𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒚-𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆 | 𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽𝔂'𝓼 𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘉𝘢𝘥, 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯

AS CHARLOTTE HANGS UP FROM her call with Scott, Allison ushers the girls into her car to keep them out of the pelting rain that has now begun. Once they're dry, they sit in silence as they get to work with their phones. "I got mine," Allison says from the back seat. She leans forward to move closer to the twins. "Have you found yours?"

Lydia sighs and pulls up an image on her phone. "Yeah."

"Are we really sure?" Charlotte questions hesitantly. "Like, one-hundred percent sure that's what we heard?" Allison holds her phone out next to Lydia's, allowing the two images to be compared against each other. Charlotte groans. "Oh, fuck me," she mutters. "Maybe it's just a coincidence that they sort of look alike?" Her eyes narrow. "Hold on, where did you get that photo of him?"

Allison grins. "His Instagram." Her girlfriend snickers.

"Peter and Malia," Lydia says.

"Father and daughter," Allison adds.

Charlotte throws her hands in the air. "For fuck's sake, this is ridiculous!" Allison and Lydia glance to each other. "My childhood friend is related to the psychopath who has almost killed us on multiple occasions, Stiles was the nogitsune all day and we almost didn't realise, Scott almost died-"

Allison's eyes widen. "Wait, what?"

The blonde-haired girl's brows furrow in confusion and she turns around in her seat. "'Wait, what?' which part?"

"All of them!" Lydia exclaims.

"Oh... It's okay, though! Deaton poisoned void, so Stiles is Stiles for now..."

Lydia pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. "Did Scott give you any good news?"

Charlotte's lips purse as she goes over her previous words in her head. "Well, uh, that was the good news..." Lydia closes her eyes.

"It's as good as we're gonna get right now," Allison declares.

"I feel like eating a litre of ice-cream and watching horror movies after all that. Actually, maybe not horror... No, we should just tape our lives, then we have a homemade horror movie!"

»»———-　　———-««

To get a call on Wednesday night from Scott informing her that their best friend is being admitted into a mental health hospital isn't what Charlotte had been expecting. To be fair, she doesn't know what she had been expecting in the first place. She stares out her windshield, watching rain dot the glass. She's almost disappointed when the wipers clear them away. When she glances to Scott beside her, he tries to give her a smile. But it doesn't work. They're just as worried about their best friend as each other. They're also just as defeated as each other. She's mad at Stiles, of course she's mad, but there's a part of her that acknowledges the fact that this might be their last option.  

When she finally pulls her Toyota to a stop before the haunting black iron gates of Eichen House, herself and Scott leap out and hurry over to the father and son waiting. "Why didn't you tell me?" Scott asks, a little disappointed that he had managed to hear the news from Deaton.

"Because we wanted to avoid something like this," Noah responds.

Stiles averts his eyes to the floor, refusing to look at either of his friends' expressions. "It's only seventy-two hours."

Charlotte scoffs. "A lot can happen in three days!" Sure, she's acknowledged the last option fact, but that doesn't mean she has to be happy about it. "Remember the creepy ass ghost motel?" Scott grimaces. "And have you forgotten that this is the exact same place where Barrow came from? The same guy who had a tumour inside of him filled with fucking flies?"

Scott turns to the Sheriff. "You don't know everything yet," he points out, pleading with him to not let the boy go through with this.

"I know enough. Nogitsunes, kitsune, oni, or whatever they're called..."

Stiles' brows raise as he nods, clearly impressed by his father's knowledge. "Wow, that was actually all surprisingly correct."

"Scott, Charlotte, I saw an MRI that looked exactly like my wife's... And it terrifies me. I'm headed down to LA tomorrow to talk to a specialist."

Her eyes begin to fill with tears and she gestures to the gate beside them. "Then why are you putting him in here?"

Stiles softly sighs. "He's not." His friends' heads snap over to him. "It was my decision."

Scott takes a step toward him, taking a deep breath. "Stiles, we can't help you if you're in here," he tries to reason.

"And I can't hurt you," Stiles counters.

Charlotte angrily brushes away the lone tear that trails down her cheek. "Deaton's got some ideas, Argent's calling people-"

"We're gonna find something," Scott interjects confidently. But it's just a façade. He wants to be confident, God does he want to be confident. But he's also being realistic. There's an incredibly old dark, evil spirit inside Stiles Stilinski. He's not sure if anyone can be confident. "And if we can't..."

