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Previous: "Numbers"
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Teen Wolf: Outcasts Episode 6
"Solidification"
Sat quietly in her bedroom, Jodie was furious. She’d been sent upstairs by her mother for the second time that week and was now grounded for the rest of the month. It happened way too frequently. So what if she’d been expelled from school? The girl deserved what she’d got for insulting her appearance. A punch up in the playground was nothing. At least she’d been disposed of afterwards. One problem down, two more were downstairs. She’d just about mastered her powers too, and she’d topped her supply up with a swim in the lake before school that morning. She had to be careful though. If she were to do this, her life would change either for the better or worse. If she succeeded, her life would be so much easier. No nagging, no rules, and no restrictions on when she could and could not use her powers. However, if she failed, it could be the end of any chance of freedom. She couldn’t think like that though. Pessimism would get her nowhere. Jodie stood up from her bed and made her way to unlock her bedroom door. Slowly making her way down the stairs, Jodie strolled into the family living room, where both her parents were, and shut the door behind her. When she’d open the door again, she’d be rid of the two people that made her life a misery. For good.
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Guest Stars: Linden Ashby, Melissa Ponzio, JR Bourne, Ryan Kelley, Cody Christian, Khylin Rhambo, Michael Johnston, Kaj Nieuwenhoff, Nick Robinson, Ian Bohen, Michael Hogan, Dilan Gwyn, Juanpa Zurita, Nesta Cooper, Timothée Chalamet and Cody Saintgnue.
Pacing around the empty, not yet sold flat, Scott was racking his brain cells. The group had thought of a plan to trap Jodie, but there was one drawback. The bait. What would get her to Eichen House? She wouldn’t respond to a phone call asking her to come. He had to figure out what she wanted. He posed the question to the group.
“What is it that Jodie wants? Why is she doing this?” he questioned.
“It’s normally about power, probably that” Isaac suggested.
“Power, and status” Liah added, “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. What she asked me to do, she wanted to keep herself hidden from Gerard, so it was something he wouldn’t approve of.”
“She wants her own pack” Liam suggested, “And if she wants her own pack…”
“She needs me out of the way” Scott finished the sentence, “She wants me. I’ll get the message to her.”
“How? She’s not got a phone we can call her on” Lydia queried.
“I need to get to Eichen. Liam, when I give the signal, I need you to rescue Frankie. She must need him for something” Scott ordered. Liam nodded, as Scott turned around and headed out of the flat, followed by a group consisting of Lydia, Maddie, Malia, Stiles, Isaac and Peter.
Breathless, Frankie was exhausted. He was sprinting away from Jodie’s hideout, but he didn’t know where he was. He was surrounded by woodland, but that could’ve been anywhere – the Beacon Hills Preserve was massive. One thing he knew for certain though. Scott lived on the edge of the forest. The question was which edge. It wasn’t like there was a signpost directing the way to Scott’s house. He had to gather his senses. His sense of smell told him little beyond the fact that a dog walker clearly hadn’t cleaned up after their pet. Hold on – a dog walker! That must mean an exit isn’t too far away, surely? Unless the dog walker got lost too. Still, Frankie knew that optimism was key. It was Scott’s strongest trait.
Getting restless at Scott’s house, Gerard stood up to leave. He wasn’t wasting any more time playing nice with the sheriff and his deputy when they could be out completing their mission. He had to start finding Jodie, or she would gain too much ground on him. He could not give her the advantage, only a fool would be so stupid. He faced Stilinski and Parrish, as the ever-faithful Francisco didn’t hesitate to stand up and join him.
“It’s been a pleasure, gentlemen” Gerard patronised, “But I have a job to do. Your precious Scott is wasting time.”
“You’re going nowhere” Stilinski firmly responded, taking his gun out of its holster. Impulsively, Francisco pulled his gun out too. They were stuck in a stalemate.
“Nobody wins here, Sheriff” Gerard commented. As much as he wanted to remain in control, Stilinski knew he was right. He lowered his weapon regretfully, allowing them both to stroll out of Scott’s house.
“Why did you do that?” Parrish questioned, momentarily ignoring that the sheriff was his superior.
“Gerard will never admit it, but Scott has always been his biggest fear” Stilinski reasoned, “We still have the upper hand. Now for some phone calls.”
A determined yet downbeat atmosphere was present in Liam’s car, as he, Brett and Nolan drove through the dark, desperately hoping to stumble across Frankie, or any indicator of where he might be currently. They were heading in the general direction of Jodie’s dad’s old garage, but with his laptop, Mason had tracked Frankie’s phone. He and the rest of the remaining pack were still at the apartment, acting as the pack’s control hub.
“He’s still on the move” Mason’s voice filtered through the loudspeaker on Nolan’s phone from the back seat of the car,
“Keep going, you’re not far now Cody added.
“Got it” Nolan responded. Liam was taking the information in but was paying more attention to Brett.
“How long have you two been together?” Brett keenly asked, referring to Liam and Nolan.
“Almost three months” Liam responded instantly. It required no thought – that was a detail he instantly knew.
“I didn’t know you had feelings that way” Brett noted.
“Is this your way of telling me you’re interested?” Liam joked.
“Don’t flatter yourself, you’re too annoying” Brett laughed. Everything bad he felt about Liam had long since faded, and he was now like a little brother, “He seems good.”
“I really like him. The fact that he’s a guy barely crosses my mind” Liam opened up.
“He’s a keeper, and so are you. He’s lucky to have you” Brett responded. Liam was thrilled. While he and Brett hadn’t always seen eye-to-eye, his approval meant a lot.
“Guys” Nolan interrupted, oblivious to the conversation they’d had, “He’s just ahead.” Liam pulled the car to a half, the breaks screeching as the vehicle stopped just short of a distressed and wet Frankie in the middle of the road. Liam flung himself out of the car.
“Are you alright?” he asked, concerned.
“Yeah, but she can’t be far behind, we have to go now” Frankie warned.
“We need to get to Eichen, Scott’s got a plan” Nolan yelled out of the car window. Wasting no time, Liam and Frankie hopped into the car, and they headed to their new destination. However, unbeknownst to them, Gerard had overheard every word they said from the shadows. He laughed to himself and set his sights on Eichen House too. Perhaps he could get two birds with one stone.
“Are you sure this will work? What if she can’t hear you?” Malia was sceptical of Scott’s plan. They were stood outside Eichen House, in the bitter cold night.
“It’s gotta be worth a shot” Scott optimistically replied.
“I think it’s a stupid idea. We have the perfect solution, just allow Gerard and Jodie to kill each other and we can sit pretty in the middle” Peter unhelpfully suggested.
“There’s a better way” Isaac responded.
“I didn’t say it was better, I said it was easier” Peter noted.
“Here goes nothing” Scott said, before turning around to face away from Eichen. He let his inner wolf rip, roaring at the top of his voice. The sound waves travelled across Beacon Hills – everyone would hear it, but only a select few would understand it.
“What if Gerard hears it?” Maddie wondered, much too late for any productive action.
“He won’t be able to trace it. He doesn’t hear like we do” Scott explained, “Now we wait.”
Brimming with anticipation for their trap, Scott was getting prepared while they waited for Jodie’s arrival. Each member of the team had their special purpose: Malia would secure the exit with mountain ash so she couldn’t escape; Maddie and Peter would keep guard outside in case unwanted guests arrived; Lydia and Stiles were in charge of activating the frozen cell; leaving Scott and Isaac as bait. He didn’t feel too comfortable about this, but it had to be done.
“How are you doing?” Isaac asked as they lurked in the Eichen lobby.
“I’m fine” Scott responded quickly, avoiding eye contact.
“You’re not over her, are you?” Isaac inferred. Scott sighed in defeat.
“Why is it always this goddamn hard to get over girls?” Scott confessed.
“You don’t have to tell me. Isn’t this the second time we’ve had to get over the same girl?” Isaac laughed.
“Yeah” Scott reflected on losing Allison. It played on his mind every single day, and he vouched never to let it happen again. She didn’t die for nothing. However, he still felt uncomfortable discussing it, and changed the subject, “I thought people would be here? The place is empty, beyond the patients locked away.”
“They’re in town with the hunters I guess” Isaac presumed. Eichen House staff were no strangers to the supernatural and had often used unnecessary force against them. Neither were surprised they had joined the fight against them.
