When it became apparent that this was going to take most of the night, Stiles headed into the kitchen to start dinner. Melissa came down shortly after, at which time she learned about the big reveal that was going on. Deciding it best to not get involved yet, she helped Stiles get the meal prepared.

They were almost done cooking when Melissa tentatively broached the subject. "I'm kind of relieved that the secrets will finally be over. Raf was asking me all sorts of questions earlier that I didn't know how to answer. This is good."

Stiles stirred the contents of the pot slowly. His voice strained yet soft. "Oh yeah, this is going to be awesome. Another one of our friends and family that is going to get caught up in the middle of all this garbage. Another person thinking they are capable facing the big bad supernatural any time they want and not get hurt or worse. Like we can afford to lose more."

Melissa could hear the bitter recrimination in the young man's tone. The mother in her immediately reached out and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized he had leaned into her touch. A desperate need so entrenched she doubted he even noticed what he did. Clearing her throat, she pressed on, "Hey, Stiles, this will be ok. We'll get through this. And yes, I think this will be better for all of us. The more people we have on our side the more resources we have when things get tough. And yes, people can get hurt but so could you and Scott. You can't protect everyone from what's out there. But you can give them the best chance to deal with it and fight to survive."

"Like Allison and Aiden?"

"Yes," she spoke firmly and grabbed his shoulder to force him to look at her. "Yes, Stiles. They fought because they cared about you guys. And yes we lost them because Evil was out there and sometimes things happen beyond our control."

"They weren't beyond our control, it was beyond mine!" He hissed, releasing the self hatred inside. "They died because of me. And I can't let that happen again. Not to you or Scott or Lydia or even that jerk out there." He pointed toward the living room.

She snatched up her second son and pulled him into a tight hug. "God Stiles, you can't keep doing this to yourself. You can't keep blaming yourself for what that monster did. It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it is! It's all my fault!" Stiles broke free from the kind woman. He wasn't seeing her though, his gaze turned inward. Stumbling back into a corner, he kept speaking, the words draining his energy as he slid down the cabinets. "I let him in. I let him use me. I gave him permission to hurt my friends. I helped him and they died trying to save me!"

Heartbroken, Melissa sunk down next to him. She attempted to place a hand on his knee but he flinched away. "Oh sweetheart," she breathed, tears stinging her eyes. She didn't know what to do to ease his pain.

It was then that she realized someone was crouched down next to her. The Alpha could sense the turmoil coming from the kitchen and immediately reacted. Inching cautiously closer, he tried to break through to his best friend. "Stiles, listen to me. It wasn't your fault. It was that demon. He killed Allison and Aiden. Not you. You would never have hurt them. Ever. It wasn't you."

Slowly caramel eyes turned to the Alpha, distant and lost. "But the door. I let him in. That's my fault."

But Scott was already shaking his head no. "No. That's not true. The door was opened in all of us. We opened the door to save our parents. If anyone is to blame it was Jennifer's need for revenge. Or if we really want to get down to it, it was Kira's mom who released the Nogitsune to begin with long before we were even born."

Sounding small and tormented, Stiles deflected, "But I was weak. I let him in. He went through me because I was just a stupid human."

"No, you can't think like that. He went after you because he knew you were the strongest, smartest of all of us. He had to take you down or else you would stop him. You did stop him."

"I was too late. We lost too much. I was weak and stupid."

"You're not weak or stupid, Stiles. You figure out things when no one else can. You figured out he was using you before any of us even knew what was happening and you fought him. You tried to stop him by locking yourself away at Eichen House. You told me to make sure you never got out if we couldn't find a way to stop him. That's not weak."

"But I couldn't stop him." He seemed to be lost in memory now, rocking in his corner and babbling. "I couldn't stop him or Oliver. I gave in. I let him win because I couldn't stop Oliver from killing Malia. I was too weak to stop them. Too pathetic strapped to that chair. I let him in. I let him win."

