❛ Down in the forest with the devil in me. I remember the look on their faces through the sycamore trees. ❜

SEASON 1, EPISODE 12
code-breaker

"WILLOW. HEY, WILLOW. Willow, come on, wake up. We need to get going, okay? We need to get out of here."

⠀⠀⠀Willow opened her eyes, the surroundings blurry, and so was her head. She blinked rapidly, finding Stiles squatting over her, his hands on her shoulders shaking her and his eyes frantically looking between her eyes. He let out a small, relieved breath as he noticed Willow was back and sat back on his heels.

⠀⠀⠀"Hey, you're okay," he whispered, his hand moving to her hand and squeezed it lightly as she looked nervously around the parking garage. "He's gone. You're okay."

⠀⠀⠀Willow nodded back at him, still feeling on edge. She pulled herself to her feet, dusting off her clothes, and looked back at Stiles, who had stood as well.

⠀⠀⠀"We need to go check on Lydia," Willow said, remembering what led them here.

⠀⠀⠀Stiles nodded in agreement, pulling away from her, and the two recollected themselves before they stood. Willow started towards the Jeep, but Stiles sighed loudly behind her.

⠀⠀⠀"We're gonna have to walk to the hospital," Stiles admitted.

⠀⠀⠀Willow turned back to look at him, furrowing her brows.

⠀⠀⠀"Why?"

⠀⠀⠀Stiles held his car keys up, each key bent to the point of no return.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh."

⠀⠀⠀"You don't happen to have a broom we could ride, do you?" Stiles asked as they started to walk out of the parking garage.

⠀⠀⠀"Sadly, no," Willow stated with a slight shrug. "They haven't given that to me in witch school yet."

WILLOW AND STILES darted into the hospital, annoyed the receptionist until she told them where Lydia was, and ran to the elevators. They waited anxiously in the small room as the beeps of each floor passed. When they opened, Stiles stood at the doors and slipped past once they were wide enough with Willow close behind him.

⠀⠀⠀"You know what?" Stiles' dad suddenly appeared, stopping Stiles and Willow in their path. "It's a good thing we're in a hospital because I'm gonna kill you."

⠀⠀⠀Willow was focused on Lydia rather than the angry Sheriff standing in front of her. She laid in one of the hospital rooms presented to the floor, the curtains open so the nurses could keep an eye on her if her status declined. At least Lydia looked somewhat better. Her skin was clean of blood, and she was wearing a hospital gown rather than her soaked dress.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm-I'm sorry," Stiles stuttered to his dad. "I lost the keys to my Jeep. We had to run all the way here."

⠀⠀⠀"Stiles, I don't care!" Mr. Stilinski shouted, catching both of their distracted attention to him. Willow didn't think she had ever heard him get so frustrated in her life.

⠀⠀⠀While concerned by his dad's reaction, Stiles was still worried for Lydia.

⠀⠀⠀"Is she gonna be okay?" he asked.

⠀⠀⠀Mr. Stilinski deflated, looking between the two teenagers riddled with worry for Lydia and what would happen now that she had been bitten by an Alpha.

⠀⠀⠀"They don't know," Mr. Stilinski admitted, looking back to her and then at the two teenagers in front of him. "Partially because they don't know what happened. She lost a lot of blood, but there's something else going on with her."

⠀⠀⠀"What's happening?" Willow asked, stepping into the conversation.

⠀⠀⠀"The doctors say it's like she's having an allergic reaction. Her body keeps going into shock," Mr. Stilinski explained. His attention turned to Stiles as he furrowed his brows, watching as Stiles visibly reacted to his explanation. On the other hand, Willow kept a calm exterior to try and divert Mr. Stilinski's belief that the two had something to do with her injury. "Did you see anything? I mean, do you have any idea who or what attacked her."

⠀⠀⠀"No," Stiles sighed. "No, I have no idea."

⠀⠀⠀"I didn't see anything," Willow added.

⠀⠀⠀"What about Scott?"

⠀⠀⠀Willow and Stiles looked at Mr. Stilinski in confusion, expecting Scott to be at the hospital or back at the dance.

⠀⠀⠀"What do you mean?" Stiles asked, looking around the floor to try and find his best friend. "What about him?"

⠀⠀⠀"Did he see anything?" Mr. Stilinski continued to press.

⠀⠀⠀"What do you—Is he not here?"

⠀⠀⠀"What are you talking about?" Mr. Stilinski asked, confused. "I've been calling him on his cell phone. I've gotten no response."

