Stiles woke up and immediately hit his head against something cold. He tried to rub his hand and barely managed to move it before he encountered the cold again. He forced himself to stop reeling about the Nemeton and tried to find out where he was. Which turned out to be a little metal box. Before the claustrophobia kicked in he realized he was in one of the cold storage boxes in the morgue, which meant he was in the hospital, which meant that Deaton and Lydia and Isaac thought of them dead.
He started screaming and trashing and pounding and losing his breath and the walls were enclosing and he banged and banged and screamed and yelled and cried and choked until someone opened the door and suddenly Scott was there and Stiles was crying and trying to get out and falling and not caring about it but only about getting out of that damned box. Allison helped him to his feet and he saw what Scott had to do in order to get out.
The nurse came in and dropped her clipboard in surprise.
-She was right. The girl was right.
-Who?
-What's going on? Why are we in the morgue?
-You were dead. We declared you dead almost 12 hours ago.
They couldn't believe it. Dead? How? She was probably wrong, they were just out for a few minutes, surely their friends wouldn't let them die. She was already fussing over them, calling for help, getting them into stretchers and taking their vitals, and suddenly Lydia was there too, hugging Allison, hugging Scott, hugging him. Isaac and Deaton had to get her so the doctors could do their job. But they didn't have time, they needed to get out of there so they could go to the Nemeton and remove their parents now that they weren't needed.
Of course they couldn't leave.
First, all the doctors in the hospital were baffled at their recovery. They were declared dead in the morning, after Deaton had called 911 because they hadn't been able to bring them back. The official version was that they had just found them in the river near the Pet Clinic, but they were not able to explain why they were in minimal clothes swimming in a river close to freezing temperatures. Then there was the matter that none of them had a guardian they could call to discharge them, and when Deaton tried to take responsibility he faced a wall of bureaucracy. Last, but not least, the FBI decided that they were to remain in the hospital until they were questioned. Apparently, one Agent McCall had decided that he needed them to answer a few questions about the disappearing of their parents. Scott's mom, Allison's dad, his own dad.
Agent McCall entered the room where they were being held after being declared very much alive and not dead, and with one look he made Isaac leave the room. Deaton was trying to get them out of there, but since he was not his guardian nor any sort of relation to any of them, the law was favoring the FBI.
-Hello boys, Allison.
-Rafael.
It was Scott who had said the name, spewing vitriol with every movement of his mouth.
-Wow Scott, is that how you are calling me now?
-Why would I call you anything else?
-My, because I am your father.
-No, you are not. You stopped being my father when you stopped returning my calls and stopped visiting. I only have one fatherly figure and that would be Sheriff Stilinski.
Stiles couldn't help but feel proud of his best friend. For a moment they were the kids that had hidden in the woods for a day and a night when Scott's dad had finally told him that he would not see him again for a long time, and how they vowed to be together no matter what happened. And here they were, no matter what.
He could feel Allison's stare, looking for an explanation, but this was not the time nor the place.
-Is that so? Then where is he? Ah, yes, he's missing, just like your mom and this girl's father. And by what I've gathered from my conversations around town, particularly Stiles over here, I am pretty sure you know and not just that, but you know more than you are letting me know.
Scott's face was not saying "Why did you betray us?". Scott's face was saying "What the hell did your mouth do?".
-Ah, I can see I am not mistaken. Careful, boys, your body language is betraying you.
Stiles felt the wolf raising in Scott. He wanted to kick him, to slap him, to make sure he would not make a fatal mistake by revealing to the FBI that werewolves were real. Allison came to the rescue.
-Excuse me, sir?
-Agent McCall, Allison.
-Agent, you can't keep us here. Not without a warrant and not without a legal guardian's presence that can protect us. If our guardians are not present at least we should have a lawyer present to protect our rights.
