Here we are, sadly, at the end of my 'what if' storyline. Thank you to everyone who supported me and this story! By reading, reviewing, and adding One Choice as well as me as an author to your favorite/alert lists you have truly made writing for this fandom a wonderful experience. Enjoy!

Chapter Three

An anxious silence blanketed the forest as everyone stood waiting for something…anything to happen. They didn't have to wait long as a dark chuckling sounded from just inside the burnt house.

"Very good, Scott. I'm glad to see you're learning." Slowly the alpha werewolf sauntered into view.

Immediately each weapon took steady aim, Scott growled lowly with claws and fangs extended, but all Peter did in response to being threatened was tsk in disappointment. "Now none of that. Unless of course you don't mind taking away the last of our dear sheriff's family. Hello again by the way."

Scott looked between his best friend's dad and the malicious alpha werewolf in clear confusion. An overwhelmingly strong feeling of worry and rage suddenly assaulting his senses.

"Where the Hell is my son!" John yelled in an anger-filled fear.

Scott felt his stomach drop and a cold sensation wash over him. "Stiles? Wh…what?"

But Scott's whispering voice was lost in the confrontation happening as the sheriff continued unimpeded. "If you've hurt him I swear to God I will make you suffer. I don't care what you are. I will make your death as painful as it can be for a werewolf."

Peter, completely unaffected by the threat, picked at a nonexistent piece of lint on his shoulder. "Relax Sheriff. What would I gain by hurting or killing your son? I may make him a werewolf when this avenging business is over with. But hurt him? No more than necessary."

"Why are we even listening to any of this, Chris?!" Kate snapped tightening her hold on the pistol in her hand. "Time to be rid of the rouge alpha once-and-for-all."

Peter's gaze shifted to Kate and a predatory smile stretched across his features. "Hello there, Kate. I am so very glad you could join us. I must say I'm not at all surprised that you would choose to sacrifice young Stilinski for your own agenda."

Scott moved forward desperately. "No one is sacrificing anyone!"

"What do you want, Peter?" Derek's strained voice unexpectedly added to the group.

"Ah Derek! Excellent! I had hoped you wouldn't miss this."

Derek pressed his hand against the still healing bullet wound in his chest and glared at his uncle. "You didn't answer my question." He growled.

Peter sucked in a slow almost savoring breath. "That's right. You've grown attached to our young friend Stiles as well. I would have thought you of all people would realize just how much of a weakness personal attachments can be."

"Oh screw this!" Kate exclaimed and started shooting at Peter with wolfsbane bullets.

The sheriff shouted, "NO!" At the same time as Scott called out, "WAIT!" But Kate didn't listen to either of them. She just continued trying to hit Peter with a wide manic smile on her face.

Her smile slipped away quickly as the alpha lunged at the group faster than expected and began knocking each person to the ground with his speed.

Chris and John shot at the furry blur, but hit nothing before being thrown aside by the unstoppable force. Allison screamed for her dad, dropping heavily by his side. Derek snarled and leapt for his uncle only to be thrown carelessly into a nearby tree.

Scott watched the chaos unfold in utter horror. His chest felt uncomfortably tight while his mind raced with panicked thoughts. He had no idea what to do. No idea how to fix this and save the people he cared about. Never in his life had Scott felt so incredibly hopeless. To drive his thoughts home, Scott found himself on the ground right next to the sheriff before he could do anything, as Allison screamed.

Pulling himself to his feet Scott's heart seized at the sight that greeted him. Peter was standing in front of the Hale house holding Allison by the throat. Little trails of red blood slid down the side of her pale neck as the werewolf's claws punctured slightly into her fragile skin.

"Not another step, Kate. I don't think you want your niece's death on your head."

Kate's deliberate steps halted abruptly. "Not to lack ingenuity, but what do you want?"

Peter glanced at Allison for a moment before returning his attention to the person responsible for his family's murder. "She is beautiful, Kate. She looks like you. Probably not as damaged. So I'm going to give you a chance to save her."

Kate's calculating eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Apologize. Say that you're sorry for decimating my family…for leaving me burned and broken for six years." Peter started out in a light voice, but ended in a hiss.

Kate swallowed and steadily brought her eyes to connect with her terrified niece's.

"Say it…and I'll let her live."

The female hunter could see Allison pleading to save her silently, tears building in her deep-brown eyes. So with a shaky voice Kate said, "I'm sorry."

"I don't know about you, Allison, but that apology…didn't sound very sincere."