“Frankie’s article has caused chaos” Scott mentioned. Despite Frankie now being his ally, he couldn’t forget about the article. Something had to be done when all of this was over.
Pacing back and forth, Maddie was in plain view in front of the Eichen House gate, waiting to spring into action.
“Don’t you think we should hide?” Peter suggested.
“We’re meant to be keep people out. Hiding in the bushes is the least helpful thing we could do” Maddie retorted.
“The whole point is that we want Jodie inside. She’ll know it’s a trap if we’re stood yapping at the gate” Peter reasoned.
“Fair point” Maddie gave in – something she rarely did. They both crept behind the bushes either side of the large open gates.
“Keep your eyes peeled, but also your ears. We’ll hear them coming before we see them” Peter advised. Maddie listened intently. Peter was experienced and despite all of the stories she’d heard about him, he was proving to be very good in a crisis. Focusing her hearing, she could recognise the pitter-patter of footsteps. She simply turned to Peter and nodded – confirming what he could also hear.
“More than one” he whispered as quietly as he could.
“Hunters” Maddie delicately whispered back.
“On my go” Peter commanded as the footsteps approached a human’s hearing range, “3…2…” Maddie’s adrenaline was building.
“1…go!” Peter gave the order and they both pounced on their targets.
“Hold up” Maddie paused proceedings as she recognised the culprits, “It’s Liam and the guys.” Sure enough, she had just knocked Liam clean off his feet and slap bang onto the rock-solid concrete. She clambered off him, stood up and reached a helping hand out.
“Were you followed?” Peter impatiently queried.
“No, I don’t think so” Nolan answered, “What are you doing out here?”
“Keeping guard” Peter responded.
“Badly” Maddie added.
“We need to get Frankie to Scott” Nolan nagged as politely as he could.
“You go, we’ll help here” Liam suggested.
“But you might get hurt” Nolan worried, placing a hand in Liam’s silky-smooth locks.
“We’ll all die if we don’t keep the hunters at bay” Liam tried not to let his emotions cloud him, “Now go!” Regretfully, Nolan let go of Liam and rushed off with Frankie towards the main building.
“Young love” Peter commented, “It makes me want to vomit.”
“Save it for the hunters, catch them off guard” Maddie joked, much to Liam and Brett’s disgust.
Getting to grips with the equipment of Eichen House, Stiles and Lydia were sat in the control room out the back. The two frozen units were controlled primarily from there. Only one was free – the other was rumoured to be the home of a hellhound, one that has been imprisoned in ice since the facility opened. Stiles was never sure if that were true or simply hearsay. Nevertheless, he didn’t care much either way in that moment. He was more worried about what buttons performed what function.
“Why is there never a damn manual?” Stiles complained.
“Because that would be too easy” Lydia unhelpfully but correctly responded, “Besides, we can figure it out for ourselves, right?”
“Yes, yes we can” Stiles felt self-empowered all of a sudden, “Let’s test this.” He pressed the rather obvious big red button, obnoxiously staring him in the face, and sure enough, ice cold gas began to filter through the vents into the cell. They were watching through the CCTV cameras as the gas clouded the room. Stiles tried pressing the button again to turn the system off, but it didn’t work.
“Err, how does this thing stop?” Stiles panicked. Suddenly, the entire system shut off and the CCTV feed stopped.
“Lydia, I think we’ve had a power cut” Stiles worried. He glanced up and saw Lydia with the electricity plug in her hand. She’d taken it out to stop the freezing process. Stiles breathed a sigh of relief as she shoved the plug black in, and the system rebooted, just as they had found it.
“Alright, we know how to work the controls, now we need Scotty boy to deliver” Stiles commented.
Running about Eichen desperately looking for Scott, Nolan was getting panicked. The building was huge, and there were no indicators of where Scott would be. Frankie was no help either – neither had been to Eichen before. They perused the building map on display in the lobby on their way in – it didn’t tell them where Scott was of course, but it would help them if they got lost, and sure enough, it was doing a trick so far. Nolan had a vague idea of the way back at least. However, his sense of direction left a lot to be desired. Werewolves were meant to be good with directions, but Liam always said Nolan would struggle to find his way out of a cardboard box. Turning a corner into a corridor of locked cells, Nolan felt nothing but sympathy as he walked past and glanced at the patients imprisoned. He knew exactly how it felt to be out of control as a human. Being a part of Scott’s pack had taught him how to take a new perspective on life, and although the bite had its downsides, he couldn’t have been more grateful. His problems weren’t totally over, the bite doesn’t cure mental illnesses, but Nolan knew it helped him see things clearer. They approached the end of the corridor, and almost bumped into Isaac, as he and Scott were walking in the opposite direction.
“Frankie, you’re alright” Scott exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief as he had one less problem on his hands.
“Just about” Frankie replied, relieved to be back within the relative safety of the pack.
“Any sign of her?” Isaac questioned.
“Nothing” Nolan responded, “Liam and Brett are helping keep guard.”
“Do you think she heard?” Isaac was starting to have doubts.
“There’s no way she’d have missed it” Scott replied with certainty. He knew she’d appear. She must have been biding her time.
Outside, Liam and Brett were crouching behind the row of bushes on the opposite side of the path to Maddie and Peter. Liam had his phone out, ready to text Maddie if he noticed anything – they couldn’t risk talking. His hearing was as focused as possible. Not only did he have to listen out for people arriving, he had to be able to tell how many there were. Quietly, he heard the gentle tapping of footsteps. They were dainty and elegant, and definitely only belonging to one person. He glanced at the screen of his phone and typed “She’s coming” in a message to Maddie, as well as Malia who was waiting by the main entrance. Now for the hard part. They had to be as silent as possible. She could not detect their presence, even for a second. If she did, the game would be given away, and they could not afford to risk losing. The footsteps grew louder as they approached. Liam peered through the gaps in the bush. He saw a figure directly in front. Water trickled down from her hands, leaving an obvious trail wherever she went. It was Jodie for sure. Liam didn’t need to see her face to know that. She stopped walking, taking in her surroundings. Liam knew she was trying to sense if it were a trap or not. That’s what he’d do. He also knew that he’d be on the lookout anywhere and everywhere for a giveaway to confirm the suspicions. That meant he had to become a statue. The slightest movement would ruffle the bushes. Thankfully, after what felt like hours, Jodie moved forwards, heading towards the building. While she was out of sight, they had to continue hiding until she was inside and Malia had texted the all-clear.
Having sealed every possible exit already, Malia was now stood just metres away from the main entrance. She was holding a jar of mountain ash – poisonous to her kind, and she knew she would be trapped with no exit herself. Thankfully, she trusted in Scott’s plan, and was ready to defend herself if necessary. Even if she preferred her own suggestion of boiling Jodie. Her phone buzzed. New message from Liam – “She’s coming.” Malia braced herself. As soon as Jodie entered the building, she had to complete the mountain ash barrier. Leaving it any later would risk her escaping. Final checks – the lobby area was clear, there was nothing left behind that might signal her presence. She stood in the shadows just next to the door, out of sight on a quick glance. Anticipating her arrival, Malia watched as a dark silhouette passed through the front door. Barely moving an inch, Malia shoved the container forward and mountain ash fell perfectly into formation along the doorway. Now they were trapped. Jodie heard it, and immediately her head jerked to the left, directly to where Malia was standing. This was her moment. Malia leapt out and tackled Jodie to the ground. She had unleashed her inner coyote and was enjoying not holding back for a change. Jodie opened her mouth and a jet of water splashed out, knocking Malia down and giving Jodie the upper ground. Malia was pinned down on the floor, Jodie’s impressively strong hands pressing down on Malia’s wrists to stop her moving. Jodie had transformed too, into her scaly green skin and ocean blue eyes. She moved her hand to Malia’s mouth, about to unleash a torrent of water on her newest victim, until she heard a voice nearby.
“You wanted me?” Frankie was stood at the bottom of the staircase, just outside the lobby, “You got me.” Jodie immediately let go of Malia and ran after Frankie, who bolted back up the stairs.
