Stiles had been having the same dream for the past week. All with the same results, waking Derek up because of a dizzy spell that always ended up making Stiles throw up and feel even more exhausted than he felt when he first went to sleep.
It was so bad now that they had placed a bucket right by his side of the bed, for easy puking access.
"Babe, easy. Stiles I think that it's time that we go see Deaton." Derek told his boyfriend rubbing his back up and down soothingly.
"Here sip this, slowly." Deaton told Stiles handing him a cup of warm tea that Stiles could tell was more than simple tea. "I added a little something extra to help with the fatigue and dizziness. Now tell me again about this dream and don't leave any details out. Including how it feels." Deaton continued.
"How it feels? What do you mean? Like how it feels for him to be in the dream?" Derek asked concern for his mate.
"In a way, yes, Mr. Hale." Deaton evaded.
"But." Stiles egged on Deaton to continue.
"I want to know what your dream self feels while in the dream. How you feel after you wake up." Deaton tried to explain better without giving too much away.
"So the dream starts out with my dream self in the woods, though at first glance I thought that it was the preserve but it isn't, I can sense that its not, somehow." Stiles shook his head in confusion and bewilderment looking between his mate and the vet, before continuing on.
"I'm walking trying to find something, i'm not sure what, maybe something familiar to my dream self. When I can feel myself notice that I am shirtless. The only things that are on the top half of my body is a weird leafed band around my head and a metal one around my bicep." Stiles explains.
"Wait is it a band that goes all around your head or only halfway? What kind of leaves? Are they small ones or large ones?" Deaton left and came back just as quickly bearing four different leaves. "Are one of these the one around your head." Deaton asked waiting for Stiles to answer.
"Uh, yeah so it went about half way around my head, I guess more like a crown than a band. They were on the smaller side and I believe looked like this one the most." Stiles answered each question in order pointing at one of the leaves Deaton had brought out.
"This one the bay laurel leaf? Are you sure Mr. Stilinski?" Deaton asked in a way that it seemed extremely important that Stiles choose the right leaf. Though he didn't really know why it was so important.
"Um, yeah? Yes!" Stiles said nervously "I mean yes this is the right one." He answered surer than before that that leaf was the correct one, before setting his now empty tea cup down on the side of where he sat.
"Interesting. Please continue." Deaton moved the other leaves to another counter and motioned for Stiles to keep going, taking a seat on his stool.
Stiles and Derek knew that they would not get any more information than that.
"So the band is around my left bicep and its a silver metal band that goes around my arm three times and the tips are bent into triangles. Three of them on each tip, to be exact." Stiles stops to wait to see if Deaton will ask him questions or comments. With none asked Stiles continues yet again. "I go on to move forward through the woods, something unknown leading me somewhere. When suddenly I feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up and I look down again after feeling a jolt to my hands and see a blue orb being held in both my hands together. The size of a baseball. But it feels natural to me or rather my dream self to be wielding this foreign magic."
Stiles stops seeing Deaton caressing his face in a 'Hmm, Interesting.' manner that both Stiles and Derek know all to well.
He looks off to Derek and with his encouragement he starts again. "I, uh, I continue on after feeling no threat and soon find myself coming across this beautiful brooke with a small waterfall towards the back. The whole thing is encased with three to four inches of moss covered rocks set all around the body of water. I find my dream self leaning down towards the water, orb now long gone,resting my right forearm on one of the rocks to lightly dip my fingers into the water. Slowly the water licks up my fingers and up my arm growing moss along my pinky around my thumb and by my wrist with a baby sprouted mushroom, growing from my skin. Soon after I hear something that I instinctively know is dangerous a snorting sound of sorts, so I start to rise up while looking around for it. That is always when I wake up feeling dizzy and exhausted." Stiles finishes.
"Not to mention after he wakes up he immediately throws up." Derek adds looking over to Deaton.
Deaton still has a look to him that neither Stiles or Derek can decipher.
"How do you feel after you wake up about the dream anyway?" Deaton asks.
"Uh I guess after the initial puking, dizziness, and tired feeling I feel confused as to what it all means, and then I feel worry, dread for the people that might get hurt by the absent figure that my dream self could feel looming dangerously in the woods out of sight." Stiles said, to which he noticed that Derek seemed shocked at this new news.
"I see. Well I have good news. I think I know what is troubling your dreams, however, I feel that it is not anything to worry about, I'm sure." Deaton said going into his office again and coming back out with a small leather pouch that was pulled closed. "For now I want you to take a spoon full of this before going to sleep for the next two to three days."
"What is it?" Stiles asked, more out of curiosity than a need to know.
"A concoction that I made with the intention of it relaxing your body enough for you to finish what your dreams are wanting to take you." Deaton said always ever so cryptic.
Derek didn't miss the way that Deaton said 'dreams', like he detested the word or that some reason the word dream didn't quite cover what was in fact happening to Stiles.
