twenty-seven

Winnie pulled on a thin Army green jacket over a plain white crop top, both Libby and Jake arguing with her as she did so. She groaned, adjusting her dark high waisted jeans that only exposed a sliver of her midriff.


After covering all that had happened since Winnie had arrived in Beacon Hills, Libby and Jake were opposed to her leaving the house on a full moon.


"It's daylight!" Winnie expressed to her ridiculous friends. "I'll be fine until nightfall. I don't plan on being out that long anyway."


"You should just stay inside, Win," Jake suggested as he leaned against the door to the en suite of Winnie's room.


"I tell myself that every morning since I've been here, but I don't let that stop me from going on with my life." Winnie slid on the same ankle boots from the night before, fluffing out her hair from the trap of her jacket. "I'm only going to talk to Derek. It won't even be an hour, I promise."


"What about tonight, when all the crazies are running around?" questioned Libby as she leafed through Winnie's sketchbook. "We'll be safe, right?"


"Our security system was made with this town in mind," Winnie assured. She was the only one not in pyjamas, the entire clan having just finished a breakfast that Elizabeth had put together.


"So we'll sit with our thumbs up our asses until the sun come back up?" Wearing pizza designed sleep pants and a clingy white vneck, Jake was clearly worried.


"Will you two calm down?" Winnie lightly asked as she adjusted her watch to the inside of her wrist. "I'll pick up snacks and Japanese sodas and we'll marathon Star Wars. How does that sound?"


Both Libby and Jake quieted, giving mumbled agreements.


Winnie thanked them rather sarcastically, her eyes going to the dresser drawer she'd stored her handgun in. Biting her tongue, she quickly opened the drawer and pulled out the matte black glock from underneath her socks.


"Woah, woah-"


"Hey!" Winnie put out a hand, "Quiet! It's okay."


"Clearly it's not!" Libby snapped as she stood from the desk with wide eyes. "What the hell, Win?"


"It's for self protection, that's all. My dad taught me how to use it." Winnie slipped it into the back of her waistband, covering it with her jacket. "I swear that's all it's for. I don't have claws, so it's the best I can do."


"Winnie, I really don't like this," Jake said with worry all over his pretty face.


"I know that," Winnie acknowledged. "I need to do this, though. I don't plan on using it, it's just in case. There's a lizard dude running around, remember?" She held up her pointer fingers, catching them before they could argue. "I'm going, okay? It's happening. Text me in an hour if I'm not back, and don't say anything to my parents."


As Winnie left, both Libby and Jake let go of strangled sighs.


"This proactive life shit on her is stressing me out," said Jake as he ran a hand through his messy hair.


Libby crossed her arms over her chest, still watching the door Winnie had left from. "Looks good on her, though."


"Yeah...yeah it does."


¥ ¥ ¥


Derek crouched as he opened a case of tools for the full moon, beginning to rifle through it.


Isaac reached down, running his fingers along the pattern on the roof of the chest. "What is that?"


Leaning against the train car, Boyd had his arms crossed. "It's a triskele. Spirals mean different things. Past, present, future. Mother, father, child."


Derek looked back to his beta, "You know what it means to me?"


"Alpha, beta, omega?" responded Boyd with slight question in his voice.


Trying not to sound surprised, he said, "That's right. It's a spiral." He stood, "Reminds us that we can all rise to one or fall to another. Betas can become alphas, but alphas can fall to betas or even omegas."


"Like Scott?" questioned Isaac.


Derek turned to the orphaned beta, "Scott's with us."


"Really?" Isaac retorted. "Then where is he now?"


The upper door to the station opened, Winnie surfacing. "He's looking for Jackson." She came down the stairs, an odd confidence in her.


Derek lightly nodded, "Don't worry, he's not gonna have it easy tonight either. None of us will."


Winnie hit the bottom level, walking towards the congregation of werewolves. She remained quiet, letting Derek play teacher.


"There's a price you pay for this kind of power," the alpha announced as he pulled out a set of chains. "You get the ability to heal. But tonight you're gonna want to kill anything you can find."


