Summer vacation : July to August 2012

Deucalion logged to his blog.

He may work as banker at the First National Bank of Beacon Hills, he still had hobbies on his free time. In case, having a quote blog created by himself. He didn't get paid but it'd be a pleasure if he would one day.

Sometime, others literaries would visit his blog and he could have intellectual conversation that he didn't have much with his flatmates.

This time, he was flooded by spam. A lot of ads about narcotics and others illicit products kept submerging his page. Some hacker got a job to ruin his passion. And Deucalion, as knowledgeable man, decided to find the perpetrator and made him regret his life decision.

Time to reintroduce his team to their old habbits.

Ennis received a call during his work. He stopped the hoist he was operating and grinned evilly after hearing what the speaker had to tell him. He cracked his knuckles and his neck then leaves the cab to do a more enjoyable job.

Kali received a text during her shift as barmaid. There weren't many customers so she checked who and what was it, when her grin evolved to something fearful to whoever was watching her. Time to call her assistant Alicia to resume her job, she had more important thing to do as manager of her own business.

Aiden and Ethan were working on some car when their phone chimed. Ethan stood up when recognizing Deucalion's ring, and because Aiden didn't want to stop tinkering with the bike he was on, then burst in laugh. Aiden will quickly find something more interesting than the bike.

Deucalion spread the word. They will return to their old habbit as criminals.

 

Nolan Holloway rolled his eyes at his dad's loud entrance.

His mom said to not mind him as he just quit the bar of the town and the barmaid scared the shit out of him (her words). His dad denied it, saying that as military man, he didn't fear anything. His wife made sure to make him scare of women for the rest of his life. And that is why Nolan didn't have any gilfriend, now at sixteen and entering in junior.

And it was absolutly not because he's awkward or his odd behavior or even because his constant moving thanks to his dad military job.

"Seriously, dad, when you said we're going to live in California, I was thinking Los Angeles and his hollywood studios and stars, not some lost town in the middle of nowhere!"

"You change your tone young man! Beacon Hills isn't in the middle of nowhere, there are 30,000 citizens, within the Beacon County of 500,000 citizens! And we're next to the Camp Oak Creek, a WWII military base and-"

"Who's abandoned," her mother added minfully.

"-And the Fort Jewett, used by the U.S army corp-"

"That you're not in." his mother once again supplied. 

"And the Beacon Hills high school got the R.O.T.C program!" His father ended after sending a reproachful look to his partner.

His mother just smiled brightly at him and Nolan rolled his yes again at their antics.

"Like I will follow your step."

"Then, use this summer break to go to their summer school! Your grade aren't the best if you don't plan to enlist!"

"Yeah, sure..."

Although, he was an odd one.

Especially when he didn't had the will to fight against his father even if he could totally dismiss him in conversation, or that he really didn't have the force to fight an idea if it meant making new friends. The thing was, he wasn't able to make friend.

"Hey, I'm Nolan," he introduced himself to the guy sat next to him in algebra class.

It was summer school, so most of the students were mixed whatever their age as they were sorted in academics level. And Nolan kind of suck in algebra, but the guy beside him would probably won't follow the same class back to school, they probably wouldn't even cross path. It was a bad idea to befriend him. Nolan thought that the guy got a loner aura and as birds of a feather flock together, they could bond over that.

"...Gabe."

Oh, maybe the guy was as alone as him.

Then, Gabe stood and made a move to leave the room as they were the only one here. At least, Nolan was smart enough to make a move at the end of the class to minimize the humiliation is he ever failed.

Both guys shared the same table at lunch and Nolan was glad to learn that Gabe was the same age than him and according to the course they had, they will share some class at fall.

After that, Nolan just started picking up stray kids to put in his group. The first of them, Lucas, introduced them a club, Sinema, where he started (shyly) hooking up with a guy, that also went to Beacon Hills High School, Corey. Nolan befriended a stoner, Josh, who's schooled to BHHS too. And Gabe nearly hooked up with the regular dancer, Brett, who did not go to BHHS, but enrolled at the private school not even in Beacon Hills, Devenford Prep. Nolan kind of want to explore his sexuality with him, but he quicly flew the place when he nearly knocked the waitress in shift and her plate of drinks, she was about their age and almost tore off his head when the drinks swelled more than normaly. Gabe joined him fast enough that Nolan felt a little guilty to have break his moment.

"No, he was kind of a smug bastard, anyway."

Still, a sexy body's a sexy one.

Thanks to this night, he got Josh's contact and forced the guy to enroll summer school too. And if Lucas' absent the following day, Nolan found his old friend Jiang. Who would have know that his childhood friend of (surprise!) Beacon County go to BHHS?

(Probably his dad, or he wouldn't have choose Beacon Hills in the first place.)

 

Scott McCall left his house to drive to the Beacon High on his motorbike.

Usually, Stiles would pick him up for the summer school, but his best friend couldn't make it today, so Scott will go by himself. Not that he's complaining, he liked riding his bike, especially if it could be a good reason to take his girlfriend.

Sure, mr and mrs Argent would probably frown at his idea of romantic, but he only got this way and Allison wasn't some cheesy girl that fear of riding bike. Actually, she's tougher than he could ever be.

Lydia and Harley were already waiting for them on the school ground, both sort of chatting and bickering. Something only snarky girls (and Stiles) knew about.

"Where's Stiles?" Harley huffed.

Lydia rolled her eyes, something that she kept from her mean girl time but lost some harshness now she broke up with Jackson and was friend with Allison's friends (a.k.a her boyfriend Scott and his friends Stiles and Harley).

"He won't come today, he had to visit his mother."

Harley's mood changed as she nodded, like remembering something. But then, the mood changed again when Isaac came from behind the ginger girl and kissed her promptly.

"Hi, Martin, didn't think about greeting me?"

"Keep down, Lahey. You just had to use your foot and come find me."

Isaac retorted something sassy that Scott didn't hear. What he meant about something only snarky people could get.

Isaac wasn't always like that, or maybe he was but Scott didn't know as he always saw him as a calm lacrosse teammate. He changed his behavior about last year, when he showed up one day at school with a brand new bike and started hitting on Lydia, who had broken up with Jackson then and was sort of flirting with Stiles.

At first, because of bro code, Scott was rooting for his best friend since Stiles did have his chance with Lydia, but then, after several dates, the two remained friends and Lydia started hooking-up with Isaac, who kind of became part of their clique.

Even if most of the time, to avoid any feud, he would eat with others lacrosse player at lunch. Like, Jackson, Danny and Matt, his friend.

(But now, in summer school, without the players, Isaac would sit with them. Even when Stiles' here.)

Scott didn't have the best opinion on them, because not only they played in first line, Jackson and Matt both showed interest to Allison. He nearly lost her to the first one when they temporaly break-up (and OK, he may have kissed Lydia during this laps of time, where Stiles was mad at him, but he was just heartbroken) but thanks god, this is all in the past.

Well, hopefully. He didn't want a newcomer to wreck his couple while he's studying to enter UC Davis to become tech vet.

(Unless he could turn him gay and made him OK with a threesome.... )

 

Malia Hale sighed when her cousin and sister Cora started mumbling about the class.

I mean, like, she would understand if Cora was muttering about her course during school period, but it's still summer, and school wouldn't start in another month (half a month, would her mother Talia remind her), so she didn't see the point of panicking now.

"Malia, you do know that with your grades you should be in summer school?" Cora took a break to taunt her sister.

She only got a hiss as answer, which made her laugh heartedly.

"Come on, you wild one. At least help me gather my stuffs. I can't believe I'm going to move out and I'm still not ready."

"Didn't college start late september? Why are you so stressed?"

"I just told you, I'm moving out! I rather have all my stuffs ready in the dormitory than took an apartment and had to work and pay a rent that I could not afford."

"Don't be silly, girl. I will help you pay the rent," Talia hummed.

"That's what I want to avoid, mom," her last one groaned.

"If I live alone, I want to work and pay the rent by my own."

"If? You're so sure mom would let you live in the house till you're thirty, baby girl," Laura mocked her.

"Look who's talking. Aren't you 28 and still single and living in the house?"

"Watch your mouth!"

"Ladies," Talia called them out. "Well, Cora, you could room with your brother and his girlfriend, they're family."

"Sure, mom, I will live with Paige while I'll see her during world history class and it wouldn't be awkward especially when Derek would be there."

The sass. That's what it is to be the younger sibling.

Malia wasn't really part of them. Well, Talia actually raised her more than her father did, now he's in jail (that was seven years ago after he was caught seeling drugs, to Derek's girlfriend nonetheless! and Talia had to be the one that sue him because of how her son was broken. And between her baby boy and his corrupted brother, there wasn't long hesitation). But Malia was closer than Cora than Talia's other children (all adults), and now, she will be alone at school.

She should had set to be homeschooled inside of the Hale mansion, at least she wouldn't have worries like now. But beccause Cora wanted to go to college (and the community college of Beacon County), she had at least got some GPA so the girls enrolled to Beacon Hills high school last year. They didn't make any friends, as it wasn't their plan. But Malia befriended Kira Yukimura, a girl that didn't even go to this school, who was there because she was intending an history exposition the school set up.

Sure, Kira would come back this year too (for another history expostion, what kind of matter is this, anyway? To have a new yorker come in this lost town), but most of the time, Malia would be alone.

"What about you work for me for the rest of the summer? I just got new employee and he's about your age. You could make friends!"

"No offence, Laura, but the dinner you ran is the kind of place I would never step in by my own if I had a choice."

"Then, I don't give you choice and demand you to work for me!"

"Nu huh, you won't make me your waitress if I had a say."

"Ungratful kid."

Knowing it was just a playful blow, Malia stuck her tongue to the young woman (not that young, actually) before going out.

If she won't make any friends at school, she could at least go to party on her spare time and enjoy herself. And Sinema sounded like a fun place.

 

The bar Alpha Pact was closed, but the light of the back of the building was on and inside were six people that wasn't reunited for a drink. Or, five of them could be while the sixth must undergo all the torture the others will give him.

Deucalion stood in front of the kid, because it couldn't be mistaken. Even though the boy was build like some athletic model and the twin could be passed as high schoolers (which they did last year so they could graduate with passable GPA), the hacker that ruined his blog was underage.

Because Deucalion did his own research.

Theo Raeken.

The boy said he hacked whenever some people paid him to. So he wouldn't be arrested without bringing the perpetrator with him, but since he was able to not be caught, he never had to sell his debtors out. Well, that was until he accepted to hack Deucalion.

And Deucalion wasn't anybody, he got a dark past too. He wasn't always the gentleman anyone would say of him when they crossed his path. Six years ago he was known as the most manipulative man that could started a war thanks to his network. He worked with hackers too, hence he found quickly who's the reckless newbie and made Ennis retrieve him, using by force if need or let the twins torture him till he spoke in the back of Kali's bar.

But now, knowing he's still a child, Deucalion thought about using a more soft methods.

"You know, what you're doing is illegal and could sentence you to jail. And I know Beacon Hills' attorney, a really smart woman that will make sure to put you in the worst juvenile center, then give you an endless community services and some forfeit I doubted you could afford."

The last point landed. According to Ennis who found the boy in some motel room, the boy didn't have a lot of possessions and was only doing hacking (and cracking and all the cyberthing) to earn money. So, if Deucalion really sue him (using Talia Hale's services), he would lose everything he worked for.

"It's some Argent that contacted me. He said it was something between you two."

And he will especially not lose his affairs to someone like Gerard Argent.

Deucalion should have knew. This old scoundrel wouldn't let him go as easily. Before Deucalion was corrupted (and then he corrupted Ennis and Kali and the twins), he was a honest man, thus him knowing someone as rightful as Talia Hale, but after meeting Gerard Argent who forced him to steal and sell drugs for him, he fell into the vicious circle that could have aimed high schoolers and was stopped by an English teacher (Kali's ex) a year ago, and with Talia's help, he's put on the right path again (alongside of his team). And he left the unlawful business and Gerard Argent behind him. However, the old felon didn't forget him (or maybe it was because his cancer worsened and he wanted closure).

