Alrighty guys, this is the final season of the TNH series. Thank you guys for being so patient and supportive of me through the years.
As per usual, if there is something that you don't understand, plus don't hesitate to ask.
Heads up, I don't have a set schedule yet for updating, but I do hope to have one soon.
Enjoy!
In the desert of Shiprock, Mexico, Derek Hale drives with absolute reluctance on his face. He switches his attention from to the road to his passenger, hiding behind a road map, briefly, "Are you sure we're going the right way?"
Stiles Stilinski places down the roadmap she has been reading, wearing a slightly annoyed face, "Will you quit worrying?" She tells him, "I told you Scott and I have been out here before. Just a couple of more hours and then we can get back to civilization."
"I'm not worried," Derek claims. "I just don't trust your sense of direction." Stiles feigns offense, "It's been almost eight months since you last touched her. I doubt the imprint you have on her still works."
"You seriously need to work on your words of encouragement," Stiles tells him, patting him on the leg. "That's why I got her sword," She pats a wooden container that is sitting on top of her growing-bigger-by-the-day stomach, "While the imprint may have weakened, the fact have I something with significance helps to enhance it."
Derek scoffs at the sensible explanation, "If you're so sure then why did you bring a roadmap?"
"That's more for your benefit," Stiles tells him with a cheeky smile. "Now take a right."
Derek sees that there isn't another stretch of road ahead, "That's off the road."
Stiles gives him a challenging expression, "And?"
Derek sighs as he makes the turn, "We should've flown."
"Uh, I'm sorry." Stiles says with no apologetic tone, "If we were meant to fly we would have been born with wings."
It's dark when Stiles and Derek make it to Shiprock. The only source of light that is available comes from the source of the full moon and that of their headlights.
When they come to a stop near a rock-based structure, Stiles can feel Derek tensing in his seat. She gazes at his hand and sees that he is gripping the wheel tightly. The wind around seems to pick up as a cloud of sand flows in their viewpoint, "Please tell me this is safe."
Stiles takes a hold of his hand, getting his attention off the desert scene and to her, "This is safe."
"According to you, from your last experience, the Skinwalkers were not particularly welcoming to strangers on their land," Derek informs her. "So, how about you tell me that again, without lying."
Stiles gives him a head tilt with an expression of contemplation, "…you're really demanding, you know that?" She cups his cheek with her hand and gives him an assuring smile, "I got this."
She opens the passenger door, taking the wooden container in hand, and steps out into the sand. Another cloud of sand blows through the headlights. Stiles examines the dark environment but doesn't see anything out of the ordinary.
How do we find them? Derek questions her through their shared telepathic link.
They will find us.
To prove just how right she is, a spear suddenly comes flying at Stiles. Stiles doesn't bother to dodge the oncoming weapon because as soon as it's close enough, it comes into impact with a blue barrier that takes the hit instead.
Despite the attack, Stiles kneels to the ground. In doing so, three hands suddenly appear from the ground, surrounding Stiles left, right, and in the front.
Behind her, she hears Derek making a low growl, "It's okay," She whispers to him as more hands come from the sand.
Stiles stays still as she gets surrounded by three people as they each finish climbing up from the sand. She stands up slowly from the ground, getting face-to-face with a Skinwalker that now has the spear in her hand, "I remember you," She comments in a steady tone, "You're the one with the purple eyes…The human mated to a werewolf...The Spark."
Stiles holds up the wooden the container that has the pieces of Kira's shattered sword inside, "I'm just simply here to return the sword to its rightful owner," She explains to the woman, "So that one day she can return home."
A silence falls until the Skinwalker slams the piece of the spear into the ground. The ground around them shakes, but neither of the women seems to be affected by the effects.
However, Stiles feels another presence behind her, spinning around she finds Kira Yukimura wearing war paint just like the others. Only hers is the orange color.
"Kira?" Stiles questions carefully.
Kira's serious demeanor breaks completely as grabs Stiles into a hug, "It's so good to see you." She pulls away wearing a face of apology, "I'm so sorry, I couldn't stay and help the others."