⠀⠀⠀Stiles and Willow both turned to look at Jackson standing at the window to Lydia's room. They hadn't fully noticed him before, but now he was looking back at them with furrowed brows, listening to their conversation. They waited for him to respond, but he only shrugged his shoulders and mouthed, 'I don't know back.

⠀⠀⠀Stiles sighed, realizing that Scott had gotten in the middle of something they had just come to figure out.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, you're not gonna get one."

WILLOW AND STILES were about to head out of the hospital after they had gotten their affairs in order. They checked on Lydia from the window, knowing she was as safe as she could be there. They took a moment to breathe, rest and use the restroom because who knew when they'd have another second to. Then, they were ready to move.

⠀⠀⠀Stiles was then pulled off to the side by his dad (again), and Willow waited for them to finish. Instead, she was stuck awkwardly standing near Jackson, someone she had barely talked to, and just stared at Lydia without a word spoken between them still.

⠀⠀⠀When finished, Stiles walked back into the main hall, nodding his head for Willow to follow him. His jaw was set in frustration and determination, steps long and ready for the fight ahead of them. Well, as ready as they could ever be.

⠀⠀⠀Willow followed after him, trying to keep the pace, but struggled with the four inches of height between them. Finally, he slowed some, only so they could talk.

⠀⠀⠀"I know where Scott is," Stiles muttered to her under his breath.

⠀⠀⠀"Okay," Willow nodded. "You have a protection spell over you, so you'll be okay if you take a few hits."

⠀⠀⠀Stiles glanced at her, furrowing his brows deeper, and asked, "When did you do that?"

⠀⠀⠀"At the parking garage," Willow stated, and when Stiles stared at her to continue, she rolled her eyes. "I figured out how to cast in my head with Jackson, Allison, and Lydia at the school."

⠀⠀⠀"So, does that mean you can do magic without having to say it?" Stiles asked but still looked confused.

⠀⠀⠀"No," Willow sighed. "It's the only spell, and it's only been in high-stress situations."

⠀⠀⠀Stiles nodded, understanding what she meant.

⠀⠀⠀Before continuing their conversation, they heard footsteps coming from behind them.

⠀⠀⠀"Hey, where are you going?" Jackson asked them, walking a step behind them.

⠀⠀⠀"To find Scott," Stiles answered him simply.

⠀⠀⠀"You don't have a car," Jackson commented with a thin smile.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm aware of that," Stiles replied, smiling sarcastically back at him. "Thank you."

⠀⠀⠀"What? Are you going to take her broom?" Jackson asked, irritated as he nodded over at Willow. She stared back at him blankly, unamused by his remark despite Stiles making the same joke less than an hour before. "Here, I'll drive. Come on—"

⠀⠀⠀Stiles ripped his shoulder from Jackson's hand.

⠀⠀⠀"Look, just because you feel guilty all of a sudden doesn't make it okay, alright?" Stiles asked, taking a step back. "Half of this is still your fault."

⠀⠀⠀Jackson glowered at Stiles.

⠀⠀⠀"Look, I have a car," Jackson snapped back at him. "You two don't. Do you want my help or not?"

⠀⠀⠀"Alright," Stiles nodded, conceding. "Did you bring the Porsche?"

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah," Jackson stated, holding his keys up, so they jingled against each other.

⠀⠀⠀"Good, I'll drive," Stiles smiled.

⠀⠀⠀Stiles snatched the keys from Jackson's hand. In Willow's opinion, the dumb-struck expression Jackson wore was worth taking him along with them. They started walking back down the hall when Allison Argent's dad and two large men behind him began to approach them.

⠀⠀⠀"Kids," Chris Argent greeted, smiling wide. Willow was annoyed by the fact he could pull a handsome smile when she was sure he was going to beat the shit out of them to get what he wanted. "I was wondering if you can tell me where Scott McCall is."

⠀⠀⠀"Scott McCall?" Stiles asked. "Um, haven't seen him since the dance. Willow, you?" he asked, turning to Willow, and she turned to look at Mr. Argent.

⠀⠀⠀"No, I actually didn't see him at the dance. I was with my date, Blair, and my sisters," Willow explained, shaking her head. She looked to Jackson. "Jackson?" she prompted.

⠀⠀⠀"I—um," Jackson muttered, trying to get something, but he was either unprepared or scared shitless standing in front of a werewolf hunter. He turned back to Willow and Stiles with wide eyes, hoping they'd jump in to save him.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, for the love of God," Stiles sighed, realizing Jackson had become their Achille's Heel.

⠀⠀⠀Willow, Stiles, and Jackson were moved out of the hallway and thrown into the closest room. Argent locked the door behind them as the teenagers fell against the hospital bed inside, panting.