"What will you do?" Kali asked him once she aknowledged the name too.

None of them knew the man personally, but they did know he was the cause that made them fell so low.

"I deal with that."

"What about the boy?"

"Do you want us to hide his body?"

Theo tried not to flinch, because even if he knew what he was doing was dangerous and reprehensible, he made sure that look like a job. Editing image, text, coding, all the small thing (and sometime stealing infos) that could him earn him money. He never done some carding (because it was a personal issue for him and he would have live more wealthier), or cyberpimp (he didn't fall that low and he's still a child himself) but a crime was still a crime and he had to be punished. But killing him just because he attacked a blog (it was just a stupid blod about quote!), would be a little too much.

But, well, he didn't really have a say in that, he's their captif and a poor underage that no one would miss if he vanished. So, maybe death wouldn't be that bad.

"No, death would too easy for him, he had to learn something from that, don't you agree?"

Four evil grin matched Deucalion's own smirk. They will make the boy drudge.

So, for a whole month, he helped either Ennis on his contruction site (building him his body more than work out room) or the twins worked on bikes and cars (knowing a little more about mechanics) and did all the chores at the bar's closing (sweeping, taking out the trash and the late washing-up) all for free (of course). In exchange, Theo was allowed to sleep under their roof, a flat customized by Ennis and his construction skills and Kali's architectural sence, and had free foods.

He didn't know why they were so liberal about living with him, until he had to help them do some cyberjobs. He guessed his cyber skills won't go on waste.

Theo must admit that he started to get use at this kind of days, he was ready to live like that for the rest of his life (like they all settle to have this peaceful life after a criminal life to some degree), but then Kali let him work for her, as in to serve the customer some drink for the night shift, as Alicia (Kali's only employee) worked for the morning shift being a lady.

"She had to work so she could make the end and feed herself and his high school borther, you know," Kali told him once.

And Theo thought about his own big sister who didn't contact him after he left the Raeken house, of maybe the Raeken didn't even told her as she's in internship, and nodded distractly because he certainly didn't understand how usual sibling bonds were working.

Tonight, he was serving this regular woman, that usally came during afternoon to make a chat with Kali about annoying customers (she must be working as waitress too), when she suddenly asked if he was even in age to serve her drinks. He panicked and lied badly. It all went wrong starting there.

Long story short, Laura (the woman's name) made a deal with Kali and was now employing him as waiter in her family dinner in the center of Beacon Hills. None of his flatmate see anything wrong and let him be, so now, he was working and being paid, like some normal teenager. Except, unlike the teens that were working to have cash, he wasn't a student.

Laura was surprised, she rarely met drop out kids. Especially someone so witty as Theo. And she must touch some word to Kali, who talked to Deucalion because the man talked to him one night. He proposed him to enroll BHHS this fall.

"Why do you care?"

"Well, we wouldn't like to be reported by holding an underage in forced labor."

Theo rolled his eyes at the man's snarks.

"I droped at 16, nothing to worry in this case."

"But you didn't graduate, did you?"

His marks were good and he passed his SATs a first time before his sophomore year (because he knew then he will be dropping school) with 1530 points and since he dropped at the moment he got his sixteen, it wasn't enough to calculate his GPA.

"Do you want to?"

"Yeah, of course."

It was then settle, he was enrolling to Beacon Hills High School this fall, while still working part-time for Laura Hale's dinner and doing chores to Kali's bar Alpha Pact.

 

Part 2

Their return to Beaccon Hills didn't last long.

For every one of them.

Derek and Julia decided to move out of Beacon Hills and live to San Francisco, to the teens' joy. They will of course bring Cora with them and Theo used the chance to insert himself in the new house.

The loft wouldn't be sold out, it will stay in case if they return at Beacon Hills, and the Steiner twins werewolf of Satomi Pack will live there, as their alpha didn't have much place for them.

But Deucalion wasn't allowed to stay with them as he already had an history of brainwahsing them, so Derek and Julia will bring him with them too. Which surprised the man a lot.

Lydia also choose to move out of this town where she had a lot of trauma. Her mother was accomodating and accepted as she had the 'see no evil' syndrome and Lydia was sure that San Francisco won't have some supernatural problem, at least it wouldn't be her own adventure. She proposed Allison to live with them because the girl couldn't always stay at her boyfriend's place. Especially if it's small like a two bedroom apartment. And let's face it, Rafael McCall wasn't the best host ever.

Malia was kind of envious, even if she had a hold of her power and nature, she couldn't just show up at her father Henry Tate's door like nothing happened. Because there was seven years of vanishing. And her guilt to have accidentally killed her mother and sister under her biological mother's threat. Lydia came up with a story and sold out that she was lost into the woods and was found with the help of Allison (the girl that questioned him about his loathe of coyotes), which is half true.

And then, she set Natalie Martin and Henry Tate together so the girls could live together at San Francisco as Beacon Hills hold a lot of trauma.

 

Their new life at San Francisco was easy to settle.

Derek and Jen (Julia for the other because only Derek could use the pet name) bought the penthouse in the middle of San Francisco with a tons of bedroom so everyone get their own space. Theo and Cora bonded quickly, and so much they were almost closer than the actual siblings and everyone was used to Deucalion. They would go to school with Theo's truck (that, he may have gotten thanks to the Doctors, was still under his name).

The newly set family of Martate settle their new life into this lovely mansion (they could easily afford after selling the Tate ranch and the Martin house) somewhere in San Francisco with four bedrooms, so the girls could have their own space. And when Kira passed as promised the girls just spend the night together. To go to school, they just drove Lydia's car, and later Allison could afford one with the money she saved from her part time work. But Malia was just learning to drive, as she didn't get her sweet sixteen (in November).

Kate lived in the apartement next to the McCall and worked as police officer. She's also learning how to use her supernatural power and bonded with Allison whenever she could.

It's rather easy as when Allison and Scott want to reunite (usually after their morning run), she would propose her place, like it was the only thing that didn't go erased.

They all went to summer school. Because for extra credits (Lydia and Theo) or just catch up with the education (like Malia who suffered a hole of seven years of study, and Cora who studied abroard, supposedly. Allison and Scott were in between, having decents marks but wanting to have an advance and clear timetable at the new school year).

They would contact Kira and even do skype-homework with her. They would go to Beacon Hills and say hello to Brett and Lori at Davenford Prep or even watch Brett play lacrosse (or just check on the five coyotes familiar) , and sometime they would even catch up with the twins who were working their ass off to catch up with school too.

Most of the time, after school, they went to the penthouse and do their homework together. They'd put some music and would hummed along, or they would ask Julia to help them for some class as she's English teacher in their high school. Sometime, they'd even go bother Deucalion and his knowledges as he worked in the city library. And Derek would come home after a day as a construction worker and find them laughing or eating snacks while Julia's watching them with a fond smile and Deucalion would be sitting somewhere and reading some old book, because that's how they're.

It's not perfect, life didn't go easy on them, but they'll face it.

They stood up if they'd be beaten, and they would overcome future threats together, as the found family they were.

 

Twilight Parody

Scott and Allison were cuddling against the gate of the high school. They were whispering to each other some sweet words and just acting like a perfect couple while waiting for the other to join them or just waiting the beginning of the school day.

During class, they'd share some together, but most of the time they woud find other members of their group. For lunch, they would eat together in the special table just enough for them and people will look enviously at them and their pretty look.

Because beautiful people stick together.

Everyone knew that Scott and Allison are together and high school sweethearts. Some found them idyllic, others thought they'll just last for high school, but no one knew (except their group) that they're already engaged.

Nobody knew for sure about the others members situation but there were a lot of speculation about Theo and Malia being a thing. They did act like an old married couple but sometime they could just mess around like children (like they're both in the football team as wide receiver) and this is relationship goal, romantic or not.

Lydia and Cora never showed being tied to each other or even other people. Sure, Lydia would flutter her eyelashes and everyone would swoon at her foot but she never show interest in relationship and she was just the school's genius and the most popular girl being a cheerleader. Cora was more talented in sport and was nailing the others players in basketball but she was this unreachable person that everyone found cool. No one had the gut to say it, but they're pretty sure the two girls were a perfect couple.

Thankfully it's people's whispering and rumors never got farther than that, but Julia would chuckle everytime it reached her in the teachers room.

 

Beacon Hills a place for orphan

"You guys remember Danny?" Lydia spoke up. 

Everyone shook their head because they never heard anything about a Danny.

"He's in the lacrosse team, right?" Scott recalled.

"Yeah. He graduated earlier but got me some news from Beacon Hills."

While Theo's snorting about the early graduation that had something with the guys hacker skills (because he also knew this stuff), Malia got intrigued about the change.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Scott, did you know who bought your house?"

"No, my father never told me."

"Well, it's David Whittemore, the attorney's town. After his son's death, he promised to make teenagers' life easier. Like the one kid living across the Whittemore's street, got emancipated from his abusive father and is now living in your house that became a foyer. Or that one guy who was working his ass off without any adults noticing goes there too."

"That's great. I'm glad my house become a place where people in need could gather."

"Yeah, and the newcomer was victim of the abusive father from earlier who nearly let him drown in his swimming pool because he allowed an alcohol party."

"Well, I hope he got a longer sentence for that," Allison commented.

"Of course, and the three guys are now in better care."

"Don't any of you think your old house became a misfit friendly place?"

"Well, it's Beacon Hills. A lot of people suffered but none could afford to do something. So, I'm really happy that Jackson's father did it."

Lydia smiled because she missed hearing this name, but she nodded because it was a good thing to know that the town was beginning to be better.

 

Body count :

Laura Hale and a dozen of conspirators of the Hale fire -killed by Peter Hale, the first cut in half by the Argents

S. Stilinski -killed by Peter Hale

Noah Stilinski -died from overdose of alcohol

Peter Hale -killed by Derek Hale, cut in half by Kate Argent

Jackson Whittemore -killed and cut in half by Kate Argent

15 ritual sacrifices -killed by Jennifer Blake/Julia Baccari

Ennis -killed by Deucalion

Kali -killed by Jennifer Blake/Julia Baccari

Gerard Argent -killed by Jennifer Blake/Julia Baccari

A wendigo-kanima and a wendigo-berserker chimeras -killed by the Surgeon

The Surgeon -die after injuries from Julia Baccari and Allison Argent

The Pathologist and the Geneticist -killed by Derek, Malia and Deucalion

The Lowenmensh -euthanazized by Theo Raeken

 

Turn :

Lydia Martin -banshee power activated by Peter Hale

Jackson Whittemore -turned into werewolf by Peter Hale, died

Kate Argent -turned into werejaguar by Derek Hale

Allison Argent -turned into werewolf by Satomi Ito

Malia Tate/Hale -turned into human by Deucalion, full shift into coyote after taken her biological mother's power

Desert Wolf -turned into human after losing her powers to her daughter

They took another way back to California.

It let them four days before the expiration of the rent of the minibus and better not exceed some small amount of money for thing like that.

Either way was fine, they just choose to take a southern path because they could stop at New Mexico for Scott.

OK, so he did say his maternal grandparents were Mexicans and New Mexico wasn't that close to Mexico but maybe, that little attention could please Scott. He earned some break and nice things after dealing with the supernatural when he didn't even have to. Especialy when he kept them on the ground, like an emissary.

During the first twenty hours, they drove pass tons of states, just surveying casually the landscape with the teens chatting more lightly than the depart. Even nonchalantly to Deucalion, who's knowledge was entertaining.

"Well, damn," Lydia muttered once.

"What?"

"You know all the things I bought during this trip?"

"Yeah, with my money."

"Right, I just received a text telling me that will took a week or so to be send to Beacon Hills. Like longer than the actual road trip."

"Well, you did buy a lot..."

"That just mean it'll be the same for me." Theo mumbled. 

"Oh yeah, what address did you put? Now that... you know, you're emencipated."

"Scott's address."

"Mine?"

"Yeah, I couldn't let those outfit go waste in some abandoned house, now, could I?"

"A waste of my money, may I remind?"

"You may, but you totally give us free pass so you don't have the right to complain. Or you have but it didn't have much weight."

