Fandom: Teen Wolf
Rating: NC-17
Authors: Sxymami0909 and Xtremeroswellia
Timeline: Takes place 1 year after the end of ‘Beyond The Sea’
Series: Post Finale AU
Pairings: Stiles/Lydia, Scott/Kira, Isaac Lahey, Sheriff Stilinski, Melissa McCall, Chris Argent, Derek Hale, Cora Hale, Aiden, Ethan, Danny, Braeden, Alan Deaton, Peter Hale, Malia Tate-Hale, mentions of Scott/Allison, mentions of Derek/Lydia, mentions of Stiles/Braeden
Part: 7/32
Summary: The one year anniversary of Allison's death is right around the corner just in time for a new threat to make it's way to Beacon Hills. With Lydia's banshee powers growing, and dead bodies piling up near the Nemeton, Scott and his pack need to work together to figure out who's behind the latest attacks and what knew evil is on the lose. Tension is mounting in the pack and relationships will be tested when an old ally returns to town with information that could help the pack. But can the pack trust their old friend or has the year passed hardened him to a point of no return?
Author's Note: This is a Stydia story, but it's a slow burn because a lot needs to be rebuilt and there are mentions of other couples and other friendships along the way. One year has passed between this story and 'Beyond the Sea'. You will get to see the missing year in a series of one-shots taking place between 'Beyond the Sea' and this story later on.
Previous Chapters: | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six |
Chapter Seven
Stiles hadn’t even changed out of the clothes he’d worn that day before passing out in his own bed for the first time in almost a year the night before. Scott had driven them home in his jeep and they’d eaten and Stiles had gone straight to bed and hadn’t moved in ten hours, completely dead to the world. He didn’t dream or if he did, he didn’t remember it. He yawned as he started to wake up, rolling over to get out of bed and trying to remember where he’d even fallen asleep when he collided with another body and he jerked, pulling away quickly and looking down to see Scott.
Stiles rubbed a hand over his face to clear his vision. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly when Scott looked up at him. “Kinda forgot where I was.”
Scott grunted, “It’s fine,” he said glancing over at the clock and sighing as he rubbed a hand over his face. It was early and Scott was exhausted. He glanced at Stiles, “You sleep okay?” He asked glancing at his friend.
“Yeah. Like a rock,” he admitted, laying his head back down for the time being. It was so strange to wake up in his own room again that it almost felt like a dream. “You?”
Scott nodded letting out a yawn, “Mostly,” until Cora had called him anyway. He hadn’t been able to fall back asleep since he got home. He was too busy worrying. Scott pushed himself up so he was leaning back against the headboard.
“Mostly?” Stiles yawned when Scott did and then angled his head to look up at him.
Scott was silent for a minute before speaking, “There was an incident last night. I was gone for a few hours and I didn’t really get much sleep when I got back,” he explained. Scott hesitated before speaking again. “Have you ever heard of dreams manifesting?” He asked his voice low.
Stiles frowned when Scott mentioned an incident, and the moment he mentioned dreams manifesting, Stiles felt his stomach turn. He sat up slowly, staring at Scott with wide eyes. “Define dreams manifesting.”
Scott sighed, “Okay, so don’t freak out,” he started before leaning forward, “But last night Lydia had a nightmare, and when Derek woke her up,” he paused, “what happened in her dream actually happened to her.” He explained quietly.
Stiles’ eyes widened even more. “What?” He shook his head. “Dude. Why didn’t you wake--” He paused, realizing he already knew the answer. “Is she okay? What happened, exactly?”
Scott sent him an apologetic look as he spoke. “She was attacked by the daevas on top of the nemeton in her dream.” He said with a sigh, “The actual wound isn’t too bad, but it was enough to scare the hell out of Derek, enough to make him call me last night. And not much shakes him. So, it must have been pretty strange.” He couldn’t imagine waking up that way. “Do you know anything about it? What might have caused it?” Stiles seemed to be full of information that they didn’t exactly have.
Stiles rubbed a hand over his face. Of course it all went right back to the Nemeton again. The Nemeton was the reason he’d come back in the first place. He chewed the inside of cheek for a moment. “I’ll need to do some research. I’ve heard of dream manifestation happening, but I haven’t studied it intensively.” He nudged Scott’s leg with his foot, and when he shifted, Stiles climbed off the bed, moving over to his box of books that they’d stopped by to grab on the way to the house last night. He pulled the lid off the box, sitting down on the floor and pulling the books out one by one.
