15: The Formal

In school, Scott and Stiles spy on Jackson and Allison from the other side of the hallway as he asks her to the formal, but as they were busy trying to listen in, they didn't notice the footsteps approaching them.

"What are you doing?"

Startled, they look back to see Sky looking at them in confusion.

"Scott's making Jackson take Allison to the dance cause he's been banned from going," Stiles tells her.

Sky nods, looking at her brother, "Well, don't worry Scotty, we'll still be there." she assures.

Scott shakes his head, looking determined, "I'm still going."

"Is that such a good idea? Do you have a date?" asks Stiles.

"No."

"I haven't seen you bring home a suit either," Sky points out.

"No," Scott agrees.

"Do you have a ticket to the formal? A ride there?"

"No. And no," Scott sighs out.

"So you're gonna ride your bike to a dance that you're not even allowed to go to without a date, a suit, or a way in with werewolves and werewolf hunters all out to kick your little werewolf ass?" sums up Stiles.

Scott nods at them, "Yeah, you guys gonna help me?"

Stiles and Sky share a look and grin, "Hell, yeah," they chime.

"Wait," Sky says. "Actually, I had forgotten about the formal before you mentioned it. I need to do something." she turns and walks away from the boys, who shrug in confusion at each other.

Sky makes her way to a classroom door and waits patiently for the bell to ring, waving to Ariel when she steps out, whose face lights up in pleasant surprise when she sees her.

"Princess," Sky greets.

Ariel smiles, "Trouble," she greets back.

"I've made a terrible mistake and I need to fix it straight away," Sky tells her.

Ariel tilts her head in confusion, "And what's that?"

Sky steps closer to her, "That I haven't asked you to be my date to the formal yet."

Ariels face softens, "Oh?"

Sky shoots her a smile, "So, will you?" she asks.

"Sky," says Ariel as she grabs her hand and intertwines their fingers. "I would love to."

Sky lets a grin take over her face, fist-pumping the air with her free hand, whispering, "Yes!"

Ariel watches her fondly, murmuring, "Dork."

***

"Hey, what's wrong?" Ariel asks Allison as she puts a dress back on its hanger.

She had noticed her absent and less happy than usual mood as they shopped for prom dresses after school, barely paying attention when the Martin girls discussed what dress colour matched their skin tone, or what shoes would go with an outfit.

Allison shoots her a reassuring smile, "Nothing's wrong, I just have a lot on my mind," she tells her.

"Don't we all," mumbles Ariel, thinking of the supernatural drama that has happened. Allison eyes her curiously.

Lydia looks to Allison, "You could smile, at least. Ever heard of the saying, Never frown. Someone could be falling in love with your smile? Smile, Allison. I'm buying you a dress," she says, holding up a dress.

Allison raises her eyebrows, "Have to admit as far as apologies go, that's more than I expected." she tells her. Ariel looks between them with furrowed brows, confused for a second, before cringing when remembering Lydia had a make-out session with Scott.

Lydia nods, "Excellent."

"But not as much as I'm going to ask," Allison says as she spots something -- or someone.

"What? What's that supposed to mean?" asks Lydia.

Allison smirks mischievously, "It means you're going to cancel on whatever dumb, roided-up jock you said yes to and you're going to go with somebody else," she tells her.

Lydia frowns, "Who?"

Allison looks over to something not far from them, "Him," she says. She points to Stiles, who's a short distance away spraying perfume -- then proceeds to choke on it. Sky, who is next to him, slaps his arm and takes the perfume away from him, causing them to start bickering between themselves, unaware of the eyes on them.

Ariel snorts at the sight and looks at Lydia's unimpressed face, "Don't frown, Lyds. Someone could be falling in love with your smile," she mocks.

***

"Oh, okay, so are you just gonna try these on right now? All of them? Is this a 24-hour Macy's?" Stiles asks as he follows Lydia around, carrying her dresses. The girls had roped Stiles and Sky into joining them -- subsequently getting them to carry their shopping for them.

Sky follows Ariel in another area of the store while Allison heads off on her own.

"So, what colour are you wearing?" wonders Ariel as she looks through a rack of dresses.

Sky stands next to her, shifting the pile of clothes in her arms she was carrying for her with a frown on her face, and Ariel couldn't help but occasionally glance at her in amusement.

"Well, I have this purple dress --"

Ariel's eyes snap up to hers, sparkling, "A dress?" she grins. "How unexpected."

Sky rolls her eyes with a smile, "Yes," she confirms.

Ariel kisses her quickly in excitement, "You'll look amazing," she tells her. She looks at her shopping in Sky's arms and nods in satisfaction. "Right, well, I have a dress already so let's go pay," she says, walking off.

Sky frowns as she follows her, "Wait -- Seriously? Why have I been carrying all this then?"

Ariel winks at her, " 'Cause you love me?"

Sky squints at her for a moment, before sighing in acceptance and walking to the checkout.

***

Skylar was fussing over the last of her makeup, muttering about how stupid it was when her mother knocked on her bedroom door and walked in.

Melissa smiles at her daughter as she holds her at arm's length, taking in her appearance, "Honey, you look beautiful. Ariel won't know what hit her."

