Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I make her do or say."
I'm back guys! And so is Nixie!
Okay, just a couple things I want to mention up top here. Firstly, that I love you guys, and love that you enjoy reading my stories. I would write them anyway, for the sheer enjoyment that it gives me, but knowing that you guys are enjoying them as well, makes it even more fun and exciting for me.
Secondly, as I'm sure you guys know by now, this is a run through of the second half of Season 3, but with my character Nixie thrown into the mix. :) And I have been really excited to get here because this is the portion where Jordan Parrish is finally introduced. Yay!
Thirdly, simply because I want you guys to know, I have come to the conclusion that, before I move onto Season 6 after this, I will be reworking Season 4 a bit. Going back and looking at it, compared to my later works, I feel I could do better. It'll be basically the same story, but with what I hope will be more depth and detail, based on the now previous seasons that I've written. So, those of you who haven't read that one yet, you might want to wait. Those of you who have already read it, just know that it will be changing and undergoing construction some time in the future.
Okay. I've bugged you guys enough with knowledge and details that have nothing to do with the story. Without further adieu, here is Teen Wolf Season 3b with Nixie!
Chapter 1: Episode 3x13
For a brief moment that morning, Stiles was still frozen. His nightmares, if you could even call them that with how terrifying they were, seemed to be getting progressively worse.
In contrast, when he opened his eyes, the sun was shining and birds were chirping. It was literally a beautiful, perfect, sunny day in Beacon Hills. His dad came in to tell him to get up and get to school. Everything was normal.
Except when Nixie came to stand in his doorway… he knew that she was very aware that it wasn't normal. Not really.
Ever since that night, when he, Scott and Alison had sacrificed themselves for their parents, the darkness around their hearts had taken affect. In different ways, for all of them. All three couldn't seem to get a complete grip on reality again… not yet. That was the terrifying part.
The solace in all of that, the thing that gave them all relief out of that… was that Nixie knew. And not just because Deaton had said this would happen. Somehow, before they'd call her, before they'd see her again… she already knew what had happened. They would reach for their phone to call and talk to her about it, as she'd requested they do, and she'd already be on her bike, racing to come and find them wherever they were.
Being their emotional tether had its effects on her as well. Not that she would trade it for anything. Knowing when they were in danger, or scared, or when that darkness was trying to bury them again… Nixie would never wish that away. It helped her do what she'd always done… which was take care of them and protect them.
Between the three of them though, in Nixie's opinion, Stiles had the worst end of the deal. Alison was… well, dangerous in how the darkness affected her. She always ended up with a weapon of some kind, as though prepared to attack the next living thing that came at her. And Scott… he was having difficulty with his werewolf abilities. He hadn't shifted since the night he'd become an alpha. At times, he refused to even try.
But Stiles' nightmares… Nixie felt them the worst. She felt for all of them when these things happened. A tug on her heart that alerted her to the darkness growing in size and strength again. And when it happened to Stiles, the tug was stronger. Alison and Scott… usually they were alright, and could wait to see Nixie the next day, unless she was already well on her way to come and see them.
Stiles was different though. So profoundly real were the nightmares that he'd have… more than just dreams, but almost memories that were taking on new shapes in his mind. So when the darkness came after him, Nixie felt the pull on her heart with a more profound urgency.
She'd been staying at the Stilinski house the past couple of weeks. Nixie had been beginning to think that would be the best thing to do anyway… but before she could even suggest it, Noah had actually approached her and asked if she would stay in the guest room for a while.
That was when Stiles finally explained to her, amidst all the chaos of his nightmares, that there was one thing that always let him know for sure when he was truly awake.
And it was because of her.
She was never in the nightmares. Everyone else was, at some point or another. But through all the terrifying things he saw in his sleep, Nixie's presence was never there. While he was still sleeping, still reliving those dreams, she wasn't present. It wasn't until the end, when he was so close to waking up that it was frustrating, when she would appear.
Stiles knew she didn't want to hear it, but she appeared as a sort of angel in his dreams. Not with wings or a halo or anything like that. But where everything else in his nightmares was dark, and almost lifeless… she glowed. There was always a sort of light emitting from her when she'd finally appear, penetrating through the dream he was trapped in. And as long as he reached for her, he could finally wake up and be back in reality.
It was why Noah wanted her at the house, until they could figure out how to put an end to this. Stiles would see her at the end of the dream and realize he was waking up… but after a certain point… he began to worry that he may have somehow drifted back to sleep, slipped back into another nightmare.
But if Nixie was there, at the house, and he could see her… he knew he was still in the land of reality.
She'd taken to coming to his room every morning. Noah would wake her first, if she wasn't already up, and then he'd go to get Stiles. Nixie would be right behind him, and then stand in the doorway for Stiles to see. It helped ease him, and so long as she stayed until he'd finally relaxed, the morning usually went off without a hitch.
Nixie knew it was getting worse though. For all of them. Having Nixie in the house had helped Stiles a great deal. And being around all of them, in general, helped Scott and Alison as well. But Alison, where she had been having dreams too and then waking up with weapons on hand; had begun experiencing the same while she was still awake. Nixie had found her outback in the woods one afternoon, shooting arrows at a tree in rapid succession.
To anyone else, it looked like Alison was intensely practicing her aim. But Nixie had known, through being their emotional tether; that Alison wasn't just aiming at the tree. She was aiming at something else… something no one else could see. And Scott… he was frightening himself. He'd attained his power as an alpha, he'd broken the mountain ash barrier, he'd saved his family and friends. But… he also knew what this power did to some people. He'd seen what it'd done to Peter, to Deucalion, to the other alphas, and even in some ways, what it had done to Derek for a time.
Nixie assured him, often, that he would never become like that. Scott was hers and she knew him better than that. But as time still passed… Scott grew harder and harder to convince of that truth.
And Stiles, though seeing her in the morning had helped at first, now still always seemed to question if he was awake. Seeing her in the morning was now only good enough for a little while, and then later, his certainty of everything around him would falter again. He'd be fine until they got to school, and then halfway through first period, or maybe even before that, he'd wonder if he was dreaming again or not. Nixie had taken to meeting him at his locker between every single class, to help prove when he was awake.
