And here we are, with the second part of this!

Now, because I did promise. With regards to the little contest I made at the end of "Chaos Rising". There were no participants here in Ffnet, but some did participate on AO3: Four people guessed as to what might happen in this sequel. All four of them made a guess regarding Jenny's identity, they were all right (three actually guessed the exact same thing, while the fourth approached it differently, it wasn't entirely correct, but mostly, yes). Of those four, three made guesses for another detail. Two concerning Scott, though I'm sorry to say they were wrong. The last one made a second guess that was more or less correct (not entirely, but I'm counting it, and I'm not not saying what it is specifically because, spoilers!). So, all that remains to be said is: We have a winner: The WinsomeWasp! (Please let me know what you'd like for your fanart my dear, I'd love to be able to deliver it along with this fic's finale next week!).

Now, on with the story! This chapter has cameos from Charmed, as well as further participation from our Criminal Minds cameos. Like I said before, you don't need to have watched either show to understand things, it was just convenient.

Enjoy the chapter! A lot happens in this one...

Hurricanes

Things get pretty insane as Stiles buries himself in all sorts of research as he tries to find out what happened to the Nemeton exactly, how it happened, who the lady was, how she managed to break his daggers… at some point Morgan tries to point out that they're 'just daggers' to which Stiles snaps and yells that 'Those daggers were made of Orichalcum, they should have been impossible to break!' which intrigues Reid and shocks everyone else, though it still doesn't help solve any of their current problems.

Their troubles go up a notch when they realize that the woman from the forest is in town. She calls herself Jennifer Blake. She and her husband Duke are newcomers to town. She's applying to be the new English teacher in the High-school, while her husband is supposedly a retired banker or something along those lines. He's the werewolf that almost killed them, and Peter recognizes him almost right away.

"His real name's Deucalion." He explains to everyone else. "Back in '04 he was Alpha of his own pack, he sought to make a peace treaty with the Hunters, something like what we Hales were said to have with the Argents… though we know how well that turned out! He called a Summit with the most influential and powerful Alphas of NorCal at the time. I managed to convince Talia to refuse the invitation, though that didn't stop things from getting messy anyway. Like many other things, this one can be traced back to Gerard Argent. He pretended to agree with Deucalion's desire for peace, then provoked a fight where he blinded Deucalion, he didn't even care when most of his hunters ended as collateral." He exhales. "As for Deucalion himself… I know his pack's dead. Some rumors state that Gerard's to be blamed… others that it was Deuc himself who killed them all after his second tried to take the Alpha Spark from him, claiming a blind wolf couldn't be the one to lead their pack."

"An Alpha killing his whole pack?" Noah isn't the only one horrified by the mere idea.

"The mere thought is anathema to any self-respecting Alpha." Peter says solemnly. "The loss of even one packmate… it's like losing a limb. A whole pack… and at one's own hands…"

"Where's his pack?" Lydia's quiet question cuts off Peter's tirade. "Deucalion is here, we know that for sure. Whether Blake's supposed to be his Emmisary, his mate, both or none. That doesn't change the fact, that there's no pack with them."

And that… that's rather telling, isn't it?

If there were any sort of pack they might believe that it's a matter of a pack encroaching on their territory. Not exactly a walk in the pack, but not the worst thing that could happen either. A threat like that they could deal with. But there's no pack. Nothing beyond an Alpha and a magic-user with so much power her mere touch shattered Stiles's best daggers, who managed to somehow burn the Nemeton. Who's managed to somehow become the 'new darling' of the town, despite having arrived less than a month ago! Some people just act as if she's been there forever. It makes no sense at all!

And then there's the dreams. Stiles keeps having some very intense, colorful, vivid dreams he cannot fully recall upon awakening. It's all flashes and disjointed images for his waking mind: there's Paige, his mom, the Nemeton, red eyes, blue eyes, gold eyes, hunters and werewolves fighting, an awful accident somewhere in the preserve, what looks like a mugging, a badly injured and terrified young woman, shots, a female werewolf with claws on her toes, dark fire, blue lights, fireflies… Stiles hasn't the slightest idea of how it's all supposed to fit together.

After yet another conversation has them discussing the merits and relevance of a number of old tales and prophecies, including the one about the 'sword of glory' (Reid's particularly interested in that one… or rather, in Excalibur, which he still believes might be the sword being referenced in those tales), Stiles finally decides it might be time to call on some of his contacts. So he makes arrangements for a quick trip to SanFran, taking no one but Derek with him.

Piper doesn't even look surprised to see him.

"I'm not asking for the sword." He says straight out, because he knows that it's a legitimate belief if Phoebe or any of the children have seen anything of what's going on in Beacon Hills.