⠀⠀⠀"Let's try this again," Argent hissed, his back towards them while his two men stood on either side of the teenagers, glaring at them. "Where is Scott McCall?"

⠀⠀⠀"Willow, don't do anything," Stiles whispered to her quickly, catching her eye before she could begin casting. "I have a plan."

⠀⠀⠀Willow nodded as Argent stalked over to them, annoyed by the two teenagers whispering to one another, and pulled Stiles up by the collar of his shirt. Argent pressed him against a wall while his men approached Jackson and Willow. The man with Willow took one of her hands, pinning it behind her back to keep her from running to rescue Stiles. Jackson was in the same position as she was.

⠀⠀⠀"Let me ask you a question, Stiles," Argent said. "Have you ever seen a rabid dog?"

⠀⠀⠀"No. I could put it on my to-do list if you just let me go," Stiles told him as if the conversation they were having were casual and Argent wasn't threatening their lives more or less.

⠀⠀⠀"Well, I have," Argent continued, ignoring Stiles' comment. "And the only thing I've ever been able to compare it to is seeing a friend of mine turn on a full moon. Do you wanna know what happened?"

⠀⠀⠀"Not really," Stiles said with a shrug. "No offense to your storytelling skills."

⠀⠀⠀"He tried to kill me, and I was forced to put a bullet in his head," Argent hissed, thumping Stiles' forehead where he had shot the bullet into his friend. "The whole while he lay there dying, he was trying to claw his way toward me, still trying to kill me like it was the most important thing he could do with his last breath. Can you imagine that?"

⠀⠀⠀"No, and it sounds like you need to be a little more select—" Stiles tried to joke more, but Argent forced him back into the wall, so his head hit against it.

⠀⠀⠀"Did Scott try to kill you on the full moon?!" Argent screamed in Stiles' face. "Did you have to lock him up?!"

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, I did. I had to handcuff him to a radiator," Stiles snapped back. He broke the joking exterior to try and avoid the situation, gritting his teeth in annoyance. "Why? Would you prefer I locked him in the basement and burned the whole house down around him?"

⠀⠀⠀Argent chuckled at Stiles' comment, letting Stiles stand on his feet, and took a step away to dispel the hostility.

⠀⠀⠀"I hate to dispel a popular rumor, Stiles, but we never did that," Argent assured him.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, right," Stiles nodded, his tone still unconvinced. "Derek said you guys had a code. I guess no one ever breaks it."

⠀⠀⠀"Never."

⠀⠀⠀"What if someone does?"

⠀⠀⠀"Someone like who?"

⠀⠀⠀Stiles looked at Argent knowingly, raising his eyebrows, and said, "Your sister."

⠀⠀⠀Argent paused, taking Stiles' accusation to heart. Willow didn't believe it was Stiles just suddenly blaming Argent's sister for killing the Hale's that got him to leave. It seemed like he had suspected it for a while, and now, with someone finally saying it out loud, he was convinced.

⠀⠀⠀"Come on," Stiles said to them, and the three rushed out and to the parking lot before they could be held back any further.

⠀⠀⠀Stiles took the driver's seat like he said, and Willow sat in front to further push the fact in Jackson's face that he wasn't anything to him. His help wasn't wanted, and he had been the cause of most of this.

⠀⠀⠀Jackson groaned when he watched her get in but didn't argue. Instead, he sat in the back, knees to his chest as he frowned, leaning in between them to watch the road.

⠀⠀⠀"Hey, hey, hey!" Jackson exclaimed when they reached the woods, throwing his hands out as Stiles continued to go fifty miles per hour over rocks, branches, and dirt. "This isn't exactly an all-terrain vehicle."

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, did you pay for it?" Stiles shot back.

⠀⠀⠀Jackson's frown deepened, "No."

⠀⠀⠀"Then shut up."

⠀⠀⠀It wasn't long until they pulled up to the Hale house where Peter had found Scott's phone location. It was dark, but the moon helped brighten enough for them to see Scott and Peter, in wolf form, squaring off and Allison standing out of the way but still close enough to get hurt.

⠀⠀⠀Stiles pulled up, honking his horn and turning on his brights for the two werewolves to turn and look at them.

⠀⠀⠀"Willow! You need to do it now!" Stiles exclaimed, turning to her.

⠀⠀⠀"Ignis, inglobus finget et flagrans ardor facet ad edo meus advorsarius," Willow cast, her words thundering as she spun her hands into a circle, taking a step forward and pushing the fireball that was twice the size of her hands toward Peter.

⠀⠀⠀"Ignis, fluet ab ego!" Willow followed, her hands to her chest then back out as fire continued to flow from her hands and to Peter until she was sure she had gotten every inch of him.