And now, as he'd told Nixie the other day… he was beginning to have trouble reading. Like he'd suddenly become dyslexic. They letters just weren't in the right order anymore.
Seeing Nixie usually helped that go away as well. And there were other things they'd been trying. Counting his fingers was something they'd worked on. You always had too many fingers in dreams. So long as he only counted ten, he was good and knew he was awake.
But it was still getting worse. And Nixie was becoming hard pressed to be everywhere she needed to be nowadays. Alison, Scott, and Stiles didn't notice it as much. They were distracted by their own problems, and Nixie didn't blame them in the slightest for that. But Lydia… she noticed. And Isaac too, for that matter. The dark circles under her eyes weren't always there, but they could both clearly see when Nixie had a particularly long night or evening, running back and forth between the three people who needed her most right now.
They'd taken to bringing her breakfast at school, because she started running out of time to grab anything for herself. And Lydia sent Stiles a reminder, every morning, to remember to make Nixie's coffee. Nixie had forbidden either of them from mentioning to Scott, Alison, or Stiles that they might be stretching her a little thin. They needed her, and until they had finally gotten a grip on this, she would continue to run in circles between the three of them, making sure they were okay. But Lydia did always remind Stiles about the coffee.
Stiles, sitting up in bed now, nods to Nixie and asks, "You ready for today?" "For what part of today exactly? Our math quiz, the finishing of our science report, or the glorious thing we call history class?" Grinning, Stiles asks, "Still hate it, huh?" "Always. With a passion. You good?" Stiles nods, but Nixie doesn't miss his grin slip a little as she walks away.
Yeah, it was definitely getting worse.
The night was broken by a scream that seemed to reverberate in Nixie's mind. The brush she always felt against her heart actually seemed to knock into her this time, and she felt short of breath as she struggled to roll out of bed.
Stiles was in his room, screaming in sheer terror, at whatever he'd just seen. This type of nightmare, the ones that woke him up in complete agony and chaos, were becoming more frequent too, and with it, so was the slight pain that Nixie seemed to wake up with in her chest.
Racing down the hall, she watches Noah rush in to grab Stiles and hold him close. Still writhing on the bed, clinging to his father, Stiles' eyes darted around looking for something.
Noah turned him enough so he could see Nixie standing by the bed, and Stiles relaxed instantly. Then he launched out of the bed and wrapped himself around her. She held him tight, but tears were in her eyes as she felt him shaking, literally all over.
This couldn't go on. They had to do something. And sooner, rather than later, was definitely when it needed to happen.
As she was driving to school, keeping herself behind Stiles for his sanity this morning, she felt another brush against her heart. And then another. And then two at the same time. That was a first.
And it was beginning to hurt. The more alarmed her friends seemed to get about whatever they saw, the harder the brush, and the more pained Nixie became. And the scar on her chest didn't help, since it would ache along with everything else after that.
Rubbing at her chest, she sighs and says, "Sorry Stiles." Then she pulls around him, motions for him to keep up, and then takes off down the road in front of him. And for his part, Stiles does keep up with her.
Considering how fast she was going though, Nixie doesn't consider that a good thing.
As they arrive at the school, Stiles hops out and catches up to her while asking, "What's up?" "Alison and Scott are both freaking out." "Okay, seriously, Nixie. How do you know that? And I don't just mean that we need you, but which one of us it even is? How do you…" "Stiles, we really don't need to worry about that right now. Let's find Scott. He's this way."
Following her, Stiles says, "Right. Because on top of knowing who we can trust, and knowing which one of us three needs you at any given time of the day, you've also somehow developed an eighth sense in which you can track us like we've all be inserted with GPS chips that your brain is hard-wired to always know where they are."
Nixie raises an eyebrow at that long sentence, but then ponders for a moment and says, "Hmm… that's not a bad idea. Where do you think we could find GPS chips like that?" "I was joking!"
She grins, and then turns back around in time to stop herself from falling down as they nearly run straight into Scott, who had been hurrying down the steps. He was panting now, in front of them. And though Nixie had seen him worried before, this was the first time that he suddenly grabbed onto her with enough force to make her worry that he was going to leave a bruise.
He stared at her face for a moment, and then sighs and looks at Stiles, who asks, "Are you alright, Scott?"
He nods, but then Stiles adds, "Well, you don't look aright." Shaking his head now, Scott affirms, "I'm okay." Stiles sighs and says, "No, you're not. It's happening to you too. You're seeing things aren't you?" Scott blinks and asks, "How'd you know?"
And as Lydia comes up to join them, Alison in tow, Nixie sighs and says, "Because it's happening to all three of you." Lydia nods, and then says, "Got your text." "Thanks Lydia." "Sure thing. How'd you know Alison needed you though? Like… seriously?" "One problem at a time guys. And helping you three keep it together… that definitely comes first. So… let's get cracking."
And in spite of their scares just now, all three grin at her. Scott wrap an arm around her shoulders as they head back into the school. Lydia leading the way, she sighs and says, "I have to admit, it's nice not to be the crazy one now." And though Alison was about to comment, she laughs when Nixie says, "When was that ever your position? I told you that you weren't crazy. And if anyone gets to be crazy in this group, it's me. So there."
Stopping in the hallway to look at each other, Scott sighs and says, "We did die and come back to life. That's bound to have some consequences, right?" Nixie nods along with everyone else, and then Stiles says, "We'll look out for each other, alright?" And they smile again when Nixie says, "And you will text me when something happens. All of you. Without fail." Scott kisses the side of her head and says, "Without fail. Promise." "Good. Now, everyone, off to class."
As they all nod, Stiles then adds, "And Lydia… leave the sarcastic teasing of our conditions to Nixie. She's better at it." Shoulders slumping a little, Lydia asks, "None of it made you feel any better?"
And they all know she's just trying to cheer them up, same as Nixie always did. But sarcasm wasn't always Lydia's strong suit, the way it was for Nixie and Stiles.
But the adorable look on her face when she asks Stiles the question, makes him grin. Giving her a hug, he says, "Some of it. And that definitely did. See you later."
Lydia smiles at that, and then links arms with Nixie as they head to class. Falling a little back, behind the others, Lydia asks, "How much sleep did you get last night?"
