Love's Spiral

When the kanima finally stopped, it was climbing up the side of a building. Spencer managed to catch up to him. She took the building in, deciphering where she was. She furrowed her brow. “Jungle?”

Derek approached her and caught her by the arm. “What the hell were you doing?” he demanded.

“I was thinking that I could follow it, and catch it. Like we’ve been trying to do all night. And I did. I followed it here.”

“Where the hell is here?” Derek asked, looking around.

“It’s a gay club. I’ve been here a couple of times with Danny.”

“You’ve been here?”

“You’re surprised?” Spencer asked. “What do I have ‘Goody-Goody-Two-Shoes written on my forehead or something?”

“No, I just thought - ”

“I came here for Danny.” She clarified. “We hung out a lot last year. Our parents used to be friends. Before the accident.”

“So, why would it come here?” Derek asked, thinking he was throwing her a hard ball.

Spencer shrugged. “Only one way to find out.” She smiled and walked right up to the bouncer standing at the door.

“Spencer!” The bouncer exclaimed. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“I’ve been a little busy, Tommy. With midterms being around the corner, I’m studying between classes and when I can.” Spencer said, half-lying about her situation. “Can I get in?”

“Sure.” Tommy said. “Danny’s inside.”

“He is?”

“Yeah, he got here about ten minutes ago.”

“Oh, well, thanks. I’ll go meet him.”

Tommy moved the velvet red rope so that Spencer could make her way inside. “Hey, big and broody with you?” Tommy called after her.

Spencer turned and nodded. “Yes, he is.”

Tommy nodded and allowed Derek through, sending a wink in his direction.

Derek caught up to Spencer. “You’ve only been here a couple times?”

Spencer bit her lip. “Maybe it was a few more than a couple.” She admitted.

“That guy knows you by name.”

“Is that really what we should be worrying about?” Spencer questioned, looking at the ceiling and trying to find the kanima. She noticed that it was using the ceiling as a means of getting around undetected. She pointed up at it to show it to Derek. “There is it. You take care of it. I’m gonna try and get Danny out of here. I really don’t want him getting hurt.” She stepped towards the dance floor.

Derek grabbed her arm. “No way. You’ll be right under it.”

“I know. I’ll be fine.” Spencer said, smiling at Derek. She left him, working her way through the crowd, sniffing out Danny. Finally, she found him. Spencer pulled on his arm to make him face her direction.

“Spencer?” He shouted over the loud music. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s a long story!” She looked up at the ceiling, curious of the kanima’s progress towards them. “We gotta get out of here! Your ex is here!”

“I know! That’s why I’m dancing with him!” Danny said, looking back at the rather cute guy Danny had landed. “Stop stressing about it. Just dance.” Danny smiled, grabbing Spencer’s arms and practically forcing her to move to the music.

Spencer moved her arms in a way so that she held Danny’s arms instead of him holding hers. “I can’t. We really have to go.” Just as she said the words, she felt a soft prick at the back of her neck. Spencer reached a hand up to touch her neck. When her hand came back around, she saw blood. “Crap.” She said, looking up at Danny and seeing the kanima right behind him.”Danny, go!” She shouted at him.

Danny didn’t move though. He had already been scratched and was falling to the floor.

Spencer turned in her spot and pushed her way through as much of the crowd as she could before she fell to the ground. The people around her and noticed her fall and stopped dancing, forming a circle around her to observe. Spencer tried to move her arms so that she could push herself off of the ground, but it was no use. The kanima was running through her blood. She groaned. “Derek!” She shouted as loud as she could, knowing he would probably hear her anyway. “Derek, help!” Spencer was afraid the kanima would come back for her.

Derek was at her side almost instantly. “Red, are you okay?” He said, getting down to her level.

“H-he got me.” Spencer said on the verge of tears. “The - the kanima. I-It got me! I can’t - I can’t move!” She shouted.

