Hey guys! I know this isn't a new chapter of 'Real or Not Real,' but this was a scene I thought was very missing from 'Echo House.' I have mixed feelings about the episode in general, but I was expecting (hoping) this scene would be in the beginning, but it never was. So, I decided that I wanted to write it anyways! So, here's what I view as 'the missing Echo House scene.'

Say Something (I'm Giving Up On You)

By Chase the Wind and Touch the Sky

"Are you alright?" Scott asks for the seventh time, knowing he's getting borderline 'annoying' from the looks Kira and Deaton are giving him.

Kira rolls her eyes. "Like the other hundred times, I'm fine. He just knocked me out, St—" Kira winces. "The Nogistune just knocked me out."

Scott looks at the ground.

It didn't hit him until that exact moment. He knew that Stiles was possessed and he knew that unless they did something, things would get worse, but he didn't actually believe Stiles was capable of anything of that nature until he saw his eyes. Scott shudders. Those eyes. Those hollow, dead eyes that showed no remorse as he twisted the knife, and utter exuberance when he took the pain. They were not Stiles' eyes, but it was his friend in front of him.

He had no idea how to even process that.

Thump, thump, thump.

"Oh God, what now?" Scott accidentally says out loud, but it seems that Deaton and Kira have the same reaction. It's coming from the examination room where Deaton insisted on securing Stiles, just in case the poison didn't work right away. As much as it pained him to see his best friend chained to an examination table meant for animals, Scott knew it was necessary. It didn't mean he had to like it.

Thump, thump, thump.

The three of them cautiously approach the door, the banging getting louder and more erratic. Scott can feel the unhealthy whizzing of Stiles' heartbeat alongside his anguished grunts. Scott slams the door open and gasps.

Stiles is writhing on the steel examination table, pulling at the restraints until they pierce his skin, blood dripping down his wrists. He's smacking his head against the table, his face screwed up in a fit of pain and anguish Scott didn't think a human could convey. Scott had to take a step backwards; the scent of fear and torture, pain and guilt, sickness and despair is almost too much for him to bear. It hits him like a semi, almost making his knees quake.

Deaton's the first to react. He doesn't move any closer to Stiles, but puts his hands up. "Stiles," he says in a calm voice as the teen jerks around the table. "Stiles, calm down."

That's when he notices them. His head shoots up as far as the restraint allow and his eyes widen, the tears falling freely as he does so. "Stay away from me!" He shrieks, twisting his arms so the cuts deepen. He slams his head against the examination table again, letting out a strangled breath as he does so. "For the love of God, stay away from me!"

Scott can't unfreeze. It's a horrible moment in time to be so still, but he doesn't know what to do. He's the 'True Alpha,' for god sakes, he should know what to do! But Stiles is trashing about, whimpers of pain sneaking from his throat and despair lining him like a shroud.

"The poison, it's hurting him!" Scott hisses at Deaton. "You're killing him!"

"No I'm not," Deaton responds coolly. "The poison, yes, is probably quite painful, but I'm not sure that's the source of this particular anguish.

Stiles' body lurches upward and then crashes against the metal.

The examination room is unsettlingly quiet.

After a moment, whimpers fill the air. Stiles' mouth parts and it's like a symphony for the damned; every horrifying moment that occurred since the Nogitsune took over crescendos into this one moment of vulnerability. Tears are streaming down his face and he doesn't look over. He tries to hold his hands close to his chest, but the restraints get in the way, and so his bloodied palms simply lay on the side of the table.

"Those people," Scott manages to hear through the strangled noises. "I killed all those people."

Then the slamming starts again.

Stiles bangs his head against the table, the sound horrifying and loud, making Scott want to cower. Stiles keeps repeating himself over and over, "Those people, those people. I killed people," like it's some horrific movie playing in his head.

"We have to untie him," Scott states, moving closer.

"Scott, no." Deaton states. "Did what just happen teach you nothing? The Nogistune is a trickster, Scott. We can't untie him until we're absolutely sure."

"I'm absolutely sure!" Scott says, gesturing wildly to his friend. "It's inhuman!"

Deaton's features get calm in a way that Scott knows he's not going to like what he's going to hear. "You may have to start getting used to the fact that your best friend may no longer be human. Or your best friend."

"No!" Scott shouts, ripping Deaton's hold on him. "I know Stiles. And I know he's here. And I know that there has to be a way to permanently get the Nogitsune out of him. And so I'm going to get him to calm down."