Alison was the one that Nixie had to keep informed about her scars and injuries. Likewise, in this situation, Nixie was forced to keep Lydia informed, about how much sleep she was able to get while still trying to keep Alison, Scott, and Stiles' sanity intact. She'd tried to tell Lydia not to worry about it, but the girl had insisted on knowing. She'd even enlisted Isaac's help, getting him to sit outside her bedroom at night to monitor how many times she was woken up because her phone rang.
In the interest of not making Isaac sit out in the cold all night, Nixie now informs Lydia of how much sleep she gets. Sighing now, Nixie says, "Four hours." "Nixie…" "I can function on three when necessary." "But it shouldn't be necessary. I get that they all need you and you're their tether and all… but Nixie… you need rest." "Oh, fiddlesticks. I'll sleep when I'm dead." "If you keep this up, you're going to wreck your bike one day from falling asleep at the wheel, and then you'll be dead."
Grinning, Nixie says, "Promise to bring blue flowers to my funeral." "Nixie, I'm serious." "I am too. And don't you dare let anyone bring pink flowers to my gravesite." And in spite of how serious Lydia was, she grins and asks, "And what are you going to do about it?" "Haunt the place and make all the pink flowers shrivel up and die as a consequence. Why are you laughing?"
As Alison's hand quivers like a leaf in the wind while trying to paint, Lydia and Nixie look at each other before Lydia says, "Not the steadiest hand for a superb marksman." Sighing, Alison says, "It's been happening for the past few weeks. Ever since that night…"
She drops her brush into the paint below, the red splashing up onto the blank paper. Lydia and Nixie watch as Alison freezes, eyes staring at it in terror. Nixie feels the brush against her heart that signals Alison is seeing something that they can't again, so Nixie gets up from her chair instantly. It's not like her own painting was going very well anyway. The extent of her ability, aside from maps and layouts, were stick figures, and that was it.
Ripping Alison's top canvas off to get to the next clear one, Nixie then says, "Start over." Alison nods, and begins again.
Nixie feels another brush against her heart right after that, this one pertaining to Scott this time. Rubbing at her chest and wincing, she looks over to see Isaac watching them. His eyes had been on Alison a while ago, but now they were resting on her, concern clearly etched into his facial expression. Coming over to him, pretending to look at his own work, Nixie says, "Hey." "Hey yourself. You alright?" "I'm fine. Need a favor though." "Name it."
Smiling in appreciation, Nixie nods to Alison and says, "Keep an eye on her. And I don't just mean in school." "You think she's getting worse?" "I think they're all getting worse." Isaac nods, and then gestures to her and asks, "What's wrong with your chest?" "Nothing. I'm fine." "Nixie… Lydia told me I'm never supposed to believe you when you say that."
Blinking in surprise, Nixie says, "Well… then I don't know what to tell you. But compared to everyone else around here, I'm fit as a fiddle. So there. And I'm not changing my answer. Deal with it." Grinning a little, Isaac draws her in to kiss the side of her head. And then he chuckles when Nixie says, "I must really be on fire today. I've been kissed on the head, like, two or three times already. Anymore, and it's gonna be a new record."
The two pulls on her heart, coming back to back again, was beginning to wear on Nixie's nerves. Not because she was mad at any of them that caused it. It wasn't their fault. They couldn't help it. No… it was more because it was making it increasingly hard to be where she needed to be to help them.
Like right now, she knows that Stiles experienced something, and immediately following that, Scott was going through something. He was still going through it, as she hurried her way down the hall to try and find them. That was, indeed, another helpful part of these tugs she felt. They gave her a sense of direction to go in, like a trail she could follow to find them.
Which is how she ended up in the empty classroom, where Scott and Stiles were kneeling in front of each other on the floor. Hurrying towards them, she asks, "What happened?"
Both boys look up at her, and Stiles sighs and says, "I… couldn't see the numbers on my lock for a moment. Like… they weren't even numbers. They looked like strange symbols. And then Scott's eyes started to glow." Gesturing to the blood from Scott's hands, Nixie asks, "And that?!"
Scott sighs and says, "Pain makes you human."
Nixie remembers Derek telling them that once, when Scott had first ever been shot by an arrow of the Argents. Nodding, Nixie says, "Fine. But next time come find me. I'll slap you in the back of the head. Less mess."
Both boys grin finally, and then Stiles says, "Yeah, I don't really think that would be enough." Raising an eyebrow, Nixie replies, "You wanna bet? I've never actually hit any of you as hard as I can. If need be, I'll swing a bat as his head like I did to Derek when we were first getting used to him. Worked wonders on him."
Scott chuckles, and then sighs and says, "I'll keep it in mind, if this happens again."
Nixie grows somber at that, and then sighs and says, "I don't think 'if' is the right word. More like when. You guys… this keeps getting worse for the three of you." Stiles nods and says, "It's not just in our heads either. This is real." Looking to Scott, he admits, "Nixie already knows this… but it's starting to get really bad for me too. I'm not… I'm not just having nightmares. I'm having these dreams where I have to literally scream myself awake. And sometimes… I'm not even sure if I'm ever really waking up. Not until I see Nixie walk into the room."
Scott sits up straighter and asks, "What do you mean?" Stiles sighs, "Do you know how you can tell if you're dreaming? You can't read in dreams. And more and more, the last few days… I've been having trouble reading. It's like I can't see the words. I can't… put the letters in order." "Like… even now?"
Stiles ponders that for a moment, and then looks up at the chalk board behind Scott. When he can't read that, he looks to the posters on the walls, but he can't read those either. Hands starting to shake, he says, "I can't read a thing."
For the briefest of moments, he's terrified that he's dreaming again. That somehow, he's still asleep. But Scott watches as he relaxes when Nixie says, "Hey. I'm right here."
Stiles turns to look at her, still wanting that visual confirmation. And when he sees her, he sighs in relief and slumps against the nearby desk. Scott stands up and looks between them curiously. Stiles then admits, "Nixie… she's the only thing that consistently lets me know I'm awake. She's never a part of the nightmares. It's like… I don't know. It's like she can't be, or something. But everyone else is there, at some point. Everyone except her. If I can see her… I know I'm awake."
Scott nods, and then says, "That's… actually really similar to me." Stiles stands up straighter and asks, "What do you mean?" "I mean… lately I've been feeling more and more out of control. But… whenever I see Nixie… it's like I feel like I have a grip again. Even now, when I finally pulled it together on the floor, I still felt even better when she just walked into the room."