“I know. I got you.” Derek said, moving one of her arms over his shoulders. His free hand moved to his pocket pulling out his cell phone and picking a number. The phone rings as he carries Spencer towards the exit of the club.

“Hello.” It was Isaac.

“Bring me my car.” Derek huffed.
“Where’s Spencer?” Isaac asked. “Is she okay?”

“We’re at the Jungle. That club a few streets over from the subway.”

“Is Spencer okay?” Isaac asked, stressing his words, needing an answer.

Derek let out an angry, impatient breath. “She’s paralyzed. Which is why I need my car.”

“Okay. I’m leaving.”

Derek hung up the call after telling Isaac that they would be standing outside the building next to it to avoid suspicion. There was a few moments of silence as they awaited Isaac’s arrival.

Spencer took a deep breath. “Derek, I’m sorry.”

“Be quiet.” Derek snapped.

“That’s not fair.”

“Shut up!” He said angrily.

Spencer bit her lip to keep herself from shouting back and crying. If only she hadn’t done anything then she wouldn’t be kicking herself for getting herself into trouble next to the very person she was trying to prove herself to. Spencer couldn’t be any happier when she saw Derek’s black Camaro pull forward fast and come to a stop just as quick.

Isaac pushed himself out of the vehicle. “Spencer?” He quickly rushed around the car to get to Spencer. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay.” Spencer said.

“Come on, don’t lie to me.” Isaac pushed, knowing very well that Spencer was not okay because her eyes were glazed like she was about to cry.

“I’m okay, Isaac.” She insisted. “Just help me to the car.”

Isaac grabbed Spencer away from Derek, using her other arm as his way of carrying her. He helped her into the back seat of the car and joined her, letting her paralyzed body lean against him for support, both physically and emotionally. Isaac grabbed onto her hand and held it tightly, even though she couldn’t squeeze back.

When Derek arrived back at the subway station, Isaac pulled her out of the car and carried her down to her subway train car. Isaac laid her down on her bed and sat next to her for a moment. He watched her as Spencer tried to avoid his eyes. “Do you want me to stay with you?”

Spencer swallowed, trying to shake her head, but remembering that she couldn’t. “No,” she said, moving her eyes to look at him for just a second. “Go get some sleep. You had a rough night.”

Isaac breathed a laugh. “I was only knocked out. You’re paralyzed, Spencer. Basically the conscious version of what happened to me which is nearly ten times worse.”

“Isaac, I’m fine.” She said quickly, not wanting him to push her into talking about whatever had happened. Spencer took in a breath and let it out slowly to calm herself. “I’m just tired.”

Isaac nodded. “Okay. I’ll be here. Just shout out if you need me.”

Spencer smiled. “Thanks.”

Isaac joined their hands for a moment before leaving Spencer’s train car.

After he was gone, Spencer was unsure that him leaving was what she really needed. Not being able to move was hard for her. Spencer was normally a fidgeter, never being able to sit still. She thought it could be something she picked up from Stiles. Thinking that, made Spencer think of Stiles and what happened to him after the stuff that had happened at Scott’s house. They had left in such a hurry that she didn’t have time to check on him and she wasn’t sure what happened with Isaac.

Spencer sighed and closed her eyes, knowing that she needed some sleep. As Spencer was closed into her mind, she tried to focus more on her breathing than the thoughts of the kanima that seemed to seep into her mind. Her breaths came slow and even, until they didn’t.

!@#$#@!

It was the same alleyway she had ran through with Derek to catch the kanima. Only this time, she wasn’t running through it. Spencer walked in between the tall buildings when a specific one managed to catch her attention. She had never been here before, nor had she noticed in when she was running earlier in the night. Spencer walked towards it, finding an open door.

Spencer walked right through the open door into the dark, empty warehouse. She looked around feeling no fear. That was until she heard a hissing sound from up over her head. Spencer took in a deep, scared breath, not wanting to look up. She closed her eyes tightly, wishing she could be anywhere else. In the next minute, there was a loud thud behind her.

