Chapter Thirteen :  Mountain Ash Circles

"I saw it, I know where it is." Scott said, hopping over the side of the tub.

Stiles did the same, "We passed it there was this- There's a stump, this huge tree. Well it's not huge anymore it was cut down. But still big, though, very big."

Scott pulled the towel around himself as Lottie handed one to Stiles, "It was the night we were looking for the body."

"Yeah the same night you were bit by Peter."

Allison gassed for air, "I was there two in the car with my mother. We almost hit someone."

Scott turned his head to look at Allison, "It was me. You almost hit me. We can find it." The three of them started to realise the weird looks we were giving them.

"What?"

"You guys were out for a long time." Isaac said, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"How long is a long time?" Stiles asked, drying his hair.

I took a step back from Scott. "Sixteen hours."

Scott turned to look at me, "We've been in the water for Sixteen hours?"

"The full moon rises in less than four." Lydia said, stepping back from Allison.

"Come on. The three need to get changed." Chloe said, taking the now wet towels back.

When all three of them came back after changing their clothes, Lydia gave each of them water. "We have to go back, Scott."

"I know, Cait." Scott replied, sighing.

"With Deucalion?" Chloe asked. Both of us just nod.

Stiles looks at each of us in disbelief, "No. Neither of you are going back with them."

"I made a deal with Deucalion." Scott said, leaning on a wall.

"So what the hell does Cait have to do with it?" Lottie asked, giving the two of us crazy eyes.

"If I don't help him, he kills you, Lottie." I replied, putting my coct back on.

"Does anyone else think that sounds a lot like a deal with a devil? With a threat on top." Stiles said, shaking out his still wet hair.

"Why does it matter. I mean we can protect Lottie. Scott you can get out of this."

"Because I still don't think that we can beat Jeniffer without their help."

"And I'm not adding Lottie's life to the might die in four hours list."

Allison looks to Deaton, "They trust you more than anyone, tell them they're wrong. I mean they kidnapped Cait for crying out loud."

Deaton looks to the two of us, "I'm not so sure they are. Circumstances like this sometimes require that you align yourself with people you normally consider enemies."

"So we're gonna trust a psychopath? I mean this guy calls himself death, destroyer of worlds?" Evlynn asks, the stand off of everyone to me and Scott continuing.

"I wouldn't trust him, no. But you could use him to your advantage. Deucalion maybe the enemy, but he could also be the bait." Deaton finishes and the door opens.

Deaton Scott and I walk to the other room. Ethan stod in the doorway. "I'm looking for Lydia." Just then Lydia came from behind us.

"What do you want?"

"I need your help."

Stiles bends around the corner, "With what?"

"Stopping my brother and Kali..From killing Derek."

"So much for wanting to be the hero." I whisper to myself, I think only Scott and Ethan even notice.

"I'll go." Lydia said, pushing past Scott and me.

"Lydia what?" Allison asked running to her best friend.

"If it could save lives then I'm going." She turned back to Ethan, "You better have a ride."

"Okay back to our first problem. Scott and Me will help you guys get anything need to get to the nemoton, but then we leave, make an ally out of an enemy."

The elevator door to Allison's apartment rung. Scott was on the phone with Stiles talking about Socks and scents as Allison opened. "Isaac, see what you can find in my Dad's closet." Allison said, pushing open the door.

The four of us walked down the hall but when we opened the door to Chris Argent's room His guyn lay sprawled on a table.

"This is quite an arsenal your father's got here, young lady." Scott came into the doorway where me and Allison were. The man stood up. "Scott."

"What are you doing here?" Scott asked, clearly offended by this man's presence.

"Following one of the only leads I have. Now, Since I don't know where you've been, why don't you have a seat and we can talk? You too, Isaac."

Isaac joins us in the door, "How do you know my name?"

"Your name is one of the few things I know." I grab Scott's hand, seeing as he still looked like he wanted to tear this man apart, "To be honest, The rest of what's going on around here has me stumbling in the dark, Even over the smallest clue."

