Alistair was pacing through the clinic, seeing as the others hadn't woken up, he started to worry, Deaton said they would most probably take a while, but it's been hours, everyone was becoming restless.
And, as the tension in the room reached its peak, Alistair's gaze never wavered from the motionless figures submerged in the water-filled tubs. When he was about to question Deaton if he could do something to wake them up, they did.
In a sudden flurry of movement, the three teenagers broke free from the confines of the water, their bodies propelled upwards with a surge of urgency. Arms sliced through the liquid, grasping onto the tub's edges, as if desperate to anchor themselves to reality. Gasps of breath escaped their lips, as their lungs greedily absorbed as much oxygen as they could.
Recovering, the three of them started to explain what they saw in between each other's explanation. To conclude: the Nemeton was a big tree; something Alistair already guessed, considering the Druids always had one like that for their rituals and stuff. The three teenagers had come in contact with it at some point in the past; near it was where Scott was beaten by Peter, and Allison and her mother almost run him over.
Scott sounded very sure when he said they could find the Nemeton. The other four looked at each other worryingly, when questioned, they explained that they had been in the water for over sixteen hours.
"We were in the water for sixteen hours?" was Scott's question.
Extending dry towels to them, Alistair said, "the full moon is in less than four hours."
(...)
When discussing what to do next, Scott said he was going to look for Deucalion, but, of course, everyone objected to that. When Allison asked Deaton to tell Scott he was wrong, Esther entered the clinic, and said, in a very gentle but stern voice, "you know, circumstances like this, sometimes require you to unite with people you'd normally call your enemies," she said this while looking directly at Allison, the girl clearly got the message when she avoided her eyes.
But Isaac wasn't having any of it, "so we'll trust him? The one who calls himself Death, the Destroyer of Worlds, we're gonna trust that guy?"
Esther and Deaton locked eyes, before the latter said, "we won't trust in him. But you could use him to your advantage, Deucalion can be the enemy, but also the bait." This statement left the teens to think.
When they were about to keep talking, they heard the door opening, there was one of the alpha twins, Ethan. He requested Lydia's help to stop his brother and Kali from killing Derek.
(...)
John was with Derek on the loft, alongside Cora and Peter, discussing what to do, considering the full moon was close to rise, and the promise of destruction with it. When suddenly, the doors opened, revealing Lydia and Ethan, who shivered at the sight of John, remembering his past encounters with him.
The twin explained how Kali and his brother were coming to kill Derek right now with the full moon. When Derek questioned if they wanted him to just run, Peter said, filled with sarcasm, "no. I want you to stay and get slaughtered by an alpha with a psychotic foot fetish." Then, with a deadpanned expression, he finished, "of course I want you to run."
When he looked back at his sister, Cora said, "if you want to fight and die for something, I'm with you. But do it for something meaningful."
"How can you know I'll lose?"
Peter said, "we may not know, but I bet she has an idea." Then, he looked at Lydia, "right, Lydia?"
The girl claimed to not know anything, but being questioned and pressed, she said she felt as if she was in the middle of a cemetery.
When Derek looked at John for advice, the boy only nodded to himself and started to gather his things, and said, "you all better start packing before I drag your wolfsbaned asses to the car," and then, he headed to the door. Derek only sighed and followed suit.
(...)
Running out of options about how to find the missing parents, now knowing about the Nemeton, Scott was decided to track them by scent, of course, while she was at the clinic, Esther tried to explain that with the type of magic Jennifer was using, that would make that task impossible, but the bunch was clearly hardheaded, so, that's why Alistair was there again, in the Argents house, alongside Scott, Isaac, and Allison.
Upon entering, something none of them was expecting, was to see Scott's father, Agent Rafael of the FBI, sitting on Chris's desk, with most of his weapons on view.
As Alistair was besides Allison when she opened the door, they were the first ones to see the three men in the room, Alistair stopped in his tracks, raising an inquisitive brow. Scott was trailing behind them, being seen too, and Isaac tried to stay behind the wall to leave, before being called out by Rafael. Scott's expression showed not only his shock, seeing the man, but also the resentment he felt towards his poor and failed attempt of father.
(...)
Twenty minutes later the four teenagers are seated in front of the officers, with Agent McCall questioning them about all the missing parents, they were clearly not cooperating, and the man was starting to get desperate. The four of them carried bored expressions, not taking seriously the situation in the slightest. Hell, Isaac found a damn snack in God know where.
"You can't keep us here." Were Scott's words. At that moment, Alistair picked his phone from his pocket and called his father.
"Not without a judge's order." Allison complimented.
