did you love him?

[ 2.05 — 2.06 ]

Stiles rushed into the English classroom, not noticing the alarmed look in Willow and Scott's eyes. He had far too important information to pay attention.

"Guys, I just talked to my dad, who just talked to Jackson, and I've got really terrible, horrible, very, very bad news," he rambled.

"I think I already know," Scott muttered.

Stiles finally settled down and followed their line of sight. Sitting two rows in front of them was a blonde boy in a leather jacket with a twisted smirk on his lips.

It was Isaac.

And something bad was about to happen.

☽︎

As class ended, Stiles and Scott pulled Willow from the room before she could even think about talking to Isaac. Evidently, Jackson had gone to Sheriff Stilinski and recanted his statement about seeing Isaac's father hit him, and that was enough to make him no longer a person of interest. He was free to come back to school and stop hiding. Now with every member of Derek's pack in school, Scott was severely outnumbered.

"All right, I only found one thing online called a kanima," Stiles said as they walked through the hallway toward the economics classroom. "It's a werejaguar from South America that goes after murderers."

"Jaguars don't have scales," Willow informed him, and Scott nodded in agreement. That thing was definitely not a jaguar.

"Yeah, and I'm not exactly a murderer," Stiles pointed out bitterly. He wasn't pleased with now being attacked twice by the creature.

"Yeah, but you did see it kill somebody, which is probably why it tried to kill you. And it's still trying to kill you, and it probably won't stop until you're dead," Scott guessed.

"You know, sometimes I really begin to question this friendship," Stiles muttered.

They continued discussing the possible motives of the kanima as they arrived at class. Willow took a seat behind Stiles. A few moments later, she was surprised by Jackson taking the seat next to hers — he typically sat by Danny.

"Hey, testicle left and right," Jackson whispered, clearly addressing Stiles and Scott. "What the hell is a kanima?"

All three of them whipped their heads around to look at Jackson, wondering how he had heard about the kanima. But they couldn't get their answer right away as Coach slammed a book on his desk to get their attention and begin class.

"All right, listen up. A quick warning before we begin our review. Some of you, like McCall, might want to start their own study groups because tomorrow's midterm is so profoundly difficult. I'm not even too sure I could pass it. Okay, I need a volunteer at the board to answer the first question. Who's got it, huh?"

It was one of the rare times that Willow didn't raise her hand to answer a question. She needed to stay put and listen to Jackson, who had somehow become involved in all of this. And evidently, Derek was the one to involve him. They kidnapped Jackson the night before and tested him with kanima venom.

"Paralyzed from the neck down. Do you have any idea what that feels like?" he asked, clearly still upset about it.

"I'm familiar with the sensation," Stiles muttered.

"Wait - why would Derek test you? Why would he think that it's you?" Scott asked.

Willow frowned and realized that in addition to not many of them knowing Jackson was bitten, they also didn't know that nothing happened to him on the full moon. But at least since the test didn't work, Willow didn't have to worry about him being the kanima.

"How should I know?" Jackson asked, clearly uncomfortable with the question. He glanced at Willow, who silently assured him that she'd kept her mouth shut about his inability to shift.

"Wait, do they think it's Lydia?" Stiles then asked.

"I don't know, all I heard was her name and something about chemistry—"

"Jackson!" Couch shouted, interrupting their conversation. Willow quickly sat back in her seat and began copying notes, not wanting to get in trouble for talking. "Do you have something you want to share with the rest of the class?"

Jackson floundered for a moment, trying to think of something to say. "Um, just an undying admiration for my - my coach."

"That's really kind of you," Coach muttered, knowing he was just being a kissass. "Now shut up! Shut it! Anybody else?"

As soon as Coach stepped away, Scott leaned closer to Stiles. "How do we know it's not her?"

"Because I looked into the eyes of that thing, okay? And what I saw was pure evil. And when I look into Lydia's eyes, I only see fifty percent evil. All right, maybe sixty. You know, but no more than forty on a good day," Stiles told him, which wasn't very convincing.

"Stiles, that's not a very good argument," Scott pointed out.

"I'm aware of that," he muttered. "But I swear it's not her. It can't be, all right? Lydia's fine."

It seemed the universe was determined to prove how not fine Lydia was. The girl who had been up at the board answering a question had begun to silently cry while writing something unintelligible on the board. It took Coach several attempts to snap her out of the terrified state.

Willow squinted at the words that were repeated, something about them looking familiar and yet not at the same time. It looked like the writing of a crazy person.

