MASTER PLAN
(HAS NOT BEEN REWRITTEN)

"I got to meet with the medical examiner and try to figure out what happened with Jackson," Stilinski began to explain to Carter, Scott, and Isaac as they all stood inside the boy's locker room. Carter had to change into one of Scott's shirts, her abilities causing another one of her favorite shirts to be ruined, but she couldn't help but be beyond worried because Stiles was missing, Gerard had control over the Kanima, and Allison had gone rouge. "I've got an APB out on Stiles. His jeep is still in the parking lot, so that means - oh, hell, I don't know what that means. Look, if he answers his phone, if he answers his emails, if any of you see him-"

"We'll call you," Isaac assured, his voice soft.

"Look, he's probably just freaked out from all the attention or something. We'll find him," Scott said softly, none of them wanting to come to the worst possible conclusion. Scott reached his hand out, engulfing Carter's smaller one in his own. He knew why she screamed when Jackson died, but he didn't even want to consider the amount of pain she must have went through when he died.

"Yeah," Stilinski agreed, his voice quivering. "I'll see you, okay?"

The three teens stood huddled together in front of Stiles' locker, waiting for the rest of the team to finish and exit the locker room. They needed to break into Stiles' locker, and it's not like they could go sniffing Stiles' clothes for his scent with everyone hanging around them.

"McCall," Finstock's voice called out, the lacrosse coach approaching the three of them. "We need you on the team, okay? You know I can't put you on the field next season if you don't get your grades up."

Scott nodded, "Yeah, I know, Coach."

Carter released Scott's hand, moving to stand on the opposite side of Isaac. The two leaned their backs against the lockers, Isaac glanced down at the brunette next to him. It had been easy to tell that she was pained - emotionally and physically - she could still feel remnants of Jackson's self-inflicted wounds being cut into her flesh. Her physical appearance hadn't been that appealing either. Her dark hair was frizzy and tangled, tan-skin now paled, dried streams of tears stained her cheeks, and she had black make up smudges around her eyes.

Carter still couldn't seem to wrap her head around what had just happened. She didn't understand how fate picked and chose who got to live and who got to die. Jackson had no control over what he had become after getting bit by Derek. No one could have predicted that. He didn't deserve to die. And Carter didn't deserve to experience it.

Finstock's voice snapped her out back into reality, "I mean, I - I know I yell a lot, but it's not like I hate you guys. Well, I kind of hate Greenberg, but, you know, that's different. It's Greenberg. I'm just saying we - I need you on the team. Get your grades back up."

Scott nodded, and firmly answered: "I will."

"I know," Finstock replied, backing away from the three of them.

During the time Finstock had been speaking to Scott, the remaining players managed to exit the locker room fairly quickly, making it easier for Scott and Isaac to get into Stiles' locker.

"Is that everyone?" Carter asked softly, the brunette felt as though she was stuck inside of a daze or an alternate universe.

Isaac took a step forward, watching as Finstock exited the locker room. "I think so."

The sound of metal being ripped echoed throughout the locker room, Carter watched with wide eyes as Scott tore the door of Stiles' locker off its hinges. Isaac turned around, looking at Scott in disbelief and confusion when Scott pulled out one of Stiles' shirts.

"You're gonna find him by scent?" Isaac asked, Carter nodded while reaching inside the locker grabbing a shoe and tossing it to him.

"Yeah," Carter answered, looking between Isaac and Scott. "You both are."

Isaac glanced down at the shoe in his hands in complete disgust, "How come he gets a shirt and I get a shoe?"

His complaints went without a response when Scott grabbed ahold of Carter's arm and tugged her behind him, while staring ahead with wide eyes.

"We need to talk," Derek Hale announced as he stood there.

"All of us."

When another figure appeared, Carter felt a wave of fear course through her, remembering the hallucination she had when Lydia spiked the punch at her party. But the fear quickly boiled into anger. She rushed forward, zoning in on Peter Hale only to be yanked back by Scott, who had wrapped his arms around her waist. "Holy shit! I'm going to kill you!" she shouted, venom dripping from her words. "You killed my sister! My sister, you son of a bitch! You tried to kill Derek! Now what, going to try and kill me, too?"

