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.*･｡. WAITING FOR SUPERMAN .*･｡.
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030.
FATHER,
LAWYER,
ESQUIRE.
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——

    "He doesn't remember?"

    "Not at all..."

    "Crap—!"

   An awkward silence floated amongst the group.

     "If Jackson doesn't remember being the kanima, he's definitely not going to remember stealing Danny's tablet." Scott sighed.

They had driven somewhere a bit more remote and out of the way, where it would take longer for the police department to find Jackson. They would also be taken to where Jackson's phone had called from first, courtesy of Lois Lane, which would delay them even further in their escapade.

Scott had linked up with his friends after visiting Danny, who had sent his love back to Lois and also had no idea why Jackson would have been angry with him. There had been no falling out, no argument or disagreement; they were on good terms. Best friends as always. But Danny had mentioned that he had been able to recover the missing footage and that it was on his tablet, which had been left in his car, which Scott had gone to find in exchange for the boys fake ID. When Scott had gotten to his car, however, it had already been broken into and the tablet was gone.

"Why would he steal the thing if he doesn't even know what's on it?" Stiles wrapped his arm around Luna.

Allison pursed her lips, "What if someone else took it?"

"Then somebody else knows what he is," Lois furrowed her eyebrows, thinking about Allison's words, "Which might mean someone's protecting him."

"Like the bestiary says," Luna nodded, "The kanima seeks a friend, right?"

"Okay, hold on—" Stiles raised a hand to interrupt. He was trying to get his head around the situation the best that he could but he was struggling, "So, somebody watches Jackson make a video of himself turning into the kanima... and then just erases part of it so he wouldn't know? I mean— who would do that?"

The hunter shrugged her shoulders, taking a stab in the dark. She didn't know any better than the others, but guessing what always worth a shot with the life they currently lived, "Somebody who wanted to protect him?"

"There's gotta be something else..."

    Another silence.

    "Wait—" Scott turned to Stiles, the cogs inside of his head turning, "You and Luna said the only thing you guys found online about the kanima is that it goes after murderers, right?" They both nodded their heads at him, "Well, what if that's actually true?"

"No— it can't be," Lois said.

    Stiles waved a hand, "Yeah— tried to kill all of us, remember?"

"He's right," his friend since birth continued, "It chased me around the school and pushed me down the stairs. I don't know about you, but I haven't murdered anybody lately."

"But I don't think that it was actually trying to kill us." When Lois didn't seemed convinced by what he was getting at, the teen wolf looked at his girlfriend instead. She also seemed hesitant, but tried to keep more of an open kind as Scott went back to playing detective, "Remember when we were at Isaac's the first time, it just went right by us— didn't it?"

"You're right," she nodded "It just ran off."

Scott nodded at Stiles and Luna, "And it didn't kill you guys in the mechanic's garage, either."

"Well, no—" the son of the sheriff hummed to himself but still fought his argument, "But it tried to kill me and Derek in the pool. And Lois, remember?"

"Did it?"

Lois frowned, recapping the night at the school in her head. It had chased her, all around actually( and it had paralysed her, but it never really tried to kill her. When Isaac Lahey had left her in the chemistry labs for a while, it hadn't come back to find her during the time that she had waited. Given that Scott had found it and scared it off, it probably wouldn't have, but he couldn't have been there that long. Lois had taught Isaac how to make a bomb in the time they had been hiding, and that had taken a while for them to coordinate when she possessed no bodily movement. So, when she thought about it, maybe Scott was right.

"It would've!"

   When no one agreed, Stiles looked at them as though they were insane, "It went after Lo, and then waited for us to come out."

"What if it was trying to keep you in?"

Stiles blinked and then cringed, gagging at the concept.

He shook his head and Luna stepped away from his theatrics, an eye roll in tow.

    "Why do I feel so violated, all of a sudden?" He dry-heaved.

"I think you're right, Scott..." Lois nodded thoughtfully. No one else had been there when she had been attacked, so it was only her word against everyone else's. Well, other than Isaac. "What if it was just trying to stop me from getting help? Telling someone? I mean, I don't think I would want people to know."

"There's something else going on." Scott spoke with vague annoyance, "We don't know what it is. We don't know anything about what's going on with Jackson, or why someone's protecting him—"

"Know thy enemy."

Lois peered at Allison, "Hm, what?"

"Just something my grandfather said," she said.

