Death was meant to be inescapable.

When one thought of death, one thought of the end. They didn't dare to tempt it for fear that it would swallow them whole. It is all-consuming. Those who don't fear death are considered by most to be wild and brave.

I consider them to be idiots.

"So, let me get this straight, you want Kira to kill you in order to draw out the Benefactor on some half-baked theory that they might come to check your body for visual confirmation?"

Scott and Stiles sat across from me at the dining table in the McCall house kitchen. Their expressions held innocent stupidity, as if they didn't just tell me the worst plan they'd ever come up with.

"Yup. What do you think?" Scott responds, pretending he didn't hear my judgment.

"Forget kitsunes, I'll kill you myself, McCall," I grit out, too tired to hold my aggression.

I didn't get any sleep last night. With the Calaveras close, I didn't want them to pay me another visit while I was drooling into my pillow. I needed to be alert and ready for anything. I also had to scrub Miles' blood out of my carpet.

When the sun finally rose over the town, I figured I could use the daylight as a safety net to get a bit of rest. That idea was promptly interrupted by Stiles blowing up my phone. He texted over and over again, saying I needed to get to Scott's immediately to hear their ingenious plan to catch the Benefactor. Now that I actually did, I regretted not blocking Stiles months ago.

"He won't technically be dead," the Stilinski boy says, taking my attention away from Scott.

"You won't technically get a concussion if I hit you over the head with a pipe. Should I still do it?" I snapped at him, mildly irritated with how casual he was being.

Stiles pauses, an offended frown on his face.

"That's a little aggressive," he mutters.

I rise from my seat out of frustration, needing to move around to cope. Stiles instantly ducks toward Scott, assuming I was getting up to hit him. I scoff at his reaction before I start to pace, thinking everything over.

Their plan was ridiculous, sure, but we were desperate.

With all three parts of the Dead Pool revealed, things were bound to go downhill. It was only a matter of time before someone tried to come after Scott's pack again, and I wasn't sure if we were ready to take another hit so soon.

"Jac, he's the highest on the list. If the Benefactor is going to come for anyone, it's him," Stiles starts again. 

"We got lucky yesterday. Simon could have killed everyone instead of weeding them out, but he was discreet and that saved lives. What if next time, we aren't that lucky?" 

I stop pacing, facing him and Scott with a contemplative expression. The two of them don't stop, seeing that the foundation of my refusal was starting to crack. 

"We can do this," Scott presses. "But only if we work together."

The thought of him dying was unbearable, but as Stiles said, he wouldn't technically be dead. We'd also executed worse plans than this, and it's not like we had the time to come up with a better one with new assassins joining the field.

I take a moment to memorize Scott; his breath, the vibrancy of his skin, and the life in his eyes. I would need this image of his to get me through tonight. 

"I told you I'd follow you anywhere," I say to him. 

Scott smiles as he understands what my words truly mean. 

"Thank you," he says softly. 

"But one condition," I add seriously. "Call Chris. We'll need him, too." 

The boys exchange a hesitant glance. They know Chris and I aren't on the best of terms, so it must've been strange for me to seek out his assistance. It wouldn't be my first choice either, but with Scott's life on the line, we needed everyone we could get to help guard him. 

Scott nods as he rises from his seat. 

"I'll make the call," he agrees, leaving the kitchen for privacy. 

When he's out of sight, my attention falls on Stiles. 

His hands are clasped in front of him on the table. He fiddles with his thumbs endlessly, his usual sign of overthinking as his body becomes agitated. Stiles was fairly easy to read after I picked up on his habits over time. His anxiety now was obvious, but to my keen eye, so was his sorrow. 

"Malia?" I inquire, wondering if the coyote would be with us. 

Stiles understands my question and gives the slightest shake of his head. I don't press for more conversation. I knew it was eating away at him for Malia to be ignoring us. It was eating away at me, too. I wanted to go out and find her, beg her for forgiveness, but I doubted she'd listen to anything we had to say. She needed time, and we owed her enough to give it to her.

A light rapping at the kitchen door breaks our streak of silence.

