The first part of this story will stay quite basic, I'm going to follow the end of Season 3 to a certain point. Personally I didn't understand just when things got dire, that Peter would have just taken off like none of it mattered so this is my take on that! Later on we'll get more of a romance and thought process but I need to build to that moment so please bear with me!

Disclaimer: This story has also been published on AO3, I own none of the characters or themes in this fic.

"LYDIAAA!"

He didn't know if this would work, shouting at her just seemed to be the best and most logical open right then. She was bleeding and that unnerved him, he'd meant to just give her a pep talk but his other side got the best of his calmer nature and he began to use the werewolf pack voice.

Peter called out for a good minute until he couldn't any longer, the air leaving his lungs. Had she heard him? There was no indication she had, but she wasn't getting any worse. How long would he have to wait before Lydia was back?

The answer was roughly about five agonizing minutes, he knew because he counted them. He had taken a step back from her in the hopes she wouldn't know he had been watching like a hawk, and when she gasped for breath and opened her eyes, it felt like air was back in his own lungs.

"What happened, why didn't it work?" Peter reached out and grabbed for her his fingers digging into her arms leaving finger marks on her skin; he eased the pressure off and calmed himself down.

"Because it's not science Lydia- Its Supernatural. I did my part, now give me the name." He didn't mean to sound so forceful, and Scott immediately latched onto the conversation.

"What name?" His face said it all, accusation and confusion. Peter wasn't listening however, his eyes trained solely on Lydia. She gave a sideways glance at Scott but Peter was impatient, he dragged Lydia away from him and Scott called again "what're you talking about?"

"Lydia, a deal is a deal even with me" She still wasn't looking at him and for some reason that irked him more than a little, Scott was obviously listening in by this point, but Lydia turned her eyes to him and looked. It was as though she suddenly saw something there, her expression changing for a moment. Their eyes were locked longer than was necessary, and Peter thought she might know what he'd done while she was under. Fear gripped him for a second, he didn't want to come off as a soft wolf, but the moment was broken when she looked down.

Lydia leaned in slowly and Peter moved to meet her half way, her body language still speaking volumes of discomfort.

"Malia"

Peter had all but a fraction to process this new information before Evil Stiles jolted awake gasping for air and at his mouth, a flurry of movement and the moment he was having with Lydia broken when he fell to the floor. What happened next, Peter never wanted to remember in all of his life, in fact he'd wish to erase it with bleach. Evil Stiles pulled out the longest white cord whilst hacking and choking, he couldn't make out what it was until everything was out and on the floor. It looked like, bandages?

Evil Stiles sucked in air and retreated back away from the pile on the floor, looking horrified. Soon it became clear why, as a hand followed by an arm was climbing its way out of the floor. Everyone looked suitably scared and disgusted by the event.

The creature, whatever it was, zombie thing? Peter had no idea what, but he knew it was scaring her and he grasped her arm again and made to move her, but he was paralyzed by just how awful this whole scene was.

It was like watching a train wreck, you knew you had to do something, but you were unable to look away.

The creature made its way further and further out of the floor until it was almost free, this knocked him into action and Peter threw his arm in front of Lydia, but she was far too distracted to notice it was Peter, and she held on to his arm.

The bandaged creature flailed, and looked at itself in shock. Looking to try and remove its own bandages, it then stumbled towards the group. That was enough for Scott and Peter to jolt into action; no one was getting past these wolves. They barreled into it, and pushed the thing back and away from the others.

"Hold him!" Peter shouted, desperation giving way to his usual uncaring attitude.

"I'm trying!" Scott said, annoyed to be ordered to do something so obvious as hold down the creature. It took only a few moments before Scott realized there was something wrong, "wait wait!", he put a hand on Peter's shoulder "wait." Scott reached out and tried to help the monster, the bandages coming away easily to reveal another Stiles, who looked terrified.

"Scott?" Stiles asked in confusion, obviously disorientated. He looked around at everyone else in the room, and Peter was just sure he had never seen anything so insane in all his years. How was this even possible?

"Scott." Deaton called, sounding reserved. Peter and Scott both turned to look over, and Deaton pulled back to show an open door. Scott turned to look for Evil Stiles and Lydia, but they were both gone. "Where are they?" Deaton shrugged, and Scott asked again more forcefully, obviously now panicked.