Both boys look to her, and she shrugs and says, "Emotional tether. Deaton said I would be the light in your darkness. Whether he meant that so literally or not, I'm not sure. We should probably talk to him soon about this." Scott nods says, "Right. And until then?"
Nixie shrugs and says, "I'm starving. You guys want to go eat now?" Chuckling, Stiles says, "Yeah. Let's go. And then we'll figure out what to do about the fact that we're losing our minds."
And they both grin when Nixie says, "Yes, because we can't have that. Your minds are beautiful, and would be a terrible thing to waste."
That night, though hesitant about not staying at Stiles' place, Nixie stayed at Alison's house. Lydia, even after nearly being shot in the face with an arrow, refused to leave Alison alone after that. Isaac, having caught the arrow in time, texted Nixie immediately, and then Lydia asked if she could spare a night away from Stiles to stay with Alison.
It was a testament to how serious things were getting, that Lydia was asking Nixie to spread herself even thinner, in light of knowing how tired Nixie already was.
They were all asleep in the bed tonight, Alison in the middle with Lydia and Nixie on either side. Or… they all went to sleep at the same time.
Lydia woke up a while later, frowning at the whispering she heard. For a brief moment, she thought something was happening again, and that she was maybe on the verge of going off to find another dead body.
But when she sat up and turned towards the rest of the room, she saw Nixie standing there by the window.
She refused to leave the room, not knowing if Alison might wake up and need her to be nearby, or if even Lydia would need her to be close to keep her safe from whatever hallucination Alison might end up having. But Stiles had called. He'd had another nightmare. And as his voice had shaken over the phone, Nixie had gotten out of bed so she could talk to him more freely.
Sitting down at the seat by the windowsill, Nixie reminds him about the English essay they'll need to work on later in the week. She brings to attention the fact that, even with Lydia's text, he'd forgotten her coffee yesterday morning, teasing him about that to make him laugh.
She stayed on the phone another thirty minutes after that, just talking to him, until she heard him yawn. She never hung up, not until she heard him snoring on the other end of the phone.
Sighing as she sits her phone back down, she runs her hands over her hair, over her face, and then curls up her knees towards her chest. She briefly pressed her hand to her chest, rubbing to try and ease the ache, and then crosses her arms over top of her knees. Looking out the window, she asks silently, "What do I need to do?"
Lydia stands up from the bed, careful not to wake Alison. Moving to Nixie's side, gently touching her shoulder, she says, "Hey. Everything okay?" "Yeah. Stiles had a nightmare. He's back to sleep now." Lydia nods, but then asks, "And you?" "I'm fine." "You know I don't actually believe that anymore. Especially right now."
Nixie grins a little, before nodding, "I know. You're the smart one." Grinning too, Lydia sits down in front of her. Putting one hand on her arms, she asks, "What can I do?" "Just keep reminding Stiles to bring me coffee." "And if he forgets again?" "I don't know. I'm sure Starbucks must have something I'll find descent to drink." "If I ask them to put heavy cream and sugar into a Caramel Macchiato, do you think that would work?" Nixie shrugs, but says, "Maybe if they add extra caramel too. Or… I don't know what Stiles puts in the coffee I drink. I don't think its caramel."
Lydia giggles silently and says, "You mean out of everything you can do, you can't take a sip of your coffee and know exactly what the ingredients are?" Chuckling, Nixie says back, "Alas, my sense of taste is apparently the one that was least enhanced when I was created. All I know is I like Italian food, and I like the coffee Stiles makes for me."
They sit there silently for a while, and then Lydia asks, "How much worse do you think this'll get?" Nixie sighs, "I don't know. I… just don't know."
"Okay, so what happens to a person who has a near-death experience and comes out of it seeing things?" Nixie lifts her head at Scott's question. Looking over at him, past Stiles who she is sitting next to, she asks, "That's our only question of the day so far?"
He grins at her, and then looks at Stiles when he adds, "Well, I'm adding the fact that I can't tell what's real or not to the question list." And then Alison says, "And the fact that I'm being haunted by demonic visions of dead relatives."
Isaac sighs and says, "They're all locked up, because they're insane." Nixie snaps her eyes over to him and says, "I will, literally, walk around this table, just so I can slap you in the head. Don't tempt me." Stiles nods and says, "Yeah. Seriously. Can you at least try to be helpful? Please?" Isaac shrugs and says, "For half of my childhood, I was locked in a freezer. So, being helpful is kind of a new thing for me." "Okay, dude, are you still milking that?" "Yeah, maybe I am still…"
Nixie taps her fist on the table and says, "Boys, behave. Serious questions flying around. Isaac, no more sarcastic answers. If it's not helpful, keep it to yourself. And Stiles…" She turns to him, and then shrugs and says, "Be nice to Isaac. He was locked in a freezer half of his childhood."
Stiles lets his head thump to the table in defeat while Isaac grins over at Nixie. Then they all stop and look to the end of the table, where the new girl, daughter of their new history professor, Kira is standing. Waving a little shyly, Kira says, "Hi. Sorry, I couldn't help overhearing what you guys were talking about." Nixie raises an eyebrow and says, "Okay? And you paused beside us to tell us you heard us talking, or…"
Kira figdets a little and says, "Oh. Sorry. It's just… I think I might actually know what you're talking about." Nixie makes a thoughtful noise in the back of her throat and says, "Pray-tell." "There's a Tibetan word for it. It's called 'Bardo'. It literally means 'in-between state'. The state between life and death."
Lydia, suspicious for the moment, asks, "And what do they call you?"
But before she can answer, Scott says gently, "Kira." And when all eyes, even Nixie's, turn to him curiously, Scott explains, "She's in our history class."
Nixie narrows her eyes at him slightly, though there's also a grin on her face as well. The new girl being in their history class wasn't exactly the greatest reason for Scott to have remembered her name. He liked her.
Which meant Nixie needed to decide if she did or not. Not that it was hard to do. Nixie's radar for whether or not she liked people was always on, somehow.
Turning back to Kira, she listens as Lydia asks, "So… are you talking 'Bardo' in Tibetan Buddhism or Indian?" Kira fidgets again and says, "Either, I guess. But all the stuff you guys were just saying? All that happens in 'Bardo'."
