At school Scott informed Y/n and Stiles of things he learned the night before from Derek, including that the broody Hale hadn't bit Scott, there's a third werewolf called an Alpha who is actually the one that turned Scott, and that the Alpha wants him. They stopped talking about it for now but Stiles still has questions, ones he brings up as the three wait for their graded papers.
Stiles leaned forward and tapped Scott to get his attention. "If Derek isn't the Alpha, if he's not the one who bit you, then who did?" He whispered.
"I don't know."
"I told you it wasn't Derek." Y/n muttered loud enough for them to hear. "I had a feeling." Well, she had more than that but they don't need to know that.
"Did the Alpha kill the bus driver?" Stiles glanced over Y/n's statement.
"I don't know." Scott said again.
Stiles leans back and sighs before going forward again. "Does Allison's dad know about the Alpha?"
"I don't know!" Scott turned and snapped, his voice raising enough for the class to look at him curiously. He sighed and turned back front again. The teacher came around and gave the papers to the three. Y/n smiled at her A and looked to her left to see Stiles had also gotten an A. They both looked over Scott's shoulder and saw he had a D-.
"Dude, you need to study more." Scott flicked his paper down irritatedly. "That was a joke. Scott, it's one test. You're gonna make it up."
"Do you need help studying, Scotty?" Y/n offered.
He sighs. "No. I'm studying with Allison after school today."
"That's my boy." Stiles praised.
"We're just studying."
"Uh, no, you're not." Y/n gave Stiles a weird look as Scott glanced back.
"No, I'm not?"
"He's not?" Y/n asked at the same time.
"Not if I'm forced to live vicariously through you."
"Oh, God." Y/n groaned with an eyeroll. "Stiles, just because he's going to her house doesn't mean they're gonna do it."
"But he could is my point."
"Scott, just do what feels right and don't do it because he said so."
"If you go to her house today and squander that colossal opportunity, I swear to God I'll have you de-balled."
"Okay." Scott glanced at them with a laugh. "Just... Stop with the questions, man."
"Done." Stiles agrees. "No more questions. No more talk about the Alpha or Derek. Especially Derek... Who still scares me."
"Aw. Don't worry, Stiles. I won't let the big mean werewolf get you." She cooed with a teasing smile and he rolled his eyes with a scoff, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Later Y/n walked with Allison and Lydia through the halls, Allison had just mentioned Scott's study visit. "Scott's coming over?" Lydia asked curiously. "Tonight?"
"We're just studying together." Allison smiled.
"'Just studying' never ends with just studying."
Why am I part of the same conversation again? Y/n thought. "Lydia, not every study date ends with that."
"Sure it does." She shrugged. "It's like... Getting into a hot tub- somebody eventually cops a feel."
"Well, so what are you saying?" Allison asked.
"I'm just saying, you know, make sure he covers up." Allison still looks lost and Lydia chuckles. "Hello, Snow White! Do it with a condom."
Allison laughs surprised. "Are you kidding? After one date?"
"Don't be a total prude. Give him a little taste."
"Allison, you don't have to, okay? Scott's a gentleman, he won't be expecting anything to happen. Just let it happen naturally." Y/n advised again.
"Well, I-I mean, how much is 'a little taste'?" Allison asked unsurely.
"Oh, God. You really like him, don't you?" Lydia seemed mildly amazed.
"Well..." Allison sighs. "He's just different. When I first moved here, I had a plan- no boyfriends till college. I just move too much. But... Then I met him, and... He was different." She smiles bashfully. "I- I don't know. I can't explain it."
"I can. It's your brain flooding with phenylethylamine."
Allison chuckles. "What?"
"I'll tell you what to do. When's he coming over?"
"Right after school."
The bell suddenly rings and Y/n perks up at it. "I gotta go guys. I'll see you later!" She waved to her friends and dashed to the doors where she saw Stiles waiting for her. "Hey." She greeted when she came to a stop. "Thanks again for giving me a ride." She smiled at him.