The short brunette slowly nodded, pursing her lips and turning back to the conversation at hand. She didn't like the fact that her friend was now acknowledging things that her grandfather had mentioned, especially when they were sayings as ominous as know thy enemy. It made Lois' gut twist. Although it had probably meant nothing — she knew that it meant nothing —it still had given her shivers down her spine. She didn't trust Gerard, and she wasn't sure she ever would. He sliced werewolves in half for a living — it wasn't a shock that Lois felt he was the reincarnation of the devil. There was several people who probably felt the exact same.

"Alright, I got it!" Stiles tried, "Kill Jackson — problem solved."

"He risked his life for all of us, against Peter." Luna denied, frowning at her boyfriend, "You remember that?"

"Yeah, but what did we just find out? He got the bite from Derek. It's funny how he just got exactly what he wanted, by supposedly risking his life for us — it's funny."

Lois rolled her eyes.

"It doesn't mean he's not still worth saving." She told her best friend, speaking honestly. Even though she had agreed that it would be the easiest option, and one that would be best for all those involved, she knew that they couldn't actually kill him.

   After all, Jackson was just a kid. Like them.

"It's always something with him, though..." Stiles shrugged.

"He doesn't know what he's doing," Scott pointed out. He was right, again.

"So, what?"

"So— I didn't either." Scott told him, "You remember when I almost killed you and Jackson? I had someone to stop me, then."

With a sad sigh, Lois thought back to the amount of times that Scott hadn't been in control of himself. He had tried to kill people too, including his friends, but they had always been there to stop him. They had always brought him back. Jackson didn't have that.

"He has nobody," she finished.

"That's his own fault." Luna said, to which Stiles agreed with a bop of his head. That was also true, unfortunately. They all knew that he had purposely pushed everyone away in his life. "Right?"

Lois shook her head, "That doesn't matter, right now. People want to kill him, and if we can save him...we should try." Her eyes travelled from Stiles and Luna to Allison, and then they moved along to Scott, "We have to try, don't we?"

• • •

"What do you mean he's gone, Stiles?"

"I mean that he's gone." He groaned, pushing open the door to the station with her in tow. Scott stood from where he was sat and joined them, "I came back and he was gone. As in poof!"

"It was my fault," Scott sighed sadly, "Allison and I— we got distracted, and we didn't even notice."

Having been called pretty late at night, Lois hadn't been very sure why she was being told to meet her friends down at the local sheriff's station, though she did have a sneaking suspicion that it was something to do with Jackson Whittemore. That boy seemed to be every pain in their asses, lately. Particularly theirs.

It turned out that somewhere along their job to keep watch for any police cars looking for him, Romeo and Juliet had chosen to commemorate their love — the thought made Lois cringe — and he had managed to slip out of his cuffs without anyone noticing.

Lois didn't blame Scott or Allison for Jackson vanishing. She had a feeling that he would end up disappearing at some point anyway, with their lack of restraints — she hadn't been totally convinced that a pair of handcuffs and a chain could hold a homocidal lizard if he got angry enough, and it was a shock the plan had worked out for as long as it did. There was going to come a time that they would have to let Jackson go anyway, it was inevitable, because they couldn't keep him there his whole life. His family already knew that he was missing, so time had been ticking.

"It's not your fault," Lois told him honestly, "Sure— you forgot to keep watch tonight, but he had to go sometime. It was way too good to be true,"

"We were gonna be in trouble, either way." Stiles added, "We've just got to explain this all to my dad, and it'll be fine."

Lois bit her lip, nervously. "Is he going to believe us?"

"He'll believe me," Scott told her.

She nodded and traipsed behind her friends as they passed the front desk, trying to swallow the nerves in her stomach. They were all going to know that Lois, Scott and Stiles had stolen a police van and locked Jackson Whittemore in the back of it. That sounded awful, didn't it? She paled. The police would also realise that they had good reason, but it still sounded absolutely horrific. Would their reason even be good enough?

"Could you buzz us in?" Stiles asked the women at reception, already walking towards the door and waiting for the sound to let him out back. "I've gotta see my dad,"

Being that she recognised them, the woman nodded and allowed them into the back of the station, where they headed towards his fathers office instinctively. The trio had been there so many times before that it seemed like habit. They knew where he would be.

What they hadn't known, however, was that he would already be stood outside of his office and waiting for them.

Alongside Jackson Whittemore, himself.

"Boys, Lois..." Sheriff greeted them, his eyes tired and his jaw tight. He watched them fall stiff and unmoving, "Perfect timing. Have you met Jackson's father, Mr David Whittemore? Esquire."

Jackson leant forward with a smile, "That means lawyer."

