Don't Give Up on Me

20

Derek and Isaac met Ania and Scott at the Animal Clinic.

"What's he doing here?" Scott asked angrily, pointing to Isaac.

"I need him," Derek replied.

Scott shook his head. "I don't trust him."

Isaac frowned. "Yeah, well, he doesn't trust you either."

Derek took it a step further. "You know what? And Derek doesn't really care. Now where's the vet? Is he gonna help us or not?"

Ania frowned. "Hey! That's enough, boys."

Deaton stared at them. "That depends. Your friend, Jackson. Are we planning to kill him or save him?"

Derek said, "Kill him."

Scott glared at Derek and said at the same time, "Save him. Save him. Save him."

Derek glared at Isaac. "Watch what you touch."

Isaac turned to Deaton. "So, what are you? Some kind of witch?"

Deaton shook his head. "No, I'm a veterinarian. Unfortunately, I don't see anything here that's going to be an effective defense against a paralytic toxin."

"We're open to suggestions," Scott said.

"What about an effective offense?" Isaac wondered.

Derek scoffed. "We already tried. I nearly took its head off. And Argent emptied an entire clip into it. The thing just gets back up."

"Has it shown any weaknesses?" Deaton asked.

"It has shown one," Scott replied.

"It can't swim," Derek added, interrupting him.

Deaton asked, "Does that go for Jackson as well?"

Scott shook his head. "No. He's the captain of he swim team."

"Essentially, you're trying to catch two people. A puppet and a puppeteer. One killed the husband, but the other had to take care of the wife. Do we know why?"

"I don't think Jackson could do it. His mother died pregnant too, and maybe she was murdered. I think he couldn't let the same thing happen to someone else."

"How do you know it's not part of the rules? The kanima kills murderers. If Jackson kills the wife, then the baby dies, too," Isaac justified.

"Does that mean your father was a murderer?" Scott inquired.

Isaac shrugged. "Wouldn't surprise me if he was."

Deaton stopped them. "Hold on. The book says they're bonded, right? What if the fear of water isn't coming from Jackson, but from the person controlling him? What if something that affects the kanima also affects its master?"

Isaac raised an eyebrow. "Meaning what?"

"Meaning we can catch them," Scott realized. "Both of them."

Scott left and Ania let out a frustrated sigh.

Derek turned to her. "We'll figure it out soon enough, Ania. Do your brother or his friends have any idea who it might be?'

Ania shook her head. "No, and Stiles definitely would've said something if he or Scott did know. They're clueless. Though, I think Stiles is suspicious of someone. If I find out anything more, I'll let you know.'

He nodded and the two parted ways for the evening.

---

After school, the teens met up at the Animal Clinic.