"Okay then, anybody else want to try answering?" Coach asked as Lydia stumbled back to her seat, ignoring the laugher. "This time in English?"

"What is that, Greek?" Scott asked, peering at the board.

Willow shook her head but didn't say anything aloud. She was too busy writing the letters on her notebook, which were backward on the board.

"No, actually, I think it is English," Stiles muttered. He pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the board. Then he flipped the photo just as Willow slid her paper with the correct message over to them.

SOMEONE HELP ME.

"It's not her," Willow whispered to herself.

But as class went on and Willow let herself think, she wasn't so sure. She recalled the night from the week before when Lydia slept over. She thought of all the things Lydia had admitted to her.

How she was seeing things that weren't there. How she was doing things she didn't remember. How she felt like she was going crazy.

Maybe she wasn't going crazy. Maybe she was the kanima.

☽︎

"Derek is not gonna kill her without proof," Scott insisted as he, Stiles, and Willow entered the chemistry lab. They had an experiment instead of class that day.

"All right, so he tests her like he did with Jackson, right? But when and where?" Stiles asked.

"Surely not somewhere that would make a scene," Willow said. After all, a girl being paralyzed would cause quite an uproar.

"Actually, I think here and now," Scott told them, a grim look on his face.

He was looking up at Erica and Isaac, who came in through the other door. Their eyes were fixed on Lydia, who was sitting at a lab table all on her own. Scott moved quickly, taking the empty seat next to her before the other werewolves could get there. To be careful, Stiles sat on Lydia's other side, earning a confused look from the girl.

Figuring that four people at one small table would be too many, Willow took a seat at the empty table next to them. Allison came in and saw that her usual spot next to Lydia was taken, so she joined Willow while shooting Scott a questioning look.

"Erica and Isaac," Willow whispered, telling her that Lydia was in danger.

Harris began walking around the room once the bell rang and everyone was seated. "Einstein once said, "Two things are infinite: The universe and human stupidity; And I'm not sure about the universe." I myself have encountered infinite stupidity." Everyone snickered as he pat Stiles on the shoulder. "So to combat the plague of ignorance in my class, you're going to combine efforts through a round of group experiments. Let's see if two heads are indeed better than one. Or in Mr. Stilinski's case, less than one. Erica, you take the first station. You'll start with—"

Almost every boy and a few girls raised their hands instantly, volunteering to be Erica's lab partner. She looked around with a pleased smirk as Mr. Harris sighed in annoyance.

"I didn't ask for volunteers. Put your hormonal little hands down. Start with Mr. McCall," he ordered. "All right, next two."

Thankfully, Lydia ended up paired with Allison for the first rotation. Willow stayed seated and waited for her partner to be assigned while she sorted the lab equipment. Of course, it was Willow's luck that Isaac would take up the empty seat next to her.

"Well, hello there," he greeted with a chipper smirk. "Long time no see."

"Look, Isaac, I'll be honest with you," she said, starting the experiment. "I'm very happy you're not a fugitive anymore and I'm glad you're back at school because education is very important."

"I forgot how adorable you are," he said, chuckling. But he did at least help her with the chemicals.

"But you - you can't kill Lydia. This isn't who you are, Isaac. You're not a killer," she whispered. "Please don't let Derek and the bite change you."

"I'm not the killer, Willow. She is," he said, cutting his eyes to Lydia. "And we're not going to let her hurt anyone else, least of all you."

"She's my best friend," Willow said, tears welling in her eyes. "I can't watch you kill her."

Mr. Harris suddenly told them to rotate stations. As Isaac stood, he seemed almost remorseful as he glanced at her. "Then don't look."

Things didn't get better as Erica replaced Isaac — Stiles had snagged the spot next to Lydia, keeping her away.

"Hi, gorgeous," Erica greeted brightly, as if they weren't about to try and kill Lydia.

"Hi, Erica," Willow said civilly while continuing the experiment. "I'm glad you're okay after the kanima attack the other night."

"You mean the Lydia attack?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's not her," she said in a firm tone. Willow wouldn't even look at Erica, who noticed.

"Oh, is someone still upset about that kiss?" Erica asked. She got as much of a reaction as she expected. Willow's cheeks were red — whether from anger or embarrassment, she didn't know — and her grip on the beaker tightened, but that was it.

"I don't care if you and Derek are dating," Willow said. One didn't have to listen to her heartbeat to know it was a lie.

"We're not dating," Erica admitted after a moment. "It was just a stunt Isaac and I were trying to distract him at training with. It didn't work, and he was beyond pissed after."

