It was a pretty random night, nothing was special about it. Stiles was comfortably installed on his bed, in sweatpants and a plaid shirt, waiting for Derek to finish his shower before starting the movie he had just selected for them. His thought were drifting between reflexions about college choices and different methods he could use to connect with the Nemethon. The only thing he knew for sure was that he WOULD NOT almost drown in a bathtub full of ice EVER AGAIN. Derek stormed in the room fully dressed in a black jean and a white tee shirt, his hair still slightly damped from his shower. God he looked good!
He went straight for the dresser, pulled some pants and a shirt and handed them to Stiles saying :
"Put that on, we are going out".
Stiles sat up in the bed, checked his phone for any notification from the Pack, finding none, and then processed to study Derek from head to toes who was slightly blushing. Well he wasn't really, but he was doing what Stiles assumed was his blushing face (read frowning face number 32).
"Is it your way of asking me on a date?" he finally asked with a smile on the corner of his mouth.
"Just get ready" said Derek .
Ten minutes later they were both in the Camaro, driving towards a restaurant at the edge of town.
"This is a pretty cosy place" said Stiles looking at Derek form behind his menu "discreet as well, I like it"
They were sitting in a booth at the back of the restaurant, no one would be able to see them from the main room.
"Laura waitered tables here one summer" murmured Derek "I know where the exits are if we run into trouble, plus the staff is still the same and they won't gossip".
"The food looks pretty nice too" approved Stiles "any particular reason you wanted to do this tonight?"
"I just thought we needed to get out of the house for a while" shrugged Derek.
"I'm sorry if I have been a bit silent lately" said Stiles putting his hand on Derek's
"I'm not sure you are capable of being silent" mocked Derek locking their fingers together.
"You know what I mean" replied Stiles looking at him in the eyes "this whole story with Charleston and the Nem…"
"I don't want to talk about that" tensed Derek "just not tonight, please" he added softly taking Stiles' other hand and looking at him with a begging expression.
"Yeah, you're right" answered Stiles "let's just enjoy ourselves for once".
" What's up daddy'o?" said Stiles cheerfully while entering his father's office, Scott in tow.
"Close the door" said the Sheriff standing from his desk to walk toward the whiteboard.
After the mantah debacle, Stiles started to try to convince his father to let the Pack have insights on any 'strange' -read likely supernatural- cases he encountered. The Sheriff finally gave in after Liam and Mason tried, and failed, to break in the evidence locker. Plus, he was pretty sure Parish would eventually spill everything to Lydia anyway. So he set up a whiteboard in his office and they agreed that he would ask Stiles to bring over dinner when he had something to show to the Pack.
He made a face looking at the bag Stiles was holding, which probably contained some tofu and vegetables, and began speaking, pointing at the pictures on the wall.
"Three victims, found two days ago respectively in the parking lot of the grocery store on Victoria street Hill street, on a bench in Washington Park and in the alley behind Alfredo's. Four other were found last night, also in random locations. There are no known connections between them other than their were all killed, supposedly by the same suspect. They all present a triangular puncture wounds at the base of their skull. We thought it was some kind of pike or some other odd weapon ; but the ME report just came in on the three first victims and apparently they were injected some sort of organic compound. He is not sure if it's what killed them or if it was used as a way to subdue them ; ultimate cause of death seems to be an heart attack. Also, all the bodies have a nasty rash on their torso and abdomen. I can only assume we will have the same results for the other four once their autopsy is done."
"I will get my mum to pull some of the substance from one of the bodies for Deaton. I assume they are kept at the hospital morgue?" asked Scott pulling his phone from his pocket.
The Sheriff nodded.
"The body count is quite overwhelming. Did you call for a curfew?" asked Stiles
"Yeah" said the Sheriff "not that it had much effect last time"
"Right..." mumbled Stiles advancing towards a maps on the wall "what worries me the most are the locations of the bodies. Were they moved post mortem?"
"Not that we can tell" informed the Sheriff
"Why does it matter?" asked Scott putting away his phone after sending a text.
"As I said, they appear random" pointed the Sheriff.