Derek just groaned and he just prove the girls he became their sort of big brother that overlook everything the little siblings (them) did like a spoiling man. Was he like that with his little sister? Or was he projecting all this intention to the sister he didn't have the time to take care of to them?

"You know what I will really miss going back to Beacon? The ice cream from New York," Malia growled then.

"There isn't any ice cream parlor at Beacon Hills?" Allison inquired.

She wasn't the most fond of sweet, as her parents taught her to not be materialist. So she never paid attention to Beacon Hills' food shop.

"Oh, there are," Lydia replied.

"But it's Beacon Hills," Scott added.

And Malia ended obviously. "Duh."

Theo just smirked. From the time he lived in Beacon Hills, he wasn't allowed to have sweet, because of his parents. But unlike Allison, his parents didn't tell him it wouldn't be good to him, they just didn't care if he ever want something. So, when they died, he asked the Doctors to spoil him, they did but in their own way.

"You have something to say?" Julia asked him at his smirk.

It's not like he changed much after Las Vegas, but the group noticed that whenever he smirked, he's hidding something by not telling the entire truth.

"About ice cream, not much. But I'm glad with my own purchase."

"Well, I'm not sure Lori and Brett would be that happy about it."

"How come? I have good taste."

"In outfit, maybe. But in souvenir? Nuh uh," Lydia tsked.

Theo grinned, pleased by this comment and they realized he's just being a little brat about the souvenir for the betas. Wasn't he always bratty with them?

"Kira said she would pass at San Francisco the week before school year," Allison chimed happily after receiving a text.

"That's good, I'll ask dad to make some place for her arrival."

"Are you for real? You're going to house two girls in your two bedroom apartement?"

Julia and Derek shared a look. If the former did rent a studio apartment just to give an address when she applied as substitue teacher, she moved out after the Alpha pack and Gerard Argent's event and now lived with Derek in his loft. Because a one room wasn't enough for two people, so a two bedroom would definitely not be enough for four.

"Well, Kira did accomodated us during those three nights at NY."

"I still think you were opportunists to use the Yukimura's kindness," Deucalion snorted.

"Maybe... maybe we could find other way to house her. Where will you live, Theo?"

"I'll find a way."

"Find one for Kira too, would you?"

Theo sighed dramatically. "Kira there, Kira here. Are you two for real?"

"Well, you had to admit she's cute."

"She's definitely an adorable person," Malia agreed easily.

"Yeah, from an objectif eyes, she's pretty," Lydia admitted too.

Scott got a lopside smile. "Yeah, she is."

And Allison grinned, happy they aknowledged her friend's attractiveness.

"I have a question : are you guys dating or what? You're head over toe to her."

"You mean, if we're into polyamorous? We thought about that, but she already had a boyfriend."

"And they do make a cute couple too."

"And here you started stating that you want to adopt her," Lydia muttered.

The conversation took an unexpected turn.

 

"Alright, we may stop there for today," Deucalion stated eventually.

"Finally, 36 hours without pause was horrible."

"You mean, 30 hours with 6 hours of break, since you didn't stop complaining."

"I was a coyote for seven years of my life! What did you expect me doing after taking human form?"

"Obviously, a road trip wasn't the best choice."

"OK, someone search for a place to stay and the other find us a place for dinner."

Of course, the teens pulled out their phone and started searching on the net, as the generation Y they were.

"What do you want to eat, Scott?" Allison asked her boyfriend.

Usually, Scott would follow whatever the group chose, not being picky but the gentle and thoughtful person he's. But he had to admit that being in the state of New Mexico, he did want to eat what are the specialities of tex-mex.

"There are a lot of place I want to try..."

"Take your time, we got the night, here."

So Scott chose them a restaurant that proposed the Mexicans dishes that had some nice review so they could all give their own impression. They enjoyed the meal and went to the motel where they booked three rooms. One double for Derek and his partner Jen, and two rooms with three beds for the girls and the men.

They intended to stay just the night.

None used the night to actually sleep.

The motel is somehow run by pro-hunters, that when he heard the name of Derek Hale, he made a call to warn his presence. He disregarded the others people that accompany him, hence when Kate Argent showed up on their floor to make a surprise attack (more like a surprise death) she ran into Allison.

The aunt and niece stood stunned in the corridor, not believing what they're seeing.

"Kate?" Allison whispered with awe.

"Allison," Kate answered back with a low voice.

She nearly forgot her goal and the weapon she had in hand to chock her favorite child in her arms. The two smiled at each other, just happy of the unexpected reunion. Then, the guys' door opened and Scott walked out to say good night to his girlfriend.

But he stopped right in the middle of his track when his eyes landed on Kate.

"Kate?"

"Scott."

Kate was still smiling when she saw him but it quickly fell when a second figure appeared behind the teenager.

"Is everything OK, Scott?" Deucalion asked as he's stood in the way.

At first, nothing happened when Kate and him exchanged a look. But upon seeing the deadly weapon with her and her ressemblance to Gerard Argent, Deucalion flashed his red eyes and snarled. Surprisingly, Kate did the same before lifting her gun.

The bullet didn't touch Deucalion as Allison jumped on her aunt which changed the trajectory and the shot lodged in the wall. Using her werewolf strentgh, Allison hauled the older woman with her, even if the said woman also got superhuman strength, they vanished at the end of the corridor at its audience's shock. It happened so fast that Deucalion didn't even know how to react when Scott apologized to him and went after his girlfriend and her murderous aunt that had supernatural green eyes and snarled like a wild animal.

"What happened?" Theo inquired exiting the bathroom.

The girls stepped out from their room too at the gun-fire and looked warily in the empty corridor.

"A blond woman, naming Kate, appeared out of nowhere and shot at me."

"You probably aren't her type," Malia scoffed.

"Not only that, but she used to kill our kind. This was Kate Argent, Ally's crazy aunt that burned the Hale family in their House fire."

"Which explained the gun and the bullet of blue wolfsbane," Deucalion commented while examining the bullet.

"She's still using that? Didn't she fail to kill Derek with?" Lydia noted.

"She actually didn't get the chance to shot at him as Scott and me freed him while Ally was distracting her. Was she distracting her again?"

"Think so. I wonder how the conversation will go with two members of the long line hunter family all supernatural creature, now."

"Oh yeah? So, she did turn after Derek bite her. And didn't kill herself."

Deucalio snorted. "Doubt she will follow the code while she shot at every supernatural on sight. But being herself a werejaguar, it's kind of ironic."

"Werejaguar?"

"The green eyes is pattern of the nagual. When you reject a bite by an alpha, either you die rejecting the bite, or you turned into something else that reflect your soul."

"So, Allison, a non-combatant werewolf, is facing her aunt, a feline that fight unfairly?" Lydia resumed.

"And Scott, a human just followed them."

"You're kidding. As much as I think Ally could protect herself, using the family card, Scott couldn't stand a chance."

"Besides he sucks in self-defence, the guy's gonna die," Lydia stated.

"So, we call Derek?" Malia proposed.

Better safe than sorry. So much for staying the night.

"Of course, neither of them took their phone."

"Well, having their phone on them while they're going to sleep isn't really adviced."

"They should have been asleep like we tell you to."

"Yeah, but in this case, you'd be shot between your eyes."

"I was there, I could have protected us," Julia reminded.

"Good point. But now, we just lost them and have no way to find them."

"But wait, how does she know I was there?"

"She must hear your name."

"Yeah, but how? It's not like we call each other with our full name."

"The only person you gave your name was the desk guy to book the rooms."

After a seance of torture, the guy, who happened to run the motel, admitted that he had some deal with Kate Argent and that if he ever hear this loathed name, he will contact her. Now, that's done, they had to call Kate's number.

But nothing's so easy.

The other person on the line was definitely not Kate and was also looking for her.

"Kate, we got you the Hale you want, come at this address and do your part of the deal."

They hung up after giving the address and it was thoughtless as they didn't even confirm it was Kate Argent calling. But Derek took the deal seriously because the name of the person they said they had : Hale.

Last he checked, he was the last Hale in the America continent, so he wanted to know who's the Hale they're talking about, even if it could be a trap.

"OK, now, we had another problem. Hale."

"Derek, listen to me. We can't rush things. Give me some times and I'd tell you who's the Hale that is kept from those people."

"And about the cheesy couple?"

"I'll give all the answer, but I need time."

Julia will use some her magic by controlling animal. Birds for instance. 

Turned out the Hale was a girl, guarded by a family Hunters, the Calavera, and Kate was pulled into some temple, maybe Allison thought some belief could help them. They part in two groups : Deucalion, Theo and Malia went to retrieve the supposedly Hale girl with Kate's bullet of blue wolfsbane (maybe they could fool them with some hunter thing and Malia's light hair to be passed as Kate. Maybe. Deucalion's words against them as he saw how the hair of the huntress went dirty so it could be mistaken with Malia's), while Derek and Julia and Lydia went for Kate and Allison and Scott (since Julia knew how to handle werejaguar and what are their power, controlling Berserkers, she would be really helpful with her magic attached with Lydia's banshee telekinesis, while Derek could be useful as brawn). They kept their phone turned on and even brought those of Allison and Scott.

The Calavera didn't appreciated to be played when they saw not Kate but three strangers and foreigners of the local beliefs.

"La loba? The bone woman? You mean the werejaguar/nagual Kate Argent happened to be turned when she's was bitten?"

"What's your link with her?"

"Absolutly nothing. She took two of our friends with her, so we're also after her. But you also had someone we know."

"So you're the Hale pack."

"Ha. No. But we know the alpha."

"Besides why do you keep an innocent with you? Isn't your code 'We hunt those who hunt us'? Did the girl do something to you?"

"She's just a bait for us to catch Kate."

"Yeah, but clearly, Kate didn't receive your message as you had her phone and she's on flight. So maybe, you could release her?"

"What about you retreat from something that does not concern you and let us professional work on our thing?"

Malia was raising a brow like she was agreeing. They had nothing to do with the Hale girl or not, maybe she wasn't even the person they're looking for. It may be a waste of time.

"You're right. We're not concerned. We'll back off if you tell us who's the girl Hale girl."

"Cora Hale."

Deucalion recognized her as part of the Hale family, which is really shocking as the whole family passed away in the fire, set and conspired by Kate herself.

"She managed to escape and flee to South America. But she heard the name of Derek Hale, from Kate Argent who was planning on killing him. Their path crossed and Kate promised to kill herself if she managed to got the Hale, every one of them."

"And you agreed to help her even though you knew the Hale are innocents?"

"Well, we're hunters and our goal is to lessen the extension of supernatural."

"What about we tell you where to find Kate, so you deal with her and then you let the girl go?"

They agreed on that. It couldn't be that tricky, right?"

Except, when they arrived to the temple, there was a fight against the said Berserkers. And even with the darach's and the banshee's power, their friends coudn't do anything agains't them. Allison and Scott weren't on sight, but Kate was in the middle, gloating about her power and how she'll kill Derek, who wasn't on sight either.

But the first group did their part of the deal, so the Calavera, but especially their head Araya (like every hunter family, it's a matriacal lead), had to accept their part by freeing Cora Hale.

"Thank you, but who are you?"

"Your brother's team."

"So...Derek is alive?"

"Last we check? Yes. Right now? Not so sure, since his sworn enemy Kate seems way to glad about the situation right now."

So while the Calavera were struggling agains the three Berserker, Julia and Lydia finally noticed them and joined the group. They were worn out by the use of their power.

"What's happening?" Deucalion demanded.

"We came a bit late. Kate learned how to use her power and transformed Allison and Scott into Berserker, the ones we were fighting and then, they neutralized Derek and Kate transformed him into Berserker too."

"So... those three Berserkers are... them?" Malia made sure.

"Yes," Lydia hissed, because her voice is torned.

"Oh, dear lord," Cora muttered.

"I see you did your job," Julia noted while letting her healing factor work on her.

"Yeah. How do we help them recover?"

"The power of love, but not sure those hunters would let us."

"And how do we use the power of love?"

"You had to call them by their full name and it had to be triggering enough so they fight the rage of the Berserker and remove the mask."

"I wish I could help," Malia swore.

