Love's Spiral

Later that night, Spencer and Stiles gathered upstairs to prepare themselves for bed. She was exhausted. It made sense. She hadn't had a good night’s sleep since before the full moon. Spencer hoped that would change. She exited the hall bathroom after changing and her eyes drifted down the hall. Inside the room at the end of the hall, Spencer saw Pops. He was straightening his uniform for work the next morning. She smiled at the sight and continued into Stiles’ room.

“I’m glad to see him busy again.” Spencer mentioned. “I bet it was awful having to watch him sulk around the house.”

“I wouldn’t call it sulking, so much as he was mildly depressed.”

Spencer laughed and rolled her eyes. She watched Stiles check his phone for the millionth time that night. “Still no Scott?” She quipped. Spencer remembered the conversation she overheard in the hallway back at the sheriff’s station. She wondered if she should bring it up.

Stiles shrugged. “Maybe he’s just got a lot going on. With Allison. And now that his mom knows he’s a werewolf, things are even more complicated.”

Spencer’s eyes bugged out and she pulled back the comforter on Stiles’ bed. “Wait, what? How’d she find out?”

“After you and Derek ran after the kanima, he was kinda stuck in the middle of the room all wolfed out. Didn’t have a choice, ya know?”

“What else happened that night that you didn’t tell me about?”

Stiles let out a heavy breath. “Allison’s mom is dead. My dad said she killed herself.”

Spencer nodded, already knowing that she would have since Derek bit her.

“Oh, Matt’s dead, too.”

The redhead scoffed. “You and Scott really have a habit of not filling me in on the important things.” She and Stiles both plopped themselves down on the bed. “So what did happen to Matt?”

“They found him in that little creek behind the Station. You know, the one where we’d hunt for bugs?” Stiles asked, getting a nod from Spencer. “He drowned.”

“Wow.” Spencer gasped.

“You’re telling me.” I mean the whole reason he was killing those people was because they witnessed his almost drowning, and then he actually drowned.”

“It’s almost poetic.”

“In a twisted sort of way, maybe.” Stiles nodded.

“There’s no maybe about it. Think about it, Stiles.” She begged seriously, falling back onto the pillow. “Exactly what part of our lives isn’t twisted?”

Stiles sighed, joining Spencer, lying down. “I’m sure the counselor has her work cut out with me.”

“Now that you’ll tell her anything.” Spencer half-joked, turning her head to him, studying him. She knew Stiles. Spencer knew he wouldn’t talk about himself while he was in there. The kid didn’t know how to worry about himself. He was always cautious of everyone else’s feelings.

After a moment, Spencer let out a breath. “I might’ve said this a million times, Stiles, but you know you can always talk to me.”

Stiles nodded, staring up at the ceiling and swallowed. “Yeah, I know.”

!@#$#@!

When Spencer got back to the subway, Derek wasn’t there. The betas were though. All three of them were sitting around the main room, looking bored out of their minds. “What’s going on?” Spencer asked, tossing her bag back into her room.

Boyd and Erica glanced at each other and shrugged simultaneously.

Isaac groaned quietly, rolling his neck in a circle. He spoke, tight-lipped. “They’re thinking of leaving.”

“Leaving?” Spencer furrowed her brow. “What do you mean, leaving?”

Erica sighed and answered. “You told us that it would be dangerous, but this is too much.”

“Yeah.” Boyd agreed. “Derek’s got us on lockdown after what happened at the station. I don’t want to be a prisoner when I know I can defend myself.”

Spencer shook her head. “You can’t defend yourselves. That’s probably why Derek won’t let you leave. He’s protecting you.” She glanced to each of them. “You don’t know everything we do and Gerard is worse than Jackson.”

“Derek’s the one Gerard is really after since he bit that bitch hunter. Why isn’t he locked up in here?” Erica demanded, getting to her feet.

“He’s trying to come up with a solution! We still don’t know how to save Jackson. He’s figuring that out at the house.”

Erica scoffed, stepping to Spencer getting in her face. “Jackson is gone.” The blonde stated angrily. “Just kill him and finish it.”

