To Guest: Thank you so much!

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf

Important A/N at the bottom!

*FLASHBACK*

Loki was kneeling on the ground of the Beacon Hill Preserve, studying the ground intently. She bracketed her hand around a footprint on the ground, studying it carefully.

"Got anything?" Stiles called to her. Loki shook her head, standing up with a sigh. The print wasn't nearly big enough to be Jordan's foot, and it showed the bottom of a shoe, not bare feet like his would have been.

"No," she responded. She scowled, and passed a hand across her face as if to wipe the exhaustion from eyes. "Nothing." Stiles groaned, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked around the forest.

"It's almost like this thing doesn't want to be found," he muttered. "I mean, we've been looking for almost a week." Loki nodded in agreement.

"And you'd think I'd be able to smell a bunch of dead bodies, but no." It was as if the Nemeton knew that it was meant to be hidden, and for that reason it was not only hard to see, but hard to scent as well. She cast her eyes around the forest again, fruitlessly looking for the clearing.

"Maybe it knows we're late for class," Lydia quipped. She was standing slightly away from the other two teenagers, arms crossed over her chest. Loki looked at the other girl and Loki's face fell when she noticed something behind Lydia.

"And we've been here twice already," Loki muttered, stepping forward. She pointed to the two white 'X's' they'd drawn on the tree bark to mark the clearing. Stiles followed her gaze and groaned.

"Crap," he said, rubbing his temples. Lydia sighed heavily, clearly irritated.

"Can we talk to Parrish now?" she asked. Loki stiffened. Before she could respond, Stiles held up a hand and pointed towards Lydia, ignoring her question.

"Hang on," he insisted. "If the Nemeton's covered with bodies shouldn't you be able to find them?" Lydia frowned.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you," Stiles said. "That's what you do." He gesticulated wildly at Lydia as if random hand motions would prove his point. "You're the Banshee. You find the bodies." Lydia rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Well, the Banshee's having an off-day, so how about we talk to Parrish?"

"We can't," Stiles insisted. Lydia jutted her chin out, and shrugged.

"Why not?" She demanded to know. Stiles shifted uncomfortably, fiddling with his hands. He wrung them anxiously as he spoke.

"Because one of them…one of them could be…" Stiles hesitated, and Loki leaned forward. She knew exactly where he was going with this, but Lydia was evidently confused. The other girl had no idea about Donovan.

"Could be what?" Lydia asked, mystified. Stiles opened his mouth, but no answer came.

"Could be a clue," Loki finished for the other teenager. Lydia's attention turned from Stiles to Loki, and the boy shot the werewolf a grateful look. "And beyond that…" Loki trailed off briefly. "He's a cop. How the hell do you think he'll react to finding out he was instrumental in hiding evidence?" Lydia shook her head, annoyed.

"He's also supernatural!" She pointed out. She waited for one of her friends to argue again, and when neither did, she smirked. "I'm leaving now. I'm going to find Parrish, and I'm going to tell him that he's the one taking the bodies." She turned to leave, and Loki grabbed her wrist.

"Lydia," Loki begged. "Please."

"It's always better when they know!" Lydia insisted.

"Well, then he should know that he owes me a Jeep," Stiles sighed. He was resigned. Loki looked from one friend to the other and finally dropped her hand, groaning.

"Fine," Loki acquiesced with a heavy sigh. "I'll tell him. And I'll do it today. " She glared at her friends half-heartedly. "If either of you tell him before I do, I'll slit your throats."

Later that day, after school let out, Loki tracked Jordan down outside the Sherriff's Station. By the time she'd found him, she had not only resigned herself completely to telling him, but even been convinced (by Lydia) that it was the right thing to do. Even so, apprehension curled in her gut as she walked towards him.

Jordan grinned when he saw her. "Hey," he called, waving her over to him. He was sitting in his car, but he hadn't turned the engine on yet. She'd caught him at just the right time. "I just got off." Loki nodded, mustering up a smile back.

"Good," she said. "I need your help." She placed her hand on the door to his car and raised her eyebrows expectantly. He laughed. The lock clicked, and Loki climbed into the passenger's seat of the car.

"Where are we going?" Jordan asked, turning the key in the ignition. Loki leaned back against the seat, chewing on her lip thoughtfully. She considered how to broach the subject and decided to do it head-on.

Well, mostly head-on.

"The preserve," she responded. "I have to show you something." She hesitated, and then added reluctantly. "It's a giant tree stump called The Nemeton." She glanced over at Jordan and took a deep breath. "And it's important. Really important." Jordan frowned.

"Important to what?" he asked, as he drove down the path to the preserve.