Bored of waiting around, Daan’s mind was stuck thinking about Jodie. He couldn’t help but think it was all his own fault. After all, he was the one she had dated. He brought her among the pack, a group with numerous supernatural people. Now he had to take her out. He stood up and barged his way to the door, not mentioning a word to the others.
“Woah dude, where are you going?” Cody asked, concerned.
“I have to put a stop to this. It’s my fault she’s targeting Scott” Daan confessed to his best friend.
“It’s not your fault, don’t ever think that” Cody looked heartbroken to hear his friend so downbeat, “She could’ve seduced any of us. A beautiful girl comes along and you fell for her. It’s as simple as that.”
“I still need to stop it. Anything I can do to help out” Daan was adamant.
“I’ll take him, she’s getting stronger and stronger every minute and the more pairs of hands against her, the better” Liah mentioned. Cody nodded his approval reluctantly.
“Be careful” he warned.
“When have I ever been careful?” Daan smiled a cheeky grin as the door slammed shut after him.
Regrouped now that Jodie was trapped inside the building, Maddie was ensuring she and the group were still on red alert. Word was spreading about supernaturals, and absolutely anyone could launch an attack on them. Thankfully, the streets outside were delightfully empty.
“Maybe he isn’t coming” Liam optimistically suggested.
“This is Gerard. He’s always coming for us” Peter corrected.
“Including right now” Brett confirmed, looking left down the street. Gerard walked confidently towards Eichen House, flanked by Francisco and three of Sheriff Stilinski’s deputies.
“This is it, gang” Maddie motivated as Gerard met her eye-to-eye.
“Move aside” Gerard commanded, “I’m not afraid to use deadly force.”
“Bring it on, old man” Maddie had her game face on, as her claws were ready to sink into Francisco’s scheming skin. This was her chance for revenge. She leapt onto him, knocking the gun out of his hand. Gerard fired a shot, narrowly missing Maddie’s head. She ripped and slashed Francisco’s tanned skin; payback for everything he did to her. Peter whacked Gerard’s gun out of his hand, blocking the chance to grab the spare from his pocket by restraining his wrists. Liam and Brett took on the deputies – one each. The third, however, saw his chance. He reached into Gerard’s back pocket and grabbed the spare gun he earned. Without any hesitation, he fired a shot at Maddie, ruthlessly ripping into her back. She flopped to the side of Francisco, in complete agony. Peter wasn’t affected though. He didn’t let go of Gerard, even though the deputy was now pointing the gun at him.
“Say your prayers” the deputy said, priming the weapon.
“I’ve never been very religious” Peter retorted. As he prepared for the bullet to smack his body, the deputy was clobbered over the head.
“Sorry I’m late” came the unmistakably cheeky tone of Theo.
With Jodie hot on his heels, Frankie rushed up the stairs. He had to lead her up to Scott, or the plan wouldn’t work. He knew he was more enticing to her than Malia at least. She wanted a pack, and Malia was one of the strongest Scott had. There is no way she’d kill her so easily when she would be such an asset. He was more disposable himself. He offered little in the way of strength. He didn’t possess the healing powers of Scott and the others either. What was his purpose? Other than being a living tap, that is. Jodie was approaching him. She was the predator, and he was the prey. He reached the top of the stairwell and darted through the corridor of cells. Jodie stopped partway down and Frankie turned around to face her, a couple of metres between them.
“You think you can trap me? I don’t need you. I only need Scott McCall” Jodie threatened.
“You’ve got me” Scott called out from behind her.
Patiently awaiting their command, Stiles and Lydia were watching Frankie’s escape from Jodie on the CCTV. Lydia couldn’t help letting her mind drift.
“Do you think we’d ever be accepted?” she wondered.
“Like werewolves and banshees?” Stiles wanted clarification.
“All of us. The reaction so far has been…hostile” Lydia considered, “People can’t even accept each other yet.”
“We’d have to do our darn best to convince them, then” Stiles responded, “We’re strong, don’t forget that. Even if the whole word turns their back on us, I’ll always be looking in your direction.” Lydia felt a warm, comforting feeling engulf her. She wasn’t the biggest fan of soppy lovey-dovey moments, but Stiles was always her exception.
With no hesitation, Theo threw both deputies to the floor. He had little mercy in him now. Liam watched on as Gerard became the last man standing. Brett was tending to Maddie, in pure pain and losing a lot of blood. To heal, she needed the bullet removed, but it was lodged deeply under her skin. He rested his hand on top of hers, and without a second thought, he took her pain.
“Thank you” Maddie croaked.
“Do you see, Gerard? We’re not evil” Liam made a point of showing Brett’s kind action to the enemy.
“Once a beast, always a beast” Gerard stubbornly answered. However, despite his defiance, he was outnumbered heavily now.
“That’s why you’ll never change” came the voice of Chris Argent. Assisted by Stilinski, Melissa and Parrish, Gerard was now blocked in both directions.
“I never thought I would raise a traitor, but you’re more corrupt than the rest Christopher” Gerard whined.
“I can live with being corrupt if it means I can save lives. That was the job of the Argents all along, but the meaning was lost over the years and we ended up with people like you. All we needed was someone like Scott. Someone like Allison” Argent explained. Melissa was on her knees, tending to Maddie.
“We need to get you to the hospital” Melissa said, having examined the wound.
“Scott is inside” Maddie’s voice struggled to stay intact as she spoke.
“We’ll go” Stilinski decided. He and Parrish rushed into the building, with no time to waste.
“You can’t stop me” Jodie arrogantly said, preparing to unleash a flood of water towards Scott. He was backed up by Isaac and Nolan, and Frankie had the other exit covered.
“You’re not in a position to make demands” Scott firmly stated, “You want my pack? Well, they might have something to say about that.” Nolan and Isaac’s tinted yellow eyes lit up right on cue, as did Frankie’s lush blue eyes. Jodie knew this was time to fight back. She raised her hand and chucked a stream of water towards Scott. The trio braced themselves for it to impact, but despite the water heading directly for their faces, it ended up splashing onto the floor not even halfway between them and Jodie.
“What?” she was confused. It was headed directly to them. It couldn’t have missed by so much. She turned around to see Frankie’s arm out directly in front of him, “You did that?”
“We’re similar, like you said. I can stop you all day long. That’s my purpose” Frankie responded proudly. Jodie looked stumped. She wasn’t expecting this. Frankie didn’t know anything about his powers. How could he have done this?
“That’s the point of a pack. We benefit each other. Nobody’s selfish” Scott added.
“You still can’t restrain me. I’ll have to kill you the old-fashioned way instead” Jodie was desperate. She yanked out a gun from her pocket and held it at Frankie.
“Don’t do this” Scott pleaded.
“Now who’s desperate?” Jodie taunted as she fired the bullet nonchalantly at Frankie. He closed his eyes, terrified with nowhere to hide. At the last second, much to Frankie’s shock, Liah jumped in front of the bullet, blocking it from jarring into Frankie’s head. Daan arrival just after, and stared Jodie in the eyes for the first time since Becky’s death. He was horrified by what he saw.
“Give it up Gerard” Argent spoke. Gerard knew his chances were over – all of his men were out cold, he had no weapons, and he knew there was little point in attempting to fight.
“What are you going to do? Lock me up for werewolf mauling? That might look a little strange on the paperwork” Gerard still had his words, and he chose them carefully.
“You conspired to murder, I think that’s enough for a conviction without any mention of werewolves” Argent retained the upper hand, battling Gerard’s threats away like a game of tennis. Gerard had nothing to say back – that was it. He’d lost.
In shock, Daan glanced down at Liah’s body. She was struggling, but still alive for now. Then he looked back at Jodie. He’d been locking lips with a stone-cold murderer.
“You did this” he said, shell-shocked, “You used me, so you could slaughter my friends.”
“I didn’t use you” Jodie spoke softly, like she always used to with him, “I fell for you, despite your friends.” Daan knew he was emotionally blackmailing him, but it felt so believable. It was hard to resist. However, he backed off, trying to get away. She followed him, trying to get closer, to stop him from escaping again. He backed slowly into a cell, with Jodie barely noticing in her pursuit of him. He looked terrified as she inched closer.
“Join me, you can fight by my side” she smiled.
“I’d rather die” Daan rebutted, “Now!”