Willow glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. "Why are you telling me?" she asked, shifting in her seat.

"Because before Isaac and Boyd, you were the only friend I ever had," Erica admitted, sighing. "Plus, Derek's my alpha, and I want him to be happy."

"Derek and I — we aren't getting back together," she said, shaking the thought from her head.

"Did you know he goes to your house each night and checks to see if you still lock your window for him?" she asked, studying Willow. "Boyd and I followed him one night to see where he kept running off too. Even after he sees it's locked, he just sits there and listens to your heartbeat. Listens to make sure you're safe. It's both creepy and romantic."

Derek's specialty.

Erica may have thought she was helping or maybe being sweet by telling Willow all that, but it just hurt more than anything. It hurt because she did still want Derek. But what was going on was just a harsh reminder of why she wouldn't go back to him.

"I locked the window after he almost killed Scott at the ice rink," Willow said, looking at the mixture inside of the beaker to watch it react. "And what's he doing now? He's dead set on killing Lydia. No amount of pouting outside my window will ever change the fact that he's turning into something that terrifies me."

"Did you love him?" Erica then asked softly. Her eyes weren't fixed on Willow, but on the window where she knew someone was listening from the parking lot. He was likely going to be very pissed off at Erica for prying, but it was worth it.

"It doesn't matter," was all Willow said quietly. And then the stations were rotating. "Not anymore."

It was Jackson who joined Willow's station next. As they worked, he glanced at Isaac, who was sitting with Lydia. Erica, Stiles, Scott, and Willow didn't take their eyes off them either.

"What's about to happen?" Jackson whispered.

"Nothing good," she muttered. "But no matter what happens, we'll protect her — just like we'd have protected you if the test failed. Neither of you is the kanima."

"You'd really still help me if I was something like that?" he asked, his face softening.

"Willow Worthington can always be counted on to hold your hand when you get shots and to stand in your corner when accused of being a giant, murderous lizard," she informed him, earning a smile from him.

"Time," Harris then called, stopping the lab. "If you've catalyzed the reaction correctly, you should now be looking at a crystal."

Willow held up the beaker to peer inside, spotting the clear crystal at the bottom. Jackson reached in with a pair of tongs and pulled it out for them to examine. Willow glanced to Stiles' station to see a thick glob of a gooey, yellow substance in his beaker. How he had managed that, she didn't know.

"Now for the part of that last experiment I'm sure you'll all enjoy — You can eat it."

That must have been the plan. Isaac was holding out the crystal to Lydia's careful not to touch it as he held it with tongs. Willow held her breath as Lydia reached for it.

"Lydia!" Scott shouted suddenly, standing as well.

She had already grabbed the crystal though, so it was too late. Lydia looked at Scott over her shoulder, alarmed by his outburst. "What?"

"Nothing," he said defeatedly.

They all watched as Lydia brought the crystal to her lips, the object coated in kanima venom. She bit into it, and they all waited with bated breath. Chills ran down Willow's spine as Lydia continued to move her limbs effortlessly.

Nothing happened.

☽︎

Willow, Scott, Stiles, and Allison all filed into Coach's office to talk about what to do next. Now that Lydia passed the test, they were sure that Derek was near, waiting for his moment to strike.

"Derek's outside waiting for Lydia," Scott said, able to smell the alpha from inside the school.

"Waiting to kill her?" Allison asked.

"If he thinks she's the kanima, then yes, especially after what happened at the pool," Scott said.

"It's not her," Stiles said, and Willow nodded in agreement.

"Stiles, she didn't pass the test, man. Nothing happened," he told him.

"N - no," Willow said, shaking her head. "It is not Lydia, and we are not letting Derek kill her."

"But if it was, it'd make sense why she didn't hurt you at the pool," Scott pointed out. "She wouldn't want to hurt her best friend."

"It's not—"

"It doesn't matter, because Derek thinks it's her," Allison interrupted. Scott and Willow would continue to go in circles if she didn't stop them. "So either we can convince him that he's wrong, or we've got to figure out a way to protect her."

"Well, I really don't think he's gonna do anything here, not at school," Scott said.

"What about after school? What if we can prove that Derek's wrong?" she asked.

"By three o'clock?" Stiles asked doubtfully. That gave them two more class periods, one of which was ticking by as they spoke.

"There could be something in the bestiary," Allison suggested.

"Oh, you mean the nine hundred-page book written in archaic Latin that none of us can read, except for Willow, who only recognizes every tenth word?" Stiles asked sarcastically. "Good luck with that."