"Yeah, me too."

Theo's sigh was so regretful it coud have convince them but the group just watch the two pathological children with a stern look.

"You useless sociopaths," Lydia muttered.

"I thought you were friend?" Cora was confused at the unuasual group.

"We're more like team," Deucalion corrected her. "Sometime we could be friends when it doesn't involve deep feelings."

Julia had to roll her eyes. "Anyway, you're Derek's sister, he wanted to see so much, you call him, while..."

"I could call Allison, not that I had a problem with Scott..."

"I got it, as fellow druid."

It wasn't for sure.

So, Cora, Julia and Lydia went back in the battlefield where the hunters were losing against the wild wolf-bear creatures. At least, Araya didn't lose her objectif and was fighting with la loba, her actual target. And seeing two badass huntress was amazing even if one's quite old. Deucalion, Theo and Malia thought they could, like, maybe help steady the three berserker or hunters, not sure but then another shot of gunfire target them from behind.

And the shooter was a good one as Malia felt her cheek burn. She only got safe because her predator instinct. If only she was a coyote again.

"I'm not sure being a coyote could save your life. You'd be an easier target," Deucalion recalled her.

"I'd be used of how to fight," she growled while avoiding another bullet.

A woman appeared behind a column and shot her again with a sadistic smile.

"Do you know her?" Theo hissed.

"No! I was a coyote for seven years! Who would go in the preserve just to look for me?!"

"But I did, Malia. And I thought I have killed you the first time," the woman said with a smooth voice.

"You're sure you don't know her?" Deucalion asked again.

"Oh, you couldn't, Talia made sure of that."

The old alpha raised a brow. "Talia, as in Talia Hale?"

"Yes, this cunning woman who acted all nice with me for nine month when I was pregnant of you! But it was only so you could steal my power once born! Then, before I could even name you, she stole you from me and put you in foster care so I couldn't find you and kill you for stealing my power!"

"Whoa, and here I thought you were the worst by killing off your whole pack. She's way eviler to want her daughter death so she could have her power back," Theo snarked.

"Power does tend to make people greedy."

"And mad! So you're the one who caused my mom and sister's death!"

"Oh, sweetie, but I'm your mother. And don't worry, they must have die instantly when I shoot on the car, to bad you didn't do the same."

"Wait, if you're her mother, who's her father?"

"Henry Tate!" Malia snarled.

"Peter Hale," the woman, former werecoyote, hissed with disgust.

"Him again?" Theo scoffed.

But he had to fight when he saw the woman shooting eargerly at Malia who was jumping on her, claiming vengence. With two werecoyote (with full power) on her (who lost a big part because of one of her assailant), the woman gave up on her weapon and used her human skill to beat them. And she was good at it even being an enhanced human. When Malia used her fist to throw punch, she made sure it woud be aimed at Theo and when Theo used his leg to kick her, she would retort with her gun. Theo was starting to feel drain with a murderous mother.

"A little help, Deuc?" He shout at the man who didn't even budge.

"Well, I had to admit I'm quite disappointed how all my training resulted to nothing, why did I spend so much time with you? I even broke your neck."

"Yeah, yeah, but this is all words!"

The mother chucked darkly. "And I'm the Desert Wolf."

She made a move to strike Malia, but feeling protective, Theo took the hit and felt like the world just shook into piece. Women, seriously. But next he knew, Deucalion knocked the Desert Wolf off. Couldn't he have done it earlier? Was it a test to mesure how powerful they got under his tutelage?

Furious that a pretend alpha (because he's without a pack and a wolf without a pack is an omega, red eyes or not) dared to even put her down, she get up and shot him. However the bullet was only a distraction (Deucalion avoided it easily), as she exited her claws. And even her direction was just a show, since she landed a loud hit on Malia. She was on her so fast that no one could do anything.

But Theo's quite proud and didn't like to be ignored, so he bounced on her and hold her tightly on the floor.

"You finally decided to attack."

When he looked up, Deucalion made a show to roll his eyes, so much that Theo feared he became blind again. At least, this time, Julia would be less reluctant to heal him. Well, that is if she wasn't worn off after the battle.

"What do we do to her?" He asked.

"Since she's a professional assassin, I vote we put her down here and there."

"I agree," Malia growled struggling to leaping on her.

"Oh, you think you could? My will to gain my power back is stronger than your petty vengence!"

"I show you what's petty!" She finally leaped on her, even if Theo was in the way.

"Malia, stop!"

This was starting to be ridiculous. He couldn't hold the Desert Wolf with one hand and remove Malia from the other. And Deucalion's just watching again...

Oh, wait, he helped without him asking. The Desert Wolf was beaten up by her own weapon as Deucalion used the cross of her gun to stroke on the side of her head. Blood splattered because Deucalion wasn't the gentle kind and Theo finally withdrew from the top of the woman.

"What do you suggest then?"

"Well, we had the darach with us, right? We'll just ask Julia to do ritual so the remaining of the Desert Wolf power go to Malia, so she'll have her full power and we handle this killer to the normal police since she woud be as powerful than a human."

"Well thought. How much did you use to think of that?"

"Scott wouldn't stop pipping on that. I had to learn something or he's going to make those puppy eyes. I mean, I'm pretty sure the Doctors' experiments all done some fellony, so they kind of deserve their fate, but yeah, if we could help Malia control her power, it's win-win."

"So, I coudl full shift back? Like him?" Malia spoke up.

Who? They turned to the fight against the Berserker and the hunters. It ended probably at the same time than their fight and Allison and Scott recovered from their transformation into an enraged warrior while there was a huge brown wolf in front of Cora. Julia was talking with the matronne of Caravela family.

Then the wolf shifted to Derek. A very naked Derek.

"If you want to be nude so much," Deucaion sighed.

Scott would have give one of his clothes but the transformation and the fight in Berserker torn pratically all his own clothes so Theo gave the Hale his jacket, so he could at least hide his genitalia.

"I reckon we kill her," Araya Caravela voiced up.

"I think I should agree, but somehow, this decision isn't mine," Julia said while looking at Allison.

And the yound werewolf was torn.

Like Kate totally brainwashed her and even manipulated her while she trusted her so much, but Kate remained her family and she's also the one she had left and didn't reject her being a lycanthope. Since Kate was also a supernatural.

"This is your choice, Ally, but don't be too hard on yourself."

She nodded at Scott's advice but then she turned to Derek, because he also deserve to have a voice, being Kate's victim of abuse.

"She killed my family, our family," Derek said while wrapping his sister in his arm.

Because they were the only left of this part of Hale family.

"She's also my family," was the answer.

"She was also victim of Gerard brainwash, I guess," Deucalion added. "And we all made mistakes."

And this was what made Allison chose.

In the end, it was Julia who did it all.

She erased Kate's memory from all her knowledge about hunting and Argent. She let the bond she had with Allison and the fact that she's a werejaguar. Once Kate woke up, they had to explain her she's a supernatural and teach her how use her powers without abuse. Then, she performed an ancient ritual about transmission of power and Malia gained the extra spark from her biological (murderous) mother.

Then, when the Caravela family was sure that the Loba won't be a threat again, she handled the Desert Wolf and called the human mercenary that was hunting her for some year now. Former US Marshall Braeden came and took the body of this cruel woman with so much joy that her smile was blinding them.

At the end of the day, they napped some in the rooms they booked, but with Cora and Kate sharing the room of Julia. Derek had to take an extra. Cora also changed clothes with some of Lydia's because the one on her was starting to sting as she wore them from Sourth America to the States. And she was walking.

They took the road before nightfall. And Kate was still unconscious.

"We just put her on the floor," Cora suggested because the minibus only had nine places and they were ten, for the return journey to California.

Derek was hesitant, the woman did some despicable thing but if he trust Jen (and he did), Kate will wake up as someone else, and it's better if she wake up not thinking badly on them. So, better made her sit on a seat. But then, someone had to sacrifice his seat.

"No need. Now, I can full shift..." Malia stated with a winning smile.

Except, she could have warn them she's going to full shift right now.

So they were actually nine sitting while a coyote was having fun taking a nap on the floor.

To end this trip on good note, they stopped at the Grand Canyon and gazed at the sunrise.

 

Previous

Epilogue

It took them the rest of the week to arrive to New York.

They did had a lot of stop to some others big cities.

Lydia used the breaks to do some well deserved shopping, bringing Allison and Malia along, because a road trip at this level must be spend in great leisure and they won't be lost on fashion sense due to their meeting with supernatural creatures. Julia agreed with them and sometimes kept them company (and also because the money's from her boyfriend, duh). During those shopping hour between fashionista (that Theo most certainly went along because he had hella good taste and because he could totally carried the bags instead of letting Allison do the job, and he's absolutly not doing that because of being emotionally blackmailed by the female werewolf), Malia and Scott would spend the time with Deucalion because the werecoyote wanted to learn to full shift back (hence ripping the clothes off) and improve her others shifter's power (of course), while Scott learned some history with the old man (because being werewolf didn't stop having knowledges), under Derek's supervision. Step by step, the teenagers (and Julia) learned to know the old alpha who wasn't always the killer they thought of, even if he's quite rude during super creature practice.

(Once, he broke Theo's neck to make a point and Scott refused to let Allison train with him and insisted that she could be better with Derek. Not really, Derek's still sour about Argents and Allison shared a lot of traits with his former aggressor Kate, her aunt and best friend. If she ended up more sore than Theo... Oops. Malia's the one who ended good as she's used of violence during her seven years into the woods.)

The group also learned to talk about each other, and what's good between them was that no judgement would be made as most of them got not exemplary story (Deucalion, Theo and Malia accidentally killed their family and Derek felt the same even if he was manipulated. And Allison and Julia thought about the victim under their name -Argent and Darach), to learn to understand and thrust each other. Thankfully, Scott acted like a light and conforted them. Julia even thought about making him a druid as he's s wise, and even a sort of emissary for their odd team. However as they met more and more agressive creature, the former darach made a point to teach the two teenages humans some self-defence.

"Finally! After four days of driving, we're eventually at destination!" Malia growled.

"Why are you complaining, you didn't even drive once," Lydia called her out.

Because even the others teens go to drive at least once during the road from Las Vegas to New York (and it was little distressing for Scott who got his lisence not that long ago). But Derek couldn't allow Malia to even seat in the driver seat, you know?

"Whatever. Why are we here again?"

Lydia frowned because she wasn't sure either, which made Allison rolled her eyes.

"To visit Derek's old apartment," Julia reminded them.

"Was is a loft too? I wouldn't be surprised since it was Laura the alpha," Deucalion guessed.

At his sister's memory, Derek smiled melancholically but nodded. Yes, Laura did have some fancy taste, that's why he buy the loft at Beacon Hills.

"Ehm, it's a sweet memory, I'm sure, but it's not why we're here," Scott spoke up softly.

They all looked at him curiously. But Theo's grinning smugly. Allison smacked him.

"The Yukimura, hello?"

"Oh right, your alpha's acquaintance."

"Shouldn't we calm down with those... specific terms?"

"It's New York, everyone said some stuffs," Derek sort of reassured them.

"Nice. But how do we find the fox? They're not really like us, right?"

"Maybe we should use their word, kitsune, was it?"

"Alright. So, how? Do they have peculiar scent?"

"Even if they do, we can't catch it among all those scents."

Everything's peculiar in New York.

"Alpha Satomi sait their have like an aura."

"Are you saying we had to flare our eyes? Wouldn't it be curious to have red eyes for the alphas?"

Deucalion taunted them by glowering the red aphas eyes but he muttered that gold wasn't better.

"Again, it's New York, no one cares."

"Then, it's settle. You guys go find them with you eyes, while I'll go on my way because I do not have such things. We contact on the group chat!"

Of course Lydia would say something like that. Because she wasn't part of the trip to find some long-life Kitsune, she was here because she need a break from the supernatural of Beacon Hills and spending the time with trackers werewolf won't help her appease (plus, she got the Hale's credit card she asked Derek to make for each of them, so...).

So, the group part there.

