27: Birthday Party

Sky stirs to the feeling of a hand gently combing through her hair. She groggily peels open her heavy eyelids to see she's in the back of Derek's car, with Scott in the passenger seat as her head rests on Ariel's lap. She holds back a groan as she starts to try and sit up only to be held back down. She looks up to meet the worried eyes of her girlfriend but allows herself to rest, feeling her chest aching as it heals from something.

Her eyebrows furrow, "Wha --?" she mumbles.

Scott perks up from the front seat, hearing her come to, "Sky! How are you feeling?" he asks, twisting in his seat to look at her.

Sky doesn't tear her gaze away from Ariels as she tries to figure out what happened as she answers, "Like I was hit by a truck," she grumbles. "What the hell happened?"

Ariel just shakes her head, her jaw clenching as she glances out the window as they head towards Derek's hideout.

Scott exhales shakily as the guilt hits him. "Well, um -- you --" he stutters.

"You died," deadpans Derek, not looking back at them as he drove.

Sky eyes widen for a moment as she grabs Ariel's free hand as she processes, before settling for a simple, "Oh."

She then frowns, "But I'm still alive?"

Derek glances back at her through the rearview mirror as the car comes to a stop, "It was a close call."

*~*

Ariel didn't even think about using the door handle as she turned her body and used whatever strength she had to roughly force open the doors to the clinic, not even noticing the damage to the walls it causes when the doors smack into them as she storms through into the back of the clinic, shouting Deaton's name as she places her girlfriend's body on the table, Derek not far behind with a recovering Scott.

The man comes rushing in to see what the commotion is, and his eyes widen as he strides forward and presses his fingers to the unconscious girl's neck to feel for a pulse that isn't there.

"What happened?" he asks, keeping a calm demeanour as he works fast, unlocking a draw and pulling out a syringe and a bottle.

"An Argent tried to kill them with wolfsbane. They were breathing it in," Informs Derek when he sees Ariel wasn't going to answer.

Deaton nods, "We need to restart Sky's heart enough for her healing to kick in. I'm going to inject her with adrenaline," He steps forward ready to plunge the needle into her chest, only to be stopped by a clawed hand and a growl.

He keeps calm as he looks into Ariel's purple eyes, "Ariel, I understand you're not in control and your instincts are leading your behaviour right now, but we must work fast," he tells her. "I'm trying to help Sky, not hurt her."

There's a heavy pause before she steps back, tensing when Deaton jams the needle into Sky's chest.

Ariel stares helplessly, grasping her hand.

Sky jolts awake, back arching as she takes a deep breath, eyes shining bright before she slumps back down and they slip closed again.

There's a tense silence before Deaton steps forward to check her pulse.

"She's okay," breathes Scott before Deaton can check. From his slumped-over position on a chair, he watches on and listens to his sister's slow beating heart.

"She's okay," he repeats, sagging in relief.

*~*

The four of them walk into Derek's underground lair as Sky dubbed it, Ariel's arm around her waist to support her as they walk to the old train.

"I'm saying we need a new plan, because next time, one of us is gonna be too hurt to heal," says Derek with a pointed look directed to Sky.

She rolls her eyes in response, muttering, "You die one time and you never hear the end of it."

"Sky," Ariel warns.

Scott sighs, "Ugh, I get it. We can't save Jackson."

"We can't seem to kill him either," admits Derek. "I've seen a lot of things, Scott. I've never seen anything like this. Every new moon's just gonna make him stronger."

Ariel frowns, "But how do we stop him?" she asks.

Derek shakes his head, "I don't know," he tells them. "I don't even know if we can."

"I bet I can take him," inputs Sky.

Derek rolls his eyes, "Right now, you can barely take your own weight," he points out, gesturing to Ariel's arm around her.

He smirks as Sky scowls, "You know what, you grumpy -- "

Scott intervenes before a fight starts, "Maybe we should just let the Argents handle it," he suggests.

Derek sighs, shaking his head, "I'm the one who turned him. It's my fault."

