A/N – So, here we are. The last chapter! Again, sorry for it being late…but I am planning on doing another story. So keep a look out for it! Please, I am asking you to please, please, please review and let me know if you liked how I changed the story. Thank you!

The light faded as the group blinked rapidly to regain their vision. When they looked back at Emily, she was falling limply from the air. Stiles ran forward to catch her as she fell. He cradled her in his arms and shook her gently.

Suddenly, a fly whizzed out of her slightly agape mouth and flew past. The others watched frantically as it flew away. But standing in its path was Isaac. Without a second thought, he trapped the fly in the triskele box and hurried towards the group. Stiles was still shaking Emily and willing her to wake up.

"Emmy?" he whispered. A single tear was visible that fell from her eye. But she didn't move or breathe. Scott, Lydia, Isaac, and Kira fell to their knees around Stiles and Emily. Stiles continued to gently call her name, but there was no response.

Emily was dead.

"What happened?!" Isaac yelled as his features hardened into stone. Stiles cradled Emily's body in his arms as her eyes stared off into nothingness. "Why would she do this?"

"Because it was the only way to save me" Stiles said in a voice that was barely audible. He stared down at her as he placed a gentle hand over her eyes and closed them.

"Stiles, what are you talking about?" Scott asked.

"She's had this all planned out for a while now. She knew there was one thing she could do to stop the nogitsune. Since she had the Ultimate Power, she has always been strong enough to defeat it. But since it processed me, I knew she would never do anything. So she pulled it into her body to defeat it."

"When did you figure all this out?"

"The morning after she escaped from the hospital, the nogitsune got her to go to the Nemeton. She was so cunning with what she said. She managed to out-fox the fox."

"What did she say?" Scott questioned.

"There was a moment in our relationship when everything changed. We never really talked about it, but we both know it. It was the night when Cora and Boyd escaped and I chased her into the woods. I told her I knew how it felt to be underestimated. It was the first moment when we understood each other. When she mentioned it, I knew she was still trying to reach me, regardless of what she said next. Then she said some pretty awful things. But I knew she still didn't give up on me. And she never would."

"But why the arrow?" Kira asked, but she was sure she knew the answer. Stiles clenched his jaw as he grasped the arrow tightly and pulled it out of Emily. The group stared as her blood dripped off, but did nothing to dull the bright white wood.

"It's the only way she knew she could come back. She inflicted the curse back upon herself. She sacrificed herself to save the ones she was meant to protect, just as her mother did. She saved us all. By using the stake, she is once again imprisoned in the curse. She'll always come back. No matter what."

The group fell silent as they absorbed everything Stiles told them. They couldn't believe it. Emily finally escaped the life she hated. But she never hesitated to go back to it to keep them safe. They stayed quiet for a few moments until they heard a sputtering.

They leaned close as Emily's eyes fluttered open and she took the biggest breath of her life. She sat up slightly only to fall back down into Stiles' arms. She was utterly worn out.

"It's over" she whispered as she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she looked at Scott, Isaac, and Kira. They all sighed in relief and they grinned happily. She looked up into Stiles' eyes as he rested his forehead against hers.

"We're okay. We're all okay" he said with a relieved chuckle. Emily let out a breath and closed her eyes again. But something unsettling flooded her body. Her eyes shot open and she looked at Lydia frantically. They both knew.

Lydia got to her feet and ran out of the school. Emily sat up and grimaced slightly.

"Em, what are you doing?" Scott asked. She looked up with pained eyes and motioned to the boys.

"Help me get outside!" she ordered. The boys hesitated in confusion. "Now!"

They jumped to her side and hoisted her up. She stumbled out the doors with Stiles on one side and Scott on the other. They ran to where Lydia stood with tears streaming down her face. The group watched in horror as Ethan sobbed over a bleeding Aiden. Emily pulled away from the boys stumbled forward.

"Emily! Stop!" Scott yelled. She turned her head to look over her shoulder in defiance.

"I can save him" she whispered.

Emily hurried down the stairs as fast as she could, but she fell down the last few and landed on her hands and knees. The group went to move forward to help her, but they caught themselves. They knew she would reject their help.

Emily clambered to her feet and tripped over to where Aiden lay with Ethan sobbing beside him. Derek watched as she struggled over to them with a pained expression.

"Ethan, move" she commanded. The twin fell backwards out of her way. She kneeled over Aiden's body and took a deep breath.

"Emily…" Derek warned hesitantly.

"I have to try" Emily whispered without taking her eyes off of Aiden.

She placed her hands over his heart and closed her eyes. She waited for her power to flow through her, but nothing came. She let out a scream and tried harder. But still, nothing came. She had used too much power killing the Oni and defeating the nogitsune. Suddenly, she felt her energy drain from her body as she fell to the pavement. Her head lay mere inches from Aiden's face.