Scott watched Stiles for a minute before sliding to the edge of the bed. “Do you need any help?” he asked as he rubbed the back of his neck glancing at the books, “Where’d you get all of those?” He asked curiously.
Stiles glanced at him over his shoulder, unable to suppress another yawn. He was going to need coffee. “I wouldn’t say no, but you probably have alpha stuff to do, right?” He looked down at the box. “Different occult shops around the world.” He shrugged.
Scott arched an eyebrow, “Alpha stuff? Who do you think I am?” He asked with an amused half smile. He got up and ran a hand through his hair.
“I don’t know. An alpha?” Stiles responded wryly. He shook his head and looked down at the book in his hands, flipping it open.
“I actually wanted to grab my Mom and have her look a Lydia just to be safe. She refused to go to the hospital,” he huffed. “But maybe Mom can come to Derek’s with me real quick before work.” Scott stretched, “I’ll probably stay with Lydia for a couple of days when she goes home this week,” he warned.
Stiles’ stomach tightened at the mention of Lydia being hurt and refusing to go to the hospital. It was all too familiar. He was silent for a moment. “No, that’s good. She shouldn’t be alone.” None of them should be, with what they were dealing with.
He looked over at Scott again, knowing that his best friend had a million unanswered questions, but who knew when they were going to have time to talk about anything, really? Priorities weren’t catching up right now.
“Scott.” Stiles hesitated, chewing on his lower lip. “I know you want me to stay away from Lydia right now and that’s probably -- it’s not uncalled for. But.” He dropped his gaze to his book again, and blew out a breath. “I’m not sure how well that’s going to work out, considering.”
Scott nodded as he rubbed the back of his head, “Yeah, just forget I said that. I was trying to protect her.” He winced, “What I mean is,” he paused, “No, that’s what I meant. She’s my family and I didn’t think she was ready to deal with you being back.” Scott shook his head, “Clearly she wasn’t.” He added.
Stiles watched Scott silently for a moment. “No, she wasn’t,” he agreed, voice hushed. “I had no idea she was going to be at Derek’s or I wouldn’t have gone over there in the first place. I wasn’t…deliberately…” He waved a hand at Scott. “I wouldn’t do that unless there wasn’t another choice.”
Scott pursed his lips, “I know. It’s not your fault, not really. I forgot that there really isn’t anyone better at balancing Lydia than you.” He said quietly. “We all try, it’s collective effort and she seems to respond the most to me and Derek.” Scott swallowed hard, “But we’re not you.” He said simply.
Stiles leaned back against the wall. There was a reason he was the best at balancing Lydia, and he hadn’t even realized it until the night before at the pack meeting. Truthfully it made him hate himself more than a little bit. If he’d known before he’d left...but he hadn’t. He hadn’t had a clue. He really wished Morrell would call him back.
“You guys have done a pretty damn good job anyway,” Stiles said sincerely. “You know that, right?”
Scott shrugged. “We’ve done okay. It’s been more difficult than I expected in a lot of different ways.” He added while scratching the side of his face. Scott hesitated, “I would have told you about Lydia and Derek,” he said quietly pausing, “But I didn’t think you’d be going to Derek’s.” Scott said honestly. “So I figured there wasn’t really a reason to.”
Stiles looked back down. “Never crossed my mind not to. I knew it’s where Cora was staying and I forgot to give her, her birthday present Friday so I just…” He shrugged.
“I didn’t know you were friends with Cora,” Scott responded quietly, “Or I obviously would have said something.” He added. There were a lot of things he didn’t know, way too many honestly and Scott didn’t like it.
Stiles hesitated, nodding. “Yeah. I know, Dude.” His voice was quiet. “I know there’s a lot that...we eventually need to talk about. And we will. We just have to prioritize and right now, Lydia and whatever’s happening, and these daevas...that’s more important.”
Scott sighed, “Yeah, I know what’s important.” He said keeping his tone light. “I’m gonna go see if my Mom’s awake and tell her about Lydia.” He was half afraid his Mother would suggest Lydia stay with them. He knew Lydia didn’t want to do that. “I’ll be back.” He patted Stiles on the back before moving out of the room not giving Stiles a chance to say anything.
Scott passed Isaac in the hallway and nodded to him, “Hey man, sleep okay?” he asked.
Isaac nodded, “Yup, everything okay?” He asked arching a brow.
Scott shrugged. “That’s debatable. I gotta go talk to Mom really quickly,” he said patting him lightly on his way to the stairs.