Nixie looks at her thoughtfully a moment more, and then, to the shock of everyone at the table, she points and says to Kira, "I like you. Have a seat." She scoots over to make room, and Kira smiles a little before sitting down next to her. Setting her books down, she says, "There are… different progressive states where you can have hallucinations. Some you see, some you just hear. And you can be visited by peaceful and wrathful deities."
Nixie looks over at Alison and whispers, "Yours… definitely wrathful." But, given that Kira probably wasn't talking about Alison's aunt, Isaac asks, "Wrathful deities? And what are those?" "Like demons."
The cheerful way in which Kira said it, like she wasn't telling all three of her friends that they were being haunted by demons, made Nixie grin and bite her lip as she tried not to laugh. Stiles, from next to her, says, "Demons. Of course. Why not?"
Then he glances at Nixie and rolls his eyes before whispering, "Keep it up Ms. Chuckles. I might hit you in the back of the head in a minute." "Whatever." Then Alison, curious, says, "Hold on. If there are different progressive states, then what's the last one?" And Kira, still without a touch of worry in her tone, says, "Death. You die."
And… yeah, Nixie doesn't laugh at that one. Kira was still adorable and cute as a button with the way she talked like she wasn't commenting on her friends' imminent doom. But that wasn't funny. Turning to the others for a moment, Nixie whispers, "So… we're going to talk to Deaton this afternoon. Everyone just get on board that train. No arguments."
No one does, and then Nixie turns back to Kira, who is pulling out one of her notebooks. Glancing at it, Nixie asks, "The English essay?" Kira looks up at her and says, "Um… yeah. I just… papers aren't my strongest suit. Even though my dad's a teacher and he could proofread it… I kind of just don't like hearing him tell me everything that's wrong with my English paper. I'd rather he just be my history professor in school. Nothing else."
Nixie nods, understanding that. Then she takes the paper and says, "Well, lucky for you, you're sitting at the right table. I'll take this, and return it to you when I'm finished. Stiles, I need a red pen."
The others kind of just stare at her for a moment, but Stiles hands her a pen, regardless. Watching her begin going over Kira's paper, same as she did all of theirs all the time, Stiles turns to Scott and says, "So… we just made a new friend." Scott nods with a laugh, and then looks up at Isaac when he asks, "Why? I mean… I don't get it. Why does Nixie like her so much?" Scott shrugs and says, "Why did she like me and Stiles when first saw us? Why did she like Alison as soon as she got here? Why does she like you, or Lydia? And how did she know, from the beginning, that she hated Gerard, Kate, Peter, and everyone else that's ended up being an enemy?"
Shrugging, Scott chuckles again and simply says, "It's best not to question it. Just bear in mind that Nixie doesn't quickly warm up to a lot of people… and those that she does warm up to… they're going to make good friends."
And yeah… given all they've been through as of late… it couldn't hurt to have another friend.
At the clinic, Stiles tells Deaton about the most recent dream he had, while he was still awake in Coach Finstock's class. Walking into the back, Deaton says, "It sounds like your subconscious is trying to communicate with you."
Sighing, Stiles says, "Yeah, well, how do I tell my subconscious to use a language that I actually know?" Referring to the sign language that had been used in his dream. Stiles then chuckles when Nixie says, "On a side note, I'd someday like to understand how his subconscious could know sign language, when the rest of him doesn't. But… we can address that later."
Deaton smiles gently at her, and then asks Stiles, "Do you remember what the sign language looked like? The placement and the movement of the hands?" Blinking in surprise, Scott asks his boss, "You know sign language?" "I know a little. Let me give it a shot."
Stiles shows him the three symbols, and after he's finished, Deaton says, "When is a door, not a door?"
Aggravated again, Stiles says, "When is a door not a door?" Nixie, already knowing this one, shrugs and says, "When it's ajar. It's a play on words." Stiles looks over at her and huffs, "You're kidding me. A riddle? My subconscious wants to tell me a riddle?"
But Deaton says thoughtfully, "Not necessarily. When the three of you went under the water, when you crossed from unconsciousness to a kind of… superconsciousness… you essentially opened a door in your minds." Nixie sighs as she runs a hand through her hair while Scott asks, "So what does that mean? The door's still open?" Deaton nods and then says to Nixie, "Ajar."
Looking up at him, Nixie says, "And I've never been more disappointed to understand what a riddle is supposed to mean. Great." Stiles sighs and says, "A door into our minds." Deaton nods and says gently, "I did tell you it was risky." Scott nods and asks, "What do we do about it?" "Well, that's difficult to answer."
Nixie narrows her eyes and says, "Yeah, well, un-complicate it real fast, Doc." Stiles nods, and then looks to Deaton's face and says, "Besides, I know that look. That's the 'we know exactly what's wrong with you, but we have no idea how to fix it' look." Deaton sighs and says, "One thing I do know, is that having an opening like that into your mind… it's not good."
Throwing her hands up a little, Nixie says sarcastically, "Well, thanks Doc. Because that wasn't something we were aware of yet." Deaton smiles gently at her and says, "My apologies. My point is, that they each need to close that door. And it needs to be done as soon as possible."
As they all head out of the clinic, Stiles puts both hands to his head and asks wearily, "So… what are we going to do? I mean… we…" Nixie wraps him up in a hug and says, "We are going to fix this. I promise. I'll figure something out. We all will. Got it?"
He hugs her back, and then sighs against her and says, "Thanks." "Of course. Now, how about we…" But before she can finish her thought, Noah pulls up in the cruiser. As he hops out, Stiles gives him a confused look and asks, "Dad, what are you doing here?" "I'm here, because I need some help. Actually… your help, Scott."
Scott asks, "Why me?" And then he grins when Nixie adds on behind him, "Furthermore, why not me? I'm highly offended at not being included in this." Noah chuckles, but then looks to Stiles, who asks in further confusion, "Wait… how did you even know we were here?"
Noah just nods towards Nixie, and as the boys turn to look at her, she shrugs and says, "What? He texted to ask where we were. He didn't say he was coming to meet us. If he had, I would've mentioned it. But he didn't, so I didn't mention it. And now we know he's here to get Scott's help. And I was just a tool used to find Scott. Hence, my being highly offended."
