A/N

Hey guys! Thanks so much for reading! This is the second-to-last chapter. I wrote it at like 1 a.m last night, because I had an idea too good to pass up. The last one will be up soonish, but I don't think I'll publish the still to be titled sequel until 5b ends, just so I can tie up any loose ends. This chapter at the end starts to mesh with episode one of 5b, which I recommend re-watching. It also parallels chapter 4 of this story, Twin Skeletons, which I recommend re-reading. The last chapter is going to be kind of cool, you'll either love it or hate it. It takes everything that happened in the end of this story and turns it on it's side, and some of that starts to happen in this chapter, so if you're a little lost at the end, that's intentional. Thanks so much to my reviewers, I cannot believe this story hit 150! Whoo! Thanks so much to everyone who's been reading this story since August, see you at chapter 30, and as always, review, check out my other stories, and enjoy!

Ch. 29

Skeleton Twins

They found Brett unconscious on the floor of Deaton's waiting room. His head was bleeding, but healing. They found most of the chimera bodies, undisturbed, in the operating room. They counted, and found the missing ones to be Tracey, Josh, Corey, and Hayden.

Liam seemed to have mixed feelings about that.

Stiles called Kevin, and gave him instructions for the Doctors. Then he found an ice pack for his shoulder. Then he turned his brain off.

"Hey," Scott said softly to him, while the rest of the pack were rousing the unconscious. "I know we're all going back to my house, but if you need to- I mean, if you want to-"

"Visit my dying father?" Stiles asked hollowly. "Do we even know if Sam was telling the truth?"

"Yeah." Scott whispered. "My mom, she texted me. It's true, he's in pretty bad shape. You should go."

It sounded less like a request and more like an order. Or maybe Stiles' paranoia was finally catching up to him.

It was four a.m. when they were all sitting in Scott's living room, all except Stiles. Scott was reclining, with Kira curled into him. Next to her was Lydia, next to her a rather dazed Parrish, and Jody was on his other side, watching him warily. She was followed by Ethan, Danny, Derek, a conscious Jackson, Isaac, Liam, Mason, Brett, and Kevin, who was on Scott's other side.

No one seemed to know just quite what to say, except that it had been a very, very long day.

"Where are the Doctors?" Scott asked, and his sudden voice jolted everyone out of their exhausted fugue-like states.

Kevin cleared his throat. "Still in the lair." he said hoarsely. "Tied up. Knocked out. Stiles said to leave them, he said we should deal with them when we're fully conscious. No one will be able to get to them, and obviously, they can't get out."

"Theo got out." Jackson muttered bitterly, staring at the floor in sorrow, and Scott winced as he looked at Jackson's bandages. "How? How did he get out? With four of his goons, nonetheless."

Scott sighed. "He must have had the mercury antidote with him, woke them up. As for getting out... Crowley must have made some mistake with the trap."

"Crowley, or Stiles." Jackson said, not without a little contempt. "He's the one who activated it, right? Between him or the King of Hell, I'd pick Stiles to mess that up."

Kevin and Scott shifted in their seats, unsettled, and a murmur swept around the room.

"Hey." Jody said sternly, the only one in the room without red-rimmed, tired eyes. "It doesn't matter how it happens. It doesn't matter who screwed up. What matters is that no one wanted him out, but he got out anyway. Theo is a threat, yes, but he can be contained. Without the Doctors, he's at a severe tactical disadvantage-"

"But he can wake the Doctors back up!" Danny cried. "And we left them right back in the lair, right for him to find, does any of that seem not right to you?"

"We rigged the door with explosives." Derek said. "No one's getting to them without being blasted to pieces."

"Danny does have a point." Kira said. "It sounds like the Doctors went down fairly easily. Almost too easily."

A contagious shudder ripped through the circle.

Scott frowned, but said nothing.

Isaac, on the other hand, looked angry as he spoke. "What about the Winchesters?"

"What about them?" Jody asked aggressively.

Lydia, who had been staring absentmindedly at the wall, flicked her gaze passively to Jody for a heartbeat, before scoffing. "I guess you didn't hear that Sam is possessed by an angel, then. Or that he hurt Stiles."

Jody sat up straighter. "What?"

Kevin was silent, guilt scrawled across his face.

"Stiles told them to leave." Liam mumbled.

"They're not going to come back." Kevin said forcefully, his voice laden with guilt.

"Oh really?" Scott asked incredulously, as everyone turned to look at Kevin. "What makes you so sure?"

Kevin gulped, the sudden attention making him squirm. "When Dean feels guilty about something, when he's wronged someone, he cuts them out of his life completely. Being responsible for... that? He's wrecked. He always knew he would ruin Stiles' life, and now he got to see that firsthand. He won't be back."

Liam seemed to relax at that. His hand rubbed his throat subconsciously.