Isaac watched him go before glancing into Stiles room and spotting him on the floor. He hesitated before stepping forward and rapping his knuckles on the door, leaning in the doorway.
Stiles glanced up at the knock on the door and spotted Isaac, pursing his lips for a moment. “Hey,” he said uncertainly.
“Can I come in for a minute?” He asked while running his hand over the back of his head. It was early and he wasn’t dressed for the day yet, but he figured it was time he talked to Stiles and since Scott was busy, well he thought it might be a good idea to do it now.
Stiles eyed the other wolf warily, then shrugged. “You live here, so. Yeah.” He motioned for him to sit wherever, be it the bed or the desk chair. He placed the book he was holding down on the floor, shifting positions and pulling his knees up to his chest, resting his arms on top of them.
Isaac hesitated before coming into the room and sitting slowly in the desk chair, moving a few times awkwardly until he was as comfortable as he was ever going to get. “I was hoping we could talk. There’s something I’ve been meaning to say to you,” he admitted.
Stiles had a pretty good idea what that was. He blew out a breath, looking over at Isaac. “I’m not here to disrupt things for you. I’m not here to cause problems for Scott or Lydia or anyone. And I don’t know if I’m going to stay when this is over and even I do, it probably won’t be here, so you don’t have to worry.”
Isaac swallowed hard, “I wasn’t--that’s not--,” Isaac blew out a breath and stood up, “Do you mind if I stand? Because I’m going to.” He said already standing. “I loved her you know,” he stopped moving and glanced at Stiles.
“And I was in a really bad place. There haven’t been many people who’ve been kind to me...or treated me like I was worth anything and she--” Isaac’s chest tightened and he looked down his eyes burning. “I wanted to say I was sorry.” His voice was uncharacteristically quiet as he spoke.
Stiles’ chest tightened and he shut his eyes for a moment. “I know you did,” he said very quietly. “And I know you were in a bad place, man. I get it.” He opened his eyes to look at Isaac again.
“What I said that night...It was out of line. I shouldn’t have said those things about Scott and Lydia...I know how much they mean to you. And I was wrong.” Isaac said finally glancing up so he could see Stiles’ face, so engrossed in their conversation that he hadn’t heard the sound of footsteps in the hallway.
Stiles was silent for a few seconds, considering his words. “You weren’t really wrong. It was my fault. And…” He shook his head. “If it had been Scott or Lydia that...I mean if our situations had been reversed, I would’ve had the same reaction.”
Stiles stood up slowly. “And you weren’t wrong that -- if I had stuck around, they would have been focused on me and not themselves. I don’t...it’s not your fault, Isaac. Okay? I’m not mad and I’m not…” Stiles looked down at the floor then back up at the other guy. “I don’t blame you.”
Isaac pursed his lips. “Still, I shouldn’t have told you to leave...honestly I don’t think I actually thought you’d listen.” He said with a shrug as he considered Stiles words. “You’re wrong you know,” he pointed out slipping his hands into his pajama pants pockets. “You freaked me the fuck out last night,” he said eyes widening slightly, “But when I got home...I realized something.”
Isaac lifted his hand and scratched the back of his neck, “Something seems different, but not in a bad way.” Isaac hesitated. “Scott can feel all of us obviously, I mean, he’s the alpha,” he said with a slight grin, but is disappeared fast; “I don’t think he realizes that we can feel him too. Not the way he does with us,” he added, “But we can feel when something isn’t quite right. He’s missed you for a long time and he doesn’t really shy away from that knowledge.”
Isaac sighed, “Lydia does too. She never says it, and Scott’s stopped talking about you in front of her, but she does too. I feel like if I hadn’t said anything they wouldn’t be as broken as they still are. Like I said...I was wrong. I think maybe they would have healed better with you here, so...I suck.” He stated simply.
“It was already in my head, Isaac,” Stiles said quietly, taking a step toward the wolf. “Leaving. I’d already been thinking about it. Maybe that makes me a coward. I don’t know.”
He was quiet for a few moments, taking in everything that Isaac had to say. “Grief’s never really…” He hesitated. “It just compounds and gets worse. And I’m not exactly great at dealing with it,” especially when he was to blame for so much of his own grief to begin with. That made it even more difficult to handle.
