Characters: Stiles Stiliinski, Scott McCall, Allison Argent, Derek Hale, Isaac Lahey, Sheriff Stilinski, Melissa McCall, Chris Argent and Dr. Deaton
Summary: The sacrifice didn't work. Stiles, Scott and Allison's parents don't survive and they are left virtually alone. They find support through people who have suffered the same.
Warnings: Panic Attack, Major Character Death, Blood, Violence, Grief, Angst, Pre-Slash and Pre-Relationship.
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Stiles throat was burning. Whatever water that had been left in his lungs from the tub was now sloshing across the floor in front of him. Scott was laid out on his back trying to control his own breathing and Deaton was busy trying to revive Allison.
It took a moment for Stiles to realize that Lydia's hand was rubbing soothing circles into the middle of his back. He smiled weakly at her before he waved her off and tried to grip the edge of the tub in an effort to stand. He slipped inelegantly before he finally found his feet and made his way over to Scott.
"You alright dude?" Scott nodded slowly and held his hand out. Stiles grasped it tightly and pulled him into a hug.
A few minutes later they could hear Allison retching noisily. Scott pushed himself to his knees and crawled over to where Deaton, Allison and Isaac were all huddled.
Stiles was suddenly struck with another coughing fit. When he was through his ribs ached and his throat stung but he felt better.
"How long until we know?" Five pairs of eyes swung towards him before they settled heavily on Dr. Deaton.
Deaton moved over to the cabinets on the other side of the room and pulled down a vial filled with purple ash. He poured a little out into his palm and then removed a lighter from his pocket. "If it turns white when I light it then the exchange worked." Deaton clicked the lighter and sparked the ash.
It plumed black in his palm. Stiles heart sank like a stone.
"What do we do now?"
"We still have one more night before the lunar eclipse. We still have time to find them ourselves." Scott was trying to sound optimistic but Stiles could sense the desperation. Or perhaps he was merely projecting his own feelings onto Scott. Either way he could feel his chest constricting tightly. The room started to spin and contract. The air felt heavier. He suddenly felt a hand gripping his shoulder and then another hand and another and another. He swallowed convulsively as the room rearranged itself into its proper shape. Lydia was staring at him pityingly while Scott merely looked determined. Isaac was standing at his back and Allison was off to his right, grip tight on his elbow.
"Thanks" he croaked. Dr. Deaton was standing still across the room. He didn't look eager to interrupt the personal moment and Stiles was grateful.
"Well, I guess we should call Derek. Maybe he or Peter can help scent track?" Scott nodded and squeezed his shoulder tightly before he headed over to Deaton to share a private conversation. When he was done they all headed towards the door.
"Don't worry Stiles, we will find them." Lydia patted his back comfortingly and Stiles just nodded. He didn't have the strength for anymore words. He only had enough left for action.
They had been searching all day and there was still no sign of them. Stiles had joined up with Derek to search the eastern section of the preserve while Lydia and Deaton had taken the western portion. Scott and Isaac had settled on the northern area while Allison and Peter had been left with the south end. No one had reported anything yet and Stiles knew that they were running out of time. Darkness had fallen over an hour ago and they had no real idea of when the ritual would be performed.
Stiles shined his flashlight over the undergrowth and asked Derek for the hundredth time whether anything looked familiar.
"No Stiles. If it did I would tell you." His voice was soft but Stiles could hear the strain. Stiles was surprised though. By now he figured Derek would have been yelling at him to shut up or demanding that he spend less time talking and more time searching but nothing like that had happened. Stiles shrugged it off for the time being.
"I should check in with the others." Stiles grabbed his phone out of his pocket and almost jumped out of his skin when it began to ring in his hand. For a minute Stiles legitimately stopped breathing. His heart skipped in his chest and he realized that he couldn't bring himself to answer. He looked desperately at Derek who quickly took the phone and answered for him.
"Hello?" Derek turned slightly to get a better signal and Stiles clenched his hands into fists to stop the shaking. For a minute all Stiles could hear was the beating of his heart and the sound of the woods. And then it all stopped.
Stiles didn't know how he knew. Derek's expression didn't change at all. He simply hung up the phone and turned to face Stiles head on. When Stiles thinks back on it later he tries to tell himself that it was the hardness in Derek's eyes and the slight slump of his shoulders that told him but really there was no way of knowing until the words left his lips.
"I'm sorry Stiles."
Stiles doesn't remember much after that. He thinks maybe he blacked out or something because the next thing he remembers he's on his knees screaming. His face feels wet and he thinks that he must have been screaming for awhile if it had started to rain. Then he realizes that he's crying.