"What the hell is this?" Scott demanded, trying to move off of the subject of Carter's homicidal thoughts about killing Peter in about a million different ways. She huffed, clenching her jaw tightly, but decided to stand still.

"You know, I thought the same thing when I saw you talking to Gerard at the sheriff's station." Derek answered, his dark eyebrows furrowing. Carter's face fell into a frown, turning to look at Scott.

"Holy shit," Carter mumbled as realization smacked her in the face for the second time that night.

"Okay, hold on," Scott said to Derek. "He threatened to kill my mom. And I had to get close to him. What was I supposed to do?"

"I'm gonna go with Scott on this one. Have you seen his mom? She's gorgeous." Peter added, only causing Carter to harden her glare further.

"Shut up," Scott and Derek commanded in unison. While Carter's retort came with a little more color: "Shut the fuck up."

"There was a reason you always were my favorite niece. Such a pretty little thing, isn't she, Derek? Looks just like Talia." Peter commented toward Carter. Carter moved toward him, but Isaac interjected, grabbing her forearms to restrain her.

Carter kicked her feet out as Isaac lifted her up, "How dare you speak of my mother after you killed her daughter."

"Who is he?" Isaac asked, leaning toward Scott whilst tightening his grip on Carter.

"He's Peter, Derek and Carter's uncle." Scott explained, Carter shouted in anger. "Little while back, he tried to kill us all, and then we set him on fire, and Derek slashed his throat."

Peter waved at Isaac, "Hi."

Carter calmed down slightly before she said: "Derek, I don't think I ever thanked you for killing him, but I'm doing it now. Thank you."

"That's good to know," Isaac replied quietly.

"How is he alive?" Scott demanded.

"Look, the short version is he knows how to stop Jackson. And maybe how to save him." Derek explained. Carter felt her throat tighten as a strangled cry escaped her lips. The pain of the experience still fresh in her mind and nerves - she still couldn't believe that had been what experiencing death while linked to someone felt like.

Carter's face fell, her body going limp in Isaac's arms, "You're too late. Jackson's already dead."

"What?"

"Yeah, Jackson's dead. It just happened on the field," Scott said.

Derek's eyes immediately darted over to Carter, his thoughts instantly going to the fact that Jackson was the first person Carter's body linked itself too. Deaton hadn't told Derek much about Carter's abilities, but he did know that when she experienced someone die, it would be extremely agonizingly painful. Every death she felt would take a little piece of her soul with it.

"Okay, why is no one taking this as good news?" Isaac asked, breaking the silence. Carter whirled around to stare at him. He may have become their enemy at some point, but he was still Jackson - an innocent teenager no different than themselves. She was baffled that Isaac thought that one her friend's killing himself was considered good news.

"He was still Jackson," Carter growled.

"And because if Jackson is dead, it didn't just happen. Gerard wanted it to happen," Peter added.

"But why?" Derek asked, confused.

"Well, that's exactly what we're going to figure out. And something tells me the window of opportunity is closing. Quickly."

***

"What's happening to him?" Carter cried out, staring down at Jackson's body. His entire body was coated in the paralytic gel, leaving only his head and neck exposed.

"I thought you were gonna tell me!" Melissa exclaimed, "Is it bad?"

Isaac glanced down at Jackson once more, "It doesn't look good."

Jackson's head then twitched dramatically to the side, all four of them jumping back, Isaac moving back the furthest seeing as though he was the closest.

"Mom, could you zip it up, please?" Scott asked quietly and nervously.

Melissa's eyes widened as she let out a scoff, her being the only person in the room who didn't have a supernatural healing ability. "Okay," she stepped forward, hesitantly grabbing the zipper on the body bag and zipping it over Jackson's torso. "Okay, okay. Okay, here we go." The zipper got stuck when it got to his neck, Melissa tugged at it in frustration.

