The soul behind the mask

She has been waiting for only two minutes and the pain is unbearable. She could only pray for physical pain to take away the torture in her mind and knowledge of what was in the room in front of her. She couldn't avoid the thoughts racing through her mind that he was in that horrible room because of her. Her eyes were shut tight, in the hopes of the darkness of her vision to take over her so could escape the world, and live the memories with him before his heroic act. However it was unavoidable.

She opened her eyes, and her blackness went away, but did not go away in what she felt in her heart. Her heart beat twice as fast than normal, because this time her heart was beating for herself and for him, for his was slow but not stopped. Before her stood the door to the boy who saved her life by sacrificing his own.

There were other people sitting in the chairs around her, closing theirs eyes like her to separate them from the world. Some were pacing up and down the halls, wanting to see their loved ones that were hidden behind the jail bars disguised as mint green walls.

She couldn't just sit and wait she needed to do something, anything, to distract her from the cold hard truth, that he might not walk out of that room. She took a deep breath in, and exhaled slowly, while she stood up and grabbed her purse. She walked down the hall and turned left to enter the ladies room. In the bathroom she turned on a sink to splash some water on her face.

Both of her hands were on either sides of the sink, as she leaned over and looked down at the growing pool of water. In its rippling trance she could almost see him submerged under by the power of her own grip. She was his emotional tether to bring him back, when he sacrificed himself for his father. She didn't want to hold him beneath the water, but if she didn't he would never forgive her, because his father would have died.

She quickly blinked a few times and her memory was replaced by her broken reflection in the water. She looked up into the mirror, and didn't recognize the person staring back. Her strawberry blond hair was knotted in a bun, mascara running down her face, and her porcelain skin whiter than usual. This wasn't her, this person staring back was a mess, and this wasn't Lydia martin.

Lydia doesn't break down, her hair is never a mess, her makeup doesn't run, no one has ever seen her in sweatpants besides him, except for stiles. She has lost loved ones, she has been through hell with what has been going on, but nothing has compared to the pain she is feeling right now. The feeling of her friend's life being drained, just so she could have hers.

She lost Allison and she was her best friend but even that didn't feel like this. Lydia couldn't help but thinking, that in her mind he wasn't just a friend. She looked closer at the person in her reflection, the girl in the mirror might be broken but in her eyes there is something whole, and that something is the feelings she has for stiles that she has hidden behind her fancy clothes, makeup and beautiful hair. The person looking at her from the mirror isn't herself, but it's her soul showing her the truth of her feelings for the boy behind the mint green walls.

Hero in a lover's body

Lydia closes her eyes once more to embrace her new found feelings and walks out of the bathroom, a changed person.

She walks down the hall and turns right, and then right into his father.

"Lydia! Wh….what happened to my son! Why is he in there? All I've been told was to ask the redhead in the waiting room." The Sherriff yelled. He wasn't trying to hurt Lydia he just needed answers, answers to why his only family left was in the ER.

"Well first let me tell you that he saved my li-"

"Do you not understand what I am asking? Why is he in there? I know he saved you, he saves everyone in this freaking town!" he was on the verge of screaming, but Lydia wasn't mad, she knew how upset he was, she was even more upset because she knew what stiles did to save her.

"I just don't understand why… "

"God you still don't get it do you?" he was more calm but was still yelling.

"Get wha-"

"He is in love with you Lydia he has always been in love with you. Stiles holds you on a pedestal, one that is way higher than himself, so if there is a chance for him to choose you or him… he doesn't even have to think before… before he jumps in front of a car to push you out of the way." The Sherriff was sobbing now as he looked beyond Lydia at the door that stood between him and his son.

I thought you didn't know what happened?" Lydia was almost speechless, she knew he had a crush on her but nothing to this extent. Did he really love her? He loved her this whole time and she realized a few minutes prior to talking to his father that she might have feelings for him to.

"Well out of everything that has happened I wasn't sure if that was the full story"

"The story is that yesterday he asked me out again, for probably the twentieth time and I said yes to get it over with."

"You aren't helping explain anything but trashing my son" he looked at her angrily.

"Sorry… but anyways he took me to the movies and as we were walking out he was telling me some stupid joke, but I was actually having fun until…"

"Until what..." his dad closed him eyes preparing himself for the words to come.

"Until we were crossing the street and I dropped my purse… I turned around to pick it up when I heard him scream my name… followed by him diving toward me to push me out of the way of the oncoming car. I got one last glance at him before the car hit his body… and all I could see in his brown eyes was the headlights of the car and… a small smile that soon went straight when the car crashed into his ribs." Lydia was crying now, as she recalled every detail from the accident.

"The car kept going leaving stiles' body in a heap on the side of the road… I was next to him as the ambulance came and drove both of us here." She sobbed, the Sherriff could see that she cared for his son a lot, so he pulled her in to cry on his shoulder.

"Do you know who was driving the car?" the Sherriff said.

"I couldn't see…"She wished that she saw the driver so much but she couldn't, the light from the headlights was to bright…and so was stiles smile before he was hit. She didn't know why he would smile before something so terrible was about to happen. She tried to keep the picture of his simile in her mind to comfort her, because that might have been his last.

" Lydia I need you to stay here… and call me if you get any news or something as soon as possible…I have to find out who did this to my son" the Sherriff said as he slowly walked away.

The Sherriff left the hospital and left Lydia at the hospital. About ten minutes after he left Mrs. McCall came out to tell Lydia that she could go and see him. Lydia approached the door, preparing herself for what may be behind it.

The room was small with pale mint green walls, and a bed in the middle. On the bed was stiles, for being hit by a car he looked really good, there were a few bruises on his face, but from what Lydia was told by the doctor it was mostly internal. Four of his ribs were broken, but when he hit the ground he was knocked out and fell into a coma.