⠀⠀⠀Peter tried to escape her fire, turning to look at Allison on his left and starting to barrel towards her.

⠀⠀⠀Willow stopped casting when she noticed Scott running for Peter, slamming his foot against Peter's chest, and forcing him back and away from the group. Peter fell to his knees, his werewolf form abandoned as he now stared at them. Back to the man they first met, burns along his face and the fire gone from around him but still haunting. He fell back, shuddering and gasping for air in an attempt to stay alive.

⠀⠀⠀They stared, aware of the fact that they had made it out alive. There was a moment of silence as they stood in the wake of the battle they had just won. Now, unsure what they did now.

⠀⠀⠀As they stood, Derek came from the woodwork, walking down the steps of the house and toward Peter. He stood over him, his glare harsh.

⠀⠀⠀Scott stood from behind them, running toward Derek frantically.

⠀⠀⠀"Wait!" Scott shouted at Derek. "You said the cure comes from the one who bit you. Derek! If you do this, I'm dead. Her father, her family—What am I supposed to do?"

⠀⠀⠀There was a pause, Derek only turning his head to look back to glance at Scott over his shoulder.

⠀⠀⠀"You've... Already... Decided," Peter struggled to say between his weakening breath. "I can smell it on you!" he hissed.

⠀⠀⠀Derek lifted his hand into the air.

⠀⠀⠀"Wait! No, no! Don't!" Scott begged, but it was too late.

⠀⠀⠀Derek swung his hand down, claws slitting Peter's throat as they all watched. The image would never leave their minds. Derek then turned to Scott, his eyes a bright, menacing red.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm the Alpha now."

JACKSON WAS ALLOWED to drive them out of the woods, Scott and Allison taking Scott's car, and Derek left behind to do whatever Alpha stuff he needed to attend to. There was no turning back, and the teenagers were all exhausted, so there was no reason to stick around and talk to Derek anyway.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm dropping Stiles off first, then Willow," Jackson stated, pulling onto the road.

⠀⠀⠀"No," Stiles stated, shaking his head from the front seat. "No, no, no. I'm not letting you or your cocky, big head sit alone in this car with Willow. No chance in hell."

⠀⠀⠀"What?" Jackson asked, rolling his eyes. "Think I'm going to hit on her? You jealous?"

⠀⠀⠀Willow only sat in the back seat, listening to the two bicker. She knew if she said anything, they'd either ignore her or use what she had to their advantage. Also, it was kind of amusing to listen to after the stressful night they had.

⠀⠀⠀"Uh, no, I just know you think your the best thing to ever walk this Earth, and I don't trust that ego of yours with Willow," Stiles retorted in annoyance, frowning.

⠀⠀⠀"Don't worry, she's not really my type, and I think she could burn me alive if I tried anything," Jackson retorted. "Besides, don't you have someone else to worry about? Like, uh, what's your girlfriend's name?"

⠀⠀⠀"Blair, and she's not my girlfriend. She's—" Willow replied, pausing, her eyes widening. "Oh, shit."

⠀⠀⠀"What?" Stiles asked, turning back to look at her. "What's wrong?"

⠀⠀⠀"I totally stood Blair up," Willow groaned, running her hands down her face. "What am I supposed to tell her? That, sorry, my ex didn't know where his date was, so I went to help him, and we ended up getting kidnapped by a werewolf instead?"

⠀⠀⠀"Well, it's better than what Scott told Allison when he ditched her at Lydia's party," Stiles admitted with a grimace.

⠀⠀⠀"What did he say?" Willow asked, not sure if she wanted to hear it.

⠀⠀⠀"'You're just gonna have to trust that I had a really good reason,'" Stiles said, mimicking Scott's voice by lowering his own.

⠀⠀⠀"He didn't," Jackson stated.

⠀⠀⠀"He did," Stiles replied.

⠀⠀⠀"And Allison still went out with him?" Willow asked. Stiles nodded in reply. "Either she has no trust issues, or Scott is just that cute but either way, I kind of respect that."

⠀⠀⠀"Really?" Stiles asked.

⠀⠀⠀"I mean, would I do that? No. Major red flags, but I guess just having the balls to keep going despite the fact he can't come up with a decent lie is quite the power move," Willow replied with a slight shrug.

⠀⠀⠀"We're here," Jackson stated, pulling up to the side of her house.

⠀⠀⠀Stiles got out of the car, so Willow could get out. When she was out, Willow bent down and looked at Jackson.

⠀⠀⠀"Thanks, I guess," she said.

⠀⠀⠀Jackson nodded with a thin smile.