"I know," Piper assures him calmly. "You know better than to try that."

Derek for his part just stares at Piper, then at Stiles, clearly wondering what's going on.

"Der, meet Piper Halliwell, witch, leader of the Charmed Ones, and the current Lady of the Lake." Stiles introduces with very dramatic gestures.

Derek gapes. Piper, for her part just snorts before turning around and letting the two young men step inside the Manor.

"The Lady of…" Derek breaks off. "Wait a second! Isn't that the one who's said to be the guardian of Excalibur?!"

"You make it sound so grandiose." Piper mutters as she pours tea into three cups, making it obvious that she was waiting for them. "In my opinion. The sword's nothing more than a bother."

Derek blinks, clearly not having expected that.

The three of them drink some tea and chat. Mostly about anything except what's truly bothering Stiles. Derek gets the chance to hear some stories about how Stiles was when he was younger. Hears another version of that first meeting between Stiles and the Charmed Ones. One that's probably closer to the truth, if only because he knows his mate tends to sell himself short.

It's until the tea and the collection of cookies Piper served alongside are finished, that they finally turn their focus onto what's truly brought them to San Francisco…

"So, I know you didn't come looking for the sword, or hoping that we'd fight your battles." Piper states, getting down to business. "How can we help you Stiles?"

"I'm having… dreams." Stiles tries his best to explains. "Intense dreams. Ever since the fight at the Nemeton. I know… I know the dreams have something to do with her, the dark witch. I have this feeling that if I could just understand what I'm seeing, piece it all together, I'd have the answers to my questions."

"You think she's somehow blocking you? Your dreams?" Piper sounds intrigued rather than skeptical, it's not like she hasn't seen worse.

"I don't know if it's her, if it's what happened to the Nemeton…"

"She's doing a lot." Derek offers. "Less than a month in town and everyone's already treating her, both her and her husband, actually. As if they've been around forever. It's almost assured that she'll be getting into the high-school as an English teacher, despite the fact that they don't actually need a new one." Lydia's already stated that they better find a way to deal with Blake before the start of the school-year because she refuses to attend her class. "She doesn't even have the qualifications for the job, but it's like no one notices… or cares."

"Sounds like a pretty serious glamour." Phoebe comments as she enters the room, dropping on the couch beside her sister. "What is it you need Stiles?"

"I need to understand my dreams." Stiles declares. "And if something or someone is keeping important information from me, I need to know what it is."

"That, we can help with." Piper assures him.

Phoebe's the one to work on the spell. Apparently it's sort-of her specialty. Also, because she's the one with the gifts to see the future and the past, she understands better how to make it so Stiles not only will be able to see what he's been missing, but so his mind will be able to process it in a way that will be actually useful to him.

Paige does eventually arrive, and the three pronounce the spell together, in order to lend the power of three to it, and to Stiles:

"Let the truth be told

Let the lives unfold,

from magic all we ask:

help him fill in the blanks."

There's Paige, fifteen and so full of life, playing the cello. And Derek, with a triangle! Clearly the boy wasn't meant to be a musician, yet that didn't stop him from wanting to be near her, the girl who meant so much to him, his potential mate… His mom, so sweet, and kind, and sick. Peter's offer to her, of 'finding' an Alpha to turn her, and her response: that she Cannot be turned… The Nemeton was once a huge, gorgeous Rowan tree, bigger than any other tree he's ever seen. It was cut down, due to the greed of a few, their desire for a power that was never meant to be theirs. Yet even as the tree was felled and the stump blackened, that still didn't get them what they wanted…

Paige again. Only this time she isn't happy. She's terrified, and in so much pain. She cries, begs Derek to make it stop. And with tears in his eyes he does… Two groups meet in an abandoned distillery. What starts as tense talks soon turns devolves into violence. The first one to fall is a werewolf who dies protecting his Alpha… There's been some kind of accident in the preserve, paramedics doing their best to help. Only apparently not everyone knows the road is blocked, as another car seems to come out of nowhere, going too fast, it hits the same patch of black ice that caused the accident. One of the paramedics sees what's going on, he takes the little girl he was seeing to and does his best to throw her as far away as he can. Regretfully, there's nothing he can do for himself. The new vehicle hits him head on, he's dead almost instantly… A man is walking down a sidewalk, talking in French over the phone, when suddenly a figure comes out of the shadows. First he thinks nothing of it, until the blonde woman in the dark clothes says he has something she wants. He thinks it's a mugging, but before he can say anything she pulls out a gun, shooting him point blank… A pretty if plain dark-haired woman in jeans and a peasant blouse kissing her girlfriend. Who, from one moment to the next turns on her, clawing the first woman up viciously. Claws in hands and feet. The first woman cries out in shock, horror and despair, as her lover leaves her to die in the middle of a forest far from home…

