note: This chapter takes place during Omega (2x01).

Sydney was hunched over in a chair next to the wall, while Stiles was slung across a row of hospital chairs in the most uncomfortable looking way possible, snoring lightly. Her head was resting in her palm, and her elbow on the wooden armrest that would sure enough leave an angry red mark on her arm when she woke up. There was a small paper bag - like the ones you get when you go shopping - that was clutched loosely in her fingers, the bag itself filled with an assortment of make-up products that she was going to present to Lydia when she woke up (well, she would've already, but Sydney was currently napping herself and therefore unable to present the very awake Lydia with her present), knowing sure and well that Lydia would not be one to turn down the possibility of a make-over, especially since she had not been in the reach of a makeup brush in the past week.

"Just like that.." Stiles mumbled. "No, no, you first - me first?" A vague gesture of a smile appeared on his sleeping face before it slackened and he began to snored once again. He had always been a sleep-talker, and Sydney had grown to ignore it; if she hadn't she'd never would have had gotten any sleep when they were little and still sharing the same room. Thank god they had seperate rooms now.

Mr. Martin exited Lydia's hospital room quietly, his hands on his hips and his lips pursed, clearly unhappy with what had gone on just moment's ago in the hospital room. He glanced at the twins, then motioned to Melissa to come over to him.

"They've been here all night," he said, gesturing to the sleeping siblings.

"They've been here all weekend," she said, crossing her arms.

"You're dirty," Stiles sleep-mumbled once again, making a kissing motion with his lips before he was startled awake. He looked around, slightly confused and began to sit up, hitting the "get well" balloon that he had brought for Lydia, which was tied to his wrist. He glanced to his left, where his sister was still asleep. He hit her lightly on the arm, which got zero response from her. He repeated the action, only a little harder this time, which caused her eyelids to fluttered open and drop the bag she had been holding, a swear forming on her lips. When she realized that it was her brother that had woken her, she sat up, relieving her body of its previously hunched posture (which was definitely going to be sore later). She yawned and stretched her arms over her head, her back cracking as she did. She rubbed her eyes and looked at her brother.

"What time is it?" she asked, yawning again.

"Uh, I don't know," he said, scrunching up his face and making an exaggerated shrugging gesture. "Find a clock."

Right, because finding a clock was the only option to find out what time it was. No, really, it was - she had fallen asleep before she could locate the nearest outlet and plug in her phone.

Stiles stood up, stretching his hands over his head and groaned, the edge of his shirt moving slightly upwards before it returned to its regular, slightly crumpled position lower on his torso. "I'm going to get something from the vending machine. You want anything?"

"Bring me back a Hershey's bar, if they have dark chocolate or cookies and cream. If they don't have either, well -" she yawned again, "- damn hospital vending machines to hell, and just get me some Reese's."

"Quit," Stiles said, before yawning himself, "that." Sydney just grinned at him, obvious pleased that her yawning had become contagious. He hit her playfully on the shoulder, smiling, before he went off on a quest to find the nearest vending machine. But he didn't have to go far, only traveling just around the corner to reach the vending machine in closest proximity. He reached into his pocket and yawned again - damn it Sydney - surveying his limited options. Hershey's, Payday, Mr. Goodbar...before his eyes settled on Reese's. He put his coinage into the vending machine and pressed the button marked "I". The package rolled forward with the turning metal coil, but stopped just short of falling to its demise, leaning forward slightly. It was close to the edge that if the cool had just moved half in inch further, the candy would have fallen and Stiles could enjoy its peanut butter and chocolatey goodness. But no, fate decided that he was, in fact, not going to do that. He pressed the button again, one, twice, three more times but nothing happened, his Reese's still stuck at the end of the metal coil.

He sighed, "seriously?"

He hit the glass a few times before resorting to shaking it, but that didn't help his problem either. He took a half-step back, looking the machine over once, and then pressed his whole body against the glass, arms wrapped around the sides. He tried pushing it, leaning it back, but alas it did nothing. His candy was still perched on the end of the coil. Another half step back, mumbling, "that's not gonna work." Another half step forward and his hands were on the top edge of the machine and he started shaking it again. This time, something did happen - but he only had a few seconds to move out of the way before the machine crashed to the ground, with the dramatic sound of glass shattering. He glanced behind him to make sure no one was there to witness what had just happened, or heard the sound of the vending machine falling to the ground. He leaned back over the it, in hopes that he could figure out some way to get the machine back to standing up so he could get the Reese's he'd paid for and sneakily take a Hershey's bar for his sister, since the glass had most definitely shattered, therefore leaving a big and gaping hole perfect for snatching candy.