"You showed them. I'm so sorry" she whispered brokenly into his ear. "Thank you"

Emily's world started to turn fuzzy as her eyelids fluttered. The last thing she heard before she blacked out was Ethan's pained cries for his fallen brother.

XXXXX

Emily's eyes opened a crack to find she was in a bright room. The smell and sound was something she had been all too familiar with lately. She let out a sigh and sat up in the hospital bed. She let out a pained gasp at the movement when the slashes on her back, shoulder, and stomach were jolted.

She rolled her eyes when she saw Stiles sprawled out across a tipped back chair next to her bed. His feet were propped up against her mattress as he was passed out and snoring. She giggled slightly and she reached out and pushed the chair backwards. Stiles' eyes flew open as he struggled in midair and flailed back. He landed with a crash and Emily let out a full-fledged laugh that aggravated her injuries. Stiles clambered to his feet and rushed to her side.

"Now, how did we end up here?" Emily asked Stiles the same question she had asked about a week before, only now their roles were reversed.

"Well, you see" Stiles said with a smile. "Once upon a time, there was a beautiful queen. This queen loved her king and the rest of the kingdom so much that she sacrificed herself to save them all. And the king couldn't love her any more than he already did."

"Neither could the queen. We are so corny" she whispered as she pulled him down into a passionate kiss.

Their adorable moment was soon cut short as the sheriff came flying through the door. He reddened instantly at the sight and put his hand over his eyes.

"Ehem…adult in the room" he called to Stiles and Emily. Emily started to crack up and Stiles pulled back awkwardly.

"Dad…" he said.

"Sorry, bud. But I was just coming in to tell you both that I talked to the doctor and he said Emily was free to go. The nurse just has to come in and get her all checked out."

"Thank Sweet Baby Jesus" Emily said as she sat up a little straighter. The trio shared a laugh, and for the first time in a long time, everything seemed to be back to normal.

XXXXX

All Emily could see was complete darkness. She was surrounded by black and she couldn't even see her hands in front of her. It felt as though the darkness was engulfing her and stealing the breath from her lungs. She tried to scream, but nothing came out. She tried to move, but her feet were frozen in place. There was no escape as the darkness closed in on her until she simply wished for death.

She was suffocating.

XXXXX

Stiles hurried to his room when he heard Emily whimpering in her sleep. When he got through the door, he saw Emily thrashing on the bed as her eyelids fluttered – trying desperately to wake up. Her mouth was open in a silent scream as if getting a sound out would trigger her to wake up. But nothing worked.

Stiles ran over and tried to shake her awake, but she continued to thrash in her grasp. She started to flail her arms in a desperate attempt to get the unknown force off of her, so he pinned her wrists down above her head. His mind was racing as he tried to think of what to do. He had to wake her up from the horror she was no doubt experiencing.

"Emily!" he yelled, hoping she would hear him. But she kept straining against his grip. He realized if shaking and yelling didn't work, something more gentle might. Something comforting.

Stiles sat on the bed and wrapped his arms around Emily's shaking form. He gently stroked her hair and she started to quiet. He placed a tender kiss on her lips, and for a moment, she was silent and still.

A gasp sounded throughout the room as Emily jerked awake. Her crazed eyes darted across the room then up at Stiles, who stared down at her with worry.

"Hi" she said in a timid voice as she pulled away and sat at the edge of the bed with her back to Stiles. He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, but she jumped at his touch and pulled away.

"Why are you having nightmares, Em?" he asked gently. She shook her head and rubbed her face with her hands.

"It's really not a big deal. I'm fine."

"Emily, knock it off" Stiles said in a stern voice. "If anyone knows about nightmares, it's me. And if anyone knows about lying about them, it's really me. So tell me the truth."

Emily turned to look at him and gave him a sad smile. She placed a hand against his cheek. A tiny pulse of energy flowed out of her hand and into Stiles – and he didn't even notice. A glazed look covered his eyes and he returned the fake smile.

"Trust me, Stiles. It's nothing to worry about" she said.

Emily stood up and walked to the door. When she turned back, Stiles was watching her with the same vacant look on his face. She left the bedroom and walked down the hall to the bathroom. She locked the door behind her and walked over to the mirror.

When she lifted her shirt, her old spiral scar became visible. But something was different about it. Rather than being a faded, white mark as it usually was, it was dark and black – almost like a tattoo. She put her head down and she took a few deep breaths. When she looked at her reflection again, the eyes that stared back at her weren't her own.

They were as black as night. A wicked grin crossed her face as she let out a dark chuckle.

Something was horribly wrong.