Spencer showed Erica a fake sweet smile. “First off,” She channeled her wolf, drawing out her claws. Spencer slashed Erica across her cheek, leaving cuts that were already beginning to heal. “When you get in my face, be sure you’re ready for what follows.”

Erica stepped back, holding a hand to her face, looking to Spencer disbelief.

“Second.” Spencer continued. “I’m sure you remember how many times we’ve tried killing him. There’s lore or something that we’re missing. Problem is, you can’t find this shit at a library or by using google.” The redhead turned towards her room. “Until we come up with a plan, stay out of the public eye. If you go anywhere, go with each other.”

“So we can leave?” Boyd confirmed, standing to his feet.

Spencer turned, meeting his eyes that were pleading. She nodded. “Don’t go home. Don’t go to school. Stay together, and come back tonight. We’re gonna figure this out.” Spencer left the three betas, going to her train car. She grabbed her family book from her bag before tossing it to the side. She sat on her bed and began flipping through it, then heard the door at the top of the stairs close. Spencer sighed, wishing they hadn’t left. Even though she wanted them safe, Derek had been too harsh on them by forcing them to stay.

A knock on Spencer’s train car made her jump. She turned seeing Isaac in the doorway.

“Can I come in?” He asked.

Spencer nodded, “I thought you left with them.”

Isaac shrugged. “In here and out there are both the same. At least in here, I can keep company with a friend.”

“Make yourself useful.” She gestured to a box of things from Derek’s house. “See if you can find something I couldn’t.”

Isaac nodded and went to the box, slowly digging through it.

Spencer went back to studying her book, or at least she was trying. She ended up staring blankly down at it's pages. Spencer was deep in thought until she couldn’t take the silence anymore. “Do you think you’ll leave with them?” She asked.

The question surprised him and he looked her way. “I - I’ve been thinking about it, actually.” Isaac turned back to the box. “But I haven’t made my decision.”

Spencer nodded. “I just hope you are really thinking about it. I know it’s dangerous here, but its probably ten times more dangerous out there. Especially without a pack.”

Isaac smirked. “Is this your way of saying you don’t want me to leave?”

“I don’t want any of you to leave.” She admitted. “We’re a pack. You’re my best friends. Even Erica with her mood swings. But you and I,” Spence gestured between the two of them. “We were friends before you got involved in the werewolf stuff. That means a whole lot more to me. You were there for me when I needed a friend and I hope that I was there for you.”

“You were.” He said quickly, recalling how Spencer allowed herself to be open to him. It helped knowing that he could run to her after finding his dad dead.

Spencer smiled just a little. “Yeah.” she nodded. “I don’t want you to leave.”

Isaac laughed quietly to himself. “I’ll take that into consideration.”

The two froze when the door to the hideout opened and slammed shut. Derek quickly appeared at the walkway to Spencer’s train car and entered. “Where are the others?” he demanded.

Isaac looked between the two of them before dropping what he had in his hand back to the box. “I, for one, hate it when mom and dad fight, so I’m gonna go to my room and put my headphones on with the music really loud.”

“Thanks a lot.” Spencer mumbled with a smile.

Isaac scurred from the room.

“I guess someone’s mad that I left him a little too happy last night.” Spencer joked. “Well?” Derek questioned. “Where’d they go?”

Spencer sighed and closed her book, pushing it off of her lap. “They just needed some air. We’re still kids, you know. We hate being grounded.”

“It’s not safe for them to ‘get some air’.”

“They said they’re coming back. I told them not to go home or to school or anywhere. They’re together and they’re okay.” Spencer stood from her bed, grabbing her family book and putting it in her desk drawer.

“You can’t know that!”

“I do. Because I know them.” She paused. “Unlike you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Spencer groaned. “Yes, we’re a pack, but do you really know much else about the others? Or even about me?”

Derek scoffed. “So, you want to sit around a campfire, swap life stories, and play twenty questions?”

“Erica writes.” She said sternly. “Poems mostly, but sometimes short stories. She started as an escape from the epilepsy. Practically carried a composition book with her everywhere.”

Derek crossed his arms over his chest. “So what?”