Jackson's head suddenly snapped up, mouth open, revealing the rows of Kanima teeth, his eyes still shut. The four of them jump back in fright once more, Carter instinctively clung onto Scott.

"Mom, zip," Scott exclaimed, panic settling into all of them. Jackson continued to hiss and growl, Melissa grabbed the zip hesitantly. "Zip! Zip, Mom, zip!" She continued to do so until Jackson's entire body was concealed by the black bag.

Moments later, Scott received a phone call from Derek, him beginning to explain that Jackson was in some sort of metamorphosis. Transforming into something bigger and far worse than what he already was.

"Scott, bring him to us," Derek's voice said through the speaker phone.

"I'm not sure we have time for that," Scott announced, the four of them watched in fear as Jackson began to thrash around in the body bag.

"Scott, get him out of there now. Go now."

In a matter of seconds, Carter, Scott, and Isaac were sneaking out of the hospital the black body bag containing Jackson in their hands. His body continued to jerk and thrash around in it, all they knew was that Derek and Peter were going to meet them somewhere to collect Jackson.

Scott watched around the corner of the building, making sure that no one saw them carrying a body out of the morgue. "Okay, go. Go, go, go, go, go."

The three carried the bag out into the parking lot and rushed toward Scott's car. Their hope of one of their plans actually working quickly dies when a familiar black SUV stopped in front of them. All of them drop the bag, Jackson's body smacked against the concrete. The headlights turn off, Chris Argent stepped out of the vehicle and approached them.

They all stared at Chris, him only staring right back. They knew that it was Gerard who took Stiles, and that they wanted Derek and his pack dead, because Derek was the one who caused Kate and Victoria Argent's deaths. Carter knew the Argents were merciless and that they would stop at nothing until Derek was dead at their feet.

"You're alone," Scott announced.

"More than you know," Chris added softly, Carter watching him in confusion.

"What do you want?" Scott asked, them knowing that this confrontation was only holding them up. They needed to get Jackson's body to Derek before he busted loose and got someone else hurt.

Chris sighed and explained: "We don't have much in common, Scott. But at the moment we have a common enemy."

Scott nodded toward Jackson's body, "That's why I'm trying to get him out of here."

"I didn't mean Jackson," Chris corrected. "Gerard has twisted his way into Allison's head in the same way he did with Kate. And I'm losing her. And I know you all are losing her too."

"You're right," Scott replied. "So can you trust me to fix this?" Chris was silent. "Then can you let us go?"

Chris was silent for a moment before he said: "No," Carter's shoulders slumped, wondering why the universe was working against them - come on, they were trying to save lives. "My car's faster."

The four of them found themselves arriving at an abandoned warehouse, that being exactly where Derek had told them to go. Carter had noticed at some point during their journey, Jackson had stopped moving. She was contemplating whether or not that was a good thing.

"I think he stopped moving," Carter announced.

They waited for Derek, but he refused to reveal himself.

"Where's Derek?" Chris asked.

Then out of nowhere, they saw Derek beginning to race toward them on all fours, Carter scoffed in disbelief at how ridiculous her brother actually was. He leapt into the air, doing a front flip before landing in front of him - eyes glowing a bright crimson.

Carter crossed her arms over her chest, "Someone certainly enjoys making an entrance," she muttered under breath.

"I'm here for Jackson," Chris clarified. "Not you."

"Somehow, I don't find that very comforting," Derek retorted. He nodded toward the building and said: "Get him inside."

After they piled back into Argent's car, he drove to the entrance of the building and backed it. The four of them quickly exiting the vehicle, working on pulling Jackson's body out of Chris' car, setting him on the ground before they all huddled around it.

"Where are they?" Scott demanded, wondering why they weren't yet.

"Who?"

"Peter and Lydia," Scott answered.

Derek chose to ignore Scott; he bent down next to the bag, beginning to pull the zipper down. Carter's eyes widened.

