chapter twenty-four
❝ you are the best thing, thats ever been mine ❞
master plan

━━━━༺❀༻━━━━

Kennedy stands with Scott and Isaac in the locker room. "I got to meet with the medical examiner and try to figure out what happened with Jackson. I've got an APB out on Stiles." Noah says, "His jeep is still in the parking lot, so that means," Noah pauses, knowing that Stiles would never leave without the Jeep, "Hell, I don't know what that means. Um, look, if he answers his phone, if he answers his emails, if either one of you see him-"

Isaac speaks up, "We'll call you."

"Look, he's probably just freaked out from all the attention or something. We'll find him." Scott says, attempting to make Noah feel better

Sheriff nods, "Yeah. I'll see you, okay?"

He walks away, and Coach walks over. "McCall. 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 nods, "Yeah, I know, coach." Finstock begins to walk away, but turns back.

"All right. I mean, 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." Scott smiles, understanding in a weird way. "I'm just saying we, I need you on the team. Get your grades back up."

Coach walks away, Kennedy crossing her arms over her chest. "Is that everyone?" She asks.

Isaac steps forward. "I think so." Something loud causes him to turn around, and Scott throws Stiles's locker door on the ground. "You're gonna find him by scent?"

"Yeah, we all are." Scott tells him, handing Isaac Stiles's shoe

Isaac looks down, "But how come you get his shirt and I get a shoe?" Scott turns around, the two of them stopping when they see Derek. Kennedy looks at Derek, who motions her to walk over. Scott frowns as Kennedy listens, stepping next to her cousin promptly. She never would have done that before.

"We need to talk." Derek says.

Suddenly, Peter steps into view, placing a hand on Kennedy's shoulder. "All of us."

Scott looks at Peter in shock. "Holy shit." He says quietly. "What the hell is this?"

Derek hummed, "You know, I thought the same thing when I saw you talking to Gerard at the sheriff's station."

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

Peter speaks up, "I'm gonna go with Scott on this one. Have you seen his mom? She's gorgeous."

Derek, Scott, and Kennedy look at Peter. "Shut up."

Isaac looks at Scott, "Who is he?" He asks.

"That's Peter. Kennedy's Dad, and Derek's Uncle. Little while back, he tried to kill us all, and then we set him on fire, and Derek slashed his throat."

Peter raised his hand. "Hi."

Isaac nods, "That's good to know." He says quietly.

"How is he alive?" Scott asks. He looks at Kennedy. "And you knew?"

Peter bummed, "Of course my daughter knows." He says, patting Kennedy's shoulder.

"Look, the short version is he knows how to stop Jackson. And maybe how to save him." Derek said.

Isaac shrugs, "Well, that's very helpful except Jackson's dead."

Derek and Peter are confused. "What?"

Peter looks at Kennedy. "Yeah, Jackson's dead. It just happened on the field."

"Okay, why is no one taking this as good news?" Isaac asks.

"Because if Jackson is dead, it didn't just happen. Gerard wanted it to happen."

Kennedy shakes her head, "But why?"

Peter raises a brow, "Well, Princess, that's exactly what we need to figure out." He looks at everyone in the room. "And something tells me the window of opportunity is closing. Quickly."

༺❀༻

Kennedy opens the door to Hale house, letting everyone inside. "Oh, they found Stiles." Scott said in relief.

Kennedy smiles, "Dad-"

"You can see him after this," Peter told her factually. Kennedy nodded, watching Derek look at her dad.

"I told you, I looked everywhere."

Peter kneels on the stairs. "You didn't look here."

They watch as Peter pulls out a large case under a stark. "What is that, a book?"

Peter looked over, "No. It's a laptop. What century are you living in?" Derek rolled his eyes, but Kennedy snickered. "A few days after I got out of the coma, I transferred everything that we had. Fortunately, the Argents aren't the only ones that keep records." Peter stood in front of Kennedy, "Get home safe."

Kennedy smiles, walking away. Scott shook his head, "Oh that is so weird."

Meanwhile, Stiles laid in his bed, staring at the wall when there was a knock. "Dad, I said I'm fine." After a moment, there was another knock. Annoyed, Stiles climbed off the bed, walking to the door. He swung it open, and there was Kennedy.

"Hi." Kennedy says, her eyes puffy and her hair disheveled.

"Hi." Stiles says, not expecting her to be there.

Kennedy's hands were clasped together as she looked at him, "Your father let me in." She explained. She looked at the large marking on the side of his face, causing her to frown, "What happened to you?" She asked.

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine." He says. Kennedy wants to protest, but doesn't. "Do you want to come in?"

Kennedy nods, walking into his room. "Thanks," She whispers.

Stiles nods, closing the door behind him. "How are you doing?"