"The ongoing investigation," she replied. Jordan glanced towards her, eyes wide.

"Seriously?" Loki nodded. "Which one?" Jordan asked. "Supernatural, or police?" Loki hesitated, and smiled sheepishly at Jordan.

"Uh, kind of…both?" Jordan shook his head in disbelief.

"If this place is so important, how come you didn't want to show it to me before?" He wasn't exactly accusing her, but he was definitely confused. Loki shrugged, considering again, and then decided to give the easiest response to that question out of the several she could think of.

"It's not easy to find," she offered, fixing her eyes back on the road. "It's not on any map…and a GPS is useless." Jordan shook his head again.

"Well, then how are we going to find it?" Jordan asked, as he turned the car right. Loki's eyes narrowed, and she glanced at Jordan. He didn't appear to have done it consciously. "Because I don't remember ever being near a giant tree stump."

"I think you're starting to remember," Loki murmured, mostly to herself. Jordan still overhead, and he frowned.

"Why's that?" Loki looked at him, and smiled.

"You just took a right turn." Jordan blinked, his eyes going wide before narrowing thoughtfully. He looked at Loki and she raised her eyebrows. "Keep driving," she ordered. "Don't think."

Malia was walking through the hallways. Her eyes were vacant and dark, and her face was slack. Another Chimera was dead. Right in the hallways of school – right in front of Malia. And she couldn't do – she hadn't done – anything to save the girl.

Malia kept on hearing the girl, Beth, screaming. She kept on seeing the Dread Doctor twisting its hands, and Beth's neck giving way beneath the metal gloves. Beth's limp, dead body, flopping to the floor in a pool of silver mercury that poured from her throat.

Someone grabbed her wrists, and Malia dragged her eyes away from the floor and her mind flooded back to the present. Stiles was staring at her, his eyes round with concern as he took in her tearful expression.

"Malia? Hey, hey. What's wrong?" He asked. "What happened?" Malia looked at Stiles slowly. She shook her head, and the tears in her eyes threatened to spill onto her cheeks.

"I hate this," she whispered. She blinked rapidly, her throat burning as she spoke. "I hate losing like this. I'm not like Scott. I can't deal with another body." She paused. "Another failure." Stiles stared at her, mouth open. She pulled her wrists from his hands, and stalked away down the hallway. Stiles watched her go, his heart thudding. Then he realized something.

"Shit!" Stiles said aloud. There was another dead body. Another dead Chimera. Which meant that Parrish was going to go after it...Stiles had theorized that Parrish was only dangerous when someone got his way.

And Loki was with him.

Heartpounding, Stiles jogged through the empty hallways of the school. He cursed when Loki's phone went straight to voicemail, and he hung up to try again. After his third try, he waited for the beep, and then began to talk rapidly into his phone.

"Loki, for the love of god," he said, leaving a voicemail for the werewolf. "Answer your goddamn phone. There's another dead Chimera," he muttered, dropping his voice as he looked around furtively. There was no one to overhear, thankfully.

"So right now is probably not the best time to be alone with Parrish," Stiles continued. "If he's coming to get the body, you can't get in his way." Stiles paused, and then added sternly, "Loki, do not get in his way."

Loki and Jordan stood in a clearing in the forest.

"Anything look familiar?" Loki asked him, looking around for any sign of the Nemeton. There was nothing – no scent or sound – to give any hint as to that they were in the right place. Only Jordan's instincts could lead them.

"Nothing." Jordan sounded frustrated. "I'm trying, but it all looks like woods to me." Loki twisted a curl around her pointer finger, thinking.

"Maybe you're thinking too much," she murmured. "Maybe it's something you need to feel." Jordan shook his head.

"How do I do that?" He stepped away from Loki, turning to look around again. Loki smirked, and then grabbed his jacket and pulled him back towards her. He grunted in surprise, and Loki pressed her lips to his.

"Stop thinking," she murmured, kissing him. He didn't respond vocally, but his hands trailed up the sides of her body, and he gripped her waist. Loki closed her eyes, and fisted her hands into his jacket.

Just as quickly as it had started, Jordan froze. When he did so, Loki pulled away, wiping her mouth and looking at Jordan curiously. His arms were still locked around her body, but his eyes were glowing orange and were focused on something above Loki's shoulder.

Slowly, Loki turned around. Her breath shuddered when she saw what Jordan was looking at. Just beyond the clearing they were standing in was another opening, sheltered by a group of trees.

And in the center of the grove was a large stump with bodies stacked around it. Jordan turned towards her slowly, his wide eyes returning to their normal color. Loki nodded slowly.