"If you can't..." Stiles moves closer to them so his father can't overhear his words. "If you can't, then you have to do something for me, okay?"

Charlotte doesn't hesitate to nod. "Anything," she quickly answers. Two seconds later she would immensely regret saying so.

"Make sure I never get out." He's clearly conflicted, but before he can rethink his decision, he gives them a ghost of a smile and follows his dad through the gates that have now buzzed open.

She stares at him taken aback at his request, and a sob catches in her throat as the father and son walk away. "Stiles," she calls out. He stops walking and turns around only to be met with a tight hug. Charlotte grips onto him as if she would never see him again. "Please don't go," she whispers.

He sighs, locking gazes with Scott whose eyes share the same desperation heard in her voice. "I'll be okay," he mutters back.

Reluctantly she pulls away, furiously wiping the tears that now stream down her face. Scott takes her hand as they watch Stiles and Noah enter Eichen House. "I don't like this," she voices. "Like, I really, really, really don't like this."

He nods in agreement. "Me either. But we can't stop him, Lottie." Scott squeezes her hand. "We just have to hope that he can last seventy-two hours."

"It's Stiles," she says quietly. In the distance, the Stilinskis disappear through a door. "If anyone can, it's him."

Instead of returning home and getting a few hours of sleep like they know they probably should, Scott and Charlotte meet Allison at the animal clinic. Speaking through the payphone from the Sheriff's Station is Chris Argent, checking in with Deaton after the veterinarian's visit to Japan. "Did you have any trouble with Ikeda?"

A giggle slips past Charlotte's lips. Everyone turns to the girl. "I thought he said Ikea," she whispers. Allison stifles a laugh, whilst Deaton and Scott bite back their own smiles.

The veterinarian clears his throat and replies, "Only minor. The white wolf was exactly where you said it would be. But we have two problems now. First, the lichen is not a cure; it'll wear off in a matter of days."

"But while it does work, the oni won't go after Stiles, right?" Chris questions.

All three teenagers' eyes bore into Deaton whose answer does little to calm their nerves. "I hope. Eichen House has an unusual history... It might not be all that safe for the oni there as well."

"What's the second problem?"

"I checked with your contacts in Japan," Deaton continues. "The yakuza boss you saw killed by the oni never found the scroll."

Charlotte's eyes narrow slightly. "What scroll?" she asks in confusion.

"A Shugendo Scroll," Deaton informs herself and Scott. "The Shugendo were the ascetic mystics of Japan."

"The scroll had information on how to exorcise a nogitsune," Chris adds.

"Great, so we're fucked," Charlotte concludes solemnly.

"Not necessarily."

"We need to find the scroll," Scott determinedly says.

His boss nods to him. "Exactly. And I did get a name of the man who last purchased it. Kincaid."

A wide grin instantly beams onto Charlotte's face. She laughs loudly. "Oh, this is fantastic."

Deaton and Scott look at her in confusion, and Allison smiles at her girlfriend's excitement of possibly getting to kick the werewolf's ass again. "He was with Katashi," she explains to them. "He's the guy who met with Charles and Isaac to buy the gun."

"Sounds like Katashi wanted the scroll for himself," Deaton gathers.

"But Stilinski already told me nothing like it was found among his things," Chris claims. "And a paranoid like Katashi would keep it close. Probably on him, at all times."

Allison hesitates for a moment before asking, "What does a Shugendo Scroll look like?"

Deaton turns around to the filing cabinet behind him and returns with a roll of parchment tied together by a string. "Something like this," he says, handing it to her.

Charlotte and Scott glance to each other as Allison takes the scroll into her hands, staring at it in thought. "Do these come in different sizes?"

"Any size," Deaton answers with a puzzled look on his face.

"Then I think I know where it might be."

»»———-　　———-««

The plan is simple. At least, that's what Charlotte had been told. Whether it's actually going to go exactly how it had been explained to her... Without a question, that's not going to happen. The Martin siblings turn to door as Allison returns to her father's study with Scott and the two former Alphas. Still out in the hallway, Ethan stops dead in his tracks and looks to the normally more reasonable ones out of the group (Charlotte and Lydia). "We're going to rob an armoured car?" he asks incredulously.

Charlotte grins. "Fuck yeah."

"Well... we're gonna try," Lydia corrects.

After the plan has been explained and Scott has a few minutes to process the incredibly illegal adventure they're about to embark on, he finally speaks up. The boy sighs and places his head into his hands. "This is a really bad plan."

"They always are," Charlotte counters with a shrug. "Some are just... slightly worse than others."

