Distance [Derek Hale]

Chapter Thirty-Nine

"Sorry, but I can't let you walk out with this. It's way above the legal voltage limit," Parrish said. They'd been collected and released and they were currently grabbing all of their belongings but Argent was having trouble due to the fact he had so many weapons.

"I only use it for hunting..." Argent tried, and Derek looked at him exasperated whilst Margo only continued to place all her own belongings in her pockets. She was patting down each one to make sure everything was in the right place otherwise she'd end up reaching into a pocket and not being able to find an object (which would probably just be in a different pocket) she'd have what felt like a heart attack.

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure you could use it to jump-start a 747..." Parrish countered.

"This property belongs to me, and the charges were dropped. Although, I'm not exactly sure who's responsible for that."

"I am," Stilinski cut in, and the four adults turned to look behind them to see him walked over, "I'll take care of this, Parrish."

"Stilinski, I'm not kidding-- this thing's a few watts from being a lightsaber." Parrish urged, holding up the weapon and despite everything Margo's lips quirked up in a smirk.

"I said I'll take care of it."

Parrish nodded and walked away and Stilinski looked to the three before taking them into his office so that they could talk privately. He pulled out a few sheets all of which were brain scans, "The specialist I saw in LA told me the thing that every doctor says when he's trying to avoid a lawsuit-- "We can't say for sure." And then, I spoke with Melissa. These are brain scans-- my wife's, and Stiles'. I knew they were similar, but those are the same. Exactly the same."

Margo frowned as what he was actually saying soaked in, "and I'm guessing this isn't possible?" Derek asked.

"Not even remotely."

Wanting to make sure the knowledge was true, she reached out and took the scans from his hands turning away from them and moving over to the window to ensure it was the truth. They looked the same.

"So, the trickster is still playing tricks." Argent realised.

"But why this trick?"

"When I was in the Army, an officer told me, "If you want to defeat your enemy, you don't take away their courage-- you take away their hope," Noah said, and Margo turned to look at him her nose scrunched in confusion. She didn't know he'd been in the army and that felt like the information you tell people (or at least your kids were aware of and she knew Stiles didn't know that sliver of information).

"You don't look like a man who gives up hope easily," Argent countered.

"Stiles would," Margo cut in. She remembered he once thought he was going to fail an exam. There was a week before but he thought he was destined to fail and she had to physically hold him down for a few hours for a couple of days to make sure he revised because he thought there was no point. That it wouldn't matter. He passed that exam.

"If this thing inside him... if it's using his mother's disease as some sort of psychological trick, then this isn't just a fight for his body. It's also a fight for his mind. Right?" Noah asked.

"You know, he's left people severely injured."

"...And others severely dead."

"So have you," Margo added on, and both the gentlemen looked at her but her gaze was defiant and almost tempting them to try and argue with that fact.