He ran to the door, "Lydia!"

There was no sign of either of them, the distraction had been long enough that they'd managed to get away completely; Lydia's car was gone from outside. Peter stood at the curb, trying to get a scent … anything that might give him an idea of where she might have gone. There was a faint trail but it was going to be difficult to track, having used a car to escape made it all the more impossible. He only barely noticed when Deaton left claiming that Allison had called with a problem at the school that needed his help, even when it started to get late, the sun setting in the sky. Peter didn't move, until Scott appeared behind him.

"She's out there somewhere, and we'll find her." He said, looking like he knew what he was thinking. He didn't have any inkling about what Peter was thinking, of that the older werewolf was sure.

"Why are we just waiting around?"

"Unless you hadn't noticed, my best friend just split into two people and one took off with my other best friend. I kind of have to deal with one thing at a time." There was a lot of anger and frustration in that statement, but none of it directed at the older man, even if his words were.

"And I thought you were this all powerful Alpha." Peter mocked.

"We will find her. Once we know what we're dealing with for sure, we can search for Lydia." Scott turned to go back into the house. "I called Kira's mom, she'll be here soon and then we'll know. In the meantime…"

Peter sighed, looked off to the distance before responding "I'll stick around. Not like I have anything better to do."

"I thought you'd say that." Scott gave his infamous half smile, but it lacked any real feeling behind it. The boy was exhausted, emotionally and physically.

It wasn't long before Noshiko Yukimura arrived and stood before them all, looking intimidating and unsympathetic. Scott walked in with Melissa, and a very slow moving Stiles, obviously suffering from his break from the Nogitsune.

"Do you recognize me?" She asked as matter of fact, no nonsense attitude. Stiles gave a slow minimal nod and moved away from Scott, his eyes trained on the Japanese woman in front of them.

"Stop!" Kira ran in out of breath and stood beside her mother.

"It's okay." Stiles said, "I'm the one who asked for her to come."

"You're the one who's going to get stabbed with swords" she retorted, obviously scared for him. He may not be as close to her as Scott was but Kira honestly couldn't stand to see someone so precious to her boyfriend be killed in cold blood when there was still a chance they could find another way to save him.

"Mom, don't do this to him."

"It is already done."

The air grew stale and cold as Oni materialized behind Stiles, and Peter instinctively moved back from the newest creature. Stiles turned to look with fear and before long more were arriving, emitting that odd clicking sound.

Nobody could move quickly enough as one of the Oni latched onto Stiles' head, its eyes glowing a dull yellow and within a few seconds he was on the floor. The Oni left, and everyone seemed to be holding their breath.

"Look behind his ear." Noshiko commanded her daughter immediately. Kira wasn't the only one to move now as everyone bent to check on the boy, Scott pulled his ear away and saw the symbol for Self.

"It worked." Scott said.

"Am I actually me?" Stiles couldn't believe that this would be so simple, not with his body feeling like it was breaking apart.

"More you than Nogitsune." Noshiko replied.

"Well that was bracing, I think I can safely say that today has been a plethora of new experiences for me, personally." Peter couldn't help to throw in a snarky comment. As usual almost everyone ignored him; they were too concerned with the situation.

"Can the Oni find him?" Stiles asked.

"Tomorrow night, its too close to dawn now."

Stiles was angry that it would take that long, he felt he'd waited long enough. "Can they kill him?"

"Depends on how strong he is" She responded.

"What about Lydia, why would he take her?" Scott asked the most pressing question everyone else had, it was unlikely she was a bargaining chip for an evil spirit whose only joy was pain and suffering.

"He would only take her for an advantage."

Scott looked confused for a second before he seemed to understand. "You mean her power?"

Noshiko didn't waste time in confirming their worries "the power of a banshee."

"Well isn't that just fantastic? He now has the upper hand, again." Peter did not like the turn of events in the slightest, but it gave them a certainty… Lydia was still alive, and likely would remain that way until he had no more use for her.

The next hour was a somber affair for the boys, Noshiko took Kira home immediately saying that they needed to have a talk, Stiles sat down for a brief rest himself on the sofa while Scott and Melissa talked about what to do with him. Peter stood at a window, which was in his mind, not getting in the way. He'd be patient because it suited him to be, but when it came down to it he would not wait any longer.

