Chapter 39 - "Lunar Eclipse"
✧"I look for my friends."✧
I stand in front of the three tubs with my arms crossed over my chest; biting my thumbnail while gazing over the three people I care so much about. A hand is placed gently on my upper back and I flinch while looking over at Lydia who stands close beside me.
"I'm sorry." She says quietly. I nod curtly to acknowledge her apology. She follows my gaze to Stiles. I watch him, not intently but worriedly. His words echo in my head and I feel like I could cry out of frustration because of it.
"Something's different." Lydia says which has my heart rate spike up. I look over at her with wide eyes.
"What? What's different? Are they okay?" I ask in a panic.
"No, no. They're okay," She assures and I sigh in relief. Despite them being gone for hours, it's nice to hear a reassurance. "It's just that...something's different between you and Stiles." Lydia points out. My brows pinch together in confusion.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"You guys are closer. I can see it in the body language." She says with a wink. My face starts to burn up. I look away from her out of embarrasment.
"How did you stop Stiles' panic attack anyway?" She asks while raising her brows up and down repeatedly in a joking manner.
"I-uh...I just had him talk about things he liked." I answer quietly.
"Stuff like what?" She questions. I'm starting to get frustrated. I just want Scott, Allison, and Stiles to wake up so I don't have to keep worrying. Lydia bombarding me with all her questions isn't helping what-so-ever.
"Just stuff, Lydia." I say; exasperated.
"How did you stop it?" I look at her with wide eyes and I throw my hands out.
"I kissed him, okay?" I snap. Lydia and even Isaac flinch at my outburst. I know Lydia can see my frustration, but she seems to brush it off because a smile starts to form on her face. She had her suspicions. I can tell. And right after my loud answer, Stiles' hands reach up to the surface and grasp onto both sides of the tub. Allison and Scott doing the same. We all jump back in surprise as Deaton joins us in the room. We all watch them lift themselves up in the tub; gasping and sputtering after their long time in the freezing cold water. Water splashes onto the floor with their frantic movements to leave the tubs.
"I saw it. I know where it is." Scott chokes out.
"We passed it. There's--there's a stump, this huge tree. Well, it's not huge anymore. It was cut down. But it's still big, though, very big." Stiles explains while all three of them step out of the tubs. You know how when cat's get wet it shows how small they are? Yeah, that's the opposite for Stiles. I snap out of it before anyone catches me staring.
"It was the night we were looking for the body." Scott says while looking at me.
"Yeah, the same night you were bit by Peter." Stiles adds on.
"I was there too, in the car with my mother. We almost hit someone." Allison explains. A look of realization passes over Scott.
"It was me. You almost hit me." Scott tells her and Allison's lips part in shock.
"We can find it." Scott tells us. Lydia and I look at each other. They don't realize how long they've been gone. Allison, Stiles, and Scott know something's wrong just by our expressions.
"What?" Allison asks while hugging herself.
"You guys were out a long time." Isaac points out.
"How long is a long time?" Stiles asks.
"sixteen hours." I answer and their eyes widen.
"We've been in the water for sixteen hours?" Scott asks in disbelief.
"And the full moon rises in less than four." Deaton states.
"No, Dude, you are not going back with them." Stiles tells Scott before sitting on the rim of the tub. I walk back into the room with three warm towels, one for Allison and one for Stiles. Scott said he was fine but I grabbed him one anyway. I walk over to Allison and hand her the towel, she smiles a toothless smile and I return the gesture.
"I made a deal with Deucalion." Scott answers.
"Does anyone else think that sounds a lot like a deal with the devil?" Stiles asks while looking around the room. I walk up to Stiles and hand him the towel, he takes it while grazing my hand. I slightly shiver just by the touch. I grab his wet towel and throw it on the counter before taking my place in the middle of Scott and Stiles, where I normally feel comfortable.
"Why does it matter, anyway?" Isaac asks. Allison is sitting next to him and it low-key kind of bothers me.
"Because I still don't think that we can beat Jennifer without their help." Scott answers before glancing at me and Stiles.
"He trusts you more than anyone. Tell him he's wrong." Allison says.
