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CHAPTER FIVE; 05

"If Derek isn't the alpha, if he isn't the one who bit you, then who did?"

"I don't know."

Scott had spent a good majority of his morning trying to explain to Stiles what went down at the Hale house with Derek. When Scott told Stiles that Derek had managed to slash him, Stiles was quick to ask about Sage. After she spoke to him about what she was able to do, all he could thing about was Scott doing something stupid and her having to face the consequences too.

"Did the alpha kill the bus driver?" Stiles asked.

"I don't know," Scott repeated. He honestly knew nothing. After he left the Hale house, he went home. Right now, he was just wondering what the hell went on last night with Derek and Allison's dad. He had woken up to the sound of a gunshot, and his instincts followed the noise.

"Does Allison's dad know about th—"

"I don't know!" Scott hissed, turning around to face Stiles.

The rest of the class looked back when they heard Scott's outburst, the exam that were being handed back seemed irrelevant as they stared at the two boys. When Stiles saw his own exam grade, he grinned happily at the big, fat 'A' written in red marker. Scott didn't have the same expression when he saw his grade. His was almost the complete opposite of Stiles. Where Stiles had a perfect grade, Scott had the worst. A 'D' was scribbled on the right hand corner.

"Dude, you need to study more," Stiles jeered to the werewolf as a way to cheer him up. When Scott didn't laugh, Stiles sighed. "That was a joke. It was one test, you can make it up. Do you want help studying?"

"No, I'm studying with Allison after school today," Scott declined, his lips tugging down as he continued to stare at his test.

Stiles furred his eyebrows with a smirk. "That's my boy!"

"We're just studying," Scott said, turning around to face his best friend.

It was true, they were just going to study. Allison needed help in a few of her classes and so did Scott. He didn't see why Stiles thought of it as such a big deal. It really wasn't.

"Uh, no you're not."

Scott raised a brow in surprise."I'm not?"

"Not if I'm forced to live vicariously through you. If you go to her house today and squander that colossal opportunity, I swear— I swear to god, I'll have you de-balled. I already made that mistake with that damn blonde," Stiles practically threatened Scott, shaking his head while he huffed at the memeory.

He had already made the mistake of not making a move on Sage. Hell, they just freaking hugged. He was still beating himself up about not doing anything with her when he had the perfect opportunity, mostly because he had the chance to do something more, to comfort her and make her feel better but he didn't do anything but hug her.

"Okay, okay. Just stop with the questions, man," Scott pleaded.

"Done, no more questions," Stiles agreed. "No more talk about the alpha, or Derek. Especially Derek. Who still scares me. We won't even talk about Sage, who somehow decided to mess—"

Scott let out a deep exhale in exasperation. "Stiles?"

"Sorry, okay."

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When Sage felt a pain in her arm, she thought that it may have just been one of the guys being an idiot, but as the day went on, the pain got progressively worse. She was having trouble figuring out who exactly was in pain because she still wasn't an expert with her abilities. She had already found Allison and Lydia in the hallway, both of them looking perfectly healthy.

Now, she was searching for Stiles and Scott.

People were bumping into her as she tried to find the boys, shouting at her to move or get lost. She hated high school. Her whole body tightened in relief when she caught sight of the two boys she was going crazy looking for. She virtually crashed into Scott's back, sending both of them forward.

"What the hel— Sage?" Scott asked, bewildered.

He grab a hold of her waist, steadying her while she leaned on his chest, trying to catch her breath. Her vision was getting blurry by now and she could barely keep her body upright.

"I—I can't," Sage choked out, gripping a fistful of Scott's shirt. Stiles stood next to them with wide eyes, trying to block the scene from any by-passers. "I— get me out. Get me out of here, Scott, please."

Stiles and Scott shared a look.

Scott was supposed to be meeting Allison directly after school, but he couldn't just leave Sage. Stiles quickly wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulder, pulling her into his chest so no one would notice how terrible she looked. She had dark bags under her eyes, and Stiles could see that her straight hair was now turning wavy due to sweat.