⠀⠀⠀"Anytime," he told her. He looked at her for a second, and she stayed, seeing he wanted to say something else.

⠀⠀⠀"What?"

⠀⠀⠀"Uh, would you tell your sister to reply to my messages," he asked her. "I miss her."

⠀⠀⠀"Who, Bridgette?" Willow asked, furrowing her brows. "She's gay, y'know?"

⠀⠀⠀"Not Bridgette, Laurel."

⠀⠀⠀Willow rose both her eyebrows, laughing at his comment, but when he didn't return it, she stopped.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, you're not joking?" Willow asked, and Jackson rolled his eyes, putting both hands on the steering wheel and looking straight ahead. "I'm gonna give you some advice, Jackson. Not because I like you but because I don't really want to see you around pining over my sister."

⠀⠀⠀Jackson looked over at Willow expectantly, raising an eyebrow for her to continue.

⠀⠀⠀"Laurel doesn't date. She isn't now. She never will. She's not interested in you," Willow told him simply.

⠀⠀⠀"That's just because I was with Lydia," Jackson stated.

⠀⠀⠀Stiles bent down, listening to their conversation, and looked into the car at Jackson.

⠀⠀⠀"You were seeing Laurel while dating Lydia?" Stiles asked, his voice raising an octave higher.

⠀⠀⠀"That's none of your business," Jackson snapped at him. He looked to Willow. "Would you just—tell her."

⠀⠀⠀Willow rolled her eyes, "Fine, dude. But I'm not just saying that to get you off her back. She doesn't want a relationship with anyone. No one."

⠀⠀⠀"She didn't seem to be complain—"

⠀⠀⠀"Stop," Willow stated, raising her hand. "She has sex. No relationships."

⠀⠀⠀Jackson rolled his eyes, "Whatever."

⠀⠀⠀Willow let out an annoyed sigh and stood back up, as did Stiles.

⠀⠀⠀"Thanks for helping me out tonight," Stiles told her with a small smile.

⠀⠀⠀"Of course," Willow assured him with a slight, hesitant nod, unsure where things had been left between them. One thing was for sure, they both had other people they needed to talk to. "You're not going home, are you?"

⠀⠀⠀"Uh, no," Stiles admitted. "I'll probably go back to the hospital to make sure Lydia's alright."

⠀⠀⠀"I'll see you later," Willow said.

⠀⠀⠀"See you later," Stiles smiled.

⠀⠀⠀They paused for another second before both moved into a hug. It was brief but refreshing to know that maybe they could move on from being so hostile at times and become friends once again. Especially if they were going to keep running into supernatural problems together.

⠀⠀⠀Willow walked up to her house, waving back at Stiles, and walked inside. Her parents were on the couch, her mom asleep laying on her dad as they watched a movie together. It was past one in the morning, so it wasn't some sweet night they had. Instead, it was waiting for her to get home.

⠀⠀⠀"Willow," Vic whispered, seeing her. He smiled in relief and moved so that Starla was lying on the couch. Vic threw the blanket over her and placed a pillow under her head. When he finished, he walked over to his daughter and looked over her for any injuries. "Come on," he whispered.

⠀⠀⠀They walked into his and Starla's bedroom to not disturb Starla from her sleep. He closed the door gently and turned back to Willow.

⠀⠀⠀"Are you alright?" Vic asked worriedly. "Laurel and Bridgette told us that you went missing at the dance and that Lydia had been attacked."

⠀⠀⠀Willow nodded her head, but it felt like everything pulled away as she realized how much she had been through. How much just being in Scott and Stiles' lives again had put her through. And she wasn't blaming Scott, but she never thought high school would be this hard.

⠀⠀⠀Willow was thankful her dad was there for her. She loved her mom, but she could fall right into her dad's arms, and he would comfort her until she was ready to talk. Willow didn't need another lecture from her mom about how dangerous everything was. She understood that, but she also couldn't just let her friends die for her. She would rather die than let them sacrifice themselves for her.

⠀⠀⠀Vic held her tight to his chest as she cried. His hand ran over her hair, and they stood like that for as long as she needed. Then, in between scattered intakes of breath, Willow explained to him what had happened. It didn't make much sense as she jumped from one point to another and then back to something else, but he understood that she was hurt and that being there was all he could do.

⠀⠀⠀And that's all Willow could ask for.

AUTHOR'S NOTE —

It's the end of the beginning :'), act one is now OVER! We move on to season 2, next!

SONG: Hellfire by Barns Courtney

Thank you for reading! Leave comments telling me your thoughts on this chapter, but however you interact, know that I really appreciate you reading. I hope you enjoy, and until the next one.