"What – what the hell is this?" he asked, his voice hoarse. Loki took a deep breath, and she told him.

She told him everything.

"I need to call this in," Jordan was saying, more to himself than to Loki. "No, I need to turn myself in."

"Jordan," Loki said, walking behind him. He ignored her, still mumbling under her breath, and she quickened her pace to catch up with him. "I don't think that's such a good idea," she told him quietly. Jordan stared at her, his eyes wild.

"You just told me I'm the one taking the bodies!" He cried. Loki could hear his heart pounding and his blood rushing through his veins. He was in shock. "I've attacked other law enforcement officers! That's a criminal offense!" He looked at her and shook his head, stepping backwards. "I shouldn't even be near you." Loki rolled her eyes.

"I can take care of myself," she reminded him, unimpressed. "And I can more than handle you." I think. "Anyways, I'm not afraid of you."

"I'm afraid of me," Jordan replied. Loki sighed, and stopped. She grabbed Jordan's wrists and forced him to look at her.

"This only seems to happen when there's a body," Loki reminded him quietly. "Other than that…" she grinned. "You're still a pretty nice guy…a pretty good deputy." Jordan shook his head, refusing to be comforted.

"I'm a very good deputy," Jordan replied, agitated. He pulled away from her and continued walking. Loki caught up with him again. "And I'd like it to stay that way. Flipping over Jeeps and attacking colleagues doesn't exactly fit with 'protect and serve.' I'm covering up the bodies of murdered teenagers!" Loki shook her head.

"Jordan, listen to me!" He stopped and looked at her, surprised. She took a deep breath. "You're covering them up for a reason, okay?" Jordan stared at her. "You are protecting," she told him, taking his hand and squeezing it. "You're protecting me. Us. The supernatural world. Okay?" Jordan shook his head, unconvinced. "You are not one of the bad guys," she told him. She had never been more certain of anything. But Jordan was quiet for only for a minute, and then he shook his head again.

"Loki, you just proved to me that my dream was real." Loki frowned.

"So?"

"So, you haven't heard the rest of it." Jordan closed his eyes. "Every time I bring a body to the Nemeton, I put it down and add to the rest of them." Loki's eyebrows creased.

"How many?" she asked quietly. Jordan opened his eyes, and they were tortured.

"Hundreds, Loki," he whispered back. "Hundreds of them."

Loki sat in the Sherriff's Station. Jordan had insisted that they return, and upon getting there, he'd locked himself in a holding cell with little to no explanation. The Sherriff, growing tired of trying to reason with his deputy, was walking over to Loki to question her.

"Hey," he greeted her. "What the hell does he think he's doing?" Loki looked up.

"Protecting us," she responded. She pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "From himself." She watched the officer's face change, and he left the room abruptly. Loki settled back against the couch, closing her eyes, and let her hearing follow him.

"…I get why you sat me at a desk for six months now," Jordan was saying.

"Parrish, we can't keep you in here," Stilinski argued. Jordan paused, and for a moment, Loki thought he was acquiescing. She should have known better.

"There's another body, right?" He asked.

"Two, actually," the Sherriff said slowly. He sounded confused, rightfully so. Loki hadn't explained that much, deciding that it was Jordan's place to tell the Sheriff. Besides, she hadn't wanted to tell the Sheriff. Loki heard Jordan take a deep breath and let it out. He was steeling himself.

"I'm the one taking them," Jordan told his boss, resignedly. "I – I don't know why, and I definitely don't remember doing it. But if it really was me at the morgue, then I'm dangerous, okay? You can't let me out, Sherriff." There was a heavy pause. "You can't." Loki listened as the Sherriff's footsteps got closer and closer. They came to a stop, and Loki's eyes snapped open. Stilinski was standing over her, his eyes downcast.

"You were listening in?" He asked her heavily. Loki nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry," she told him quietly. "Maybe I should have told you before I told Jordan, but…" He shook his head, waving off her apology.

"Don't worry about it." He sighed. "I just – I don't know what to do." Loki nodded slowly. She stood up, wincing as her joints clicked and cracked in protest after sitting for so long.

"Alright if I go talk to him?" Loki asked. Stilinski nodded, waving a hand absent-mindedly as he sat down at his desk. "Thanks."

Loki walked into the back of the Sherriff's Station where the holding cell was. "Hey," she offered, walking towards the bars. Jordan was sitting on the bench, head down.

"Hey," he murmured back. Loki let out a gusty sigh and sat down on the ground. He watched her, his face drawn and sad. "Does it help?" he asked. "Knowing what you are?" Loki wrapped her arms around her legs and considered the question.