Stiles and Lydia heard the order, but they were worried. Exceptionally so. Daan was still in the cell and had closed the door after him. They looked to Scott on CCTV – he turned to face the camera and regretfully nodded. That was their signal. He knew there was no other option. Stiles watched as Isaac attempted to squeeze the door open, but there was no luck. A key card was needed, and all members of staff were absent.
“I’ll do it” Stiles said, bravely taking the decision. He knew he’d always be worrying about whether it was right or wrong, but he’d rather him than Lydia. He braced himself, placing his hand on the button and mustering up the strength to press it down. He felt a soft, gentle hand placed on top of his. Glancing up, he made eye contact with Lydia.
“We do it together” she replied. Stiles smiled, “3…2…1…now.” Together, they slammed the button down and watched as the cell filled with freezing cold water vapour once again.
Just outside the building, Stilinski broke the mountain ash barrier, allowing Parrish to pass through into Eichen House. A hellhound could break through mountain ash, but the extra hassle wasn’t worthwhile. Instantly, they saw Malia lying on the ground, looking exhausted.
“Are you alright?” Parrish asked, crouching down next to her.
“I’m fine, they’re three floors up, go now” Malia commanded selflessly. Parrish ran up the stairs, while Stilinski stayed to look after Malia and help her up.
Watching through the glass window, Scott slowly lost his vision of Daan and Jodie as the opaque gas clouded the cell. There was no chance of safely getting Daan out. It hurt him to have to give such a terrible order but took a tiny bit of comfort in knowing it was Daan’s own choice. Nolan felt worse though. A tear slid down his cheek as he thought of his best friend being slowly frozen, giving up the bright future he had. It broke his heart. Comforting him, Isaac place a gentle arm around Nolan. It wasn’t going to solve the issue, but any comfort was appreciated. Panting, Parrish finally caught up with the group.
“Where is she?” Parrish immediately enquired.
“Frozen in there” Isaac answered, regretfully adding, “With Daan.”
“Couldn’t you get him out?” Parrish queried.
“He locked the door. We couldn’t” Scott clarified.
“I can help. Scott, break the key card reader on the side. It disables the door lock” Parrish ordered.
“He’s frozen, didn’t you hear?” Nolan yelled in frustration, more tears flooding down his cheek.
“And I’m a hellhound. I can heat it up and get him out. Just you watch me” Parrish confidently responded. Sure enough, Scott snapped the lock off the wall with his strength, and Parrish slid the heavy door open. As if it were a switch, he turned on his hellhound self. He exuded fire and flames, and instantly, some of the rock-solid ice began to melt.
Also having panted their way up the stairs, Theo and Liam arrived. Liam instantly saw the state Nolan was in and rushed to give him a huge, comforting hug. He was relieved that he was alive, but Nolan just pointed at the cell. He wanted Daan back more than anything. Theo however took more notice of the struggling Liah, lying on the floor, still barely alive.
“I’m sorry” she croaked, knowing she had to make amends.
“Me too” he replied, crouching down. He lifted her hand gently and took the pain out of her. Seconds later, her eyes closed for the final time, and Theo gently placed her hand back on her chest.
Focused intently, Parrish burned through the ice as if he were gliding through the air. He was determined to succeed. He had an audience too – he couldn’t risk letting them down. Through the frozen translucent surface, he could spot Daan’s silhouette. Closer and closer, he began to be freed. The ice melted easily, with the upper parts crumbling as the chunks below slid away with ease. Just as Daan’s body began to be exposed, Parrish stepped back – careful not to burn him. Immediately, Scott and Isaac rushed to help the unconscious Daan out of the hole Parrish created, and they laid him down on the floor. Nolan’s heart was beating like crazy out of worry as he watched Scott check Daan’s pulse.
“He’s alive” Scott announced, “He needs warmth though, take off your jackets.” Nolan breathed a sigh of relief, sliding his favourite red jacket off to wrap around Daan.
The next day…
Scott jolted awake. Strangely, he was in the hospital waiting area. He looked around, not recognising anyone. Why was he there? Then, much to his relief, Melissa strolled over. She must have seen him wake up.
“Hey sweetie, she’s fine, just resting. The bullet was successfully removed and she’s almost healed” Melissa informed. Then Scott remembered. He stood up and allowed Melissa to lead him into Maddie’s hospital room.
“Hey” Scott greeted with an awkward smile.
“Hi” Maddie responded, still croaky but less fragile than before, “Guess I’m a tough cookie.”
“You could say that” Scott laughed, thrilled she was alright. He was even more thrilled, though, that they were on good terms again.
“So that’s just about everything” Frankie finished. He had explained all of the details to a confused Lawrie.
“It’s crazy, and I still don’t believe you to be honest” Lawrie expressed his concerns, “But say you are telling the truth. Isn’t this dangerous?”
“Yeah” Frankie replied, “But I’ve got things under control. We’re a pack. We help each other, strengthen each other.” He held his hand out in front of Lawrie, and immediately, water trickled out from his nails.
“No way” Lawrie was gobsmacked. Frankie giggled, amused by the reaction.
Sat just outside the sheriff’s office, Stiles and Lydia were eagerly awaiting the verdict on Gerard. Stiles had one thing on his mind – and it had kept him awake for most of the night.
“Do you think we did the right thing?” Stiles pondered, “Freezing Daan.”
“I don’t know. It’s like a famous ethics theory, the trolley problem” Lydia used her wisdom to help Stiles, “Imagine a speeding trolley cart out of control down a street. Five people are tied up on the track directly ahead. You could crash into them and kill them, or divert the trolley. On the alternative route, one person is tied up, and you’d kill one person instead. Which is more ethical?”
“You’re still killing either way, so I say neither” Stiles thought.
“There is no right or wrong answer, it’s a debate. We just did what we thought was necessary with Daan. It’s the same idea” Lydia reassured him, “One innocent person over everyone else we love.” Stiles felt comforted by this, although his mind was now over-analysing the trolley problem. His thoughts were interrupted by Sheriff Stilinski, who had just arrived out of his office to announce the news they were waiting so patiently for.
“He’s being charged” Stilinski confirmed, much to their delight, “Both Gerard and Francisco.”
Chilling outside the gates of the block of flats, Daan, Cody and Nolan were reliving their old memories, with the addition of Liam.
“Do you remember when we heard a creak inside that house? We thought it was haunted” Daan reminisced.
“Derek Hale was many things, and he scared the hell out of me at times, but a ghost? Definitely not” Liam laughed.
“I’m so glad you’re alright” Nolan smiled, looking at Daan’s laughter.
“It would’ve taken a lot more than that to get rid of me” Daan never lost his sense of humour.
“I can’t believe I missed all the excitement” Cody commented.
“As if I’d die without you to mourn me” Daan continued laughing. Nolan chuckled along. After the stress of the day before, he was thrilled that his life was mostly back to normal. He was surrounded by the people he loved most, and that’s what mattered to him.
Eating once again at Phil’s Burger Bar, Malia felt much more comfortable in Peter’s presence this time. He’d proven himself to be more than the slimy dirtbag she’d known him to be in the past. He fought with the pack, putting himself last, and for once she wasn’t totally ashamed to be his daughter.
“Have I not earnt myself a bigger budget?” Peter questioned, as if he’d read Malia’s thoughts.
“No” she replied firmly, “But you’re on your way.” She smiled a proud smile.
“I say we raise a toast” Isaac lifted his glass, “To new beginnings.”
“To new beginnings” Malia and Peter said in unison as they clinked their glasses.
Summoned to the lake house, Frankie was sat under the night sky facing the large lake. It looked beautiful as the crescent moon shone down and reflected against the gentle waves. Any ill thoughts about water had faded from Frankie’s mind, and for the first time since he was young, he felt at one with water.
“It’s calming, isn’t it?” Scott commented from behind. He joined Frankie sitting down, overlooking the lake.
“I was terrified of water for years, I almost drowned. Something weird happened” Frankie recalled.
“You’ve been a nix all your life, you just didn’t know until recently” Scott filled in the blanks.
“I’m so sorry” Frankie changed the subject. The gentleness of the lake was clearing his mind, and he wanted to make amends, “The article. I shouldn’t have published it. I’m going to write another article recalling what I’d said. If I say it was a hoax or a moment of madness, people might start to forget about it. Although, my professional career would be over before it’s even started.”