"And Sam?" Isaac asked tersely. His hand reached for the back of his head, where the burns had healed but the memory of pain still seared.

Kevin grimaced. "Sam will do whatever Dean does. Trust me. Stiles won't be seeing either of them for a long time."

"Trust you?" Brett asked incredulously. He looked from Kevin to Jody to Isaac to Danny to Ethan. "I don't know any of you."

"That," Derek said disgruntledly, "Is definitely for the best. You fought good, kid, from what I've heard, but this isn't your fight anymore. You should go back to your own pack."

Brett pursed his lips but said nothing. Jackson knew the look of someone running from something, but also said nothing.

"What do we do now?" Ethan asked. He looked very, very tired. Coming back to the site of his brother's death was eating at him more than he let on.

"Theo will have to make a move eventually." Scott said calmly. "Either for the Doctors, or to advance his pack. When he does, we'll catch him."

"That's awfully optimistic." Isaac muttered. Mason nodded in agreement.

Scott shot him a look. "The Doctors were a force we didn't understand. But five not-quite supernaturals, I think we can take." he said confidently. "Besides, I called in reinforcements. An old friend, Chris Argent. You should definitely talk to him." Scott nodded at Parrish.

"I need to go find Braeden." Derek mused. "She and my cousin thought it would be a fabulous idea to go hunt the desert wolf."

"My parents still think I'm in Boston." Jackson said with a scowl. Isaac glared at him.

"Pretty sure mine think I'm dead." Mason said with a deadpan. Only Kira reacted to it, with a weak smile that Mason did not quite return.

"Sheriff, you're free to go back to Sioux Falls." Scott said kindly. "Something tells me Theo will be withdrawing his witness statement to the murder of Donovan Ashton."

"Something tells me new forensic evidence will disprove any murder likelihood." Jody replied. "Make sure those chimeras get turned into the police, Scott. Stiles' name is already cleared, but it couldn't hurt."

Jody stood up, the gun at her hip clinking, and it was like a wave of restlessness washed over the room. Soon, everyone was standing, fumbling for their purses or their jackets, desperate to scuttle out of the suddenly stifling room.

"There's a pack meeting later today at 10." Scott piped up hopefully, but as he looked around the room, he knew not all the faces he saw would be there.

Jody made a big show of her departure. She shook hands with Scott, then Ethan, Danny, Derek, Jackson, and Kevin. "Pleasure fighting with you boys." she said with a smile. "You need to reach me, Stiles'll send you my way." She then saluted to all the other members of the pack, shot Parrish a knowing look, and sauntered out the door with a cowboy swagger.

Derek was next. After shrugging his black jacket over his black shirt, he dusted off his black jeans and walked over to where Scott stood, clapping him awkwardly on the shoulder. "Let me know if you need me." he said so quickly it was barely distinguishable from a grunt. Scott nodded, looking pleased, and Derek locked eyes with Isaac and Jackson for about 2 seconds before rushing out the door into the black morning.

Parrish stumbled to his feet and stumbled out the door without a word. Everyone watched him go with a silence borderline fearful.

Ethan and Danny waited until they were absolutely sure Parrish was gone before making their way to the door themselves. "We'll be in touch." Ethan said, giving Scott a firm handshake. "We'll be staying in town for a couple days, sorting some stuff out."

"Roger that." Scott said. He patted Danny gently on the shoulder, and then the couple vanished.

Isaac zipped his jacket, and walked five steps before Scott stopped him. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I was just gonna-"

"Wrong. Your old room's upstairs."

Isaac slinked up the stairs without another word, but if you looked closely, you could see him smile.

Due to Isaac's miniature dilemma, Jackson had almost made it out of the McCall house undetected. As it was, his hand had just turned the doorknob with a click!, and Scott zeroed in on the noise with narrowed eyes.

"There's an extra room, Jackson, if you want to stay the night, too."

Jackson almost said no. And it wasn't because Lydia looked like that suggestion made her want to hurl. It was because he wanted out, he didn't want to be tied back down to Beacon Hills, he didn't owe this town anything... except for the fact that Scott saved his life. That could not be ignored. And if Jackson hated Beacon Hills so much, then why had he come back in the first place.

Jackson scoffed. "Whatever, McCall." Then he walked silently up the stairs.

Kira raised her eyebrows in surprise as she watched him go. "That was... nice of you, Scott."

Scott shrugged with a happy smile, his eyes beginning to droop from exhaustion. Kira smiled back, and leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. Then she beckoned to Liam, Brett, and Mason. "Let me drive you boys home." They trailed after her exhaustedly like she was the pied piper, and the door closed softly behind them.

The only people left were Kevin and Lydia.

Kevin wanted to talk to Scott. Lydia wanted to talk to Scott. Both wanted to talk to him alone. The two were involved in an intense staring contest, each daring the other to leave first.