"Yeah, but you didn't turn him into this. I mean, this happened because of something in his past, right?" asks Scott.

"That's a legend in a book," says Derek. "It's not that simple."

Scott frowns, "What do you mean?" he asks, not understanding. "What are you not telling me?"

Derek looks back at him, "Why do you think I'm always keeping something from you?"

Sky snorts, "Uh, maybe because you always are keeping something from us?"

Derek scowls, saying, "Well, maybe I do it to protect you."

"Doesn't being part of your pack mean no more secrets?" Scott asks.

Derek sighs, "Go home. Sleep. Heal," he tells them, looking at Scott and Sky. "Make sure your friends are safe. 'Cause the full moon's coming. And with the way things are going, I've got a feeling it's gonna be a rough one."

They turn to leave, but Derek calls after them one more time, "And Ariel?"

Ariel pauses and looks back, confused, "Yeah?"

"Trust what your instincts tell you. It could save lives," he tells her, giving a pointed look in Sky's direction.

***

"Clear your schedule. This could take a while," announces Lydia as she looks through outfits, Allison and Ariel on the bed, though a suspicious amount of space between the girls. Ariel had been acting cold to Allison all day.

Allison frowns in confusion as Ariel shuffles away from her yet again before looking back at Lydia, "How many outfits do you plan on wearing tonight?" she wonders, eyeing the number of dresses in Lydia's hands.

"It's my birthday party," Lydia replies as she looks through her dresses. "I'm thinking host dress, evening dress, then, mm, after-hours casual."

Ariel fiddles with her fingers as she fidgets awkwardly, "I noticed that you didn't send out any invites, Lyds," she points out.

Lydia shakes her head, not looking back, "It's the biggest party of the year, sis. Everyone knows."

Ariel shrugs, "Maybe this year things, you know, might be different."

Lydia's eyes narrow at her, "Why would anything be different?"

Allison jumps in, "Just 'cause things have been off lately. Things and people," she says, adding. "Like Jackson."

Lydia frowns at her, "What do you care about Jackson?"

"Do you know if he's coming tonight?" Allison asks.

Lydia shrugs, "Everyone's coming," she answers, looking at a dress. "This one's American rag. Mm, I love it. For me, not you two," she picks up another. "This one's material girl. It's for you," she motions to Allison before stopping as she spots someone in the doorway. "Ms Argent. What do you think of this one?"

Ariel goes rigid as she hears her voice, knuckles white as she clenches her fists by her sides, trying to stay in control, "Oh, it's lovely. Allison, uh, can I grab you for a moment to talk? Just the two of us," asks Victoria, eyes stopping on Ariel for a moment before going back to her daughter, not seeming to recognise her.

Allison looks over to her mother, "Um, can we do it later?"

"Actually, uh, to be honest, sooner would be -- would be better," Victoria tells her. Ariel frowns as she glares at the woman, trying to figure out her nervous tone.

"Party's at 10:00," supplies Lydia.

Victoria nods, "Um, will you be around before then?" she asks her daughter.

Allison shrugs, "I think so."

Victoria frowns, "You think so."

Allison shakes her head, "I don't know. You think so?" she asks the girls, frowning slightly as she notices Ariel's narrowed eyes.

Lydia shrugs, looking at another dress, "Oh, I guess that black one would fit. All right, here you go. No, it's too much," she says as Victoria leaves the room.

Allison pulls the dress to herself, smiling slightly, "I think I like it."

Lydia smiles, pleased, "You like it?"

Allison nods and smiles at her, "Yeah, no, I do," she tells her. "Happy Birthday."

Lydia pauses, "Oh, thank you. I actually appreciate that."

Ariel suddenly stands up, "I, uh, need to go," she mumbles. "I need to make sure Sky has an outfit for tonight," she avoids Allison's eyes as she hugs her sister tightly and kisses her cheek, "Happy Birthday, Lyds," she whispers before heading out of the room.

Lydia and Allison exchange confused looks before Lydia just shrugs and carries on picking her outfits.