It was a lie through and through. Derek didn't even need to stop to listen to the man's heartbeat to know that he was not telling the whole truth. Derek, as well as Stiles, knew however that no matter the probing Deaton would never cause harm to either of them. Nor would he tell them more than he deemed necessary.
Stiles and Derek were heading out to the camaro. Derek had just stepped out into the sunlight fully over the threshold, and Stiles was quick to follow him. The only problem was that when he crossed the door frame to the outside he ended up in the woods that had been plaguing his dreams for the past week.
It was exactly like his dream. It started the same and finished the same way except that after he starts to look around for the potential danger he doesnt wake up puking or dizzy or even exhausted. No this time he continues to look around until he hears someone calling out his name.
"Master Stiles. Where have you been your husbands have been looking for you for hours." Liam, who isn't really his time period's (or is it place?) Liam says. This Liam is somehow different he just cant put his finger on it.
"Uh yes. I was out….uh searching….for…" Stiles starts unsure on what to say.
Luckily Liam interjects. "I know searching for the demon. But Master they would be very upset if their King was to get killed." Liam said ushering Stiles through the woods towards the woods that Stiles hadn't been through yet.
"Right. Wait. What?" Stiles asked. He was now very confused. Husbands? Who was this King and how was Stiles connected? Why was Liam calling him Master?
This was so very strange.
"Shall we get on with it Master Stiles and meet your husbands?" Liam continued.
Stiles was not sure what was happening, but didn't want to give away that he was not who this Liam thought him to be, nodded his head and started to follow Liam.
They soon came upon a large meadow that Stiles saw was not empty. Peter Hale (his mate in his real worlds uncle) and Chris Argent (who had left when his daughter died) were close together holding hands and talking, both seemed to be very worried. That is until they caught sight of Stiles.
"There you are…"
"Heavens we were worried about you.."
The two both spoke, coming rushing up to him stepping up short giving Stiles a look before looking to Liam and smiling.
"I see.." Peter said out loud, Chris nodding along. "Well my love did…" Peter continued to speak but Stiles stopped listening when he got that feeling on the back of his neck again. A sign that something dangerous was approaching. "Stiles….Stiles….STILES!" Peter yelled out finally getting the boys attention before a flash and a pull.
Stiles found himself back in his world. The only exception was that he was in his old bedroom and not at the vet's office. His bedroom at his father's house, it was now ice cold, so cold in fact that Stiles could see his breath.
Stiles looked down seeing that he was once again in his plain white tee and blue and white plaid long sleeve shirt, and back to his left hand noticing that his palm and wrist was now glowing a faint neon blue. But before he could dwell on it to much he was back in the clearing with Chris and Peter in front of him again.
What the hell was happening to him?
Stiles could still see the glow to his palm and wrist still there. With a warning he turned around to face the way that he and Liam had just came from.
"Get ready!"
What Stiles wasn't prepared for was the creature that came out of the woods. The beast was half male half horse except that the human half was only the torso, no head, no legs. The horse was that of a skinned horse. The entire thing was shrouded in red and reeked of death and decay. Stiles noticed that wherever and whatever it touched turned rotten, including the ground.
It was slow moving but still increasing distance faster than anyone of them would have liked.
Stiles saw something move out the side of his right eye. He turned to look and saw Liam transforming into a large three foot black house cat with the exception that he had even sharper teeth and claws then that of a domestic cat in Stiles world. Which was shocking to him, considering in his world Scott had turned Liam into a werewolf. It was a relief to see that both Chris and Peter were the same. Chris pulled out a semi-automatic and Peter switched forms to his beta form.
Liam went forward first, but as soon as he got six feet in front of the damn thing the creature breathed out threw the horse's muzzle a red smoke or fog that had Liam falling to the ground in writhing pain. Ultimately causing Liam to turn back human.
Stiles subconsciously knew that this was what it was all leading up to, the reason why he was in this strange place. To help defeat this thing.
Stiles could still feel that he had control of his Spark magic, but underlined was the hint of this Stiles unfamiliar magic.
The red headless creature started to pick up his pace to an odd gallup and that is when Stiles could feel their magic flair together. Waving out his right arm, though looking at it as if it was someone else controlling his body their magic collided and out came the form of a huge set of blue, almost angel like, wings. It caught stiles by surprise but he was fast to catch on. He flung both arms to the front of him aiming for the creature.
What happened next was surprisingly anticlimactic and bordered on disappointing, at least in Stiles opinion.
The wings of magic rushed into the creature's form and it evaporated in a purple cloud of dust.
"Well okay then. Haha!" Stiles shouted out in celebrating for defeating the smelly creepy thing. Before noticing that Peter and Chris were moving towards Liam. "Oh shit. Right got to fix Liam, got to fix Liam." Stiles muttered rushing to Liam's side.
He brought out one of his hands placing it on the ground, bringing forward the best in nature and earth feeling the power deep in this odd combination of whatever magic this Stiles held and his spark magic. Stiles placed his other hand on Liam and pushed gently towards his heart to flush out the evil and disease that the creature breathed into him and cleansed Liam back to life.