Allison and Scott (because it's a date), Theo and Malia (because the former couldn't let the latter alone, and they're coyote mates!), Julia/Jen and Derek (because as relationship goal, they will go see the former loft of the latter) and Deucalion on his own (well, it's not like he was blind *blinks if you get it*). Not unsurprising to say they quickly got sidetrack.

Lydia had fun with shopping and was paid some drinks by some frat boy, Theo and Malia were distracted while tasting those weird flavors in the ice cream parlor and had fun like two little kids that didn't get much use of that (living for seven years into the woods and with three mad scientists can ruined a childhood), Scott and Allison were having sweet time in this archery game (if watching his badass girlfriend having fun beating the ass of some smug strangers was a fair date, then let it be), Derek and his glamorous Jen (just so others won't think about looking at her twice) were probably making out in the loft and Deucalion was... doing his stuffs.

But even in their honeymoon state, the sweet couple found their person.

Not exactly but the asian girl did have an aura surrounding her. And she was cute.

"Did you seriously abducted this poor girl just because you think she's cute?" Lydia put Allison in private while Scott making the girl, Kira, at ease by inviting her to eat Mexican.

"Scott and I thought about our life as parents and Kira's totally what we want."

"She's your age!"

"Details."

"I can't believe you ask me to come to commit a fellony."

"Lydia, she's the one we're looking for."

"Well, you tell me! You're the one with heat-vision."

Instead of answering, Allison went back to the sweet girl talking softly with her boyfriend. They're already exchanging like a father and daughter.

(She alrady had a father, the banshee chastised her.)

So they befriend the adorable and shy Kira Yukimura, so much that when Theo and Malia came, they were all invited to supper with the jap-korean family.

"You smell weird," Malia shot up suddenly.

"I- I do?" Self conscious, Kira sniffed herself.

The poor girl was uncomfortable but that gain Lydia's attention and she looked at Theo for confirmation. The guy just nodded and soothed the undeterminated specie girl.

"Malia means she never smell your shampoo, which is a sweet citrus scent."

"Oh, it's home made by my mother. She said it's great for the hairs," Kira answered him but still had an embarrassed look and suspicions.

Because Theo and Malia sat in front of her next to Lydia, while Kira's sandwiched between Allison and Scott. And Lydia will remind the werewolf for not smelling her weirdness like Maia did.

"Well, now, I know what to ask your mother, tonight," Theo kept on his image with a smooth smile.

What an actor, this one. At least, it made Kira more at ease, because she's really proud of her mother, who worked at home.

"She's my model, and she still looks so young, I hope I will inherite that gene once old too."

"Oh, you're certainly will."

"You're already so gorgeous."

Well, Allison's bi was showing.

But Kira was indeed beautiful. Heart-shaped face and dark brown almond-shaped eyes with pale complexion. And she's lean and had great taste of clothes.

"Is it because of your foods? I heard you asian eat really healthy."

"Well, you'll see tonight."

So, as the night came, the teens went to the Yukimura house and called the adults there, but once inside the place, Deucalion was already here, talking to the parents like old friends. The teenagers chose not to question his way, not in front of the daughter as she didn't seem to know much about supernatural.

Moment later, Derek and Julia showed up.

"Thank you for receiving us," Julia greeted the man that answered the door, Ken Yukimura.

"Oh, it's fine, our door is always opened for Kira's friends. Even their family."

No one commented on this. Are they family? They're a team, yes. A pack, no way. But a family? Hm...

Everyone sit down around the round table that Noshiko and Ken set up, but the dinner was definitly Ken's work, as Noshiko proudly stated.

"So, may I ask a question?" Theo started.

He received various looks, as they were doubting his intention, except Malia, truly enjoying on the foods.

"The family is part Japanese, part Korean, right?"

"Exactly, I met Ken back in Japan..."

"When, as a young Korean, I want to know more about our neighbor country, living closed off from the world."

"That was exactly my point. So, mister Ken, a Korean, totally immersed on the Japanese culture to the point to change the name, is that so?"

The audience was as curious at Theo's wondering.

"Indeed, I was really passionated by their history, which is part of the reason of my profession, as college teacher, and I changed my name to carry the Yukimura's line, as in Japan when some renown family didn't have a son, the son-in-law changes its name to assure its future."

"That's admirable."

And cheesy.

"But then, we moved out of Japan and Kira's born in the United State."

"Oh, Kira did say she was born and raised in New York. Does that mean you didn't teach her the Japanese history?"

There was something else under this question.

"Yes, Kira didn't even know how to speak Japanese."

"That's because I have issue to learn new language. Mom, you did say us Japanese have some problem, right?"

"Yes, Kira, but only certain Japanese got this trouble."

"That's bad luck," Lydia commented, because as a little genius, she knew archaic latin.

"Seeing that, we did think it wasn't time to teach her some of her origin story."

Oh well, that was a really subtle way to tell them to not spill anything about the kitsune nature.

"But I think it's the time. I mean, sure, I struggle to learn Japanese, but I'll try my best! Because... it's kind of sad to not knowing about my origin."

"I agree," Allison spoke up. "Maybe you think it's not the time yet to not overwhem but when it's in your blood, it's better to talk about it before things happen. Besides, it's not like you'll disown her if she didn't reach the expectations, right?"

She was talking about her story.

"Of course not. We support Kira whether she embrace her origin or not."

"That's good," Allison sniffed.

Lydia patted her back wordlessly.

After the dinner, they were sit on cushion and drinking tea to digest the food. Malia wrinkled her nose at the vapid taste. Even though Theo mocked her, he ended in the same state.

"Oh, my god. So, I'm a kitsune?"

"Yes. You didn't show any sign netiher your power, but you did inherit this part from me," Noshiko admitted.

"And we werewolf could totally see your kistune aura when we look at you with our heat vision."

"It's actually the Kitsune's spirit, as we Kitsune are originally deity."

"Oh. That, alpha Satomi didn't say."

"Satomi Ito. So, she ended up being an alpha after the first alliance between a fox and a wolf to defeat the Nogitsune in the riot of Camp Oak Creek back in Wold War 2."

"WWII? So, how does that make you? Around ninety?"

"I'm actually close to nine hundred."

Nine... what?

"And here I thought Satomi was cheating with her face of fifty something," Derek mumbled.

"And how old are you, dad?"

"Forty-three, but I easily pass for late thirty."

Though the dad joke, Kira was glad to know her dad was actually human, which made her a half-kitsune.

"Well, it kind of confirmed my hypothesis about supernatural. You're either born or bitten," Lydia commented.

"Oh yeah? And what about me? Pretty sure neither of my parents were coyote."

"And coyote can't be bitten."

"But Theo was turned into one."

"But Theo's chimera."

Good point.

"What does that mean?"

"You were adopted."

So Malia killed her adopted mother and sister by accident. Even better.

"How will Kira's power start to manifest?"

"If there isn't any trigger, it won't show up, since Kira's half-blood."

"What does Kitsune's powers include?"

"As they're known to be trickster, Kitsune got easy way in battle, having natural super sense, strentgh and agility. The shifting only embody the eyes who turned orange-gold. There's also more depending on the type of Kitsune."

"How many are there?"

"Thirteen. I'm a celestial and Kira's undetermined."

"Then what should I do to trigger my innate powers?"

"You can start by training in combat, Kitsune got intuitive weapon aptitude."

"That's cheating," Theo groaned.

He probably lose his mind when first turned and ended killing off his parents.

"And born were creature aren't?"

"Well, no," Malia growled.

She lose control when first full shipted on full moon.

"Yeah, even born, we had to learn how to control our power. Actually, every creature learn to control their."

Lydia considered it. Yeah, according to Meredith, she must have inherit her power from one of her ancestor. Meaning that even innate, she had to learn how to use with a fellow banshee.

"Then, you got Kitsune for who it comes naturally," Julia smirked.

Unfair. As time flew, the adults had to retreat to pass the night (Probably the Hale's loft) and the kids where invited to spend the night at the Yukimura.

"We had a guest room, never used, come to think about it."

"Dad. That's because I'm only child."

It could also totally mean anything else but who would they be to judge.

"So the guys can share it, but I fear that you girls have to share Kira's room."

Kira's mom made a face at the last part. Wouldn't it be to small for four teenage girls?

"I could go with the guys if it could help," Malia suggested by coming to the same conclusion.

"Oh I rather not," the father quickly rejected the idea.

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time that some of you lie against each other."

As Theo expected from Allison (since she still hold grudge against him and because it was hinting about the coyote's bond. He knew that will stay on him.).

"I don't care about your history. My roof, my rule."

"Well said, mister Yukimura, but it still doesn't solve our problem."

Lydia, have some patience. Not a great behavior for a guest.

"It's too bad we didn't sleep on futon anymore," the ancient Japanese deity whispered with regret. "Oh wait, we could!"

"You want to get rid of my bed so we all sleep on the floor?"

"Well, it would certainly give you place."

"But we're not going to make you work while you're the guests..."

"I have the strength to move it," Malia volunteered again.

"Me too," Allison followed, because lycanthropia.

"Or, we could ask the boys to do the job," Lydia chimed in.

Scott and Theo smiled to assert, because they're the one who imposed themselves.

"...And I said we're not making you work, so you girls will have sleepover in the living room."

"Oh, right," Kira nodded before helping her mother pulled out the blankets.

This family was really a new fresh air. So healthy and friendly. So that's what Asian's life was. No disowning, no parents drama, no neglecting, that made it so much envious.

The girls talked. It's sleepover, remember?

"So, I was wondering with what I learned from this evening... Are you like, a pack?"

Kira's hesitation was quickly cut by the girls curt answer.

"No."

"Like, we're team because we got each other's back," Malia said.

Allison carried on. "We fight together and along, because if some of us got the muscle, the others made it with their brain."

"But not a pack. The word seemed totally insuitable for me. Like, did you see me?" Lydia scoffed as she is a distinguished individual not some animal, OK.

"Then... a family?" Kira tried again.

Because the word 'team' seemed hollow with how they act with each other.

"I guess, you could say we're, sort of, a found family."

They're just bonded really well.

"But I won't see Derek as a father figure," Malia was fast to bite.

"Like no. Even if he tries really hard now, he still had a long way before pretending this title."

"He's like an older brother that made mistake and is trying to stand back, with the help of Julia, who did as much mistakes because she was hurt, but she's better fit as level head aunt."

"And Deucalion's the cynical, but experienced uncle."

That had absolutly no link with the aunt. Julia would start a war if that was the contrary.

"And we kind of refused to aknowledge he's right."

"Then, you're the little siblings."

"Oh, not all of us. Like I'm totally not Scott's sibling or whatsover."

Yeah, fair. Do not promote incest, even spiritual.

And Kira's included being Allison and Scott's adopted daughter. But it's only between the couple and Lydia who made sure it stayed this way.

The following day, Kira and her mother went to the buddhist temple. Well, that was the official excuse while Noshiko took her sword- Katana with her, unofficaily, Ken admitted that Kira wanted to learn more about her Kitsune legacy while Scott asked for Mr Yukimura's one history lesson.

Which kind of upset Julia.

"Excuse me? Isn't my lesson great enough for you?"

"Yeah, well, but Mr Yukimura is college teacher of Columbia, this is his actual subject."

"Miss B, you should stay with your subject, which is English," Lydia intervened because she did think Julia's way to teach history wasn't the best one.

Also, since the start of the journey, Lydia made sure to call her miss B and not Julia, or other name. Because she started knowing her as her English teacher miss Blake, who happened to be actually miss Bacccari, so she won't change that statu between them even though their on break.

"Speaking of Buddhism, are you adherant?" Theo asked in the middle of the history class.

"We do know a lot about this religion, but we're not really adherants. I'm myself Christian."

That surprised Theo who's one hundred percent atheist (part being neglected by his biological parents and because of the Doctors' sciences). Lydia and Allison were neither big on religion, even though they grew up with Christians. As werewolf, Deucalion, Derek and Malia (now they talk about it, she didn't remember from seven years prior) believed on supernatural, but Julia was agnostic since she was herself a druid before turning dark. Scott admitted that he was agnostic too, he said that his father came from a Protestant Christian family but wasn't really an adherant while her mother's family were more Catholic Christian.