"Hey, you couldn't risk it," Stiles reminds her, "I understand completely." She gives her an impressed look over, "You look so different."
"Yeah, adapting here has been-"
"Not that I want to break up your reunion," Derek's voice calls out, interrupting them. The girls turn to see that he is surrounded by the other two Skinwalkers. Each of them watching him uneasy but also gripping onto their weapons ready for a fight if necessary.
"Oh right, forgot about that." Stiles remembers, "We should probably make this quick."
She holds out the wooden container getting a perplexed expression from Kira, "Liam, had to break it in order to make a deal with Theo."
Kira sighs as she takes the container, "Of course," She comments not surprised at the condition of her sword, "It was the one thing that could send him back to where he came from."
"We miss you," Stiles tells her. "Everyone does," She shares. "Would've brought Micah but there is a high chance that he probably would've started a fight."
Kira laughs at the mentioning of the werecoyote, "Very likely." The smile falls from her face, "Thanks for bringing this back."
Stiles gives her an assuring hug, "We're still rooting for you."
Rochelle, France
Isaac Lahey throws an unfolded shirt into a suitcase that is laying on his bed. He attempts to close it, but even with his enhance werewolf strength, the baggage doesn't seem to close. He puffs his cheeks out in frustration as he once again fails to keep it closed as a few shirts go popping out on the case.
"Did you know that there is a wonderful method in packing an overstuffed suitcase," A voice questions him.
Isaac turns his focus away from the annoying task at hand and sees Allison Argent, leaning against the threshold of his room. He doesn't miss the full look of judgment mixed with amusement on her face, "Think it could help me out with this?" He questions turning back to the task at hand.
He doesn't see the smirk on Allison's face, "Oh definitely."
Isaac then attempts to sit on the baggage, shifting his weight with his hands to his butt as he sits down on top of the suitcase now attempting to latch the suitcase together, "I think I got it."
"Packing your entire room doesn't exactly help, now does it?" Allison questions pointing to his nearly empty closet space.
Isaac shifts his weight on the suitcase as he tries to latch it together, "I'm just trying to make sure that I have everything I need just in case."
"In case what?"
"In case Stiles has the baby while I'm there," Isaac answers automatically.
Allison gives him a knowing headshake, "She has a couple of more months to go before the baby is even due." She reminds him, stepping into the room, "Besides you told Micah that you were going to get him from the airport when he gets here, remember?"
"Sounds like you don't want me to go," Isaac quips her, giving up on trying to close the suitcase. The moment his weight is released, the top pops open and multiple shirts go flying everywhere.
"Oh, I definitely want you to go," She says plainly crossing her arms. "Your shopping has gotten so bad that the delivery guy knows both our names."
Isaac snorts a laugh, "It's not that bad."
Allison gives him a stoned-face and points at two boxes that have been stuffed in the corner of his room, "There are literally two boxes worth of baby stuff right there."
Isaac makes a slightly guilty face, "Okay, so maybe I have a slight problem."
She gives him a gentle smile, "Nothing that can't be fixed."
"Hey, what's that method you were telling me about?" Allison raises an eyebrow at him, "The whole that can easily solve packing an overstuffed suitcase."
Allison wordlessly picks up one of the shirts that have landed on the floor and throws it at Isaac's head, "Oh you mean, where you actually fold your clothes?" She suggests to him, "And if that doesn't work, you can take mine with you." Isaac frowns at the offer, "Dad chickened out on going to go see Melissa." She helps him pick up the rest of the clothes that have flown out of the suitcase.
"How much you wanna bet that he'll go running to Beacon Hills if she calls?"
"Oh, I'd wager a new crossbow that he would," Allison comments with a laugh. "I tried to convince him in going to visit her over the summer, but you know how he is." She places a shirt in the suitcase, "Claiming that what happened with them during the Wild Hunt was in the heat of the moment."
Isaac can hear the mocking tone in her voice, "You don't think so?"