“I do know that if I hadn’t gone, things would be a lot different right now. Better or worse? That’s hard to say. Could’ve gone either way, really. But it wasn’t your fault. It really wasn’t. Look, man, you gotta let it go.” His voice was calm, almost soothing and close to the same tone he’d used on Lydia the night before. “It’s not your fault, okay? You don’t suck.” He reached out and hesitantly patted Isaac’s arm. “And I’m glad that you and Scott are closer now. It sorta seems like you’ve found your place in the pack and that’s good. That’s a good thing.”
Isaac couldn’t help the hint of moisture glistening in his eyes. “I’m not really sure how to let anything go. I still kind of wish she would have just let the Oni cut me to pieces if it meant she’d still be here,” He admitted. It wasn’t something he’d ever said to Scott because he knew how hard Allison’s death was for him plus he knew Scott loved Allison too.
Stiles’ chest tightened at his admission. “And I kind of still wish Chris had killed me that day at Derek’s loft because then she’d still be here.” He swallowed heavily. “But that’s not what happened. And Allison…” He felt the grief welling up within him and he had to look down for a moment. “She wouldn’t have wanted that for you. She wouldn’t have, Isaac. Because she was a hero.”
Isaac knew Stiles was right, but that didn’t automatically change the ways he felt. “Chris and I talk a lot. He helped me a lot and I-I hope I helped him because,” he paused, “He’s a good guy and I wish I knew how he got up every day and still managed to do what he does because some days it feels really hard for me and I don’t have it nearly as bad as he does.” Isaac admitted running his hand down his face embarrassed to find tears there. He looked away from Stiles. “Sorry, I just a...I should probably shower and stuff.”
Stiles rubbed a hand over his face. “He’s a good man.” His mind flashed back to two days ago when he’d first arrived back in town. How despite the fact that Chris had lost everyone, he’d still comforted Stiles. “You don’t need to apologize, Isaac. Not to me,” he said quietly, hesitating a moment before stepping forward and wrapping his arms around Isaac in a hug. It was weird, but it also felt like what he needed to do right then. And Stiles was trying very hard to trust his instincts again.
Isaac hesitated for a brief second before returning the hug, his face tightening as he tried to hold back his tears. “I know we haven’t always gotten along. I think...I think we were both worried Scott didn’t have enough room for both of us. But that was kind of dumb. I’m not surprised I thought it though I can be sort of dumb.” Isaac admitted.
Stiles was almost surprised when Isaac returned the hug. “Yeah. You’re right. That’s uh...Scott’s been the only constant in my life since my mom died.” He loved his dad, of course. But after his mom had died, his dad had lost himself in the bottle for a long time. Stiles had grown more and more dependent on Scott, which probably hadn’t been overly healthy for either of them. It had put a lot pressure on his best friend. And even after his dad had gotten better, had dealt with things in more healthy ways, Stiles had continued to lean more on Scott than his dad because he was always afraid he’d push his dad back over the edge if he depended on him too much.
“And I was afraid that I was gonna lose that.” He swallowed hard. “But we uh -- we both underestimated him. Scott’s...steady. Dependable. Always. For everyone. I should have known that. And I know I was an asshole to you, man. I’m sorry.”
Isaac shrugged, “It’s okay. I think you should stay though,” he said quietly, “And if you want me to go I can. I can stay with Chris so he’s not alone. You’ve got a place here...you always did. I just...I’ve never had a family and seeing them hurt because you were gone well it hurts me too. So when you’re figuring out what you want to do, maybe you can take that into consideration?” He asked as he started to step back from the hug.
Stiles pulled away when Isaac did. “I don’t want you to leave. At all,” he said sincerely. “You have a place here, too, Isaac. With Scott and Melissa and my dad.” He paused. “And me, too. And in the pack. You’re important to everyone.” He offered him a faint smile. “So don’t forget that.”
Isaac sent him half a smile. “Lydia says the same thing,” he told Stiles quietly. Whenever he was feeling particularly worthless it was like she knew and she’d seek him out and somehow make him feel dumb for ever feeling worthless. She always fixed things at least temporarily. He understood now after the past year, why Allison was best friends with Lydia. She could be cold and a bitch, but once she let you in, there wasn’t much she wouldn’t do for her friends.
“Well...Lydia’s pretty much the smartest person I’ve ever met. So when she says something you can take it to the bank,” Stiles said honestly, a pang of regret flickering through him.
Isaac saw something flicker on Stiles face and he hesitated, “She missed you.” He said lightly watching Stiles. “She still does.” He added.
He managed a faint smile, nodding. “Thanks,” he said quietly.