"It's not that bad," Lydia says, trying to be as optimistic as she can.

Ethan nods to Charlotte, agreeing with her statement. "It's also not that good." From his armchair, Aiden pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs.

"None of us knows the route they're going to take," Lydia explains. "If Allison can get one of her dad's GPS trackers on the armoured car, then we can follow it."

Allison points to a marking on the map. "So, when it gets here-"

"We attack 'em?"

Everyone turns to Aiden who looks eager to proceed with said suggestion. Lydia rolls her eyes. "No," she retorts, clearly unimpressed.

Charlotte purses her lips together. "Actually, I don't hate that idea." Aiden waves a hand toward her in appreciation.

Lydia huffs a sigh and brushes the interaction aside. "Your bikes will be in the middle of the road, looking like you guys into an accident. And when the driver gets out to help-"

"We attack 'em!"

"No!"

Charlotte frowns in disappointment at the joint exclamation from her sister and Allison. "I kinda wanna do the attacking part," she mumbles. Allison rolls her eyes in amusement, stifling a laugh when her girlfriend and the Steiner twins share a look filled with exasperation, a rare moment where they're agreeing on something.

"You'll distract him," Lydia corrects. "And then Scott will break open the back door."

"...I hope?" Scott replies uncertainly.

Lydia takes a deep breath then turns back to the twins. "And you'll get Katashi's finger."

"It's not his actual finger, is it?" Ethan questions hesitantly. Scott quickly looks to Lydia in concern.

"You are so out of our league," the strawberry blonde mutters.

"Why aren't we just going to Stilinski for help?"

Scott glances to Ethan. "Because if he gets caught, then it's the Sheriff tampering with federal evidence."

Charlotte nods, then adds, "And the fact he's also in LA right now."

"Guys, this is going to work," Allison states confidently. "We can do this. We're losing Stiles. My dad's in jail for murder... We need to do this."

"For Stiles,"Charlotte encourages. She forces a small smile onto her face at the scepticism on everyone's faces. "We can do it. I hope..."

»»———-　　———-««

Allison positions her eye up to the scope placed on her crossbow, carefully studying the armoured truck stationed up ahead. "All right, you're up," she instructs Kira.

As the dark-haired girl runs off, Charlotte turns to her best friend crouched behind her, intensely watching his crush. "Scott, respectfully, why the fuck is she here?"

"She wanted to come, and she can fight," Scott tries to justify, his eyes not removing from Kira.

Charlotte glances over to Allison who shrugs, and she hums. "Fine. But she's been part of the supernatural all of five minutes and I don't want her to die. She's far too cute to die." Allison rolls her eyes. They watch Kira finally reach the armoured vehicle and place the tracking device underneath. She turns back to the group with a proud smile adorning her face, and Charlotte is ready to return it, however, her eyes widen in alarm when a door slams shut nearby. "Shit," she whispers. "We forgot about the guards..."

Scott scowls at her and Allison as they watch Deputy Parrish run out of the neighbouring building, his gun out of the holster. Charlotte holds her breath, her tight grip on her bow causing her knuckles to turn white in anticipation as Kira hides herself behind the opposite side of the truck. "We have to do something," Scott mutters urgently. But before any one of the three can move, the back doors of the truck burst wide open. A large man jumps out, easily knocking Parrish unconscious as he falls to the ground. "Who the fucking hell is that?" Scott asks in slight fear.

Charlotte cracks her neck to the side, a smirk lifting at her lips. "My other bestie."

"That's Kincaid," Allison answers, surprised that the werewolf is also here with them. They had been expecting company, sure, but not this type of company.

Deciding to make a move, the trio approach the man carefully. Kincaid turns around at the sound of their footsteps, his attention solely on the silver finger in his hand. "We need that finger," Scott calls out.

Kincaid raises his brows at Allison's crossbow, then his eyes instantly narrow when he takes notice of the familiar blonde beside the boy. "You," he growls.

Charlotte cracks a smile as his eyes glow bright blue, and her own bow raises into the air, Allison closely following her movements with her own weapon. "Uh, uh," she tuts. "I wouldn't do that."

He looks between the three teenagers and chuckles. "Why should I give it to you?"

"There's a briefcase in there with one-hundred and fifty thousand," Allison states.

Kincaid holds up the silver finger. "The scroll inside this prosthetic finger is worth three million," he retorts, then pocketing the object inside his jacket. Charlotte tenses, her string drawn further back as she braces herself for a fight.