Erica, in the doorway of the train, smirked. "Good thing I had my period last week, then."


Winnie held back a laugh, grinning at Erica's comment. "Amen."


All the boys looked away uncomfortably, unsure of how to respond.


Derek held up a headpiece with spikes, "Well, this one's for you."


Erica smirked, assuming he was kidding.


But he wasn't.


"Looks comfy," Winnie remarked. "Got a minute, Der?"


Derek hesitated, setting down the headpiece before walking across the abandoned warehouse with Winnie. "What is it?"


"What happened last night?" Winnie calmly asked as they got far enough away from the betas.


"What do you mean?"


Winnie lifted an eyebrow, staring him down. "I think you know what I mean."


Derek remained passsive, not responding.


"Why is a mother about to die, Derek?" Winnie questioned in a low voice, "What happened at the rave?"


"You don't understand-"


"Then help me!" Winnie snapped. "I don't have a drawing of it so I only know what went down around me. Victoria was bitten; why?"


Derek clenched his jaw, "Victoria was trying to kill Scott. Literally suffocating him with wolfsbane, Winnie. I had to fight her away from him because that's what you do for pack members, okay? I had to."


"I believe you, but the Argents wont see it that way." Winnie idly crossed her arms, "Victoria will kill herself tonight, and the backlash will be tremendous."


"I didn't kill her," defended Derek. "It's the code that does. She could easily live past 100."


Winnie was quiet for a moment, "But we both know that isn't how they see it."


"So, what am I supposed to do, Jones? It's done, there's nothing else."


"You could run," she offered without really meaning it.


Derek gave her a look, "You know that's not going to happen."


Winnie knew that was exactly what he would say. "Then be ready when they come for you."


¥ ¥ ¥


"Where are you at, right now?"


Winnie drove towards the temporary Jones home, her family waiting with lunch nearly ready.


The brunette's eyebrows slightly narrowed at Lydia's voice, using her hands free call. "On my way home, why?"


"You need to get your cute little butt to Ally A's because I'm picking outfits for tonight," Lydia told her without much question to it.


Winnie hesitated, "I don't know if I can. My family from Colorado are here with two of my friends. We-"


"I got you a dress."


Although driving along, Winnie sighed before making a uturn. "On my way."


"Yay! We're in Allison's room," Lydia told her brightly before hanging up.


Winnie furrowed her eyebrows, picking up the hint of hollowness to the strawberry blonde's voice.


Before Winnie could flip the radio on, another call rang through.


Winnie poked a button on her steering wheel, heading towards the Argent's. "Stilinski, how can I help the wonder boy?"


"By never calling me that again," Stiles replied with a light laugh.


Winnie smiled, taking a left into Allison's neighborhood. "Deal. What's up?"


"Are you going to Lydia's party?" he asked on the other end of the line.


"Planning on it," Winnie told him while hitting a red light. "I just wish she'd done it another night. The full moon isn't exactly ideal."


"Not that she knows anything different," Stiles said with an exhale. "Didn't you say your friends are in town. Are they coming?"


"I wouldn't prefer it." Winnie puled into the Argent's wrap around driveway and parked behind Lydia's car. She tucked a wave of hair behind her ear, leaning back in her seat. "They're not really...invested. I was planning on sneaking out while they stayed at home, just so they don't get freaked out."


"But they know, right? About you?" questioned Stiles.


"Of course," Winnie replied. "They're just not, y'know, like we are. The only supernatural thing running around Arvada was me."


Stiles sighed, "Yeah, I get it. Well, you may want to have them come for the sake of Lydia. She, uh, she's not exactly seen as...sane at the moment. The parties she has are usually packed, but..."


"You think this year it might be on the light side," finished Winnie. "I'll see what I can do. Thing is, if anything happens...I'm making them bail. I don't want them getting hurt."


"Completely understandable," Stiles agreed.


Winnie pinched the bridge of her nose, switching the call onto her phone and putting it to her ear before shutting off the Malibu. "Do you think anything will go wrong?"