"Random, maybe" mumbled Stiles "but for all the twisted monsters we encountered, they at least tried to remain discreet. This is the dirty work of something that doesn't care to get caught, they don't trap their victims in warehouses nor kidnap them for a kill in the woods. It looks like crimes of opportunity with no effort of hiding anything, they don't take any precaution and I'm not sure they even have a plan. That make them unpredictable and very dangerous"
"My thoughts exactly" sighed the Sheriff.
"Stiles it doesn't even look like you are trying!" said Lydia frustrated.
"Common Lyds, in what world can you imagine I would be able to meditate?" countered Stiles.
They were sitting yoga style on the Nemethon, trying to get Stiles to use his spark to connect with it.
"Where is Derek anyway?" asked Lydia
Stiles remembered the conversation he had with his boyfriend the week before while getting back from Deaton's after their chat with Charleston.
Stiles, said the werewolf, my high school friends tried to enslave us to that tree, Cora was almost sacrificed to that tree, Paige died under that tree… I… I understand you have to do this for the Pack, for the town, but I can't be part of it. I'm sorry.
Stiles must have made a face because Lydia was taking his hand and speaking to him smoothly.
"Stiles I believe you can do that, you just have to believe it too".
'It's not really a matter of believing I can do it" said Stiles getting up "It's more about believing I should. I mean, think about it, everything we've been through those last few years seems somehow connected to that tree. Granted, very remotely connected sometimes but still… I don't know. I think I'm done, at least for today, let's go see what Deaton can tell us".
"Hey Dad" said Stiles entering the Sheriff's office, "here is your lunch"
"Did you have to bring that thing?" asked the Sheriff looking inside the bad his son just handed him.
"That's a perfectly eatable bulgur salad!" defended Stiles "Besides, I also bear information : according to Deaton, the compound found in the victim's' systems is very similar to red ants' venom, it's probably what's induced heart attacks on all of them."
"Not all of them" said the Sheriff "I just got back for the hospital where I interviewed your friend Greenberg"
"I wouldn't go so far as calling him a friend, I mean, he is… well there is nothing special about the guy, really"
"He is special enough to have survived an attack" cut the Sheriff "Doesn't remember anything though, I would have concluded to one of your pranks if it wasn't for the triangular wound at the back of his skull. Oh, and apparently he had no rash, if it even matters to someone..."
"Well I, for sure, don't care about Greenberg's lack of belly rash" smirked Stiles.
It was close to midnight and still Stiles couldn't sleep, whether it was the excitement of the day or the absence of Derek beside him, he was feeling like that one time he went out of adderall and went 3 days without being able to rest. I hadn't been pretty.
After 2 hours of tossing in his bed he heard a knock on the window.
"Finally" he muttered getting up to open it.
"I'm sorry" mumbled Derek getting in
"For what?" exclaimed Stiles "Not using the front door like a normal person? Or maybe it is because I'm here waiting with no idea where you are? But why would I possibly worry? It's not like you were tracking a potentially deadly psychopath! Oh but wait, you were!"
" I know, I'm just" muttered Derek
"Don't even try to justify this!" yelled Stiles.
"I'm sorry, I just…' sighted Derek leaning against the wall
"I mean it Derek! You are avoiding me and it's not acceptable!" said Stiles eying his boyfriend with an angry expression
"I'm not I…"
"Yes you are, and you know we don't have time for that right now. Something bad has come in town, and no matter the magical connexion I have to your emotions and sensations, I need to know where you are, and that you are safe!"
"I know, you're right, I'm sorry, it won't happen again" conceded Derek.
"Of course I'm right, take a shower before you come to bed" Stiles dismissed him.
When Derek came out of the bathroom, Stiles laid in bed pretending to sleep, which Derek, of course, could tell just listening at his heart. He also could feel that his boyfriend was annoyed and frustrated with him. Neither of the bondmates were up to talk about it; so the werewolf sighted and laid next to Stiles. They eventually fell into a restless sleep.
Scott and Stiles where in the locker for Lacrosse practice.
"Hey Greenberg" said Stiles, I heard you went into trouble yesterday"
All present lacrosse players turned at once, eyes flashed purple and zeroing on them.
"I guess he did more than surviving" mumbled Stiles has he was shutting the door of the locker room.
It took the combined strength of an Alpha werewolf, and a spark - mostly of the Alpha but still- to keep it shut as apparently all of their team was adamant on killing them.
"What are you doing?" asked Malia appearing with Lydia.