"It's no problem." He smiled back and the two made their way to the blue vehicle, climbing in together when they get there. He pulls out of the space and starts to drive forward when a person steps into their way with an arm raised to stop them, that person being Derek Hale. Stiles quickly braked making the teens rock forward from the sudden action. "Oh, my God." Stiles exclaimed.
"What the hell?" Y/n breathed in shock. Then her brow furrowed as she saw Derek's ashen face. Car horns start blaring at the lack of movement but Y/n pays them no mind as Derek suddenly collapses. She curses as she jumps out to help.
"You've gotta be kidding me. This guy is everywhere." Stiles complained.
Y/n kneeled next to Derek. "Derek? Can you hear me?" He weakly nods and she helps him sit as Scott runs over.
"What are you doing here?" Scott asks.
"I was shot." Derek explained.
Stiles came up just then. "He's not looking so good, dude."
"Why aren't you healing?" Y/n wondered.
"I can't." His breathing is a bit labored. "It was- it was a different kind of bullet."
"A silver bullet?" Stiles blurted excitedly.
"No, you idiot."
Scott looked away and a moment later his eyes widened as he realized something. "Wait, wait. That's what she meant when she said you had 48 hours."
"What? Who- who said 48 hours?"
"The one who shot you."
Derek groans and his eyes start flashing blue. "Derek, your eyes." Y/n worried.
"What are you doing? Stop that!"
"He can't. Derek, come on. I need you to get up." She gets behind him and starts trying to get him up, Scott helping by getting his other side. "We're putting him in the car." She and Scott get him into the car and into the back where Y/n can try and help. Stiles complained to Scott as Y/n looked at his bullet wound. Black veins were slowly spreading from the sight and there was a slight blue tint.
"Can't you heal this?" He asked her frustrated.
"Unfortunately not. I don't know what's in you so I don't know how to stop it." She frowned.
"What kind of a witch are you then?" He practically growled.
She glared at him. "I'm 16, Derek. What the hell do you expect me to do with a mystery poison laced bullet wound? Healing the flesh would do nothing to stop what's actually killing you."
He groaned again as Scott came to the window. "I need you to find out what kind of bullet they used." Derek asked of him.
"How the hell am I supposed to do that?"
"'Cause she's an Argent. She's with them."
"Why should I help you?"
"Because you need me."
Scott looks around but relents. "Fine. I'll try." He sighs as Stiles gets back into the driver seat.
"Get him out of here."
"I hate you for this so much." Stiles complained before he sped off with the sick werewolf in his backseat.
They drove around for a bit before Stiles decided to call Scott but he got no answer. "What are you doing?" Y/n asked him.
"Texting Scott."
"Give me that." She snapped and snatched his phone from his hand. He glanced at her to complain but she gave him a look. "Eyes on the road."
"Yes, ma'am." She rolled her eyes and texted Scott.
Did you find it yet?
He responded a minute later. Need more time. She sighed in frustration.
Stiles looked back at Derek as he was shrugging out of his jacket. "Hey, try not to bleed out on my seats, okay? We're almost there."
"Almost where?" Derek panted.
"Your house."
"What?" Y/n spoke up. "We can't take him there."
"We can't take him to his own house?"
"Not when I can't protect myself." Derek agreed with Y/n.
Stiles pulled to the side of the road and rounded on the man. "What happens if Scott doesn't find your little magic bullet? Hmm? Are you dying?"
"Not yet. I have a last resort."
"What do you mean? What last resort?" Y/n rolled up Derek's sleeve to check the wound again, Stiles grimacing at the sight. "Oh, my God. What is that? Oh, is that contagious? Y/n, you shouldn't get near that." He started sounding sick. "You know what, you should probably just get out." He said to Derek.
"Start the car. Now."
"I don't think you should be barking orders with the way you look, okay? In fact, I think if I wanted to, I could probably drag your little werewolf ass out into the middle of the road and leave you for dead."
