Love Under The Moon

Chapter 72: A New Trick

"Argent called, he is helping Stilinski find Stiles. He needs us at his apartment," Derek said, putting his phone away after the call.

I nodded and we head out and arrived at the apartment.

Chris, Allison, and Stilinksi were there.

"This is everything non-lethal I could find," Allison said, some chains and tasers on the table in front of us.

"Take all of it," Chris said.

"What's the plan here?" I asked.

"Our best shot right now is for Derek and you to try to pick up Stiles' scent at Eichen House. Especially if he went through something stressful there," Chris said.

"Should all four of us be going to the same place?" Stilinski asked.

"Where else has Stiles been showing up?" Chris asked.

"School, the hospital," Allison said.
"Okay, hold on. We did this already. He disappeared. We started looking for him. Then walked right into a trap at the hospital," Derek said.

"He's getting us to repeat the same moves," Chris realized.

"So, what do we do? Wait for him to come to us?" Allison asked.

"We can't. Not if the oni find him when the sun goes down," Stilinski argues.

"Scott's working on them right now, with Kira," Allison explained.

"That's the problem. We're all trying to outfox the fox. Listen. I'll understand if anyone wants to back out," Stilinski said, looking at the four of us.

"I wouldn't be the first wolf to run from a fox," Derek said, glancing at me and I softly smiled and found his hand, intertwining our fingers and squeezing.

"Apparently I'm carrying the lightsaber," Chris said with a shrug.

We all were in.

"Dad, you, Derek and Elizabeth hit Eichen House. Sheriff, it's you and me in the hospital. We all meet in the school," Allison said and walked out with Stilinski.

Derek and I started heading out after them when Derek stopped.

I turned and saw Chris loading his gun.

"Making sure you have a few lethal options just in case?" Derek asked.

"I like to prepare for the worst," he said.

We walked out and I eyed Chris and Derek.

Derek knew I wasn't at ease with the thought of Chris possibly shooting Stiles.

Derek gently placed his hand on my lower back as we walked up the steps of Eichen House.

I glanced at him and he slowly nodded.

He was going to make sure that Chris wouldn't shoot Stiles. For me.

"Do you have his scent?" Chris asked.

I nodded.

I couldn't imagine Stiles staying here. The thought made me ill.

"It's overwhelming," I whispered.

"What is?"

"The panic," Derek said.

I jumped at the sound of Chris's phone ringing.

Chris hung up. "Stiles is at his house."

We drove to Stiles's house and arrived the same time as Allison and Stilinski.

We cautiously entered the place.

"It's clear," Derek said.

Allison, Chris, and Stilinski looked at us.

"You're sure?" Allison asked.

"He isn't here," I said.

We headed up to his room where Stilinski has seen him on his security camera.

We saw a chess board in the middle of the room. 

"What is all this? What are these sticky notes for?" Derek asked as there was names on the chess pieces.

"This is what Stiles used to try and explain to me about all of you," Stilinski explained.

"Cool, maybe it's a message from Stiles," Chris said. "The real Stiles."

"You think there's any reason my name's on the king?" Derek asked.

I also noticed I marked the queen but off the board.

"Well, you're heavily guarded," Chris notes. "Though I guess the alarming detail is that you're one move from being in checkmate. It's not a message from Stiles. It's a threat from the nogitsune."

I looked at Derek who looked at me.

"He's at the loft. That's what he's trying to tell us," Stilinski said.

"And he wants us to come there," Allison added.

"Night's falling. This couldn't sound any more like a trap," Derek said.

"I don't think it is," Stilinski argued.

"I think your opinion might be slightly biased, Sheriff," Chris said.

"Hear me out. What we're dealing with here is basically someone who lacks motive. No rhyme, no reason, right?"

"Meaning what?"

"Our enemy is not a killer. It's a trickster. The killing is just a by-product."

"If you're trying to say it won't kill us, I'm not feeling too confident about that."

"It won't. It wants irony. It wants to play a trick. It wants a joke. All we need to do is come up with a new punch line."

"The sun is setting, Sheriff," Chris said. "What do you have in mind?"

~

We drove to the loft and Stilinski went in first while we waited behind.

I would be lying if I didn't say I was scared. We had no idea what would happen.

I listened as Stilinski walked in slowly.

"Hi, Dad," Stiles said, but we all knew it wasn't Stiles at all.