The same woman dragging herself across the ground, moaning, gasping, her blood painting the golden leaves with a red sheen. It's horrifying. Eventually her hands catch on something, a root. With great effort and small, breathless cries she manages to pull herself onto the black stump in the middle of the clearing. She lets herself fall upon it, whispering prayers, words of power. From a moment to the next she's no longer alone in the clearing, around her, around the stump, there are four ghostly figures: a girl, a werewolf and two human men. The badly injured woman on the stump cries out something unintelligible and there's an explosion of power. When it clears she's left alone, unconscious, she's no longer bleeding, her injuries closed; her scars are terrible, leaving her badly disfigured but she's most definitely alive.

In some kind of warehouse a meeting takes place: three alpha werewolves. One of them is the one who bit Paige, another the one who mauled her lover, and the third the alpha that was blinded during a confrontation with hunters, whom another wolf died trying to protect. Their own meeting is interrupted by a new arrival.

The door into the warehouse slams open violently, letting in a figure of average height, dressed in black from head to toe. Her image seems to flicker, between a beautiful woman with dark wavy hair and a disfigured, heavily scarred creature that seems like it should be dead already.

The first two wolves let out exclamations about who that is, the third only cocking his head to a side, the dark-glasses covering his eyes sliding down his nose just a bit, just enough for the milky white eyes to become visible.

"What is it darlin'?" The woman asks in a heavy southern accent. "Don't you remember me?"

"J… Julia…?" The female werewolf gasps. "It's impossible!"

"Not impossible," A sharp smile adorns the witch's face. "Just very hard to do."

"Well, if she couldn't finish the job, then I will." The first wolf states darkly, stalking her.

The witch makes a non-verbal chiding expression at him.

"Dogs shouldn't intervene when the adults are talking." She says dismissively.

The wolf roars, clearly furious at being dismissed like that. However, right as he leaps to attack the witch she raises a hand, waving it at him. The wolf's body seems to be suspended in the air for a fraction of a second before it flies backwards, as if thrown, slamming against the farthest wall. They can all hear as his body breaks. It's an awful sound. Even his neck is broken, making it clear that he won't be getting up again. There's only so much even a wolf can heal from.

"Now for you my dear…" She states, turning to the she-wolf.

The female Alpha doesn't even try to defend herself. Clearly too shocked at the presence of the witch she believed she'd killed… her former emissary… her once lover…

"That's some display of power," The last of the Alphas comments, paying next to no attention to his fallen comrades. "Julia was it?"

"Shut up!" The witch shrieks, so furious her aura is visible, while her visage flickers even more than before. "I will kill you!"

"Will you?" He asks, perfectly at ease, as if he knows he has no reason to fear her; as if he knows, without a doubt, that she won't go through with her threat.

"Yes, I will!" She snaps. "This is all your fault! She attacked me because of you!"

"Kali attacked you because, deep down, that's what she wanted to do."

"You got into her head! I'm gonna make you pay! Just like I did her! You will die by my hand!"

"Will I? Tell me, Julia Bacari, are you in that much of a hurry to die?"

The witch freezes. Clearly not having expected that.

More is said, the details unknown, though the end result is obvious enough, as wolf and witch leave the warehouse, together.

The Nemeton: as a huge Rowan tree, as a darkened, half-dead stump, and then on fire. A dark fire that burns fast and leaves nothing, not even ashes, behind. Blue lights, like veins of power, of magic, running underneath the ground, everywhere… Fireflies flitting around, except they're not normal, they're not real animals, they're pure magic…

xXx

They're in a rush almost from the moment Stiles wakes up. Turns out, he's been unconscious for over twelve hours, and a hell of a lot has happened in that time! Piper hands him and Derek each a couple of breakfast sandwiches with egg, bacon, spinach, tomato and at least three different cheeses. They're delicious. The coffee she places in to-go mugs is completely awesome as well. The last thing she gives them is a small note left by Phoebe, who couldn't wait in the manor for him to wake up as she had to see to her husband and daughters. Stiles totally understands as he reads the words she left for him: Not all sacrifices are about death. Not all swords are made of metal. Truth be told, he has no idea what that's supposed to mean exactly, though he has a feeling it'll be important eventually.

