GHOST [ TW ]

The ride to where Scott told them they were meeting Derek wasn't exactly awkward. It was silent apart from occasional questions from Chris that Scott answered. Sophie had given them the nod, telling the boys they could trust Chris. Since it was her who knew the Argent's the best she was the one who got the final trust call.

Eventually they arrived and Sophie helped the boys take Jackson out of the car. Isaac grimaced at the body bag before saying, "I think he stopped moving."

"Where's Derek?" Chris asked only after mimicking Isaac's look at the bag.

Nobody was that comfortable with the body bag being shut. It felt as if somebody had really died. So, being the only one brave enough to do it, Sophie bent down and unzipped the bag until she reached Jackson's stomach. He looked gross with what resembled saliva wrapped around his body but she shook it off. After all, she'd seen worse things.

The brunette caught sight of Derek before anybody else did. He was running on all fours with his alpha red eyes shining in the dark. Just before he reached them he did a little flip. The entire thing made Sophie want to roll her eyes and, as Derek slowed into a normal human walk, she did just that.

"Well, somebody's feeling extra dramatic today." She added to the eye roll. Derek grunted in reply which was his response to most hints.

Noticing Derek eyeing him suspiciously, Chris sighed in exasperation at the serious lack of trust. "I'm here for Jackson. Not you."

"Somehow, I don't find that very comforting." Derek mused.

"It's okay, Derek." Sophie reassured him in a sort of annoyed voice. Her patience with people that night was incredibly thin and Derek just being Derek nearly snaps it anyway. Side of effect of killing somebody's sister, they both guessed.

"That doesn't make me feel that much better either." Derek added making Sophie give him an annoyed look. The alpha shirted it off and turned to Isaac. "Get him inside."

Much to Derek's surprise as soon as Scott held out his hand Isaac froze on the spot. It surprised Sophie and Chris a bit too. Not often do beta's listen to other beta's over their alpha, not often at all.

"Where are they?" An oblivious Scott asked.

"Who?" Derek replied.

"Peter and Lydia." Scott said making Sophie grow tense. Those two in the same sentence was not nice nostalgia at all. Although she was intrigued as to why both of them needed to be around. It didn't seem Derek was though as he ignored Scott and walked over to Jackson. "Whoa, hold on a second. You said you knew how to save him."

"We're past that." Derek told Scott.

"What about-"

"Think about it, Scott." Derek interrupted him. "Gerard controls him now. He's turned Jackson into his own personal guard dog. And he set all of this in motion so that Jackson could get even bigger and more powerful."

"No." Chris said in disbelief, making Sophie feel as if he didn't get it after all. "No, he wouldn't do that. If Jackson's a dog, he's turning rabid, and my father wouldn't let a rabid dog live."

"Of course not." Gerard's sickening voice caught everybody attention. In sync they all turned to look at the man walking up to them and even the sight made Sophie feel a mixture of scared an angry. Unlike usual he didn't smirk at that fact and continued to talk. "Anything that dangerous, that out of control ... is better off dead."