Lois let out a shallow breath, her brown eyes wide. She looked up at the two boys by her side, gulping, and slowly shuffled closer to them. She knew that this visit was going to get them in trouble, a lot of trouble; but she hadn't expected to be in this much trouble. Then again, what could she expect? Jackson had never been nice, nor had he been understanding — not even when they had been trying to save his life, as well as many innocent others. In that moment she knew that he was always going to be rotten to the bone. Lois knew that. She felt it alongside the anger in her veins and the irritation she felt. Lois felt it all. But, they were still going to save him.

"I, uh—" Lois swallowed the lump in her throatharshly, wiping her sweaty hands upon her jeans. "—I should call my dad..."

"That's a good idea, Lois." Uncle Noah nodded. He ran a hand over his face and sighed, face red as be tried to swallow the anger he was feeling towards his son, and the two teenagers he also saw as his children. He hadn't called her father himself because he didn't want to be the one to tell him that Lois had gotten herself into real trouble this time, he just couldn't. "Tell him to be quick."

   Lois nodded, obediently.

She pressed her lips together and pulled her phone from her pocket, her fingers shakily scrolling through her contacts. Safe to say, Lois had been in the sheriff's station many times before. More than she should have been able to admit. Whether she and Stiles had gone to visit his father at work, or were helping him solving cases, or being brought in after reeking havoc. They had been there many times, but this was the first time that she was there and had needed her father as a lawyer, not a parent.

   This was the first time that Lois had been in trouble that she didn't see herself getting out of — not with just a slapped wrist and a week of being grounded; it was trouble that she wasn't sure she would ever get out of.

Matthew Lane had never had to be his daughters lawyer, not since he had gotten his job title. Her heart lurched — he was going to be disappointed. At the thought, Lois wanted to cry.

"Hey—" Stiles spoke quietly, gently taking the phone from her grasp and placing a hand on her shoulder. Lois seemed to calm at his touch, peering up at him with wide doe eyes, ones that made him want to hold her. "It's alright, Lo. I'll call him — yeah?"

Lois didn't say anything, she just nodded and watched as he stepped out of the room.

It didn't take long for Stiles to return and her father to appear, face stony and briefcase in hand. Lois didn't even try to greet him, knowing that it was best to let him rage on his own while trying to find a good punishment for the trio with Jackson's father. From what she knew, her father was fair with the law, and she had faith that he wouldn't let the punishment be too extreme. Perhaps it was bias because Lois was his daughter, but Mr Whittemore was there for Jackson, too. And Noah was present for Stiles. None of it was particularly fair. Only Scott was currently parent-free.

    "You will not go within fifty-feet of Jackson Whittemore."

   Lois cringed as Stiles' father read out our their restraining order contract, "You will not speak to him. You will not approach him. You will not assault or harass him, physically or psychologically."

   Stiles puckered his lips, "What about school?"

    "You can attend classes while attempting to maintain a fifty-foot distance," Matthew Lane told him. "Isn't that right, Stiles?"

    "Okay— but what if we both have to use the bathroom at the same time and there's only two stalls available? And they're only right next to each other?" He tried again, receiving a glare from everyone else in the room. He nodded awkwardly, "I guess, I can just hold it..."

   While Jackson and his father stepped out of the room to have a chat, Lois sank down into the depths of her chair while Stiles had stood up and travelled to speak to their fathers. Herself and Scott didn't feel like moving, just yet. Too ashamed.

    "Do I need to remind you how lucky we are that they're not pressing charges?"

    "Oh— come on!" Stiles said, "It was just a joke—"

    "A joke?" Lois' father repeated.

   The boy shrugged helplessly, somehow not cracking under the stares that his father and Matthew Lane gave him. Luckily for him, he was often pretty good at keeping it together when he was under pressure. His lies weren't always good, but he rarely ever crumbled. Stiles sighed, "I didn't think that it would be taken this seriously. Humour's very subjective, Uncle Matt, okay? I mean—we're talking, like, multiple levels of interpretation, here."

    "How exactly am I supposed to interpret the stolen prison transport van, huh?" His father deadpanned.

    "...we filled the tank!"

    Scott cringed where he heard his mother enter the room, able to heard her raging heartbeat, her hand landing on his shoulder with her voice sinister.

    "Move!"

   He sent Lois a small smile as he was pulled up from the chair, sighing. She pulled him into the hall and Stiles followed them out, happy to be rid of his nagging father. Lois, however, stayed put. She stayed exactly where she was. Her father had barely even looked at her since he had arrived, so when the man made his way over and sat in the chair, she knew it wasn't going to be good.

   The family unit stayed silent until he spoke up.