"I'm not so sure he is. Circumstances like this sometimes require that you align yourself with people you'd normally consider enemies." Deaton explains.
"So we're gonna trust him, the guy that calls himself death, destroyer of worlds? We're gonna trust that guy?" Isaac asks.
"I wouldn't trust him, no, but you could use him to your advantage. Deucalion may be the enemy, but he could also be the bait." Deaton answers. We go quiet and share glances with one another before the clinic door creaks open; the bell above the door ringing upon the guests arrival. Deaton walks out to see who it is.
"I'm looking for Lydia." I hear someone say. We all exchange looks once again. I look over at Scott who nods curtly before walking with Lydia to the door that leads to the lobby.
"What do you want?" She asks.
"I need your help," Ethan says and I quickly walk up behind her.
"Help with what?" I ask, getting protective of her. Stiles walks up behind me in a protective manner as well.
"Stopping my brother and Kali..." He trails off. He was looking at Lydia but now his eyes move to me. For what?
"From killing Derek." He finishes and my face goes slack. Everyone's eyes go to me.
Stiles presses down on the gas pedal making the jeep fly down the dark trail that will lead us to the Nemeton. I lean forward in my seat to look at the sky through the windshield.
"Stiles." I say. He slightly leans forward to look at what I'm reffering to. A lightening bolt shoots across the sky followed by a crack of lightening. I flinch and fall back into the seat at the same time Stiles does. His foot presses down on the gas. I pull my phone out and go through my contacts hurriedly. I scroll to Derek's name and call him immediately. I need to get rid of the pit in my stomach. One ring. Two rings. He answers on the third ring.
"Katherine?" He asks in what sounds to be relief.
"Derek I just--I just wanted to tell you to be careful." I answer quietly.
"I will, but I'm not worried about myself." He says. Of course he isn't.
"Well, I'm worried about you and I don't want to end up hearing that you're dea-" He cuts me off.
"I'm worried about you." He says and I chuckle.
"I know that you're going after the parents and if something goes wrong you have to act fast. Call for me and I"ll be there. I don't need you getting hurt." He explains and my face heats up.
"I'll be fine. I'm with Stiles." I tell him.
"I'll see you soon, okay?" He says.
"Yep." I answer before he hangs up quickly. My smile slowly fades. I turn off my phone and set it on my lap. Stiles quickly glances over at me.
"So...Derek." He says and I look over at him.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"You and Derek." He answers. It's no secret that I care about Derek because I do, but the only person on my mind is Stiles. It has always been Stiles.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I ask in ammusement.
"No, never mind." He says.
"No no, tell me." I say, egging him on.
"You have a soft spot for the guy." He answers.
"Yes, I do, and?" I ask. He doesn't answer. "Is that a problem?" I ask while a smirk forms on my face. He looks at me for a couple of seconds before looking back at the road.
"No. No." He answers. The second 'no' almost sounded as if he was trying to convince himself.
"Mhm." I say. We then both go quiet; not entirely sure what to say after that. I look out the window beside me, watching as the scenery passes by in a blur. There really isn't much to see on this trail anyway excpet for the decaying grass and trees. A question pops into my head and I can't help myself from asking.
"What do you think would happen if Peter found out that Scott and I are siblings?" I ask while looking down at my lap as if in embarrasment from the question.
"He would probably bite you and it would...kill you." He answers softly.
"But--what if it doesn't?" I ask before looking over at him.
"What are you? Suicidal?" He asks.
"Only when it comes to my friends and family." I answer while keeping my eyes on him. We hold each other's gaze for what seems like minutes.
"Keep your eyes on the road." I tell him while continuing to stare at him. He snaps out of it.
"You're right, you're right." He rambles and I chuckle.
"No, but actually...what do you think would happen?" I ask.
"I don't know. And I don't intend on finding out, okay? Let's just focus on right now." He answers. I can hear the frustration in his voice and I don't see why I shouldn't at least try. If I don't die I'll be able to protect my friends with whatever I turn into. If I die then...I guess that's another story. I rest back in the seat knowing that I won't be able to sway Stiles in a different direction on the topic. I look straight ahead out the windshield as the wind begins to pick up; dust and small rocks beating down on the Jeep. The noise is piercing. Stiles and I both instinctively squint our eyes to try and see better through the dust. Jennifer must be close.