But just when he'd figured out a way to lift it back up that involved a stick of butter, a rope, and one of the hospital chairs, there was a scream - a scream he instantly recognized. He turned around, saying "Lydia?" to himself before bolting back to her room, along with Mr. Martin and Melissa. "Lydia!"

"What the hell was that?" Melissa asked, running to the door.

Sydney was first to the one door, having been still seated in the line of hospital chairs outside the room, glancing around but not getting up to look for an electrical outlet in the hallway. She wrenched the door open, the three other following her in quickly.

"Lydia?" she half-asked, half-shouted, but seeing the bed empty she turned and went for the bathroom. She pulled that door open too, Stiles pushing between Mr. Martin and Melissa to follow his sister. But when the bathroom door was shoved open, it was empty, no trace that Lydia had even been in the room with the exception of the running tub faucet, which Melissa reached over to turn off. Sydney looked about the room, trying to find where Lydia could have escaped to, when her eyes settled on a window that was propped open, the full moon visible through the glass. She reached over, not taking her eyes off the window, and hit her brother in the shoulder. He looked in the direction she was looking, and his jaw fell slack.

"Someone call my dad," he mumbled.

"Already on it," Melissa said, stepping out of the bathroom with her cell phone pressed to her ear.

.

"Naked? As in nude?" Sheriff Stilinski asked with his eyebrows raising, walking with Melissa and Mr. Martin. He had arrived shortly after Melissa had called him, along with a few other officers.

"I'm pretty sure they mean the same thing, but yes, as far as we know she left here, clothing optional," Melissa replied.

"You checked the hospital, right?"

"Every last corner."

"Nothing suspicious?"

"Nothing. She just took off."

The Sheriff turned to the nearest officer, who happened to be standig next to him. "Let's get an APB out on a 16-year-old redhead." He turned his head back to Melissa. "Another other descriptors?"

"Stiles," Sydney hissed quietly, grabbing the back of her brother's shirt and trying to prevent him from getting them in trouble, but it was too late; he was already walking towards their dad. She just sighed and hurried after him.

"Five foot three, green eyes, fair skin, and her hair is actually strawberry blonde," Stiles said confidently

"Only you," Sydney mumbled, trying to hid herself behind her hand. She was a strong believer in the "I can't see you, you can't see me" method.

"Is that right?" the Sheriff asked, but it lacked any note of him taking what any of his son said seriously.

"Yeah," was all Stiles got out before his dad but his hand on the back of his son's neck, steering him a few steps away from Melissa and Mr. Martin. He was about to begin lecturing when he looked back to where he had been standing, pointing to his daughter and making a "come here" motion with his hand. She quickly walked over to her brother and dad, hoping that they would only get reprimanded for yet again hanging around a crime scene - well, in this case, a missing person scene - and not legitly punished.

"What the hell are you two still doing here?" They both fidgeted, and Stiles took the lead.

"Uh, we were -"

"- providing moral support," Sydney provided.

"How about you two provide your asses back home, where you should be."

"Yeah," Stiles sort of groaned. "We can do that too."

The Sheriff pushed his children in the direction of the door, and the two walked slowly towards where they had been pushed.

"Call Scott," Sydney said, looking back over her shoulder at their dad briefly.

"What?"

"I said, call Scott," she repeated, snapping her head to look at her brother. She motioned with her eyes to the bag she had been holding earlier, before Lydia had gone and jumped out the window of her hospital room. Stiles took it from her hands and looked into to find something that definitely should not be inside a shopping bag - Lydia's hospital gown. "Now call Scott." She took the bag back from her brother, grabbing his wristing and pulling him out of the hospital as he dialed Scott with his free hand.

.

Sydney hopped into the driver's seat of Stiles' jeep, dropping the bag she had been carrying into Scott's lap before continuing into the back seat. Stiles got in after her, slamming the door behind him. She leaned up against the seat as soon as her brother was situated, so she could have full view of Scott.

"This was the one she was just wearing?" Scott asked her as he reached into the bag, pulling out the white polka-dotted dressing gown, and she nodded. The twins were staring at Scott, anxiousness tied up in both of their features. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt her. Not again," he assured them.

"Just shove the thing in your face and let's find her," Stiles said, sighing. He turned the key in the ignition, only to have the headlights light up the silhouette of Allison Argent.

"Jesus Christ on a cracker," Sydney said quickly, moving her hand up to put it over her heart. Allison was going to give her a heart attack.

"Wow," Stiles muttered as Allison made her way to the passenger side, where Scott was.

"What are you doing here? Someone's gonna see us," Scott said, talking to Allison through the open window.

"I don't care," Allison replied. "She's my best friend and we need to find here before they do."

"I can find her before the cops can."

"How about before my father does?"

"He knows?" Stiles asked, craning his head to look at Allison.