Scott gripped my hand tighter, "If you're trying to tell me that you don't have a clue, I learned that a long time ago." Scott starts to walk into the room, pulling me behind him.

"I'm really hoping to avoid the embarrassment of dragging my own son into an interrogation room. Really hoping."

"Son?" "Wait, that's your Dad?" Isaac and my word blend together.

"Now I get why you're so mad." I say as we take a seat.

"I'm more than a little disturbed, not only by the number of missing parents, but the fact that It's Stiles' Father, your father, and your mother."

Isaac raised his hand, "Mine are both dead."

"Save the cliched teenage apathy for your high school teacher." Now I see why Scott hates him so much. "The four of your know more than you're saying, and I'm fully willing to keep you here all night if I have to." Scott sighs looking to the flare arrows on the desk in front of him.

"You can't keep us here." Scott said through gritted teeth, "Not without some kind of a warrant."

"I've got a desk full of probable cause."

Allison stands from her seat, "My father is a highly respected private security consultant and federally licensed firearms dealer. That means he has to own a few weapons." She walks over to a bow, "Like this 175-pound draw tactical crossbow, or this carbon steel marine combat knife, 50AE desert eagle." She picks up a grey cylinder. "Smoke grenade with pull ring igniter." Allison pulled the ring out and threw the cylinder on the ground, "GO." All four of us ran from the room.

"WAIT! Scott Wait!" Argent McCall yelled after his son.

None of us waited. I hopped on the back of Scott's bike and Allison took Isaac in a car to the Beacon Hills preserve. "Scott you okay?" I asked as he pulled off his helmet.

"I-I didn't know what to say to him. I couldn't come up with anything, But what Allison, that was awesome."

Isaac came to meet Scott Allison and I, "I still haven't gotten anything from Stiles- you?"

"I don't get it."

"Lottie hasn't texted me either, and she was with him." I say, shaking out my hair.

"Well, we can't wait for him, come on." Scott checks his phone one last time before we make our way to look out.

I walk over to one of the trees. The Alpha triskelion blackened on one of them. I guess that's how they marked the kidnapping. "Cutting it a little close aren't we? I mean Caitlin dear, I thought things were going to get ugly in your household." Deucalion's voice came from behind the four of us.

"We got a little delayed. Where are the others?" Scott asked.

"Occupying themselves with other pursuits."

"So what? It's just you me Scott and Jeniffer?"

"I think you'd be surprised what a good team the three of us can make."

Scott and I turn back to Isaac and Allison, "Okay, get Stiles. And Lottie. And then get to the root cellar, okay?"

"We'll keep Jennifer away long enough for you to get them out of there."

"How are you gonna do that?" Isaac asked.

"We have a plan."

Isaac lets go of my shoulder and Scott and I walked down the hill. We follow Deucalion to the old distillery. A revenge spiral still carved into the side. The winds and storm got worse around us, but Deucalion stopped us at the door. "You said the two of you had a plan."

"One the first day of class Jeniffer sent all of us a message." I start.

"It was the last line from Joseph Conrad's heart of darkness. We have a message of our own to send to her." I grabbed Scott's phone and pressed record. "You see this symbol? It's a symbol of revenge. You talk about balance, about saving people. We know what you really want, And now you know where to find us." Scott stops talking as I end the video. Sending a video to your teacher was weird, even if that teacher did try to kill you, but it got the job done.

Now we waited. We knew that she just wanted to kill Deucalion, the sacrifice could wait. I watched the smoke start to evaporate around a figure coming towards us. But she wasn't alone. Derek and Jennifer walked into the distarely.

"What are you doing?" Scott and I ask Derek weakly.

"This might be hard to believe, but I'm actually trying to help you."

"Ooh, Like brother against brother. How very American this is." Deucalion says, unfolding his cane. "Are you ready Jeniffer? Hmm? Did you gather your herbs, pray to your ancient gods, and your oak trees, slit a baby's throat perhaps? Should we show them why you needed to sacrifice nine innocent people just to face me? Or is it 12 now?" Deucalion turns, making Jeniffer cower and Scott and I step back.