"Scott—"

"You two should probably leave."

Both are stunned by his words, significantly Kira. He can see the hurt circling her eyes, but he can't focus on that. All he can focus on is the strangled cries getting progressively louder. Is his breath shortening? Scott whips his head in Stiles direction and sees his friend flailing, his chest shaking.

"I'm sorry," Scott mutters. "But you two need to leave. Now."

As soon as they are out of sight, Scott rushes over the table. He shakily presses his hand against Stiles' chest, shuddering at the erratic heart underneath his fingertips. "Stiles, buddy, you gotta calm down."

Stiles' eyes widen and for a second, Scott is truly afraid of him. Not in a Nogitsune-sense, but afraid for his sanity and his life. "Stay away from me, Scott!" He bellows, his entire body trembling. "Get away! Get away right now!"

Scott doesn't move. "Stiles, you're okay. I'm right here. We're here to help you."

"I said get away!" Stiles cries, pulling against his restraints.

He can see Stiles blink distantly and knows he has very limited time to calm him down before Stiles passes out. "Stiles, you gotta breathe with me. Come on, please, buddy. We can't have you passing out right when we're figuring out how to help you. Will it help to count fingers again?"

"I killed people, Scott!" Stiles manages to get out through sobs. "I nearly killed you!" His eyes stretch wide. "Oh my God – what if I had killed you?" His head slams his head again. "I can't believe what if I'd killed you? Or coach? I killed Deputy… make it stop!"

The plea is so forcefull, Scott can feel it in his ribcage. He yanks the restraints off of Stiles, propping him up. "Stiles, you didn't kill him. Look at me," he pleads when Stiles shakes his head, tears streaming down his face. "This isn't you. That wasn't you."

"I k-killed people," he merely repeated, his sobbing getting worse. Then, he opens his eyes, a realization looking as though it'd struck stillness into him. "Kill me."

At first Scott doesn't think he's heard him correctly. Because it's insane. Never in his wildest nightmares would he think those words would come out of his best friend's mouth, let alone directed at him. "W-What?" is the only response his can muster.

"Kill me." Stiles repeats, his chest shaking. "You got to do it. I-I killed people, Scott. I-I can't do this. I-I can't do this anymore. I'm not strong enough. I-I'm not strong enough to fight it. I'm g-gonna keep hurting people a-and people I care about. It threatened you all and now I-I know it's true and you guys can't die because of me." His entire body is quaking at an unhealthy level. "You have to kill me, Scott. Please just get it over with, I can't hurt people, I can't be a murderer, I-I can't do it, I-I'm not strong, I-I'm not enough, please, Scott, please do this for me. Please just do it for me. P-Please—"

Scott wraps his arms around his best friend. He isn't sure why, but it was the only reaction he could think of that was relatively sane. When he does, he feels Stiles' body still, like he doesn't even know how to function normally anymore. Instead, his arms hang at his sides, but Scott doesn't care. He just holds him tighter. Stiles breathes shakily, "P-Please."

Scott blinks away a few tears. "We'll figure this out, Stiles. I promise. I promise, we're here for you. We'll figure this out."

"I-I can't d-do it." He sobs, but he wraps his own arms around Scott, burying his face into his shoulder. "I-I'm not strong enough."

"Yes, you are." Scott says forcefully, breaking to hear his best friend like this. Stiles' body is so cold, it's like it's back in the ice tub. How did this get so bad? How had it gotten to this point? "You are strong enough. And you have us. You can't give up. Don't give up Stiles, don't do that to us. Just let us take some of it for you, bud. We can do this."

"I tried to kill you," Stiles whispers, his voice hollow.

Scott freezes. He's actually giving up. He can hear it in his voice. There's nothing in it. No sarcasm, no anger, no guilt.

Just death.

"Hold on, Stiles. Please?" Scott says, trying to ignore the possibility that he may have to figure out life without his best friend. No. No, that isn't life. "You'll kill me if you die, so you better not. You better not, Stiles, do you hear me?"

Weeping is the only response he gets.

Now, Scott is ready. He didn't understand before, but he gets it now. He gets the urgency, he gets the fear. He gets the plan. The Nogitsune is going to die. For the pain, chaos, strife, and anguish it brought to this town, but most importantly, the destruction it's performing on his best friend.

From the inside out.

A/N: I just really would've loved to see Stiles waking up and interacting with Scott after the whole ordeal. I genuinely think that was a missed opportunity.

Leave a note/review if you have time! I'd really appreciate it. :)