“Boyd was in ROTC at school. A quiet as he is, he dedicated. He had plans to join the military after he graduated.”

“He can’t do that anymore.” Derek insisted.

“Exactly. You have us so much by turning us, and I know we’re all thankful, but we gave up stuff for this, too.” Spencer said, shaking her head. “We lost our freedom and safety so we could help you. I gave that up, for you.”

“You gave it up for the strength. You gave safety up because you got shot!”

“Are you kidding me?” Spencer turned away, trying to take a deep breath.

“Don’t try to play that card now. There’s no way that you were doing this for me.”

“Derek!” She shouted, turning back to him. “I specifically remember my argument being that you needed a pack. With people you could trust. People you knew.” Spencer let out a heavy blast of air. “You can’t just admit that I’m right, can you? That someone might actually care about you in this pack.” She studied his face, it wavering as he thought more about everything that she’d said. “Look, I don’t want to fight with you about this, Derek. They’re kids. It’s a lot of responsibility but when you need us, we’re there. But at this rate, we’re lucky if they stick around much longer.”

Derek furrowed his brow at her.

“Erica and Boyd want out.”

The Alpha raked a hand through his hair, almost panicking that they wanted to leave.

“They don’t want to wait around until they’re next?”

“And Isaac?”

“Unfortunately, he’s thinking about it. But if he chooses to leave, even I won’t be able to change his mind.”

!@#$#@!

Over the next few days, things were insanely quiet around the hideout. Everyone had been walking on eggshells in anticipation of what was to come. Derek was still a little grumpy about letting the betas leave the subway. Boyd and Erica made their appearances which slightly helped to ease the tension.

Finally after staying in the hideout for most of the past few days, Spencer needed to get out. She had only stayed because she got so much flack from Derek about letting the others leave. The day of the big lacrosse game, Spencer decided to make her way to the animal clinic. She was hoping to help out Doctor Deaton and make a few extra bucks. What she didn’t remember, was that it was Scott’s day to work.

Spencer groaned seeing his bike leaning against the building and wished that she had kept better track of her days. She went in through the back door, calling out a greeting to the guys inside.

“Back here.” Deaton responded, making it easy for Spencer to find them.

Spencer entered the examination room seeing Scott, looking like nothing was wrong. “Hey.” She said, masking her slight annoyance.

Scott nodded in response, petting the dog on the examination table.

“Spencer, it’s been a few days.” Deaton said, searching through his different glass medicine vials. “Anything new?” He asked, too curious.

Spencer assumed that he was talking about Peter. “Not really.” She shook her head, walking towards the table to the dog she’d recognized. “Hey, buddy.” Spencer cooed. “How’re you feeling?” Spencer pet it, taking away some of it’s pain.

“He’s hanging in there.” Scott said.

The redhead tried not to falter as she looked to her friend. “He still seems to be in a lot of pain.”

“And he will be.” Deaton chimed. “There’s not much else we can do.”

Spencer smiled sadly at the dog.

The bell on the front door rang loudly to Spencer’s ears.

Deaton turned halfway to Scott. “Would you mind seeing who that is?” Deaton asked, but before Scott could leave, the dogs in kennels started to bark obnoxiously. The three shared a confused look before placing their things down and walked to the lobby. The wolves fit themselves in the doorway to block access to Deaton.

Spencer furrowed her brow seeing Isaac standing in front of the door.

Isaac stood with his hands in his pockets, looking slightly ashamed that he was even there.

“Isaac, what are you doing here?” she asked. “Are you alone? I told you not to go anyw - ”

Deaton put a hand on her shoulder, silently asking her to calm herself and let him pass. He continued to the gate. “It’s okay, Isaac. We’re open.” He pushed the gate open, giving Isaac access to the back of the clinic.

Isaac hesitated, looking to Scott then Spencer.

Spencer nodded and waved him.

Even still, the quiet boy looked to Scott for confirmation.

Scott nodded and finally Isaac moved.

Spencer practically forced Isaac out of his jacket, leading him back to the examination room they came from. The four gathered back around the table, Spencer standing by the dog’s head, petting him and trying to comfort him.