Kennedy sighs, turning to Stiles, "They won't let Lydia and I see him." She explains. "I let Jackson die, and I let you get hurt, and now Ben is dead, and-" She looks down at Stiles's phone. "We both have like 5,000 messages from Scott."

"I know."

Kennedy looks at Stiles. "Why are we like this?" She blurts. Stiles looks over in confusion. "We, we flirt, and we pester, and we let the tension settle in but we're both too scared to go any further because we're both too scared that the others going to get hurt."

Stiles frowns, "Actually I'm scared I'm going to embarrass myself." He confesses. He studies Kennedy's features. "You're scared I'm going to get hurt?" He asks. Kennedy opens her mouth to answer, but she's cut off when she checks her phone.

"You're gonna want to read this." She says slowly.

Stiles looks over the text. "They think you and Lydia might be able to save Jackson?" He asks.

Kennedy nods. "Lydia's on her way to meet with them." She whispers.

"No way, he could kill you."

Kennedy scoffs. "I don't care, Stiles," She says, walking towards the door.

"See, that's the problem." Stiles says. Kennedy turns tosses him, confused. "You don't care about getting hurt. But you know how I'll feel? I'll be devastated." Kennedy sucks in a breath, "And if you die, I will literally go out of my freakin' mind." Kennedy purses her lips together as Stiles speaks. "You see, death doesn't happen to you, Kennedy. It happens to everyone around you, okay? To all the people left standing at your funeral, trying to figure out how they're gonna live the rest of their lives now without you in it?" The brunette girl looks down. "And look at my face." Kennedy stares at Stiles, the injury on his face. "Come on, you actually think this was meant to hurt me?"

Kennedy looks down at Stiles's lips, back up at him. "That was unnecessary." She whispered.

Stiles pauses, "Yeah, yeah it was." He replies in realization. His eyes trail down her face, her pink lips. "Would this be too?" He asked her, stepping closer.

"Maybe." Kennedy's heart beats faster as she looks up at him. "Stiles-"

"You know when you asked me if I believed in soulmates?" He cut her off. Kennedy looked at him, nodding. "I think I do now." His hands raise to her face, his thumb grazing her cheek. "And I think I'm looking at mine."

Kennedy smiles softly, the moment settling in. She leaned forwards, her lips connecting with Stiles's. It was instant her body calmed down, but at the same time ignited. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she embraced the one thing she'd been hiding from this entire time.

Loving Stiles.

She pulls away, looking up at Stiles. "I have to go. I have to find Derek. Scott's plan."

"Derek? Why-" He's cut off when Kennedy runs out of the room, and he sighs. "Okay, bye."

༺❀༻

"Well done to the last, Scott. Like the concerned friend you are, you brought Jackson to Derek to save him." Gerard began, "You just didn't realize that you were also bringing Derek to me."

An arrow flies through the air, and Scott ducks, but barely. It hits Isaac, and Scott looks up. "Allison?"

Scott helps Isaac, and Chris shoots at Jackson. Jackson leaps over a car, turning into the Kanima. His tail wraps around Chris's gun, and Chris runs. Peter watches Chris get tossed backwards, and suddenly Derek comes into view. He lets out a loud roar, his face the shape of a werewolf. Scott and Isaac step into view. And just like that, the fight begins.

Kennedy runs in, her dad grabbing her and pushing her out of view. "Dad, I need to go help Scott."

"Bunny, I love you, but no."

Kennedy growls lowly, hearing Scott get thrown into a wall. "Dad, let, me, go." Her eyes flash gold, and Peter raises a brow. He looks over Kennedy's shoulder, watching Allison cut through Isaac.

Peter releases Kennedy, and she runs out just as Allison steps towards Derek. "Allison, no!" She shouts. Before Allison can do anything, the Kanima throws her daggers down, grabbing her by the throat.

"Not yet, sweetheart." Gerard said from the darkness.

Allison breathes heavily as she looks over. "What are you doing?"

Scott nods in understanding. "He's doing what he came here to do."

Gerard looks over. "Then you know."

Allison looks at her grandfather. "What's he talking about?" She asked.

Gerard smirked as he looked at Scott. "It was the night outside the hospital, wasn't it, when I threatened your mother. I knew I saw something in your eyes. You could just smell it, couldn't you?"

Kennedy helped Isaac to his feet. "He's dying." She says, smelling the stench off him. Gerard looks over.

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

A tear rolls down Allison's cheek in realization. The Kanima tightens it's grip. "You monster." Chris says in disgust.

"Not yet."

Allison cries out, "What are you doing?"

"You'll kill her too?" Chris asks, his voice cracking.

Gerard looks over, "When it comes to survival, I'd kill my own son!" Kennedy looks at Chris, feeling horrible for him. "Scott."

Kennedy looks over to her friend, his face turning human. "Scott, don't." She warns. The plan in her head, she looks at Scott. Scott grabs Derek, lifting him up.

