I M P U L S E | Jackson Whittemore [2]

08: Going Under

SOTC: Tag, You're It // Melanie Martinez

"Jackson?"

The word had barely slipped from Annie's lips. She looked at the boy who single-handedly ruined her. She took in his appearance—he was taller, his shoulders a little broader, his hair a little longer. He still looked like the boy Annie fell in love with, not like the man who destroyed her.

"Hey," Jackson managed, looking at Annie and taking her in. "Your hair is different," he commented.

Annie's lips were parted as she struggled to take in the heavy breaths her lungs were craving. She could feel the light headedness already setting in, and in a matter of time, she would faint. Aiden caught her arm when she took a shaky step backwards, balancing her enough to allow some air back into her lungs.

Scott cleared his throat from across the room, "We, um... We can let you two talk, if you want. We have... We have time."

Jackson nodded, his eyes softening and never leaving Annie as tears clouded her vision, "Yeah," he said, "yeah, let's talk."

Annie quickly shook her head, swallowing the lump that had formed in the back of her throat as she looked away from Jackson. She had so many emotions coursing through her at once—hatred, love, loss, stress, anger, depression, fear—it was impossible to channel just one. She closed her eyes and sucked in a sharp breath and relieved the stinging sensation in her chest, from lack of air. Annie looked back at Jackson and shook her head, "No."

"What?" Scott asked, confused.

Annie roughly pulled her arm from Aiden's grasp, her teeth gritting together as one emotion rose above the rest. Anger. She looked back at Jackson and managed to get out, "No. We don't need time to talk," every word was laced with a venom, which only purpose was to paralyze Jackson like he had done to so many others. "What we need is to find our damn families!"

Jackson's eyebrows were knitted together in confusion. He thought she'd be happy to see him, or, at least, a little relieved that he survived the whole Kanima to werewolf thing. "Annie," he said, stepping forward with his hand outstretched to reach for her.

Annie knocked his hand away, taking a step back and looking at Jackson with disgust, "Stay away from me," she commanded. Jackson's eyes widened in fear, not for himself, but for this foreign person Annie had become. What happened to his innocent, little Annie who wanted nothing more but to run into his arms and stay there, for all of eternity. She turned on her heel to Deaton and gave him a nod, reassuring herself more than him, and took a deep breath, "Tell me what do."

Deaton explained the pools of ice water behind her. Jackson's eyes watched Annie the entire time she listened, trailing her body as she kneeled beside the bin and picked up a green leaf from the surface.

"Mistletoe," Deaton confirmed. "It will work as a, sort of, sedative and a link to Jennifer."

Annie nodded, standing up and shredding off her shirt to reveal a simple black tank top as everyone else followed her lead. Stiles, Scott, and Allison removed as much access clothing as possible. Jackson watched in awe as Annie shimmied from her jeans, revealing a pair of simple, black, cotton underwear. His trance was broken when she threw her jeans at his face, scowling.

"It's now or never," Deaton said, checking his watch and looking back up at the three teenagers about to be sacrificed. Allison nodded and stepped in the water first, followed by Stiles, Scott, and then Annie.

Annie hissed, sinking down in the water slowly. She tried taking deep breaths while every nerve in her body felt as though it were on fire. When she was neck deep, almost entirely submerged, she smiled while Aiden handed her Sam's knife. Jackson stared between the two with a blank look, his fingers itching to wrap around the boy's neck and twist it from his shoulders.

Jackson slowly walked over and positioned his hands against Annie's shoulders, identical to Isaac, Lydia, and Deaton. Annie shivered against his touch, even turning to scowl at his hand, in hopes to maybe withdrawal the electricity that he ignited within her. It was no use. She swallowed and looked up at him, her brown eyes meeting his bright blue ones, and she felt like he could read her entire world. With him, she was an open book.

Tears glistened her eyes as she whispered, "I can't lose him," talking about Sam.

Jackson tightened his hold slightly on Annie's shoulders, smiling down at her, "You won't."

Annie closed her eyes as a single tear rolled down her cheek, gasping for air as her eyes met his again. He hurt her. He hurt her so bad. Her heart had been hooked to his like life support, and the moment he let her go, she felt like dying inside. But now, he was the oxygen she needed to breathe. Jackson was there and despite Annie's attempts to shut him out with hatred, she was just too broken to prove otherwise.

"I'll be here when you get back," he promised her, his head slightly bobbing with a nod of commitment.

Annie nodded with him, accepting his deal, as one of her hands reached up and laced with his. Of course, they would go into this together. Although Annie's badass new attitude, she was still human, and she was scared out of her mind.

"Now," Deaton said, and with that single word, Annie, Allison, Stiles, and Scott were pushed under the freezing water, a struggled breath of air leaving Jackson's lips.
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Author's Note: Short, sweet, and to the point. Jannie has returned my friends. #LongLive #Jannie

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