Everything erupted into chaos. Lydia ducked to the side as someone leapt over her. Kate was no longer on her own. Two werewolves that Lydia recognized as ex-hunters of the Calavaras came running from the darkness and rushed to Kate's aid, catching Scott and the others off guard. Lydia blanched. Kate had bitten the hunters she didn't kill…

The sound of claw against claw pierced her ears, numerous roars reverberated throughout the halls, making Lydia's head ache. She scanned the room, holding tightly to a crossbow that Chris had given her after Allison's death. She had hoped that she would never have to use it. And yet here she was. She had to find Stiles. A flash of brown hair and pale skin caught her eye.

"LYDIA!" Stiles shouted, running for her, desperate to reach her.

Lydia's heart was beating a tattoo in her chest as she fought to get to him. She sprinted past Scott, covered in someone's blood, past Malia who was throwing another wolf to the ground. She was almost there; she extended her arm, her fingertips brushing Stiles', but she never grasped them. Stiles was torn away from her. She screamed his name as two of Kate's allies dragged him into a stone cavern she hadn't noticed, Kate laughing at Lydia's panic, Stiles struggling against his captors.

"SCOTT! Scott, she's taking him!" Lydia screamed, but Scott was stopped from running to her as a surge of werewolves pounced, throwing him to the ground. Lydia aimed her crossbow at Kate, took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger; she missed. She tried again, but her hands were shaking too hard. Malia was by her side in a flash, confident that Scott could fend off his attackers on his own. She grabbed Lydia's hand and they ran for the cavern, but before they could reach the entryway, a stone door slid into place, stopping them from reaching their destination. The last thing Lydia saw was Stiles being thrown to the ground, spitting blood from his mouth.

"NO NO NO! STILES!" She screamed, banging her hand against the stone door.

"Malia!" Derek shouted, as Liam was thrown against a wall and slid, unconscious, in a heap. Malia rushed to his aid, leaving Lydia to continue her assault on the impenetrable stone door, alone. Derek tried to run to her, but was knocked backwards. The sounds of battle raged in Lydia's ears and she felt as though she was going to tear apart at the seams. Her hands were bruised and bloodied from beating her fists against the stone repeatedly. She slid to the floor in a heap, sobbing in frustration and hopelessness. A scream was mounting in her throat, stronger than any scream she had ever experienced. Her whole body began to shake. The noise was driving her mad. Lydia felt herself spiraling out of control. She couldn't breathe. Peter's voice rang throughout her head: "It's not the scream that gives you power. All the scream does is help drown out the noise, allowing you to hear what you really need to." She closed her eyes tightly, fighting down the scream that was sure to rip through her vocal chords. Then she heard a voice that she thought she would never hear again.

"Lydia, breathe."

Her eyes snapped open, and the world went silent. Allison's voice wrapped itself around her. Everything felt as though it was happening in slow motion. Allison knelt down next to Lydia, cupping her face in her hands. She looked beautiful, and vibrantly alive, her dark hair falling in curtains around her face as she looked into Lydia's eyes.

"Allison?" Lydia cried out.

"Lydia, you have to breathe and relax your body. Don't fight the scream. You can save him. You can save Stiles. There's still hope. There is always hope." She smiled an angel's smile, her eyes bright. She leaned down and kissed Lydia's forehead tenderly, whispering: "Scream, Lydia. Just scream."

"Please don't leave me, Allison." Lydia whispered. "Please don't leave. I need you."

"Lydia, I never left. I'll always be here." Allison said, grinning.

Then, as suddenly as she had appeared, she was gone, leaving Lydia cold and scared, but determined.

"Scott! Get everyone out! Go!" Lydia shouted.

Scott ran to her, yelling "No! We're not leaving without you or Stiles! Not this time, Lydia. I'm not going anywhere."

"Scott, please, there isn't time! You have to get out of here. I can save him, but you have to let me do this alone." Lydia begged.

Scott shook his head in confusion, saying, "No. No, it's not happening again."

"Scott, do you trust me?" Lydia asked, taking his hand.

"Of course I do."

"Then go. Now."

He looked at her one last time and squeezed her hand. She pushed him away, hard, and he took off, yelling for Liam and Derek, and grabbing Malia in his arms as she fought to get away from him and run to Lydia. Lydia hoped that he could restrain her just a little longer.