"You know that he's gonna kill me right after. He'll be an Alpha." Derek pleads.

Gerard smirks. "That's true. But I think he already knows that, don't you, Scott? He knows that the ultimate prize is Allison." He explains. "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."

Kennedy steps closer. "Scott!"

Gerard looks at the brunette. "Kennedy Stallard, the grown ups are talking."

Kennedy narrows her eyes, before jumping up onto a near by machine. Everyone looks up, trying to find her as she jumps around. A loud roar vibrates the building, and a blur of a figure drips down in front of Derek. Kennedy stands up. "That's not my name." She growls out, her eyes turning gold. "It's Kennedy Hale."

She growls at Scott, who shakes his head. "Kenny-"

"I'm not letting you do this." She hisses, although she knows she will. Suddenly, a piercing pain shatters through her body. Allison yells out in horror, and Kennedy looks down to see one of Allison's daggers in her side, by the hands of Gerard.

Scott shakes his head in pity as Kennedy falls. "I'm sorry. But I have to." Kennedy watches as Scott holds up Derek's head, the Argent putting his arm in.

Kennedy climbs to her feet as Gerard lifts his arm, revealing the bite. Peter watches in confusion. "What the hell?"

Gerard smiles in victory, but everyone looks at him in confusion. "What?" He looks down, revealing that black liquid was leaking from the wound. Kennedy stumbled to her feet, Scott holding her next to him. "What is this? What did you do?" He glared.

"Everyone said Gerard always had a plan." Scott began, "I had a plan too."

Gerard fiddled with his pocket, pulling out the metal capsule that held his meds. "No. No." He crunched his pulls in his hands, a black dusting coming up. "Mountain ash!" Black blood begins to come out of Gerard's nose, his ears, even his eyes. Everyone watches in slightly disgust as he begins to pant, before throwing up entirely. Kennedy steps back, careful not to get it on her shoes. Gerard falls, weak.

Derek looks at Scott and Kennedy. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Scott looks down, "Because you might be an Alpha, but you're not mine." He announces.

Kennedy links hands with Scott. "Or mine." She adds, the pair of best friends smiling at each other.

Gerard crawls on the ground. "Kill them! Kill them all!"

"That's not good," Kennedy says, before watching Gerard pass out. "Ew." The Kanima slowly releases his grip on Allison, who elbows him in the face. Kanima grabs Allison, tossing her to the ground.

Suddenly, the Jeep bursts in. Kennedy winces at the bright light, watching it his the Kanima. Stiles and Lydia are inside, looking over, "Did I get him?" Suddenly, the Kanima jumps back up, and Stiles begins to scream uncontrollably.

Kennedy looks at Lydia. The werewolf rushes to her friends side, opening the door. "Jackson!" Kennedy calls out.

"Jackson." Lydia says. The Kanima stands up in front of them.

Stiles yells out, "Kennedy!"

Lydia holds up the key. The key that Jackson had given her when they were together. It had a K engraved, as Kennedy was the one who had it made. It was one of the biggest things that caused Kennedy to fight with Lydia. But now, Jackson stared at it, remembering his first love. He then remembered Lydia, another person who saw him for him. Kennedy watched as Jackson slowly turned human in front of them, Lydia crying as his eyes turned back to normal. He took the key from Lydia's hand.

Kennedy looks past Jackson, seeing her Dads crazed look. Derek and Peter rush in, their claws digging into Jackson's stomach. Lydia and Kennedy watch as Jackson raises in the air, before falling completely.

Lydia rushes over, catching him. Kennedy cries, and feels Stiles wraps his arms around her. "Do you still," Jackson begins to utter our

"I do. I do still love you." Lydia says to him. "I do, I do still love you." Kennedy sobs as she watches Jackson fall onto Lydia's shoulder, the key falling from his hand. Stiles pulls her head into his chest, trying his best to comfort her.

Jackson's face turns completely human, and Kennedy kneels down, running her hand over his face. She sniffles, watching her first boyfriend, her first love, die. She helps Lydia lay him on the ground.

Allison looks around, "Where's Gerard?"

Chris speaks up, "He can't be far."

Kennedy grabs Lydia's hand. "I know," She whispers in between cries. Lydia looks at her, the two knowing nobody would understand them quite like they understood each other. Lydia gripped Kennedy tightly, the two standing up at the same time. They turned towards the others, Stiles stepping towards Kennedy.

Everything stops, when the sound of scratching causes Lydia and Kennedy to turn back around. It was sudden. Jackson's eyes shoot open, but are now a bright blue. He slowly stood up, his claws grazing the floor as he looks at the sky, his face now contorted into a wolfs. He lets out a loud howl, which causes Kennedy to smile. Her eyes flickered gold as she watched. Jackson turns human again, and looks at Lydia in surprise. Lydia rushes over, hugging him tightly. Kennedy lets out a sigh of relief, and smiles at Stiles. He smiles back.