Slowly Stiles opened his eyes, not even realizing he had closed them, to see all sorts of animals, creatures large and small, come out of the woods now feeling safe again. Along with his three comrades who he saw kneeling down in his direction.
"All Hail King Stiles Stilinski of the Fey!" The three yelled out.
"Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray!" More people who were dressed like Stiles came out yelling.
It was now that Stiles first saw that beyond the meadow in the distance was a humongous castle.
Before Stiles could really digest what was happening they were ushering him back to the castle. Once in the castle he was guided by Chris and Peter and lead to where three throne chairs were. He took a chance and sat in the middle chair, apparently it was the right decision.
"Not that I am ungrateful for your presence sir but I think it is time for our king mate to come fully back to us." Chris said.
"Yes I agree, but thank you much kindness for all that you have done" Peter agreed.
Stiles, ever so bewildered in this odd exchange didn't have time to come up with a response before he was given a golden flute with a sweet liquid in it. He took a few sips, moaning in appreciation. By the seventh sip he felt a really hard pull in his back that wretched him backwards and then…
Bam.
He was falling to the ground in front of the vet clinic in his world.
"Well, Mr. Stilinski, I guess that your Spark is much more powerful than I had originally thought! "Deaton said after running outside feeling the whoosh of familiar magic and the clinics door slam open.
"Wha...What the hell just happened Deaton?" Stiles asked after falling on his buttocks, arms outstretched behind him holding him up.
Stiles had just come falling out of the vet office door-backwards-having just been with Liam, Chris and Peter in the other world. His dream world if he could still call it that anymore. Now however he was looking into his worlds Derek and Deaton who held concern looking faces.
"When you called Mr. Hale to see if I was available and told me briefly what was going on I figured out even before Mr. Stilinski had told me the entirety of his dream." Deaton once again was being cryptic, though this time it pissed Stiles off. Instead of letting it go and being patient he demanded that Deaton tell him what had really happened to him. "I had slipped the first dose of the special concoction that I had given you in the cup of tea that you drank here. To help you enter into that parallel reality of your dream." Deaton explained.
"Wait are you telling me that it wasn't a dream that I was having it was what a...a...different reality?" Stiles asked.
"Precisely Mr. Stilinski. I have to admit though that I had not anticipated the strength of your Spark and how it would only take one dose to be so effective. My apologies Stiles." Deaton really looked sincere and he had never used Stiles first name before so he knew that Deaton truly meant what he said.
"It is okay Deaton, really. It explains a lot actually. And I'm back here with my true mate so I am more relieved than anything. No harm, no foul." Stiles said.
Derek moved forward stretching his arm out to help Stiles up. "What does Babe? Of course Im your true mate why wouldn't I be? Wait was I not your mate in that reality?" Derek sounded hurt, Stiles was quick to reassure him.
"I was in that reality, I guess, except I found that I wasn't a Spark I was a fey and a king. I was married to your uncle Peter and Chris Argent. And my best friend was Liam who turned out to be a domestic were-cat who turned into my familiar that had been bitten by you Derek instead of Peter bitting Scott and Scott bitting Liam." Stiles reiterated what happened.
"Well that is different that's for sure." Derek said to which Deaton agreed.
"It was very strange. Especially being married to Chris and Peter, though I have the strangest notion that they somehow knew that I had been in their Stiles, or whatever's, body." The three men walked back into the clinic, Stiles albeit slowly almost scared that it would take him back to that reality, or god forbid another one entirely. They sat down in the waiting room at the front of the clinic.
"There was an odd moment when I was back here in this reality, but not here obviously, I was in my old bedroom at my dads. Do you know why? I mean it didn't even last but a minute." Stiles asked.
"Sounds like the connection broke for a minute and it brought you to the place that you lived most of your life, not the newest part of your life with Mr. Hale." Deaton explained.
"Awe alright." Stiles said taking this all in. It was strange to know that he had this great connection with another reality of himself, that he would never truly meet.
"Then what happened?" Deaton asked.
"We had to defeat this headless-" Stiles continued to retell what happened to him while in the other reality.
"Hmm sounds like it was a Nuckelavee that you destroyed. Wish I could have seen it." Deaton said interrupting.
Stiles grinned at Deaton before looking at Derek to see that his mate looked impressed. "-and I began to drink from this flute of sweet liquid and wound up here on my ass like something pulled me backwards really fast." Stiles finished telling the story.
The three men talked a bit more. Stiles finding out that the reason he was needed over in that reality was because the fey Stiles needed the extra help that Stiles spark could give in order to defeat the threat to his kingdom. But also that It required them to have a connection that passed through time and space throughout every reality.
After awhile Stiles turned to Derek. "Let's go home, my soulmate, my sourwolf." They bid Deaton a farewell before they took each other's hand and walked out to the camaro once again. This time making it to the car they got in and drove away from the clinic back to their home.
That night Stiles and Derek were eager to be close to each other. Worshiping each others bodies and not wanting to lose each others touch if they could help it. Derek making love to Stiles long in to the night.