“I think what the people of Beacon Hills don’t know won’t hurt them. Recalling it might be best, but everything works out alright in the end. We’re glad to have you” Scott smiled, putting an arm around Frankie.
“It’s scary, this world you’re in, and it’s dangerous. People died thanks to Gerard and Jodie. Maybe if I hadn’t written that article, they might not have attacked” Frankie thought.
“Gerard has hate running through his veins. He’d have attacked sooner or later, and Jodie couldn’t be controlled. It’s not your fault. Having said that, I think it’s best we keep anything about us out of the papers” Scott laughed.
“Deal” Frankie chuckled.
“Welcome aboard” Scott smiled welcomingly, as he allowed his eyes to drift onto the lake. The moonlight’s reflection was stunning. The moon meeting water, the perfect combination. Powerful on their own, but together they were a force of nature.
“What is it that Jodie wants? Why is she doing this?” he questioned.
“It’s normally about power, probably that” Isaac suggested.
“Power, and status” Liah added, “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. What she asked me to do, she wanted to keep herself hidden from Gerard, so it was something he wouldn’t approve of.”
“She wants her own pack” Liam suggested, “And if she wants her own pack…”
“She needs me out of the way” Scott finished the sentence, “She wants me. I’ll get the message to her.”
“How? She’s not got a phone we can call her on” Lydia queried.
“I need to get to Eichen. Liam, when I give the signal, I need you to rescue Frankie. She must need him for something” Scott ordered. Liam nodded, as Scott turned around and headed out of the flat, followed by a group consisting of Lydia, Maddie, Malia, Stiles, Isaac and Peter.
Breathless, Frankie was exhausted. He was sprinting away from Jodie’s hideout, but he didn’t know where he was. He was surrounded by woodland, but that could’ve been anywhere – the Beacon Hills Preserve was massive. One thing he knew for certain though. Scott lived on the edge of the forest. The question was which edge. It wasn’t like there was a signpost directing the way to Scott’s house. He had to gather his senses. His sense of smell told him little beyond the fact that a dog walker clearly hadn’t cleaned up after their pet. Hold on – a dog walker! That must mean an exit isn’t too far away, surely? Unless the dog walker got lost too. Still, Frankie knew that optimism was key. It was Scott’s strongest trait.
Getting restless at Scott’s house, Gerard stood up to leave. He wasn’t wasting any more time playing nice with the sheriff and his deputy when they could be out completing their mission. He had to start finding Jodie, or she would gain too much ground on him. He could not give her the advantage, only a fool would be so stupid. He faced Stilinski and Parrish, as the ever-faithful Francisco didn’t hesitate to stand up and join him.
“It’s been a pleasure, gentlemen” Gerard patronised, “But I have a job to do. Your precious Scott is wasting time.”
“You’re going nowhere” Stilinski firmly responded, taking his gun out of its holster. Impulsively, Francisco pulled his gun out too. They were stuck in a stalemate.
“Nobody wins here, Sheriff” Gerard commented. As much as he wanted to remain in control, Stilinski knew he was right. He lowered his weapon regretfully, allowing them both to stroll out of Scott’s house.
“Why did you do that?” Parrish questioned, momentarily ignoring that the sheriff was his superior.
“Gerard will never admit it, but Scott has always been his biggest fear” Stilinski reasoned, “We still have the upper hand. Now for some phone calls.”
A determined yet downbeat atmosphere was present in Liam’s car, as he, Brett and Nolan drove through the dark, desperately hoping to stumble across Frankie, or any indicator of where he might be currently. They were heading in the general direction of Jodie’s dad’s old garage, but with his laptop, Mason had tracked Frankie’s phone. He and the rest of the remaining pack were still at the apartment, acting as the pack’s control hub.
“He’s still on the move” Mason’s voice filtered through the loudspeaker on Nolan’s phone from the back seat of the car,
“Keep going, you’re not far now Cody added.
“Got it” Nolan responded. Liam was taking the information in but was paying more attention to Brett.
“How long have you two been together?” Brett keenly asked, referring to Liam and Nolan.
“Almost three months” Liam responded instantly. It required no thought – that was a detail he instantly knew.
“I didn’t know you had feelings that way” Brett noted.
“Is this your way of telling me you’re interested?” Liam joked.
“Don’t flatter yourself, you’re too annoying” Brett laughed. Everything bad he felt about Liam had long since faded, and he was now like a little brother, “He seems good.”
“I really like him. The fact that he’s a guy barely crosses my mind” Liam opened up.
“He’s a keeper, and so are you. He’s lucky to have you” Brett responded. Liam was thrilled. While he and Brett hadn’t always seen eye-to-eye, his approval meant a lot.
“Guys” Nolan interrupted, oblivious to the conversation they’d had, “He’s just ahead.” Liam pulled the car to a half, the breaks screeching as the vehicle stopped just short of a distressed and wet Frankie in the middle of the road. Liam flung himself out of the car.
“Are you alright?” he asked, concerned.
“Yeah, but she can’t be far behind, we have to go now” Frankie warned.
“We need to get to Eichen, Scott’s got a plan” Nolan yelled out of the car window. Wasting no time, Liam and Frankie hopped into the car, and they headed to their new destination. However, unbeknownst to them, Gerard had overheard every word they said from the shadows. He laughed to himself and set his sights on Eichen House too. Perhaps he could get two birds with one stone.
“Are you sure this will work? What if she can’t hear you?” Malia was sceptical of Scott’s plan. They were stood outside Eichen House, in the bitter cold night.
“It’s gotta be worth a shot” Scott optimistically replied.
“I think it’s a stupid idea. We have the perfect solution, just allow Gerard and Jodie to kill each other and we can sit pretty in the middle” Peter unhelpfully suggested.
“There’s a better way” Isaac responded.
“I didn’t say it was better, I said it was easier” Peter noted.
“Here goes nothing” Scott said, before turning around to face away from Eichen. He let his inner wolf rip, roaring at the top of his voice. The sound waves travelled across Beacon Hills – everyone would hear it, but only a select few would understand it.
“What if Gerard hears it?” Maddie wondered, much too late for any productive action.
“He won’t be able to trace it. He doesn’t hear like we do” Scott explained, “Now we wait.”
Brimming with anticipation for their trap, Scott was getting prepared while they waited for Jodie’s arrival. Each member of the team had their special purpose: Malia would secure the exit with mountain ash so she couldn’t escape; Maddie and Peter would keep guard outside in case unwanted guests arrived; Lydia and Stiles were in charge of activating the frozen cell; leaving Scott and Isaac as bait. He didn’t feel too comfortable about this, but it had to be done.
“How are you doing?” Isaac asked as they lurked in the Eichen lobby.
“I’m fine” Scott responded quickly, avoiding eye contact.
“You’re not over her, are you?” Isaac inferred. Scott sighed in defeat.
“Why is it always this goddamn hard to get over girls?” Scott confessed.
“You don’t have to tell me. Isn’t this the second time we’ve had to get over the same girl?” Isaac laughed.
“Yeah” Scott reflected on losing Allison. It played on his mind every single day, and he vouched never to let it happen again. She didn’t die for nothing. However, he still felt uncomfortable discussing it, and changed the subject, “I thought people would be here? The place is empty, beyond the patients locked away.”
“They’re in town with the hunters I guess” Isaac presumed. Eichen House staff were no strangers to the supernatural and had often used unnecessary force against them. Neither were surprised they had joined the fight against them.
“Frankie’s article has caused chaos” Scott mentioned. Despite Frankie now being his ally, he couldn’t forget about the article. Something had to be done when all of this was over.
Pacing back and forth, Maddie was in plain view in front of the Eichen House gate, waiting to spring into action.
“Don’t you think we should hide?” Peter suggested.
“We’re meant to be keep people out. Hiding in the bushes is the least helpful thing we could do” Maddie retorted.
“The whole point is that we want Jodie inside. She’ll know it’s a trap if we’re stood yapping at the gate” Peter reasoned.
“Fair point” Maddie gave in – something she rarely did. They both crept behind the bushes either side of the large open gates.