Spencer’s lip quivered. “P-please. D-don’t do this.” She begged. Spencer felt a sharp prick to her neck. She cried out as she fell backwards onto the floor, the paralytic toxin setting in quickly.

“Excellent job!” A male voice boasted.

Spencer tried to look around her, but without the ability to move her head, her vision was slightly impaired. “W-Who’s there?” she called, receiving no response. “Hello? Can you help me? Please!” She begged.

“I won’t be helping you.” The man sneered angrily. He took some steps forward, getting in Spencer’s line of sight. Gerard.

“Y-you!” She said, deathly afraid.

Gerard smirked. He pulled a gun from his coat pocket and cocked it. “Where’s your alpha?” he asked.

“Why would I tell you?” She responded, putting a brave face on at the mention of Derek.

“Because your life is in my hands.” Gerard pointed the barrel of the gun directly at Spencer’s chest.

“You think a gun is gonna scare me? I’ve been shot before, asshole. It healed.” Spencer snapped.

“Try healing from a bullet to the head.” The old man said, moving the gun to point it at her head.

“No, wa - !” But she was cut off, but the sound of a gun.

!@#$#@!

Spencer jolted in her sleep, trying to get away from her nightmares, and ended up rolling off of her bed. She moved her head, barely in control of it as she took in hers surroundings. Spencer’s breathing slowed as she remembered that she had fallen asleep in her train car at their abandoned subway hideout. She put her palms to the ground, trying to push herself off of the floor. Spencer didn’t get very far because she couldn’t lift herself. The paralysis was gone, but she still felt weak. She groaned, putting her forehead to the ground. “Isaac!” She shouted. When Spencer heard a few footsteps move about her car she looked up. She rolled her eyes. “Derek. Where’s Isaac?”

“I sent him to Boyd’s.” He crouched down to the ground, wrapping his hands around Spencer’s arm.

“Great.” She said sarcastically, allowing Derek to help her sit back up into her bed. Her back was against the wall of her car. “Thank you.” Spencer said emotionlessly.

Derek leaned down to kiss her forehead.

“I bet you’re happy.” She sneered, as Derek turned to walk away from her.

Derek stopped and turned his head to look at her. “Why would I be happy?”

“I got what I deserved, didn’t I?” Spencer inferred. “Going off my gut. Running after the kanima like I did. And then in the club. It all got me paralyzed.”

“Exactly. Paralyzed. Not dead. Which is the worse that could’ve happened.” Derek insisted. “I’m not ecstatic about the way you handled it or that you’re hurt. I like that you followed your gut.”

“I wasn’t hurt.” Spencer clarified. “Actually, I couldn’t feel anything at all.”

“I know.” Derek said, nodding. He took a seat on Spencer’s bed, right next to her. “I’ve been there.”

Spencer shook her head, looking away from him. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

“I know that, too. You and I are kind of the same in that way. We both say things before we think of how they affect other people.”

“You mean, like the way you snapped at me back at the club?” She asked, turning her head towards him.

“Exactly like that.” Derek told her.

Spencer nodded.

Derek turned his body to face Spencer, stretching out one leg and having the other bent on the bed. He grabbed her hand. “Can you feel this?” he asked.

Spencer nodded again.

Derek’s hand moved up her arm to her shoulder, rubbing circles against the top of her neck.

“I can feel all of that.” Spencer informed him. “I just feel weak.” Spencer took her hand back, scooted away from him, and flexed her fingers. “I hated that feeling. Where I couldn’t feel anything. Not being in control of my own self.” She shook her head. “I don’t know how you did it. How could you feel like this, and be stuck in water like you were the other day? I’d go absolutely crazy.”

“It got easier. Once you were there.”

“Only because Stiles probably annoyed the hell out of you.” Spencer joked, laughing to herself.

Derek smiled. “Sort of. Mostly because you were hurt and I couldn’t do anything about it. You were just lying there, and I couldn’t do anything to take your pain away.”