Stiles stands, going to open it. Kira and Liam stand in the doorway, both wearing apprehensive winces that tell me they were fully aware of Scott's plan. They step inside as Stiles holds the door open wider for them. Liam and Stiles begin to talk near the island, though the former's eyes keep flitting toward me, while Kira comes to the table, placing her laptop on its surface next to Scott and Stiles'. 

"Where's Scott?" she asks, looking around. 

"He's on the phone with Argent."

Her brows lift in question as she sits down in the chair Stiles had been in a second ago. I brush off her unspoken concerns and she doesn't push. She just sits there, nibbling at her bottom nib to turn it an odd shade of red. 

"You okay?" I ask, though, the answer is clear enough already. 

"We haven't even gone on a date yet and he's asking me to kill him," she breathes out, her eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. It was almost laughable how perfectly she mirrored the innocence of such an animal.

"Killing him does seem more like a third date type of thing to do," I joke. It was an attempt to lighten the mood, but it was futile. 

"What if I can't do this? What if I mess it all up? What if I accidentally actually kill him?" Kira squeaks out hurriedly. 

"He's lived a good life," I reply sarcastically. 

Kira sighs, sending a scolding scowl my way. 

"You're not helping."

I laugh at her pout, only making it intensify. Kira crosses her arms defiantly as she sinks further into her chair, staring down dejectedly at her lap. My laughter dies down as I realize this was all getting to her more than it should have. 

"Kira, I can't even think of a time when you haven't come through for us," I tell her, making her look back up at me, her dark eyes filled with potential hope. 

With everything that happened with the Nogitsune, Kira fought by our side from the beginning. It meant going against her mother and facing creatures she thought were mere legends, but she did it anyway. We didn't trust her completely then, but I would bet my life on her in a second now.

"If you don't believe in yourself yet, I'll believe in you enough for the both of us," I add gently.

Kira's somber and agitated features fall as a smile takes over her face, restoring her ample youth. 

"Now, that helped," she mutters. 

She and I only look away from one another when Stiles returns to the table. He and Kira start to make conversation that I don't pay any mind to as my attention is drawn to the wolf across the room. He's leaning on the island, his elbows propped up on the counter. A subtle smile finds me when I notice one of his hands holds the bullet that still rests on his neck after all this time. He slides it back and forth on the chain as he stares off into space, an absentminded habit he's started to pick up. 

I dismiss myself from the juniors in my company, heading over to him. Upon my approach, he drops the bullet and puts his sole focus on me with an easy grin. 

"Guess we're not gonna make that movie, huh?" His tone tries to force amusement, making it clear he's genuinely upset we're missing the picture he invited me to tonight, and he's not the only one. 

"I don't know. Scott dies by seven, we catch the Benefactor by eight, I say we can make it," I reply, being entirely serious despite my playful attitude.  

"I'm holding you to that," he says. 

"Good," I agree simply. 

Liam's grin widens, and I mirror it without caution. I would have been willing to stay like that for the next hour, but when Scott reenters the kitchen, I'm reminded that my duties lay elsewhere today. 

"Argent's on his way, he said he'll be here in a few minutes," Scott announces.

He goes to stand at the table. Kira and Stiles rise to be with him, and Liam and I follow suit until we're all circled up around the piece of furniture. 

"Is three enough?" Kira gestures to the laptops on the table.

"Depends on how many cameras they have, but I think so," Stiles responds, referring to Beacon Memorial.

I can tell by his voice that he isn't too sure what the security at the hospital looks like, or if it even exists. That place undergoes a supernatural attack at least twice a month, and yet nothing has ever been done about it. If they did have cameras, I'm sure they were grainier than a television from the '60s, if they were even operational.

"We're not using hospital cameras," I insist. 

"If we use them, the Benefactor might be able to see us on the channel, or they could even loop the feed. But don't worry, I know Chris, he's bringing his own gear."

The others nod slowly in response before we all exchange tense glances. We're all thinking the same thing; that this wasn't just a stupid idea anymore. All of us were standing together, signifying that the plan had begun, and we were one step closer to Scott dying.