Noah grins again, and then says to Scott, "I need your help… because eight years ago, almost an entire family died in a car accident. One of the bodies, a young girl named Malia, was never found. And there's enough evidence to have me thinking that… maybe a werewolf could have caused the accident. And then dragged her body away, into the woods."
Looking at Nixie, he says, "And I was hoping to see if Scott could, maybe, get a lock on her scent. Think that's something you could accomplish?" Nixie raises an eyebrow and says, "Don't tempt me. I'll have Scott bite and turn me just to prove I can be just as helpful as he can." Scott grins at her and kisses the side of her head before saying, "I would never do that to you. I don't want to change a thing about you."
Smiling, Nixie says, "Ah. Now I'm flattered. Okay, so, how are we going to do that?" Noah raises an eyebrow now, and asks, "We?" "Well, yeah. Just because Scott's the one with the nose doesn't mean Stiles and I are just gonna sit on the sidelines. Sign us up, count us in, and lay down the plan Noah."
Grinning at her, he says, "We'll work on that later. Right now, come on. All three of you need to eat dinner. Tomorrow, we'll work on getting her scent, if it's still possible." They all nod, and then Stiles and Scott laugh when Noah says, "And Nixie… if you beat me home tonight by speeding, you're doing the dishes for the next month." "Ugh! He finally found my one weakness! Dirty dishes! Oh, the horror!"
But, as it turns out, Nixie can't go with them the next day. If they'd gone earlier in the morning, it would've been fine.
Nixie felt another brush against her heart, however. And after she made sure Stiles would be okay without her, and that her boys would call her for anything, she went to go and see Alison and Lydia.
Alison's moment this morning had to do with a dream she'd had, where her aunt appeared again. And while everything was currently fine, she still didn't want to be alone with Lydia right now… lest she risk almost killing her again. So Nixie stayed with them, helping them study for the math exam they would have later in the week.
They all end up falling asleep. Lydia keeps herself awake long enough to watch Nixie's head finally slump down onto a nearby pillow. Feeling relief in knowing that Nixie would at least get a little bit of extra sleep today, Lydia then conks out as well, Alison following shortly after.
When Alison bolted upright in the bed later on though, Nixie's eyes snapped open to watch her. She relaxed after a moment, noting that it was just another dream. But then Alison sat back up, and from behind her back, she pulled out one of her Chinese ring daggers… one she certainly hadn't had with her before.
Nixie moves then. Gently, she takes the blade from Alison, and moves it to sit on top of the desk by the window. Then she comes back to the bed, settles herself behind Alison, and wraps her up in a hug. Sighing in relief as she sinks into Nixie's arms, Alison says, "Why does this keep happening?"
Nixie reminds her of what Deaton said. About how the door to their mind was open, and they needed to shut it. Then she adds, "We'll figure this out Alison. I'm gonna make sure of that." It helps Alison relax a little bit more, and then she falls asleep again, still held in Nixie's arms.
When Chris comes in later to check on them, he smiles gently upon seeing his daughter finally resting peacefully. It was hard to tell nowadays, whether or not Alison was truly well-rested. But looking at her now, in Nixie's protective arms… he knew she was. Nixie's presence didn't allow for much else.
He was about to leave and close the door behind him, when Nixie's eyes shot open. And as Chris watches from the shadow of the door, he watches as she winces and then rubs at her aching chest again. Sighing, she gently maneuvers her way out from beneath Alison, and then puts her shoes and jacket back on, before heading for the door.
As she waits for the elevator, Chris comes up beside her and asks, "Everything okay?" "Yeah. Well… maybe. I need to go see Scott." "Why is that?" "He's having an episode." "I see. He text you or something?" Shaking her head, Nixie says, "I just… know. Something to do with being their emotional tether. I just know."
She steps into the elevator, and then holds the door open so she can say to Chris, "Tell her I'm sorry I had to leave so suddenly. If she wants me to spend the night again, I'll work it out with Stiles later." Nodding, Chris says, "Sure thing."
As soon as she's out of sight though, Chris gets on the phone. It's answered after the third ring, and after a brief hello, Chris says, "Deaton, you said that what Scott, Alison, and Stiles did at the end of last semester would have an effect on them." "Yes, that's correct."
Chris pauses, and then asks, "What about Nixie? As their emotional tether… what sort of an effect should it be having on her?"
Nixie was halfway to the house when Melissa called and gave her a brief overview of what had happened. Apparently, the reason Noah was so earnest about looking back into some of his old cases, was because Rafael, better known as Rafe McCall, was gathering information in the interest of conducting a case for impeachment.
Rafe claimed it wasn't his intention to get Noah fired. He was just the one assigned to collect the information. Nixie was so quiet after a while on the phone, Melissa wasn't even sure Nixie was completely understanding the situation.
As Nixie was racing towards the house, Melissa pulled Scott aside. His episode was lasting longer than usual. His claws were extended, his eyes glowing, and his fangs had lengthened as well. And he couldn't pull them back. He couldn't get his control back. Ever since he'd officially lost Alison, officially lost his original anchor, it had been more difficult for him to maintain control.
He tells his mother as much, to which Melissa then says sternly, "Then be your own anchor. Scott, you can do this." "Mom, what if I can't? What if I…" "You can, sweetheart. You can." "But I…" "Nixie knows you can."
He blinks at that, still trying to gain control, but he asks, "What?" "Nixie. She knows you can do this, honey. She's always known. From the very moment all this first started happening. Ever since you guys started explaining this to me, she's always referred to you as the alpha of this pack. You are her alpha. Even when you didn't have the red eyes and the power, she considered you an alpha. She knew you were strong enough to be that, and were worthy of that title. Scott… Nixie knows, without a doubt, that you are strong enough for that. And if you're strong enough for that… you're strong enough to be your own anchor. Come on, sweetheart. You can do this. Just believe it, the way Nixie has always believed it."
Scott thinks that, in some small way, Nixie herself may be a key part of what now constructs his anchor. But his mother was right. He was an alpha. Nixie had always told him that he was her alpha. Even after Derek proved to not be an ass, Nixie's loyalty to Scott and in her belief that he would always be her alpha… it had never wavered or strayed. She knew he was strong enough for this. And Nixie, apart from Lydia, was one of the smartest people he knew.