Isaac cocked his head to the side, “You know you can always do your new scary,” he made a claw motion with his hands, “trick and tell Derek to back off,” he joked trying to lighten the mood. Things had gotten pretty heavy and Isaac was officially uncomfortable with the level of emotion he’d displayed. He was turning into a damn cry baby.
Stiles grimaced at that, shaking his head. “Yeah, no. That was...that’s sort of an extreme circumstance kind of thing only. Which you probably have questions about and I will explain at some point. But I sorta gotta get a jumpstart on some research.” He patted Isaac’s arm hesitantly. “You know Beacon Hills. Every day’s like Halloween.”
Isaac nodded he did have questions, but he knew they were dealing with a lot, “Yeah and I’ve gotta get dressed anyway. I’m supposed to be picking up Cora soon.” He admitted. “I’ll see you later Stiles.”
As Isaac moved towards the door Scott slipped back into the bathroom watching as Isaac went into the guest room and shut the door. Scott sucked in a sharp breath and closed the bathroom door before dropping heavily on to the toilet, just sitting there and staring at the shower curtain.
There were so many emotions going through him right now. How had he never known that Isaac told Stiles to leave? How had he not known Isaac still felt so guilty? He sighed and shook his head. He felt bad and pretty much like a terrible alpha, but at the same time, so much made more sense now. And as Stiles and Isaac were talking he’d felt some more of the pressure that had become ever constant weighing on him, lift.
Things were healing, people were healing and Scott was pretty sure it was because Stiles was finally back where he belonged. Scott rubbed his hands on his pants, took a deep breath and stood up. He needed to get dressed so he and his Mom could check on Lydia, but after that, Scott was going to find a way to convince Stiles to stay, he didn’t know how, but he would because he needed him and so did the pack.
Lydia held her arm out for Melissa watching as she wrapped the cuff around her arm to take her blood pressure. She was lying slightly elevated in Derek’s bed with Scott and Derek right beside her. She sent a sideways glance in their direction and she almost laughed at the look of concentration on both of their faces as they watched Melissa.
Scott had a hand on her leg and Derek’s arms were crossed over his chest. Lydia’s gaze drifted back to Melissa and she took a small breath and let it out slowly. The room was silent except for the sound of the blood pressure cuff.
“Is she okay?” Scott asked for about the third time, worry creasing his brow.
Derek pursed his lips, “We should have taken her to the hospital last night,” he added.
Scott glanced back at Derek, “We still can she--”
“She’s sitting right here. I’m FINE.” Lydia paused, trying to temper the frustration in her voice. They were crowding her and while normally she liked having everyone close, right now they were both being too overbearing. “Sorry,” she said glancing at Melissa, “Apparently the alpha and his girl Friday have never seen a little scratch before. Despite the times I’ve seen them bleeding out on the ground.” She said with a good natured sigh.
Melissa couldn’t help but smirk faintly at Lydia’s words. “I think they’re just concerned, Sweetheart, because you don’t heal as fast as they do.” She looked up at her son and then at Derek before looking back at Lydia. “But you do seem to be okay. The bleeding has stopped. The wound wasn’t deep enough for stitches. But for the record, if this ever happens again and you don’t want to go to the hospital, my phone is on 24/7 for all of you.” There was concern in her voice.
Lydia’s expression softened. She knew they were worried and she hadn’t meant to snap. “I know,” She said softly, “I just, well Scott’s always the first person that comes to mind when something rips me awake from an otherwise peaceful night’s sleep,” She joked trying to lighten the mood.
Lydia knew this was serious and she wasn’t trying to make light of it, but at the same time she sort of needed it at the moment, especially now that the throbbing pain was starting to come back.
As if sensing it, Scott squeezed her leg gently, black veins crawling up his arms as he focused his concentration on taking her pain.
Melissa reached out and gently tucked some hair behind Lydia’s ear. “Well, my son is the leader of the pack.” She cracked a smile even though her eyes were troubled.
Lydia nodded, “He is,” she said with half a smile before glancing at Scott, “That’s enough,” she said softly. Derek had spent most of the night doing the same thing until she told him to stop. Taking too much of anyone’s pain could make them weaker and if her dream was anything to go by they needed to focus their energy on being 100 percent for that.
Derek squeezed Scott’s shoulder lightly, “Swap places with me,” he told him calmly.
He rose to his feet and moved out of the way so he and Derek could switch places.
Lydia glanced at Melissa before glancing between Scott and Derek. He sat down beside her and slid his hand up her arm, the pain in her body receding further. “Guys, you know I love you, but you can’t keep doing that. I’m fine; I promise I’d tell you if the pain was really bad.”