"A little help?" asked Scott.
Malia went to put her shoulder on the door while Stiles explained
"Well apparently, those who aren't killed by the ant thing go psycho"
"That's because it is not a werecreature" said Lydia "I found it on the bestiary, that's a parasite. When bitten, you die or you get infected. Then your only purpose is to expand the colony, the more members, the more each individual is strong. Based on the exponential rate it spreads, I wouldn't be surprised if half of town was affected by now. There seems to be a cure though ; something called Bêdawîtî Ash"
"We should talked to Deaton", said Scott
The pressure on the door fell, Stiles lost his footing and fell head first on the ground. Scott opened the door slowly to investigate. He found a hole leading outside in the wall.
"They are indeed pretty strong" nodded the Alpha
"We can start with claustrophobia on the list of their weakness" said Stiles "or maybe it was that delightful locker-room smell? We should all wear dirty sport clothe from now on, just to be safe!"
"That was my dad" said Stiles hanging up the phone "infected people are running around town, he is organizing patrols with Chris and some volunteers ; this is beginning to feel like the zombie apocalypse!"
"As I was explaining to Mister Hale" said Deaton "I don't have Bêdawîtî ash in my possession, however I can tell you where to obtain it"
"Spill it out Doc!" exclaimed Stiles "we don't have all day"
"Well, 'Bêdawîtî' is kurde for infinity which is why that kind of ashes can only be found at the core of a very specific kind of trees, the kind that don't die" explained the veterinarian.
"Obviously" growled Derek
"Look I've been trying to connect with it with no success, maybe it's time for a more aggressive method, do you happened to keep a chainsaw in here?" asked Stiles
"You know it cannot be this simple" sighed Derek
"Yeah but…"
"Here" said Deaton handing him some sort of wineskin "this contains a potion used by shamans to communicate with the spirit world, it should help".
"Derek…" muttered Stiles
"You need to go" answered Derek face closed "I will join the rest of the Pack to do damage control in town".
"Derek, did Deaton had the cure?" asked Scott
"Stiles is working on it" answered Derek
"All Right" said the Alpha "in the meantime, we need to protect the population. Remember the infected are not in control of their actions, fight them off but don't arm them"
"Is it even possible?" asked Malia
"She's right" agreed Mason "they won't back down easily"
"Well" continued Scott "do everything you need not to let them get to you or anyone uninfected just… try not to kill anyone. Kira you're with Liam, you cover the hospital ; Mason, Malia, the school. I'm with Lydia at the police station. Derek, you're sister is with Chris patrolling the warehouse area, you might want to give them a hand."
Stiles was walking in the Preserve, looking for the Nemethon. He was freezing, more than a little worried about what was going on in town, and well in the way of being totally drunk.
"Common, common, common" he mumbled "Deaton makes good moonshine, I'll give him that, but it's not helping. I can't even find the damn tree! Plus I'm talking to myself! Brilliant!"
He reach a clearing and let himself fell on a log, taking his head in his hands
"Think" he said to himself again "the Nemethon is not in a place you can find, it reveals itself to those who really seek it. It's not the time to unconsciously sabotage yourself."
Stiles was gathering his thoughts, trying to will himself into finding the Nemethon when he realized he wasn't cold anymore.
"Stiles" he heard in the wind.
His head snapped but he saw nothing
"Great! Acoustic hallucinations, what an unpleasant sensation I was SO NOT looking forward to have again".
"You need to lock up the hospital!" said Liam
"Look" answered his step father "I don't know what you think will happen, but this is a hospital, people need it open to get traited."
"I talking about a life and death situation here!" insisted Liam
"No, I AM" replied the doctor
"Doctor, you need to listen to him!" cut Melissa "trust me if he says you need to do it, then you need to do it" she added with her 'I mean business' look.
Liam nodded his thanks Kira who had appeared behind Melissa
"What now?" he asked the Kitsune
"We make sure no infected person is already inside and we lock them up away form the other patients if need be."
"Let's hope Stiles come through and fast" said Liam with a determined look marching down the hospital hallways with Kira.
"Stiles" said the voice again
"Stop playing with me, you can't be her!" yelled Stiles
"Who can't I be?" asked the voice
"Allison" whispered Stiles as the young girl appeared in front of him
"That's right, that's my name!" she said sweetly "why don't you believe I'm here?"