He feels two strong bands around his shoulders and he fights against the restriction but the bands only tighten. Eventually Stiles just gives in and collapses back against them. A few minutes later (or maybe it was an hour Stiles can't be sure) Stiles realizes that Derek is whispering something to him. It doesn't make any sense at first; it's all just a jumble of noise. When it finally filters through Stiles realizes that Derek is comforting him.
"It's okay. It's going to be okay. You're not alone." Stiles wipes his hand messily against his sleeve and takes his first deep breath. Once his heartbeat finally settles a little and his sobbing eases the arms around him loosen.
"Where is he?" Stiles voice cracks and another wave of tears fall unbidden. Derek grips his shoulder wordlessly for a moment before he helps him regain his footing.
"Peter and Allison found them on the southern edge of the preserve. Scott and Isaac were already on their way. No one had been able to get a hold of Deaton and Lydia yet."
"We should go, we should…" Stiles broke off and took another gulp of air. His chest felt tight but he staved off the panic attack for the moment by reminding himself that he needed to see his Dad.
"Are you okay to walk?" Derek looked at him hesitantly and Stiles almost lost it again. Instead he nodded wordlessly and started walking. Then he began to jog and finally his legs transitioned seamlessly into running. Before he knew what he was doing he was sprinting through the preserve. He could hear Derek running beside him but he didn't bother looking for him. All he could see were the branches in front of him. All he had ears for was the sound of his breathing.
Stiles realized later that he had no way of knowing where they really were. The preserve was huge and the southern edge itself was several miles long but somehow he knew exactly where to go.
Stiles stopped dead when he saw the hatch. It was like a wooden beacon in the night. Stiles heard Derek stop beside him. Neither of them said a word.
Stiles paused at the top of the stairs. He could hear sobbing from below. Murmurs that he couldn't make out with his human ears. Derek was cringing beside him though so Stiles knew that Allison probably wasn't faring any better than he had. He swallowed convulsively and put one foot on the stair. The rest of his body followed against his will. Soon he found himself at the bottom.
It was dark. The only real light was coming in through the hatch but Stiles could just make out a tangle of roots that took up most of the cellar. Scott was standing quiet and still at the base of the tree. Allison was in the corner sobbing as Isaac rocked her back and forth and stroked her hair. Peter was standing soundlessly beside the stairs avoiding eye contact with everyone. Stiles took another step forward.
Scott tensed for a second before he turned. His face looked like it was carved from stone. Not a single tear had fallen as far as Stiles could see. Scott's eyes softened for a moment when they met Stiles' before he moved past him and headed up the stairs. Stiles let him go.
A few seconds later Lydia appeared at the top of the stairs. She ran down quickly and her eyes settled briefly on Stiles, then Derek, before she ran over to Allison. Isaac transferred her into Lydia's grip while he made his way outside to locate Scott.
Stiles didn't realize that he had started to shake again until he felt Derek's hand land on his shoulder and his knuckles knocked against the side of his leg. "Stiles." Derek's voice sounded rough and Stiles looked back at him in alarm. Stiles had only heard that level of pain out of Derek after he had been forced to kill Boyd. Derek's eyes weren't looking at him though. They were locked on something over his shoulder. Stiles tensed before he swung his head around like a rusty hinge.
In the farthest corner of the roots there were three huddled shapes. Stiles stepped closer and Derek's hand fell from his shoulder weightlessly.
Stiles eyes processed the scene in pieces.
Red. Roots. Fingers. Hair. Knife.
Stiles heard wailing. The rest of his brain caught up with him at the sight of his Dad's frozen eyes. They looked caught between surprise and sadness. He kneeled down and reached out his hand. The wailing got louder.
His hands shook wildly as they covered his father's eyes. He could feel the tears starting to flow again and he picked up the knife that was lying beside him. He could hear Derek making a distressed noise but he ignored him. He used the knife to slice through the wire holding his Dad's neck against the tree. His Dad's head started to slide forward and Stiles panicked. He dropped the knife frantically but he needn't have worried because a large hand was reaching out beside him. It easily caught his father's head and helped to slide him forward and to the side. Stiles settled his head in his lap before he carefully wiped the blood from his cheek.
"Do you think it was quick?" Stiles didn't even recognize his own voice. It sounded brittle and hollow.
"I'm sure it was Stiles." Derek sounded defeated and Stiles had to fight down the sudden urge to turn around and punch him. Instead he clenched his fists in his father's jacket.
"Liar."
Allison had stopped crying. She had shuffled herself forward with Lydia's help and was grasping her father's knee. Stiles reached over and slipped Melissa's eyes closed before he grabbed the knife and slid it over to Allison. She nodded at him silently before she sliced through the wire.
Stiles took the knife back but refrained from cutting through the wire around Scott's Mom's neck. He knew that Scott would want to do that himself.
