North Starr

69

Theo walked up to Melanie and Scott and said, "Hey. I need to talk to you two."

Melanie frowned as Theo added, "It's not really about me. But it's something I probably should've told you a long time ago."

Scott glanced to Melanie and back to Theo. "What is it?"

The boys looked at her as Theo said, "It's about Stiles." He stopped. "Wait... Do you hear that?"

"The police?" Melanie guessed.

"It's an ambulance."

Mason said in a panicked voice, "He just started bleeding everywhere. I don't..."

Corey was placed into an ambulance and was choking as he begged, "Don't let them do it. Don't let them kill me!"

Theo turned to the cousins. "Scott, Tessa, we have to follow them. We have to protect him, right? Scott, come on. Scott?"

A siren wailed and Theo kept calling Scott's name.

"Scott!" Melanie called.

They followed the ambulance to the hospital and Scott said, "Hey, what did you want to talk to us about?"

"It can wait," Theo replied.

Melanie frowned. "If there's something wrong, you gotta tell us."

Scott nodded. "We've all got to start talking to each other again."

"This might not be the best place to start, Scott, Melanie," Theo warned.

"You think I'm going to be angry?"

Theo shook his head. "Not with me."

Melanie let out a frustrated sigh. "Just get to it, Theo."

"Open the glove box," Theo instructed and Scott did so. "It belonged to Stiles." Scott pulled out the bloody wrench. "He dropped it at the school."

"Dropped it when?"

"When he killed Donovan."

"What are you talking about?" Scott asked.

"You know he hurt his shoulder, right? You smelled the blood."

"That was the Jeep," Melanie said. "He told us the Jeep's hood fell on his shoulder."

Theo shook his head. "No, no, no, that was Donovan. He went after Stiles in the library. I only saw the end of it. And when I saw what Stiles was doing... I couldn't stop him." He paused. "I shouldn't... I shouldn't be telling you this. You should hear this from him..."

"Tell us," Scott demanded.

"I saw Donovan go down. Stiles hit him with the wrench, and then, he just, he just kept hitting him."

Scott and Melanie exchanged a confused look and he said, "Uh, maybe it was because he... He threatened to kill his dad."

"Or maybe Stiles thought he had to keep going to defend himself, but he just... He kept hitting him."

Melanie shook her head. "That isn't possible. He wouldn't do that."

"He crushed that kid's skull. I heard it cracking and splintering. By the time I pulled Stiles off him, half of Donovan's head was caved in. It didn't even look real." He began stammering. "I kept telling myself that it was self-defense, but... Scott, Melanie, I'm sorry. I've never seen anyone that angry. You should... You should talk to Stiles. You have to talk to him."

Melanie eyed Theo suspiciously. Suddenly Stiles' theory on Theo's character didn't seem so far-fetched.

They noticed a body oozing black blood on the ground. "Corey," Melanie whispered. "We need to find Liam and Hayden yesterday."

Theo left and Scott told her, "They're at Hayden's club; Sinema."

As soon as they arrived, they saw that it was dark and Melanie saw the Dread Doctors.

"Run. Hayden, run!" Liam cried.

Scott and Melanie entered the fight with a roar and a scream. Scott attacked the Doctor, with no effect.

Melanie went to hit the Doctor's, but before she could, the Dread Doctor rammed her into the counter and she groaned.

She went to attack again and Theo pushed her out of the way before saying to Liam, "Get Hayden out of here. Go!"

Liam ran off with Hayden and Theo took on another Dread Doctor with little to no effect.

Melanie ran to her friend and shook him. "Wake up! Come on, Scott!"

Scott came around and the two of them got up, looking for Liam and Hayden.

"Where's Hayden?" Scott asked.

Theo led the friends to her and Hayden gave a pained smile. "I'm okay. Really, I think I'm okay."

Liam looked at them. "I saw the needle go in, and her eyes just filled up with mercury. They turned completely silver."

Theo studied Hayden. "She looks okay. Maybe she'll heal."

"Or maybe she won't," Scott said.

Liam's face contorted into a worried expression. "What if something's happening to her on the inside?"

They helped Theo load Hayden into his truck and Melanie hopped onto the back of Scott's motorcycle, placed the helmet on her head and wrapped her arms around his waist. Scott revved the engine and drove off.

The two of them arrived at the clinic the same time as Stiles. He gave a small smile. "Hey, sorry... I had trouble starting the Jeep again. That thing's barely hanging on. I couldn't get in touch with Malia or Lydia. Scott? Tess?"

Scott held up the wrench.

"Where did you get that?" Stiles questioned.

Scott asked angrily, "This is yours? Why didn't you tell us?"

"I was going to," Stiles admitted.

"No, but why didn't you tell us when it happened?"

Stiles shook his head. "I couldn't."

Melanie frowned. "You killed him? You killed Donovan?"

"Well, he was just going to kill my dad. Huh? Was I supposed to just let him?"

"You weren't supposed to do this," Scott told him. "None of us are."

Stiles scoffed. "You think I had a choice?"

"There's always a choice."

"Yeah, well, I can't do what you can Scott. Melanie can't do what you can do."

"She and I know you wouldn't have done it."

"You probably would've figured something out, right?"

"I'd try."

"Yeah, because you're Scott McCall! You're the True Alpha! Guess what? All of us can't be True Alphas. Some of us have to make mistakes. Some of us have to get our hands a little bloody sometimes. Some of us are human!"

"So you had to kill him?" Scott asked.

"Scott, he was going to kill my dad."

"The way that it happened. There's a point when it's... It's not self-defense anymore!" Scott shook his head. "Stiles, we can't kill people that we're trying to save."

"Say you believe me," Stiles repeated, stepping closer to Scott as he stepped back.

"We can't kill people! Do you believe that?"

"What do I do about this? What do you want me to do, okay? Scott, just tell me how to fix this, all right? Please just tell me what do you want me to do?"

Scott was silent for a moment. "Don't worry about Malia or Lydia. I'll find them. Maybe you should talk to your dad."

"Melanie?" Stiles called.

Melanie looked at him. "Scott's right. We have to find Malia and Lydia." She gave him a small smile, letting him know it'd be okay.

Scott and Melanie left, leaving Stiles standing there in the rain.