"Give me the finger," Scott demands. Allison rolls her eyes when her girlfriend snickers. As he feels their judgemental looks, Scott grimaces and awkwardly clears his throat. "You know what I mean."

Charlotte's eyes catch the movement from Kira on the roof of the vehicle and she mentally screams at the girl to stop whatever she is planning to do. But because Kira can't read minds, she jumps straight onto Kincaid's back. However, she's not even half his size, so the werewolf is easily able to toss her onto the ground. Now with his canines out and eyes glowing, Kincaid growls at the teens before him.  "I guess negotiations are over."

As soon as he roars, Charlotte and Allison are quick to shoot multiple arrows into his body. While Kincaid is distracted by removing the weapons out of his arm and leg, Kira takes the opportunity to try and attack him. But she's only to be picked up by the neck then once again thrown aside.

Quick to nock another arrow, Charlotte aims this time at his head. But just inches before it can reach its target, Kincaid's hand flies up and he grabs onto it, then forcefully throwing it back in her direction. The girl yelps as the arrowhead grazes her shoulder, droplets of blood immediately appearing on the pale skin. "Fuck," she hisses. Her eyes widen when Allison stumbles back beside her, hand clutching her cheek that has been swiped by the werewolf's claws. "You okay?"

She curtly nods in response, her eyes blazing with anger as she looks over to Scott being beaten. "Get him."

With determination filling her and adrenaline masking the pain, Charlotte's braid flips over her shoulder as she stands up and slowly walks behind Kincaid who is currently distracted by repeatedly punching her best friend. "You have the eyes of an Alpha, but where's the strength?"

Charlotte grins and clears her throat as he spins around. "Here," then she points to the building to the side of her, "but mostly over there."

Before he can comprehend what's happening, Kincaid roars as another arrow impales his stomach. Just as he rips it out, he looks up to find the Steiner twins jumping down and leaping forward to attack him. Charlotte rushes over to Allison and helps her up, Lydia now at the scene to assist Kira. "Ethan, Aiden, stop!" Scott yells.

The twins freeze their punches and Aiden points down to Kincaid hunched over in pain. "You want him to come after us?"

"Scott, we've seen guys like this," Ethan says, for once agreeing with his brother. "Trust us, he's dangerous."

"Not anymore," Charlotte calls out. Everyone turns to her in confusion and she slightly smiles as she points to the bloodied arrow laying a few feet from her. "My last was coated with wolfsbane. I don't think he's gonna be coming after us again anytime soon."

"We're dangerous, too," Scott adds, glaring at his best friend for a few seconds. Charlotte sarcastically smiles back. He turns back to the twins and nods his head down to Kincaid. "And he looks smart enough to remember that." Scott crouches down beside the werewolf and takes out the silver prosthetic finger from his jacket pocket. He taps the finger against his palm, a tiny scroll dropping out of it. "We're here to save a life," Scott reminds. "Not end one."

"Beg to differ," Charlotte mumbles to herself. Allison chuckles and laces their fingers together as the group walks away, and the silver finger clatters to the floor as Kincaid stares after them.

»»———-　　———-««

"I can't believe you shot him with wolfsbane!" Scott exclaims loudly.

Charlotte shrugs as they walk into the animal clinic, the bell ringing to signal their arrival. "It wasn't going to kill him, well, assuming that he knows how to get it out of his body..."

Scott rolls his eyes and sighs. "Why the hell do I bring you along anymore..."

"'Cause without me, you'd be dead," she bluntly replies.

After a few silent moments, he gives in and shrugs. "True."

As they enter the examination room, Deaton looks up to them with a smile. "Did you get it?"

Charlotte nods and pulls out the scroll safely tucked away in her jacket. "It's tiny. Like, tiny."

Five minutes later, Charlotte's distracting herself by patching up her wound and Scott's getting on her nerves by tapping his foot on the floor. Deaton finally speaks up. "There isn't much here, unfortunately."

Finishing bandaging the graze on her shoulder, Charlotte winces as she stretches her arm out. "Does it say anything?" she questions.

"My Japanese isn't great," Deaton warns herself and Scott. "But it appears to say that one method of expelling a nogitsune is to change the body of the host."

"Change the body?" Scott repeats slowly.

"Which then begs the question..." The veterinarian looks between them. "How do we change Stiles' body?"

The room is filled with silence until both friends share a glance as realisation hits them simultaneously. Charlotte closes her eyes. "By turning him into a werewolf."

𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