"Actually, I think I know someone who might be able to translate it," Allison murmured without actually telling them who she was thinking of.

"Uh, I can talk to Derek, maybe convince him to give us a chance to prove that it's not her," Scott planned. "But if anything happens, you guys let me handle it, okay?"

"What does that mean?" Allison asked, raising an eyebrow. Scott couldn't handle this on his own. Not with Lydia's life on the line.

"That you can't heal like I do. I just don't want you to get hurt," he said.

"I can protect myself," she said. Then Allison pulled a miniature crossbow out of her bag and looked ready for battle as she held it up.

"You bring that to school?" Willow asked, her eyes wide. "That's a weapon! You could get expelled."

"How are you still reluctant to break rules after everything we've been through?" Stiles asked her, shaking his head.

Allison had ignored Willow's protesting and focused on Scott, who still looked troubled. "What? Did something else happen?"

"I just don't want you getting hurt. Seriously, if anything goes wrong, you call me, okay? I - I don't care if your dad finds out. Call, text, scream, yell, whatever. I'll hear you and I'll find you as fast as I can," he told her. Then he turned to leave. "We have until three."

Suddenly an arrow flew through the air, straight toward Scott's head. Luckily, the werewolf turned just in time and caught it, his eyes wide. They all turned to see Stiles with the crossbow in hand. He had been toying with it and accidentally shot Scott.

"Ah. Sorry. Sorry," he muttered, setting the weapon down gently. "Sensitive trigger on that."

"And that's why we don't bring weapons to school," Willow said, sounding like a mother as she crossed her arms.

☽︎

Willow really didn't appreciate being constantly dragged to meetings with Derek. It was becoming a habit, and it did more harm — emotional, at least — than good. But her complaining didn't stop Scott from pulling her to the lacrosse field, following Derek's scent. However, they instead found Boyd waiting for them.

"He bought them all matching leather jackets," Willow whispered to Scott, though of course, Boyd could hear. "That's kind of nice."

"Yeah, Willow, they join his pack by wearing leather and murdering teenage girls," he said, rolling his eyes. Then he looked to Boyd. "I want to talk to Derek."

"Talk to me," Boyd said, shrugging.

"I don't want to fight," he told him.

"Good, 'cause I'm twice the size of you," he said, smirking.

"True," Scott muttered.

"Really, really true," Willow whispered, backing behind Scott. If Boyd was big compared to Scott, he was terrifyingly large next to Willow.

"You wanna know what I think?" Scott asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm twice as fast."

He moved quickly, knocking Boyd over before the newest wolf even had time to process. And by the time both boys were back on their feet, Derek had appeared, startling Scott and Willow.

"She failed the test," was all Derek said.

"Yeah, which doesn't prove anything," Scott said. "Lydia's different."

"I know, at night she turns into a homicidal walking snake," he said, a twisted smirk on his face.

"I'm not going to let you kill her," Scott declared.

Derek looked rather amused as he glanced at Boyd. "Who said I was gonna do it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Erica and Isaac, Willow realized as she looked toward the school. Scott started toward the school, but Boyd quickly tackled him. And a hand shot out, grabbing Willow before she could run away. Derek pulled her into his chest, not letting her go as she struggled for a few seconds.

"I don't know why you think you have to protect everyone now, Scott, but even so, Lydia has killed people and she's gonna do it again, and next time, it's gonna be one of us," Derek said, looking down at Scott.

"What if you're wrong?" he asked, rubbing his sore chest.

"She was bitten by an alpha. It's her," he said, no doubt in his tone.

"You saw that thing up close. You know it's not like us."

"But it is! We're all shapeshifters. You don't know what you're dealing with. It happens rarely and it happens for a reason," Derek told her.

"What reason?" Scott asked.

Willow frowned and looked down at Derek's hand, which was still holding her wrist. "Peter said it once. He said sometimes the shape you take reflects the person that you are."

Derek nodded in agreement and slowly let her go. Willow took a small step back from him as he offered Scott a hand up.

"Even Stiles calls her cold-blooded," Derek stated.

"It's not her," Willow said quietly, and they all heard. She didn't know how she'd survive if it was Lydia.

"Well, what if she's immune?" Scott asked suddenly. "What if she's got something inside of her that makes her immune to the bite, which is why she didn't get paralyzed?"

"No one's immune! I've never seen it or heard of it. It's n - it's never happened," Derek said. But they could see that he was questioning everything he knew now. Hopefully, he'd question enough to put this whole plan on pause.