"Hold on a second," Scott exclaimed, not wanting anything drastic to happen when they actually had a plan that might work. "You said you knew how to save him."

"We're past that," Derek replied, revealing Jackson's hybrid form.

"What about-?"

"Think about it, Scott," Derek cried out. "Gerard controls him now. He's turned Jackson into his own personal guard dog. And he set all of this in motion so that Jackson could get even bigger and more powerful."

"No," Chris said sternly, refusing to believe it. "No, he wouldn't do that. If Jackson's a dog, he's turning rabid, and my father wouldn't let a rabid dog live."

"Of course not," Gerard's voice sounded, all five of their heads snapping up at the sound. Gerard emerged from the darkness. "Anything that dangerous, that out of control, is better off dead."

Derek's face hardened, his claws extending before he sent them flying toward Jackson's throat, but in that moment, Jackson's eyes snap open and he stabbed his claws into Derek's chest. Jackson rose up to his feet, lifting a stunned Derek into the air before tossing him across the room with ease.

Carter cried out almost immediately after Derek hit the ground, she felt the five deep incisions being sliced into her chest. Blood quickly soaked her shirt, blood also rising up the back of her throat and out of her mouth. Isaac caught her when she lost her balance and stumbled into him.

"Carter!" Scott cried out in concern.

"Well done to the last, Scott," Gerard said, all of them glancing away from a bloodied Carter to him. "Like the concerned friend you are, you brought Jackson to Derek to save him. You just didn't realize that you were also bringing Derek and Carter, the two surviving Hale's, to me."

The sound of an arrow whizzing through the air echoed around them, Scott quickly ducked. The arrow was headed straight toward Carter's head, Isaac forcefully shoved Carter out of the line of fire, the arrow lodging itself deep into his shoulder. Isaac groaned in pain, falling backward until his back hit the ground. Carter quickly joined him, a loud hiss of pain coming through her teeth feeling the wound on her shoulder.

All of them watching as Allison revealed herself from around the corner. That time she had ultimately betrayed them.

Scott rushed over to Isaac and Carter, dragging the both of them out of the crossfire. The three hobbled through the warehouse, Jackson rising from the ground once again, beginning to transform into the Kanima. Doing the thing he was trained to do, Chris raised his gun and aimed it at Jackson's chest before firing.

Jackson hissed, rushing off before transforming completely. Scott, Carter, and Isaac run behind a wall, working on getting the arrow out of Isaac's shoulder. In the distance, the sound of glass shattering, gun shots, and Kanima hisses could be heard. A cry escaping both Carter and Isaac's lips as Scott pulled the arrow out.

Carter tensed when she heard the sound of Derek growling. Scott stared into Carter's dark eyes, "Carter, promise me that you'll stay here, okay?"

Carter nodded, knowing that she was going to be sustaining quite a few wounds tonight from everyone else, she didn't need anyone trying to inflict them on herself.

Isaac and Scott rush out to the main area, Carter's curiosity naturally got the best of her as she moved closer to the fight to catch a glimpse of the action. Before her eyes could even comprehend what was happening, the Kanima swiped its claws across Derek's stomach, Carter hollered out in pain as she doubled over.

Derek quickly collapsed at the same time Carter fell, their bodies smacking against the concrete, they're eyes dead-set on each other. Isaac let out a growl, watching Carter and Derek writhe in pain, standing from the ground he went to advance on Kanima. But Allison appeared, she swirled the rings of her daggers on her fingers before slashing the blades across Isaac's chest. Isaac groaned, while Carter's back arched and she cried out in agony, clutching her chest. Another wave of pain hit her full force when Allison stabbed the daggers deep into Isaac's back.

Allison twirled her daggers again, taking steps toward Derek, "No, Allison!" Scott shouted, gaining her attention, he soon noticed that Isaac, Derek, and Carter were basically lying in a circle on the ground covered in their own blood.

In that exact moment, the Kanima rushed behind her, curling its scale covered hand around her neck, "Not yet, sweetheart," Gerard called out, everyone glancing toward him.