Derek turns going to fight Deucalion. But his eyes were blue. Deucalion's grey body easily bends Derek backwards. Jeniffer steps forward using one of her many gifts from killing the innocent but it has no effect. Deucalion starts to choke Derek and Jenifer. He drops Jenifer's body and throws Derek aside. Jenifer gets up but Deucalion but he throws her aside as well.

Deucalion brings Jenifer into the center of the room, "Kill her. Do it." He said to Scott. When Neither Scott or I move, Deucalion roars. I cover my ears as they start to bleed, it makes Scott drop to the floor turning. "Now kill her. Your parents are dying. That storm you hear, she's burying them alive. It's her connection to the telluric currents. Kill her and it ends." I remove my hands from my ears, hoping the bleeding stops.

"It won't end. Not with me. He'll have you kill everyone you love. Then continue on this kidnap and threats journey with Caitlin. Seeing as she's not even from this earth. It's what he does." Jenifer begs from the floor.

"They're dying, Scott. Your mother and the parents of your best friends. Kill her now and it's over. Become the alpha you're meant to be. Become a killer."

"Scott, that's a counter diction argument. If you kill you can't be an alpha." I try but Deucalion roars again, knocking me to the ground as well.

"They're not dead yet." Scott said, digging his claws into the dirt ground.

"And who's going to save them, your friends?"

Scott and I stand from the ground. "My pack."

Deucalion rushes forward, calwing my lag so I can't walk. He grabs Scott's arm, bringing him forward. "Maybe you just need a little guidance."

Scott turns to Deucalion, "I forgot to tell you something. Something Gerard told me, 'Deucalion...Isn't always blind." Scott throws two flair arrow heads to the ground making all the werewolves in the room cover their eyes. The white lights mess with my head a bit, but I recover much faster. Deucalion starts to aimlessly claw around as Scott stumbles back, tripping over me. When he falls to the ground, he places his hand on my back. His veins start to turn black as the pain resonating from my leg subsides. But it ends in an instant as the sky turns orange. The lunar ellipse has started. Every werewolf was now human.

"The ellipse. It's started." Deucalion said as he wandered around the room. Scott helps me off the ground, but when we look to where Jenifer was, she was gone.

"Oh god." I say to myself. The orange light around us blending with the storm revealed Jenifer walking back into the room, her true face showing. She almost glitched into the room, throwing me and Scott back.

Jenifer started to beat Deucalion's head into the ground, the sound of his skule cracking making me wince. Bust before he dies Derek comes from where he was hiding. "Jenifer. He doesn't know."

"Know what?" The Darach asked.

"What you really look like. He knows the cost of ringing Kali into his pack, but he's never seen the price you paid.

"No. No he hasn't" She bends back over bringing her hand over Deucalion's eyes. The Alpha of Alphas starts to scream in pain. Shuddering on the floor.

"Cait, can do anything?" Scott asked.

"Nothing useful. The ellipse limits my powers."

Deucalion's screams stop. "Turn to me." Jenifer Demanded, "TUrn to me!" Jenifer went to kill Deucalion, her body fell back into Derek's arms. "What's happening to me?"

"Healing him made you weak. Just like healing Cora did to me. You won't have your strength for at least a few minutes."

"Then you do it, Kill him."

"Cait, can you do something now?"

"I can try." I reach my hand out seeing as I can't stand. A flame moves about three feet in front of us before dying. "I don't think I can do anything."

"What about Caitlin the doppelganger?" Scott asked, crawling over to me. Deaton's words ring in my ears.

'Tonight we need Caitlin Roads the doppelganger. Procter of worlds.'

"Scott, how much time do we have till the ellipse is over?"

"Ten minutes."

"That's to far from the end of it."

"What? Is there like a speel or something you could do?"

"Something my mother taught me. If you're weak in power, you need know why you're weak. If being weak has a time limit, then you need to time the spell."

"Can you give me a shorthand?"

"I need to cast the spell, so that when I'm done with it, the ellipse will be over. Which means, back to the first plan. You stop Jenifer at the end of the ellipse I worry about the rest."

