*flashback*

"Talia Hale..."

"It is his right. We're not the only people to adhere to rituals thousands of years old."

"Which is no excuse for not evolving!"

"They ripped his claws right out of his fingers! How is that evolving?Useless debate! I'm done with it!"

" Ennis, don't! Don't make us part of a historical cliché. With two such powers, it never ends at an eye for an eye-- a skirmish becomes a war, a murder becomes a massacre, and we end up no better than our enemies!"

*end of flashback*

"Our mark for vendetta..."

You see it on the window as Peter drew it

"Man, you guys really take that revenge thing to, like, a whole new level, don't you?"

"It's not just revenge. Losing a member of your pack isn't like losing family-- it's like you lose a limb."

"They wouldn't even let him see the body."

*flashback*

"Somebody called for a-Whoa..."

"I want his body. It belongs to me-- both halves."

"First off... You need to step back.I'm just a deputy. I do what I'm told. And right now, they're telling me there's a young man who was shot in the throat with an arrow and literally cut in half. This is a homicide investigation.Second? No matter how close you were... you're not related."

" He was family to me."

*end of flashback*

"That means your dad was a deputy Stiles."

"Hold on I don't get it-- what does this have to do with Derek?"

" Everything.It's never just a single moment; it's a confluence of events. Personally, I looked at Ennis' circumstances, and I saw a profound loss. Derek saw something different. He saw opportunity."

"Opportunity? To do what?"

" To always be with her."

*flashback*

Paige was practicing cello when Derek was there

" What are you staring at?"

"I'm not staring. I'm listening.Am I distracting you?"

"No. I've got laser-like focus."

"You sure about that?"

Derek got closer and nibbled her ear and caused Paige to lose focus

" I hate you."

"No, you don't. You love me."

" Hate you."

"You love me."

Paige nodded as Derek Kissed her

"The thing was, he had this constant fear. He was obsessing over it, thinking about it all night, all day-- always on his mind." Says Peter

"Why does she eat alone?" asked Young Peter

"What are you doing here?"

"Im looking out for my favorite nephew! Making sure no one has a crossbow aimed at your throat."

"I could get you banned from school grounds. You know that, right?"

"No one would ban me from anywhere-- I'm too good-looking.Doesn't she have any friends?"

"A few, but she likes to study during lunch, and I kind of just don't think she likes my friends..."

"No one should like your friends-- they're a bunch of hormonal half-wits! But that one over there?She's perfect for you, and perfect combinations are rare in an imperfect world. It would worry me, too, though. I'd probably be thinking about it all the time."

"Thinking about what?"

"Her finding out. You've thought that through, right? You know it always happens-- one minute, you're in this blissful teen romance, and next, she sees fangs, glowing eyes, claws..."

" She doesn't have to find out."

"But they always do... Especially when they're perfect for you.There's really only one way to make sure you'll always be together...Turn her."

*end of Flashback*

" I kept telling him not to do it. Every day, the more he thought about it, the more convinced he became. You know teenagers... I bet he even blames me! He's probably convinced himself the whole thing was my idea-"

*flashback*

"I have the perfect idea."

"Go away."

"Laura told you about the packs being here, right? There are more Alphas than I've ever seen in one place!Your mother would never do it, and these packs won't be here much longer. The time to do it is now. One little bite, and she never gets sick again. She stays younger, more beautiful. Think of how she'll be able to protect herself. Derek, the bite is a gift!"

*another flashback*

"What is that?"

"A Celtic five-fold knot. It's a Druid symbol." Says Mr. Argent

"The air's different in here... Do you feel it?I think I know what this place is."

"Is that blood?" Asked Gerard

"Sacrificial blood. We're in a Nemeton. It's a sacred meeting place. Ancient Celtic Druids would usually choose a large, older tree in a grove. It would represent the center of the world. There was a belief that cutting or harming the tree in any way would cause serious problems for the surrounding villages."

"What sort of problems?"

"Fires. Plagues. Strife. Death and destruction of all kinds."

*end of flashback*

" How does he know all about Celtic symbols and Druids...?"

""Know thy enemy," Allison.The older wolves had a relationship with the Druids. They called them "Emissaries." "

"Like my boss, Deaton..."

"Do you know the myth of Lycaon?"

"I know it's where we get the word "lycanthropy...""

"According to myth, some Greek citizens believed they owed their lives more to Prometheus than to the gods of Olympus, and some followers even took names to honor the Titans instead of the gods."

"...Like Deucalion."

"The son of Prometheus.Lycaon didn't just refuse to honor the gods-- he challenged them. He invited Zeus to a banquet and then tried to serve him the flesh of a human being. Angered, Zeus blew the place apart with lightning bolts and then punished Lycaon and his sons by turning them into wolves.The part that's lesser known is how Lycaon sought out the Druids to help turn him back to human."