A loud bang echoed throughout the trees surrounding the small group as a bullet ripped through an exposed spot on Peter's upper chest, causing the werewolf to release his hold, and stumble backwards. John clenched his teeth, lowered his smoking weapon, and squared his shoulders. The sheriff of Beacon Hills stood his ground even as the severely pissed off alpha sent him a red-eyed glare of rage.

Scott lunged forward as soon as Allison was released and caught her before she fell. Holding her close, Scott's warm brown eyes swept over the clearly shaken girl, looking for injuries. His concerned gaze halted over the small cuts on her neck, transfixed, he stared as the weight of what just happened crashed over the teen. Allison had been only a sudden movement away from being killed. His best friend was taken by the same person who almost murder the girl he was in love with, and was still missing. Who knows what Peter could have done to him…or could still do to him. All of this, what was happening, was his fault. Peter wanted him in his pack. There was no other reason he would take Stiles. If he just hadn't been bitten in the first place his loved ones would never have even been on Peter's radar.

Scott was brought out of his thoughts of guilt by Allison shrieking, "Aunt Kate!"

The young and inexperienced werewolf's eyes caught the sight of Kate Argent falling heavily to the hard earth with deep gashes slashed across her throat. Her lifeless gaze boring into Scott, almost accusingly.

Allison pulled herself from Scott's strong arms and ran to her Aunt's side, uselessly trying to help her, while Scott searched the area desperately for Peter.

In the time between heartbeats Scott found the alpha that ruined his life, holding his best friend's father by the throat. John was struggling without success to break free.

"For that little stunt I will kill your son…slowly." Peter snarled in the sheriff's face. "Or maybe I'll bite him, turn him into a killer like me, and make him rip your throat out."

Scott's heart pounded painfully in his chest. He couldn't let anyone else die, especially not Stiles' dad. He would never forgive himself if he let his best friend's father die right in front of him. By chance, the teenage werewolf caught sight of Allison's bow sitting in the dirt and leaves. Snatching the object up, he quickly threw the bow to Allison and jumped to him feet, calling out to her. "Allison!"

The young archer knew what she needed to do and swiftly nocked an arrow before pulling the string back and aiming. The black arrow flew smoothly through the air and sunk deeply into the alpha's arm holding Sheriff Stilinski by the throat. Dropping his prey, Peter turned sharply at the young huntress.

Using the distraction, Scott barreled into Peter's middle with all the force he could muster and brought them both to the ground. The two rolled down a slight hillside each struggling for the upper hand the whole way.

Peter used his superior strength to knock Scott away, and without hesitation positioned himself on top of the teenager, holding him down forcefully. Bringing his claws up to strike a killing blow Peter said regretfully. "You have thoroughly disappointed me, Scott. I gave you a gift anyone would kill for, and this is how you repay me. Maybe Stiles will be more appreciative."

Knowing this was the end, and that he was going to die. Scott squeezed his eyes shut, but instead of pain the only thing the young werewolf felt was the crushing weight above him disappear suddenly. Blinking in confusion Scott sat up to see Derek and Peter fighting viciously next to him.

Scott leapt to him feet and began fighting with Derek against his uncle. The three were slashing and punching, kicking, and throwing each other violently. It was completely surreal for the teen who never in his life would have imagined he would be in an all-in-out fight with an alpha werewolf. It wasn't like in the movies. It was dirty and chaotic with absolutely no time to think of what to do. Every movement was fueled by instinct…an instinct to survive. There was no pain from his wounds, only a buzz of adrenaline numbing his body against the tiring of limbs, keeping him going.

Scott saw it only a millisecond before Derek. Peter found an opening in Derek's defense and exploited it, striking his nephew powerfully. The oldest surviving Hale dug his claws deep into his nephew's side, prompting a loud cry of pain from the young dark-haired man.

Only thinking about no one else getting hurt. Scott lunged wildly at Peter and slashed his claw across the alpha throat unexpectedly. Peter gasped in shock, and dropped to the ground dead. The red of the alpha's eyes dimmed to nothingness as the golden glow in Scott's eyes burned to a bright red.

"NOOO!" The sheriff cried out in anguish. John dropped next to the dead werewolf, trembling hands hovering over the body, as his panicked-ridden voice whispered desperately. "No…no…no. Where…where's my son? Stiles….where are you keeping Stiles?!"

John looked up and around at the people surrounding him, pleadingly. "How are we going to find Stiles?" The sheriff's voice broke over his son's name.

Scott sucked in a sharp breath. He had never seen the sheriff look so utterly lost before. He was always the person who knew what to do, or how to fix any problem. John wasn't someone that panicked easily, always the stable force in Scott and Stiles' lives, and seeing him in this way intensified the teen's fear immensely, as well as his guilt. "I'm sorry…I…he- he was going to kill Derek. I just didn't want anyone else to get killed."