"Alright, we're going to my car, okay? You're going to be okay," Stiles said into her ear as Scott pushed open the school doors, the two boys trying their hardest to get her to Stiles' jeep.

When they had situated her in the back, Scott said a silent goodbye, but not before giving Sage a small smile. She couldn't even return it she was getting so weak. There was also a stinging in the back of her neck, but she didn't tell either of them. Stiles had quickly driven out of the parking space, making his way out of the school when the car went to an abrupt stop, causing Sage to moan.

"Oh my god," Stiles muttered, horrified. Derek Hale had stopped in front of his jeep, looking just as terrible as Sage did. "You've got to be kidding me. This guy is everywhere."

Stiles was sparking up a line as he cut off the only exit out of the school parking lot. Scott had shot his head up once the horns began to blare all through the air, noticing that Derek was standing in front of the jeep causing the hold up. When Derek's body hit the group, Stiles looked back to see that Sage was having trouble keeping her eyes open, gripping the seat like her life depended on it.

"What the hell!" Scott yelled as he ran past Stiles, crouching down next to Derek while Stiles followed after, hopping from the driver's seat. Scott looked to Derek and spoke."What are you doing here?"

"I was shot," Derek grumbled under his breath, looking over at the two.

Stiles looking back to his car. "Him and Sage aren't looking so good, Dude."

Scott's eyes enlarged. "Why aren't you healing?"

"I can't," Derek breathed out in pain, trying to control what he had left of his hold on his human side. "It was a different kind of bullet."

"What? A silver bullet?" Stiles inquired, extremely hyped.

"No, you idiot!" Derek snarled, rolling his eyes.

Scott remembered back to what he saw last night when he found the Argent's conversing in the alleyway. "Wait, wait, that's what she meant when she said you had forty-eight hours."

"What? Who? Who said forty-eight hours?" Derek demanded, holding onto his arm even tighter as he felt another jolt of pain sear through his body.

"The woman who shot you."

Derek went to reply when suddenly everything started to tense up, putting him in excruciating pain. More horns began to go off while Derek felt his control over shifting slowly slip away. Scott gasped when he saw the werewolf's eyes begin to glow, turning into a bright blue.

"What are you doing?" Scott hissed, "Stop that!"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, I can't."

"Derek, get up!"

When it was obvious that he wasn't going to such thing, Scott took matters into his own hands, literally, and pulled Derek up from the ground, practically shoving him into the passenger's seat of the jeep. When Derek caught sight of Sage, he felt even more sick to his stomach. If he hadn't gone searching for the alpha, Sage wouldn't be like this — he wouldn't be like this.

"I need you to find out what kind of bullet they used," Derek told Scott as he closed the door.

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?" Scott asked, completely muddled.

"She's an Argent, she's with them."

Scott felt himself growing angrier. "Why should I help you?"

"Because you need me, and Sage is going to be in ten times more pain than me because she's not like us," Derek spat.

Scott inspected Sage who did look worse than Derek at this point. Although Derek looked like complete shit, Sage looked as if she were actual a few seconds away from death.

He sighed before nodding.

"Fine. I'll try," then turning towards Stiles, "Get them out of here."

"I hate you for this so much," Stiles informed, looking at Derek before driving away.

His eyes would wander back to Sage every once in a while, mostly when she let out an inaudible sound. Derek was the one to look back more frequently though, a masked look on his face whenever she would whimper.

"So, you said she feels more pain?" Stiles asked. When Derek looked over, surprise all over his face, Stiles perceived that Sage most likely hadn't spoken to Derek about him now knowing her abilities. "She told me about what she does."

"Why would she tell you?"

"Maybe she finally saw that you were a homicidal manic," Stiles said, furring his eyebrows.