Calming down, shifting back into his normal appearance, he nods to his mom that everything is going to be fine. Sighing in relief, she moves closer to him to tell him something important. "Sweetheart, let me tell you something no teenager ever believes, but I swear to you is the absolute truth. You fall in love, more than once. It'll happen again. And it'll be just as amazing and as extraordinary as the first time. And maybe just as painful. But it'll happen again. I promise."
Scott looks up at her, wearily but in understanding as well. And then she puts a hand on his shoulder and says, "And until then… be your own anchor." Scott nods, and then takes in a deep breath, relaxing a little bit more as a feeling of security, safety, and home seem to engulf him.
He snaps his eyes back open though as his mind registers what that smell usually means. Glancing back to his mom, he asks, "Did you call Nixie?" "Yeah. You guys said…" "No, I'm not mad. That's good. But…"
The loud crash from the kitchen and hallway draw their attention, and they rush in to see what just happened.
And there's Nixie. She'd made record time, as usual. And though Scott could smell the protective aura that seemed to always surround her, he could also catch the chemo-signal that was more prominently mixed in right now. Anger.
Nixie was pissed. And she was pissed at Scott's dad. And she'd just thrown him, literally thrown the grown man, into the stairwell behind him.
Rafe was currently on the floor, having slid and fell there after hitting the stairs. He was rubbing his jaw and wincing in even more pain as his other hand clutched at his side. It hadn't taken long, but Nixie had clearly done a bang up job of showing him just how big his screw-up was.
And when he looked up at her, ready to retort and maybe even threaten to arrest her, he found he couldn't speak. Hard, sharp, and furious blue eyes were glaring at him, somehow pinning him to his position on the ground.
The sharp chill that entered the house with her certainly doesn't help either. He shivers at the sudden freezing cold, though Scott and Melissa seem to be fine on the other side of the room.
Nixie's hands are in tight fists, so tight her knuckles are turning white. And she takes a step forward, maybe to punch or kick him again. Maybe to go as far as to try and break some part of the man.
Scott moves into her line of sight then, and though he's not any happier than she is about what his dad is doing, he shakes his head and says gently, "Nix." She looks over at him, and then says, "Remember our deal? Remember what I promised you I'd work on?" Scott nods, knowing she's referring to her attempt to not threaten to kill quite so many people anymore. Nixie then says through her teeth, "He is seriously pushing at my ability to keep that promise."
Scott nods again, and then walks up to her. And where Rafe was still slightly terrified of the young woman before him, he noticed that Scott had no hesitation in approaching her. Her eyes were still piercing, her hands till clenched, and she even seemed to shake in her rage. But Scott simply wrapped her in a hug, kissed the side of her head, and then said gently, "Come on."
Back to his mother, nodding, he says, "Thanks mom. Nixie and I are going up to study. Is that alright?" "That's fine, sweetheart."
After they're gone, Rafe looks to Melissa and asks, "Who the hell is she?" Raising an eyebrow, Melissa says, "Someone you should seriously try a lot harder to please. Her opinion on people is highly valued around here. And you, sir, are very low on her list right now. You want any chance of being welcome around here in the future, you need to step into her good graces."
And as she moves to the kitchen to try and cook some dinner, Rafe hears her add as an afterthought, "And heaven help you if you're stupid enough to stay on her bad side. That is definitely not a safe place to be."
Walking with her boys through the woods, having calmed down a bit, Nixie glances over when Stiles says, "You know, if my dad's right, that means there's another werewolf in town that we haven't met yet." Scott nods and affirms, "I know."
And then he and Nixie both grin when Stiles says, "And if it turns out to be something like triplets that form into, like, a three-headed hound of hell, I'm seriously not up for that." Scott nods again and says, "Me either."
Then both boys pause when Nixie says, "I don't know. Could be interesting. If it's anything like the three headed dog from 'Harry Potter', it wouldn't be that hard to deal with either. Just play some music for it, it goes to sleep, and presto, we get the magical sorcerer's stone and save the world."
Glancing back at them, since they've stopped walking and are now just staring at her, Nixie shrugs and asks, "What? It could happen. Werewolves exist people. I fully expect to get my invitation to Hogwarts any day now. And I will name my pet owl, Sarina. It'll be great."
Chuckling, Stiles asks, "You do realize, they don't actually save the whole world in the first book, right?" "Sure, sure. But you have to start somewhere. Harry started with a three-headed dog that liked music. We started with a sociopathic alpha and have now worked our way up to 'Voltron Wolf'. We're getting there guys. Slowly, but surely."
Scott just shakes his head and says, "I'm not even sure I know what we're talking about anymore." Stiles and Nixie look at each other, and then Nixie shrugs and says, "Muggles." They both laugh, and then continue following Scott, who says, "I just know that, if it does turn out to be a three-headed hound from hell… I'm not up for that right now either. Considering I can't even control my own transformation these days."
Nixie wraps an arm around him as they walk and assures, "But you will learn to control it. I have complete faith in you." Grinning, Scott says, "I know. And I appreciate that. Now, let's hurry up and find this crash sight." "Aye, aye captain."
As they near the edge of some rocks that slope down towards the ground below, they hear a coyote howl somewhere in the night. And Stiles… being Stiles, flails and grabs onto Scott and Nixie for dear life. Nixie expected as much. She was always prepared for Stiles' flailing limbs. Scott, though he was equally aware that Stiles was bound to do it sooner or later, could never seem to prepare himself for it when it happened.
Hence his phone falling down the hill and into the puddle below. Scott gives Stiles a look, to which Stiles says, "Sorry buddy."
As they head down for the phone, Stiles sighs and says, "I hate coyotes, so much. They always sound like they're mauling some tiny, helpless little animal." Nixie raises an eyebrow before saying, "And yet, you're completely comfortable hanging around a bunch of supernatural werewolves, who slash, maim, and break each other all to pieces. But you hate coyotes. Yeah, that makes sense." "You know what? Sarcasm not appreciated." "Love you too Stiles."