“Keep your eyes peeled, but also your ears. We’ll hear them coming before we see them” Peter advised. Maddie listened intently. Peter was experienced and despite all of the stories she’d heard about him, he was proving to be very good in a crisis. Focusing her hearing, she could recognise the pitter-patter of footsteps. She simply turned to Peter and nodded – confirming what he could also hear.
“More than one” he whispered as quietly as he could.
“Hunters” Maddie delicately whispered back.
“On my go” Peter commanded as the footsteps approached a human’s hearing range, “3…2…” Maddie’s adrenaline was building.
“1…go!” Peter gave the order and they both pounced on their targets.
“Hold up” Maddie paused proceedings as she recognised the culprits, “It’s Liam and the guys.” Sure enough, she had just knocked Liam clean off his feet and slap bang onto the rock-solid concrete. She clambered off him, stood up and reached a helping hand out.
“Were you followed?” Peter impatiently queried.
“No, I don’t think so” Nolan answered, “What are you doing out here?”
“Keeping guard” Peter responded.
“Badly” Maddie added.
“We need to get Frankie to Scott” Nolan nagged as politely as he could.
“You go, we’ll help here” Liam suggested.
“But you might get hurt” Nolan worried, placing a hand in Liam’s silky-smooth locks.
“We’ll all die if we don’t keep the hunters at bay” Liam tried not to let his emotions cloud him, “Now go!” Regretfully, Nolan let go of Liam and rushed off with Frankie towards the main building.
“Young love” Peter commented, “It makes me want to vomit.”
“Save it for the hunters, catch them off guard” Maddie joked, much to Liam and Brett’s disgust.
Getting to grips with the equipment of Eichen House, Stiles and Lydia were sat in the control room out the back. The two frozen units were controlled primarily from there. Only one was free – the other was rumoured to be the home of a hellhound, one that has been imprisoned in ice since the facility opened. Stiles was never sure if that were true or simply hearsay. Nevertheless, he didn’t care much either way in that moment. He was more worried about what buttons performed what function.
“Why is there never a damn manual?” Stiles complained.
“Because that would be too easy” Lydia unhelpfully but correctly responded, “Besides, we can figure it out for ourselves, right?”
“Yes, yes we can” Stiles felt self-empowered all of a sudden, “Let’s test this.” He pressed the rather obvious big red button, obnoxiously staring him in the face, and sure enough, ice cold gas began to filter through the vents into the cell. They were watching through the CCTV cameras as the gas clouded the room. Stiles tried pressing the button again to turn the system off, but it didn’t work.
“Err, how does this thing stop?” Stiles panicked. Suddenly, the entire system shut off and the CCTV feed stopped.
“Lydia, I think we’ve had a power cut” Stiles worried. He glanced up and saw Lydia with the electricity plug in her hand. She’d taken it out to stop the freezing process. Stiles breathed a sigh of relief as she shoved the plug black in, and the system rebooted, just as they had found it.
“Alright, we know how to work the controls, now we need Scotty boy to deliver” Stiles commented.
Running about Eichen desperately looking for Scott, Nolan was getting panicked. The building was huge, and there were no indicators of where Scott would be. Frankie was no help either – neither had been to Eichen before. They perused the building map on display in the lobby on their way in – it didn’t tell them where Scott was of course, but it would help them if they got lost, and sure enough, it was doing a trick so far. Nolan had a vague idea of the way back at least. However, his sense of direction left a lot to be desired. Werewolves were meant to be good with directions, but Liam always said Nolan would struggle to find his way out of a cardboard box. Turning a corner into a corridor of locked cells, Nolan felt nothing but sympathy as he walked past and glanced at the patients imprisoned. He knew exactly how it felt to be out of control as a human. Being a part of Scott’s pack had taught him how to take a new perspective on life, and although the bite had its downsides, he couldn’t have been more grateful. His problems weren’t totally over, the bite doesn’t cure mental illnesses, but Nolan knew it helped him see things clearer. They approached the end of the corridor, and almost bumped into Isaac, as he and Scott were walking in the opposite direction.
“Frankie, you’re alright” Scott exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief as he had one less problem on his hands.
“Just about” Frankie replied, relieved to be back within the relative safety of the pack.
“Any sign of her?” Isaac questioned.
“Nothing” Nolan responded, “Liam and Brett are helping keep guard.”
“Do you think she heard?” Isaac was starting to have doubts.
“There’s no way she’d have missed it” Scott replied with certainty. He knew she’d appear. She must have been biding her time.
Outside, Liam and Brett were crouching behind the row of bushes on the opposite side of the path to Maddie and Peter. Liam had his phone out, ready to text Maddie if he noticed anything – they couldn’t risk talking. His hearing was as focused as possible. Not only did he have to listen out for people arriving, he had to be able to tell how many there were. Quietly, he heard the gentle tapping of footsteps. They were dainty and elegant, and definitely only belonging to one person. He glanced at the screen of his phone and typed “She’s coming” in a message to Maddie, as well as Malia who was waiting by the main entrance. Now for the hard part. They had to be as silent as possible. She could not detect their presence, even for a second. If she did, the game would be given away, and they could not afford to risk losing. The footsteps grew louder as they approached. Liam peered through the gaps in the bush. He saw a figure directly in front. Water trickled down from her hands, leaving an obvious trail wherever she went. It was Jodie for sure. Liam didn’t need to see her face to know that. She stopped walking, taking in her surroundings. Liam knew she was trying to sense if it were a trap or not. That’s what he’d do. He also knew that he’d be on the lookout anywhere and everywhere for a giveaway to confirm the suspicions. That meant he had to become a statue. The slightest movement would ruffle the bushes. Thankfully, after what felt like hours, Jodie moved forwards, heading towards the building. While she was out of sight, they had to continue hiding until she was inside and Malia had texted the all-clear.
Having sealed every possible exit already, Malia was now stood just metres away from the main entrance. She was holding a jar of mountain ash – poisonous to her kind, and she knew she would be trapped with no exit herself. Thankfully, she trusted in Scott’s plan, and was ready to defend herself if necessary. Even if she preferred her own suggestion of boiling Jodie. Her phone buzzed. New message from Liam – “She’s coming.” Malia braced herself. As soon as Jodie entered the building, she had to complete the mountain ash barrier. Leaving it any later would risk her escaping. Final checks – the lobby area was clear, there was nothing left behind that might signal her presence. She stood in the shadows just next to the door, out of sight on a quick glance. Anticipating her arrival, Malia watched as a dark silhouette passed through the front door. Barely moving an inch, Malia shoved the container forward and mountain ash fell perfectly into formation along the doorway. Now they were trapped. Jodie heard it, and immediately her head jerked to the left, directly to where Malia was standing. This was her moment. Malia leapt out and tackled Jodie to the ground. She had unleashed her inner coyote and was enjoying not holding back for a change. Jodie opened her mouth and a jet of water splashed out, knocking Malia down and giving Jodie the upper ground. Malia was pinned down on the floor, Jodie’s impressively strong hands pressing down on Malia’s wrists to stop her moving. Jodie had transformed too, into her scaly green skin and ocean blue eyes. She moved her hand to Malia’s mouth, about to unleash a torrent of water on her newest victim, until she heard a voice nearby.
“You wanted me?” Frankie was stood at the bottom of the staircase, just outside the lobby, “You got me.” Jodie immediately let go of Malia and ran after Frankie, who bolted back up the stairs.
Bored of waiting around, Daan’s mind was stuck thinking about Jodie. He couldn’t help but think it was all his own fault. After all, he was the one she had dated. He brought her among the pack, a group with numerous supernatural people. Now he had to take her out. He stood up and barged his way to the door, not mentioning a word to the others.
“Woah dude, where are you going?” Cody asked, concerned.
“I have to put a stop to this. It’s my fault she’s targeting Scott” Daan confessed to his best friend.
“It’s not your fault, don’t ever think that” Cody looked heartbroken to hear his friend so downbeat, “She could’ve seduced any of us. A beautiful girl comes along and you fell for her. It’s as simple as that.”
“I still need to stop it. Anything I can do to help out” Daan was adamant.
“I’ll take him, she’s getting stronger and stronger every minute and the more pairs of hands against her, the better” Liah mentioned. Cody nodded his approval reluctantly.
“Be careful” he warned.
“When have I ever been careful?” Daan smiled a cheeky grin as the door slammed shut after him.