Lydia won, obviously.

"I guess I'll go check on Stiles." Kevin said gruffly after putting on his coat, while Lydia shot him a smug smile. "I'll be back." he promised Scott. "I'll be staying at the Sheriff's house if you need to find me."

"Be careful." Scott muttered, any animosity between the two long forgotten. "Theo might be looking for revenge."

Kevin shot Scott a cryptic look, a look that Scott, oddly, seemed to understand. "You and I both know he won't come after me."

"Check on Stiles." Scott agreed worriedly, his happily tired act (that's all it was, an act) forgotten. "Let me know what- or who- you find."

Stiles sat in the empty waiting room, twitching his hands nervously. They don't know what's wrong with him... oh god...

Stiles felt the presence materialize next to him, and scoffed loudly.

"You have a lot of nerve coming here."

Crowley shrugged, grinning devilishly. "Please. There's a devil's trap on the roof of your car. You didn't leave me many options."

"You got out of the one in my room just fine!" Stiles snapped. But then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and was calmer when he spoke again. "What do you want?"

"I thought my goals were very simple." Crowley said in mock hurt. "Kill Theo and fix the nemeton."

"The nemeton's fixed." Stiles said bitterly. "We took the bodies off of it. We stopped the Doctors. But if you wanted Theo dead so bad, why the hell send Parrish after me?"

"Ah, that." Crowley said with a sigh. "An unfortunate change in plans. I'm afraid to say I panicked. Finding out your brother was possessed by a fallen angel, Gadreel, nonetheless, was... unsettling to say the least. I wanted to draw him out, make him leave Beacon Hills. Kill him if necessary. I figured the best way to do that was to send Parrish to Scott, who would be with you, and possibly Sam."

"Well thank you for the emotional trauma." Stiles muttered. He noticed that Crowley had called the angel Gadreel, and Dean had called him Ezekiel. He noticed, but said nothing, because it wasn't his problem, not any more.

"I've decided to let Theo and his pack of mutants live for now." Crowley drawled. "You'll thank me later." Stiles looked up to reply, but by then, Crowley was gone. Instead, Stiles saw Mrs. McCall, who was walking past him, frowning furiously at a clipboard. Stiles hastily stood up and called for her attention.

Back at Scott's house, Kevin was gone, and Lydia had taken his place.

"A room full of some of the most powerful allies you could ask." she said bemusedly. "And you sent them away right before things get worse. It's not over, you know, not by a long shot. Today is going to be a very long day."

"It can't be longer than yesterday." Scott muttered. Yesterday had started with him rising from the dead and deciding it would be a great idea to arrest his best friend.

"Don't be so sure." Lydia said seriously. "I mean it, Scott, I can feel it. Something bad is going to happen. Someone's going to die. Or lots of someones. I thought it was going to be Stiles at the clinic, but he survived."

"He might not." Scott said worriedly, keeping his voice low so Isaac and Jackson upstairs wouldn't hear. "Theo might come after him for retribution."

Lydia's glare leveled buildings. "You aren't serious. I know that's not true, so do you, and clearly, so does Kevin."

"Yeah?" Scott challenged. "Well what else do you know? Cause Stiles and I both got the impression that you were hiding something!"

Lydia shrunk back from Scott, shocked and outraged. "What I'm hiding is none of your business! You really want to trade secrets? I was researching Parrish, alright? I might have used some... unconventional sources of information, but that's my problem, not yours!"

"Did you do anything permanent, Lydia?" Scott asked.

"No."

"Can I trust you?" Scott asked pleadingly.

"Of course not, Scott. You can't trust anyone."

Those words rang far too familiarly.

Scott blanched. "What do you mean?"

Lydia sighed, and looked at Scott with something akin to pity and disdain. "Oh, Scott, you already know what I mean. It's why you sent your pack home, it's why you smile like there's nothing to worry about, it's why you're being so cryptic with Kevin. He knows. I know. You know."

Scott glowered impatiently. "Know. What?"

Lydia smiled sweetly. "You know what I haven't been able to understand?" she asked casually, too casually. "Why Stiles got so mad at you for kicking him out of the pack. He had to have seen it coming from a mile away."

The shift in topic threw Scott off guard. "What does that have to do with-"

"-and I mean, you want to say he was mad that he lost your trust, fine." Lydia continued, talking over Scott without so much as batting an eye. "But if he valued your trust so much, he would stop doing the reckless things that made him break it."

"Uh- I- what? Lydia, of course he was mad!" Scott said, but he sounded more confused than correct. "I left him out in the rain like an animal!"

" I wouldn't have been mad." Lydia said with a shrug. "I would have seen it as perfectly fair."