-Oh, but I am not holding you here, Allison. It's the hospital, since you haven't got any wardens to discharge you, and I just happen to be here willing to have a little chat with you guys. After all, I'm a good guy here, and all I want is to find your parents and it is in your best interest if you talk to me.
Stiles could feel his own anger raising. There it was, the smugness, the anger, the cockiness McCall used to display before. Back when he lived in Beacon Hills. Back when he used to beat Scott.
-That's not true.
The kids almost jumped when they saw Coach - their - coach standing in the door with a duffel.
-Bobby?
-Rafael. Long time no see.
-What are you doing here?
-Getting these kids out of here. The hospital had deemed them good enough to discharge them and I am an acting guardian when their parents are not available. Little piece of paper they sign when they join the team, and I have to say Rafael, Melissa's son is a mean lacrosse captain. Stiles is Stiles, but he's part of the team.
-And what does Allison play?
-Cross country. Get changed, kids, we are out of here. Rafael, if you mind giving them privacy.
Rafael just looked back at them and conceded defeat. Stiles immediately wanted to ask what was going on but Coach Finstock silenced him with a look. It wasn't until they were walking down the corridor in their school sweats that Scott dared to say something.
-Coach? How do you know...?
-Rafael? Well, McCall, lemme put it this way. Everybody in town is surprised that you turned out to be a very good kid. It's been ages that we've wanted to give Melissa the Parent of the Century award, but then you had to go and be a screw up last year. Well, you are definitely looking up now, so she might still get it.
-Parent of the Century?
-It's obvious you got all the good genes from her, and hopefully just the misaligned jaw from him.
-Why does everybody say that I've got a misaligned jaw?
-Scott, you do. What's going on? Where's Lydia?
-That I don't know, Argent. He does.
He had brought them to the parking lot, where Deaton was waiting for them.
-I got them. Why do you need all of them? I thought only McCall was the werewolf.
-You know?
-Doesn't matter right now, Scott. They sacrificed themselves to the Nemeton, they are all connected to it now.
-You did WHAT? You sacrificed yourselves to the Nemeton? What was going through your heads? And you suggested it? Are you insane, Deaton?
They had never seen Coach lose it like he was at that moment. It seemed that he was seriously angry at them, at Deaton, and afraid of what they had done.
-Do you have any idea what you have done? What horrors will be coming to Beacon Hills because of your, your, your STUPIDITY!Please don't tell me it was the only option you had - you are a bloody werewolf McCall, you should've been able to detect your mother's scent.
-We didn't have time!
-Well, it's not like you have time now, is it? You lost twelve hours to its trial!
-OK STOP -Why is it always his responsibility to bring everybody down? Another questions Stiles filed under "Things to ask if you stay alive" along with "What the hell does Finstock mean?" and "He knew Scott's a werewolf?" - We have urgent matters to attend right now. First: we know where the Nemeton is, and if we are not mistaken, that's where our parents are. We need to go get them.
-Yes, but I need to go back to Deucalion. I made a deal with him, and he may be able to help in stopping the Darach long enough so you guys can rescue them.
-Are you insane?
-No, he's not. It's a decent enough strategy.
-Coach?
-Think of it as a LAX game, Stilinski. He'll distract the other team so you can assemble yourselves in the field.
-But we don't die in a LAX game!
-Now that's not the mentality I want to hear from a first line, Stilinski! You are supposed to give your BEST at every game!
-Coach, NOT NOW! Ow!
The cuff in his head was not pleasant.
-Fine. You go with Dead Destroyer of the Worlds. Allison, you and Isaac go and try to locate our parents, I'll go to the station and get help - it's a cellar and we may need help if it caves in.
-Why would it cave in?
Stiles realized he said that without thinking. He didn't know why he said it. He didn't know why he knew that there was a very distinct possibility that the cellar would cave in. He just knew.
-I don't know. I honestly don't know. Doesn't matter. Where's Lydia?
-With Ethan. He came for Lydia, asked her for help to stop Aiden from helping Kali kill Derek.
-What?