Sky shuffles awkwardly, mumbling, "I feel stupid."

Her Mom's smile turns sympathetic, "You don't look it," she reassures. "You're just not used to dressing up."

Sky nods.

"Now let's go check on your brother, yeah?"

Sky follows as they walk into Scott's bedroom, seeing him sorting his tie out in his bathroom.

Melissa walks over to his bed where his suit jacket is sat, "This is really nice," She comments, "How did you afford a - oh -- " she trails off as she opens it and sees the duct tape holding it together.

"It's not gonna work, is it?" Scott says as he comes out of the bathroom.

"No, no, it's fine, it's fine," Melissa tries to reassure. "No one'll notice. No one legally blind," she mutters quietly. Sky snorts as she takes a seat on his bed.

"I heard that," Scott calls out.

Melissa sighs, "Okay, well, you just come in here, and we can try it. Come on, come on, come on. Let's do this," she helps him put the jacket on. "See? I actually think this is gonna work."

"Really?"

Melissa nods, moving to turn him around so she can see the back, "Turn. And - no," she says, seeing his pants split.

"What?" Scott asks.

Sky points to the split and he twists round, "Yeah."

Scott panics, "What -- I don't have time for this! I can't buy new ones, Mom! What am I gonna do?"

"You could borrow one of my dresses," Sky suggests. Scott glares at her.

Melissa puts her hands on his shoulders, "Okay, don't panic, all right? Take them off. Pants off now," She moves, quickly retrieving some sewing materials from a drawer and sits on his bed as he passes her the pants, "So is she coming here because you know I need the car tonight," she asks.

Scott shakes his head, "No. I'm going stag."

"You're going alone?"

"Stag. There's a difference," Scott mumbles. "Sort of."

"I'm sorry," Melissa says. "I'm just a little, you know, surprised that you don't have anyone else to ask other than Allison," she explains as she sews his pants.

"Yeah, us McCall's are a total catch," Sky says, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Scott shakes his head at her with a small smile, "There are no other girls besides Allison," he tells them.

Melissa pauses to look at him seriously, "You really feel that way?" she asks.

Scott looks down in embarrassment, pleading, "Can you just please keep sewing?"

Melissa stops, "No, no, no, no. You have time for just one question. Do you really feel that way?" she repeats.

Scott sighs, "I can't help it. I mean, every time I look at her, I get this hollow feeling in my chest, and it's like -- it's like someone literally took a shovel and dug a hole in me, and it's the worst feeling I've ever had in my life, and I didn't know anyone could actually ever feel this bad," he admits, squeezing Sky's hand when she reaches out for his.

Melissa looks at him sadly, "I know. Everyone knows eventually. It does go away."

Scott shakes his head, "I don't want it to," he tells her.

"Have you told Allison all this? How you feel?" wonders Sky. "You told us and Stiles, but did you tell her?"

Scott shrugs, "She knows."

Melissa rolls her eyes and smacks the back of his head, making Sky laugh a bit, "Come on, she knows. She knows?" she scoffs. "Listen, dumb ass, I'm gonna let you in on a secret that most guys don't even have a clue about, all right? You ready? Women love words."

Scott looks between them blankly, "Huh?"

"You need to tell her how you feel. Just say it. Say it again. Say it differently. Learn how to say it better. Learn how to sing it. You know, just write it in a poem and a letter attached to flowers, carve it in a tree, on a sidewalk with cement - tattoo on your arm," Melissa explains.

"Really?" he asks.

Melissa sighs, "No. Not really. Just tell her the truth. Tell her -- anything and everything you want."

Sky bobs her head up and down, saying, "She's right. Ariel loves it when I tell her things," She rolls her eyes fondly.

"Everything?" Scott wonders, glancing at her meaningfully. Sky shrugs at him, seeing he was thinking of telling Allison about him being a werewolf. She didn't know why he hadn't done it sooner -- Ariel was fine with it. Though, she wasn't part of a family of hunters.

Melissa nods, "But when you do -- I'd keep that buttoned. Here you go," she says, handing him the pants so he can slip them on.

The doorbell ringing makes Sky stand up in panic, "She here," she breathes out with wide eyes.

Sky runs to her room to find her black heels and slips them on, taking deep breaths. When she walks into the hallway, her Mom and Scott were there watching her in amusement.

She frowns at them, "It's not funny, guys."

Melissa chuckles, "Honey, she's your girlfriend. Calm down."

Sky pauses, "Oh, yeah," she points a finger at Scott. "Do not tell her about this," she warns.

Scott rolls his eyes, "Fine," he says as he watches Sky move to go downstairs to answer the door. He calls out her name.

Sky looks back at him from the bottom of the stairs, "Yeah?" she asks.

Scott smiles at her, "You look beautiful."

Sky grins, tucking her hair behind her ear, "Thanks, baby brother."

"You're six minutes older, Sky."

"Still older! Do you need a ride?" Sky asks.

Scott shakes his head, "No, have fun."

Sky nods, turning and pulling the door open, trying not to gape when she sees her girlfriend. After a moment, she clears her throat as her lips stretch into a grin.

