns.
A hunter got in position to shoot Scott and Molly snuck around to hit the hunter. Malia was doing the same, but was more obvious.
"Malia," Scott called. "Molly, stop."
Before Molly could do anything, she noticed a blue Jeep mowing down the hunter. Molly grinned, seeing the driver.
"Didn't think you're doing this without me, did you?" Stiles asked.
"Without us?" Derek smirked, appearing next to the driver's side window.
Derek shifted and growled before launching himself at the hunters.
The blue-eyed werewolf took down several hunters and Molly knocked down a few as well. Malia and Peter took down a few others.
The remaining hunters soon ran to their cars and drove off.
Molly smiled lightly at the former alpha. "Could've told us you were coming."
Derek chuckled. "And ruin the surprise? Go see your boyfriend."
Molly ran up to Stiles and threw her arms around him. He picked her up and spun her around before setting her down with a frown. "Can't believe you didn't tell me about any of this. Not a word. Not a single word. You lied!"
Molly shook her head. "I didn't lie. I told you everything was normal in Beacon Hills, and for Beacon Hills, this is normal. God, I missed you."
"I missed you, too."
Molly and Stiles walked over to Scott and Deucalion. The former Alpha Pack leader placed a hand on Scott's as Malia ran over.
Deucalion said, "Gerard... What he fears most... He can't beat you. And he knows it." His hand fell and he slumped to the ground.
Molly glanced to Scott. "It's started, hasn't it?"
"What's started?" Stiles wondered.
"It's an all-out war," Scott replied.
Scott hugged Derek as Peter walked over. "As much as I enjoy the impromptu family reunion, what are you doing here?"
"I found a pack slaughtered in Beacon Hills," Derek answered. "There were two words written in blood on a wall. Beacon Hills."
Scott frowned. "You came back for Beacon Hills?"
"No. Came back for you."
They heard Gerard's voice coming through the radio in Stiles' Jeep. ""Blood and destruction. Dreadful objects so familiar. All pity choked with custom of fell deeds. Caesar's spirit, raging for revenge. With Ate by his side come hot from hell, shall in these confines with a monarch's voice."" He paused and asked, "Do you know the rest, Scott? Do you know your Shakespeare?"
Scott held the radio to Derek and he said, ""Cry, 'Havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war.""
"War, indeed. Welcome back, Derek. You must all be feeling nostalgic. Are you pleased with the little family reunion I've gathered around you, Scott?"
"Yeah, well, why don't you come join us and I can thank you in person?" Scott suggested.
"I even have a few visitors for you, from London. Even someone like Jackson Whittemore couldn't resist coming back to Beacon Hills. Say hello, Jackson."
Jackson screamed and electricity crackled on his side. "Do it again, old man. Come a little closer. I'm gonna shove that thing so far up your ass..."
Molly and Lydia smiled at Jackson's snarkiness. Gerard continued. "Lost none of his charm, has he? You can find him here with us at the Armory. Scott. In fact, I'm going to tell you where to find all of them. Your deputy Hellhound met some friends of his while responding to a call at Eichen House. Your father was on his way back from San Francisco with the goal of entering the fight. But he didn't get far. You might want to tell your mother to skip her shift at the hospital tonight. Liam and his friends are there now. Optimistic of them, but woefully ill-advised. This is how you wage war, Scott. A strategic positioning of your army against theirs. Which is why you will come to me. You will try to save as many as you can. And you might even save a few. But your limited resources will be spread thin. Ultimately, you will fall. The dogs of war, Scott. They're coming for you..."
Static resounded from the radio and Molly picked up the radio. "I hope you're still there. You may have big guns and angry people, but we have power and will. You're killing innocents. People who have never hurt you. You may separated us, but we will stop you. The dogs of war will be coming for you." She placed the radio down. "Let's end this."
The group made their way to the Animal Clinic and stood around the metal table. Stiles laced his fingers through Molly's as he told the details of the first day at his internship. "It was literally day one at our internship, and up comes a slide about this guy they've been chasing through the woods in North Carolina."
Malia glanced at Derek. "I thought you were in South America."
Derek nodded. "I was. The bodies of the werewolves I told you about? They blamed me."
"So I learn that the FBI has cornered this feral mass-murdering unsub..." Stiles continued.
Derek cut him off. "I found a group of hunters gathering in a meeting place. I was trying to get information."
Molly shot Derek a look, shutting him up, then looked to Stiles and he continued. "Thanks, Molly. Well, the FBI found out about it too, and they were planning a SWAT assault to take him down. Dead or alive. And, as we all know, though, with Derek, it's preferably dead."
"Preferably."