"Come on." Stiles sighs. A tree branch smacks into the windshield and Stiles follows it; not paying attention aead of us. I start to see a tree up ahead, we're driving right towards it. I quickly put my hand on Stiles' arm.
"Stiles!" I yell. He immediately looks straight ahead. He tries to swerve but it's too late. The jeep bashes into the tree trunk. Stiles and I both get thrown forward. My head smacks into the dashboard and I black out.
∞
"What do you want from me?" Lydia asks while cowering away from Jennifer.
"I want you to scream." She answers before turning into her Darach form. Lydia gasps before opening her mouth and letting out a shriek.
∞
I flash open my eyes and sit up with a gasp. What the hell just happened? My ears are ringing and my head is pounding. I put my hand up to my head and wince as I make contact with a sticky substance. When I bring my hand down I see the dark red liquid covering my finger tips. I make a sour expression with a groan. My mind switches up fast because the next thing I think of is Stiles. I whip my head towards him. I did so a little too fast because I become very dizzy. I fall against the seat and wait impatiently for the dizziness to wear off.
"Stiles." I groan while wiping the blood off my hands onto my jeans. I grip onto the dashboard to help myself kneel on the seat before leaning towards Stiles. I pull him towards me by his flannel from his spot which was him being pressed up against the door. I hold his face in between my hands.
"Stiles?" I ask, fearing that he won't wake up. He doesn't answer. "Please wake up." I say through a voice crack. Times running out. I either stay here with Stiles and let the parents die, or I go help save them and come back for Stiles later. But, what if he isn't okay later?
"I'll come back for you. I promise." I tell him while tears threaten to spill. I lay him carefully back onto the seat before I reach back into the back seat to grab the aluminum bat Stiles brought along with us. I grab it before stepping out of the jeep. The dust and wind immediately hit me and I stumble back a step while struggling to close the door. I can barely see anything with the dust and my hair that flies all over my face. I start to run forward but can't help but think I'm going the wrong way.
I'm standing in the middle of nowhere, dust blinding me, making my eyes water. Where is that damn Nemeton? I try to remember what Stiles, Scott, and Allison were telling us. "There's a stump, this huge tree...It was cut down." I can hear Stiles say. I rub my eyes and look around frantically. With the wind picking me up I know that I have to be close. I turn around with my free hand covering my eyes as best I can from the wind to see the big stump, the Nemeton. Finally. I run towards it without looking at the ground, which is a big mistake. My foot hits a soft spot on what seems to be sand and my foot falls through it. I feel the ground start to give out. I gasp before an arm wraps around my waist; pulling me out of the soft spot. I grip tight on the bat while my other hand tightens on the person's arm.
"You're okay." Stiles says in relief. I laugh, almost cry tears of joy while I remove my hand from his arm and place it on the side of his face; wiping away his blood with the pad of my thumb. I'm so happy I could kiss him right now.
"Katherine, I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking and--" He rambles.
"It's okay, I'm okay," I laugh. "We're okay." I sigh in relief. The wind whistles around us and we fall back into reality; Stiles' arm never leaving my waist and my hand falling to his shoulder.
"There's a trapdoor over there. The grounds falling on them!" Stiles yells over the roaring wind.
"Well then what are we doing standing here!? Go!" I yell with a smile. My confidence has returned. He lets go of me before I hand him the bat. We run towards the already open trap door. I notice that there used to be stairs here but they seem to have broken apart because of the wind. Without hesitation, I jump inside and Stiles follows not even a second after. Stiles reacts fast and places the bat underneath the ceiling that's about to smash over us. The ceiling hits the bat and stays up; rubble and dust rubbing off of it because of the sudden hold the bat has on it. Isaac, Argent, Allison, Mr. Stilinski, and my mom bring their hands down from the ceiling as they all breathe a sigh of relief. Stiles and Mr. Stilinski exchange a look.