"No way," Allison answers immediately. "Speaking of avoidance, did Derek share with you any details about his upcoming trip to South America?" Isaac shakes his head, "Not even a word?"
"Look we all know how bad I am at keeping secrets," Isaac tells her when he hears the doubtful tone in her voice, "He knows good and well if he told me what he was going to be doing in South America, I would tell Stiles and then she would purposefully start a fight with him, so he doesn't leave."
Quantico, Virginia
Stiles and Derek walk through the baby section of a local department store as they carry other shopping bags. Derek is attentively going through all the baby clothing while Stiles continues pulling at her shirt that doesn't exactly stay down every time she moves, "Why isn't this staying down?"
Without even turning his head to see what she is talking about, Derek automatically answers, "Well, it could have something to do with that bulge in your stomach."
Stiles shoots him a death glare, that goes unnoticed, "This bulge is your fault."
"Takes two to tango," He replies, before moving onto the next rack while Stiles struggles with the shirt. While Derek does look through the clothing, he can't help but peek a glance at Stiles as she once again pulls the shirt. His lips twitch in amusement.
She stops struggling when she senses that she is being watched by him, "Are you just going to watch me struggle or are you going to help?"
Derek's mouth twitches at the question, "I haven't decided." He says with amusement as Stiles turns to him with annoyance on her face.
"I bet the option of you sleeping on the couch will help make the decision faster," Stiles threats.
Derek rolls his eyes at the threat, "We both know that you can't sleep without me next to you."
Stiles crosses her arms, giving him a defiant stare, "That's what my pillow is for."
"You left it back at Beacon Hills," Derek states, calling Stiles out on the bluff.
"I'll go get another." Stiles counters easily, "So help or no help?"
Derek sighs at the defiance as he reaches into one of his shopping bags and pulls out another shirt, "You know, there are clothes made for situations like this."
Stiles scoffs at the statement, "I am not going to buy a whole new wardrobe that I'm only going to wear once." She stares at the shirt Derek has pulled out of his bag, "Just let me enjoy my last possible chance of wearing normal clothes for a while, okay?" However, just as she moves to reject the new shirt completely, the shirt pops up, "Which I guess is today…" She sighs with defeat, "Being pregnant lowkey is starting to suck."
She takes the shirt with an unpleased face, "I can't believe that I've gotten this big in a manner of four months." She grumbles, "Stasis, my ass. If being in the Wild Hunt wasn't supposed to affect me then why is our child trying to make up for lost time?" She runs a hand down her stomach, "Seriously, technically I should be four months not freaking seven."
She heads off to the closest dressing room, "Nine months isn't as long as you think." Derek tells Stiles through the door.
"You're only saying that because you're not the one who is getting fat and then have a human coming out of their body."
A thoughtful expression falls on Derek's face, "You know our baby could be a werewolf."
Stiles opens the door to the dressing room, giving him an unimpressed expression, "That is completely and totally unhelpful and you know it." She comes out wearing an oversized gray sweater that has a mahogany S printed on it.
"I know," Derek claims with all smiles.
"I don't like you," Stiles declares, walking past him.
"It's a good thing I love you then." He gives her a fond look that she doesn't see, "You could always wear the wardrobe more than once."
Stiles stills at the statement, revealing a shocked expression as she turns to face him, "You want to have another?" Stiles asks completely shocked, "This one's not even here yet. Hell, I didn't-"
Derek smiles at the freaked-out expression on Stiles' face and places a finger on the moving mouth, "I don't mean right after this one is born." He explains, "I mean maybe in the future."
"You want more kids?" Stiles mumbles through the finger.
Derek reasons, "You know how big my family was before the fire." He gives a slight shoulder shrug, "I'm used it. Unless you-"
Stiles removes the finger, "No way, I just didn't think you would want another after this one." Stiles interrupts, "Considering how this one wasn't planned." Stiles places a hand over the bump.
Derek rests his hand on top of hers, "Nothing is ever planned with you and I wouldn't have it any other way."