Kira, once back, said she didn't have much exchange with her grandparents. Now that she's aware about her mother's deity (for someone close of nine hundred years, she probably didn't have any parents now, right?), she kind of understand about maternal part but as for her father, she didn't even hear about them either.

"Oh, they're alright. They're still living in Pusan, romantisized Busan, the most known port city of South Korea," Ken told her.

"Oh, OK. Will I ever had the chance to met them?"

"Sure thing."

That was easy.

Scott smiled sweetly because he didn't have that much time with his grandparetns either. He just know that the Delgado lived in Mexico and they couldn't come to their daughter's funeral because they were already old and in retirement home. And the McCall were somewhere his father didn't say much.

Lydia was envious too, her favorite granny was deseaced as was her love partner and her mother's mother wasn't that keen on her. It's OK, according to Meredith she inherited her banshee power from Lorraine Martin, her father's mother, the one she's fond of. Allison, didn't even know she got a grandfather until she saw him die under Julia's magic, so she knew even less about the rest when her parents disowned her. Theo thought he killed his parents who were neglectful, so he doubted the grandparents were any better. Derek did have distant relatives, they lived in South Carolina and some send him their condoleances at Laura's death, which trigger him to return Beacon Hills, but they finally moved to the old continent. Deucalion's mystery, but he's probably older than he let appear. Julia lose her family who deseaced from natural cause, they were also the one who lead her on the druid path. Malia's adopted.

Their stay in New York lasted three days, as the road back must take as long and they got time to bond so much with Kira she's in the group chat by the end. Allison even thought about giving her alpha Satomi's number to Noshiko Yukimura as they probably want to keep in touch.

(And Theo remembered to check on his offspring with Lori, who of course give him a harangue to finally remember them and that no, they weren't hunted by any predator -yet-, because -hey!- they're the predators. Brett just said hello and reminded him to bring souvenir. Which made Theo go on shopping tour with Lydia quickly.)

"Kira, come to San Francisco during this summer! We'll welcome you like you did for us!"

Allison gave the girl a hug, like totally saddened by their separation. And everyone went for it even if it's hot like not allowed, but it's USA so they're used to the sunny summer.

Except, how will they welcome Kira in San Francisco when the only actual house there is the McCall and it's only a two bedroom apartment?

(Yeah, because Theo's living with the Doctors, who were now dead. And the others lived in Beacon Hills, and no way Kira's going to this cursed place. Maybe stay quickly so Noshiko could say hello to Satomi and Kira could be introduced to the siblings Brett and Lori and the twins but not too long.)

 

Previous

Following

"Anyway, we didn't return to Beacon Hills for that."

Derek's love stories were disasters but the three friends didn't come to him to be his baby sitter and/or wing men. They did ask to crash at his loft but they didn't count on staying long, the town wasn't their destination, just a step.

"We should go on road trip," Scott stated.

Derek arched a brow. What did it have to do with him?

"Now that I have the Argent Beastiary, the one I asked Kate and the one we retrieved from Gerard, we noticed there are tons of creature we didn't know. Like, sure, werewolf are the main were but it would be interesting to know about the others too, right? We asked alpha Satomi and she told us she know a Kitsune back in WWII."

Allison didn't comment about how old her alpha must be now.

"And what does it have to do with me?" Derek still didn't get it.

"Don't be a grumpy cat and come with us," Theo hushed him.

"So, you want to take me on road trip in hope to find the Kitsune Satomi knew for, what, seventy years ago?"

"What Scott and Theo didn't say was that, we have a vague idea where the fox could be now and we'd like you to tag along so you could used some break."

"And you didn't think about asking me to tag along?" Lydia chimed up.

"Oh, we didn't know you wanted to come too."

"Of course, I want! Like, the past year I witnessed some wild murder becauce of some psychopath, got activated my banshee ability because of the said psychopath and discovered that actually a lot of the residents here knew about the supernatural. I think I deserved a break too!"

Because not only the vetenarian Dr Alan Deaton was a Druid, his sister miss Marin Morell, Eichen House and Meredith Walker's councelor, was also a druid, and she was emissary of Deucalion's alpha pack. And of course, there was miss Blake, a darach.

And last but not least, Meredith told her that Peter Hale was planning a deadpool when he was comatose due to the Hale Fire and made Meredith the benefector by using the Hale family's vault, so all the supernatural would be erased from Beacon Hills. Thanks god the mad man was now dead and his insane project with.

"Well, now, you got your fourth member, you don't need me, right?"

"But we do need you! You can't let four underages go in road trip without supervision, now, could you?"

There was also the fact he owned them his life and they could pretend to be a pack having him as alpha.

"There's something else."

"We need you... and your money."

Like, they did save some while working after school, but part-time job didn't pay much and Scott and Theo only got the pay of two months, as they just turned sixteen (Scott could definitely not bother to ask his father who's working hard to provide them both and Theo 's mysterious about his family state). And they couldn't really go with Theo's truck, right?

"You inherit like all the Hale's fund, right? It must be something."

"117 millions," Derek said with a flat voice.

The teenagers almost lose their jaw for opening it too widely.

"You won't even lose a quarter of that amount in this road trip," Theo snorted.

"Not so sure," Lydia mumbled thinking about what she could do with all that money.

"Yeah, and you want to tell me where you got all your money to pay your furniture?" Derek answered the Chimera.

Who got silence, of course. So secretive about his background.

"I think it could be a good idea. You need this trip as much as they do, take a break from this town," Jennifer advised him. "We could even go to New York and visit your last residence. Well, if you want me in this trip that is."

"Of course, we could use this time to know more about each other."

"Sweet!" Allison clapped her hands "I'm going to propose Lori and Brett too!"

"... I felt like being played."

Scott smiled at him apologetically.

"Yeah, but we need to rent a van that could fit us all."

They would be six teenagers and two young adults, after all.

 

"Well, I'd like to take part in this but I can't ditch my lacrosse practice," Brett told them after his packmate Allison proposed him and his sister. 

"It's summer," Theo reminded him.

"It's a serious business," Lydia and Scott chimed.

Theo rolled his eyes because lacrosse was seriously the last of his problem.

"And I want to join in too but I had to take care of those babies because Theo won't do his work!" Lori started shouting at the end of her excuse. 

The Chimera shot up at this and is reminded of the five coyotes who were his.

"Oh, right! The werecoyote!"

"Yes, the mother of your offsprings!" Lori snarled back.

"Why are you so rude? You like those coyotes! You can keep them!"

"They are too much, in case it wasn't obvious for you."

"Well, I have to take care of their mother, it's handful enough!"

"Oh yeah? And where is she?"

They all looked for the werecoyote who must be somewhere in the loft.

"This one?"

"Why are you still here?" Jennifer groaned at Deucalion's entrance.

"Bringing you back the werecoyote, of course," the (former blind) alpha snarked back.

Theo went to retrieve his mate but then Deucalion glowered his red eyes and roared.

"What are you doing?" They all complained.

None of the werewolf here want to do anything with his alpha roar not being his pack. That he slaughtered the first time. Theo was the only not affected but someone else did suffer from the roar.

"You changed the werecoyote back to her human form!"

"And what a naked human," Lydia commented.

As some of them would know, to full shift one must be naked. So it was only logical for the full shift werecoyote to change back on a naked girl. Having some affair with her (in creature form, of course), Theo felt the responsability to give her some changes.

"OK, you have to put some clothes and we're going to take back where we were."

 

"Still about your job to take care of the offsprings," Allison reminded him when he came back from his room, letting the girl take a shower since... some time.

"I still have the mother to keep an eye on."

"So, she's in the trip," Lydia settled it up.

"And me, of course."

Everyone shot an incredulous look to the alpha. The one that murder his whole pack.

"I beg you pardon?" The darach who wanted to murder him sputtered.

"Well, you wouldn't want me to go on killing spree again, right?"

"You said you won't do it once you eyes healed," Scott reminded him.

"Right, but I got some PTSD and need assitance to get pass this story. You can't leave a man alone after that, right? Besides, Derek, we do have some deal."

"I know, my mother was trusting your visionnary plan and she must be really disappointed how you turned out. Maybe this trip would also help you."

Derek soothed his girlfriend, still shocked he invited the old alpha, while Lydia turned on the main problem back.

"Still need a van that could allow eight people, as we no longer have a coyote but a werecoyote in her human form."

"And enough cash to drive to New York, where the Yukimura live now, as alpha Satomi said," Allison said after a while.

"Why couldn't you just buy a flight to New York?"

"What would be the point of road trip if we just take a plane to New York?"

"And what about the coyotes."

"Well, Lori, since you like them so much, I'll give you the honor to be the guardians."

"You just want to gt rid off."

"And I'm not the only one."

The girl joined them with a scowl, not happy to be human again and she pouted at her offsprings.

"That was a mistake."

Theo frowned, looking pained by her comment.

"Why? Was he so bad at getting laid?"

"I don't know, but the outcome's bad."

Her blunt honesty was sharper than any knife.

"See, you're the official guardian, now."

Lori deadpanned at that and Brett thought about giving two to the twins, now they're training to be Satomi's beta.

"Maybe we could rent a van and go in two days, so everyone could be ready."

"We are ready," the teens said in one voice.

"Derek's not," Jennifer recalled them because Derek was actually their guardian for the trip.

"Me neither," Lydia said.

The others teens huffed in concession while Deucalion smiled ironically. 

"Well, I'm not OK to be turned human again," the coyote girl huffed.

"You know who to blame," Theo told her, as a supportive coyote mate.

Deucalion sighed to have a teenager growling at him. It's like having a pack again.

 

Two days later, the minibus was rented for two weeks. Derek withdrawn some cash, the car boot was filled with Lydia's things (because she stayed fashion even in road trip, thank you) while the others just had some changes and Malia (the coyote girl) would borrow some from the girls.

"Since there is only one way to New York, our first stop would be Las Vegas and we're going use the stop to earn more money in those famous casino," Deucalion said once Derek started the car.

Derek shot him a glare in inner rear mirror.

"You couldn't have say that earlier?"

"We need money to bet so we could win, dear."

"Do you even know how to play?" Allison spoke up.

"No, but as a werewolf it would be easy to know who's lying."

Lydia scoffed.

"And as you underages can't bet, one of the adults have to play the baby sitter."

"We're not babies," Malia growled.

"Of course, dear. You did give birth."

Theo made a show to appear annoyed by sighing loudly, but thing's he knew they never let him forget it.

"Well, since Derek and me are the only adults werewolf, we go."

"Of course, I'm surprised I didn't expect it."

Jennifer rolled her eyes in the front passenger seat and Derek took her hand in his. They had to bear this situation for a moment as Deucalion seemed to know what to do. For now.

The drive to Las Vegas took four hours and the passengers spent it on their own. Scott and Allison were whispering sweetly to each other, sometimes Lydia would say something and show them something on her phone. Malia and Theo were trying to communicate with each side not making a real effort, but they did agree to put distance with Deucalion.

"Finally some air!"

Malia rushed out of the van to breath new air but definitly not natural as polluted by industry and society.

"OK, before we split, everyone make sure to have everyone's contact if you ever happen to be lost and remember, from now on all of you call me Julia and only Derek could call me Jen."

"Still don't see the point, but OK."

So the group splitted and Julia had to keep an eye on the teenagers. Since they don't have much money (as only Derek got the fond and Deucalion was so smart to use it to bet, they got nothing), they could just wander aimlessly while waiting for the cash to come (in silver plate, like litteraly). The teens did try to bribe Julia to do some magic like alchemy so they could pay some good food, but nope, other than sacrifices, the darach wasn't willing to bend the law of magic (BS). Besides, she quited the sacrifice ritual too as she already complete the five steps. And one of the step was about killing (sacrifice) philosophs and gaining strategy and knowledge, so she could totally give them lesson about some class they had difficulty.

Scott did use it for his english and history class, and bingo, Jennifer Blake did apply as substitute english teacher (and thanks to the philosophes, she also got history knowledge). Allison and Lydia also listened to the improvised lesson with interest. Theo, however, watched them blankly from afar before telling Malia he would go round the city. No way to lose such occasion to visit the casino place, even if he isn't allowed to bet.