"So I convinced them to take me on a field op."
Molly looked at her boyfriend. "You convinced the FBI to bring an intern to a dangerous Field Op?"
Derek frowned at Molly, hearing her tone of voice. "I'm surprised he didn't convince them that he could lead it."
Stiles shrugged. "I appreciate her encouragement. I tried. Didn't work. Anyway, long story short, I basically, you know, had to save his life." He explained the story.
Derek frowned. "That's not how it happened."
"Yeah, I may have left out a detail, but that's the gist of what happened. It was the essential essence of it."
Derek raised an eyebrow. "You couldn't walk."
"I was limping."
"You couldn't walk and I know that because I was carrying you."
Stiles glared at Derek. "They shot my toe. You want to see it? My toe was caught in the crossfire. It was obliterated."
Molly shook her head. "I don't think anyone wants to see your toe, Stiles."
"It's fine now."
Lydia nodded. "Okay, forget your toe."
"Obliterated," Stiles repeated.
Scott rolled his eyes, looking between his friends. "Guys, it's not just the hunters. We've got another problem. It's called the Anuk-Ite. It can get into your head. It can make you see things."
"What does it look like?" Stiles asked.
"It used to look like two ordinary people," Lydia told him. "But somehow they merged."
Molly nodded. "It's made of two faces. One is human, the other is supernatural."
Scott continued. "And it's a shapeshifter, just like us. But it knows what you're afraid of. What you fear most."
Malia turned to Scott. "And it can kill you by just looking at you."
Stiles frowned. "Okay, so you're telling me we gotta go up against this thing blind? And face our deepest fear?"
"Yeah," Scott agreed. "Why? What do you fear the most?"
"Blindness."
"Becoming blind?" Derek asked.
Stiles nodded. "Yeah, terrified of it. Always have been. This just seems to be a situation of unfortunate overlap."
Molly took his hand again and squeezed it gently.
Lydia frowned. "I don't think we have to wait for him. I've gotten through those doors once, anyway. I can do it again."
"Can we slow it down just for one second, make sure we're actually grasping this?" Stiles asked. "So we're actually talking about doing this?"
Molly turned to her friend. "Wait a sec. Are you telling me we're going to do what Gerard wants us to do?"
Scott looked between the couple. "I think that if we stop the Anuk-Ite, we stop it all."
"Stopping this thing can stop Gerard and the hunters?" Stiles questioned.
Lydia nodded at Scott. "He's right. Most of them are ordinary people acting out of fear."
Scott let out a sigh. "Monroe's not gonna change. But I think we can reach the others. Most of them, actually. The Anuk-Ite is causing them to come from a place of fear."
Derek crossed his arms. "Well, fear's pretty motivating. Especially when it leads to anger." He flicked his eyes to Tabitha, who certainly wasn't one to completely hide her anger.
Scott nodded to Derek. "And I think that if we can take out the fear, we can take out the fight in them too. They're afraid of us, but they don't have to be. They just have to change their minds."
"We have to change their minds," Derek said.
Malia leaned forward. "Okay, we can face the Anuk-Ite. We can try to fight it blind. We can try to face our fears. But we still need to know how to catch it."
Scott turned to Malia. "We will figure that out. We always do."
"Oh, it's nice to see that somebody hasn't lost their optimism," Derek said sarcastically.
"Not yet."
"I have," Stiles said.
Molly shrugged lightly. "Still have a little."
Lydia shot them a look. "We will buy you time, Scott. Who knows? Maybe Jackson has the answer."
"Maybe Argent will come back with one," Malia suggested.
Scott looked between Derek and Malia. "You two. You're with me. And we need Peter. Anyone who can help stop this thing or slow it down."
"Where are we headed?"
"The high school."
"That's where we're gonna find this thing?"
"No. It'll find us."
Stiles, Lydia and Molly made their way to the Armory.
Molly glanced at Stiles. "Cover your ears."
They did so and Lydia screamed at the hunters, guided her hands, and knocked them out. Stiles kicked the door and it opened, hitting the wall with a loud bang.
Molly shook her head. "I'm afraid subtly isn't your strong suit."
"Sorry," he answered, raising his hands. "No, it isn't."
"Jackson?" Stiles and Molly called, seeing their former rival.
"Stiles? Molly?" Jackson replied.
"Jackson?" Lydia asked, squealing excitedly, throwing her arms around him. "Oh, my God, it's you. It's really you. I can't believe it's you!"
Jackson turned to Molly and offered his arms. She hesitated a moment, then returned his hug.
Moments into their hug, Stiles pulled them apart. "Okay. That's nice. Okay, not too close."
He smiled at her before looking to the door and Lydia. "You did that?"