"I'm just hoping something will go right," Stiles admitted. "But I guess we'll have to wait and see."


Winnie unclipped her seatbelt, glancing towards the front of the house as she kept her phone up.


Gerard waited in the doorway, his beady eyes dead set on the girl.


"I've gotta let you go," Winnie told Stiles as she pulled her key from the ignition. She looked away from Gerard, beginning to climb out of her car. "Keep me updated. I'll see you at Lydia's."


"Bye, Winnie," Stiles replied, unaware that she was being stared down by grandpa Argent.


Winnie said goodbye before hanging up as she closed to Malibu's driver door. Lowering her phone, she met eyes with Gerard. "Afternoon Miss Jones."


"Mr. Argent," Winnie replied in the nicest tone should could muster as she stepped through the doorway.


"It was very nice work you did at the rave," the old man told her as she started up the stairs.


Winnie slowed, looking over her shoulder to him. She looked almost like a puppy, doing a trick even though it hurt. "Thank you." She idly held the rail, starting back up to get to Allison's room. Swallowing harshly, she forced a soft breath before reaching the huntress' room.


"What do you care about Jackson?"


Winnie hesitated outside of the door, catching the odd tone in Lydia's voice.


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


"Everyone's coming," Lydia sharply replied.


Winnie bit the inside of her cheek, knocking on the open door as she walked in. "Jones, party of one."


Allison's race rushed with relief, thankful of Winnie's arrival. "Hey Winnie."


Offering a smile, Winnie set her bag down by the desk. "Buy a whole mall?" she asked as she referenced the tons of Macy's bags on the bed.


"Only half," Lydia brightly replied with a frilly tone unlike the one she'd used with Allison. "This-" she picked up a flowwy beige dress, "one's American Rag. Mm, I love it, but it's for you, Win." She held out the dress to the shorter brunette. Lydia pulled out a flower print dress, "This one's Material Girl. It's for you," she told Allison with a smile.


Winnie turned over her shoulder as there was a knock on the door, finding a slightly sweating Victoria Argent.


"Mrs. Argent," Lydia noted happily as she held up a strapless blue dress to her own figure. "What do you think of this one?"


"It's lovely," Victoria said despite being slightly out of breath. "Allison, uh, can I grab you for a moment to talk? Just the two of us."


"Um..." Allison glanced to Lydia, "can we do it later?"


"Actually," said the redhead, "to be honest, sooner would be better."


"Party's at 10:00," Lydia told Mrs. Argent as she pieced together an outfit.


Winnie made herself look away, seeing Victoria holding her shoulder.


"You'll be around before then?" Victoria asked.


"I think so," Allison halfly replied, distracted.


"You think so," repeated Victoria.


Allison lightly shook her head, not understanding her mother's urgency. "I don't know."


Lydia grabbed Winnie's attention, an outfit lying on Allison's bed. She's been carrying on a conversation even though Winnie barely knew what was going on. "You think so? Well, it does have black on it, but...eh."


Winnie's gaze moved towards the door, watching Victoria slip out. She bit her lip, glancing from the girls to the door and back. "I'm gonna used to bathroom," she lied as she moved out of Allison's room. "Mrs. Argent?"


She knew what Victoria had done to deserve the bite, but she also knew that the mother of one of her friends was living her last night on Earth.


Victoria stopped in the hall, surprised to find Winnie. "Yes?"


"Do you...do you want me to make her come talk to you?" Winnie offered.


Mrs. Argent hesitated, keeping soft eye contact with Winnie. She lightly sighed, "No, no she's have a good time. I don't want to ruin it."


Winnie stepped forward, closing the hallway gap between them when Victoria started to stray. "It might not...it might not take-"


"Miss Jones," Victoria said over her rambling, "it's not likely." She hesitated, debating whether or not she should say what she wanted. "If I don't get the chance...will you tell her something for me?"


"Of course," Winnie said, "anything."


"Tell her to be strong."

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