“Are you gonna teach me how to do that?” Spencer asked, trying not to have such a mushy moment with Derek. “The whole ‘take-away-the-pain’ thing? Maybe I can do some good with it. Someday, I mean.”

Derek nodded. The two sat in silence for a moment.

“I can tell you one thing you should do.”

Derek raised his brow, waiting for a response.

“You should apologize to me for shouting when I tried to say sorry for getting paralyzed.” Spencer said, bluntly. “I already knew that you were mad at me. You didn’t have to yell at me.”

“I wasn’t mad at you. I was mad at myself for letting you go into that crowd and not finding you in time.”

Spencer waved him off. “Sure, it was scary at first, but I won’t be paralyzed or weak forever. I can be brave.” Spencer said aloud, trying to convince both herself and Derek. Her nightmare seemed to prove that. “It’ll all go away, just like it did for you. I’ll be fine.”

“I’m learning to accept that.” Derek said, catching her eyes. “You can take care of yourself, I know, but I’d still like to be needed every once in a while.”

“You will be.” Spencer smiled and sighed. “Are we okay again?” She asked.

“That depends.” Derek responded. “Are you gonna tell me how many times you’ve really been to ‘The Jungle’?”

Spencer bit her lip and looked away, already feeling the heat rise to her cheeks. “I go for Danny.” She laughed. “Whenever he needs a pick-me-up or we both wanted a night out we’d go there. He got us some fake IDs, and we made a thing of it.”

“Really?”

“We tried other clubs. Ones that were more my scene, but I didn’t really like being groped while I was dancing.”

“Sounds fun.”

“It wasn’t. I mean, it would definitely make even you uncomfortable.”

Derek furrowed her brow. “What? How?”

“You know, with your jealousy and all that.”

“My jealousy? You’re confusing me with yourself. I don’t get jealous.” Derek insisted.

“No?” Spencer asked, raising an eyebrow. “So, the grumpiness that was in your face every time you looked in the rearview mirror back at me and Isaac in the back seat, that was what?”

“That was me worrying about you.”

“No, it wasn’t, Derek. I know your worried face.”

Derek scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“Alright.” Spencer said, trying to push herself off of her bed.

“Where are you going?” Derek asked.

“Isaac came to my rescue tonight. He brought the car to the club and helped me down here. I feel like I should thank him.” Spencer shrugged innocently. “You know… Properly. If you get where I’m going with this.” She smirked.

Derek formed a tight-lipped smile and reached forwards, grabbed her around her waist and pulled her back down onto the bed. He pinned her down with him on top of her.

Spencer laughed.

“What about me, huh?”

“Well, I really don’t owe anything to anyone. Even if they had saved my life.”

“Okay, so what about on normal circumstances?” Derek asked before dipping his head down to nibble on Spencer’s neck.

Spencer sighed, moving her head to the side to give him and easier access to the sensitive skin. “In normal circumstances, I’d get too scared before it got too far.” She said honestly, scared but enjoying the feeling that Derek was giving her.

“And if I went slow?” Derek asked, raising his head to meet her eyes. “If I promised that I’d stop if you wanted me to? Would you be scared then?”

Spencer looked up at him and swallowed her nerves. “I might be bad at it.”

“Everyone is bad at it their first time. I just don’t want you to be afraid.”

“I think I would be.” Spencer said.

“Okay.” Derek relented, shifting himself to roll of of her.

Spencer grabbed his shirt and pulled him back on top of her. “You didn’t let me finish.” She said, releasing the hold that she had on his shirt. Spencer took that hand and touched it to his face gently. “I would be scared, if it were with someone other than you.” Spencer lifted her head, crashing their lips together, whimpering at the sensations flowing through her.

Derek was hesitant, unsure whether or not she would stop him like she had before. He still moved his hands over her body expertly, grinning slightly when he heard her sigh or moan from the touch. He hitched her leg over his hip, like he had the other day, but this time, she didn’t stop him.