Lydia shifted and winced, crap, that’s not really making my point. She stopped trying to move. “I’m more worried about these daevas. This isn’t even the bare minimum of what they did in my dream.” She explained, “We need to focus on that.”
Derek nodded, “Yes, we need to focus on that. You need to focus on mending up that gut.”
“Hey,” Lydia frowned, “Gut implies an overly large stomach area and I’m officially offended.”
Derek kept his head bent down but there was a smirk on his face.
Scott rubbed a hand over his face to keep from chuckling at her remark. “He’s right, though. You need to focus on healing. We’ll work on this daeva thing. Stiles is researching even as we speak.” He winced at the mention of Stiles, not sure how she’d take that.
“Well, if Stiles is on it, then I’m sure we’ll have answers in no time,” Melissa stated. She was well aware of how smart Stiles was, and how fast he tended to put things together. Scott and Michael had both told her an abundance of stories about it. “In the meanwhile, Lydia, maybe it would be a good idea for you to stay with us, just in case something like this happens again.”
Lydia’s eyes widened, “What? No, I mean...you’ve got a full house,” she said her heartbeat picking up speed, “And well Derek’s here and then I’ve got to go home soon anyway and check on Prada. I don’t want to be an inconvenience, it’s fine.” Lydia said with a smile.
Derek glanced at Scott and arched an eyebrow.
“Sweetheart, you’re family, not an inconvenience,” Melissa informed her matter-of-factly. “And you can bring Prada with you.”
Lydia glanced at Scott and Derek and they both avoided her gaze. Traitors. “There’s a lot of stairs here and it’s kind of hard to get up, maybe we should wait a day or two.” She said lightly.
“I can carry you down,” Derek said softly. He knew she didn’t want to stay with Stiles, but right now Scott’s house was probably the safest place for her and she’d have a nurse to make sure she was okay since she wouldn’t go to the hospital. And Derek knew Scott agreed with him since he wasn’t saying anything either.
Lydia sighed, “Apparently Derek needs some alone time,” she said lightly as she glanced at Melissa her expression softening. She couldn’t say no to Scott’s Mom. “Okay,” she said softly not that she had much choice.
Melissa cupped Lydia’s cheek in her hand. “We’ll take good care of you. I promise.” She smiled softly. She looked up at Derek. “Do you think you can pack up whatever clothes she has here? If it’s not enough, I’m sure Scott can go by your place and pick more things up for you,” she told Lydia.
“Yeah, of course,” Scott agreed, nodding. He wanted to make sure that Lydia was okay physically even though he knew that having her and Stiles under the same roof was going to be awkward all the way around. But maybe it’s what needed to happen to get things back under control and functioning the way they needed to function. At least that’s what he was hoping.
Derek nodded, “I can do that,” he said giving Lydia’s arm a light squeeze before getting up.
Lydia watched him go and glanced at Scott, “Can you grab Prada for me please?”
“Yeah, no problem, Lydia,” he assured her, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. “I’ll head over there now, okay?”
Lydia nodded and smiled, “Thanks Scott.” She glanced at Melissa. “I know you’ve got to get to work, so I’ll have Derek bring me over when I’ve got everything together,” she offered.
“All right. We’ll see you soon.” Melissa smiled softly.
Lydia nodded as she watched Melissa stood up as Derek came back inside the room. He glanced at Scott, “You guys heading out?”
“Yeah, I’m gonna go get Prada from Lydia’s place, and some of her stuff.” He held Derek’s gaze for a moment, wondering if this was all really okay with Derek.
Derek arched an eyebrow when he caught Scott watching him, “What is it?” He asked lightly.
“Nothing.” Scott shook his head. “All right. I’m gonna head out. Mom, here are the keys. My bike’s here from last night still.” He held them out to her.
Melissa took the keys from her son. “See you after work.” She kissed his cheek and headed for the door.
Lydia watched Melissa and Scott go before turning her eyes to Derek. “So let’s go over your offenses for the day. You called me fat and you sold me out to go stay at the Stilinski house. Your friendship card is being revoked,” she said with a huff.
“Melissa had a point,” Derek said quietly. “What happens if this happens again? At least you’ll have an actual medical professional and two werewolves who can look after you if it’s something worse the next time.”
Lydia pursed her lips, “Are you saying you’re not enough werewolf?” she joked despite the lack of humor on her face. “Stiles is there, you know that.”
“I’m aware.” Derek watched her, knowing she wasn’t a happy camper right then.