"What about Jackson?" Willow asked, earning their attention. "You tested him because you know the bite didn't work like it was supposed to — just not in the way you wanted it to not work."

"Willow—"

"Peter said the bite either kills you or turns you," Scott recalled, interrupting Derek as he put the pieces together. "You were probably hoping that he would die. But nothing happened, right? And you have no idea why, do you?"

"No," Derek begrudgingly admitted.

"Well, I have a theory. Lydia's immune, and somehow she passed it on to Jackson. You know I'm right."

"No."

"You cannot do this!" Scott shouted.

"Look, I can't let her live! You should have known that!" Derek yelled back.

Scott took a deep breath and nodded. "I was hoping I would convince you, but then Willow said I shouldn't count on it."

Derek and Boyd shared a worried look before turning to the school, realizing what he meant.

They had a backup plan.

☽︎

After getting away from Derek and Boyd, Willow and Scott ran back to the school to make sure the others had gotten away. The plan was to lure Lydia to Scott's house under the guise of a study group. They would try to keep Isaac and Erica away as best they could.

However, as they ran down the hallway, they were interrupted.

"McCall! Get over here!" Coach shouted. "You know I'm gonna require an explanation for this."

Willow followed Scott over to the angry coach. He had a pair of ripped-up shoulder pads in his hands, and there was no telling how they ended up in that condition. It took something strong to tear that durable fabric.

"You know there are certain responsibilities to being a captain of a lacrosse team—"

"Co-captain," Scott corrected, earning an eye roll.

"Okay, partial responsibilities," Coach muttered.

"Where did you find these?" Scott asked, examining the ruined pads.

"Under the bleachers, and you know somebody's gonna have to pay for them."

"They're Danny's," Willow stated, reading his last name that was written on the inside.

"Oh, great, mystery solved," Coach said sarcastically. "Why don't you tell your buddy Danny to take care of his equipment, or I'm gonna make you take care of his equipment for him. Now, do you really want to be taking care of Danny's equipment all the time?"

"That depends," Scott said, frowning. "Are we still talking about lacrosse pads?"

As always when any sort of topic about sexuality came up, Coach got incredibly awkward and flustered. Which led to the conversation ending rather quickly. He shoved the lacrosse pads into Scott's chest and ordered for him to return them.

Scott made quick work of the errand, he and Willow running through the school to find the goalie. They passed lots of students who were heading home for the day, none of which were Danny.

"Hey, McCall!" Matt called, stopping them in the hallway.

Scott and Willow turned to look at him questioningly. The boy then raised his camera, and on instinct, Willow smiled sweetly for the picture.

"Thanks," was all Matt muttered, offering no explanation.

Then Scott and Willow were running again. They found Danny in the library, where he had been the last hour working on the video for Jackson, trying to recover the missing footage. Scott threw the torn-up pads on the table, startling Danny, who examined them carefully.

"Dude, what did you do to my pads?" Danny asked accusingly.

"Me?" Scott asked, scoffing. "You're the one who was wearing them."

"No, I wasn't," he informed them.

"What?"

"I was in goal, remember? Different pads," he explained.

"Then who was wearing these?" Willow asked him, frowning as she ran a finger over the ripped pads. What could have done that?

"Someone who owes me a new set of pads," Danny muttered, very annoyed.

Then Scott got a call from Stiles' number, but it was Allison on the other end.

"What's wrong?" Scott asked. Willow waited for his response, and clearly, something was happening at the house. "Okay, we're leaving now. On our way!"

Scott gave no explanation as he grabbed Willow's hand and ran from the school. It wasn't until they were in Willow's car and racing out of the parking lot that he told her Derek, Isaac, Erica, and Boyd were already at his house. There was no way that Allison could hold them all off on her own.

The sun was down by the time they made it to Scott's house. He had Willow park down the street so that Derek wouldn't see him sneak into the house and stop him. They arrived just in time to save Stiles from Isaac, who was about to hit him over the head with a lamp.

Scott grabbed it and threw it across the room. As the two fought, crashing into lots of furniture, Willow grabbed Stiles and pulled him back, not wanting him to get hurt.

"Where are the others?" she asked him, looking around.

"They're all upstairs," Stiles told her, catching his breath. "Erica too. Boyd and Derek are still outside."

Before Willow could run up to check on Lydia, Allison dragged a paralyzed Erica down the stairs. She didn't have time to question how the girl came into contact with kanima venom as Scott grabbed both newly turned werewolves and threw them outside at Derek's feet on the lawn.