***

Lydia opens the door to her house to come face to face with a giant box. She cocks her head to the side in confusion.

Stiles's head pops out of the side, "Happy Birthday!" he cheers. "Yeah! Coming in," he tries to move forward only for the present to be too big to fit through the door. "Oh, whoa. Can't. Okay. You know, you don't -- can you just grab that side, maybe? Sky!" he exclaims.

He suddenly goes careening to the side as said girl shoves him sideways, rolling her eyes as she steps into the house to find her girlfriend. She pats Lydia's shoulder in passing.

"Don't forget to try the punch!" shouts Lydia, turning and walking away.

Stiles sighs.

***

"Have you seen Jackson anywhere?" Stiles asks Scott, Ariel and Sky as they stand together at the side of the pool.

Scott exchanges a look with Sky and they shake their heads, "No. Seen Allison?" he asks.

Stiles sighs, "No," he tells him. "But we should probably tell her what we found."

"Do we have to?" Ariel mutters. Sky glances at her questioningly.

Scott tilts his head, "And I'm still kind of not sure what we found," he admits.

"I figured out it has something to do with water. You know, the fact that all the victims were on the swim team, the way the Kanima reacted around the pool," Stiles explains.

Scott looks confused, "So whoever's controlling the Kanima really hates the swim team?"

"Hated the swim team," Stiles corrects. "Specifically, the 2006 swim team. So it could be another teacher. Maybe like a student back then. I mean, who are we missing though? What haven't we thought of?"

Allison suddenly appears, making Ariel tense and subtly grab Sky's hand. Sky, although confused, squeezes her hand in reassurance, "Uh, Jackson's not here."

Stiles nods looking around, "Yeah, no one's here," he observes.

Scott shrugs, "Maybe it's just early."

"Or maybe nobody's coming because Lydia's been having strange episodes," adds Sky, her lips curving up into a smirk as she adds. "Not to mention her three day streak in the woods."

Ariel rolls her eyes at her before laying her head on her shoulder, "Are you ever gonna let her live that down?"

"Nope."

"Well, we have to do something, because we've completely ignored her for the past two weeks," Allison tells them.

"Uh, no," Ariel stops her with narrowed eyes. "You three have ignored her, not us," she corrects.

Scott shrugs, "She's completely ignored Stiles the past ten years," he points out.

Sky rolls her eyes, "It's not her fault he's a spaz."

Stiles makes an indignant sound, "I prefer to think of it as me not having been on her radar yet." Sky snorts.

"We don't owe her a party," Scott tells them.

"But we are going to give her one," states Sky, narrowing her eyes at her brother.

Allison nods in agreement, "She wouldn't be the town whackjob if it wasn't for us."

Scott relents with a sigh, "I guess I could use my co-captain status to get the lacrosse team here."

"Yeah," says Stiles, pulling his phone out. "I also know some people who can get this thing going. Like, really going."

Allison looks confused, "Who?"

"I met them the other night," Stiles tells her. "Let's just say they know how to party."

Sky rolls her eyes again, "Really? Those people from the gay bar?"

***

"Glad you could make it," Lydia says to Scott and Sky as she walks up to them. Ariel had gone to get Sky and herself more punch and Stiles had wandered off as usual.

Scott shakes his head as Lydia tries to hand him a drink, "Uh," he pushes the offered drink away. "I can't drink tonight."

Lydia purses her lips, "All right, what is with you lot?"

"Oh, no, Stiles is drinking," Sky tells her."And so are me and Ariel. Scott's just being a buzzkill."

Lydia shakes her head at them, "Not Stiles. Or you Sky," she points to Scott. "You and Allison. And whilst we're at it, Ariel's problem with Allison. I don't care why you have to keep your little love affair so secret, but right here and right now seems like the perfect time just to have a good time."

"You know something?" says Scott as he smiles slightly, taking the drink and having a sip, humming at the taste. "You're right."

Lydia smiles, "See? Isn't it good?"

"Actually, yeah," Scott nods. "Really good."

Sky grins, "I know!"