"Start the car, or I'm gonna rip your throat out... With my teeth."
"Touch him and this bullet will be the last of your problems." Y/n threatened. "Stiles, start the car." Stiles sighs but listens to her and starts the car again.
It's dark now as Stiles calls Scott again. "What are we supposed to do with him?" Stiles asks as soon as Scott answers.
"Take him somewhere, anywhere."
"And, by the way, he's starting to smell."
"Like- like what?"
"Like death."
Y/n rolls her eyes and takes the phone. "We can take him to the Clinic. Alan should be gone by now so it should be fine."
"That's perfect! Thank you, Y/n."
Derek takes the phone from her this time. "Did you find it?"
"How am I supposed to find one bullet? They have a million. This house is like the- the fricken Walmart of guns."
"Look, if you don't find it, then I'm dead, all right?"
"I'm starting to think that wouldn't be such a bad thing."
"Then think about this. The Alpha called you out against your will. He's gonna do it again. Next time you either kill with him or you get killed. So if you wanna stay alive, then you need me. Find the bullet." He hangs up and Stiles starts driving to the Animal Clinic.
When they arrive Y/n gets the back open and helps settle Derek onto a pile of bagged dog food. Stiles' phone chimes as he turns the light on and he sees the message from Scott. "Does Nordic Blue Monkshood mean anything to you?" He asks.
"It's a rare species of wolfsbane." Y/n informs.
"He has to bring me the bullet." Derek sighed.
"Why?" Stiles questioned.
"Because he'll die without it." Y/n frowns. She helps Derek up as Stiles leads the way into the buidling and turns lights on as they go. Derek takes off his shirt when they reach the back room and leans against the metal table. Blood trails his skin and the black veins have traveled further. Derek pants and breathes heavily.
"You know, that really doesn't look like anything some echinacea and a good night of sleep couldn't take care of." Stiles tries weakly, standing on the opposite side of the table from Y/n and Derek.
"When the infection reaches my heart, it'll kill me." Derek pants and stumbles over to the cabinets in search of something.
""Positivity' just isn't in your vocabulary, is it?"
"If he doesn't get here with the bullet in time..." He opens a drawer. "Last resort."
"Which is?" Y/n asks.
He pulls out an electric saw. "One of you is gonna cut off my arm." He puts it on the table and slides it towards Stiles.
Stiles picks it up, it buzzes, and he immediatly puts it down. "Oh, my God. What if you bleed to death?"
"It'll heal if it works." He ties a rubber band around his arm.
"You don't know if it'll work." Y/n argues.
"I'm dead either way."
Stiles groans. "Ugh. Look... I don't know if I can do this."
"Why not?"
"Well, because of the cutting through the flesh, the sawing of the bone, and especially the blood!"
"You faint at the sight of blood?"
"No, but I might at the sight of a chopped-off arm!"
"All right. Fine. How about this? Either one of you cuts off my arm, or I'm gonna cut off your head."
"Okay, you know what, I'm so not buying these threats-" He's cut off as Derek reaches across and yanks him forward by his shirt.
Y/n grabs Derek's wrist and gets close to his face, blocking Stiles' sight of her. Her eyes flash dangerously as they glow purple. "Let. Him. Go." Her voice is deceptively calm. "Scott will get here. But, if he doesn't, I'll do the damn thing myself." Derek lets go of Stiles and she lets go of him. Her eyes dim as Derek leans over and vomits black blood.
"Holy God, what the hell is that?" Stiles gags and whines.
"It's my body..." Derek gasps for air. "Trying to heal itself."
"Well, it's not doing a very good job of it."
"Stiles, go over there." She coaxed the panicked boy over to the opposite side of the room.
"Now. You gotta do it now." Derek panted.
"Just give him another-"
"Just do it!" Derek cut Y/n off with a yell.
"Wait!" She yelled back.
"Guys?" They heard a call from the front.
"Scott?"
Scott came around the corner and spotted Derek slumped over the table, his arm out, and the saw near him. "What the hell are you doing?"