"What are you doing?"

"He's doing what he came here to do," Scott answered, seeming to know exactly what Gerard had planned.

"Then you know?" Gerard asked Scott, his eyebrows raised.

Allison glanced between the two in confusion, "What is he talking about?"

"It was the night outside the hospital, wasn't it, when I threatened your mother." Gerard pointed out. "I knew I saw something in your eyes. You could just smell it, couldn't you?"

Realization settled upon Isaac's face as he held his bleeding wounds, "He's dying."

"I am," Gerard confirmed. "I have been for a while now. Unfortunately, science doesn't have a cure for cancer yet. But the supernatural does."

A loud gasp escaped Allison's mouth, realizing that the entire time, Gerard had been manipulating her into helping him get exactly what he wanted. The bite from the Alpha; Derek Hale.

"You monster," Chris seethed through gritted teeth.

"Not yet," Gerard stated.

"What are you doing?" Allison shouted from her spot, the Kanima still having a tight grip on her throat, unable to grasp the fact that Gerard wanted to be turned into a werewolf so he wouldn't die of cancer. Gerard nodded for the Kanima to tighten its grip on her neck.

"You'll kill her, too?" Chris cried out, on the verge of tears as he watched his daughter struggle for breath.

"When it comes to survival, I'd kill my own son!" Gerard exclaimed, Chris watched his father in disgust. Gerard glanced toward Scott, "Scott."

Scott took a deep breath, allowing the unnatural puffs of fur to disappear back into his cheeks; no longer shifted into werewolf form. A look of reluctance upon his face as he glanced between Derek and Carter - she couldn't believe her eyes.

Scott moved toward Derek, bending down and grabbing ahold of the weak Alpha's neck, pulling him onto to his feet.

"Sc - Scott, don't," Derek grunted, breathing heavily.

Carter groaned, forcing herself into a kneeling position, feeling more blood seep out of her wounds. "Scott, please, don't do this. You know Gerard's only going to kill Derek right after. He'll be an Alpha." Carter cried through the pain.

"That's true," Gerard admitted. "But I think he already knows that, don't you, Scott? He knows the ultimate prize is Allison. Do this small task for me, and they can be together. You are the only piece that doesn't fit, Derek. And in case you haven't learned yet, there is just no competing with young love."

"Scott, don't!" Carter shouted.

"Don't!" Derek begged.

Derek struggled in Scott's grip, but due to his injuries, he could free himself - wasn't strong enough. Scott yanked Derek's head back, forcing Derek's mouth to open as Gerard rolled up his sleeve. He placed his forearm into Derek's mouth, letting out a cry of pain when Derek's fangs sunk into his skin. Scott released Derek, allowing him to slowly crumble to the ground.

Gerard chuckled breathlessly, staring down at the bite proudly, but he didn't seem to notice his blood turning from red to black. The black ooze dripped out of his wound. Everyone stared with wide eyes at the black blood.

His face falls, noticing everyone's expressions, "What?" Gerard turned his arm, seeing the black liquid flowing out of the bite and trailing down his arm. "What is this? What did you do?"

Scott glanced down at Derek, "Everyone said Gerard always had a plan. I had a plan, too." Scott announced, looking back at Gerard.

Gerard scrambled to pull out his pill container, opening it, and pouring them into his palm. "No, no..." he snarled, looking down at them in horror. He crushed them in his fist, wisps of black powder slid through the cracks between his fingers. "Mountain ash!"

Gerard dropped to his knees, black blood oozing out of his ears, nose, eyes, and mouth. His body began to convulse, his head shooting back as the black liquid began to fountain out of his mouth. Once it was done, Gerard fell to the ground, everyone still frozen in their place.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Derek gasped, staring up at Scott.

"Because you might be an Alpha, but you're not mine."

All of their heads snapped back over to Gerard when they heard him spitting and gagging, he struggled to himself propped up on his elbow as he screamed at the Kanima: "Kill them! Kill them all!"

