Beacon Falls (The Fun Gilbert Book 4)

Chapter 31- Almost Collateral Damage

3rd Person P.O.V.

Stiles, Scott, Jessica, and Meredith pull up outside the high school to greet Allison and Lydia, who had called them about a body. "Where is she?" Stiles questions immediately as Allison points to her best friend. "Lydia?" She begins to tell him that it's the same feeling she got the night she found the body at the pool but Jessica tunes out as she feels something drawing her towards it. She begins to follow the sensation with Scott and Meredith following her, knowing that she's a banshee as well.

"Guys," Scott tries as he looks at what Jessica was tracking but Lydia and Stiles don't stop speaking so he yells louder. "Guys!" They finally turn to him. "I found the body." They look and Stiles realizes that it isn't just a body, he knows her. It's Deputy Tara Graeme, who used to help him with his homework. For the second time, the Darach had taken someone he knew and he was scared of who it may come for next.

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The next day at school, Meredith finds Stiles just as he finishes talking to his dad. "Hey, can we talk?" He nods before turning back once more, only to find his dad talking to Jessica.

"What's that about? Why would he be talking to your sister?" Meredith frowns and looks over, blanking for any reason the sheriff would want to talk to Jessica before shrugging.

"She probably approached him. She's been worried."

"Why?"

"She told Klaus her theory about Ms. Blake and I guess he liked her. Now he's not returning her calls and he's had a sub since Thursday. Damon says he's fine but I guess he didn't handle it well."

"That sucks, I know she still cares about him." Meredith nods and then Stiles remembers why she approached. "You said you wanted to talk right?"

She smiles. "Yeah. Um first things first, before you picked me up last night, Jessica was giving me the rundown of what she knows about the Nemeton and Deucalion. According to Jessica, you were right and Peter is an unreliable narrator which really isn't much of a shock since even Kai didn't buy it. Jess said that when Derek took her to dinner to thank her for saving Boyd, he told her that he's only ever killed one person: Paige. He said that they were together after he asked for her name and she told him to play an instrument and she would so he picked up a triangle."

"Wow, I see teenage Derek was a real genius," Stiles remarks sarcastically and Meredith laughs.

"Yeah, apparently Derek said that Jess would've eaten teenage him alive. Anyway, after that, he and Paige started hanging out but he didn't tell Peter about any of it because he disliked Peter and thought he was rude and conceited, which isn't wrong. So one day, Derek's eating lunch and Peter goes up to him, talking about how Paige is perfect for him and it's always the ones that are perfect that find out and freak but he didn't stop there. He kept badgering Derek about getting her turned until he said that the packs would be leaving soon so he needed to do it then since Talia wouldn't. Derek finally caved but when he heard her screaming he tried to stop it, only he was too late. Turns out, she already knew but she never said anything because she loved him. She was in so much pain that he killed her out of mercy."

"God, I knew Peter was a dick but..." He trails off and Mer shakes her head.

"No, Derek said that he thinks Peter thought she would survive and he seemed genuinely guilty when he found out she hadn't and I got the same impression when he was telling the story. I think that's why he pinned it on Derek because he doesn't want to think it's his fault that his nephew lost his love."

Stiles nods before realizing something. "Oh, Scott already told me the story of how Deucalion became blind. Jessica told him and Allison that it was Gerard and he did it to frame his pack because he's a dick." Meredith nods and goes to speak again so Stiles sighs, dejectedly. "I know what else you're going to say." She looks at him in confusion so he continues. "You're going to break up with me, even though we aren't dating anymore, because you realized that Elijah is the one you're really in love with. That's why with the simplest things you get memories back whereas we have to be kissing or doing something intimate. It's okay. I just want you to be happy."