Lydia tilted her head to the side, “Are you also aware that occasionally your monosyllabic two word answers make me want to hit you?” She asked, though there wasn’t really any bite to her words.
A smile tugged at Derek’s mouth. “Sorry.” There was a hint of teasing to his voice. “You’re gonna be okay. And we both know that sooner or later, you’re going to have to deal with Stiles.”
Lydia sighed, “I’m glad I can amuse you,” she said with a pout. “I know I have to deal with Stiles, but I was hoping it would be in the future, far in the future when I’m not so...insert a smart descriptive word here, because my head hurts and I can’t think of one currently.” She told him. Every time she’d seen Stiles so far two emotions have dominated the rest, anger...and the complete opposite of anger.
“Raw. When you’re not so raw,” he said gently. “The problem is, it’s going to feel that way until you face it. Whether it’s today or three weeks from now, or two years down the road.”
Lydia nodded. “I don’t how to fix things, or if I want to, or if I can.” She admitted. “I’m still really angry at him.”
“You have a right to be angry with him.” Derek gazed at her. “And if you want to fix things with him, then I have every confidence that you will. If you don’t…” He pursed his lips. “That’s gotta be your decision and don’t let anyone tell you differently.”
Lydia was quiet for a minute before glancing up at Derek. “A couple of weeks ago I probably would have said no. That I was perfectly content with him gone.” She would have said it and not fully meant it but still. “But now,” she swallowed hard, “With him here...I didn’t realize until last night, I,” she paused not quite able to find the words she was looking for, “As mad as I am, I think I need him here.”
Derek didn’t bother calling her on the lie. “I think you do, too.” It had been pretty obvious that she’d been about to have another banshee emotional attack and somehow Stiles had pulled her out of it. He still wasn’t entirely sure he understood how.
Lydia nodded and she glanced around. “We ready to go?” She asked as she started to push herself up, wincing when her stomach muscles contracted pulling at her wound.
“Just take it easy. I’ll do the work,” Derek told her as he reached for her lifting her off the bed.
Stiles was intently pouring over one of his books, alternating between it and the internet and still hoping against hope that Morrell was going to call him back soon. She was obviously really pissed off, which okay. He had left her in the middle of a job. But she was more than capable of handling herself so he wasn’t worried that she was in danger. Not like his friends and family in Beacon Hills were in danger.
He heard footsteps approaching and glanced up to see his dad standing in the doorway. There was a grim expression on his face. Instantly Stiles abandoned his reading and rose to his feet. “Dad? What is it? Everything okay?”
No, everything wasn’t okay, Michael thought. He stepped into the room pausing, “As of Monday morning,” which was tomorrow, “Beacon Hills will be instating a citywide curfew. Everyone needs to be in their homes before dark.” He winced and rubbed the back of his neck.
As soon as his dad said the words citywide curfew he rubbed a hand over his face. Between that news and Lydia’s manifesting nightmare he knew this was getting worst and quickly. But the body count had gone from two to six in one night and that was almost too overwhelming to process.
Michael watched Stiles run his hand over his face. “Three bodies were found in the woods and the last one...it was right beside the nemeton,” he said quietly knowing that wasn’t the only thing he had to tell his son. “There wasn’t much left of the bodies and there was fresh blood on the nemeton.” He explained as he leaned against the wall.
“They think there might be a fifth body out there because the blood on the nemeton didn’t come from any of the bodies.” Michael glanced around the room briefly noticing the new things that must have come back with Stiles. It was a stall tactic really. He sighed and met his sons gaze. “I had the lab run a sample of the blood so we could try and find the last victim. Son, it was Lydia’s blood on the nemeton...Do we know where she is?” He asked quietly.
He stared at his dad for a moment when he mentioned Lydia, all other thoughts leaving his mind. “She had a nightmare last night that…actually manifested. She woke up bleeding from a wound across her stomach, according to Scott.” This was getting so much worse than he’d initially anticipated, even though he’d known it was going to be bad. “Melissa and Scott were going over to see her earlier at Derek’s loft.”
Stiles raked a hand through his hair. “Do we know who the other victims are?”
Michael frowned, “She didn’t mention it,” he said lightly; then again he’d been so busy he hadn’t had a chance to give her a call yet. “We know two of the victims; the third is still being run through the database.” He told his son. “Is there any news on how to defeat the daevas?”