As the words began to sink in, Scott felt his stomach drop out from under him. "What?" The picture Stiles was eluding to was becoming clearer. Stiles had disappeared from Eichen House. When Malia showed up with the sword and picture of Kira's mom and Rhys, Scott didn't have time to worry about how or why she had sought him out. Only that she had been with Stiles at Eichen House. That they were attacked by a fellow inmate and when she came to she broke free and got herself released so she could bring the pack the sword and picture. After that their focus was defeating the Nogitsune.

Now Stiles' ramblings gave him more insight as to what happened the night Stiles disappeared and the Nogitsune took control. Once before Stiles mentioned how his roommate had been controlled by the Nogitsune by a fly too when they talked about what happened to the pack the night the Nogitsune separated itself from Stiles – the distraction it caused. Somehow the dark kitsune had put them in a desperate situation. Oliver had threatened Malia's life if Stiles didn't let the Nogitsune in. So Stiles had done the only thing he could, hoping his friends would be able to stop the monster before more could happen.

His brother had fought until the last possible moment. And knowing that it could possibly lead to his death too, Stiles let the Nogitsune in. To save someone he allowed the demon control. That's not weak in Scott's book but the opposite.

All these thoughts raced through his mind in milliseconds. And he was quick to reaffirm his distraught friend. "No Stiles. You aren't weak. You're the strongest person I know. You fought longer and harder than anyone could have imagined. You did what you had to to protect us. You risk your life out there all the time. You don't have powers or anything. You're human and you still face danger head on. That's not weak. You are brave and smart and so much better than any of this. Even when he had you cornered you were ready to take your own life to save us, then you figured it out like you always do and you saved all of us."

"Not all of us." A tiny voice reminded.

Scott found it hard to get the words out, but he managed. "They knew the risks. The Nogitsune and the Oni killed them. Not you." The pair stared at each other for a long time. Scott's eyes held firm to the conviction and the truth in his words. Stiles seeking solace and absolution.

In the end it was Stiles who relented. With a miniscule nod of his head, he cast his gaze back down to his knees and allowed the weight of his memories to press him. The emotional rollercoaster that these lapses often put him through left him drained and shaky. "Sorry," he whispered.

"It's ok," Scott grinned. "It's gonna take time still. And with the Dead pool we haven't really had the time to process and deal with everything that's happened. Maybe we'll finally get a break now that the dead pool has been shut down." Getting up, Scott held out his hand as a peace offering. Without thinking, Stiles reached up and took it. As Scott pulled the lanky teen to his feet, he could feel something seeping up his arm. And when he looked at their clasped hands, he noticed the faint grey lines dancing under his skin. Frowning he glanced at Stiles and noted him swaying.

"Woah. What's wrong?"

Realizing his mistake, Stiles yanked his hand back and reached behind himself for support. "Nothing," the automatic response spilled from his lips.

"He does have a concussion," Melissa reminded them which Stiles immediately dismissed with an 'I'm fine.'

But Scott shook his head. "No, it's more than that." It felt familiar but not as intense. Then it hit him. Right after the split with the Nogitsune, Stiles woke on their couch and confessed that he was in pain. Scott never got a full indication of how bad it had been. And after everything that happened they never really discussed it. Now that he thought about it, he realized that Stiles had avoided contact with many of them, especially the wolves, afterward. He had collapsed after the Nogitsune was defeated. The connection between them had been severed. But what did that truly mean? And was it possible that there were after effects no one had bothered to ask about?

Scott may not always be quick on the uptake but when he figured stuff out he always acted upon it quickly. "Have you really been in pain since the split?" Stiles didn't meet his friend's eyes. "After we defeated him, it never fully went away did it?"

Confused, Melissa was stumbling over the questions she wanted to ask. When she was finally able to form the words, she didn't need them. What Scott was implying, hit her full force. Her heart clenched as she too turned to her surrogate son in shock.