"I'm just going to let you know right now," Stiles tells him. "You're not going to be leaving me alone with a bunch of our kids to go to South America and not give me the real reason."
"If this tactic didn't work the first time," Derek says, relating to when Stiles tried to start a fight to keep Derek from joining Allison, Isaac, and Chris on their hunt for Kate Argent, in a gentle tone, "Why would it work the second time?"
Stiles makes an exaggerated face at him, "Because I'm pregnant with our child?"
"All the more reason I have to go," Derek tells her, causing Stiles to make a bothered face.
"I still don't think you should go," Stiles tells him. "Knowing you trouble is going to find you."
Derek laughs at the accusation, "True, but knowing you, you'll come and save me."
Stiles gives him one final smile, "Always."
"Nothing is going to happen while I'm down there." He cups her face with his hands, "I know that you're worried, but everything will be okay." He places his forehead against hers, "I'll be okay," He promises. "It'll just be three weeks and I'll be back before you know it."
"Promise?"
Derek places a kiss on top of her head as he pulls her close, "I promise."
The couple holds onto each other quietly before Stiles breaks the silence, "Can I blame you when I give birth?" Stiles questions, breaking the silence.
"Whatever you want."
THREE WEEKS LATER
Stiles is standing in a large white room with support posts spaced evenly down its length. The only other features are the fluorescent light fixtures setting into the ceiling above and seemingly random areas of grey and white tiling on the floor below.
Recognition falls on her face, "All I'm missing now is…" A humming fills the air. Stiles immediately knows there is only one thing that makes an intense humming sound like that, "Nemeton."
She turns to see that the Nemeton is in the same position as it was the night her, Allison, and Scott sacrificed themselves for their parents. It is still surrounded by cracked floor tiles as if it has forced its way up into the room.
She walks to the stump giving it a highly displeased look, "Don't tell me, you're mad at me for leaving." Of course, the stump doesn't give her an answer and Stiles makes an annoyed sigh and reaches out for it. Just as it had done before, thick vines shoot out of the stump and wrap around her wrists.
She finds herself in the halls of Eichen House unnoticed by Dr. Conrad Fenris and an orderly. The orderly seems to be freaking out about something, "Look, all I'm telling you iswhat I saw, and I know what I saw." The orderly claims as he follows the doctor through the special ward of the "medical" establishment. Stiles instinctively follows them.
"And I'm telling you what you saw isn't possible," The Doctor argues with him. "This patient's been here since the facility opened."
The Doctor and the orderly pause outside a door, "Didn't this place open in 1912?"
"Exactly," He answers as he swipes his card over a reader. He opens a door, and a cold mist pours out. Stiles shivers almost as if she can feel the cold herself.
As the doctor steps in, Stiles follows him. There is a layer of ice on the floor. On a table in the center of the room, she spots something that appears to be a humanoid form made of rock.
Stiles instinctually tries to touch it, but instead, her hand goes right through it.
"Come on." The Doctor beckons to the orderly that carefully follows the order. "Take a closer look at our friend." He points to the figure, "You see this? He's been covered in pyroclastic rock for decades." He gives the form a light tap, "It's hardened volcanic ash."
The result of the Doctor's tap contradicts his statement. The rock layer abruptly begins to crack and the damage from the crack begins to spread.
Stiles, The Doctor, and the orderly back up in response, "Maybe, uh, I should lower this a notch or two." He reaches to lower the temperature in the room some more, but he and the orderly are suddenly caught in a blast as the cracking form explodes outward in a rush of fire and gas.
The Orderly screams in agony while Stiles and Doctor Conrad Fenris appear to have been unharmed.
However, when the smoke clears slightly from the room. A man with glowing orange eyes, resembling a Hellhound, steps out of the cell and grows at Fenris advancing on him.
