Title: Varying Shades of Gray
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Discussion of Murder
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Relationships: Gen
Tags: Alternate Universe
Summary: The world wasn't black and white. There were many shades of gray.
Word Count: 1,238
Beta: Grammarly



The park was dark from the fog that had rolled in. It helped to hide Stiles, and it wasn't like Scott would have known he was there anyway. It wasn't like Scott used his senses.

Scott appeared in the fog. Stiles rolled his eyes as the man didn't even look around at all. He sat down on the bench and waited.

Chris appeared a few minutes later, looking well fucked. Which was something else that Scott should notice. The scent of Peter was all over him as it always was since they had become lovers. Yet, Scott didn't notice it at all.

"Why are we meeting in a park at dusk?" Chris asked.

"I wanted to make sure that no one was around. The fog makes it harder, but I didn't see anyone."

The look on Chris' face said it all. Chris had spotted Stiles as he had been sitting down, and Derek was on the other side of the park, in sight of Chris as well. They were Chris' backup. Just in case, Scott actually got a clue about what was going on around him.

"Well, what did you want to talk about?"

"Stiles."

"Okay. What about Stiles? I know he's been busy with work."

"I don't think he's working. I think he's the person killing people."

Stiles would have said something, but he knew that saying a damned thing about it would get him in trouble. Scott thought he was the serial killer the FBI had been called in to help with? Stiles was the main deputy working with the FBI on it, and the last two people who had been killed were killed while he was with the FBI team. Still, it wasn't a shock. Ever since Stiles had broken from the McCall pack, Scott looked at him like he was trouble.

"Who has he killed?"

"The people the FBI are here about. I know he's working right now. So it's going to be easy for him to just slip away and kill if he knows where they are."

Stiles snorted. Scott hadn't ever been super smart on the emotional side of things. He allowed himself to be led around by anyone who said things he liked and could manipulate him. It wasn't what Stiles would call a good thing, but it allowed him to manipulate Scott over the years. Then Scott had followed Deaton and Deaton's pretty words. Which was how it had ended up like it was now, with the McCall pack in Beacon Hills and Beacon Hills only and the Hale Pack covering Beacon City and the rest of Beacon County that wasn't covered by other packs. There were more packs coming to Beacon County, and Derek was more than willing to make room for them. There were more than enough lands. The Preserve was still mostly Hale lands, so Derek covered them. While Scott tried to boast he protected all of it but didn't even protect the public lands at all.

"Scott, have you been following Stiles?"

"No, why would I need to? I know he's doing it."

"The last two victims were taken, killed, and dumped, all while Stiles was working with the FBI. Literally in the same room. I was there with him as well since I've been pulled in as one of the people to lead the agents around the Preserve as they try and figure this out since there is nothing supernatural about it."

"No, that's impossible. He has to be the one doing it!" Scott demanded.

"He's not. There is no way possible."

"Then he's having Derek kill them. He has Derek wrapped around his finger. He's going to get him killed. He talked Derek into taking over the pack that came to Beacon City."

"Scott, that pack because of him. Their alpha was getting old and tired, and he had no one in the pack that wanted it. I am the one that brokered that."

Scott shook his head. He was never going to believe what Chris told him. He was only going to follow what Deaton told him. There was nothing else in the world but what Deaton said. Stiles would think it was some kind of father thing, but Stiles thought it was more than that. Deaton didn't really tell Scott no. Scott had issues with father figures, and it was mostly aimed at Scott's father and Stiles'. Stiles would love to know what kind of issues there was with Rafe McCall before he left beyond the drinking. The man had gotten help for his issues, and while he had left his family, it wasn't like Melissa had really been that open about he had to leave, but he needed to come back when he was healthy.

"You are in line with them."

"Scott, I've been part of the Hale pack for two years now, and you knew that. I told you."

"I assumed you were doing it to watch Peter. That it was the only way. I thought you were loyal to me because of Allison."

"Oh, Scott."

Scott's world was black and white. Now Chris was going to be an enemy. There was nothing in between, ally or enemy, and that was it. He wanted to give people a chance but not people he didn't like. If he didn't like them, there was nothing to do that could save them.

"I think I should leave. Maybe contact between us should be minimal for the next while."

"You need to leave the Hale pack," Scott said.

"I can't. Scott, I'm with Peter. We are together. Hell, I just moved in with him. I'm not leaving the pack."

Derek stepped out of the area he was hiding in and made himself known to Scott. There was obviously something that Derek was smelling that made him think there was a threat to Chris.

"Chris, let's go. We know what he was coming here to say; that's all we need. We will make sure that the FBI agents know that there might be a tip that Stiles is the killer."

"They won't like being told that one of the guys they have worked with and cleared already is being called that by his former friend. Might look at it like you are trying to hide something, Scott."

Stiles thought about it, and all of the victims were ones that had a connection in a very remote fashion to him. It was why he had been looked at by the FBI agents as soon as he got there and why he was benched before they had got there. As soon as he was cleared, he was put back on the team. This was going to make them look at Scott and probably Deaton as well.

This whole thing gave Stiles thoughts about what that meant for Deaton and if he was the one doing the killing to pin it on Stiles. The Nemeton hadn't allowed Deaton to touch it since Stiles had been taken over by the Nogitsune.

"Let's go, Chris," Derek said.

Stiles headed toward the Jeep to get out of there as well. Derek had ridden with him, so he wouldn't be leaving alone. The case had changed over just the last fifteen minutes. It was going to keep on changing until the UnSub was caught. And Stiles wanted to catch him. He could taste it; he wanted the UnSub so bad.

The End