Lydia saw a chair in the corner of the room, and pulled it up to stiles bed. She held up her hand to his wounded face and felt his warm skin. She put her fingers through his hair, slightly. Her hand found his and she intertwined their fingers and held on never wanting to let go.

Lydia fell asleep on his chest and woke up with his father standing in the back of the room.

"Oh I'm sorry I must have fallen asleep… I can leave you two" she yawned.

"Its ok he would want you here." His father said. With that, Lydia put her head down again. She looked up at him, he looked so fragile and pale, but at the same time that's what made him so strong, stiles was truly Lydia hero.

When hearts stop others start

It's been about a week and Lydia hasn't left the hospital. The Sherriff wished he could stay by his son's side as well however he was the Sherriff and there was a lot of work to be done. Scott visited a few times as well, however not as much as he had hoped because there is something new in town, something that is supernatural. It was around six o'clock and Lydia was in her normal position, her chair right next to his bed, one hand holding his, and the other holding a book. Lydia loved reading the little mermaid, stiles never understood why she read it, so when he wakes up she wanted him to know why, so she sat in his room and read him the story. It was nice for Lydia to finally talk to stiles without him interrupting her with some sarcastic remark. She was halfway down the page when his hand started to feel a little cold. Lydia put down the book and looked up at his face, it looked paler than usual. Suddenly the most feared sound anyone could hear in a hospital started going off. Lydia looked up at the monitor and there was a straight line across the screen.

"No no no... Someone come quickly!" Lydia's heart was pounding out of her chest, she could feel the tears fill her eyes. The nurses rushed in and made her back away from him, she didn't want to drop his hand, the hand that was warm minutes before. "I can't! I can't leave him!" she screamed through the tears running down her face. "You have to unless you want your boyfriend to die." The blonde nurse said. "Someone get her out of here!" the stalky doctor said as he leaned over stiles. The blonde nurse grabbed Lydia's wrist and pulled her outside the room. Lydia's breathing quickened when she looked through the doors into the room and saw the mob of nurses and doctors surrounding stiles.

"I know this is hard but the best thing you can do right now is stay calm, your boyfriend seems strong." the nurse said placing her hand on Lydia's shoulder, stabilizing her. "He's not my boyfriend" Lydia mumbled. Saying that made her feel even worse. "Wow, by the way you stayed with him and looked at him I could've sworn you were in love with him." The nurse said surprised. "Sarah we need you in here" someone called from inside the room, and with that she smiled at Lydia and stepped into the room.

Did it really seem as though she was in love with him? He's always had a crush on her but did she like him back as well? This was all too much for her to handle. This couldn't be happening…happening to stiles? Her stiles? She didn't know what she was thinking…. He was never her stiles and now he never will be.

She dared to look back in the room and she saw the doctors reach for the paddles. "One, two three… clear!" and his body jumped. Still that long hollow beep filled the room. "One two three… clear!" again stiles body jumped… but this time followed by two deep breaths, Stiles breathing in, and Lydia breathing out.

Lydia sprinted into the room and held his hand, it was still cold but the warmth was coming back. "Stiles?" Lydia whispered wiping her tears with her other hand. "Lydia." He said under his breath. "You can stay in here, but he needs his rest" the nurse said from behnd Lydia. "Ok, but can I read to him?" Lydia questioned.

"I don't th-"

"Please?" Lydia interrupted.

"Alright, but only for a few minutes" She compromised. The nurse handed Lydia the book on the table and walked out. Lydia opened thee book and started reading, "Arial is perfect, she has the most beautiful blue eyes, and vibrant red hair I just have to marry her." Lydia said turning the page.

"I'm more of a green eyes and strawberry blond kinda guy" a voice said. Lydia took her eyes away from the book and saw stiles admiring her.

"Stiles!" Lydia shot up out of her chair knocking it over and hugged him. She was so thrilled to see his eyes open, she didn't even realize that she knocked over the chair, she realized it when he squinted his eyes as it crashed to the ground.

"Sorry" she said blushing recognizing that a loud noise isn't the best for him right now.

"Are you ok… I pushed you pretty hard the other night?" stiles said looking down at her hand holding his. Stiles hurt but he was very concerned for her.

"Are you kidding everyone has been worried about you… I've been worried about you…you almost died." Lydia announced looking into his eyes.

"You didn't answer my question… and you've been worried about me? I think I did die and I went to heaven?" Stiles laughed as best he could before feeling the pain shoot across his ribs.

"That's not funny stiles… and I'm not ok I haven't slept in days, just thinking you might not wake up, I haven't left the hospital" Lydia confessed.

"Wha…why haven't you left the hospital?" Stiles mumbled taking in Lydia's stare.

"I was afraid that if I left, I would miss your first joke about the hospital food or the first time you open your eyes… but what I was terrified most about was I wouldn't be here for your last breath…because I would have done this to make you hold it" Lydia lowered her head to his, followed by her lips crashing into his. She slowly pulled away and opened her eyes.

"You weren't having the panic attack this time… I was… and you made me hold my breath." Lydia whispered to him.

"Do you know why I smiled after I pushed you out of the way?" Stiles whispered back.

"No… but what does that have to do wi-" She responded looking for the answer in his eyes.

"When I pushed you away from the car, I knew you were safe, and that's all I cared about." Stiles felt no pain, only the feeling of Lydia standing before him, and there was no better feeling he could ask for.

"You know that saying you don't know what you have until it's gone… well I had you and you left me and I was nothing… stiles… I love you… because without you there is no me."

"I love you too Lydia martin… always have and always will" He spoke slowly and truthfully. Before her laid the boy who saved her life, the boy who makes her hold her breath, the boy who she loves.