"I couldn't tell you, honestly," she murmured. Loki frowned, her eyes faraway. "My parents were human, but they knew, so I always knew." Loki looked up and shook her head. "If I hadn't…I think I'd be scared." Loki shrugged. "Knowing anything is always less scary than uncertainty, I think." She considered something. "Do I scare you?"

"Not really," Jordan replied. Loki raised an eyebrow.

"Really," she said. "Too bad. I'll have to work on that." Jordan laughed. As he watched her, Loki lifted her hand to stifle a yawn, and Jordan noticed again how tired she looked.

"Go home," Jordan told her softly. "You look exhausted. Get some rest." Loki scowled.

"And leave you here? No way." Jordan shook his head in exasperation.

"Loki, I'll be here when you get back. Go get some sleep." Loki smiled and nodded slowly.

But as she turned to walk away, she had a sinking feeling that, no matter what he thought, this cell wouldn't hold Jordan in.

Someone was rapping on the door to the penthouse. Loki groaned. She sat up, blinking owlishly and looking around. For once she'd fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep. She'd been unconscious just long enough to be disoriented as she woke up. The person knocked on the door again, and Loki dragged herself out of bed, shaking off the last dredges of sleep.

"Coming," she muttered, too quietly for the person to hear. She yanked the door open. Jordan was standing there, his eyes wide and frantic.

"Loki, Lydia's missing." Loki's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped, wakefulness shooting through her immediately.

"What?" she nearly yelled. She took a deep breath and made an effort to lower her voice. She didn't need a noise complaint. When her landlady remembered that Loki was there, she tended to bring up uncomfortable topics, like where her old pack was. "Since when? How do you know?" Jordan shook his head, agitated.

"I don't – I have no idea how I know. I just do. I just – I had like a vision or something, I can't explain it. I just – " Loki held up a hand, cutting off her boyfriend's rambling.

"I got it," Loki said. "Vision, feeling, yadda yadda yadda. Let's go." Loki followed Jordan out of her apartment and into the parking lot, where she climbed into the passenger's seat of the car. Once they were there, Loki turned to look at Jordan expectantly. To her surprise, he was giving her the exact same look.

"What?" she asked, surprised. Jordan stared at her, and shrugged.

"I don't know? I thought you told me you were a good tracker." Loki raised an eyebrow, and scoffed.

"I am an amazing tracker," she replied haughtily. "But I am not a psychic. That's Lydia's job. Kind of. Or yours, apparently." Loki's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Tell me about your vision. What was in it? Every detail, please."

Jordan frowned, like he was thinking.

"Well," he began. "Everything seemed real, at first. I was in the Sherriff's Station, at my desk. Lydia was there. She was talking to me – about something, I can't remember." Jordan frowned, glancing at Loki. "And then – I noticed that her finger was bleeding. The nail was broken and bloody. I looked down, and I realized that the floor of the station was covered with dirt and dead leaves, so I asked Lydia what was happening." He glanced at Loki.

"What did she say?" Loki asked, voice quiet.

"She said…" Jordan's voice shook. "She said, 'you're a harbinger of death, Deputy. You should know. Someone's dying.'" Jordan looked at Loki, his eyes tortured. She stared back at him, swallowing hard. She had been right…Jordan was a hellhound.

"Jordan, I need to tell you – " Loki broke off suddenly, realizing something. "Leaves." She murmured. Jordan stared at her.

"Leave? You want me to leave?" He asked. She shook her head.

"No, no. Leaves. You said there were dirt and leaves on the ground." Jordan nodded. "Okay," Loki said. "Okay. I know where to start." She turned towards Jordan. "Let's head back to the forest." Jordan nodded, and he started the car.

He was too wrapped up in worrying about finding Lydia to wonder what Loki had been going to tell him.

"What now?" Jordan asked, looking around the dark preserve. Loki looked around, her eyes glowing blue.

"I'm going to track her in wolf form," Loki responded. "If you find her just call out to me – I'll hear you."

"And if you find her?" Jordan asked anxiously.

"Don't worry – I'll find you," Loki said. Without another word, Loki shifted, and within seconds, the teenage girl had melted away and in her place was a small wolf. The animal tossed its head, like it was following a scent, and then loped off.

Jordan pulled his flashlight out, flicking it on. He called out Lydia's name, and set off in the other direction.

Loki tore through the woods, following Lydia's scent. Suddenly, randomly, it dropped off. Loki skidded to a stop, digging her claws into the ground and throwing leaves and clods of dirt up around her. She whined in confusion, shaking her head and trying to catch the scent again.