"Because you're dead" mumbled Stiles eyes on the ground "you're dead because of me… God I'm so sorry Allison".
"Oh you're right I'm dead!" exclaimed Allison like she just found out christmas came early "well that's gotta be weird..."
"You're telling me!" snorted Stiles "I'm losing my mind again, and it's the worst possible time for it!"
"You're not losing your mind Stiles" reassured Allison "I'm not really here, I'm just an echo of who I was when you, me and Scott sacrificed ourselves to the Nemethon to save our parents. You remember that day?"
"Yeah, I had nightmares about it until…"
"Until your nightmares became about me dying?" she asked in an innocent tone "Deep down you know it wasn't your fault."
"Still I could have… God I'm so sorry"
"Stop it!" she said with the voice of the woman who was supposed to become the leader of the biggest hunters family "you always do your best to save your friends, you need to do that again today!"
"What is it?" asked Cora watching the wince on her brother's face.
"Nothing"
"Derek?"
"It's Stiles, I think he made contact" he grunted
"Good" cut Chris "because that lot" he added pointing at the group of infected people they were following "is heading to town and I'm afraid we will soon have no other choice than to stop them by force".
- "Is that everyone?" asked Malia
- "Yeah" answered Miss Martin "most student didn't show up this morning"
- "Hopefully it means all infected teens were compelled to skip school" said Mason
- "Will you finally tell me why I have all student and personal trapped in the auditorium?" asked the principal impatient.
"It's okay Stiles" said Allison reassuring.
"No it's not okay!" claimed Stiles "you're dead, the town is dying. Everyone will soon be dead or turned evil if I don't do this, and Derek…"
"How is that about Derek?" asked Allison "oh right bondmates" she added after a second
"You knew all along?" frowned Stiles
"No, I honestly thought you would pine for Lydia forever. I'm your link to the Nemethon, I just know this kind of things now" she answered matter of factly.
"Then tell me what I should do!" exclaimed Stiles
"You need to trust the Nemethon's spirit, show it you and the Pack can be trusted. Open your mind to it, let it trust you." she said seriously
"It shouldn't matter if me and some spirit are trusting each other, which would be quite an ironic accomplishment, I'm not the Alpha of the Pack, Scott is!" countered Stiles
"Scott is your brother, not in blood but in spirit, which is what matters here. You always trusted each other, every decision he makes for the Pack, he makes in accordance with you. You have every legitimacy to speak in his name. Now focus, time is at the essence here, isn't it?"
- "There is a residential area two blocks away, we cannot let them go any further" said Chris
- "Agreed" mumbled Derek
- "I will circle them and ambush them for the north, you two block their retreat" said the hunter before taking off.
- "Remember, no killing" said Derek in his back
- "You don't look so good" remarked Cora
- "I'll be fine" growled Derek.
At same time, Chris was using his tasers on two of the infected, 4 of them came running towards the werewolves position. Derek braced himself. He knocked down the first one on the first strike and proceed to fight a second one. We he finally came down, the werewolf was struggling to catch his breath.
"Those guys are strong granted, but still it shouldn't have take so much of you" said Cora looking at the two guys who were at her feet, unconscious "help me tie them to that landpost."
"I can't do it" growled Derek
"Sure you can, that's the easy part" answered his sister.
"No I mean… Stiles is close, I can feel it, I just… once he connects with the Nemethon, I will be link to it through the bond we share, I cannot bear it. I need… I need to be as far away as possible."
"Won't the Bondmates link kill both of you if you run?" asked Cora worried
"No, not anymore, we are so close now that the link will remain wherever we are. I just… I'm sorry."
"Derek you can't do that to Stiles, to the Pack, to me. Even if the Nemethon doesn't affect you from a distance, which you can't be sure of, in the long run, you won't forgive yourself if you abandon us. If abandon him. And you will be alone, an omega ; trust me a connection to an eternal spirit is a small price to pay to have a Pack."
"I'm so sorry Cora, Scott will keep you in the Pack even if I'm not here. I just, I can't".
When Chris came back, Derek was gone.
"Crap" yelled Scott closing the cell behind them.
"Yep, purple is not a good look on the Sheriff" said Lydia
"He could have died from that bite! Stiles would never have forgive me" said Scott panicked.