Derek let out a low growl, and Stiles sat up straight. Derek did answer Stiles' question though. "She's not a werewolf. Even though I'm not healing now, she still feels it more. All of the pain is heightened for her."

Stiles pursed his lips, not knowing what to say.

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"Hey, try not to bleed out on my seats, okay? We're almost there," Stiles begged, looking over at Derek.

The werewolf had taken off his jacket once he began to feel his body overheat, and the two were only aware that Sage was still breathing because of the sounds she would randomly make time after time due to the pain that rushed through her veins. It was taking a toll on her body, choking sobs coming out of her mouth every few seconds.

Derek turned to look at the teenage boy in confusion. "Almost where?"

"Your house," Stiles said like it was obvious. Where else would he be taking them?

"What? No. You can't take me there!" Derek protested, his eyes widening at the lunacy that Stiles thought was actually a good idea.

"I can't take you to your own house?" Stiles was baffled, letting out a breathless laugh.

Derek shook his head. "Not when I can't protect myself."

Stiles snorted, finally having enough of the short answers. He pulled his car along the side of the road, the jeep stopping completely as he positioned his body to where it was facing Derek.

"What happens when Scott finds the bullet? Hm?" Stiles snapped, just before he asked the question that had him concerned for the blondein the back. "Are you dying?"

"Not yet, I have a last resort," Derek announced.

"What do you mean! What last resort?" Stiles yelled, his frustration getting the best of him. When Derek began to roll up his sleeve, Stiles looked away. "Oh my god, what is that? Is that contagious? You know what, you should probably just get out."

"Start the car, now."

Stiles glared. "You know I don't think you should be barking orders with the way you look, okay? And, in fact, I think if I wanted to I could probably drag your little, werewolf ass out into the middle of the road and leave you for dead."

"Stiles, start the car," Sage hissed through her teeth, leaning her head on the front seat so she could see him. He looked down at her, and he felt an unsettling feeling ripple in his stomach before turning away and starting the engine.

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"What am I supposed to do with them?"

"Take him somewhere, anywhere," Scott rushed.

"And by the way, he's starting to smell."

"Like what?"

"Like death," Stiles whined into the phone, looking over at Derek who just kept an icy glare. Sage lifted her head up from the seat, looking at Stiles with a disapproving stare.

"Okay, take him to the animal clinic," Scott finally decided. He was running short on time, needing to get back to the Argent's before they turn suspicious.

Stiles shook his head. "What about your boss?"

"He's gone by now. There's a spare key in the box behind the dumpster."

Stiles let out a deep sigh, rubbing his eyes as he handed the phone to Derek. "God, you're not going to believe where he's telling me to take you."

Derek took hold of the phone. "Did you find it?"

"How am I supposed to find one bullet? They have a million. This house is like the freaking Walmart of guns."

"Look, if you don't find it, I'm dead, alright?"

"I'm starting to think that might not be such a bad thing," Scott all but spat back at Derek, pacing around the hallway.

"Then think about this, the alpha calls you out against your will. Next time, he's going to do it, you're either going to kill with him or you get killed. So if you want to stay alive, then you need me. Find the bullet."

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Stiles had carefully slid his arm around Sage's waist, muttering at least a thousand apologies when he accidentally hit her in the arm. Much like she had done with Scott, Sage grabbed a fistful of Stiles' shirt to hold herself up, leaning her weight on him for support as he bent down to retrieve the key, still gripping her body tightly. Derek had crashed into the bags of food as he waited for Stiles to open the door.

"Does Nordic blue monkshood mean anything to you?" Stiles asked when he felt his phone vibrate, turning to look at Derek.

"Wolfsbane," Sage choked out, looking up at Stiles as she wiped her face of the sweat.

Derek let out a moan. "He has to bring me the bullet."

"Why?" Stiles queried.

"Because I'm going to die without it."