An icy breeze swept through the woods, making Loki's skin prickle underneath her thick pelt. She tried to remember if Lydia had been wearing warm clothes, but she couldn't recall. Loki needed to find her friend before she froze to death.

The breeze wafted a smell towards Loki's knows – the salty, iron scent of blood. Lydia's blood. Loki threw her head back in a howl, and took off again.

It didn't take Loki long to find Lydia, and when she did, she shifted back to human form. Shivering in the cold air, Loki knelt next to her friend and touched her friend's neck gently. It was freezing cold, but Loki could feel the blood pumping underneath. She relaxed slightly.

Footsteps sounded behind Loki, making her lift her head. Jordan was running up to them.

"I heard you howl," he said, in a way of explanation. He shrugged off his jacket and held it out to Loki. After thinking for a moment, Loki took it. Instead of putting it on, however, she wrapped it around Lydia's shoulders.

"I'll change back and run to Scott's," she told Jordan. "Lydia's freezing – get her back to the car and meet me there. Scott will help us." Jordan nodded, and took Lydia by the wrist gently. He flinched when he touched her skin – it really was freezing.

But it was nothing compared to the icy sensation that rolled down his spine when Jordan looked up. On the face of a rock just behind Lydia's head was a rough sketch of a sheriff's badge – carved into the stone and edged with blood.

And Lydia's fingernail was torn and bleeding, just like his dream.

Loki stopped in front of Scott's house. The wolf glanced around to make sure no neighbors were watching before shifting back into human form. She slipped into Scott's house quickly. Her heart jumped when she saw him sprawled across the floor, the smell of blood hanging in the air ominously.

"Oh my god, Scott," she muttered, rushing forward. She knelt down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Scott, wake up. Scott!" His eyes opened slowly, and he blinked a few times. Loki let out a breath of relief when he opened his eyes. Scott appeared surprised to find himself lying on the ground.

"Loki?" He mumbled.

"Are you alright?" she asked, concern shadowing her green eyes. He nodded slowly, closing his own eyes. He swallowed, his Adam's apple rolling up and down with the motion.

"Yeah," he muttered. "Yeah, I'm fine." Loki scowled, clearly not convinced.

"You're bleeding!" She reached out to touch the stain on his white shirt, but he grabbed her hand and pulled it away. He closed his hand gently around her fingers.

"It's not that bad," he insisted. "Why are you here?" Loki nodded, seeming to remember she'd come for a reason.

"Oh, yes. Jordan's on his way with Lydia." Loki bit the inside of her cheek. "It's…it'll be easier to explain once she's here." Scott nodded, carefully getting to his feet. As if one cue, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway sounding.

Scott shook his head like he was clearing cobwebs from his brain and he looked at Loki again. Then he looked resolutely away, his face flushing.

"Um. You can borrow some clothes – in my room – if you want."

"Oh, yeah," Loki said, remembering her currant state. "Thanks." Without another word, she slipped up the stairs to Scott's house, and Jordan opened the front door. He was leading Lydia inside, and Scott immediately saw the problem.

The Banshee's eyes were wide and vacant, her expression slack. Her face was pale and clammy and her head was tilted slightly, like she wasn't strong enough to hold it up on her own. Scott's eyes widened.

"Did Loki make it?" Jordan asked, and Scott nodded.

"Yeah – she's just getting some clothes. What the hell happened?" He stepped forward, gently placing a hand on Lydia's shoulder. She didn't respond to the gentle pressure.

"We found her in the woods," Jordan began.

"She was freezing," Loki added as she walked into the living room, dressed in Scott's clothes. "Practically hypothermic." She took a deep breath. "Somehow that wasn't the worst part. She'd carved something into a rock with her fingernails."

"It was a badge," Jordan said. "A sheriff's badge." Scott's eyes widened as he took in this information and he shook his head slowly.

"No," he mumbled, sounding scared. He knew what the badge meant. "It's a warning." Loki nodded, her eyes shadowed.

"Something's wrong with the Sheriff."

Scott carried Lydia into the emergency room. The girl was still unresponsive. Scott yelled for help, getting the attention of the nurses and doctors milling about. They responded immediately.

"What happened?" a nurse asked, pulling a gurney up. Scott lowered Lydia onto it.

"Eighteen year old female," Loki told him. "Potentially hypothermic." Loki nodded at Scott. "Go," she whispered. Scott nodded gratefully and rushed towards the elevators. Jordan stepped up next to Loki, squeezing her upper arm as the doctors examined her friend.

"I called her mother," Loki said to Jordan as the doctors wheeled Lydia away. He nodded and kissed her forehead quickly.