Derek looked almost impressed as Scott stepped onto the porch, followed by Allison, Stiles, and Willow. "I think I'm finally getting why you keep refusing me, Scott. You're not an omega, you're already an Alpha of your own pack." Then a cocky grin spread across his face, knowing how this would end. "But you know you can't beat me."

"I can hold you off until the cops get here," Scott stated.

They all strained their ears and heard the approaching sirens in the distance. Thinking that the house was being broken into, Lydia had called the police for help. She helped keep herself alive without even knowing.

Derek angrily looked down at his incapacitated betas before turning to Boyd. "Get them out of here."

Then Willow heard a hauntingly familiar hissing sound coming from above. Scott moved first and the others followed, walking off the porch and to the front yard to look up at the roof. The kanima was there, crawling along the top of the house. It glared down at them before hissing loudly and leaping through the trees, disappearing in the darkness.

Before anyone could go after it, a figure rushed out of the house.

"Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Lydia asked, utterly confused by everything that had happened.

Willow surged forward, ignoring Scott, who whispered something about Jackson, and wrapped her arms tightly around Lydia. The girl hugged her back, still confused.

☽︎

The car ride to Lydia's house was long and quiet. Willow opted to leave her car at Scott's house and stay with her after Allison dropped them off at the Martin house.

After parking, Allison looked at Lydia. "I need you to promise that you won't say anything about what just happened."

"I'll promise not to say anything about what just happened if you can tell me what the hell just happened," Lydia snapped.

"It's - it's kind of complicated," she told her.

"Well, how 'bout you start with why was Derek there? Willow, is this the bad stuff he's been getting mixed up in?" she asked, looking at Willow in the back seat. "Or where Jackson went, or what is wrong with Erica? Oh, do you need a minute to come up with a plausible lie?"

"Part of the reason why I'm asking is because Scott and I aren't supposed to be seeing each other, okay? So, it's better if you just keep what you know to yourself," Allison told her. Lydia scoffed as Willow shook her head in disagreement.

"She can keep it to herself, but I'm telling her," Willow declared, earning a wide-eyed look from Allison. "She deserves to know, especially after what happened today. I'm sorry, Allison, but we can't keep her out of this anymore. We should have told her after Peter."

Allison sighed heavily and leaned her head on the steering wheel, clearly not pleased with Willow's decision. "Lydia, you can't tell anyone about Scott's involvement," she said once again.

"Fine," she muttered. "I'll keep what I know about you and your boyfriend — which is nothing — to myself."

Lydia moved to get out of the car, but Allison grabbed her sleeve to stop her. "Hey. He's not just my boyfriend. You get that, right?"

"Let me go," was all Lydia said.

"Just for one second, please, try and remember."

"Remember what?"

"Remember what it feels like. All of those times in school when you see him standing down the hall, and you cannot breathe until you're with him. Or those times in class when you - you can't stop looking at the clock because you know that he's standing right out there waiting for you. Don't you remember what that's like?"

"No," Lydia answered quietly.

"What do you mean, 'no'? You've had boyfriends," Allison said, shaking her head.

"None like that."

Willow had. Though it didn't stand the test of time, she lived every moment to see Derek. He was the first thing on her mind when she woke up and the last when she went to sleep. He still was, though she kept that to herself. And she missed him, which she also kept to herself.

With the mood thoroughly dampened, Lydia and Willow went inside the house. Her mother wasn't home, so there was nothing to delay the onslaught of questions that Lydia had. Once up in her room and on her bed, she turned to Willow, insisting to know everything.

And so Willow told her.

She told her about all the werewolves. She told her about the events that led to Peter biting her and how they were all confused when she didn't turn into a werewolf. She told her about the hunters and Allison and why she and Scott had to be so secretive. She told her about the kanima and why Derek had thought it was her. She also told her the real reason why she had ended things with Derek.

And after hearing all that, well, Lydia at least felt a little less crazy given everything that was happening to her.

☽︎

Jackson wasn't at school the following day. No, instead, he was locked up in a police transport van with no memory of the night before in the middle of the Beacon Hills Preserve. And he was not happy about it, especially when Stiles explained that he was basically a glorified murderous lizard.

"Scales? Like a fish?" he asked, unimpressed.

"No, more like a reptile," Stiles explained in a dull tone. "Um, and, uh, your claws have this liquid that paralyzes people, and you have a tail."

"I have a tail?"

"Yeah, you have a tail."

"Mm. Does it do anything?" he asked, clearly not believing him.

"No, not that I know of."