"We should move them." Peter's voice cut through the cellar like acid through floorboards. Stiles glared at him and had opened his mouth to retort when Derek's voice cut in.
"He's right. They should be outside. This isn't a place that they should have to stay in any longer." Stiles closed his mouth and fought back more tears before he nodded in acceptance. Derek lifted his Dad's head lightly before he grabbed him under the knees and lifted him up. Stiles stood and followed after him.
Once they were outside Derek set him carefully in the grass and headed back down into the cellar. Several moments later he reappeared with Chris Argent's body in his arms. He set him quietly beside Stiles' father and then headed off into the trees. Allison settled down beside him. Lydia and Peter had elected to give them some space and were exchanging words with Deaton over by the cellar's entrance.
Scott appeared out of the trees and made his way back down. When he came back up he was carrying his Mother in his arms. He settled her beside the others and kneeled down beside Stiles.
"What do we do now?" Stiles jumped in surprise at the sound of Allison's voice. It was stronger than he thought it would be. Hard. Stiles eyes shifted to his Father's face. It was pale and smooth. It didn't look like his Dad. For a brief moment Stiles mind fluttered over the thought that maybe it wasn't. Maybe this was some horrible nightmare and he was going to wake up any minute. But time ticked by and nothing changed. The thought vanished and was replaced with a crushing darkness.
Scott must have sensed the change because he moved to turn them both towards him. "We are going to survive. That's what we're going to do. We are going to find Jennifer and tear her into pieces and then we are going to piece ourselves back together. Got it?" Scott's voice carried strength but Stiles couldn't absorb any of it. When it came down to it Scott still had his Father. It might not be much but it was something. Stiles and Allison had nothing. No one.
Stiles eyes were drawn to Derek then. Derek felt his gaze and moved forward. He stopped a few feet short of Stiles' back. "We should call someone." Stiles nodded.
"Scott, call your Dad. If anyone non-supernatural can help us now it's him." Scott nodded soundlessly and stood up. He pulled out his phone and headed back into the woods. By the time he came back Stiles and Allison were standing and everyone else had moved closer.
"They'll be here soon." Everyone nodded and silence settled again. Then Isaac moved. He pushed forward and pulled Scott into a hug. Scott froze for a moment before he hugged him back. Then Isaac moved onto Allison. She clung to him briefly before they both let go and Isaac moved onto Stiles. Meanwhile Lydia had moved forward and was doing the same. She started with Scott and moved to Allison before heading for Stiles. As surprised as Stiles was by all of this he still didn't expect it when Deaton headed forward as well. When Deaton got to Stiles he paused before leaning in. He gripped him tighter than Stiles thought was comfortable before letting him go. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you save them." Stiles swallowed the pain for a moment before he spoke.
"It's not your fault." Deaton nodded and moved away. Out of the corner of his eye Stiles saw Peter move. For a second the action didn't process because logically it didn't make any sense. Then, before he knew what was happening Peter was pulling Scott into a hug. Scott didn't really hug back and Peter moved on. Allison tensed up but allowed him to hug her without comment. When he reached Stiles he stopped.
"I might not be a nice person but I know what you're going through and I am sorry." Stiles mouth opened in shock. He didn't know what to say to that so he didn't say anything at all. Peter leaned forward and pulled him into a hug. Stiles hugged back. It lasted a few seconds and he felt a little dirty afterwards but Stiles appreciated the gesture.
Finally Derek moved forward. He whispered a few words to Scott and hugged him. When he stopped in front of Allison it looked like she might hit him but he leaned in to whisper something in her ear and when he pulled back she was crying. When he moved forward again she wrapped her arms around him hesitantly.
When he finally got to Stiles he reached forward and gripped his hand. "I would tell you that I'm sorry Stiles but I know that words don't mean anything to you right now. They won't for awhile. People will tell you that everything will be okay and they will be wrong. Nothing is ever going to be the same. But one thing that you can believe in is that you have friends. People who care about you. You won't be alone."
Stiles could feel his own tears returning but he wiped them away with his sleeve. "Thank you." Stiles reached forward and pulled Derek closer. He wrapped his arms around him and squeezed as tightly as he could. He could hear Derek's heartbeat under his ear and it helped to settle his own.
In the distance Stiles could just make out the sound of sirens. The FBI would be here at any minute and everything would change. They would be subjected to questions that they couldn't really answer and have to spend the night at the station because there was no where else for them to go. They would have to plan funerals and listen to empty words from people that had no understanding of what their lives had become. They would need to find new homes.
Stiles gripped Derek tighter for a moment before he let go. When he glanced up Derek smiled at him and wiped away a stray tear. "It won't get better Stiles but I can promise that it will get easier."
Stiles felt a little of the darkness drain away.