The need to scream was building in her chest, making it painful to breathe. It was unbearable. As soon as everyone was out of sight, she inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. One of Kate's men rushed for her, but it was too late; she opened her mouth, wide, and screamed. She screamed louder than ever, the corners of her mouth cracking with the force. Blood ran from her own ears, and she felt her vocal chords straining, as though about to snap. It felt as though it would never end. The wolves around her fell in heaps, the sound too much for their hypersensitive ears. She screamed and screamed, until the walls shook and stone began to crumble around her, great clouds of dust erupting in the air. The stone in front of her groaned and a gaping crack formed. It grew wider and wider as it fell apart. Then, finally, Lydia fell silent. She stumbled slightly, swaying with exhaustion and then fell to the ground; but not before a pair of warm, strong arms wrapped around her and caught her. Everything around her faded as she slipped away into darkness…

Lydia awoke to the sound of a steady beeping. She kept her eyes closed, savoring the feeling of peacefulness that had enveloped her body. Her limbs felt heavy, her head foggy, and she felt as though she were floating. Slowly, she opened her eyes, blinking as they adjusted to the light in the room. She gingerly turned her head to see Malia curled up in a ball, fast asleep next to her on a cot, Derek sitting next to her dozing.

Lydia tried to speak, but found that her throat was very sore, her voice low and scratchy. "Malia?" She croaked. The corners of her mouth smarted and stung. At the sound of her name, Malia stirred, raising up to look at Lydia.

"Hey!" Malia whispered with a smile. "You're awake. How're you feeling?"

"I've felt better." Lydia said softly.

"You've looked better too." Malia said, nudging Lydia gently as she sat on the bed next to her.

"How long have I been out? What happened?" Lydia said, struggling to sit up. Her whole body ached, as though she had been pulled apart and then haphazardly thrown back together.

"3 days. You screamed Lydia. After Stiles was dragged away and you told us to leave, you screamed. It was like nothing I've ever heard before…and we were outside the tunnels! But, the echoing was insane. When you stopped, we immediately went back in. All the other werewolves were dead. Scott caught you just as you fainted. We brought you to the hospital, and said that you had been a victim in the explosion."

"The explosion?" Lydia asked, in confusion.

"Lyds, you wrecked the tunnels. We had to come up with some kind of story. The only possible explanation that anyone would believe was an explosion of some sort. Stiles' dad took care of everything. As for the screams the patients of Eichen House heard…well, someone's always screaming in there." Malia said, her eyebrows furrowing as she frowned. "On the bright side, the destruction illuminated how awful the place was! Maybe the patients will actually get adequate care now…"

"And Stiles?" Lydia finally asked, holding her breath. Malia didn't answer right away and Lydia felt her heart sinking. They hadn't gotten to him in time…

"He's going to be okay, Lydia." Malia said, slowly. Lydia's head snapped up at her words.

"He's okay? You were able to get to him? Where is he? Can I see him?" she said, halfway out of bed before Malia put a hand on her shoulder, gently pulling her back down. Malia's expression was very serious for a woman delivering good news.

"Lydia, I said he was going to be okay, and he is, but right now…" She trailed off. At Lydia's urgent and annoyed look, she continued. "He's still unconscious. The stone room protected him from your scream for the most part. But, the doctors are saying that the force…was hard on him. He…He can't fully hear right now. He's not responding to any noises at this point."

"He what?" Lydia said, her heart sinking to her stomach, filled with dread.

"They said he'll recover just fine, Lydia. It'll just take time. He's a little battered and bruised. But, he'll recover and his hearing will come back…Lydia, you saved him." Malia said, her voice filled with awe. "You saved all of us."

Once Malia had helped Lydia shower and change into her own clean clothes, she went to Stiles' room on her own. She tried to open the door quietly, but then remembered that there was no need; Stiles wouldn't hear it anyway.

Stiles' dad was asleep in a chair to the side and Scott was sitting on the windowsill. As soon as he saw Lydia, he pulled her to him, hugging her tightly. She returned his embrace, happy to know that he was okay. From what Malia and Derek had said, Scott had barely left Stiles' room and Mr. Stilinski hadn't left at all. Scott gently shook Mr. Stilinski awake.

"Hey, Lydia's here." He said, softly. Mr. Stilinski rubbed at his eyes and then rose from his chair.

"Lydia…thank you. Thank you so much for what you did. They told me that he wouldn't be alive if it hadn't been for you." Mr. Stilinski said, pulling Lydia to him. Lydia returned his embrace, holding on to the back of his jacket, fighting tears. She didn't know how to respond to him, so she remained silent. She couldn't remember the last time her own father had held her in this way, as though he hoped to absorb all the fear and hurt inside her and make her whole again…

After making sure that Stiles was still stable, Mr. Stilinski agreed to go home to clean up and eat while Lydia stayed with Stiles. Scott went out into the hall to see Malia and Derek, and Lydia was finally left alone with the person she loved most in this world. She crept over to his bed, looking him over. There were bruises scattered across his face and neck, and a few stitches across his forehead and jaw. She gently brushed her hand across his cheek, then ran her thumb across his lips. He looked so peaceful, and at ease, his breathing deep and even. She leaned over him, softly brushing her lips against his. Then she kicked off her shoes and crawled into the bed with him, resting her head on his shoulder, intertwining her fingers with his.