"Can I take a picture of you?"

Ariel smiles curiously, "Why?" she asks.

"I want to prove to my friends that angels do exist."

Ariel bites her lip as her cheeks turn darker, "That was truly awful," she tells her.

Sky laughs, "Tell that to your blush."

Melissa joins them, clearing her throat. She raises her eyebrows at her daughter with a smirk, telling her she heard exactly what she had said. Sky looks away in embarrassment.

Ariel waves at her, "Hi, Miss McCall."

"Hi, you must be Ariel," Melissa smiles warmly, bringing the girl into a quick hug. "It's nice to meet the girl my daughter is so infatuated with," she adds with a wink.

Sky groans as Ariel laughs lightly, "Mom."

She steps forward, grabs Ariel's hand and leads her out the door, "We're leaving now. Bye!" she calls back, walking away.

"Have fun!" she hears her chuckling mother call before the door closes.

***

Ariel immediately drags Sky to the dance floor despite her constant protests when they first enter the gym. She keeps Sky steady when she nearly trips in her heels at least once a song and laughs when she sometimes purposefully dances terribly.

Eventually, they soon hear Coach shouting and stop, looking over to see him chasing after someone, "McCall! I see you! Come here, buddy. Come here. McCall! It's a small gym, buddy. I'm gonna find you. Come here, come here! McCall!" he shouts.

The girls chuckle as they watch Scott try to hide from him by running up to Danny and making him dance with him.

"McCall!" shouts Coach before stopping, "You're not supposed to -- What the hell are you do -- What the hell are you doing?" he splutters, confused as he looks between the boys.

Scott looks at him innocently, "Yes, coach?" he asks.

Coach looks around and sees everyone staring at them, probably thinking he was being homophobic. He starts stumbling over his words, "Okay, hold on, you -- I was just saying he's not supposed to -- I mean, I wasn't saying that he shouldn't - You guys don't think - I was - Just dance, everybody. Just dance! Dance! It's a party!" he exclaims, backing away and disappearing into the crowd.

Ariel and Sky look at each other as they burst out laughing until the music then changes into a slower song and Sky stops, looking at her girlfriend and holding out her hand in silent question.

Ariel smiles and grabs it, pulling her further into the dance floor. She wraps her arms around her neck and Sky's hands move to her waist as they start to sway gently.

"You're a surprisingly decent dancer, McCall," Ariel murmurs as they rest their heads together.

Sky chuckles, "Our mom taught us when we were younger," she tells her.

"But not in heels, though?" Ariel asks, amused.

"They're nasty little contraptions," mutters Sky.

She glances over her shoulder and spots her brother dancing with Allison, "The hunter and the werewolf seem back together," she notes.

Ariel hums, "Sounds like Romeo and Juliet for the supernatural," she remarks as she leans her head on Sky's shoulder.

A movement catches her eye and Ariel looks up to see her sister leaving the gym in search of something. She moves to follow her, pulling Sky along by the hand, "I need to make sure she's okay," she says to her.

They follow her through the school, out of the door leading outside and watch her as she wanders onto the field.

"Lydia, what are you doing?" asks Ariel as they move to catch up with her.

Lydia ignores her when she spots someone on the field, heading towards them, "Jackson! Jackson, is that you? Jackson, is that you?" She shouts at the figure.

Sky widens her eyes and pulls Ariel back as they get close enough to see that it definitely wasn't Jackson -- but Peter Hale.

"Run!" she hears Stiles shout in the distance, but it was too late.

Before Sky can get to Lydia, Peter grabs the girl with his claws and bites her violently, making her fall to the ground, unconscious.

Ariel screams, running for Lydia, and Sky runs up to Peter, growling with her claws out as she shoves him away. He barely stumbles, almost smirking as he reaches out and grabs her by the throat, starting to choke her, his claws piercing her neck.

Sky hears Ariel begging him to stop as she struggles to breathe, but he ignores her, looking Sky dead in her golden eyes.

"You're my beta, Skylar. You can't beat me. Let this be a lesson," he snarls. He shifts closer, impaling the claws on his free hand deep into her stomach, ripping them out and throwing her to the ground harshly.

Sky grunts as she lands, coughing, letting out ragged breaths as she has trouble keeping conscious. She feels liquid on her lips -- blood.

Ariel cries helplessly, "Please, stop!" she begs.

Peter turns to her then, grabbing her arm. He gives her a bloody smile as he leans down, intending to sink his teeth into her shoulder, his teeth just piercing the skin when Stiles gets there.

"Don't kill them, please!" he shouts.

Peter pulls back and drops Ariel, who holds a hand to her shoulder as she rushes back over to Sky and her sister, who are laying fairly close.

The sound of Peter bargaining with Stiles about Derek's whereabouts drowns out as her heart pounds in her ears.

She checks Lydia's pulse before moving to Sky, whose eyes were drooping. Her wounds from the Alpha were showing no signs of healing.

Ariel hovers her hands over the main bloody wound, shakily whispering, "One, two, three," before putting firm pressure on Sky's stomach, causing blazing gold eyes to snap open as she lets out a painful scream.