"But Lydia- I trust you-"

"You shouldn't." Lydia said coldly. "I have absolutly not been completely honest with you these past two days, Scott. I played both sides of the civil war and abandoned both you and Stiles when it suited my best interest."

"But-" Scott started.

"Haven't you ever heard not to listen to banshees? You're too trusting, Scott. Everyone knows this. Theo wasn't the first to exploit this, and I'm certainly not the last."

Scott had had enough. "What does any of this have to do with Stiles?" he asked angrily.

Lydia looked at him pityingly. "Scott, you don't have to ask me this. You know the answer. You didn't send Stiles to the hospital because his father is dying. You sent him there to get him out of your way. You didn't send Kevin after him because you were worried about his safety. You were worried what he might do. Stiles and Theo are a lot more alike than either would care to admit. I know that you've realized this. You may not have heard warnings about banshees, but certainly you've heard that you should never trust a fox."

Scott cocked his head to the side and looked at Lydia with barely controlled anger. But Lydia could see the gears in his head turning. Then something clicked, some spark was set alight in his brain. And then he knew.

Scott sank to the bottom of the stairs, holding his head in his hands. "You're right." he groaned. "God, you're always right. What the hell do I do now?"

"Learn from your mistakes." Lydia said not unkindly. "And never trust him again. But his father is dying. Maybe you should do something about that."

Scott nodded, and fumbled for his phone in a hurry. He hit the first speed dial, put it on speaker, and let it ring.

"I've been so stupid..." he murmured.

"He fooled us all, Scott. They both did."

"I should have seen it coming."

"You did see it coming, Scot. You just didn't want to come to terms with what you saw."

"The trap..."

"I wonder how much Kevin knows." Lydia muttered. "I should go find him later."

Scott scoffed. "Something tells me you two would get along. 'The prophet and the banshee.' It has a nice ring to it."

Lydia was about to reply smartly, but she was cut off by a "Hello?" sounding from the phone.

"Mom?" Scott asked.

"Scott?" Melissa said. "Are you alright? What's been happening? I haven't heard from you in hours..."

Scott shot Lydia a worried look, and she rolled her eyes. "Everything's fine, mom." Scott said. "A lot has happened, but I can tell you about it in the morning. Well, later in the morning. I was actually wondering about the Sheriff."

"John is doing fine." Melissa said happily, oozing relief, and Scott and Lydia both let out breaths they hadn't realized they were holding. "He's on track to wake up soon, and make a full recovery. It turns out there was a bone in his stomach that we missed during his exam, and it was poisoning him, but we removed it and he should be fine."

"Stiles must be so relieved!" Scott said brightly.

"I hope so!" Melissa said. "He went to get coffee right after we told him the good news. I thought he'd be back soon, but he's been gone awhile."

"Well, he isn't here." Scott said, hiding the concern in his voice. "Hey, how'd you find out what was wrong with John, anyway?"

"Oh, Stiles told us!" Melissa said proudly. "The doctor didn't believe him at first, but then Stiles goes on and on about an article he read, and eventually he was convinced- I really hope he's back soon. The sheriff should wake up by noon-"

Scott wasn't listening to his mother anymore. He was staring at the stairs with a blank face.

It looked like this time, Stiles was the one who was underestimated.

"You see?" Lydia said. "The mess we had two days ago is gone. It's all over."

"What do I do now?" Scott asked again, only this time, he sounded more hopeless.

Lydia was silent for a moment, thinking. "Hm." she finally mused. "It's funny, I don't know. Act normal, I guess."

"You know," Scott said. "That's actually the best advice I've received in weeks."

Kevin arrived at the hospital at that very moment. And as predicted, Stiles wasn't there.

Even for Beacon Hills, that morning was an odd one. But like every morning, hours passed, the sky turned lighter, and the sun rose. The sun rose, and it's light flooded the Stilinski house, streaming past the wrecked bookcases and clawed up floors of the living room before settling on the staircase, to where Stiles was sitting with his hands clasped, the soft golden sunlight illuminating ring of mountain ash he was sitting in front of, and the open door just beyond that.

It wasn't long before that doorway was filled with Theo, who looked down at Stiles and smirked. Stiles squinted up at him, but his gaze held no fear, only cold challenge.

Theo looked amusedly at the mountain ash line, before stepping over it definitely.

"I guess we're all telling the truth now."

Stiles scoffed. "Not quite."

Next to Stiles on the stairs was a grey shirt covered in blood, and a black sword. He picked up the shirt and tossed it at Theo, who caught it expertly.

"You killed my best friend."

Theo smirked pityingly. "Temporarily. Let's be honest, Stiles. After today, will he still be your best friend?"

Stiles carefully picked up the slim black sword lying next to him, turning it over in his hands. "Maybe not." he murmured as he analyzed the way the black sword absorbed the gold sunlight. "Especially not after I kill you." Then he pointed the sword forward and charged.