"Can I use it to strangle you?" Jackson asked angrily. He surged forward but the handcuffs kept him from reaching Stiles.

"Yeah, you still don't believe me. All right," Stiles muttered, rolling his eyes. "The night of the semi-final game, what did you do right after?"

"I went home."

"Are you sure about that?"

Jackson scoffed. "Yes, you idiot. What the hell else would I do?"

"You attacked me and Derek and Willow at the school, and you trapped us in the pool. You also killed a mechanic — right in front of me, by the way. That was lovely. And one of Argent's hunters. Oh, and last night, you tried to kill Danny."

"Why would I want to kill my best friend?" he asked, continuing to glare at him.

"Well, that's what Scott's out trying to figure out right now," he told him, not actually explaining Scott's plan.

"Well, maybe, he should be trying to figure out is how he's going to pay for a lawyer when I prosecute your asses all the way to jail!" Jackson snapped.

"All right, well, tell me this. On the night of the first full moon, what happened?" Stiles asked pointedly.

"Nothing. Nothing happened," Jackson muttered.

"I can't believe you still don't believe me," Stiles huffed, leaning against the side of the van.

"You know why I don't believe you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "You said I attacked Willow with you at the pool. So you're lying. I would never hurt Willow. She's the only person in this shit town that I still care about."

"You didn't actually harm her, actually, just backed her into the corner to get her out of the way," Stiles informed him. "Which, actually proves our story even more if you ask me. Not even your lizard-possessed-self could hurt her."

Jackson shook his head and looked away, still refusing to believe this. "Where's Willow? I wanna see her. I wanna hear it from her."

"She's at school. She doesn't know we've kidnapped you or she would have immediately called my dad," Stiles grumbled.

"I want to see her!"

"Fine!" Stiles snapped, fumbling for his phone. "Scott will bring her after school."

☽︎

"What did you do?" Willow shouted as she looked inside the prison transport van. Scott and Stiles were each holding a door open while Allison stood behind Willow. She was looking at the handcuffed Jackson with wide eyes, finally getting an answer to why he wasn't at school.

"No letting him go!" Stiles declared, grabbing Willow by the waist and holding her back before she could run and free Jackson.

"You can't just go around kidnapping people," Willow said once her feet were back on the ground. "I'm calling your father, Stiles."

"No!" he protested, swiping her phone from her. Willow tried to jump and get it back, but he held it high over her head.

"Look, Will," Scott said, sighing. "They know he's missing, so we know we can't keep him forever. But someone stole Danny's tablet, and we need to figure out what to do next. Jackson said he wanted to see you, so will you just sit in here with him while we make a plan?"

Willow crossed her arms and likely looked like a child as she pouted. "Fine. But just so you know, if I knew how to pick a lock, I'd so let him go."

"Yes, because of course, you'd free the murderous snake," Stiles said, rolling his eyes. "Just get in the van. Scott will be listening if he tries anything, so just scream."

They shut the doors and locked them after Willow climbed in and sat across from Jackson. He looked furious, understandably. But with the others gone, he calmed down a bit.

"Jackson, I swear I had no idea they took you," Willow told him, leaning forward. "And - and I'll find out how to contact Mr. and Mrs. Whittemore."

Jackson hated when people called them his parents.

"I know you didn't know," he grumbled. Then he scoffed. "You don't really believe all that shit Stilinski was telling me, do you? I'm not a lizard. I'm not killing people."

Willow was silent for a moment, biting her lip nervously. "I know how badly you wanted to be a werewolf, Jackson," she said softly. "But this is real. This is happening. You are this - this kanima."

Jackson shook his head. "But I'm finally starting to get stronger and hear things. That would've happened right away if I was that thing. Those idiots just need someone to blame."

Of course, he convinced himself that his transformation into a werewolf was just delayed. And Willow knew she couldn't convince him if he didn't want to believe. So, she settled for holding his cuffed hands and comforting him.

"No matter what's happening to you, I'm gonna be there for you," she promised. "And I will find a way to get you out of here. They just stuck me in here so that I don't hear their plan."

"I can hear their plan," he told her, leaning his ear closer to the wall of the van.

"What are they saying?" she asked, growing curious.

Jackson frowned as he listened, a lot of it not making sense. "They think I stole Danny's tablet to get rid of that video. Or maybe someone else that knows about all of this? And stuff about going after murderers only, but you and Stiles and Danny aren't murderers."

"Maybe the kanima wasn't trying to kill Derek and Stiles," Willow guessed. "Maybe it knew they would stay in the pool. It just wanted them trapped."