Scott jumps down the small incline, and then as Nixie climbs down, he offers her a hand to ensure she doesn't fall. Once on the ground with him, he grins when she says, "Always a gentlemen, Scott. I certainly know how to pick em', don't I." "Yes. I believe we established that when I became a true alpha." "Yeah. But it never hurts to reemphasize how excellent my talents of deduction happen to be when it comes to picking people."
Stiles comes down after them, sliding halfway down and nearly falling. He manages to save it though and tries to walk the few steps towards them as casually as possible, as though he didn't nearly fall on his ass. Nixie smirks at him, but doesn't comment, and is rewarded with a gentle hug before he asks Scott to borrow the flashlight.
Scott hands it over, and then picks up his phone and says, "Well, it still works." But, as it turns out, they no longer need it. Nixie is looking at the phone with Scott, when Stiles says from in front of them, "Guys, I think we found it."
Moving to catch up with him, Scott and Nixie see that not only is this where the car crashed… but the car is actually still here. Completely as it had been found the day the accident had been reported. Scott tilts his head and asks, "Uh… Why wouldn't they move it? Isn't it evidence?"
But as Nixie glances around them, and at where the car is stuck, she nods in agreement when Stiles says, "It was probably too much of a pain in the ass to tow out." And then Nixie adds, "Plus, I'm not even sure they could get a tow truck down here. Not without knocking down a few trees in the process. And since this is a preserve… that's probably highly illegal, so not the best idea."
As they look around the vehicle, examining what was still here, Stiles points out the huge claw marks that run down the side of the van. Scott reaches out to trace them, and then Stiles asks, "Animal claws would be closer together, right?" Nixie nods and says, "A lot closer. At least by a couple of inches each."
Pulling back, Scott says, "Then it was a werewolf." Nodding again, Nixie adds, "One with some serious road rage." Stiles glances over at her, and then says, "Bottom line, my dad was right." "Of course he was Stiles. Noah is a very intelligent man. And now, we have shoved him behind the supernatural curtain along with the rest of us. Firing him, especially at this point, would be a very bad idea."
Stiles nods, and then grins when Nixie adds, "And if Scott's dad is too stupid to see that, I'll smack him in the head. Continuously. Until it finally sinks into his thick skull." Stiles looks to Scott and asks, "That gonna be a problem for you?" "Nope. I'll hold him down for her." Beaming, Nixie says, "Excellent! And Stiles, you are in charge of buying the ski masks we wear when it happens. Alison and Lydia and Isaac will be in charge of providing us with cover stories so he can't arrest us for it. Full-proof plan, in under five minutes. New record."
Stiles finally hands her the flashlight and says, "You know what, Ms. Sarcasm? Why don't you go make yourself useful here in the present and find something else?" She takes it from him, but then says, "Just so you know, I still haven't forgiven you. That's why the sarcasm is flying in such heavy waves tonight." "Forgiven me? For what?" "For not informing me already that your dad was being put under impeachment. That is definitely information that you are supposed to give to me. Immediately. Without delay. Ever."
Bending down to look around inside the car, she says, "So, yeah. Deal with it."
Silence for a moment, and then Stiles puts a gentle hand on her back and says, "Sorry." Glancing back at him, she smiles gently and says, "Forgiven. Now, help me find something else."
They continue searching for a bit, until Nixie spots something dangling from where it was wedged against one of the seats. Pointing, she asks, "What's that?"
Stiles pulls out the little doll from the car. Raising an eyebrow, Nixie says, "Odd thing to leave in the car. I mean, I know they had a kid, and the car couldn't be moved… but the rest of it should've been taken into evidence, right?"
Stiles nods, and then, as if things weren't creepy enough out here, the doll suddenly speaks, "I'm hungry."
Flailing, screaming, and falling backwards into a boulder, Stiles tosses the doll into the air, letting it drop on the ground. Panting with a hand to his chest, he says, "I think I just had a minor heart attack." And Scott and Nixie, while they didn't freak out anywhere near as much as Stiles did, don't argue with him on that point. Sighing, Nixie is about to ask if it's possible for Scott to get a scent off the doll.
That's when Scott points towards the dark shadows between some trees and says, "Guys. Please tell me you see that."
Coming over to his side, Nixie sees the pair of blue shining eyes glowing at them from the shadows. Nodding, she says, "Yep. Two glowing dots in the darkness. And they're blue. Never a good sign."
But, oddly enough, Nixie didn't actually feel in danger or anything while looking at those eyes. No… if anything, she felt almost sorry for the eyes she was looking into.
Why she felt that way, she has no idea. But she does.
Then it takes off, and Scott hurries to trail behind it. Stiles shouts for him to wait, but Nixie is already in pursuit as well, trailing behind Scott as fast as she can.
When Scott turns up the jets though, Nixie falls behind. She manages to keep track of him though, using some of the techniques that Chris had been teaching her.
All that, however, did not prepare her to follow Scott all the way. She had some excellent skills, for being a human. Nixie knows that, and often enjoys pushing her limits to see how much better she can get, or how far she can go.
But leaping across this ravine, from one cliff face to the next… that was not something Nixie was willing to attempt tonight. So she remains on her side, closing her eyes and tuning her ears so she can hear what's going on over there.
Stiles eventually catches up, panting and about to ask what happened. But Nixie raises a hand to silence him, and he waits for her to hear something so she can tell him what's up.
For a moment, all she hears is more growling. But then, finally, a soft whimper. Followed by Scott's stunned voice, asking, "Malia?"
Opening her eyes, Nixie sighs and says, "Well, that is definitely not what I was expecting. Just when you think there's no way nothing else could shock you… boom! Some other twist gets thrown in." Stiles comes up to her now and asks, "What? What happened? Is Scott alright?" "Yeah, he's fine. And he found Malia." "What?! Really?! Where?!"
Nixie sighs again, and then says, "She's the coyote. She's a were-coyote."
Stiles stares at her for a moment more, trying to digest that. And then, because there's really nothing else to say, he says, "Shit." Nixie nods and says, "My thoughts exactly."
Ta Da! Chapter 1! And because I didn't say it up top, I will inform you know. This story will consist of 12 Chapters, for anyone who wishes to know that ahead of time. They have all been written. It's just a matter of my proof-reading to try and find errors. Also, if you see any errors that I missed that really bother you (the way they would bug the crap out of me), please let me know and I will work on fixing them. And, of course, please let me know what you guys think! :)