Deaton approached the table with a syringe in his hand and Scott held the dog down as the doctor administered the medicine.

“Why does it smell like that?” Isaac asked, scrunching his nose at the stench.

Deaton and Scott shared a smile before Deaton passed the syringe off to Spencer to dispose of.

“What?” The newer wolf asked, lost by the silence.

“Scott said almost the same thing to me a few months ago and Spencer not long after.” Deaton recalled, getting nods from Scott and Spencer. “One day they could tell the difference between which animals were getting better and which…” Deaton looked to the dog sadly, “were not.”

Isaac looked down at the dog. “He’s not getting better, is he?”

The dog let out a soft whimper and Spencer scratched his ear. “It’s okay, boy.”

Deaton shook his head.

“Is it cancer?” Isaac questioned.

“Osteosarcoma.” Deaton elaborated. “It has a very distinct scent, doesn’t it?” The doctor gestured for Isaac to approach him. “Come here.”

Isaac stepped around the table, joining Deaton at his side.

“I know you’re well aware of what your new abilities can do for you. Improved strength, speed, and healing. Ever wonder what it could do for others?” Deaton looked from the dog and back to Isaac.

Isaac was confused, slightly unsure why the doctor was asking. He glanced to Scott.

“Give me your hand.” Deaton ordered, holding out his own.

Spencer smiled up at Isaac. “I love this part.”

Isaac gave the doctor his hand and Deaton placed it on the dog.

“Go on.” Deaton said.

After a moment, the dog’s breath sped up and the veins in Isaac’s hands turned black. He gasped, unsure himself, whether it was from the pain he took from the dog or the wonder of it. Isaac slid his hand off the dog and watched his arm, pulling up his sleeve, to watch the blackness fade. “What did I do?”

“You took some of its pain away.” Scott answered.

“Only a little bit.” Deaton clarified. “But sometimes a little can make quite a difference.”

Isaac brought his hand up under his nose, feeling an overwhelming rush of emotion for helping the dog.

“It’s okay.” Scott insisted. “The first time he showed me, I cried, too.”

Isaac looked up and showed the biggest smile that Spencer had seen on him in a long time and that alone made her smile.

Deaton took his gloves off and looked to Scott and Spencer. “I’ll leave you three. Would you two mind cleaning up?” He grabbed the dog from the table.

“Sure.” Spencer agreed, passing a few things for Scott to actually do something with. She approached Isaac on his side. “Is everything okay?”

Isaac turned from her, leaning against the table. “They’re leaving.” He said. “Tonight. During the game.”

Spencer looked to him in disbelief and then to Scott.

“So why are you letting me know?” Scott asked.

“I’m not just telling you. I’m asking you. For advice.” Isaac clarified.

“From me?” Scott questioned, glancing towards Spencer. “Why?”

Isaac shrugged. “‘Cause I trust you.”

Spencer turned away at that. She was still blindsided by Isaac’s sudden interest in Scott.

Scott was just as confused. “Why?”

“I trust Spencer, too, but you always seem to want to do the right thing.” Isaac looked to Spencer. “No offence, but your judgement the past couple months has been all over the place.”

Even though Spencer knew what Isaac said had some truth to it, she also knew what Scott was doing behind their backs. Instead of fighting it, she leaned against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest.

“I usually have no idea what I’m doing.” Scott said, slowly. “Actually, I always have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Do you wanna let me know what you’re doing right now?”

“I’m not going anywhere if that’s what you mean.” Scott enforced. “I have too many people here who need me.”

“Well,” Isaac started, “I guess that makes me lucky, ‘cause uh… ‘Cause I don’t have anyone so…”

“Isaac.” Spencer gasped. “You know that’s not true.”

Isaac didn’t agree or disagree. He just looked to her and pushed himself off of the table, heading for the door.

Scott looked to Spencer who looked quite upset at Isaac’s actions. “So, are you gonna go with them?” Scott asked for Spencer.

Isaac paused at the door. “Yeah. Yeah, I think I will. Good luck with the game, though.”

“Uh, thanks, but I’m not going either.” Scott said, stuffing his hands in his back pockets. “I can’t even think about playing some meaningless game right now.”