Jackson peeled away from Lydia, walking towards Kennedy. "Does this count as a bullshit move?" He joked. Kennedy laughed, remembering when the two became friends again back when this all began.

"Definitely," She said, "But you're still my friend." Jackson smiles as he hugs the Hale tightly. Despite all they've been through, they were always going to share something with each other as their first loves. They knew that, Lydia knew that, and Stiles knew that. Kennedy sighed in relief, feeling grateful her friends were all alive.

༺❀༻

Days later, the Jeep sat outside the the McCall house. "Well, Sophomore year was fun." Stiles said slowly. He looked at Kennedy, who had an unreadable look on her face. "We won."

Kennedy turned to Stiles, a smile on her face. "Yeah, yeah we did." She says softly. "Would it be wrong of me to say that I made the biggest win?"

Stiles rose a brow, "What would that be?" Kennedy reached over, planting a kiss on Stiles's lips.

"I got you."

The teenage boy chuckled, "Are you kidding me? I think I'm the real winner here." He began. Kennedy stared at him questioningly. Stiles waved his arms back and forth. "Hello, I got the most popular girl in Beacon Hills to like me, and now you're my-" Kennedy raises a brow as Stiles pauses. "Are you my girlfriend?" He asks.

Kennedy shrugs, "You haven't properly asked me yet." She says, climbing out of the car. Stiles practically threw himself out, rushing after her.

"Kennedy Dawn Hale, will you be my girlfriend?" He rushes out, looking at her with an impatient stare.

The girl smiles, "I thought you'd never ask." She chirps, kissing him again. The McCall's front door swings open, and Scott walks out.

"God, I dont want to third wheel." He mumbles. Scott scrunched up his nose in disgust, but deep down he was happy for them both.

Stiles waves him off. "Shut the hell up." He said. "I cant believe I won't have to pick you both up at the same time." He says.

Scott looks at Kennedy. "Derek has his own place now?"

Kennedy nods, "No more snobby hotel rooms for me." She chimes. "Though, Peter spoiling me has been pretty nice."

"And the name change?"

Stiles wraps an arm around Kennedy, who smiles proudly. "Officially Kennedy Dawn Hale."

Later, the three of them make it to the lacrosse field that day, "So you really think she's gonna come back to you?" Stiles asks Scott, referencing Allison who just broke up with him after everything that happened.

Scott nods, "Yeah, I know she is." He says, looking at Kennedy, "What about you two?"

Kennedy smiles, "Well, the ten year plan to become rich and famous and have a billionaire husband might have stretched to twenty, but we'll see." She says, winking at Stiles.

Stiles rolls his eyes, "Yeah, okay." He says as Scott laughs. The human boy looked at the McCall. "Why don't you just get into the goal and help me make team captain like you promised there, big guy." He says. Kennedy sits on the bleachers, like she always had, holding each of their water bottles. Scott stood at the net, looking around.

"Hey, you know what I just realized? I'm right back where I started."

Kennedy and Stiles looked at Scott in curiosity. "What do you mean?"

Scott shrugs, "I mean no lacrosse, no popularity, no girlfriend. Nothing." He says.

"Dude, you still got me." Stiles says.

Kennedy raises a water bottle. "And me!" She chirped with her usual happy look on her face.

Scott shrugs at them, "I had you both before." He says.

"Yeah, and you still got both of us. Okay? It's a life fulfilled." Stiles pointed at Scott, causing Kennedy to laugh.

"Very."

Stiles adjusts the lacrosse stick. "Now remember, no wolf powers."

Scott nods. "Got it." He says.

"No, I mean it. No super fast reflexes, no super eyesight, no hearing, none of that crap, okay?" Stiles rambles. Kennedy drinks from her own water, watching them. "You promise?"

Scott hits the net, "Would you just take the shot already?" Kennedy watches Stiles ready the ball, and watches Scott's eyes flash yellow. Stiles slings the ball, and of course, Scott catches it.

Kennedy raise the after bottle, spraying it at Scott. "He said no wolf powers!" She playfully scolds. Scott, now wet, looks at her.

"Yeah, what Kenny-" Stiles is abruptly cut off by Kennedy spraying water at him, getting him soaked as well. "Oh you're going to pay,"

The Hale girl squeals as she jumps to her feet, running down the field as both Scott and Stiles run after her, holding water bottles in preparation. It was normalcy, for all three of them. Kennedy had gone through so much, and she felt good about her self for once. She felt like everything made sense. She had Scott, her partner in crime, Stiles, her boyfriend, Lydia and Allison, her best friends, Peter, her dad, and Derek, her cousin.

And she only hoped it would stay that way.