"I have to go," he murmured. "Get back to the station. Call me if anything happens, okay?" Loki nodded. She watched Jordan walk away, and then suddenly, called after him.

"Jordan," she called, jogging back to him. "Wait. I need to tell you – I was going to tell you before, I should have told you ages ago – " a ringing cut off whatever Loki was going to say. Jordan stepped back, smiling apologetically and answered the phone. He listened to the person on the other end for a few moments.

"I'm on my way," he said, and then hung up. "Loki, I really have to go," he told her. "Whatever it is, it can wait." Loki watched him carefully and nodded. She took a deep breath.

"It can wait."

It would have to wait.

Loki stood outside the door to Lydia's room. Her mom was with her, and she was sitting next to Lydia's bed, stroking her daughter's forehead gently.

"It's going to be alright, Lydia," she was saying. "We're going to get you the best medical care…the best doctors." Natalie Martin's voice cracked and she took a deep breath. "The best everything."

The sound of footsteps made Loki lift her head. Stiles was suddenly standing next to her, peeking into the room. Loki grabbed his arm.

"I don't think we should intervene," she told him quietly. He ignored her, brushing off her arm and stepping into the room. She watched him take in Lydia's condition, his eyes wide with fear. As he stood there, Natalie Martin turned her head. Her face dropped, eyes icing over.

"No," she said coldly, standing up. "No, you don't. You're not coming in here. Get out!"

"Just wait," Stiles begged, stepping farther into the room. "I think I know who did this to her, okay, I just need to look at the back of her neck."
"I know who did this!" Natalie Martin shouted shrilly. Tears were tracing down her face as she faced off against the teenage boy. "You!" she shoved Stiles, and Loki stiffened. "All of you!" Natalie continued to shriek. "Get out!"

"Come on, Ms. Martin, please," Stiles begged. "You just got to listen to me. You got to check the back of her – "

"Just – get out!" She shoved Stiles again, and this time Loki grabbed onto the back of her friend's shirt and pulled him out of the room.

"Check the back of her neck!" Stiles shouted as Loki pulled him into the hallway and Natalie slammed the door. He wrenched his arm free and stared at Loki imploringly. "You can convince her," he said. "You can do it – please." Loki shook her head.

"What does it matter, Stiles?" Loki asked quietly. "A lot has happened tonight. I think we've done enough damage for now." Loki turned away, remembering what Scott had told her in the car on the way to the hospital.

Theo had set him up. On the night of the supermoon, when aggression and power ran high, when Hayden was dying and Scott had refused to give her the bite to save her, Theo had locked Scott and Liam in the library sealed with mountain ash. And Liam had tried to kill Scott, so he could gain the power of the Alpha and save Hayden himself.

Loki was willing to bet that Theo's next step of the plan had been to kill Liam so that he would be an Alpha. And then there was Lydia…and of course the Sheriff…on top of all that, Scott had told her that he knew that Stiles had killed Donovan.

Loki closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against the cool wall of the hospital. When she opened them, Stiles was staring at her.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" he asked, none too gently. She didn't blame him. His father and friend were in the hospital, fates uncertain. His best friend thought he was a murderer. Loki shrugged.

"I was asleep," she muttered to herself. "I was sleeping when all this happened." She shook her head, mostly to herself. "I feel like I should have done something." Stiles was still staring at her when she finished speaking.

He didn't argue.

Loki stood in the morgue with Stiles, Scott and Melissa. They were all catching each other up on everything – specifically Lydia's condition.

"It's possible it's just a side effect of shock," Loki offered weakly, not really believing it. Stiles shook his head.

"She's catatonic," he insisted. "It's because Theo was digging through her mind." Melissa frowned, clearly confused.

"Why would he do that?" she asked. "What is he looking for?"

"The same thing he's always looking for," Scott said. "An advantage." The Alpha was bracing himself against a table, and Loki found herself analyzing his posture – wondering if it was a side effect of his injury or if he was simply tired.

"So what did he gain by trying to kill your dad?" Loki asked, looking at Stiles. It was Scott who answered.

"It left me alone with Liam," Scott replied. "Theo wanted to make sure no one would be there to stop him from killing me." Stiles huffed out an angry breath.

"So he gutted my dad as a distraction," Stiles muttered. Loki frowned.

"But he didn't do anything for me," Loki murmured. "I could have been there." There was an uncomfortable silence when no one disputed this. Scott touched Loki's shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault," he told her. Yes it was.

"Even if it wasn't," Loki said, side-stepping Scott's comfort. "How did Theo know that I wouldn't be there to help?" Again, an empty silence filled the void after her words. Nobody knew. Except for Loki.

