6 Magic Bullet

I quickly got up at the sound of my alarm, startled by how loud it was. I reached over shutting it off and relaxing back into my pillows in order to control my racing heartbeat. After a few minutes, I stood up and started pulling clothes out of my closet to get ready for school. I grabbed black mom jeans, a yellow tank top,  a sheer black short sleeve top, and black vans. 

As I was walking downstairs I got a text from Lydia saying she couldn't pick me up this morning because she would be running late. As soon as Scott walked down the stairs I spoke up, "Is Stiles picking you up today?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I need a ride. Lydia can't make it today." He nodded and not too long after we headed out the door towards Stiles' jeep. 

As soon as we got in the car Scott told us that Derek isn't the alpha meaning that there is another, more dangerous werewolf in Beacon Hills and we have no clue who it is. 

When that was established Stiles broke the silence by asking, "Did the Alpha kill the bus driver?"

"I don't know," Scott sighed.

Stiles pauses and thinks for a moment then asks another question, "Does Allison's dad know about the Alpha?" 

"Stiles, how is Scott supposed to know?" I rolled my eyes. We just made it to the school and we all got out of the car. I separated from the boys heading to my locker, letting my mind wander to the unknown Alpha. 

*_*_*_*_*_*

After class, I was in the hallway with Lydia and Allison talking about Scott going to study at Allison's tonight. "Just studying never ends with just studying," I say as I lean against the lockers.

Lydia then continues, "It's like getting into a hot tub. Somebody eventually cops a feel." I snorted.

"So what are you two saying?"

"We're saying make sure he covers up." Lydia gives Allison a glance.

When Allison looks confused I continue, "Ya know? Wrap it before you tap it? Don't be silly, protect your willie? I can go on."

Lydia has a smirk on her face as Allison says, "No thanks. And seriously, after one date?" 

"Well don't be a total prude. You have to give him a little taste." Lydia says.

"How much is a little taste?"

"Oh, God. You really like him, don't you?"

"Well, there's something different about him." You have no idea. "When I first got here I had this plan: no boyfriends until college. I move too often. But when I met him, he was different. I can't explain it."

"Well, he really likes you too. I'm his twin, I should know." I winked at her.

Lydia starts talking before Allison could reply, "I'll tell you what to do. When's he coming over?"

"Right after school."

As if on cue, the bell rings and our classmates start pouring out of their last classes. "Sorry ladies, I gotta go. Have fun Allison, but don't get pregnant, I'm too young to be an aunt." I wiggle my eyebrows then head out the door. 

As I walk out the building a hand grabs my arm, I look over and follow the hand up to see a very sick looking Derek. "What are you doing here? You look like shit!"

Derek glares, "Where's your brother?"

"I don't know," I look up, glancing around and spot Stiles in his jeep pulling out of his spot. I drag Derek over making Stiles slam on his breaks in shock, quickly getting out of his car. That's when Scott notices the commotion and makes his way over.

Before Stiles or Scott can say anything Derek gasps out, "I was shot."

I'm practically holding Derek up at this point and I am struggling under his weight. Scott grabs his other arm helping me carry Derek. "Why aren't you healing?" He asks.

"I can't. It was a different kind of bullet." 

Scott then releases a breath, "Wait a second. That's what she meant when she said 48 hours."

Derek's eyes then started glowing blue and he sucks in a breath, clearly in a lot of pain. "What are you doing? Stop that." Scott says when he sees what is happening.

I reach over and whack the back of Scott's head, "What is wrong with you? He wouldn't be doing that if he could control it. Derek's not an idiot!" 

Students start blaring their horns as some step out of their cars, annoyed by the hold-up. "We have to get him in the car." I breathe out, still struggling under his weight.

"Him? My Jeep? No way."

I quickly give Stiles a death stare as he reluctantly agrees. As soon as he is in the passenger seat Stiles gets in the driver's side. I look at Derek and awkwardly apologize as I go to climb over him so I can get in the back seat. 

Before we can take off Derek stops Scott, "I need you to find the same kind of bullet. I have to know what they used."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"She's an Argent. She's with them..."

"Why should I help you?"

"Scott!" I scold as I stick my head in between the two front seats and glare at my brother. 

"Because you need me," Derek says. 

"Fine. I'll try. Now get him out of here."

*_*_*_*_*_*

Sitting in the car with Stiles and Derek I quickly text Scott, Did you find it yet? I keep glancing at Derek. He looks like he's getting worse and it's making me nervous. My phone beeps alerting me of a text, "Scott says he needs more time."

Stiles sighs then looks over to Derek who is clutching his arm in pain, "Try not to bleed out on my seats. We're almost there." 

"Almost where?" Derek questions as I knit my eyebrows together. 