"Are we really doing this?" Liam asks with a slight tremble. 

"We're doing it," Scott agrees with determination. "Tonight." 

"Is it dangerous?" Liam continues, still anxious. 

"Yeah, it's incredibly dangerous. And borderline idiotic." Stiles shrugs, oblivious to how his nonchalant demeanor didn't help.

"Have you guys done something like this before?" Liam asks. 

His question makes me recall all the terrible plans that we had to endure since I met Scott and Stiles. Most of them had been last minute and not very well thought out, but some had been prepped for days and still ended with us scrambling. I couldn't even remember the last time we did anything and it all went according to how it was supposed to.

"Something dangerous? Or something idiotic?" Stiles begs for clarification. 

"I think it's fair to say it's a yes to both," Kira interjects. 

"You don't have to be a part of it if you don't want to," Scott offers his Beta. 

Liam forces his shoulders to straighten out and lifts his chin defiantly with projected confidence. 

"I'm not scared," he claims. 

Stiles smirks and reaches out to slap Liam's shoulder proudly. 

"Then you're borderline idiotic," he compliments him. 

Another knock on the door interrupts their oddly wholesome moment. Scott moves to get it this time, allowing Chris to step inside. He studies all of us as he approaches the table, doing his usual once-overs to asses the room and any potential threats. 

I instantly notice that he looks rougher than usual. His lack of sleep is obvious from the sunken bags under his cautious eyes, and the clothes he was dressed in appeared to be the same outfit from the night at the warehouse. I began to wonder if he had been taking care of himself lately, but then push that thought down as I realized caring for Chris and his current state wouldn't do me any good. 

Chris comes to stand at the tableside, placing the black briefcase he had been holding at the center of it. 

"Scott tell you the plan?" Stiles asks him. 

Chris nods. "It's terrible." 

"Or, possibly brilliant?" Stiles retorts.

Chris settles for staring blankly at Stiles as he wears a dumbly optimistic expression. He waits until it falters and Stiles winces before focusing on his case, unhooking its clasps to reveal small plug-in cameras within. 

"We're gonna cover the entrances and exits of the morgue, and the roof. We can't use the hospital feed-"

"In case they loop it or see us watching?" Stiles interrupts Chris cockily. 

Chris sends an appreciative nod his way, flattering Stiles. I roll my eyes at that, but let him have it, as it was rare for Stiles to be the teacher's pet. 

"Can Melissa get us a private room for the control center?" Chris asks Scott. 

"Yeah, totally. Plus, Mom took drama in high school, so we don't have to worry about her selling it," Scott smiles as he talks about his mother.

A pang of guilt stings my chest at what Melissa would have to go through tonight. Arguably, she would be in far more pain than Scott, or any of us. Having to pretend her son was dead and run the risk of him actually dying? Melissa was as tough as they come, but I don't know if even she would be able to handle that.

"We don't know what's coming for us, whether it's one person or an entire squad, so we need eyes outside of the control room," Chris continues, laying the groundwork.

He peers over at me, acknowledging me for the firs time since he entered. 

"What do you think? Two-man system?" he asks, referring to a strategy used by hunters when they had to run missions in buildings with minimal communication.

One hunter would remain on the bottom floor and keep track of the main entrance and any basement levels. The other would be combing through floors and keep track of any irregularities. It was a simple system when hunters couldn't have constant contact, taking a more stealthy approach.

It was also a strategy that required a lot of faith between partners, each one relying on the other to do their job. Chris wasn't just asking me for an opinion on what strategy we should do, he was asking if I was willing to trust him.

This wasn't about me, though. This was about Scott. I wanted to keep my friends safe, and I was willing to do whatever it took. Hell, I would've worked side by side with Deucalion if it meant protecting them.

"Works for me," I answer shortly. 

"I can help Jac," Liam offers, making Chris glance his way. His eyes soon fall on the bullet hanging around his neck, and he flinches at the sight of it.

"No," Chris says with an unnecessary level of spite.

Liam's eyes narrow upon the rejection.

"Why not?" 