Deep down, she knew the reason Theo hadn't orchestrated something to keep her distracted. Scott couldn't have called for help anyways, and Stiles probably wouldn't have called Loki - Theo was counting on that. But she could guess the message Theo was truly trying to send.

It was that Loki couldn't be counted a time of emergency, she wouldn't come through.

By the time Loki pulled herself out of her thoughts, her friends had moved on from Loki wallowing in guilt. Loki shook her head, trying to catch up. They were talking about tracking Theo down.

"He told me he didn't want my dad to die," Stiles was saying.

"And you believed him?" Loki asked incredulously, rejoining the conversation. Stiles shrugged defensively.

"He told me where to find him. Maybe he knows how to save him." Loki shook her head, looking down at the ground. She didn't believe that. But she didn't want to burst Stiles's bubble - not when it was something like this.

"What do you want to do, talk to him?" Melissa asked, raising an eyebrow. Stiles nodded.

"If it saves my dad, then yes." Scott stared at his best friend from across the table.

"I'll come with you," Scott offered. It sounded almost like he was begging. "He doesn't know that I'm alive, maybe that gives us an advantage." Stiles shook his head immediately.

"No, he'll know you're there," he argued. "I just need to talk to him. Not fight him." Stiles turned to leave the morgue, and Melissa called after him.

"Stiles. You can't go alone."

"Besides," Loki added. "Do you know how to find him? Does anybody know how to find him?"

"We don't have to find him," Stiles insisted. In the low light of the morgue, his face was pale and ghostly looking. His eyes were dark and wet. "He'll come to me."

Loki turned around the corner of the hospital, looking for Lydia. She wanted to keep an eye on her friend, even if from afar. Her eyes widened when she saw Natalie Martin talking to Doctor Conrad Fenris, a doctor at Eichen House. He was holding a clipboard.

"No," Loki muttered under her breath. "No, no." She leaned forward to listen to the conversation, hoping that she was just jumping to conclusions, as she walked towards the two.

"…Eichen House is a very different place now," the doctor was saying in a gentle voice. "She'll be well taken care of. She'll be safe there." Natalie took in a deep breath.

"She'll be safe," she repeated faintly. She was gripping this knowledge like a safety blanket. Dr. Fenris nodded, smiling encouragingly.

"Just two signatures, Ms. Martin." To Loki's horror, the woman picked up the pen. "I'll look after her personally."

"No," Loki said again. "Ms. Martin!" She quickened her step. "Ms. Martin!" By the time Loki reached the woman, Dr. Fenris had already taken back the clipboard. Loki's heart pounded when he saw her. Dr. Fenris was by far the kindest doctor at Eichen…but something was off about him.

"Elizabeth," he tilted his head. He smiled coldly. She nodded curtly back at him, swallowing hard.

"Ms. Martin," Loki said breathlessly as the doctor walked away. "You can't – "

"She'll be safe there," Ms. Martin repeated. She wrapped her arms around herself, shaking.

"No," Loki protested, fear and frustration edging her tone. "No, she won't. Ms. Martin, please. You can't do this – you can't send her to that - that place." Loki spat the word out. She couldn't think of a description for Eichen that succinctly summarized her fear. Ms. Martin drew herself up, and looked at Loki.

"I did what I had to do," she said. With that, she walked away, leaving Loki standing there helplessly. Loki took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. If it was Doctor Fenris attending to Lydia personally, Loki reasoned with herself, what's the worst that could happen? He was a good man.

Then why did she feel so afraid?

Loki watched two orderlies load Lydia and her stretcher into the ambulance. Ms. Martin sat down on the bench next to her daughter, and immediately took her hand. She bent over her daughter, murmuring to her quietly.

"I'm going to get her out," Loki murmured under her breath. To her surprise, Ms. Martin heard, and turned to look at Loki in surprise. Loki met the older woman's gaze, her eyes steely with determination - and yet, almost feverish with obsession. "Even if I have to break down the walls."

"Good luck with that, Elizabeth," Doctor Fenris said. He smiled at her, and closed the door to the ambulance before heading up to the front seat. Loki watched him go. She was about to turn away, but something caught her attention.

Doctor Fenris's face was reflected in the side view mirrors of the ambulance. Only – it wasn't Doctor Fenris anymore.

It was Valack. I'll look after her personally…he'd said.

An inhuman growl tore from Loki's chest and she screamed. The sound ripped from her throat, so agonized and angry that it surprised even herself.

"No!" she shouted, taking two steps after the ambulance. She would have gotten farther, but someone grabbed her waist and pulled her back. It was Jordan.

