Lydia had gotten in her car the minute the devastating news left Scott's mouth.
Stiles' dad had been killed.
The sheriff had responded to a 911 call, not knowing that two chimeras were waiting for him. The Beacon Hills police department had been stretched thin thanks to the Dread Doctors, so without any backup, the Sheriff was outmatched.
This is all Lydia remembered hearing from Scott when he called, before the overwhelming need to be with Stiles overtook her.
"Where's Stiles?" Lydia practically screeched in to the phone.
"He's at his house." Scott replied "Lydia, he may not be ready to see you."
She hung up on Scott. Normally she would listen to what Scott had to say. After all, he knows his best friend better than anybody, but she couldn't ignore this visceral feeling taking over her body. It wasn't her Banshee instinct she felt right before she found a body.
This was different.
She knew Stiles wasn't physically hurt. It was like a string was pulling her to him. A feeling that he needed her and only her.
She didn't know what she was going to say or do, she just knew that the tether between them could provide them both with strength. She had to give him whatever she could.
All this was running through her head as she made the short drive to his house. Lydia pulled in the driveway and bolted from the car. The fall had brought a chill in to the night air and Lydia had ran out of the house so fast, she only had her thin pajama top and shorts on. Shivering, she quickly made her way in to the house.
The door was unlocked so she let herself in.
The house was hauntingly quiet.
"Stiles?" Lydia asked with only silence as her answer.
She climbed the stairs two steps at a time.
He must be in his room.
She gave the door a soft knock before entering.
The sight that met her eyes took her breath away.
Stiles was sitting on the edge of his bed, holding his Dad's sheriff jacket, and tears were streaming down his face.
He didn't even look up at her.
The need to be close to him intensified to an unbearable amount.
Lydia chucked her keys to the floor kicked off her shoes and bolted to him.
She was on his lap before she had any chance to second guess her actions.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of his neck.
Stiles still hadn't said a word or responded to her presence in any way.
She could sense the raw emotion emanating from his body.
Lydia could feel his tears on her neck. She wasn't sure when she had started crying as well.
Lydia had been hugging Stiles for a few minutes and he still hadn't said a word and his hands lay by his side.
Lydia could feel him resisting the connection between them. He wasn't willing to accept the comforting emotions she was trying to give him.
Lydia wasn't exactly sure what all an emotional tether could provide so she acted on instinct.
She thought about when Allison had died and how she felt such grief. Grief that she couldn't bare alone. Then she thought about all the times Stiles had provided her with comfort, bravery, joy, and countless other emotions. She thought about all of the times Stiles made her feel loved. She focused on all these feelings he could evoke from her as she kissed his cheeks where his tears were falling.
Each time her lips met his skin she felt Stiles body respond to her.
When Lydia was thinking about how she felt when her dad had told her that Stiles had slept outside her hospital room all weekend, finally, he wrapped his arms around her body so tightly her heart stopped.
He was clinging on to her for dear life.
His body was accepting every emotion she was willing to give.
Lydia became overwhelmed.
Everything she was feeling was multiplied by his response.
Joy.
Comfort.
Peace.
Strength.
Most importantly- love.
Lydia was so focused on the ebb and flow of emotions between the two of them, she missed Stiles' whispers the first few times.
She pulled back her head so she could look him in the eyes.
If she ever doubted the power of their emotional tether all she had to do was remember the look in his eyes at this moment as he said,
"This connection...I can't lose it. Lydia, I can't lose you."
Her heart soared and broke all at once. How could she make a promise when their lives were in a constant state of danger?
All she knew was that if it was her choice, she would always be there for him. She would be his strength when he felt like giving up.
She would comfort him when he was in need.
She would challenge him when he needed to grow.
She would do her best to make countless smiles light up his face again.
She would show him love no matter what.
She didn't know any words that she could say to articulate exactly what she was feeling so she settled for a simple, "I'm right here."
She hugged him tighter and vowed to show him for the rest of their lives.
And who's to say that the strength of their emotional tether couldn't connect them even in the afterlife.