Stiles opens her eyes and finds herself still in bed. It takes a second for the vision she's had to be pushed in the back of her mind. Everything is fine in Beacon Hills, she would know because she had just talked to her dad. So why did she have a dream of Eichen House? Better yet why was the Nemeton trying to contact her for the first time in years? Was something bad…
She shakes her head to stop the obsessive thoughts before they can even form. No, everything was fine. If things weren't she knew her friends would call her and let her know. Besides, she had just talked to her father just last night and so far, nothing everything seemed to be at peace.
"Oh good, you're awake." Isaac's voice fills the room as he walks in, "For a second there, I thought I was going to have to wake you up." He notices the frown on her face, "You okay?"
"Yeah, no I'm fine." She assures him with a smile, "Just a weird dream."
"At least it's not morning sickness," Isaac offer with words of comfort, taking a seat beside her on the bed. "Come on, breakfast is ready."
"Hey, Isaac," She calls after him.
Isaac pops his head back into the room, "Yeah?"
"If there was trouble in Beacon Hills, you'd tell me, right?" She questions. "I mean someone would tell me?"
Isaac frowns at the question as he leans on the doorframe, "The others did warn me that you start worrying about things that haven't even happened yet."
"Well, can you blame me?" She questions back with him, "Every time I get this feeling of impending doom something does happen." She points a finger at him as he opens his mouth, "And don't say it's because I'm homesick."
"Would it make you feel any better, if I can to make sure everything is on the up and up?"
She gives him a grateful smile, "Please."
"Fine, I'll do it while you drop off your forms," This time he points a finger at her, "I'm not going to be making a phone call with you hovering over my shoulder."
Stiles frowns at him, "Fine."
Kira is kneeling in the desert sand. In front of her, she has pieces of her sword laid across her. Only her focus isn't on the pieces, but instead on the sun that is beginning to set in front of her. It's only a matter of minutes before she has a decision to make. Piece together her sword and continue her training with the Skinwalkers or leave her sword in shambles and return home to her mother and father and risk the possibility of the Fox taking over. She wants to choose the latter.
She's been with the Skinwalkers for almost a year now.
She had missed her graduation and missed her friends' graduation. She has missed a lot to try to regain some control of the fox inside her, but she isn't getting the progress that she wanted. Honestly, the only time any progress she has had when wielding her sword was when she had used it to bring Theo back from the ground.
She feels the wind blow around her as Red appears by her side, "It's been three weeks since you've gotten your sword back and you have yet to put it back together."
Kira makes a frown, staring at the pieces in the sand, "Piecing it back together can only be done in the sunlight." She turns her head over her shoulder looking to Red, "It's was the first thing, I learned how to do before all this happened," she explains.
"You've progressed," Red reminds her, taking a knee in the sand with her. "You used it effortlessly twice now when you were trying to save your friends," She praises Kira giving her an encouraging expression.
"Yeah, only when they were in danger," Kira argues back.
The sun is close to settling on the edge and the air surrounding them starts to get cool.
Without even batting an eye Red questions, "Have you ever considered that it's possible you're looking at this all wrong?"
"What do you mean?"
"You've been seeing your fox spirit as a curse," Red explains. "Maybe you need to think of it more as a gift."
Kira raises an eyebrow at the claim, "A gift that has nearly had me kill my friends."
"No power comes without a struggle," Red says smoothly. "We all have to learn a way to maintain a balance between the animal inside us and our humanity."
"Like werewolves," Kira mutters without a second thought.
Red hears the statement, "Your friend and her wolf reminded me of something that might be helpful," Red shares, "Wolves have anchors to keep their humanity intact." A whirl of sand starts surrounding them, "Who's to say that it can't be the same for foxes." Red says before disappearing.
Realization falls on Kira's face at Red's meaning. She looks to the horizon and a little light is still left. She takes a calming breath and relaxes the palm of her hand over the pieces of her sword.
Lightning forms from her palm and strikes the pieces mending the sword together, just as darkness fills the desert.