He stared at her in surprise. She was trembling in his grip, and she had an expression on her face that he'd never seen before. Her eyes were dark, staring out at something that Jordan couldn't see.

"Loki," he said, trying to draw her attention to him. She didn't respond, didn't look towards him. "Loki," he tried again. "What is it?"

"They took Lydia to Eichen," she told him, her voice curled up into a snarl at the end of her sentence, and she trembled harder. Jordan swallowed hard. "Ms. Martin signed the papers. That's where she's being treated."

"Okay," Jordan said, his heart racing. "Okay. Loki, it'll be fine, we'll get her out just as soon as – "

"No," Loki interrupted him. She fixed her vacantly staring eyes on Jordan's face. They were feverish looking, like she was fixated on an idea. "No, I'm getting her out. Now." Jordan shook his head slowly.

"Loki," he said, gently. "There's no way to do that legally." Loki stared at him. Before Jordan could try to reason with her further, she carefully but surely wrenched herself from his hold. She began to walk down the road, following the ambulance's path.

"Then I won't do it legally."

The words hung in the air, a promise that ensured violence and bloodshed.

And Jordan watched Loki go, wondering what he could do to stop her.

Loki twisted her claws in the stomach of another orderly at Eichen. The young man shrieked as more blood pulsed around her hand.

"Where," Loki growled. "Is Lydia Martin?" She punctuated the question with another twist of her hand. The orderly gargled.

"C – closed unit," he gasped out. "Sev – seventh door down. Please…." Loki withdrew her claws and tossed him aside. He hit the ground with a thud and a whimper, and curled away from her to protect himself. Loki looked around coldly, taking in the amount of bodies strewn around the room.

Stepping over the orderly she'd just tortured, Loki headed for the closed unit of Eichen. She passed different creatures, all contained behind the locked metal and glass doors. Some of them she recognized from years ago. Some of them she didn't.

Once Loki had reached the seventh door down, she paused. Peering in through the class, she could see Lydia. Her friend was prone across the bed, dressed in the standard Eichen patient ensemble. Her skin was pale and clammy, and her eyes were still vacant.

Anger coursing through her veins, Loki grabbed onto the handle of the door and twisted as hard as she could. The metal screeched below her grip and gave away with a whine. No sooner than the metal handle had hit the ground did the alarms start to blare.

Steadfastly ignoring the shrieking of the alarm, Loki kicked the door open and entered the cell. Lydia didn't move.

"Lydia," Loki hissed. There was still no response. Loki walked over to the bed and pulled her friend up into a sitting position. "Lydia, come on. We have to get you out of here." Loki managed to pull her friend over her shoulders, and the werewolf began to walk out of the cell.

As she did so, Loki found herself surrounded. Orderlies and nurses armed with Tasers encircled the two girls. Swearing under her breath, Loki shifted Lydia around so that the girl was draped across her back. It still wasn't an ideal position for fighting, but at least Loki could move relatively unhindered.

Swinging her foot out, Loki managed to take out two orderlies in one kick before any of them could react. She dodged another Taser swipe and then made a run for it. She made it about halfway down the hallway before someone jabbed her in the ribs with a cattle prod.

Crying out, Loki fell to the ground. Lydia, without Loki's hands to support her, slithered off the werewolf's back and landed on the floor staring upwards. As Loki's body twitched and writhed with electricity, Valack's face appeared over Loki's. She gasped in pain, staring at him in horror.

"Well, well," he said, smiling sadistically. "Elizabeth Carter has returned." He straightened up, looking at an orderly. "Get Lydia back to her room," he ordered.

"What about her?" The orderly asked, pointing at Loki on the ground. Valack smiled again.

"I believe Loki has a cell here with her name on it."

*END FLASHBACK*

okay guys. here we go.

as you may be able to tell, from my epic lack of updating, i've...kind of lost inspiration for this story.

looking back on it, when i started writing this i had no background whatsoever for Loki. i literally had no plan for how the story was going to go whatsoever. but i went with it anyways.

and now...that's kind of catching up to me. it's hard to finish writing when i've made so many mistakes about her character, so many tiny inconsistencies.

additionally, i already know these next few chapters are going to be tough - loki's just in eichen. i can't really do much with that. i'm going to try to flesh out her character more in flashbacks or something...but we'll see.

that being said...

i'm so close to the end of this. i'm guessing there will be maybe six or seven more chapters. i'm going to finish it, baring unforeseen circumstances. it's just going to take a while.

anyways. that long explanation was super boring.

thanks for reading, and please leave a review telling me what you think. :)