"Why was that the first plan? I didn't know about that plan?"

"I know. It was my plan. Scott, taking down Jennifer is how you become an Alpha, if you can trust me to do the rest, we can win."

"Then you explain this whole doppelganger thing to me, deal?"

"Deal."

I look up to see Derek being thrown against a wall by Jeniffer as the room starts to darken again. "Cait you ready?"

"Almost." I crawl over to the broken claws in the ground left by Scott. I use one to cut open my wrist. "Join me, in tempore opportuno. Pro nostrum officium potest non evenire non auxilium tuum!" I beg the latin words.

"NO!" I could hear Jenifer yell.

My veins start to turn sliver and I know my eyes will as well. A wind storm starts in the room as it goes completely dark once more. "Your 15 minutes are up." I could hear Derek say as power surged through me. As I let go of a scream worse than a banshee, all the winds stop. The storm outside stops, the blood still dripping from my arm turns silver as well. Then it stops like it should. The only fight left is wolf to druid. The maze of obstacles Jenifer set up are gone.

Derek pushes Jenifer to the ground as I struggle to stand. I watch Scott run forward only to be stopped by Janifer throwing a druid mountain ash circle. "Like I told you, Derek either you or the parents. Well, I guess I'll just have to take them now. In a few minutes, they'll be dead, and I won't need a Lunar eclipse, even to kill a demon wolf." Jeniffer yelled.

"Not anymore. Now it's just a fight." I say stumbling to Derek's side.

"What the hell did you just do?" He whispered in my ear, as he helped me stand.

"Cast a spell, what did you think I did?"

Scott brought his hand to the air, moving his feet like he was about to run. He then brought his other hand up. "You've tried this before Scott, I don't remember you have much success." Jenifer;s thoughts don't stop him. Scott pushed his hands to the barrier, making a blur light fill the room. It was like a blow dryer was pressed to his face. A wind was pushing his hair and body back. Scott let out a pained grunt but pressed on. He took another step, pressing his body to the barrier and well as his hands. Derek was still the only thing keeping me up, but I might fall anyways from how remarkable this was.

Scott lets out a string on pained sounds but keeps going. The blue light in the room is growing. The barrier around Jennifer started to go blue, with almost lightning looking cracks forming over it. You could only see the outline of Scott now, as he was swallowed by the blue light.

You could see the fear start to spread on Jenifer;s face as Scott moves forward. This time he manages to step over the mountain ash. Then with a sound like thunder the barrier broke. Half of the perfect circle ruined Scott standing inside. Jenifere Blake now pushed to the floor.

"How did you do that?' Jenifer asked sitting up. I felt the smile forming on my face.

"I'm an Alpha now." HELL YOU ARE! Scott turned to me, "I guess you handled the rest, seeing the lack of thunder." I nod, a smile still plastered on my face.

Deucalion steps forward, walking next to Scott. In one quick motion he slashed Janifere's throat. She turned back to her true scared self as she struggled for air. Then her body went limp.

Scott called Stiles placing him on speaker. "Scott? Cait?"

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah We're okay. We're all okay. How about the two of you?"

"Sort of." "I mean I've been better."

"You think you can come get us?"

"Yeah, Of course."

"Okay great. Uh bring a ladder."

"We will." Stiles hung up the phone as Scott removed my pain. "Thanks."

Derek Scott and I turn to Decalion. "My mother told me you were a man of vision once. We're letting you go because we hope you can be that man again."

Scott picks up where Derek left off, "But if you're not, then having your eyesight back won't matter, because you'll never see us coming."

All three of us leave Deucalion behind walking out of the distillery. Bring our friend and family back to Stiles' house. Scott pulls me aside. "That speel you did, what was it french?"

"Latin?"

"What did you even say?"

"Join me, in my time of need. For our job may not be fulfilled without your help."

"What does that even mean?"

"I guess we should have that talk now. We can go back to my place, everyone else is staying here for the night. And my parents are out of town. I can explain everything and no one will know."

Scott pulls open the back door, "Lead the way."