But Stiles didn't want their concern or sympathy. He didn't deserve it. "It's fine. I'm fine. Nothing I can't handle…"

"On your own, right?" Scott demanded, anger beginning to seethe beneath the surface at his friend's obvious aversion. "Well, you aren't on your own. You have the pack."

The other teen countered, "Who would just siphon it off. Well, that doesn't work for me. They have suffered enough because of me. They don't need to take any more. It's mine. Mine. I deal with it. I live with it." He pointed at his chest, his fist thudding against his ribs.

"You're pack. What happens to one happens to all. We can help you."

"What are we, musketeers?" Stiles, scoffed. "No. I don't want your help. Just leave it."

"I can't. If you're hurting, we can help. Maybe Deaton can find a way to stop it." Scott took a step forward, longing quickly replacing his angry. The desire to protect and care for those he loves; his pack. And someone in his pack was hurting. He couldn't allow it to continue.

For his part, Stiles desperately wanted to get away, but he couldn't. Didn't they understand? "I don't want it stop. I don't want help. I just want to be left alone."

Even Melissa couldn't quite fathom why Stiles would rebuff them. "Stiles, sweetheart, you don't need to suffer. I'm sure I can find some medicine…"

"No! Please. Just stop. It's fine. I'm fine." Cornered and frantic, his hands fisted in his hair as he hunched in on himself. "Please stop."

Scott's throat constricted as he watched his friend crumble. Pleading; begging, he choked out, "You're not fine. Let me help you. After everything we've been through, you've been trough, please let me help you."

"No." Followed by a broken sob.

"Why not?"

"Because I…" but the words choked him; strangled him and he couldn't get them out. Stiles couldn't admit the darkness that still clung to his soul.

Good thing the callused FBI agent didn't have the same trouble with words that he did. And no compulsion to keep them hidden. "Because you don't think you deserve it." When Stiles' eyes went wide and he paled even further, Raf knew he had hit it on the head. Having contented himself to the side lines until now, he took a step into the room and continued. "You don't think you deserve to be free of the pain and guilt because you believe that your friends died because of you. Am I right?"

Stiles didn't move; didn't blink; didn't even breathe.

"You're not the first one to have Survivor's Guilt, Stiles. And despite what you believe, whatever punishment you think you deserve, you don't."

"You don't know that. You don't know what I've done. It wasn't just Allison and Aiden. It was all the people who worked for my dad that died from the bomb. People I've known for years. Dead because of me. And the innocent people that the Oni attacked at the hospital – that was on me too."

OK, so Raf didn't have all the details yet. Scott had only just started going over the evil kitsune thing when he jumped up and ran to the kitchen. But some of it, McCall had witnessed firsthand. He had enough pieces of the puzzle now that he could see the big picture. And that included the standoff in the locker room that Stiles wanted to keep hidden. With enlightened eyes he began to see the symptoms of PTSD and Survivor's Guilt in the teen and recognize them for what they were. So he didn't need all the facts to know the truth.

"No, it wasn't. You were used. A pawn in someone else's game. It could have been anyone. Even Scott. Would Scott deserve to be punished if he had been possessed by the demon?" He attempted to reason with the teen.

"Scott wouldn't have let them all die. He would have stopped it. Not let him in."

But Raf shook his head. "You don't know that. If what you said is true and that girl Malia's life was in immediate danger, you did what you had to to save her."

"I couldn't let Oliver kill her," Stiles confirmed with a raspy whisper.

"If it had been Allison and Scott in those positions, don't you think Scott would have done the same thing to save Allison?"

"He's a werewolf. He could have fought him better."

"Or the Nogitsune could have used Scott's werewolf abilities to do worse. My point is that it doesn't matter who it used, it still was going to hurt people. It may have even taken extra pleasure knowing it was hurting people you cared about. In any case, whatever it did wasn't your fault and you do not deserve to be punished for its crimes."