"Well, at least all the cops wouldn't have stand down on his order just to get bitten themselves"
"This is a mess, I hope the others are alright. How long do you think we have before they figure a way to open those cell doors and get to us?"
"Stiles is not picking up his phone" said Lydia putting her own phone back in her pocket .
"Let's hope he can do it" mumbled Scott
"If he doesn't, the ant collective is gonna get the power of a true alpha, I'm not sure the tables can be turned after that" frowned Lydia
"You are so close" murmured Allison not wanting to break Stiles' concentration
"I can't!" screamed Stiles like he was in pain.
"Yes you can" said the girl "just open up, you're almost there"
"This is hurting Derek, I can feel it"
"I know Derek is not on board with this, but once you make the Nemethon part of the Pack, he will realise that…"
"You don't understand!" cut Stiles "Derek and I are bondmates and even if his stubborn paranoia is misplaced, which really isn't if you think about it, this is hurting him and I can't…"
"Stiles, you know what's at stake here" reasoned Alisson
"I do! And nevertheless, I can't knowingly arm Derek, I couldn't even if I wanted to ; it's like... it would literally be easier to will my heart to stop beating."
"How is it going on your hand?" asked Liam on the phone.
"We are camped up in the auditorium, no signs of any infected, I guess the school is away enough from town" answered Mason
"It's probably a matter of time before they realize we're guarding a perfect supply of food" noted Malia
"I'm more afraid of how we are gonna keep everyone in when the bell rings the end of last period in a few minutes" said Mason rolling his eyes "How are things of your hands?"
"The hospital is on lockdown" sighed Liam "infected people are banging at the doors but they are holding for now. A bunch of doctors got out an hour ago to 'help the sicks' trying to sedate them and bring them here. Some people from the waiting area blocked the doors after them so that they couldn't come back as 'zombies' ; not that we ever saw them again."
"Any news for Scott?" asked Malia
"He said there is nothing we can do besides waiting" answered Kira in the background.
Stiles was sitting on the Nemethon's stump. Elbows on his knees and head in his hand. Allison was gone. He knew he failed. The entire town was going to be dead or worse and he couldn't feel Derek anymore. He was crying, feeling the panic attack coming and he was almost welcoming it, hoping the physical pain would override the despair he was swiping in. The wind was blowing in the leaves of the nearby trees, signaling that the spirit of the Nemethon was there, so close but still out of his reach.
In felt like hours since Allison had disappeared ; it was today's sunset but he could have easily been tomorrow's ; not that Stiles would see it, or maybe as an evil ant-like creature if he was unfortunate enough to survive the bite.
He was lost in his thoughts of guilt, of pain, his brain going to his Pack, his father and then he finally let the exhaustion take him falling on his side and calling for his bondmate in a whisper
"Derek…"
A fully shifted werewolf was running through the woods, only hoping to get to his mate on time. When the Nemethon came in his view he progressively transformed back into human.
"Stiles" he murmured taking the spark in his arms "I'm so sorry I let you do this alone, I'm here now, I'm with you, I love you, please open your eyes"
"Derek" mumbled Stiles opening his eyes
"Yes it's me, I'm here" said the werewolf
"I can't…" started Stiles
"Yes you can, we can. I'm sorry, I've been so selfish and stubborn. I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm ready to do this with you now" said Derek looking at him in the eyes.
A golden ring appeared in their eyes before Stiles' closed again.
"Stiles?"
"Allison? Where is Derek? I swear he was just here"
"He is. You're the spark and he cannot follow in this plan but he is with you. I have to say I didn't think he could get out of his angst but you're a good influence on him"
"Shall we do this then?"
"Oh but you already are!"
Derek just had time to pull Stiles' unconscious body away from the Nemethon when the slump parted into two pieces some kind of greenish dust in its center. Derek was in awe when he felt Stiles moving
"Derek, watch out!" yelled Stiles pushing the werewolf aside.
He bent down to grab a handful of ash and blowing it into the face of a very pissed and purple eyed Greenberg before he could reach his boyfriend.
"What in the…" said Derek looking at the lacrosse player going limp on the floor.
"Common sourwolf" cut Stiles "I have grocery bags in the Jeep, we need to get as much as possible of that stuff and get to the others!"