"You're calling it an 'it,' not me," Jackson noted.

"You may be the kanima, but it's not you," she said, though it didn't make much sense. "You're not the one killing people. Something or someone else is causing the kanima to do this. You're not a killer, Jackson."

He though for a moment before nodding, accepting her words. Then he went back to listening.

"Stiles wants to kill me," Jackson said, rolling his eyes.

Willow rolled hers as well, knowing the boy was being dramatic. "He's not going to kill you."

Willow watched Jackson as he continued to listen. Whatever Scott and the others were saying took a turn, and his mood shifted. She could see sadness visibly wash over him, and then a tear slipped down his cheek.

"Hey, hey," Willow said softly. She moved to the other side of the van, sitting next to him. "What is it? What?"

"They're right," Jackson said under his breath. Willow just didn't know what they were right about. Jackson clenched his jaw. "I'm not worth saving. I've got nobody, and it's my own fault."

"Jackson Whittemore," Willow said in a stern told. "That's not true. Yes, you are worth saving. And we're going to save you. But most importantly, you're not alone."

"I am," he muttered. "My parents are dead. Lydia hates me. I'm pushing Danny away and apparently tried to kill him. If I really am this thing, no one is going to miss me."

"I will," she claimed, grabbing his hand tightly. "You have me. You are one of my most favorite people on the planet, and I can't stand the idea of losing you. I won't lose you. So, don't listen to what they're saying out there. They don't matter. You and me, we're what matter. And I plan on keeping you around for a long time."

Jackson let Willow wipe the tear off his cheek and his face softened. "This town doesn't deserve you, Willow."

"Yes, it does, and so do you"

The pair sat together for a little longer. Willow thought that Stiles would eventually come and let her out, but it seems they got distracted with everything else. She didn't mind keeping Jackson company though. She did mind, however, when scales started to appear on Jackson's hand.

"Willow," he said, the alarm in his voice clear.

They both looked at his clench fist where a patch of green scales began to grow, followed by his claws. Jackson wanted his proof, well, here it was.

"Just take a deep breath," Willow told him, subtly backing away. "With wolves, it's all tied to their emotions. So just stay calm."

"But you said someone could be triggering the shift. I can't control that," Jackson said, his eyes wide.

"It'll be okay," she insisted. "Just—"

She cut herself off as scales moved up his arm in a slithering motion. More and more began to grow over his body until they covered half of his face.

"Scott!" Willow shouted, rushing to the door. She tugged on the handles, but it was no use. It was locked from the outside. Frantically, she banged on the door, hoping he would hear. "Scott! Stiles! SCOTT!"

The kanima broke through the handcuffs like there were made of paper and turned to Willow, hissing lowly.

"J - Jackson," she whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "Jackson, please, come back."

But Jackson was long gone.

☽︎

Stiles banged on the side of Allison's car, anger coursing through him when he spotted the sleeping teens through the fogged-up windows. Willow was stuck in a van with Jackson, who had killed people, and they decided that was the best time to hookup with the radio playing loudly?

"You guys might wanna come take a look at this," Stiles told them, practically yanking Scott out of the car.

The doors of the van were wide open, Jackson nowhere in sight. And poor Willow was laying helplessly on the grass, a small cut from the kanima's tail on her hand, unable to move. Other than that, she wasn't harmed. It just needed her paralyzed so that it could escape.

"Willow!" both Scott and Allison exclaimed. They helped her sit up against the van, but it'd be a while before she could move.

"I - I screamed," she said, tears still falling. Allison wiped them away with her scarf. "You said to scream if something happened."

Guilt washed over Scott and Allison, knowing that it was their fault that Willow got hurt.

"I'm so sorry," Scott said, wrapping an arm around her waist to hold her upright. "Willow, I'm so, so sorry."

"I'm telling Derek so he can kick your ass," Stiles muttered under his breath.

"I have to tell my father," Allison said, looking back at the empty van. "Scott, he's going to kill someone."

Scott sighed but knew it was the only option they had now. Things were way out of control. "Okay, tell him. Tell him everything."

"Scott, I gotta tell mine too," Stiles said, grimacing. There was no telling what would happen when he returned the van.

"This is all my fault," Scott mumbled.

"It's not," Allison told him. "But we have to tell them. We're just a bunch of teenagers. We can't handle this."

"You're right," he agreed.

Allison then looked to Stiles. "How you gonna make your dad believe all this?"

He could only shrug cluelessly. "I don't know."

"He'll believe me," Scott said.

If things were complicated now, they were about to get much, much worse.