"I have a table full of probably cause." Answered stubbornly the man, Alistair was starting to see the similarities between father and son; hell, he knew he'd have Scott at his throat if he ever said that out loud. He just laughed to himself.
David's voice crackled through the speakerphone, filling the room with tension. "Hey Al, something wrong?" His words hung in the air, capturing the attention of everyone present. All eyes turned towards Alistair, or, more specifically, his phone.
"No, dad, just... you didn't tell me how two of your deputies were raiding Chris' apartment alongside an FBI agent. You're on speaker, by the way." Alistair's voice carried some smug to it, never looking away from the men. He saw very clearly how the two deputies tensed, looking at the ceiling as if they were in silent prayers.
There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before David spoke again. "There's no judge order to do that yet." Alistair glanced at Rafael, raising an eyebrow in silent inquiry. "It's Agent McCall, the FBI agent, perhaps?" he questioned.
"Undersheriff Rookwood," Rafael responded curtly, his words laced with restrained irritation.
Alistair nodded, absorbing the information. "That was all I needed, dad. See you later, love ya."
"Okay kiddo, love ya." With those final words, the call came to an abrupt end, leaving a lingering sense of unresolved tension in the room.
When Alistair saw Rafael was about to start talking, he quickly stood up, whispering in a soft voice, meant only for the werewolves to listen, "be ready to run," he locked eyes with Allison and nodded, before raising his voice for everyone to hear, "you seem to have missed an important fact in your research." Agent McCall only tilted his head and raised an eyebrow at him, with an annoyed expression, so, he continued, "Chris is a highly respected private security consultant and a federally licensed firearms dealer. Which, obviously means, he is allowed to own a few weapons." Everyone looked at him, opening their mouths, but he only nodded to Allison.
Standing next to him now, Allison started to explain in detail, one by one, a couple of the different weapons exposed on the table, finally looking at the smoke grenade, when she reached for it, Alistair looked at the boys and nodded, they slowly stood. "Like this smoke grenade with pull-ring igniter." After those words were said, she pulled the ring and threw the grenade in front of Rafael. In seconds all of them were outside, with Alistair closing the door behind, to gain them more time.
(...)
After the successful escape from the Argent's apartment, they went to the preserve, Scott mentioned they should wait for Stiles before meeting Deucalion, but the boy wasn't coming by the looks of it, which was weird, the boy has never been a single minute late to any kind of meeting, especially when if it was about to find his father. With a heavy gut feeling, Alistair decided to text his father and Michelle to see if they could try and search for him.
Approaching a cliff, they saw it, the moon, embraced by drifting clouds, radiating a subdued but captivating luminosity, casting a tranquil and serene ambiance upon the darkened sky, to anyone, that would be so accurate, but to them, it was the representation of an impending doom.
And amidst the looming sense of doom, Deucalion emerged from the dense foliage behind them. The group turned to face him, he was ready tot take Scott and go fight Jennifer.
"It's just you and me?" Scott's voice held a hint of uncertainty.
Alistair, preparing his gear, replied with determination, "I'm coming with you." He turned his gaze to Allison and Isaac, delivering clear instructions. "My dad and Michelle are searching for Stiles. Head to the Nemeton and take everyone out of there."
Scott nodded in agreement, acknowledging Alistair's plan. "We'll distract Jennifer."
Isaac's curiosity got the better of him as he questioned, "How?"
With unwavering resolve, Scott responded, "I have a plan."
(...)
As their vehicle neared the outskirts of town, the tension in the air thickened. The engine's roar filled the silence, a stark contrast to the impending sense of dread that gripped their hearts. Suddenly, Derek slammed on the brakes, the screech of tires tearing through the night.
The abrupt halt jolted everyone in the car, their bodies lurching forward with the force. While his companions cringed and covered their ears, writhing in discomfort, John didn't.
They explained that they have heard Lydia screaming, and therefore, they needed to go back. And grimly, John remembered Lydia's words about being in the middle of a cemetery.
And so, they made their way back to the loft.
(...)
As they cautiously entered the loft, their eyes were met with a scene that defied comprehension. The once pristine glass ceiling lay shattered, fragmented shards mingling with pools of blood upon the floor. Amidst the wreckage, two lifeless bodies laid there, the massive twins in their merged form and Kali, stabbed by dozens of glass. In the midst of this macabre display, there stood Jennifer Blake, the embodiment of death itself.
With her hands raised in a disconcertingly placid gesture, Jennifer aimed to appear non-threatening. John, fueled by a mixture of fury and determination, swiftly brandished a dagger towards her and approached Lydia's side, his gaze fixed upon the Darach. Lydia, trembling with shock, clung to a pillar for support, her breaths coming in erratic bursts as she teetered on the edge of a trance-like state.