He was just so confy with his friends that he may have forgotten what his backstory was.

By the end of the day, Derek and Deucalion won so much they got check even though they insisted to have it on cash (they'd look like mafia if they walk with case in hands). Derek had to encase it and still withdraw money in cash from the bank. They chose to stay for the night to rest some before going on the road again. When they checked in to the fancy hotel (because driving four hours then having to spend the afternoon betting was tiresome and Derek deserve fancy thing, OK?), Theo wasn't in sight.

"Malia? Know something?"

The werecoyte shrugged but mentioned the guy was taking a walk last she remembered.

"He said he had something to do and already had somewhere to stay the night," Scott said while reading the text his friend send him.

"Already playing solo?" Deucalion snorted before leaving them to his room.

"Tell him to meet us here tomorrow at ten o'clock."

Then, Derek and Jen went to their room, one bed but for couple. Scott complied but mumbled about the point of exchanging number if no one was going to text the others. Lydia and Malia head to their room, two beds, while Allison lead him to their own room, two beds. They only booked four rooms and if Theo was there, he would have shared it with Deucalion, maybe he did well not staying the night with them.

But at ten pm, Theo told them he's going to stay in the city, while they keep on their road trip.

"What are you saying?"

"I forgot something in California, I won't be able to carry on the trip."

"I'm not driving you back," Derek said flatly.

Theo snorted. "I did not ask you to. I will go on my own, you guys just go and enjoy."

"But, Theo..." Scott said, not getting it.

"Seriously, and you better go now and not delay the trip. I'll see you back in California."

He let them on the place and disappeared.

Till lunch.

"We can't let him here," Scott stuttered, numb.

"We can't?" Lydia asked.

Because she really wasn't so sure.

"Well, no...! I mean-"

"You don't have any responsability on him, you know?"

"He's my friend!"

"And he said he had something to do in California, where we come from. His tutors just discovered what he was up to and disagreed on this trip, that's it."

"But we don't know who are his tutors," Allison pointed out.

"So? He's probably orphan."

"Or emencipated."

"With a lot of income if you saw his truck and his outfits," Lydia commented.

Just like that, they realized they actually knew nothing about the guy that participated the trip with them. Like, they knew about Malia's dead mom and sister that she accidentally killed at eight years old and a father she didn't remember the name. Deucalion killed off his pack and only the twins and the emissary druid remained of his alpha pack and Jen (Julia) was emissary of Kali's pack that she killed with some human sacrifices. Derek, well, his uncle killed his big sister, so he killed the uncle and the rest of the family died in fire, leaving him the only survivor. Allison's forced orphan (disowned because of her lycanthropia) and Lydia and Scott are raised in a mono-parental family. Theo... nothing. Just he's a Chimera who could full shift.

"Does it matter?" Malia said.

"Well, yes!"

"I mean for his withdrawal. It's not like he was forced."

"Actually, he is! Whether it's his tutors or not! He was perfectly fine for all the time he spend with us without anything that makes him to retire. And after one afternoon in Las Vegas, he had to go home?"

"That smells pression."

"Or blackmail," Derek muttered quietly.

"Speaking of scent, don't you weres smell anything?" Lydia pointed it out.

"There are a lot of scent here," Allison pretended.

Lydia shot her an unimpressed look.

"He smelled off earlier. Like some chemical that I couldn't replace," Malia noted.

"Yeah, well, you did live in the woods for seven years."

Theo did also mentioned being turned for seven years now Scott thought about it.

"He wasn't lying, I didn't catch missed heartbeat."

"He's probably good at even his heartbeats."

"We had to help him, what if he's being forced?"

"Oh, do we, now?" Derek grumbled.

"Of course, that's what a team do! Got each other's back."

"Are we?" Deucalion chuckled darkly.

"Well, we're certainly not a pack," Jen shot back.

Besides, there were two alphas. An omega werecoyote, and two humans with one beta of another pack, an atypical team without adding the runaway chimera.

"Fine, not like you will continue the trip without being satisfied, right? And I certainly won't drive back to Beacon Hills for nothing."

"Oh, I could drive."

"Well, we could also leave you here instead of Theo."

 

They decide to track and find Theo. Since his departure was around brunch, they already lost three hours. Malia inspected the perimeter where he vanished and since her scent seemed to be greater than even the old Deucalion, she lead the way to North Las Vegas city.

"This is certainly not California."

"His scent is more marked here. It's like he's everywhere."

"How is that possible? He probably got there yesterday, did he go rampage the whole night or what?"

"Let's just ask him."

Once they find him.

They did not find him until it was nightfall. Where havoc happened, like a wild creature running in the street. So wild they didn't stop when Derek roared in warning. The undeterminated creature leap on them. The two humans having no super agility couldn't avoid it, but thanks god Julia was there and raised a barrier (of montain ashes) against the creature, who totally passed it.

"Oh, my god, what?"

"Chimera!" Scott got it quickly and hop to the side with Lydia in arms.

He wasn't quick enough and got scratched on the side. Malia attacked the creature so they let him go and she knocked them off. But Scott suffered from the claws and was whimpering unable to move.

"I can't move!"

"Stop playing the knight in shining armor while your just human!"

"You're human too!"

"I can defend myself with my scream!"

"Why didn't you do it?"

"I was surprised!"

"OK, you two shut up! Scott, your wound wasn't that deep but there are clearly Kanima's venom."

"What's that?"

"A sort of lizard that are very murderous," Deucalion said. "They're actually bitten werewolf that didn't accept the alpha's bite and turned into a mindless creature that can be controlled."

"Well, glad I accepted the bite," Allison muttered. "Can't we heal it?"

"Of course," Julia agreed and used her magic to heal the scratch. "but I don't know about the venom, as human's body doesn't have accelerate healing."

It seemed that the sacrifice did boost the darach's magic as Scott could move again, even if his body was still numb.

"But it doesn't look like a lizard," Derek called them up beside Malia, still tackling the creature.

"I said it's a kind of," Deucalion answered him while approaching.

"Yeah, I know what's a kanima. And this is definitly not one."

The old alpha got close enough to take a look. "Right, a chimera, isn't it?"

"Yeah, well, Theo did said they're immune against the natural protection," Scott told them.

"That cheating," his girlfriend mumbled while helping him walk to the group.

"Ever think about filling us about?" Julia deadpanned.

"Right. So what Theo told to Satomi's pack was that Chimeras are like super human and creature combined because they got enhanced but don't have weakness like you supernatural got. And he was part werewolf and part werecoyote."

"So, that's why I felt some connection between us," Malia stated.

And why the Talbot siblings asked him for help rather than an alpha, like Deucalion did.

"So, that thing is a combination of a kanima and... something?"

"This person seemed to be a mix between a kanima and a wendigo," Julia corrected Malia. "They were human before being turned."

"And probably forced," Deucalion noted.

"This is a possibility."

No one commented on the fact the two Nemesis agreed on something and got something like a cordial exchange. Change is possible! And Theo would have said something sarcastic, but they're exactly here because the guy's absent!

"Maybe we should take them somewhere?" Scott suggested.

"Like where? We didn't book a hotel as we thought we wouldn't stay long," Lydia sneered.

"Clearly, it's going to take some time." Deucalion shook his head exasperatedly and turned to Derek to make plan with him. "Let's find a motel and stay for the night. Theo doesn't seem to make an appearance and we got a chimera in hands."

"Yeah, better be safe than go in blind. No pun intended."

"Not taken. Here, you stay with the group, I'll go find us a cheap and lowkey motel, let's not attracted attention."

"Maybe it's better if you go with someone."

"Look, I don't want to rub in but the man survived on his own while blind for five years, he'll manage," Jen called his boyfriend up.

"Yeah, OK, but what do I do? Still holding it?"

"Them," Julia automaticly corrected. "Yeah, keep steadying them."

"Fine."

Deucalion chuckled at the coyote's huff and went to find them some place to stay.

 

They thought they'll deal with it in the morning but Beacon Hills wasn't the only dangerous town as they're attacked in the middle of the night in a public place full of human!

But the assailants barely glanced at the were and just target the chimera in their sleep. The person in black outfit that seemed out of the steampunk era and completed with the helmet-mask stabbed the chimera in the chest to the group's shock.

"Dear... why did you do that?" Julia had to question.

Because if she sacrificed humans, she got an aim at this time. Now she's on the neutral side of druids and found it quite horrific.

"His condition was terminal."

"Well, if you killed them, of course it would be terminal," Deucalion snarked.

"It's a failure."

"So it explained the murder?" Derek prompted.

"He was going to die anyway."

"Then, let them do it in peace!"

No answer and the murder disappeared into the night.

"That was inadmissible! And now we got a corpse in our hands! So much to help them. I should have heal them back then," Julia mumbled irritated.

"What do we do with the corpse?"

"What could we do? Bury it."

Thanks god the teens were sleeping in the other room and unaware of the commotion.

"Maybe we could see what their family want to do?" Derek proposed, because an human got a life before his death, right?

"Fine, I'll see what I can do, but no one touch him, in case the police could find our DNA."

"We'll be out of the city by then," Deucalion huffed but thought about taking off the thing that was once a jacket where some of them had to touch as they were dragging the chimera.

Later, as the dawn came, the teens were aghast to learn the chimera's death.

"Well, so that's mean one thing," Lydia said once hearing the fill. "That person was the one creating chimera, so he had something to do with Theo."

"...Damn, his kill disturbed me so much I didn't think about that."

"And since he was willing to kill a... failure? He's certainly blackmailing Theo, who must be a success as he's still alive after seven years being turned. We had to track them."

What a great thinking, who would think it about Malia as the girl had a blunt honesty and social ineptitude. Probably because her coyote mate was concerned.

"Thank to their abnormal scent that one could just not forget. Let's part, Malia you come with me. The kids stayed with Jen, dealing about the corpse and..."

"We'll meet up for lunch, we need to be in form for this," old Deucalion finished, agreeing to the plan.

"And could you guys please use your phone so we did not exchange number for nothing!" Scott reminded them.

"Good point."

Except, it was the chimera that found Julia's group while the two others group didn't send news. It was another wendigo mixed with something as horrifying as they jumped to the group with sharp fangs out. Lydia screamed and she may have put more force in it as force field appeared before her and her friend. This time, Julia changed tactics about the protection and used the banshee's telekinesis ability to reinforce the magical barrier and blocked the chimera inside.

"Oh my... it's mixed with a Berserker."

"And here we wanted to know more about supernatural creatures with this road trip, they were the one who come to us," Allison commented dryly.

"Well, the bright side is they aren't really targetting us. This one seemed more interested about his fellow chimera. To tighten their link or to eat his corpse isn't determinated," Julia told her with a voice that's losing reassurance.

"Thanks for you failed pep talk, Julia," Lydia spoke up.

"Then, what do we do? Use him as bait?"

"Got something better? Because we're still traped in this motel room with a corpse and a future one, that we're using as bait, yes."

Thanks for you honesty, Julia. Not that reassuring but you're doing your best, don't you?

"We should call Derek or Deucalion to at least fill them the development."

Except there was still no news from them.

"I'm hungry."

"Well, I can't appear foods as magic didn't work that way. So one of you had to go out and buy something."

"Surely, Scott could do it. Since we don't know when they will come and that you don't really have super protection. No offence."

But Lydia's dismissive tone clearly let it think it was offensive. And Scott got it, after all, it's true, he's the only human without power here, so he nodded and got up. Allison send him a weak smile.

"I'm sure they won't show up till tonight."

"Oh, me too, since they did attack the first arount that time. But I certainly won't go out in this state."

Allison's glare could kill but even the gold in her wolf out eyes didn't waver Lydia who smirked haughtily. Julia just shook her head at the girls' antics.

 

Scott got to the closest waffle house he found, it was a bit far and still busy at this hour. He waited in the line but got distracted when he recognized a face.

"Theo!" He called him from the line.

As his friend just stared unmovingly at him, he had to give up his place and walked to the missing chimera.

"Why are you here?"