"She can handle it herself," Chris counters. 

He doesn't look away after, only leers down at Liam. Liam doesn't back down and sends an open glare at Chris, too, putting me in the middle of their weird staredown. Stiles, Kira, and Scott, stand by awkwardly, the three of them looking between the hunter and wolf with agitation. 

I act swiftly to defuse tensions, placing my hand on the crook of Liam's elbow. It makes him focus on me rather than the man in our presence. 

"Liam, it's fine," I say softly. "Your dad is there, so you shouldn't be out in the open anyway."

Liam still seems resistant, but nods and bows his head in agreement. I pull my hand away from him after, hating the feeling of loss that comes with it. I also ignore the way Stiles and Scott watch us. Stiles keeps trying to catch my eye to psychoanalyze my interaction with Liam, while Scott holds an unreadable expression that puts me more on edge. 

"Kira and Liam will stay here with Noshiko and Scott," Chris commands, getting back into it. 

"Jac, Stiles, and I will go to the hospital now to set up a control room. Once Scott is declared dead, Stiles and I will head off-site to message the Benefactor for payment."

"Why would we have to leave?" Stiles questions. I could only assume he didn't want to leave his best friend's body.

"They can't trace the IP to the hospital," I inform him. 

"What do you have on you?" Chris asks me, speaking of my weapons. 

"Daggers and a twenty-two," I reply. Before I left the motel I had made sure to have my Glock at the ready, and blades lined in my jacket. It had been a precaution for the Calaveras, but came in handy now. 

"You?" I inquire the same to him.

Chris smirks at my question, tugging up the hem of his shirt to reveal his Desert Eagle hidden in the crook of his hip holster.

"What do you think?" he quips rhetorically. 

I return his smile without thinking because, for a split second, it almost felt like how it used to be between us. Him and I getting ready for a hunt, making sure we were both covered and prepared. It reminded me of old times, and it was painful.

Chris felt it, too. His smirk drops almost instantly, and he averts his eyes from mine. He puts them on Scott instead, clearing his throat. 

"You should call your mom. We'll need that room," he suggests. 

"I'll be right back," Scott dismisses himself, leaving again to make another call. 

Chris starts to explain how to operate the camera to Kira and Stiles. I would have assisted him with that, but when Liam's fingers brush mine, that's all my mind seems to care about. I find him watching me, and he tilts his head to the side, a gesture for me to follow him.

I do, allowing him to guide me into the living room. 

"What's up?" I ask when we're out of view of the others. 

"Are you sure about this?" he asks, his voice heavy with concern. "There's a chance none of this will even work and we won't find out who the Benefactor is." 

"Liam, it'll be fine. Chris and I have done bait missions like this before, as long as we stick to the plan, everything will be okay," I assure him.

He shakes his head, unconvinced. It appears as though he wants to say more and argue over it, but I couldn't let him. We needed to do this and I couldn't allow him to sway me into changing my mind.

When he moves to say something I reach up to adjust the chain around his neck. Instead of talking, he watches my movements as I put the bullet under his shirt, my fingers grazing the skin of his chest. He closes his eyes for a moment and when they open again it's hard for me to miss the way his pupils have grown to eclipse his iris as he stares at me.

"What three things cannot long be hidden?" I ask him.

The worry on his face disappears, replaced with a confused frown. 

"Is that a riddle? I'm not good at those."

I chuckle quietly as I wrap my hand around his wrist, bringing his hand between us. I open it so his palm is faced upwards, and drag the tip of my finger along the lines of his palm. He allows me to lead the touch, giving me the freedom to pull away whenever I want to.

"The sun, the moon, and the truth," I whisper, tapping the center of his palm each time I say a pillar of the mantra.

As sure as the sun and moon would rise and fall in the sky, we would find the Benefactor. Whoever they were, they would pay for the suffering they caused; every life that was taken because of their cruel game. 

They would pay for trying to take my home from me.

"We're gonna catch the Benefactor because they can't stay hidden forever," I tell Liam.

