Pack Guardians
Summary: Struggling with the darkness within, Stiles finds a new ally. As the pack comes together again to fight the new threat, feelings emerge that could tear everything apart or be the glue that holds it all together.
Pairing: Stiles/Derek
Rating: Teen+ for swearing and violence.
Warnings: Depression, dark thoughts, threatening behaviour.
Chapter One: Darkness
Stiles was on edge.
He couldn't sleep, his grades were dropping as a result and everywhere he went he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Then again the grade problem could possibly have something to do with the small fact that he was convinced that all of his teachers were evil. Literally.
Scott was oblivious; too busy making-up with Allison to notice his best friend was slowly losing his mind. His dad knew something was wrong but wasn't sure how to approach it, and the rest of the pack were still reeling from the deaths of Boyd and Erica.
He knew that if he asked they would be there to help in a second, but really, what could they do? It was just nightmares. It wasn't some corporeal thing that could be hunted and killed; it was all in his head.
Still, that didn't make it any easier when he woke up gasping, shaking and covered in sweat every night. He couldn't remember the last good full nights sleep he'd had.
Stiles sat back from the computer and stretched his arms above his head until his shoulders and back popped, then quietly made his way to the bathroom. If his dad woke up, he would have to lie about why he was up so late, and he'd told enough lies to his father already.
The reflection in the mirror showed how gaunt he looked, the dark circles standing out in stark contrast against his already pale skin. He looked away and ran a tired hand over his face. God, he need to sleep.
His entire body ached with fatigue and his mind had long since developed a fuzzy haze. Quickly finishing his business, he crossed back over into his room and climbed into bed.
As he tried to find a comfortable position, he willed himself to fall asleep. Like clockwork, the nightmares began.
Stiles spun around sharply as he heard a voice call his name, it was distant but gaining on him. He wasn't sure who the voice belonged too, but he knew he had to get away. Panic clawed at his insides as he tried to run but found his feet stuck to the ground, all around him the trees blocked any moonlight from breaking through.
His ragged breathing and pounding heart was all he could hear now; the voice had gone silent. Although he couldn't see anything, he knew someone was standing just beyond the trees. He felt himself shaking, his hands desperately pulling at his legs, but still he couldn't move.
Rustling came from the trees on his left and he closed his eyes, not wanting to see any more monsters. A full minute passed and nothing had killed him, so he risked a peek and saw a girl around his age standing in front of him.
She had dark hair that fell to just below her shoulders, and skin so pale it almost glowed in the darkness. She barely came up to his shoulder but somehow he felt better having someone else here with him.
''Stiles,'' She said, her voice soothing and gentle. ''It's okay, you're safe, I promise.''
''Who are you?'' He asked, his own voice breaking slightly.
The girl smiled, ''I'm here to help.''
Stiles narrowed his eyes, ''How do I know you're telling the truth?''
Her smile faded slowly, but her eyes remained soft, ''Because if I wasn't, you would be dead by now.''
Stiles clenched his jaw and looked away; he wanted so badly to trust her, to know that maybe he wasn't alone in this hellhole, but what if she was one of them? One of the things that he could now hear growling in the distance.
She stepped closer and placed her hand on his chest, above his heart, ''Stiles, you must go now, wake up!''
Warmth radiated from where her hand rested, flooding his frozen limbs. His legs no longer felt like lead, and his feet finally responded to his brain. Before he could say anything else, she gave him a slight push and everything went white.
Stiles jerked awake, his heart hammering in his chest. He lunged for the lamp on his bedside table and bathed the room in light, chasing away the shadows that seemed darker than usual. He yanked his shirt down and looked at the skin there; a red splotch in the shape of a hand-print covered the left side of his chest – directly over his heart.
That dream had been different than the rest; usually he ran for what felt like hours and then ended up back where he started, surrounded by faceless creatures that somehow managed to chant his name over and over again.
But the dark haired girl...who was she? Just something his mind had conjured to protect him or something else? Whatever the answer, Stiles was just grateful he was awake and away from the darkness.
He left the light on and laid back against his pillows, he doubted he would sleep again but closed his eyes anyway. This time however, he fell into a dreamless sleep.
The hand print under his shirt faded until there was nothing left but warmth.
The next morning Stiles woke slowly, his mind pleasantly empty, and his body more relaxed than it had been in weeks. He felt better than he had in weeks.
Cracking one eye open, he glanced at the clock; 12:34 - Stiles really loved Saturdays. He stretched out on his back and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The house was quiet but he vaguely remembered his Dad mentioning that he wasn't going in today, so he threw back the covers and went downstairs.
The Sheriff looked up from the newspaper as Stiles entered the kitchen and did a double take. Stiles figured he must look almost human after a nights sleep, it must make a nice change for his father.
''Hey,'' He greeted, going to the fridge and pulling out the milk for the cereal.
''Morning,'' His father replied hesitantly.
Stiles ignored the concern in his eyes and sat down, taking a bite of cereal to hold off any questions. He loved his father more than anything, but he didn't want to lose the numb feeling he had going. Having to talk about his problems was a sure fire way to do just that.
''Anything planned for today?'' His father asked casually, once they had finished eating.
Stiles shook his head, ''Not really, I was just going to finish a couple of things for school.''
The Sheriff nodded, ''Sounds good.''
Stiles sighed; it shouldn't be this awkward with his own father.
''What about you? What have you got planned for this wonderful day?'' He asked, trying to sound upbeat. They spoke for a few minutes more, then Stiles left for a shower.