They run to the Jeep and back to the Nemethon, Derek at first hesitant, found out he could touch this kind of ash without getting hurt. They run back to the Jeep, Stiles jumped behind the wheel and said:
"You might want to put some clothes on before we reach town" he smirked at Derek's naked body pointing at a duffle bag at his feet ; "it's bad enough Greenberg saw you naked!"
"How are we gonna spread that thing on all the infected?" asked Derek struggling to put his shirt on it the tight space of the Jeep.
"I have my idea" said Stiles with a wink.
Scott pushed Lydia behind him while he looked horrified at the Sheriff trying to grab him with his arm between the bars of the cell. Suddenly, he heard a crash, that was the hallway door Sheriff didn't even noticed too focused on Scott who was staring at him, not knowing what to do.
"What the hell do you think you are doing, Dad!" said Stiles "that's not the way to treat the town Alpha! And by the way, I want to be there when you explain Melissa how you tried to eat her son."
"They are not eating them" noted Derek
"I know" said Stiles annoyed "I was going for the dramatic effect! Which has no effect since he is not even listening to me." he added gesturing at his father
The Sheriff was still trying to reach Scott and Lydia who were in the back of the cell, to far for him to even touch.
"How did you passed all the angry zombies out there?" asked Scott
"Did you bring the ashes?" asked Lydia
"Hey!" yelled Stiles grabbing a pen from the desk and throwing it at his father.
That got his attention : the Sheriff turned around and went to grab him. Stiles pulled a water gun from behind his back and proceeded to spray the Sheriff.
"Bêbawîtî-water cocktail! Take that Zombie Dad!" he said triumphant.
The Sheriff went limp against a wall while Derek was going to open the cell.
"Keys are hanged over there" said Stiles pointing at a cupboard.
"And the Sheriff didn't know that?" asked Scott
"I guess, once infected, the host is only focused on infecting more people and does not access previous memories" noted Lydia.
"Are those the guns you were telling me about?" asked Scott checking out the water guns Stiles and Derek were carrying.
"Yeah!" beamed Stiles "the biggest and more powerful on the market ; 15 feet of range, half a gallon in the tank. Someone said it was childish to order them" he added glancing at Derek "I guess someone will have to apologize and be thankful that I had this babies in the car".
"The only reason they were in there is because you didn't tell me you bought them and then didn't dare bring them home" snorted Derek.
"Boys!" cut Lydia "I can only guess there are still infected people running around"
"Right, sorry" said Stiles
"We need a plan" said Scott
"Yeah" agreed Derek.
Scott looked at Stiles, then at Lydia, then back at Stiles
"Well you are the Alpha!" said Stiles "aren't you the one to make the decisions?"
"You're the one with the ash voodoo thing! I assumed you already had a plan" exclaimed Scott
"I just opened my mind to an eternal tree, then gunned my way across town to kick down my father to save your ass!" answered Stiles
Lydia rolled her eyes and then asked Derek
"How much of it did you get?"
"The Jeep's trunk is packed with it" said Derek
"Liquid form?" asked Lydia
"No ashes" answered Derek
"Good. What are the proportion of the water/ash mix?"
Derek stayed silent and turned to Stiles
"I don't know!" yelled Stiles his hands flying over his head "she didn't really speak specifics! I just sprinkled some in the guns' tanks, which we will need to recharge pretty soon by the way"
"She?" frowned Derek
"The Nemethon is a girl?" asked Scott confused
"No…" mumbled Stiles "look it's not important right now. I'm not sure the proportions really matter, I can use my spark to mix it and we will be fine".
"Let's go then!" said Lydia.
"Where?" asked Stiles
"The firefighters casern is next door" she said casually "Scott and Derek will highjack a fire truck and get ready to spread water across town".
"Derek can really rock the firefighter outfit" agreed Stiles.
Derek rolled his eyes but went back to the blushing/angry face 32 expression.
"In the meantime" continued Lydia annoyed "we will meet up with Chris and Cora to go to the water system facilities and contaminate the town's water supplies with the ashes. The others can turn on the sprinklers at the hospital and at the school. After that, we can find more water guns and do turns in town to find the remaining infected people".
"This is gonna the biggest water battle this town has ever seen!" said Stiles high fiving Scott.
A.N. / So here it is, the last chapter of this series! Epilogue will come soon.