"Your house." Stiles deadpans.

"No. You can't take me there."

"I can't take you to your house?"

"Not when I can't protect myself."

"You know, that actually makes sense." I nod my head thoughtfully as Stiles glares at me in the rearview mirror. He quickly hits the brakes and looks at Derek, "What happens if Scott doesn't find your magic bullet? Are you dying?"

"Not yet. I have a last resort." Derek then pulls up his sleeve revealing the gunshot wound. It has stopped bleeding but the veins surrounding it are dark making the wound look disgusting. I scrunch my face up and look away from the wound. 

"What is that?" Stiles asks, also looking disgusted. "Is that contagious? Maybe you should just get out." I reach over to punch Stiles in the arm and he quickly backs away from me throwing a glare over his shoulder. 

Derek then weakly spoke up, "Start the car. Now."

"I don't think you should be giving orders the way you look. In fact, I think if I wanted to, I could probably drag your werewolf ass out to the middle of the road and leave you for dead." 

My mouth hung open at Stiles' words. I get that Derek isn't the nicest person to deal with but he could be a lot worse considering my brother, Stiles, and I got him arrested. Plus he has told Scott more about being a werewolf then Stiles and I ever could.

I went to punch Stiles again but before I could Derek spoke up, "Start the car or I'm going to rip your throat out with my teeth."

"Ha." Derek quickly glanced at me but then focused back on Stiles staring at him until he started the car. 

*_*_*_*_*_*

As we start moving again I lean back in the seat and text Scott for a second time, Derek is not looking good. When he doesn't answer after 10 minutes I text again, call me. After another few minutes, Scott finally calls me. "Finally! What are we supposed to do with him?"

"Take him somewhere. Anywhere."

"Oh of course. Just let me bring him home. He can hide in my closet." I roll my eyes waiting for Scott to answer. Stiles rips the phone from my grasp as I open my mouth to protest. Only for him to hold his hand up as he talks to Scott, "He's starting to smell." 

I can just make out Scott's voice through the phone, "Like what?"

"Like death." Stiles scrunches his face up as he looks at Derek's wound. Derek then glares at Stiles and I give him my best bitch face. 

"Okay. Take him to the animal clinic."

"What about your boss?"

"He's gone by now. Scarlett knows where the spare key is."

Stiles then turns to Derek, "You're not going to believe where he's telling me to take you."

Without answering Derek yanks the phone out of Stiles' hand, "Did you find it?"

The phone is now farther away from me so I can't hear what Scott says but soon Derek continues, "You don't find it, I'm dead," there was a quick pause. "Then think about this, the Alpha called you out against your will. He's going to do it again. And next time you either kill with him or you get killed. You need me. Find the bullet." 

Derek hangs up and hands the phone back to me. Stiles then takes a breath as he starts the jeep back up and heads to the animal clinic.

*_*_*_*_*_*

Stiles parks outside of the animal clinic and I quickly find the hidden key to unlock the door. Once we are inside the examining room I got a text from Scott. I look up at Derek, "Does northern blue monkshood mean anything to you?"

When the words leave my mouth Derek opens his eyes and sighs, "It's a rare form of Wolfsbane. He has to bring me the bullet." 

I quickly text Scott telling him as Stiles asks, "Why?"

Derek replies rather bluntly, "Because, without it, I'm dead."

After I heard those words and saw how bad Derek was looking I quickly sent out another text, need you here now. 

I looked up from my phone, pacing back and forth waiting for Scott to either show up or text me back. Derek slowly pulled his shirt off and despite his gross wound I couldn't help looking at his abs. 

He was definitely fit and I was trying really hard to focus on anything but his defined stomach. So instead I swallowed and looked at his wound to check just how bad it had gotten.

The veins branch out from open sores while the rest of his arm has turned yellow. The minute Stiles saw the wound words tumbled out of his mouth, "Well, that doesn't look like anything some Echinacea and a good night's sleep couldn't take care of."

I rolled my eyes as Derek replied, his voice strained, "When the infection reaches my heart, it'll kill me."

"Positivity just isn't in your vocabulary, is it?" 

"Please Stiles, I wouldn't be positive either if I was on my deathbed."

Derek gave me a glare as I mumbled out a quick apology. He then pushed himself off from leaning against the container and started speaking, "If he doesn't get here with the bullet in time, last resort."

"Which is?" Stiles asks as I throw the blue-eyed werewolf a questioning look.

Derek is digging through drawers as he speaks then finally stops at one and pulls out an electric bone saw. "You're going to cut off my arm."

*_*_*_*_*_*

Stiles and I stand shocked as Derek walks over to the examination table and puts the saw down. Derek then begins tying a tourniquet around his infected arm as Stiles asks, "What if you bleed to death?"