The Sheriff sighed heavily, he wasn't sure what he could do to help, but he had to do something. And soon.
After his shower Stiles sat at his desk and dutifully finished all of his homework before getting up and flopping onto his bed. He was asleep before he knew it.
He appeared in the same clearing, but this time the girl was waiting for him. She stood, leaning against the nearest tree, watching him with an unreadable expression. The entire place felt different; less menacing.
Stiles kept a wary eye on her as he walked around the clearing, trying to peer through the leafy canopy. He could see maybe 10 feet straight ahead before the darkness swallowed the trees. Nothing stood out that could tell him where exactly he was, so he turned to face her once again.
She hadn't moved; but now she was staring off into the distance instead of at him. He slowly walked towards her but remained a few feet away out of caution.
''Why are you here?'' He asked, quietly.
She blinked as if clearing her head, ''To help you.''
''Yeah, so you said last night. But why now?'' He snapped.
''Just because you couldn't see me, doesn't mean I wasn't there.'' She replied, sagely.
Stiles felt anger bubbling up behind his breastbone, and frustration curled his hands into fists. ''What is that supposed to mean?! Who are you?''
She sighed and held her hand out, ''I'm Adrianna; you can call me Addy.''
He shook her hand and again warmth spread though him, instantly calming his nerves. ''How do you do that?''
Addy smiled and shrugged, ''I'm hot, what can I say...''
Before he could stop it, a chuckle escaped him, and her smile grew.
''It's nice to see you smile again,'' She said.
Stiles shook his head, ''Haven't had much to smile about lately...''
She tilted her head, ''You're alive, you're father knows the big bad secret and you guys stopped the Darach.'' He glared at her. ''But then again on the other hand, you died and came back to life, now there is a darkness inside you that you don't understand and can't control...yeah, I can see why you're having trouble sleeping.''
''What happened to helping me?'' He grumbled.
She smirked, ''We both know that when you're being stubborn, the last thing you need is someone pandering to you. You need someone to tell you how it is, someone to help you sort out the facts.''
He sat down at the base of the tree and rested his elbows on his knees'. ''So what are the facts?''
Addy joined him on the ground, ''That you have a darkness inside you that you don't understand and can't control.''
He threw her a look that would have felled an actual person, ''Thank you for your spectacular insight, that really cleared everything right the fuck up!''
She bumped her shoulder against his and again he felt himself calm down. He took a deep breath, ''Sorry.''
She shook her head, ''Don't be, that's what I'm here for.''
They sat in silence for a few minutes before she turned to look at him, ''It's time for you to go now.''
Stiles raised his eyebrows, ''How do you-''
''Your father is calling you.'' She said, right before he woke up.
The dreams carried on like that for a few weeks and Stiles was starting to look forward to them in some sick, twisted way. Addy was the only person he could talk to about this without her thinking he was crazy.
How ridiculous was that?
On the up side, his grades were improving again because he was getting enough sleep to function. The nightmares were still there, but before they could get to the shit-yourself-in-terror stage, Addy would show up and the darkness would get...lighter somehow.
God, he sounded pathetic.
He was acting like she actually existed and wasn't just a figment of his, admittedly very vivid, imagination.
''Earth to Stiles!'' Scott said, waving a hand in front of his face.
Stiles jerked back to reality and focused on his friend, ''What?''
Scott frowned at him, ''Are you okay, dude? You look a little weird...''
Tramping down the urge to shout that no he was in-fact so very not fine, Stiles nodded, ''Yeah, just didn't sleep very well last night.'' Which was a lie; last night had been one of the better nights.
''That's rough man, Allison said that...'' Scott launched into Allison's nightly routine and what made her sleep better (Scott). Stiles once again tuned out and instead thought about which questions he would ask Addy that night.
He was so very screwed.
When he got home later that afternoon, his father was waiting for him. Stiles stopped in the doorway of the kitchen, watching as he hung up his cell phone. The Sheriff gestured for Stiles to sit down, so Stiles dropped his bag by the chair opposite his father and sat down.
''How was school?'' His Dad asked after a few moments.
Stiles shrugged, ''It was okay; no more homework at least.''
The Sheriff nodded, ''Good, that's good...'' He trailed off looking a little lost.
''Is there something bothering you, Dad?'' Stiles finally prompted.
His father visibly shook himself, ''The school called today and informed me that your grades were improving, but that you weren't participating in class as much as you used too.'' Stiles waited for him to continue. ''You look better now, healthier, but there is still something wrong.''
Licking his lips, Stiles looked down at the table and tried to come up with a witty response, something that would make his Dad stop worrying; but he drew a blank and instead he settled on telling the truth.
''I don't know Dad, my sleep patterns been kinda messed up lately, but it's getting better.''
Watching him intently for a minute, the Sheriff finally nodded, ''Okay, but you know that if there is something bothering you, you can talk me about it, right?''
Stiles threw him a small smile and nodded, ''Yeah Dad, I know.''
Once his father had left for his night shift at the station, Stiles hurried upstairs and rushed through his normal routine; shower, teeth, pee.
He was eager to get to sleep; something he hadn't thought possible just a few weeks ago. Stiles knew that this whole thing was far from healthy, but it was helping him, so really what difference did it make?
He also knew that Scott was bound to notice eventually how distracted he was becoming, even with his Adderall he was having a hard time focusing on his friend, but he would deal with that when the time came.
As Stiles fought to clear his racing mind, the darkness, which was slowly becoming a welcoming sight, claimed him once again.
Thanks for reading; if this is something I should continue, let me know!