"I always said aluminum was better than wood." Mr. Stilinski says right before Stiles tackles him with a hug. I look away with a smile to my mom who has a huge smile on her face as well. I crawl over to her; past Argent who has Allison tightly in his embrace. My mom grabs my arms and drags me towards her. I'm practically sitting on her lap. She tightens her hold on me and I do the same.
"Oh, my brave baby." She says quietly and I nuzzle my face into her neck while shedding a few tears. We're all okay.
∞
Scott puts his hands against the shield that surrounds Jennifer. She remembers him trying to do this before so she decides to taunt him.
"You've tried this before, Scott. I don't remember you having much success." She says. Scott gives her a look full of hatred as he puts his hands against the shield. He tries to push through it. The shield glows around his hands, a light blue. Scott grunts while continuing to push through, the shield slowly giving away as his hands slowly but surely starting making through it. The evil grin on Jennifer's face starts to vanish as she realizes he's making it through. The determination of his family and friends keeps him going.
He pushes through, harder and harder. His innocent yellow werewolf eyes change to an alpha red. His eyes stay like that, the color doesn't disappear like last time. Jennifer slowly takes a step back before he makes it through the shield. The power of the shield flashes out causing Jennifer to fall backward. She sits up immediately and crawls back away from him.
"How did you do that?" She asks with wide eyes.
"I'm an alpha now." Scott answers.
∞
The storm passes.
"Is it over?" Allison asks. I lean into my mom and she tightens her grip around me. Once we realize that it is finally over, we laugh and share smiles of relief. I hug my mom. I see Stiles take out his phone.
"Scott?" He asks once it's up to his ear.
"Yeah, we're okay. We're all okay." Stiles answers while looking around at us.
"How about you, are you okay?" Stiles asks while looking at me. I nod curtly with a small smile and watch as his eyes flood with relief.
"You think you can come get us?" He asks Scott.
"Great, okay. Um, uh, bring a ladder." He says and we all share a whole hearted laugh.
∞
I walk out of the living room to the front door after another knock comes from the other side. When I open it my eyebrows shoot up in shock.
"Can I come in?" Derek asks. I take in a breath while nodding. He side steps the door as I close it. I look over his appearance and know immediately what he's here to tell me. We both stand in front of the other akwardly. I clasp my hands together.
"So..." I trail off. Derek shakes his head as if he's upset with himself.
"I came to say good-bye." He tells me and I sigh. I knew he was leaving.
"'Good-bye' as in you're not coming back?" I ask quietly while picking the skin off my thumb anxiously.
"I'm not sure." Derek answers.
"Um, how's Cora?" I question while pointing my thumb to my right.
"Uh, she's doing a lot better."
"Good." I say softly and he nods in agreement. If it wasn't akward before it defintely is now.
"Do you know where you're going?" I ask.
"I'm not sure about that either." He tells me truthfully and I nod lightly. Derek notices the change in atmosphere and sighs.
"Look, Katherine. I came here to say that--I just want you to be careful, alright? I know you have Scott and...Stiles here, but if anything happens you can call me and I'll come back for you." He explains. I smile lightly while nodding in understanding.
"Thank you." I say and he smiles lightly in return. He reaches over and opens the door. A gentle breeze drifts into the house as Derek walks out onto the porch. I lean against the door.
"Derek?" I call. He turns towards me. "You be careful too." Derek leans forward and I turn my head slightly. He places a delicate kiss on my cheek.
I watch him get into his car as Cora lifts her hand up in a waving gesture. I return it before watching the car drive out of sight. Leaving and never coming back for God knows how long.
∞
"I honestly don't know if Derek's coming back, a part of me hopes so, but another part hopes that maybe he'll be okay somewhere else. My dad doesn't look like he's gonna be leaving for a while. But just because he's staying...doesn't mean he's welcome. Stiles and I feel it every day, just like you said we would, and it makes me think about that quote Jennifer used to start our first class, because when I feel it, yeah, it's like...I'm looking 'into the heart of an immense darkness'." Scott says.
"So what do you do instead?" Deaton asks.
"I look for my friends." Scott answers.