Gerard's body collapsed completely, the Kanima slowly let go of Allison's neck and the huntress immediately fired her elbow into the Kanima's face. The Kanima shoved her to the ground, a loud bang making them all look to their left. Stiles' jeep came flying into the warehouse, the grill colliding into the Kanima's side.

"Did I get him?" Stiles asked, slowly opening his eyes, a small smile tugged at the corners of Carter and Scott's lips.

Stiles spoke too soon, the Kanima bounced back up, landing on the hood of the jeep. Lydia screeched and Stiles shouted and screamed in horror, the Kanima hissing at them through the windshield. Lydia instantly flung the passenger's side door open, Stiles quickly exiting behind her.

Stiles immediately ran over to help Carter onto her feet, her arm went around his shoulders while his wrapped around her waist. All of them watching as Lydia rushed over to Jackson, "Jackson!"

"Lydia!" Carter cried out, watching as the Kanima reared its arm back, fully prepared to strike Lydia.

"Jackson," Lydia pulled a key out of her pocket and held it out in front of her chest. Carter knew what it was. Lydia had told her that Jackson gave her a key to his house, it was symbolic for their love for each other - instead of an engagement ring, he gave her a key.

Jackson noticed it as well, everyone staring in anticipation as the Kanima slowly vanished, revealing the human they had been searching for underneath the scales the entire time. His face was half human skin and half scales, but his eyes were back to their normal pale blue. He slowly reached out and took the key from Lydia, slowly stepping away from her.

Jackson knew that his fate had already been decided. He held his arms out to his side, awaiting the impact. Carter noticed too late that had been his goodbye. Derek and Peter were suddenly impaling Jackson, one from the front and one from back.

One person instantly fell to the ground while the other was hoisted into the air.

Scott was quick to grab ahold of Carter's waist, hoisting her up. Stiles helped by wrapping his arm around the other side her. A strangled sob escaped her lips, but she didn't have the strength to form words. Carter knew she was going to have to experience Jackson's death all over again.

Jackson began to crumble when Derek and Peter released, but Lydia's arms grabbed ahold of Jackson before he could hit the ground. Carter glanced up, seeing Derek send her a sorrowful look, his silent apology.

"Do you - do you still-" Jackson voice slowly trailed off, not having the ability to form the words he wanted to say.

"I do," Lydia quickly said, knowing exactly what Jackson was trying to ask. "I do still love you. I do, I do still love you." she repeated it over and over again, tears streaming down her face. She needed him to know.

And for the second time, Jackson fell to the ground and Carter felt herself slipping away again. Her teeth clenched together, grabbing onto the boys' shirts tightly, trying her hardest to keep herself from screaming. It wasn't the pain. It was knowing that none of them would be able to see, or talk to him again, to hear his voice, or see his smile - nothing.

Only one positive thing came out of it.

Carter watched at the scales vanished from his skin, as if they were never there to begin with. He wasn't dying the monster that murdered people against his will, but the person they had all grown to love and hate equally. He died as he should've.

He died as Jackson Whittemore.

"Where's Gerard?" Allison's voice breaking the silence, everyone glancing to see his body no longer there, only a large puddle of black ooze.

"He can't be far," Chris answered.

They all watched as Lydia slowly stood, backing away from Jackson's body. Tears flowing freely down her and Carter's faces, she turned around, beginning to walk toward the familiar faces in front of her.

The sound of claws scraping against concrete stopped her, all of them watching in confusion as Jackson's claws scratched the ground. Everyone gaped, watching as Jackson's body slowly rose from the ground, his back arching as he looked up toward the sky and let out a long and booming roar. The roar of a werewolf - his eyes a cold steel blue, the color reminding him of what he had done while being the Kanima.

The claws on his fingers begin to slowly retract, everything werewolf vanishing beneath the surface. Lydia immediately shot into his arms, the two of them clinging to each other as though it would have been last time they would see each other.

And in that moment it had seemed like things might actually turn out okay.