Stiles stands outside the Division of Justice building, holding onto a folder. She hasn't been able to shake off what the Nemeton had shown her last night. It still felt like it was too real to ignore. Checking the time, she sees that she has enough time to make one phone call. There's only one person to soothe her nerves, unfortunately, the person she has tried to call doesn't pick up the phone.
"Hey, Scott." She says to the answering system, "So, I'm here. I'm in Quantico, Virginia at the FBI. I'm at the frickin' FBI." She says still not over the fact herself, "Granted I have to wait for the next wave to start, but I'm really here." She says breathlessly, "I kind of told my Dad that I miss him, and I can't wait to get home, but …" Her voice trails off as remnants of the vision flash through her mind briefly, "Listen, Scott, whatever you're doing right now, just make sure you're still getting out of Beacon Hills." She tells her friend, "Maybe you think you can't leave, you know like the whole thing falls apart if you're not there, which I get, but you have to." She rubs her stomach, "I know you're supposed to drive out tonight, so, if you don't call me back, promise me you're actually going." She takes a calming breath, "Just get in the Jeep and go."
Isaac is cleaning up the kitchen from the breakfast he and Stiles had when he gets a call from Allison, "Just the person I was about to call-"
"Why?" Allison asks in a slightly frantic manner, "Did something happen?"
Isaac is confused by Allison's behavior, "No, I was just about to check-in with the others for Stiles." He places down a dish that he has been drying off, "Allison is something wrong?" From the other end, Isaac can tell that Allison is contemplating on whether she should tell him, "It's Beacon Hills, isn't it?"
"We have a problem."
When Stiles steps into the building, she is surprised to see a familiar face at the front desk, "Braeden?"
"Stiles," Braeden greets in a courteous manner, "Just the person, that I wanted to see."
"But I-"
"Don't' worry about that," Braeden says, taking the folder with ease. "I'll handle that." She gives Stiles a courteous smile, "Follow me, please."
Braeden leads Stiles into an empty office that Stiles sure isn't hers from the way she is acting. She gets even more suspicious when Braeden locks the door on them and closes the curtain of the one window inside the office, "Is everything okay?" She questions, concerned by the mercenary's behavior.
Braeden doesn't answer the questions with an answer. She answers it with another question, "Where's Derek?"
"Somewhere in South America…" Stiles answers carefully. "Why?"
"There's something you need to know," Braeden tells her. "Something isn't safe for me to show you on your own."
Braeden leads Stiles into a class that is already going on, "I'm just giving a new prospect a glimpse of what they could be learning if she decides to join." Braeden lies easily to the instructor, "Please, just pretend like we aren't even here."
Stiles plays along with Braeden's charade, giving the man a meek handwave as Braeden directs them into table close to the end of the room.
The instructor continues his lecture, "One recent manhunt had our Crisis Response chasing down a bizarrely feral unsub in the wilderness of North Carolina."
He flickers through the slides and videos of Derek running through a wooded area. Stiles, who had been carrying a water bottle and was taking a sip of her water, does a spit take, spewing water onto the intern sitting in front of her.
"Sorry," Stiles whispers to her as she tries to gather herself.
"Is there a problem, uh." He questions, indicating between Stiles and Braeden.
"No." Stiles answers quickly, "Sorry, uh, baby kicked a bit harder than normal." She lies easily, sensing that her unborn child isn't happy with the misplaced blame.
The instructor buys her excuse and is ready to get back to presenting the case, but Stiles doesn't give him that luxury, "Little question, though," She raises her hand, "That guy up there, why, uh, exactly is Crisis Response chasing after him?"
"He's wanted for murder," the instructor answers professionally.
From her peripheral vision, she sees that Braeden has tensed up, "Just what kind of, uh, murder, exactly?"
"Mass murder."
The power of the building suddenly goes out, causing a room full of FBI interns and instructor express concern. Stiles and Braeden are the only two that remain still, staring at the stilled picture of Derek as he appears to be running away from the camera.
Braeden casts her a side glance, "Do you know anything about this?"
Stiles stares at the tattoo on his back, shaking her head with disapproval, "I freakin' knew it."