Regrouped now that Jodie was trapped inside the building, Maddie was ensuring she and the group were still on red alert. Word was spreading about supernaturals, and absolutely anyone could launch an attack on them. Thankfully, the streets outside were delightfully empty.
“Maybe he isn’t coming” Liam optimistically suggested.
“This is Gerard. He’s always coming for us” Peter corrected.
“Including right now” Brett confirmed, looking left down the street. Gerard walked confidently towards Eichen House, flanked by Francisco and three of Sheriff Stilinski’s deputies.
“This is it, gang” Maddie motivated as Gerard met her eye-to-eye.
“Move aside” Gerard commanded, “I’m not afraid to use deadly force.”
“Bring it on, old man” Maddie had her game face on, as her claws were ready to sink into Francisco’s scheming skin. This was her chance for revenge. She leapt onto him, knocking the gun out of his hand. Gerard fired a shot, narrowly missing Maddie’s head. She ripped and slashed Francisco’s tanned skin; payback for everything he did to her. Peter whacked Gerard’s gun out of his hand, blocking the chance to grab the spare from his pocket by restraining his wrists. Liam and Brett took on the deputies – one each. The third, however, saw his chance. He reached into Gerard’s back pocket and grabbed the spare gun he earned. Without any hesitation, he fired a shot at Maddie, ruthlessly ripping into her back. She flopped to the side of Francisco, in complete agony. Peter wasn’t affected though. He didn’t let go of Gerard, even though the deputy was now pointing the gun at him.
“Say your prayers” the deputy said, priming the weapon.
“I’ve never been very religious” Peter retorted. As he prepared for the bullet to smack his body, the deputy was clobbered over the head.
“Sorry I’m late” came the unmistakably cheeky tone of Theo.
With Jodie hot on his heels, Frankie rushed up the stairs. He had to lead her up to Scott, or the plan wouldn’t work. He knew he was more enticing to her than Malia at least. She wanted a pack, and Malia was one of the strongest Scott had. There is no way she’d kill her so easily when she would be such an asset. He was more disposable himself. He offered little in the way of strength. He didn’t possess the healing powers of Scott and the others either. What was his purpose? Other than being a living tap, that is. Jodie was approaching him. She was the predator, and he was the prey. He reached the top of the stairwell and darted through the corridor of cells. Jodie stopped partway down and Frankie turned around to face her, a couple of metres between them.
“You think you can trap me? I don’t need you. I only need Scott McCall” Jodie threatened.
“You’ve got me” Scott called out from behind her.
Patiently awaiting their command, Stiles and Lydia were watching Frankie’s escape from Jodie on the CCTV. Lydia couldn’t help letting her mind drift.
“Do you think we’d ever be accepted?” she wondered.
“Like werewolves and banshees?” Stiles wanted clarification.
“All of us. The reaction so far has been…hostile” Lydia considered, “People can’t even accept each other yet.”
“We’d have to do our darn best to convince them, then” Stiles responded, “We’re strong, don’t forget that. Even if the whole word turns their back on us, I’ll always be looking in your direction.” Lydia felt a warm, comforting feeling engulf her. She wasn’t the biggest fan of soppy lovey-dovey moments, but Stiles was always her exception.
With no hesitation, Theo threw both deputies to the floor. He had little mercy in him now. Liam watched on as Gerard became the last man standing. Brett was tending to Maddie, in pure pain and losing a lot of blood. To heal, she needed the bullet removed, but it was lodged deeply under her skin. He rested his hand on top of hers, and without a second thought, he took her pain.
“Thank you” Maddie croaked.
“Do you see, Gerard? We’re not evil” Liam made a point of showing Brett’s kind action to the enemy.
“Once a beast, always a beast” Gerard stubbornly answered. However, despite his defiance, he was outnumbered heavily now.
“That’s why you’ll never change” came the voice of Chris Argent. Assisted by Stilinski, Melissa and Parrish, Gerard was now blocked in both directions.
“I never thought I would raise a traitor, but you’re more corrupt than the rest Christopher” Gerard whined.
“I can live with being corrupt if it means I can save lives. That was the job of the Argents all along, but the meaning was lost over the years and we ended up with people like you. All we needed was someone like Scott. Someone like Allison” Argent explained. Melissa was on her knees, tending to Maddie.
“We need to get you to the hospital” Melissa said, having examined the wound.
“Scott is inside” Maddie’s voice struggled to stay intact as she spoke.
“We’ll go” Stilinski decided. He and Parrish rushed into the building, with no time to waste.
“You can’t stop me” Jodie arrogantly said, preparing to unleash a flood of water towards Scott. He was backed up by Isaac and Nolan, and Frankie had the other exit covered.
“You’re not in a position to make demands” Scott firmly stated, “You want my pack? Well, they might have something to say about that.” Nolan and Isaac’s tinted yellow eyes lit up right on cue, as did Frankie’s lush blue eyes. Jodie knew this was time to fight back. She raised her hand and chucked a stream of water towards Scott. The trio braced themselves for it to impact, but despite the water heading directly for their faces, it ended up splashing onto the floor not even halfway between them and Jodie.
“What?” she was confused. It was headed directly to them. It couldn’t have missed by so much. She turned around to see Frankie’s arm out directly in front of him, “You did that?”
“We’re similar, like you said. I can stop you all day long. That’s my purpose” Frankie responded proudly. Jodie looked stumped. She wasn’t expecting this. Frankie didn’t know anything about his powers. How could he have done this?
“That’s the point of a pack. We benefit each other. Nobody’s selfish” Scott added.
“You still can’t restrain me. I’ll have to kill you the old-fashioned way instead” Jodie was desperate. She yanked out a gun from her pocket and held it at Frankie.
“Don’t do this” Scott pleaded.
“Now who’s desperate?” Jodie taunted as she fired the bullet nonchalantly at Frankie. He closed his eyes, terrified with nowhere to hide. At the last second, much to Frankie’s shock, Liah jumped in front of the bullet, blocking it from jarring into Frankie’s head. Daan arrival just after, and stared Jodie in the eyes for the first time since Becky’s death. He was horrified by what he saw.
“Give it up Gerard” Argent spoke. Gerard knew his chances were over – all of his men were out cold, he had no weapons, and he knew there was little point in attempting to fight.
“What are you going to do? Lock me up for werewolf mauling? That might look a little strange on the paperwork” Gerard still had his words, and he chose them carefully.
“You conspired to murder, I think that’s enough for a conviction without any mention of werewolves” Argent retained the upper hand, battling Gerard’s threats away like a game of tennis. Gerard had nothing to say back – that was it. He’d lost.
In shock, Daan glanced down at Liah’s body. She was struggling, but still alive for now. Then he looked back at Jodie. He’d been locking lips with a stone-cold murderer.
“You did this” he said, shell-shocked, “You used me, so you could slaughter my friends.”
“I didn’t use you” Jodie spoke softly, like she always used to with him, “I fell for you, despite your friends.” Daan knew he was emotionally blackmailing him, but it felt so believable. It was hard to resist. However, he backed off, trying to get away. She followed him, trying to get closer, to stop him from escaping again. He backed slowly into a cell, with Jodie barely noticing in her pursuit of him. He looked terrified as she inched closer.
“Join me, you can fight by my side” she smiled.
“I’d rather die” Daan rebutted, “Now!”
Stiles and Lydia heard the order, but they were worried. Exceptionally so. Daan was still in the cell and had closed the door after him. They looked to Scott on CCTV – he turned to face the camera and regretfully nodded. That was their signal. He knew there was no other option. Stiles watched as Isaac attempted to squeeze the door open, but there was no luck. A key card was needed, and all members of staff were absent.
“I’ll do it” Stiles said, bravely taking the decision. He knew he’d always be worrying about whether it was right or wrong, but he’d rather him than Lydia. He braced himself, placing his hand on the button and mustering up the strength to press it down. He felt a soft, gentle hand placed on top of his. Glancing up, he made eye contact with Lydia.
“We do it together” she replied. Stiles smiled, “3…2…1…now.” Together, they slammed the button down and watched as the cell filled with freezing cold water vapour once again.