Stiles ignored his dad’s question for the moment. “Any connection between them?” he asked immediately, thinking immediately of the last time there were human sacrifices going on. His chest squeezed painfully tight at the onslaught of memories. Of Heather’s dead body lying on a slab in the morgue. Of the thought that it had almost been his dad and Scott’s mom and Chris Argent. He suddenly felt about ten years older than he was.
Stiles was out of his league with all of this. He was seventeen years old. He wasn’t prepared for this. Doubt swept over him even as he remembered Deaton’s words. “No, not yet,” he said quietly, feeling guilty. “I’m gonna figure it out. I promise.”
Michael ran a hand down his face, “Yes, the first two men, their families were victims of arson.” He told him with a sigh, “I expect to find the same thing with the third, but we don’t know yet.”
“One is an incident, two is a coincidence. Three is a pattern,” Stiles murmured, growing still. “Oh shit.” He grabbed his phone off the desk quickly and sent a message to Cora, and one to Scott. Then he sent another to Derek.
Michael arched an eyebrow, “I hope you don’t plan on using language like that in front of Melissa,” he commented. “What’s wrong?”
He grimaced. “Right, sorry.” He looked at his dad. “The Hale’s,” he said simply, meeting his father’s eyes.
Michael’s eyes widened, “Did you text Derek?” He frowned, Derek had been around a lot for the past year and while he was somewhat moody at times, he’d really helped the kids after Allison died.
“Yeah. And Cora.” He paused. “You remember Cora, right?” She’d been there the day he’d tried explaining the supernatural to his dad. She was going to show the sheriff her werewolf face to prove what Stiles had been telling him, but she’d passed out thanks to mistletoe poisoning.
Michael nodded, “That’s right, I forgot for a minute. She doesn’t come around as much, though she has been spending time with Isaac quite a bit lately,” which he should have remembered. It had been a long couple of days though so he was going to give himself a pass. “You should tell them to stay inside...I don’t know if that will help, but definitely stay out of the woods. And Lydia too.” He added.
“She’s not...much of a people person,” Stiles admitted with half a smile. But he grimaced inwardly when his dad told him to stay out of the woods. That wasn’t going to happen, as much as he might have wanted to do just that. “The only thing so far that we know will keep these things away is bright light. If there are any shadows around, they can get in anywhere.” He paused. “Unless we use mountain ash. That might keep them out of houses.”
Michael nodded. Melissa and Scott had filled him in on the mountain ash. “I think we have some from Deaton,” he said a thoughtful look on his face. “Can you see them? Did Lydia see them in her dream?” He asked with a frown wanting to know how they were going to fight something that couldn’t be seen.
“They’re basically -- you can’t see the actual demon. It’s more, you see their shadow. So the light to keep them away has to be really bright. Like flare kind of bright.” And the thought of a flare reminded him of that terrible night at the Glen Capri, of how close he’d come to losing Scott. “But yeah, she apparently saw their shadows in the dream.”
Michael nodded and sighed a tired look crossing his face. “Well maybe she can help find them, then.” He told his son before rubbing his hand over his face again. “Alright, I’m going to change, call Melissa, and grab some food before I head back to the station, remember what I said,” Michael told Stiles pointedly.
Stiles held his hands up like he was surrendering. “Be careful, Dad.” His voice was quiet, but serious. “Okay?” He hesitated, then moved forward and hugged him tightly, squeezing his eyes shut. “If you go out there, take flares. Or the brightest flashlights you can find. Promise me.”
Michael hugged his son tightly, patting his back. “I will, I promise. But I’m not going back out there. Not today at least,” he said quietly, “But if that changes I’ll bring both, how’s that?” He asked as he shifted back and met Stiles’ gaze.
Stiles nodded, relaxing. “And let us know if you have to?”
“I will, don’t worry. I need you and Scott to make sure your -- Melissa gets home okay,” he corrected. “I need to be at work, but I need to know she’s okay too.” He added knowing he wouldn’t feel 100 percent okay until they were all home later together.
“We will, Dad. I promise,” he whispered.
Michael nodded, patted Stiles on the cheek and then headed towards his bedroom to change and get the rest of the night out of the way.
Stiles swallowed hard, watching him go and then picking up his phone once more. He had four new text messages, but he responded to Scott’s first.
We need to go to the preserve. There’ve been more deaths. He sighed softly, shutting his laptop and moving to change clothes. Two days back and he was already going to be freaking his dad out if he found out they’d gone to the woods. But there wasn’t a choice. They had to figure this out to keep more people from dying.
It was just another typical days in Beacon Hills.
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