Stiles sighed in relief. "Oh, you just prevented a lifetime of nightmares."
"Did you get it?" Derek asks weakly. Scott rummages in his pocket and fishes out the bullet, handing it to Derek.
"What are you gonna do with it?"
"I'm gonna.. I'm gonna..." Derek's eyes roll back. Y/n tries to snatch the bullet from his hands before it could fall as he collapses, but she just misses it and it rolls into a grate under a shelf.
Stiles drops to his knees next to Derek. "Derek. Derek, come on, wake up." He smacks the side of his face but it doesn't wake him. "Scott, what the hell are we gonna do?"
"I don't know!"
Y/n curses. "Scott, get the bullet! Stiles, just keep trying to wake him." She ordered and started rummaging through drawers for something. Scott drops down and reaches into the grate but it's just out of his reach.
"He's not waking up!" Stiles fretted. "I think he's dying. I think he's dead!"
"Just hold on!" Scott yelled. He squeezed his eyes shut and focused, making his claws grow to pinch the bullet with his nails. His eyes widened as he pulled it out. "I got it!"
Y/n found what she was looking for at the same time. A lighter. "Give it here." She rushed over and took it. "Get him up!"
Stiles grimaced. "Please don't kill me for this." He reared back and punched Derek in the face, immediatly crying out in pain as the werewolf blinked awake.
The boys helped Derek up as Y/n stood at the table. She carefully bit down on the bullet and took the tip off, pouring out the wolfsbane onto the table. She takes the lighter and puts the flame to the powder. Everyone flinched back a bit when it went up like sparklers. As soon as the fire was out blue smoke rose from the ashes and Y/n scooped it into her hand. Derek held his arm onto the table and she quickly pressed the ash into the wound and rubbed it in. Derek yelled in pain as he fell onto his back again. Y/n stood between Scott and Stiles as Derek writhed on the ground. He yelled again, this one sounding like a growl. The black in his veins receeded and the blood vanished as the bullet wound finally healed.
"That... Was... Awesome! Yes!" Stiles cheered. Scott gave him a strange look while Y/n huffed a laugh.
Derek sat up already looking better than he had. "Are you okay?" Scott asked.
"Well, except for the agonizing pain." He sassed.
"I'm guessing the ability to use sarcasm is a good sign of health." Stiles commented.
"Yep, he's all better." Y/n agreed.
"Okay, we saved your life, which means you're gonna leave us alone, you got that?" Scott ordered. "And if you don't, I'm gonna go back to Allison's dad, and I'm gonna tell him everything."
"You're gonna trust them?" Derek asked. "You think they can help you?"
"Well, why not? They're a lot freaking nicer than you are."
"I can show you exactly how nice they are."
"What do you mean?"
"Come with me." Derek got his shirt and jacket and took Scott to his car.
Y/n sighed and slumped against a wall, the adrenaline leaving her exhausted in it's wake. She slid down and sat down, Stiles sliding down next to her with a sigh of his own. "You were pretty cool, by the way. With the whole magic bullet thing." He said.
She tiredly chuckled. "Thanks, Stilinski."
"How did you know what to do with it?" He wondered.
"Uh... I think I read it in an alternative medicine book once? Like an unorthodox cure for poison or something like that." She lied. It tasted bitter on her tongue and left a pit in her stomach. She never wanted to have to do that but she doesn't want them to know, to look at her differently. For as long as possible she wants to be human in their eyes. She sighed and looked around for something to change the subject. "I've gotta clean up and lock up before Alan finds out." She gets up.
"Oh, uh, I'll- I'll help." He scrambled up after her.
"Thanks." She gave him a smile that he returned with a nod. With both of them the clean up was quick and he was giving her a ride home in 20 minutes. Once she quietly climbed up to her room she collapsed on the bed, exhaustion sweeping over her and pulling her down into sleep.
~~~
Published: 12/9/20
Edited: 4/12/22