I keep glancing between the two guys standing in front of me, trying not to panic. "It'll heal. If it works." Derek instantly replies, still trying to tie the tourniquet.

I slowly make my way over to him and help him tie it as he looks up at me shocked that I was helping. Stiles then starts talking again, "I don't know if I can do this."

As I finish the tourniquet Derek speaks up, "Why not?"

"Because of the cutting through flesh, the sawing of the bone, and especially the blood."

I bite my lip in thought as Derek questions Stiles, "You faint at the sight of blood?"

"No. But I might at the sight of a chopped off arm."

Derek threateningly steps closer to Stiles, "How about this: either you cut off my arm or I rip off your head."

I look between the two guys praying that Scott arrives soon. "I'm not buying your threats anymore."

I gulp as Derek grabs Stiles' collar before I can say anything Stiles speaks up, clearly nervous, "Okay, bought, sold, I'll do it, I'll do it."

Derek then releases him as he starts gasping, choking and coughing. I rush over to him to help him stand up straight but before I can grab his arm he hunches over and starts throwing up inky black liquid. 

"Holy God, what the hell is that?" Stiles gasped out backing away.

"My body... trying... to heal." Derek is still hunched over and trying to breathe as he speaks. I put my hand on his back and slowly start rubbing between his shoulder blades. He looks up, "We have to do this now."

I help him stand up properly to the best of my ability and bring him towards the table in the center of the room. Stiles mumbles an "Oh God" as he grabs the saw and I hold onto Derek's injured arm.

I cringe as Stiles turns the blade on, I see him close his eyes as he slowly brings the saw down towards Derek's arm. Before it reaches Scott bursts through the door, "What the hell are you doing?"

Stiles and I sigh in relief as he answers for both of us, "You just prevented a lifetime of nightmares." I nod in agreement still standing beside Derek.

"Did you get it?" Derek looks around me. I move slightly to the side as Scott hands the bullet to Derek.

"What are you going to do with it?" I question.

Derek starts to answer but before a complete sentence leaves his mouth he collapses to the floor, the bullet dropping and rolling away. 

"Shit," I crouch on the floor beside Derek shaking his shoulder and trying to get him to wake up. Stiles goes to his other side and tries to help me while Scott goes after the bullet.

"He's not waking up!" Stiles panics as I quietly whisper, "C'mon Derek. Don't die on us."

When Scott calls out that he has the bullet Stiles takes a breath, "Please don't kill me for this." He then pulls his arm back and punches Derek in the face with as much force as possible. 

Derek's eyes flutter open as Stiles staggers backward away from me and the werewolf. Stiles is cradling his hand in pain when Derek speaks up, "give it to me".

Scott once again gives Derek the bullet as I help him to his feet. He then stands at the table and cracks the tip open and pulls out a lighter from his pocket. He holds the flame to the contents inside and sparks fly up as bits of wolfsbane light aflame. 

He then puts the smoldering ashes into his hand and grinds it into his gunshot wound, wincing as he does. Derek drops back to his knees, I grab his arm to slow his fall. With one hand on his arm and the other on his back, Derek opens his mouth revealing his sharpened fangs. 

I suck in a breath but refuse to back away until I know he's alright. "Scarlett," I hear Scott warn but I stay still. 

Dogs in the kennel are barking like crazy and rattling the cages. Before I can ask Derek if he is okay, he tilts his head back one more time and lets out an ear-piercing howl of agony. 

I wince and tilt my head away. As soon as the howl begins, it ends and Derek falls against me, too tired to sit up on his own. The open sores close within seconds, returning to normal. It's deathly quiet for about three seconds, then Stiles pipes up, "That. Was. Awesome."

Slowly Derek's eyes blink open, he leans away from me and pushes himself off the floor. I slowly stand up after him keeping my hands out just in case he falls again. 

"Are you okay?" I wearily ask. 

Derek glances at me then looks towards the boys, "Except for the agonizing pain." 

"I'm guessing the ability to use sarcasm is a sign of good health." Stiles states.

I slowly allow my hands to drop to my sides as Derek pulls his shirt back on. He seems to be ignoring my concerned gaze. 

Scott then speaks up, "We saved your life. That means you're going to leave us alone. And if you don't I go back to Allison's dad and tell him everything --".

Before he can continue Derek cuts him off, "You're going to trust them? You think they can help you?"

"Why not? They're a lot freaking nicer than you are."

"I can show you exactly how nice they are."

Scott shares a questioning look between Stiles and myself, I shrug in response. "What do you mean?" Scott finally asks.

Derek and Scott leave as Stiles sighs and brings me home. 

I think about waiting up for Scott but decide against it, he'll tell me what Derek showed him tomorrow. And with that thought, I head to bed for the night.