Just outside the building, Stilinski broke the mountain ash barrier, allowing Parrish to pass through into Eichen House. A hellhound could break through mountain ash, but the extra hassle wasn’t worthwhile. Instantly, they saw Malia lying on the ground, looking exhausted.
“Are you alright?” Parrish asked, crouching down next to her.
“I’m fine, they’re three floors up, go now” Malia commanded selflessly. Parrish ran up the stairs, while Stilinski stayed to look after Malia and help her up.
Watching through the glass window, Scott slowly lost his vision of Daan and Jodie as the opaque gas clouded the cell. There was no chance of safely getting Daan out. It hurt him to have to give such a terrible order but took a tiny bit of comfort in knowing it was Daan’s own choice. Nolan felt worse though. A tear slid down his cheek as he thought of his best friend being slowly frozen, giving up the bright future he had. It broke his heart. Comforting him, Isaac place a gentle arm around Nolan. It wasn’t going to solve the issue, but any comfort was appreciated. Panting, Parrish finally caught up with the group.
“Where is she?” Parrish immediately enquired.
“Frozen in there” Isaac answered, regretfully adding, “With Daan.”
“Couldn’t you get him out?” Parrish queried.
“He locked the door. We couldn’t” Scott clarified.
“I can help. Scott, break the key card reader on the side. It disables the door lock” Parrish ordered.
“He’s frozen, didn’t you hear?” Nolan yelled in frustration, more tears flooding down his cheek.
“And I’m a hellhound. I can heat it up and get him out. Just you watch me” Parrish confidently responded. Sure enough, Scott snapped the lock off the wall with his strength, and Parrish slid the heavy door open. As if it were a switch, he turned on his hellhound self. He exuded fire and flames, and instantly, some of the rock-solid ice began to melt.
Also having panted their way up the stairs, Theo and Liam arrived. Liam instantly saw the state Nolan was in and rushed to give him a huge, comforting hug. He was relieved that he was alive, but Nolan just pointed at the cell. He wanted Daan back more than anything. Theo however took more notice of the struggling Liah, lying on the floor, still barely alive.
“I’m sorry” she croaked, knowing she had to make amends.
“Me too” he replied, crouching down. He lifted her hand gently and took the pain out of her. Seconds later, her eyes closed for the final time, and Theo gently placed her hand back on her chest.
Focused intently, Parrish burned through the ice as if he were gliding through the air. He was determined to succeed. He had an audience too – he couldn’t risk letting them down. Through the frozen translucent surface, he could spot Daan’s silhouette. Closer and closer, he began to be freed. The ice melted easily, with the upper parts crumbling as the chunks below slid away with ease. Just as Daan’s body began to be exposed, Parrish stepped back – careful not to burn him. Immediately, Scott and Isaac rushed to help the unconscious Daan out of the hole Parrish created, and they laid him down on the floor. Nolan’s heart was beating like crazy out of worry as he watched Scott check Daan’s pulse.
“He’s alive” Scott announced, “He needs warmth though, take off your jackets.” Nolan breathed a sigh of relief, sliding his favourite red jacket off to wrap around Daan.
The next day…
Scott jolted awake. Strangely, he was in the hospital waiting area. He looked around, not recognising anyone. Why was he there? Then, much to his relief, Melissa strolled over. She must have seen him wake up.
“Hey sweetie, she’s fine, just resting. The bullet was successfully removed and she’s almost healed” Melissa informed. Then Scott remembered. He stood up and allowed Melissa to lead him into Maddie’s hospital room.
“Hey” Scott greeted with an awkward smile.
“Hi” Maddie responded, still croaky but less fragile than before, “Guess I’m a tough cookie.”
“You could say that” Scott laughed, thrilled she was alright. He was even more thrilled, though, that they were on good terms again.
“So that’s just about everything” Frankie finished. He had explained all of the details to a confused Lawrie.
“It’s crazy, and I still don’t believe you to be honest” Lawrie expressed his concerns, “But say you are telling the truth. Isn’t this dangerous?”
“Yeah” Frankie replied, “But I’ve got things under control. We’re a pack. We help each other, strengthen each other.” He held his hand out in front of Lawrie, and immediately, water trickled out from his nails.
“No way” Lawrie was gobsmacked. Frankie giggled, amused by the reaction.
Sat just outside the sheriff’s office, Stiles and Lydia were eagerly awaiting the verdict on Gerard. Stiles had one thing on his mind – and it had kept him awake for most of the night.
“Do you think we did the right thing?” Stiles pondered, “Freezing Daan.”
“I don’t know. It’s like a famous ethics theory, the trolley problem” Lydia used her wisdom to help Stiles, “Imagine a speeding trolley cart out of control down a street. Five people are tied up on the track directly ahead. You could crash into them and kill them, or divert the trolley. On the alternative route, one person is tied up, and you’d kill one person instead. Which is more ethical?”
“You’re still killing either way, so I say neither” Stiles thought.
“There is no right or wrong answer, it’s a debate. We just did what we thought was necessary with Daan. It’s the same idea” Lydia reassured him, “One innocent person over everyone else we love.” Stiles felt comforted by this, although his mind was now over-analysing the trolley problem. His thoughts were interrupted by Sheriff Stilinski, who had just arrived out of his office to announce the news they were waiting so patiently for.
“He’s being charged” Stilinski confirmed, much to their delight, “Both Gerard and Francisco.”
Chilling outside the gates of the block of flats, Daan, Cody and Nolan were reliving their old memories, with the addition of Liam.
“Do you remember when we heard a creak inside that house? We thought it was haunted” Daan reminisced.
“Derek Hale was many things, and he scared the hell out of me at times, but a ghost? Definitely not” Liam laughed.
“I’m so glad you’re alright” Nolan smiled, looking at Daan’s laughter.
“It would’ve taken a lot more than that to get rid of me” Daan never lost his sense of humour.
“I can’t believe I missed all the excitement” Cody commented.
“As if I’d die without you to mourn me” Daan continued laughing. Nolan chuckled along. After the stress of the day before, he was thrilled that his life was mostly back to normal. He was surrounded by the people he loved most, and that’s what mattered to him.
Eating once again at Phil’s Burger Bar, Malia felt much more comfortable in Peter’s presence this time. He’d proven himself to be more than the slimy dirtbag she’d known him to be in the past. He fought with the pack, putting himself last, and for once she wasn’t totally ashamed to be his daughter.
“Have I not earnt myself a bigger budget?” Peter questioned, as if he’d read Malia’s thoughts.
“No” she replied firmly, “But you’re on your way.” She smiled a proud smile.
“I say we raise a toast” Isaac lifted his glass, “To new beginnings.”
“To new beginnings” Malia and Peter said in unison as they clinked their glasses.
Summoned to the lake house, Frankie was sat under the night sky facing the large lake. It looked beautiful as the crescent moon shone down and reflected against the gentle waves. Any ill thoughts about water had faded from Frankie’s mind, and for the first time since he was young, he felt at one with water.
“It’s calming, isn’t it?” Scott commented from behind. He joined Frankie sitting down, overlooking the lake.
“I was terrified of water for years, I almost drowned. Something weird happened” Frankie recalled.
“You’ve been a nix all your life, you just didn’t know until recently” Scott filled in the blanks.
“I’m so sorry” Frankie changed the subject. The gentleness of the lake was clearing his mind, and he wanted to make amends, “The article. I shouldn’t have published it. I’m going to write another article recalling what I’d said. If I say it was a hoax or a moment of madness, people might start to forget about it. Although, my professional career would be over before it’s even started.”
“I think what the people of Beacon Hills don’t know won’t hurt them. Recalling it might be best, but everything works out alright in the end. We’re glad to have you” Scott smiled, putting an arm around Frankie.
“It’s scary, this world you’re in, and it’s dangerous. People died thanks to Gerard and Jodie. Maybe if I hadn’t written that article, they might not have attacked” Frankie thought.
“Gerard has hate running through his veins. He’d have attacked sooner or later, and Jodie couldn’t be controlled. It’s not your fault. Having said that, I think it’s best we keep anything about us out of the papers” Scott laughed.
“Deal” Frankie chuckled.
“Welcome aboard” Scott smiled welcomingly, as he allowed his eyes to drift onto the lake. The moonlight’s reflection was stunning. The moon meeting water, the perfect combination. Powerful on their own, but together they were a force of nature.