As John sought to steady Lydia's trembling form, Jennifer claimed everything was for them, proclaiming her actions to be in service of the victims of the alphas. Her voice, though hauntingly calm, carried an undercurrent of urgency as she tried to convince Derek to join her in vanquishing Deucalion, asserting her need for a guardian to solidify her power.
"Don't trust her." Was all Cora said.
"There's no decision to struggle with. Help me kill him and the others live." Was Jennifer's ultimatum.
Derek looked at John for a moment. The boy had a gut feeling about the whole ordeal and nodded back. And they left.
(...)
Minutes after they had left, John helped Lydia up, "we need to leave. We can find help," he said, holding Lydia.
"Who?" asked, in small voice, Lydia.
"I don't know, but we can't stay here." Was Cora's answer.
As they made their escape, a grunt caught their attention, causing them to glance back. The twins, once fused together, now lay separate on the ground. John hurried towards them, pressing his ear against one of their chests, surprise filled him to hear a faint heartbeat. Cora joined him, her enhanced hearing confirming their survival. In awe, she whispered, "They're alive." Looking at each other, surprisingly, they felt hope, a glimmer of possibility amidst the chaos surrounding them.
John quickly stood and grabbed one twins' arm to take his body over his shoulder, indicating the girls to carry the other body together, and they left.
(...)
While seating in the passenger seat besides David, she kept thinking about the text Alistair sent her.
He went to find the Nemeton on his own. Jennifer's been empowering it; you should be able to locate it, and he must be somewhere close. Dad must have smelt him in the hospital, try to locate his scent.
She looked at her father, "have you scented him?"
The man inhaled deeply, his enhanced senses attuned to the surroundings, seeking any trace of Stiles' scent. He shifted his gaze towards the window but found nothing. Turning his attention to the anxious girl, he spoke in a soothing tone, trying to infuse his voice with a sense of security.
"Just close your eyes and feel," he encouraged, his words laced with reassurance. "Don't think, just let the magic flow through you. You are a witch, magic floods in your veins. Don't stress and don't force it. Let it come naturally."
Closing her eyes and blocking out the external noise, focusing her mind eye on the inner noise. Taking deep, measured breaths, she sought to connect with the energy that pulsed within her.
For a moment, there was nothing. Then, a spark ignited. It started as a subtle vibration beside her, emanating from her father, whose supernatural nature imbued him with magic. Drawing another breath, she was able to block her father, tuning her concentration, extending the reach of her radar as further as she could.
Suddenly, she started to feel it, it was as if someone had placed a new chant there, in her mind, bypassing her own control. Unlike the soothing incantations she used in her spells, no matter the language, they always clear her mind and her goal, however, this chant evoked a sense of impending danger. The rhythm was dissonant, jarring, like the sinister soundtrack for havoc and destruction. It filled her with a creeping unease, the sensation of unseen steps in the dark, the prickling awareness of a lurking presence behind her back, or the haunting feeling of being observed from afar.
Not wanting to get lost in that feeling, she started to direct David.
About ten minutes later, David started to get glimpses of Stiles' scent. And, another ten minutes later, they found him. His jeep had crashed in a tree
(...)
As they arrived at the abandoned distillery, the air was thick with a sense of anticipation and tension. The dimly lit space echoed with the ghosts of its former operations, the rusted machinery and worn barrels adding to the eerie atmosphere. Scott stood before Deucalion, telling him how Jennifer sent them a message the first day of classes, and how he now had a message for her.
Observing Scott's unwavering resolve, Alistair couldn't help but feel a surge of pride built up within him. He felt like a proud lion watching its cub roaring for the first time.
He watched intently as Scott started to record a video, his fingers grasping the phone firmly. "You see this symbol?" Scott's voice resonated with conviction as he directed his gaze towards the camera, a spiral with multiple claw circles being shown on a wall, "It's the symbol of revenge. You talk about balance, about saving people. We know what you really want, and now you know where to find us."
With those words hanging in the air, a potent message of defiance, the video was sent.
In that moment, Alistair decided to pull out his phone, typing a message to Michelle, telling her to come.
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－ ２７１６ ｗｏｒｄｓ －
Author's note
So, this chapter ended up being long af. So, to make it comfier for you to read, I decided to divide it in two. At first, I was going to update it in two different days, but, as I love you guys, I thought, fuck it, so, the next part will be up right away :3
As we approach the last part of 3A, tell me, what do you guys think of this so far? Any favorite scene, character, or anything?
- 𝒿. 𝒻. 𝒸. 🐼💜