He removes his hand from my grasp softly, only so he can reach for the side of my face. He pauses just before making contact, silently asking for permission to touch me. I may have already held his hand, but I initiated that form of contact first. Liam wouldn't push the boundaries we had set. 

I bump my head into his waiting hand, making Liam laugh at my form of acceptance. He brushes the hair that fell out of my braid behind my ear before cupping the side of my face. I smile shyly at the tender action, still not used to it and how it made my chest swell. Liam isn't bothered by that and only continues to observe me with careful eyes. 

Blue seemed like such a cold color before; an icy reminder of the loss of innocence. Now, because of him and his gaze that bared that very shade, all I felt was warmth.

Liam's sweet breath starts to fan at my skin, the inches fading between us. He leans into me, and I him. I search for his comfort; his warmth, and start to debate whether I would burn up if I were to finally close the distance.

The scuff of an abrupt stop in someone's footsteps yank me from those thoughts, and I instantly retract myself from Liam to face Stiles. My breathing is heavy with guilt as if he had caught me in the middle of a crime.

I stare at him as he stares at us. 

He tilts his head a fraction to the side and his eyes are squinted. It's the usual expression he wore when he tries to decipher something. Typically, it's a case or untrustworthy figure, but now it was Liam and I. The idea of him attempting to solve why I was being so vulnerable with Scott's Beta makes me stiffen.

The McCall boy himself appears soon after, coming out of the adjacent hallway. He wears an obvious grin, looking between the three of us. 

"Mom says the room's all good," he announces proudly. 

None of us respond, making the silence beyond awkward. 

"You guys okay?" Scott asks as he picks up on the tension. 

I clear my throat, forcing myself to move away from Liam further. I pretend not to notice Stiles continuing to study me, or the hurt expression Liam wore from the second I pulled away from him. 

"Yeah," I tell Scott. "If the room is set, we should head out already." 

I pass him and Stiles, returning to the kitchen. 

"Ready?" Chris wonders, earning a stiff nod from me. He bids goodbye to Kira as he ends their conversation and grabs his case form the table. 

"Text me when it's done," he commands her, speaking of Scott's inevitable death. 

Stiles goes to grab the three laptops as we'll need those for the control room. I move to hold the door open for him and Chris since they were the ones carrying things, the older man walking out first. Stiles follows his path but doesn't step through the door right away. Instead, he stops in front of me, and waits. 

Reluctantly, I peer up at him, knowing he wouldn't move until I did. I wasn't sure what type of reaction I was expecting from him, but it definitely wasn't a smile. 

The gentle upwards curve of his lips throws me off. Though, after that surprise fades, I find some semblance of relief. Stiles' smile made me feel less guilty and more normal. It dawns on me now that I expected some sort of repercussion for being vulnerable with Liam. It was something ingrained into my subconscious that sort of emotion was synonymous with weakness, and being weak meant being punished.

Stiles understood that part of me better than I did. He's always been able to see through me and I used to resent that, but now I couldn't be more grateful. When I return his smile with my own, he finally moves.

Before I leave, too, I spare one final look toward Scott.

He's already watching me, a delicate expression of relaxation that feels beyond misplaced. 

"I'll see you later tonight," he says gently. 

To anyone unaware of what our plan was, those words would seem like one friend bidding another farewell. To us, it was a promise.

"You better," I reply, savoring the laugh that my words bring from him.

Liam stands at his side, but I refuse to look at him, too. 

Maybe vulnerability wasn't inherently a weakness, but there was something about Liam that compromised me. He made me doubt myself and question the certain cruelty that was sometimes required in our world. 

Scott's life would hang in the balance tonight, and I couldn't gamble with it. We needed to stick to the plan or else it would lead us down a path that ended with death. It was my responsibility to protect my friends, and I couldn't let my feelings for Liam get in the way of that.

~

||| A/N |||

vote and/or comment if you want!

New part! Sorry, this took a while to update, last time I posted was last week Tuesday, but hey, at least I didn't miss a week lol! Hope everyone has a great rest of their sunday.

Also, don't forget to watch (and like) the All Too Well short film to support Dylan! <3