For the first time, Stiles looked up at the imposing figure. Their eyes locked and the teen could see the sincerity in them. He also caught flittering hints of sympathy and respect in the chocolate depths. But more importantly he found the absolution he had been so desperately seeking in the last person he would ever look to find it. They had been butting heads since Scott and Stiles first became friends. And now, the man he had always disliked offered him the one thing his friends and family could not. Unbiased, honest - Forgiveness.

Suddenly, the invisible weight that had been crushing him for months vanished. In fact, it was such a startling shift, he actually felt lightheaded. Both Melissa and Scott jumped in and grabbed an arm when he swayed. "It's ok. I'm fine. Really." Melissa let go when he seemed steadier on his feet.

Although Scott still held firm. "Are you sure?"

Stealing a glance at the FBI agent, Stiles smirked. "Actually, I think I really am ok." Raf gave a curt nod back. All the tension in the room instantly vanished. In fact, he felt a warmth on his cheeks as he blushed with embarrassment for the trouble he had caused.

Scott wasn't lost to the underlying conversation taking place between his father and best friend. But where he usually had to smooth it over, he found he was in reality grateful for it. He also felt the strain between them flee.

Stiles placed a hand over the one Scott had on his arm. As the light grey lines began to form, he added, "Thanks, Scott. For everything. Sorry I've been such a tool about it."

"Don't worry about it. Told you you just needed some time. But I knew you would come around in the end."

"That's enough dude, before we turn into a couple of girls." Quick to dispel the remaining emotions with humour, Stiles made a show of sniffing the air. "If we don't wrap this up now dinner will be a burnt mess. And I don't want all our hard work to go to waste. Isn't that right, Melissa?"

Mother and son both grinned. Scott even chuckled. "Whatever dude, like anything you make is bad."

Stiles ignored him while he tasted his concoction. Melissa started barking orders, "Raf set the table and I'll get the drinks. Scott you help Stiles serve."

"Not too bad, think I'll take some home to dad." Stiles muttered to himself.

Scott watched his parents move about the kitchen and used their distraction to address his brother. "Are you sure you're ok?"

About to give his patented answer, Stiles caught the serious expression on Scott's face and stopped. He took a moment to scan his surroundings before landing back on his best friend. "I am, Scott, for now. I can't promise that everything will be ok all the time, but from now on, when I need help I'll ask for it. I won't keep it to myself."

"Good. Because my dad is right. You don't deserve to be punished any more than the rest of us for what happened. We all share in the blame." Now that the serious moment passed, Scott smiled brightly. "Now let's eat cause I'm starving."

- TW – TW – TW – TW –

I decided to follow the growing trend in shows by glossing over all the stuff we really want to see and allowing fans to fantasize what really happened. So, yeah no 'big talk' from our perspective of what Scott told his dad about the Supernatural. And to be perfectly honest the idea I had for this chapter when I started writing completely got thrown out as I typed. Writing is a truly amazing and organic process. I have written many a story with one thing in mind only to have something completely different pop out, as evident here. Eiterh way, I hope you enjoyed.

Sorry I didn't get to post last week. I was hard at work on costumes and dealing with trick-or-treaters. We moved into a new development earlier this year and wasn't sure how many kids we would get if any. Turns out our neighborhood is considered safe and people drive in to trick-or-treat. We ran out of candy twice by 8 o'clock. So now we know we have to decorate and do it up for next year.

Anyway, next week I am posting an epilogue for this story and that's it. The end is neigh.

As always, thank you all for reading, reviewing, faving and alerting. My muse and I appreciate it.

Quick Shout outs: Sarah – thanks for reviewing. Oddly enough that was the original plan for this chapter when I posted 2 weeks ago. Then when I sat down to write yesterday I had another idea, which ultimately morphed into what you see here. Thanks again.

Guest – Sorry if this isn't what you meant by McCall finding out about Stiles and the Nogitsune. Still, I hope you liked it. I appreciate your input!

Until next Friday,

~Ari :D

p.s. - I apparently posted a one shot back in September that I guess no one liked called Rough Night. If that is true, please let me know and I will remove it. Thanks again for your support.