"I love you." Lydia whispered into his ear. "Please wake up." It was the first time she had ever said those words to him and he hadn't answered. Her vision blurred with tears that she didn't wipe away. Instead she let them slide down her cheeks until she fell asleep curled up against Stiles' still body.

Another day passed. Lydia was sitting at the foot of Stiles' bed, reading silently. Her mother had stopped by to check on her, trying to convince her to come home and get some sleep, but she gently refused. People would stream in and out of the room, nurses checking on Stiles' vitals, members of the pack coming in periodically, but Lydia never left. As she reached the end of a chapter in her novel, she vaguely noticed a change in the repetitive noises in the room. The heart monitor was still beeping, and the various contraptions around Stiles were still whirring and puffing, but Stiles' slow, steady breaths had changed. Lydia snapped her book shut, looking up at a blinking Stiles.

"Stiles!" She gasped, crawling forward, so that she was closer to him. It took a few seconds for him to come to, but when he did, he smiled. Lydia had never felt such relief. Her heart soared. Stiles was awake. He was going to be okay.

"Can you hear me?" She asked him, taking his scraped hand in hers.

"Barely." Stiles muttered. "My ears are ringing."

"I'm so sorry." Lydia whispered.

"I've never heard someone apologizing for saving another person's life before." Stiles said, raising an eyebrow.

Lydia laughed a little before saying, "The doctors said that your hearing should return to normal soon."

"Cool, because I would hate not to hear your voice, Lydia. But, at least I can see that smile." Stiles responded. He reached out to her and she settled down next to him, sliding her hand under his t-shirt. She gently ran her fingers over his chest and stomach. Stiles rested his cheek on the top of her head, the two of them savoring a moment of peace, glad to be alive.

"I love you." Lydia said, tipping her head up to kiss Stiles.

This time he answered. "I love you too, Lydia."

Within a few weeks they had all recovered and were beginning to feel more like themselves again. Everything had settled down, and for the first time in over a year, Stiles finally felt safe. Lydia's scream had left Kate unconscious, so they were able to put her in the same secure facility as Peter, where hopefully, she would remain for a very long time.

Scott had begun teaching Liam more about control and skill, and Derek had offered to help when Scott couldn't. Malia and Scott were finally, officially dating, much to Stiles and Lydia's delight. Malia was finally beginning to feel as though she had a real family, after she met Cora, Derek's younger sister, whom she immediately hit it off with.

Kira came back to visit for a few days to see them all, after hearing about what had happened, accompanied by Isaac and Chris. All of them made a trip to Allison's grave, to leave her flowers. Lydia looked around at her family, her pack. It felt odd for all of them to be gathered together without Allison, even if it was just for a short while.

Long after everyone else went home, Lydia sat at Allison's grave, leaning against the tombstone. It was finally warming up again, and Lydia wanted to savor the sun's heat while she could. Stiles stayed with her, unwilling to part from her. Since everything that had happened, they rarely left each other's sides, even if they just sat in silence, grasping one another's hands. Stiles wrapped his arm around Lydia's shoulders and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Allison would be really proud of you, Lyds." he said, giving her shoulder a squeeze.

"I think she'd be proud of all of us." Lydia said.

The air began to get chilly as the sun set, and the two of them stood up together, setting off for home.

Later that night, Stiles and Lydia climbed into Stiles' large, comfy, bed, wrapping themselves up in one another. Lydia looked up at Stiles, his long eyelashes grazing his high cheekbones when he blinked, his chest rising and falling with each relaxed breath. Her heart swelled with affection and she snuggled into him even further. He smiled, kissing her on the cheek, and then her lips.

"Stiles?" Lydia said, softly.

"Yeah?" Stiles responded, looking down at her. She was looking out across the room, her eyes unfocused.

"I saw her, you know. I know it sounds crazy, but I did."

"Who?"

"Allison." Lydia said, looking up at him, a smile playing across her face. "Just for a moment, it was like she was right there with me. Like she'd never left at all."

Stiles just smiled at her, his eyes full of understanding and warmth, and Lydia felt a rush of gratitude and affection. Stiles held her to him just a little tighter and pressed his soft lips to hers. In that moment, Lydia had never felt safer or more loved.