Derek knelt down next to the pair. "We'll find him, Sheriff."

"And how are we supposed to do that?!" John snapped, "Peter was the only one who knew where Stiles is...and now he's dead."

Derek's voice was calm and sure when he answered back. "Scott can find him."

The brown-haired teenage werewolf had a look of complete panic flash across his face. "What?! How? I don't…I can't."

Steady hazel eyes connected with frantic brown ones. "Scott, you're an alpha now. You have much more power than you did only moments ago. And you know Stiles. You've known him almost your whole life. So close your eyes, and listen. Listen to your senses. Peter would have wanted to keep him close. He has to be around here. Find his scent, his heartbeat, his voice, just find anything."

Scott shook his head slightly. "I…I don't think I can do this. I can barely stop myself from going full on psycho when there's a full moon out. I have no idea what I'm doing! I can't have my best friend's life in my hands!"

"Scott, I've known you since you were a little kid, and I've watched you grow up into an incredible young man. I've seen you accomplished so much already. And I know how much you care about Stiles. You can do this." John encouraged gently.

Scott's sight blurred with the gathering of tears, but he blinked them away. Taking a calming breath the young alpha concentrated all of his energy and senses into finding anything that would lead them to Stiles. It was as John placed a comforting hand on his shoulder that Scott found something. It was a whisper of a racing heartbeat. Focusing further, Scott could feel a familiar energetic energy and he knew without a doubt it was Stiles.

Without a word to his companions Scott stood from his place on the ground and made his way towards his best friend. The closer he got however, the more overwhelmed the new alpha was with his friend's emotions. He could tell Stiles was terrified and in pain. Not liking how his friend, no his brother, was feeling, Scott pushed on faster. He couldn't find it in himself to even care if the swift pace was too fast for the humans in the small rescue group. Scott just needed to find Stiles immediately.

The young alpha slammed to a halt and felt his heart sink. He was sure Stiles should be right in front of him, but there was nothing but forest. "He should be here. I feel him. He should be right here!"

Derek stepped up beside him and to Scott surprise the humans following were not much farther behind. "Relax, Scott I think you're right. My family had a shelter out this way."

"What kind of shelter?" The sheriff asked completely out-of-breath.

Derek began searching the ground around them. "It was like a bomb-shelter. We used it to hold rouge and dangerous werewolves that came into town until they could either be reasoned with or dealt with. It was Peter's idea to have one made, but my mother always hated the thing. She would never use it. Here!"

Derek dropped to the ground and moving away loose leaves uncovered a metal door in the dirt. Without prompting, Derek yanked the door open with some resistance. The door's hinges squealed with disuse, but once it was open a dark set of stairs was revealed.

Chris pulled his pistol free, clicking on his flashlight, and shrugged when the sheriff sent him a murderous look. "Can't be too careful."

John took the man's flashlight and started down the stairs with caution. The heels of his department issues shoes clacked against the concert floor, creating the only sound in the otherwise silent basement-like shelter. Unable to stop himself the sheriff called out tentatively. "Stiles?"

A sharp intake of breath bounced off the walls from the opposite side of the shelter followed by a shaky voice. "D-dad?"

John flicked the flashlight's beam in the direction of the voice and cried out in relief at seeing his son alive. The sheriff rushed to his son's side and crushed him in a fierce embrace, pulling back abruptly when Stiles hissed in pain.

"Where are you hurt?" John asked in a rush. His fatherly instincts to protect kicking in full force.

Stiles smiled and huffed a laugh. "I'm fine, Dad. Really. It's probably a couple of broken ribs or something, but considering everything that could have happened...I'm good."

The sheriff immediately worked on unlocking his handcuffs secured around a thick metal bar above his son's head, holding Stiles in place. As soon as the cuffs opened Stiles' arms dropped heavily into his lap. The movement extracting a sound of pain through the teen's clenched teeth.

John placed a warm comforting hand on his son's cheek and looked him directly in his slightly unfocused honey-colored eyes. "Yeah. I guess considering you were kidnapped by an alpha werewolf things could definitely have been worse."

Stiles gawked at his father, while easily accepting his help standing. "Looks like we'll be having a long discussion when we get home, huh?"

John laughed. "Hospital first. Then a very long discussion."

Aww I love Stilinski family feels! I'm sad to say: tis the end of this story. Please review to let me know what you thought of One Choice. Did you like the ripple effects that one different decision created? I've got a Stydia story in mind that I hope to get going on soon! If you'd be interested in reading a future fic where Stiles and Lydia are married and in danger let me know in your review! Thanks again for reading! Until next time...