"Why are you here? This is not California, not even close! But we suspected something's wrong and we were worried about you being blackmailed so we followed you here. And then..."

His babbling was cut out by the frantic chimera. Rude.

"You can't stay here. I can't believe you're all here. I told you to leave and keeping on this stupid road trip!"

"Eh, you were parted of this stupid idea!"

"And I regretted it, OK? You had to leave this city."

"Can't do that, because, guess what? We're already in the case."

Theo's scared face made Scott worry.

"What do yo mean?" He whispered furiously.

So Scott lowered his voice too. "Well, we got two chimeras with us and using one to bait the individual dressed in steampunk style."

"You met one?"

"One? Because... there are several?"

"You...have no idea, don't you? Why would you want be involved?"

"It attacked us first! One even paralyze me!" The human defended himself. "But, you seemed to be pretty free if they're blackmailing you. What they make you do?"

"Scott, you... this is inconsiderate! You can't do anything against the Doctors! They're stronger than you werewolves and they will get rid of you like nothing! Leave this city when you still can!"

"I told you it's not happening, besides I had to buy us foods because we're making the siege in this small motel room and Derek and Deucalion are tracking the... Doctor."

"You're splitted? This... OK, OK, let me buy you the foods, and lead me to the motel, I'll convince the others."

"You won't manage anything, don't say I didn't tell you."

 

He didn't manage anything and he was even grounded by the girls.

And even if he told them how strong and invincible the Dread Doctors were, they wouldn't budge because they won't leave without him as he's being forced to stay with them. Why?

"I- I'm a chimera thanks to them. They transplanted me my sister's heart so I could be a genetic chimera. And since I didn't reject the modified mercury, I was their first succesful Chimera. But I wasn't their goal, they need the perfect chimera so they could resurrect the Beast. They keep me even if I wasn't what they want but I'm going to show them that I'm better than what they're trying to bring back to life!"

He was just an insecure boy who want to have his tutor's approval. Nothing like blackmail.

"But why so suddenly? You were fine at San Francisco," Allison asked.

"That was because they were testing on the next city! I was at San Francisco because they let me live my life if I get to do what they need me to!"

"But why San Francisco, Theo?"

And Theo avoid Allison's eyes.

"The Doctors have history with the Argents. They want me to keep an eye on them."

So that was why he got to chat with their daughter while Scott returned for his friend's funeral and the Argents couple came back from the town. He was looking to know more about the hunters and used Allison as link. But she did'nt know anything, not even their story, so he stopped pretending and befriended her and recovered with Scott.

"What were you expecting after you made me take the bite? Were you gloating when they disowned me?"

"No, I-"

"Really? Is this the truth, Theo? Or another lie? Like the werewolf you never were? All the omissions about you familial situtation? Were you really turned at nine? What's the truth, Theo? Where your lies stop?"

"For real? You're going for drama, here?" Jennifer stood up.

"Look, Ally..."

"Don't Ally me. You deceived me! I thought we were friends! You were just using us, Scott and me! You were pretending so you could break the Argents from inside, right? Were the Doctors proud of you? Did they gratified you even if you weren't the success they want?"

"Low blow with all I just..."

"Confessed? Well, payback's bitch!"

"Seriously, guys, you have to calm down, it's nightfall..."

"Scott, aren't you upset? He pretended to be your friend!"

"I did not pretend to be Scott's friend, I genuinely remember of friendship from childhood."

"But you were pretending with me! Hence your speech on my dying bed!"

"What part upsetted you? It was all true!"

"Okay, shut up!"

Even at human's level, Lydia's scream hurt like bitch.

"This is not time for that emotional drama! Theo said the Doctors will sense when the experiment worsen because they bled of modified mercury, right? Well, it's about time."

Indeed, the bait chimera was suffocating inside his prison that no one coud trepass, not even Theo, so neither could the Doctors. silver liquid dripped from his nose and fear drawn his features as the situation was incredible to him while regaining control from his wendigo-berserker chimerism.

"Help me, they're going to take me!"

"Not with that barrier. And my voice."

Except they could never expect the Doctor. Julia recognized him to be the same as last night with the sword-cane. When the Doctor, the Surgeon Theo whispered, couldn't break through the barrier even with his sword, he aimed at the druid.

"Darach, actually."

"A nuisance."

"Wait! They're harmless."

"Theo. You were supposed to get rid of obstruction. Couldn't you do something as easy?"

None of his friend missed the flinch.

"I did! I just told you they're harmless!"

"Make the barrier go down. Failures should be suppressed."

"He won't survive anyway."

He neither as the group was counting on Theo's distraction to attack the Doctor. So he could cast illusion and phase to not be touched, so what about being attack by something intengible too? Lydia went to scream but was cut in the middle. The Doctor was fast and used his sword to slice open her throat.

Theo sensed it too and managed to push the banshee on the side just a bit late. It shocked the group enough to break off Julia's attention. The Surgeon threw her some illusion that destabilized the darach and her barrier. The villain used this opening to inject the failed chimera, killing him instantly. Before he could leave, a knife was shot at him that he easily caught before reaching him. He looked at the culprit. 

Allison managed to use her archery skill but not having an arrow, she used the next sharp thing in hand and shot at the Doctor with shaking hand. Her first living target and she missed. But it was enough to stop the Surgeon.

"Marie-Jeanne?"

His fluzzy voice mixed with frequencies broke.

Theo knew when an occasion is presented and he used it.

"Scott!"

A lampshade was thrown at he surgeon. Of course, it won't be what stopped the enhanced doctor who got like two centuries but even they couldn't do anything against electricity, that Julia could expended it with magic.

They got a Doctor with them.

Julia regained composure after the ill illusion she get rid thanks to her protection boosted by human sacrifice and healed Lydia's cut throat.

"That was horrifying," Scott staggered to them.

"And we got another corpse in hands," Julia sighed.

"And a prisoner," Lydia cleared her throat and was glad to see magic working on her injury.

Allison sniffed. The event was traumatizing, OK? She just witnessed her friend having her throat sliced open and a murder, so she's allowed to be upset.

"Why did he stop when seeing me?"

Theo shrugged and seemed amazed by the sight of the Doctor's unconscious body before him. He turned around it and kneeled beside his head to lift off the helmet. It was an old man, so wrinkled they're started pitying him.

"We should look at his memories."

"Do you even know how to perform it?" Julia called him out.

"No, but it couldn't be that hard. I just had to dig my claws behind his neck."

"If badly done, the consequence could be severe."

"Not a big loss," Lydia huffed while shooting a glance to the corpses.

"See?"

"Wait, isn't it a thing every werewolf could do? Then, let me."

"Are you still mad at me?"

"Just tell me how to do it."

"Well, I just know in theory. Dig your claws right under his skull, it would be base of his brain where is the visual area. And since most people got better visual memory, we try this."

Allison did what she's told and she stilled for a moment, meaning she did it. The body under her stilled too, but probably because of hurt. She came back after a while.

"He's old! He fight in the Seven Years War in North America! He was the Beast of Gevaudan's best friend. Well, actually the man before the Beast, Sebastian was his name. And the Beast was killed by this woman, Marie-Jeanne, she looked just like me."

"Must be the other way round according to you story, this Doctor is 250 years old and the woman you saw had to be your ancestor. The first Argent," Julia said.

"And that's it? You didn't see anything else?"

"What do you want me to see?" Allison squited her eyes at Theo's inquirment.

"Like... the experiments he did."

"...No, that's the only memory I saw."

"Fine. Where are the alphas when we need them?"

"We tried to contact them all day, but they just didn't answer. But since we got the Doctor they were tracking, that means they got caught by the other?"

"Quite impossible, the Surgeon is the strongest and the oldest. The Pathologist and the Geneticist were just his partners that came along looking after his longevity. But they do have a century as they abduct... Oh, I know where they could be."

"Lead the way," Allison summoned him.

"Wait, wait, if Allison leaves, there wouldn't be any strong hand here."

"Though I'm affronted you could say that after what I did, I had to admit that we couldn't deal if another Doctor come."

"They won't come. They're probably where I'm gonna lead Allison because I had to built back her trust."

Not faltering at his biting tone, the werewolf picked up her bow and the knife in the Doctor's hand.

 

They spoke during the ride.

Thankfully, there wasn't much left when they got to the Doctors operating theater in the basement, thus the two alphas didn't answer to their phone (And Malia not having one, because she refused to).

"Look at that, if it isn't the one who lead us to those hideous cosplayer."

"I especially told you to leave without me, you're the one who followed me there."

"To be fair, it's Scott that insist to look after you and lead us here."

"Not nice to talk on people's back."

"So, why did you come here if it's not to be beside them?" Malia grumbled.

"I work for them. Usually they stay like half year in some small city of town to not attract attention while they're experimenting on human. Their goal was to ressurrect the Beast of Gévaudan."

"We got one of them back in the motel room and I saw in his memories that the Beast was killed by a hunter, huntress actually. And I think you already guessed the outcome as it seeemed to be a reel. It was an Argent, the first one."

"Marie-Jeanne, her ancestor that Ally got the same look, which allow us to win against the Doctor. And how did you manage to overpower them?"

"Oh, we nearly didn't. If only you would have warn us they're enhanced and could phase. They could even control electromagntic and manipulate our mind. Thanks Talia's heritage that allow Derek to full shift, surprising them enough for a counterattack."

Thus Derek's dishevelment. And Malia's growling.

"The fact that he full shifted enraged me so much that I mauled one."

Wild. And Theo had a connection with her.

"So, where are we? The scent lead us here, but the Doctor we where tracking isn't even there."

"It's their lab where they experiment on the subjects and where they keep the green serum."

Theo lead them to one room where a tank is put in the middle. There was a green liquid where a human was drowning.

"The green serum is extracted from someone?"

"From an alpha lowenmensh. An hybrid lion-wolf. I'm not sure if he became that after the Doctors experiment on him or he was already like that. Since he's a nazi, I can't say."

"What were the Doctors using him for?"

"The green serum is from his blood where the accelerate healing was the major ingredient for the miraculous substance the Doctors injected themselves so they expended their life."

"An immortality cure, then."

"A healing potion, even an enhanced serum, your pick."

"Interesting, I should extract some before we're getting rid of him."

"We're killing him?"

"Of course, could you imagine if he's free? A nazi werewolf from WWII, he's going to raise a movement right back in the USA. Better killed it off in the womb."

"The term is wrongly used. He's more like in inbernation and we're performing euthanasis."

"Don't be prissy, you should attack when the enemy got an opening, especially the stronger one. Can have them the upper hand and win."

"And kill us."

Derek brought the beta out of the room before she faint. Thankd god, it wasn't Scott, he would give the man a second chance, besides he suffered seventy years in the tank bla bla bla. Theo should also probably tell them he was also planning to use the ghost rider to create the invincible army so the German could win. Hope it would play on his side.

So, as it was a werewolf and as Theo was the only one who could touch the natural protection, he injected montain ashes, wolfsbane and mistletoes in the tank and watched the lowenmech chocked on the green serum that was keeping him alive.

Once sure that everything in this place was dead (even the experiments the pathologist and geneticist were performing), they set the basement in fire not letting any proof and reborn. Theo even checked again once the fire calmed down (without the other, as Derek coud bear to look a place in fire, bringing bad memory).

They did the same for the three corpses back in the motel, as the surgeon didn't make through the badly performed memories manipulation. Of course, as Allison was shaken at the euthanasis earlier, Scott thought she was feeling guilty. Even though, the blame would be on Theo since he was a bad instructor.

After the eventful night, they spend the morning after to rest peacefully and listening to Theo's story once wake up.

(So, he may or may not have killed his parents as he was turned into chimera at this time. At nine, after moving out from Beacon Hills, where the Dreads Doctors aready performed. But he did let his sister die of hyportermia because the Doctors brainwashed him by making think that Tara Raeken agreed into the experiment who could make him someone and not let him be the asthma failure.)

That afternoon, when the minibus drove off from Las Vegas, Deucalion was the conductor and Julia was teaching some history lesson to the teenagers, while Derek was helping Malia covering up on all the studies she missed for seven years.

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