"Yeah. I just saw him and three other guys leave my house in two SUV's."

"Search party," Sydney said.

"More like a hunting party."

There was a pause, before Scott opened the door slightly, "get in."

Allison pulled the door open and stepped in, crawling over Scott and into the backseat with Sydney. Scott slammed the door shut and Stiles cranked it into drive, peeling out of the parking lot.

"Okay, but if she's actually turning, will they actually kill her?" Stiles said, gesturing with one hand while the other was on the steering wheel. Quite dangerous, but Sydney did the same thing all of the time.

"I don't know. They won't tell me anything, okay? All they said is we'll talk after Kate's funeral when the others get here," Allison said, sighing.

"What others?" Sydney asked, her eyebrows shooting up.

"They won't tell me that yet."

"Okay, your family's got some serious communication issues to work on." Stiles turned his head from the road to Scott, who currently had his upper half outside the window, sniffing the air. "Scott, are we going the right way?"

"Take the next right!"

.

Scott's tracking had taken them to the preserve, specifically the area that just so happened to be near the Hale house. Huh. Coincidence.

"She came here?" Stiles asked, turning around to look at Scott. "You're sure?"

"This is where the scent leads," Scott said.

Stiles sighed and turned back around, taking a few steps forward before turning back around.

"Alright, but has Lydia ever been here?"

"Not with me," Allison said.

"Me neither," Sydney said, stuffing her hands in her pockets and going around Scott and Allison so she could walk next to her brother.

"Maybe she came here on instinct, like she was looking for Derek," Allison said, walking slowly.

"You mean - looking for an alpha," Scott said, knowning exactly what she was trying to say.

"Wolves need a pack, right?"

"Not all of 'em."

"But would she have been drawn to an alpha? Is it an instinct to be part of a pack?"

"Yeah, we're- we're stronger in packs."

Allison nodded. "Like strength in numbers."

"No like literally, stronger, faster, better in every way."

"That the same for an alpha?"

Scott nodded. "That'll make Derek stronger too."

"Woah, hey, look at this," Stiles said, holding a thin wire in his hand. Allison took a few steps and kneeled next to him.

"I think it's a trip wire," Sydney said. Stiles started lift up on it, and all she got out was "Stiles, I don't -" before he lifted it up all the way, and Scott was hauled into the air by a loop of wire around his ankle. "- think you should pull the trip wire," she said with a sigh. Apparently, she was on the only one who could she Scott swaying upside down, because the other two seemed oblivious to the sight behind them.

"Stiles -" Scott said.

"Yeah, buddy - oh," Stiles said, turning around fully.

"Next time you see a trip wire, don't trip it."

"I tried to tell," Sydney sighed.

Allison looked like she was trying to suppress a laugh, her hand covering her mouth.

"Yeah, noted."

The three stepped over to Scott, before he quickly said, "Wait, wait, wait, wait," and held up his hands before he proceeded to flail them. "Someone's coming. Hide. Go!"

The trio ran into the woods, looking for some place to hide with a high chance of not being caught, which ended up being behind a particularly large tree. Even from the distance, they could hear the conversation that was about to happen.

"Scott," a steely voice said.

"It's my dad!" Allison whispered, and Sydney waved her hand at Allison, trying to shush her so they could hear what was being said.

"Mr. Argent," Scott replied.

"How are you doing?"

"Good. You know, just hangin' out. Is this one of yours? It's, uh, good. Nice design. Very constricting," Scott said, making some attempt at sarcasm.

"What are you doing out here, Scott?"

"Looking for my friend."

"Ah, that's right. Lydia's in your group now, isn't she? Part of the clique? Is that the word you use? Or is there another way to put it? Part of your pack?"

"Actually, clique sounds about right to me," Scott replied, sounding a bit angry.

"I hope so. 'Cause I know she's a friend of Allison's, and one special circumstance, such as yourself - one, I can handle. Not two." He paused. "Scott, do you know what a hemicorporectomy is?"

"I have a feeling I don't want to."

"A medical term for amputating somebody at the waist. Cutting them in half. Takes a tremendous amount of strength to cut through tissue and bone like that. Let's hope a demonstration never becomes necessary."

Soon, the sound of crunching footsteps disappeared and the three ran out from behind the tree they had used as a hiding spot and over to Scott.

"You okay?" Allison asked.

"It's just another life-threatening conversation with your dad."

Allison stepped over to where the wire was rigged. "Stiles, help me with this."

Scott reached up with extended claws and sliced through the wire, landing on his feet. "Thanks, but I think I got it."

"Yeah," Stiles said, sounding a little defeated.

Allison just made an amused noise.

"Comin'?" Scott said over his shoulder, starting to walk.

"You're a big show off, Scott, I hope you know that," Sydney said.