She nodded proudly. "Yeah, I did that."
"I kicked down the door," Stiles told him. "Now can we get out of here?"
Jackson shook his head. "Uh, not without Ethan."
Lydia frowned. "Ethan? What's Ethan doing here?"
"He's with me."
"He's with you?"
"Yes. Me."
Stiles frowned. "Ethan?"
"Yes, Ethan."
"And you?" Lydia wondered.
"Ethan?" Stiles repeated.
Jackson nodded. "Yeah."
Lydia smiled. "Oh, my God. I thought you'd never figure it out."
Molly glanced between them. "Reunions can wait. We should find Ethan."
Jackson sighed. "I agree. Can we go find him now?"
Stiles nodded. "Yeah." His phone buzzed and he answered the call. "Yeah?"
Molly listened to Scott on the other end. "Are you still at the Armory?"
"We are. Leaving momentarily, though."
Molly followed Stiles to get the item Scott needed.
Stiles turned to Molly and opened his mouth, but she cut him off. "Don't. Right now, I'm trying not to dwell on bodies I've seen."
"Okay," Stiles agreed. "Why didn't you tell me what was really going on?"
"You were enjoying your internship. Scott and I could handle it."
"Yeah, but you remember what's happened to you, right?"
"Stiles, honestly. I've been okay. We're taking those to the school, by the way."
They climbed into the Jeep and Stiles kissed her. "I've missed that."
She smiled. "Me too. Focus and drive."
As soon as they arrived at the library, Stiles said softly, "Be careful, Molly."
"You too."
He kissed her cheek. "Don't open your eyes until you hear my voice, okay?"
Molly nodded. "Got it."
They ran inside and Molly closed her eyes. Stiles threw the Mountain Ash on the ground, surrounding the Anuk-Ite. It screeched and raised its arms to the ceiling.
"It's safe, Molly," Stiles whispered.
Molly opened her eyes to see the Anuk-Ite slowly being covered in dark gray as it turned to stone.
The huntress noticed blood dripping from Scott's eye sockets. She ran over to him and helped him sit up. He tried fighting her, but she firmly held him down. "Scott, it's Molly. You're gonna be okay."
Stiles walked toward Molly and took her hand. Derek rushed into the room and looked at Scott with concern. Lydia and Malia ran in. The instant Malia noticed Scott, she ran up to him.
Stiles and Molly stepped back and Malia ran up to him.
"Scott?" Malia called softly. "He's not healing? Scott, what happened to your eyes?"
Scott shook his head. "I had to. I'm sorry."
Derek frowned. "Scott, you have to heal. If your eyes stay like this much longer, the damage is gonna be permanent."
"Come on," Stiles encouraged. "Concentrate."
Scott sighed. "I'm trying. It's not working. I can't focus."
Malia grabbed Scott's face. "Hey, hey, look at me. Yes, you can. Just concentrate."
"I can't, I can't, I can't do it."
"Yes, you can. Scott, please just look at me."
Stiles gripped Molly's hand tighter and she looked looked down at their entwined hands, getting an idea. "Malia."
Malia turned to Molly as the huntress said, "Kiss him."
The werecoyote frowned. "What?"
"Kiss him."
Malia did so and pulled away moments later. Scott's brown eyes reappeared, outlined in red. Molly smiled softly, relieved her friend was okay. Scott and Malia shared another kiss.
The group made their way back to the Armory and noticed a boy that Scott had saved. Stiles and Molly climbed out of the Jeep and walked side-by-side, hands intertwined. They joined Scott and the boy, followed by the rest of the pack.
"Are they all... Uh, different?" the boy asked.
Scott smiled. "Some of them are. Some can do things you'd never believe. And others might only be human, but they make up for it by being really smart or really good in a fight." Scott glanced at Stiles.
"Who are they?"
"My friends. My family. My pack. And you can be with us if you want. But you're gonna have to fight."
"Against Monroe?"
"And everyone that follows her."
The boy looked between the pack members in fear. "She said she'd find me. That she'd hunt me down and kill me. She didn't care how old I was. She said I was a monster."
Scott shook his head. "You're not a monster. You're a werewolf. Like me." His eyes glowed.
Scott walked off and the pack followed. Malia stood next to Scott, Derek stood by her at the end, Molly stood between Scott and Stiles, who was to her left, Lydia stood next to Stiles and Liam next to her. Alec stood at the end.
The pack walked in sync, determined to end Monroe and Gerard, once and for all.
[Well, folks, that's it for Molly's Teen Wolf episodes. The next book, set in Supernatural, will be posted. As always, thank you for all the comments, votes, and reads!]