"Why Druids?"

"The belief was that the ancient Druids knew how to shapeshift. They couldn't make Lycaon and his sons human again, but they did teach them how to shift back and forth. And so, the Druids became important advisors to the packs."

*meanwhile*

"They keep us connected to humanity. But, they're a secret, even in the pack-- sometimes only the Alpha knows who the Emissary is. Derek and I had no idea about Deaton."

" Or his sister, Morrell."

" She's an Emissary, too?"

" For the Alpha Pack."

" Our guidance counselor??? Why the hell don't you people tell me any of this stuff, huh??? I shared some really intimate details with her!"

"That's why I told you... not to go with her."

" And did she give you good advice?"

"...Actually, yeah."

"That's what they do. That's what Deaton used to do for Talia."

*flashback*

"While I admire your willingness to extend an olive branch, I have to tell you... it might not be welcome."

" And I'm not sure that Gerard is the one to accept it."

" It's true-- the Argents have a matriarchal leadership."

"Actually, I was speaking about the fact that he's a complete psychopath. The man cuts people in half with a broadsword!"

" Do the two of you really have so little faith in people? You think Gerard isn't worried about the deaths on his own side?"

" Do you know the story of the Scorpion and the Frog?"

" I have a feeling I'm about to hear it..."

"When the Scorpion asked the Frog to carry him across the river, the Frog said, "How do I know you won't sting me?" The Scorpion replied, "Why would I do that? Then, we'd both drown." So, the Frog agreed. Halfway across the river, the Scorpion stung the Frog. When the Frog asked him why he did it, since now they would both die, the Scorpion replied... "It's my nature."Your faith in humanity may not matter if you underestimate Gerard's nature."

"Make sure you meet him on neutral ground... And do not walk in there alone."

" I'm an Alpha. I never walk alone"

*another flashback*

"Derek?Derek, is that you?"

Paige was exploring the school by herself at night until she saw a huge shadow of a man at the end of the hall she was at.

*end of flashback*

" Ennis? Why would he choose him?" You asked

" Why not? Ennis needed a new member for his pack. Paige was young and strong. Doing a favor for Derek meant Ennis would be in good with Talia-- back then, everybody wanted to be in good with her."

"He doesn't remember it was Ennis, does he?"

"If he does, he keeps it to himself."

"So, then what happened? Did he turn her?"

"...Almost."

*flashback*

Derek runs out the room to see Paige crying on the floor trying to crawl away.

" He came at Ennis-- a fifteen-year-old boy against a giant. There was no reason for him to fight...She'd already been bitten. "

*end of flashback*

"I wasn't really surprised when Deaton came to arrange a meeting with Deucalion. As William Blake said, "Any sinister person who means to be your enemy always starts by trying to become your friend."

"How do you know he wasn't there to make peace?"

"Because I'm not an idiot!Do you know the Sanskrit fable of the Scorpion and the Turtle?"

"Yeah. The Scorpion asks the Turtle for a ride across the river..."

"And when the Scorpion stings the Turtle, dooming them both, what does he say to explain his behavior?"

"..."It's my nature." "

"I know a Werewolf's nature. I knew exactly what was coming..."

*Flashback*

FLASHBACK-- ABANDONED DISTILLERY, 2003

"...A trap. "Says Gerard

There stood Gerard with his own hunters as Deucalion was there with a few members of his pack.

"I think it's quite fitting that we are meeting in a distillery. You know, the process of distillation is the separating of two substances by pushing them into their different volatile states..."

" "Volatile" is exactly the state I was hoping to avoid."

" Ooh...Then this is going to come as quite a big disappointment."

Gerard then sees the steam coming out

"What have you done?" Growled Deucalion

*end of flashback*

"They attacked you?" Asked Allison

" It was an ambush."

*flashback*

Gerard pulled out a bat that held spikes

" One of the earliest weapons used by man was the spiked mace. I've made one of my own.I'd love to get your opinion on it."

Gerard then swung on his own people, and swung at the pack of Deucalion

"Your own people..."

"They wanted peace, too. Look what you did to them."

*end of flashback*

"So, did she turn?" Asked stiles

"She should have. Most of the time, the bite takes. Most of the time..."

"When you offered it to me, you said, "If it doesn't kill you..."

" "If."" Says Peter

*flashback*

Derek held Paige, she was in pain bleeding black blood.

"What's happening to her?"

"He knew the answer, though..."

*end of flashback*

"It didn't matter that she was young and strong. Some people just aren't meant for this.But, she fought. She struggled desperately, trying to survive..."