These children had overcome many obstacles and while Peter was loath to admit it to himself, they had proven quite capable. Scott had already achieved True Alpha at such a tender age. He would never admit it, but Peter respected that, even if he wanted the power for himself.

"Why are you still here?" A weak voice asked, startling the man from his thoughts.

Not really knowing how to answer right away, Peter studied the hunched over form of Stiles Stilinski. He seemed genuinely curious about the idea that Peter Hale, former Alpha and werewolf advisory to Derek, hadn't yet left them all to their grim and sickly fate.

Peter tapped his fingers on an arm and tilted his head to the side "I thought you could use a hand, what with your other self trying to murder all your friends and all."

"Since when has our lives being in danger ever stopped you from not helping?" "I've helped plenty of times, thank you very much" He said, indignant that Stiles would imply otherwise. "I helped them bring you back, didn't I?"

"When it benefit you, you help. I know you wanted something in return." Stiles looked at him with those brown eyes that had changed so much in the last month. They no longer held any of the spark and humor that was there before, there was a heavy weight and solemn sadness and they looked right into Peter, it unnerved him.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for what you did, but…" He let that hang there.

"Lets just say I have my reasons." Peter was suddenly aware that the tables had turned here and he was the one that couldn't lie, Stiles would know now, just like he had when he'd listened to his heart back then, as the Alpha.

Before either of them could continue the conversation Scott returned and looked at the both of them curiously, but decided he didn't have time to question right then. "We're ready to take you to the station to find your dad, you ok to walk?" Scott moved to Stiles side as he stood slowly.

"Yeah no problem, I got this." He chuckled a little, trying to appear stronger than he felt. Stiles looked to Peter again as the two left, everything that he would have said in that one look.

'I don't trust you.'

Lydia was livid, completely and utterly mad at herself and this prick for being taken hostage. Look at him making her drive her damn car as if escaping a bank robbery, what the hell gave him the right to treat her like some kind of damsel who needed saving?

The drive was quite leisurely considering that they were now on the run and Evil Stiles… no the Nogitsune, he wasn't saying anything.

Well then, she wouldn't say anything either. He could just go on acting all dark and mysterious and evil, she knew he wanted to brag about his stupid plans sooner or later, he probably was upset that that thing came out of his mouth. Whatever it was he wanted from her though she knew it couldn't be good, that he was going to use her to get at her friends. That he was going to manage it, that they were in grave danger. Lydia had to come up with a plan that would stop him from taking advantage of their new situation and if there was one thing she was good at, it was subterfuge and misdirection. She moved to appear upset, in an attempt to look scared and afraid of his presence.

"There's no point weeping, it wont change anything"

His words startled her, she turned scared and wide eyes over to him but the Nogitsune hadn't even looked at her. "Where are we going?"

"You'll find out soon enough, in the meantime I suggest you save your tears." He replied, his tone implying his enjoyment of playing a new game. He turned to her briefly and then looked back at the road. "If you like, you could try and guess."

A new game? Lydia wasn't taking the bait, but she continued to act the meek child he wanted her to be. He may have Stiles' body and memories but his arrogance kept him from seeing the true Lydia. "Some kind of dark, scary place I assume."

The Nogitsune laughed humorlessly "pull in here" Lydia was surprised but began to slow the car down as they pulled in somewhere new, a closed off lot. As they made their way in and parked she felt a trickle of apprehension, this didn't look like anywhere he'd want to hold up for a while.

"Get out." He said, opening the door his side and shutting it loudly behind him.

It was dark outside but there was a sliver of light just off to the distance which indicated that Lydia would have to move quickly if she wanted to do this. Blowing hot air out to form condensation, she quickly scrawled a message on the window.

'Don't find me'

Lydia moved very slowly, opening the door with deliberate movements, standing up and out of the vehicle as if she had all the time in the world. Evil Stiles was having none of it, he moved over quickly and grabbed her arm. "Taking your time will do nothing, your friends won't follow this close to dawn. My plan is forming beautifully and you can't hope to hinder it."

"It doesn't matter, because they will kill you! Maybe not now, but they will, and I will fight you with every single breath!" Lydia yanked her arm forcefully but he was a lot stronger than she was.

"I was hoping you'd say that." The Nogitsune smiled, he pulled his arm across and backhanded her into the side of the car effectively knocking her out cold.