***

Sky leaves her brother to find Ariel after she doesn't come back after a while, frowning when she gets to the punch table to find nobody there. A moment of dizziness hits her and she raises her hand to her head, closing her eyes for a second before opening them again and jumping back in surprise.

Ariel stands in front of her. Glaring furiously.

"Ariel?" she mumbles, confused and slightly taken aback at the look in her eyes. Something was wrong.

"I can't believe you did this to me!" shouts Ariel, stepping forward and pushing her back.

Sky flinches back in surprise, "Ariel, wait --"

"You've ruined my life!" Ariel shouts, shoving her by the chest again, "I'm a monster because of you!"

"Do you think I want to be with you for the rest of my life?" she spits in disgust.

Numb, Sky shakes her head absentmindedly as tears fill her vision, "I -- I'm sorry," she mumbles.

"Sorry? Sorry?" Ariel laughs humourlessly. "Sorry won't change anything! I don't even love you! God, you should have stayed dead!"

Sky stumbles back into the corner of a less crowded room and sinks to the ground.

***

In reality, Ariel walks cautiously down the stairs after nipping to the bathroom after feeling unwell for a moment.  It wasn't until she got to the last step that she saw it.

The pool of blood.

She sucks in a shaky breath as she follows a small trail of it from the pool into the next room and nearly collapses at the sight of Sky's body on the ground -- mauled and bloody.

A choked sob escapes her lips as she almost dives forward only to harshly collide with someone. She stumbles and looks to find Allison, panic covering her features.

Blinking dizzily, she goes to focus back on her girlfriend's body, only to find it gone.

Allison's hand on her shoulder jolts her, "Ariel? You okay?"

"I need to find Sky," is all Ariel says before rushing off.

***

Honing in on her heartbeat, Ariel worriedly follows the fast pounding of Sky's heart, pushing people out the way.

It isn't until she stumbles into a less crowded room that she spots the curled-up figure in the corner, almost out of sight.

Ariel shoots towards her, nearly scraping her knees in the haste of dropping to the floor. Her heart feels like it cracks when she hears sobbing.

"Sky? Sky! Baby, it's me. It's Ariel. I need you to look at me," she begs. "Please."

Sky seems to not even hear her as she continues to cry, repeatedly mumbling, "I'm sorry."

Ariel nearly cries out in panic, looking around to see everyone occupied, most likely having their own strange hallucinations. She leans towards her girlfriend and gently grabs her face, more forcefully lifting it up to see her properly. The glassy look in her eyes makes Ariel clench her jaw before she feels her eyes start to burn and she growls out sharply, "Sky!"

Sky flinches, snapping out of her state, blinking as her attention focuses on the girl in front of her, "Ariel," she breathes, lunging forward to hug her tightly.

Ariel clutches her back, relieved, "You're okay," she whispers. "You're okay."

***

By the time they compose themselves, Sky becomes unusually quiet, keeping hold of Ariel's hand in a tight grip as they find Stiles and Scott again.

"Hey, I can't find her," Stiles says to Scott as they approach. "And, dude, anyone who drank that crap, they're freaking out."

"Can't find who?" asks Ariel, adding. "And yeah, we know about the drink."

"Lydia. It's her punch," informs Stiles, warily. "What the hell do we do?"

Scott looks around helplessly, "I don't know, but we gotta --"

A body falls into the pool, catching their attention as the person starts flailing. It's Matt.

"I can't swim!" he calls out as he panics. "I can't swim! I can't swim! I can't -- I can't --" Jackson appears and pulls him out.

Matt scowls at everyone's stares, "What are you looking at?" he shouts, pushing through the crowd. Stiles and Scott run after him.

"The cops are here," people start shouting. "Party's over!"

Sky panics slightly, going to move to the exit, gently trying to pull Ariel along, "We need to leave!"

Ariel pulls her to a stop with a deadpan stare, her amusement momentarily clouding her worry for her girlfriend, "Sky --"

"What?"

"This is my house."

Sky blinks, "I need a day off."