Stiles finally got the door open, and the trio stumbled through the door, Derek immediately pulling off his shirt so he could get a better look at the wound. Stiles had carefully set Sage down on the floor, allowing her to lean on the wall for support as she stared at Derek.

"You know that really doesn't look like anything some equinacea and a good night sleep couldn't take care of," Stiles let out a nervous laugh as he stood on the other side of the operation table. Derek's arm was now sporting a gaping hole where he had been shot, his veins turning black from the wolfsbane inside of his system.

"When the infection reaches my heart, it'll kill me," Derek explained, moving to look through some of the cabinets in the clinic.

"Positivity just isn't in your vocabulary, is it?" Stiles asked, raising his hands as he stared at the wolf. Sage let out another gasp as the pain began to expand to her whole body.

"If he doesn't get here with the bullet in time, last resort."

"Which is?"

"You're going to cut off my arm," Derek said, holding up the saw.

Stiles felt sick to his stomach, even just imagining the thought of Derek chopping off his arm. When he was passed the saw, and it roared to life, Stiles knew for sure that he was going to throw up.

"Oh my god," Stiles muttered, raising his hand to his mouth as he watched Derek tie the elastic band to his arm. "What if you bleed to death?"

"It'll heal if it works," Derek spoke through his teeth as he held the band in his mouth.

Stiles looked away. "Look, I don't know if I can do this."

"Why not?" Derek hissed, not bothering to look up as he continued to adjust the band on his arm. From across the room, Sage started to splutter up black liquid, and she knew that Derek was dying at a quicker pace.

"Because of the cutting through the flesh, the sawing of the bone, and especially the blood!" Stiles exclaimed, throwing his hands up.

Derek let out a groan, snapping his head up to look at Stiles. "You faint at the sight of blood?"

"No, but I might at the sight of a chopped off arm!"

"Alright, fine. How about this? Either you cut off my arm or I'm going to cut off your head."

Stiles raised his eyebrows, glaring as he leaned forward. Today has been hell for him and he was seriously getting tired of Derek's death threats. He was still worrying that if this didn't go as planned, Sage would end up dead too— even though she already looks dead.

"I'm really not buying your threats anym—" Stiles was cut off as Derek grabbed a hold of Stiles' shirt, pulling him forward. "Alright, god, okay. Totally, totally. I'll do it."

"Stop, Derek," Sage managed to splutter out as she continued to choke on the black liquid.

The dying werewolf's body seemed to have the same idea because suddenly he was throwing up the same thing, wolfsbane, and Stiles was whining. "Oh my god, what is that?"

"It's my body trying to heal itself," Derek explained.

Stiles looked away, feeling his lunch about to come up. "It's not doing a very good job of it."

When they heard a thump, their eyes directed towards the unconscious body of Sage. It took all Stiles had not to run over, but he stayed put and stared at Derek who looked. "Now, you've got to do it now."

"Look, honestly, I don't think I can."

"Just do it!"

"Oh my god, okay, okay." Stiles picked up the saw, placing it directly above Derek's arm. "Oh god, alright, here we go!"

"Stiles?"

"Scott?"

Scott showed up a second later, his eyes not comprehending the scene going down in front of him. "What the hell are you doing!"

Stiles let out a deep breath. "Oh, you just prevented a lifetime of nightmares."

While Scott rummaged through his pocket to find the bullet, Stiles made his way over to an unconscious Sage, lifting her up so her head was up against the wall rather than on the floor.

Meanwhile, Derek had just fallen over, going unconscious just as Sage had.

"Derek!" Stiles yelled, crawling away from Sage to lean over Derek's body. Scott began to fumble around, trying to reach the bullet that Derek dropped on the way down. "Scott, what do we do? He's not waking up! I think he's dying, I think he's dead."

"Just hold on!" Scott shouted, and then finally his fingers touched the bullet, and he was able to pull it out. "I got it, I got it!"

Stiles looked down at Derek, and felt his heart drop. "Please don't kill me for this."