Isaac raised his brow. “You weren’t at practice last week, were you?”

“No, I skipped it, why?”

“And you didn’t hear?” Isaac asked.

Scott looked panicked. “Hear what?”

“Jackson was there.”

“What do you mean ‘there’? Like he was - ”

“As if nothing had happened.”

Really?”

Isaac nodded.

“That means - ” Scott started. “The game tonight.”

“Yeah. He’s playing.”

“Who cares?” Spencer asked. “Matt is dead. No one is controlling him.”

“Gerard is.” Scott told her.

Spencer was confused at first, but put the pieces together. “Matt didn’t just drown. He was drowned.”

Isaac nodded to her then left the room without another word.

Spencer shook her head, but instead of just wishing Isaac wasn’t leaving, she decided to do something about it. Spencer quickly jogged after him, exiting the clinic. “Really, Isaac?” she called to him, making him stop. “You’re just gonna leave? After everything you’ve been through and that we’ve been through, you’re just gone?”

“I don’t have anything to fight for.”

“I told you the other day that I didn’t want you to leave. You’re my best friend.” Spencer insisted. “You have me, Isaac.”

“No, Derek has you.” He said, with a sudden confidence. Instantly, he regretted saying it and looked down, tying his hands together.

“Nobody has me. I’m my own person. And Derek doesn’t have anything to do with you and me. We were friends before him.”

“Friends.” He repeated, looking up through his lashes.

“Yeah. Friends. Just like always. Is there something wrong with that?”

“No.” Isaac insisted, shaking his head. “No, I guess not.” He continued to walk away from her.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, taking a couple steps after him. Spencer stopped when he turned around, looking angry.

Isaac took frustrated steps towards her, forcing her to back up against the building.

Spencer knew now, for sure, that he was mad. She looked up at him with fear written clear on her face. Her heart pounding in her chest. Spencer knew Isaac was still a new wolf and that he didn’t have all the control he should.

His hands pounded into the brick on either side of Spencer’s head, making her jump. Isaac opened his eyes and the flashed gold. When he really looked at her, Isaac saw how scared she was. His own self replayed in his head, cringing away from his father. “Shit.” He whispered, taking his hands down and shaking his head. Isaac looked back up to her and she saw the normal blue color in his eyes. “Spencer, I am so sorry.”

Spencer shook her head, trying not to meet his eyes again. “I - It’s okay.”

“No.” He said, his hands shakily and softly taking her face. “It’s not. You mean so much to me and I shouldn’t ha - ”

Spencer put a hand on his forearm. “It’s fine. Technically, I provoked you. And I shouldn’t have.”

Isaac shook his head again, then noticed their closeness. He closed his eyes for a moment, his hands still holding her face.

“Isaac, are you okay?”

He bit his lip. “Don’t punch me okay?”

Spencer furrowed her brow. “Why would I?”

“Because I would really like to kiss you right now and I’d like it if it didn’t end badly.”

It took Spencer a moment to grasp what Isaac had said. Even when she finally did, his lips were already on hers. For some reason, Spencer didn’t pull away. Her heart continued to beat wildly and she was actually kissing back. Once Spencer came to her senses, she froze against Isaac’s lips.

Isaac pulled away slowly, taking the necessary steps away from her just in case Spencer was ready to swing her fists.

Spencer looked at him, confused. “What was that for?”

“I’m leaving, remember?” He said with a shrug, still walking backwards. “I wanted to know what it was like.”

“To kiss a girl?”

“To kiss the pretty girl you’ve had a crush on. Like elementary school.” Isaac turned away from her this time, running away from her.

Seconds later, Scott burst out the door of the clinic in a rush, grabbing his bike.

“Scott.” Spencer called. “You okay?”

“The game.” He raised his kickstand. “I’m going. I need to play.”

Before she could think, her mouth spoke. “Let me drive you.” Her voice sounded confident, but her face showed regret.

“You sure?” Scott asked, noticing her change of tone.

Spencer hesitated knowing that if she took it back now, it would look bad. She sighed. “Yeah, put your bike in the bed.”