    "What's going on, Lois?" His voice was calm, too calm.

    Not knowing what to tell him, the girl remained quiet. She didn't have any excuses, nor anyway of truly excusing herself, so she didn't even try. He would only be able to see right through her lies, and she had grown tired of it.

    "Talk to me," Matthew tried again, "What's going on with you, lately? What's bothering you?"

   Lois shook her head, "Nothing."

    "None of that crap, Lo. I'm not dealing with that— not right now. There's something going on, and I don't know what it is, but I want it to stop." He instructed, rubbing his jaw and pursing his lips tightly, "You're not a bad kid. You're my kid, and I know that you're better than this. All three of you are,"

    "You wouldn't understand—"

    "Then help me understand!" Her father almost pleaded. He stopped himself and took a deep breath, his voice lower than it had been before, "Is this about your mother?"

   Her head shot up, cheeks flushed.

    "It is, isn't it?" Matthew paled. He felt like a bad father having not brought it up, not until it was too late, "You've been acting differently, and I knew there was something going on. Something that's been messing with you head, I just didn't think it was her."

    "It's not mom," Lois whispered, suddenly feeling ill. "It's—"

    "Mr Lane?"

   Father and daughter looked up at the doorway, interrupted by the voice of Mr Whittemore, whom looked antsy and annoyed. Lois frowned but said nothing, she was glad that he had stopped her from telling her father everything that she would later regret having said. Instead, she leant back in her chair, allowing her father to take control of the situation. That was his job, after all.

    "Can I have a word?" Mr Whittemore huffed, to which her father nodded. He stood up from his chair and made his way to the door, ready to have another debate if needed. "It's about your daughter. My son seems to think that she doesn't deserve the same punishment, as the other two. I was wondering if you could come and talk to him? See what we can do?"

   Both of them were shocked at his words. But rather than staying frozen, Matthew nodded his head and left with the man.

   Lois could hardly believe it. Why had Jackson changed his mind?

   Instead of sitting like a melon — which she had been very close to doing — Lois waited a moment before pushing herself up and out of the room, nearly bumping into Stiles' back. She stood on her toes and peaked over his shoulder, raising a brow at the sight of Scott and Melissa talking. She wondered what about.

    "You are grounded."

   Scott said, "What about work?"

    "Fine, other than work." Melissa breathed, "And, no TV!"

    "My TV's broken..."

    "Then, no computer."

    "I need the computer for school." Her son cringed when she groaned, looking around for a different punishment, struggling.

    "Then no, uh—" she soon caught sight of where Stiles and Lois stood in the doorway, watching the punishment be decided. He eyes lit up and she crossed her arms, "Then, no Lois and Stiles."

    "What—!"

   Lois interrupted him, "No Lois and Stiles?"

    "No Lois and Stiles!" Melissa snapped at the pair of teenagers behind her and placed out a hand, "And, no more car privileges. Give me your keys." Scott didn't react and his mother grew very impatient, "Give them to me!"

   He scrambled to pass over the keys and she took them, her fingers fiddling to try and take his car key off the chain.

    "Oh, for the love of god—!" She muttered.

   Scott sighed, "Mom, you want me to—?"

    "No."

    "Mom, come on... let me just—" he tried again, reaching out a hand and placing it over her own, shaking ones. Scott stopped her from fiddling, "Mom. Mom—"

    "What is going on with you?" Melissa sighed.

   Silence.

    "Is this about Allison?"

   Scott frowned, "Do you really wanna know?"

   When she nodded, Stiles shook his head. Scott looked up at him and froze, unable to listen to a word his mother was saying. He wanted to tell her, Lois and Stiles had wanted to tell their parents too, but it was a bad idea. They couldn't tell them, not now. This was something that they had to deal with.

"Is this about your father?"

Scott didn't reply, too distracted by Stiles nodding, and Melissa took his silence as an answer. "It is, isn't it? Okay— you know, what? Um— we'll talk about this at home." She assured, walking to the doors, "I'm gonna go get the car."

As his mother left, Scott sighed, "I'm the worst son, ever."

"We're not exactly winning any prizes, either..." Lois nodded, watching her father talk to Jackson and his dad further down the hall. She bit her lip and turned back to the two boys that she had always seen as brothers and tried to focus, "Jackson's dad said that he changed his mind. He doesn't want me to have the same punishment, as you guys."

"What?" Stiles frowned, "Why would he say that?"

"I don't know," she hummed. Lois allowed her eyes to flicker back to the conversation they were having, finding Jackson looking right back at her, "I don't think he does, either."

——

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