After they've eaten and with Derek pushing the Camaro as much as possible without risking the cops or something pulling them over, the wolf begins explaining everything that happened while Stiles was dreamwalking (or whatever the hell he can call re-visiting all his dreams in such a manner that he could at least half-understand most of them… he's still not fully clear on everything, but some things at least have become very evident). Deucalion finally went on the offensive, made it known that he wants the territory, has always wanted it, in fact. Turns out that his whole plan of forming a pact with the Argents, while not a lie, was just part of a bigger plan. He's convinced that, hunters being what they are, they don't really care who's in charge of any given territory, as long as the supernaturals are 'behaving'. Thus, if he had a pact with the Argents, that would make him safe from hunters, and he didn't think they'd much care if he destroyed the Hales for their territory. That wouldn't have even been the first time he sought to take Beacon County. The first time was years prior, the Stilinskis weren't even living in Beacon Hills yet. He killed several humans in a specific part of the preserve, on the other side of the town from Hale Land, intending to draw Talia into a trap. It failed (Talia wasn't stupid). The problem is that something in the description he gave of the humans he killed made Jackson realize that he was behind the accident that caused the Millers' death… Jackson went absolutely nuts over that, throwing himself at Deucalion. Peter barely managed to save him.

Then there's Lydia, who went to where the Nemeton once stood, trying to use her banshee gifts to find Paige, or to divine some way to deal with Blake. Only for the witch to find her and almost kill her. If Lydia weren't so good with her scream and Agent Morgan didn't arrive when he did, she'd be dead (and even then, it was a close call).

If that weren't bad enough, Deucalion's trying to claim kinship to the Hales in an attempt to take possession of their land. And Noah's sure there must be magic involved because all of a sudden no one seems to remember that the courts agreed with the auction and that the land now legally belongs to the Stilinskis!

So it's all a mess and they need to find a solution pronto!

"Tell me you got something." Derek finishes as they hit the highway and he steps on the gas.

"I got something." Stiles quips, before turning completely serious and elaborating: "The witch? Jennifer Blake? Her real name's Julia Bacari, and she's the fifth fold of the old knot. Remember how I've mentioned that the Nemeton wouldn't accept another ritual because the last one was never closed?"

"Paige was the first sacrifice, even if neither of us knew it at the time." Derek murmurs.

"Yeah," Stiles takes a deep breath to push his own worry for Paige aside. "I saw her, and the others. The other sacrifices I mean. There was a werewolf, he died protecting Deucalion during that mess with Gerard. Then there was a paramedic, he saved a girl from being run over by a car that lost control in the middle of the preserve before being run over himself. And then there was Mr. Hanover, the old french teacher at BHHS, who died in a 'mugging gone wrong'. Turns out, Kate killed him so the spot would open and she'd have a way in. And then there's Blake… Bacari… the witch. Apparently she was an Emissary, her Alpha killed her… or tried to anyway. Turns out they were in the preserve at the time. She managed to drag herself to our Nemeton. And thus the Five Fold Knot was created. She must have sensed the previous sacrifices, sensed the power, and called it to her. Used it to survive, to enact her revenge. I saw her going after her former Alpha, and others. Deucalion was with them."

"So… she killed Deucalion's companions, and not him. Why?"

"Because if Duke dies, so does she?"

"What…? Why?"

"The ritual. She finished the Five Fold Knot, then took the power into her, wanted to use it to get her revenge."

"Yes, I understand that part. What I don't understand is why she hasn't done it."

"Because if she does, she'll die. Blake isn't just using the power of a Five Fold Knot, she's a part of it, the fifth fold. The Guardian. So, once the power has fulfilled its purpose, once the circle's been closed, so-to-speak, the ritual will dissipate… the power that's been supporting her, been keeping her alive for the last six years… it'll be gone. She will die."

"She doesn't want to die."

"Who ever does? Anyway, that's why she destroyed the Nemeton. She was trying to ensure that the circle could never be closed. What she somehow failed to realize, is that… that's not how it works. See, energy cannot be created or destroyed… and neither can magic."

xXx

Stiles can feel the darkness, so pervading, encroaching… the moment they make it into Beacon County. Even Derek, though he has no magical senses, can sense something's very, very wrong.

"So, do you have a plan?" The wolf finally asks his mate.

"I have the makings of a plan?" Stiles offers.

A part of Derek wants to facepalm at that, all the same, he knows his mate's a genius, if anyone can make a plan in the short time they have, and make it work, it's him.

"What do you need me to do?" Is all he asks in the end.

And that's how Derek finds himself following the howls to where he knows a battle is taking place. Once he makes it to the clearing he doesn't even stop to study the scene, to make a strategy. He just sees the monstrous Alpha standing over Peter, one hand buried in the downed Alpha's stomach, the other raised, about to torn his throat out. Noah and Chris are on the edges of the clearing, the latter knocked out and with his arm bent at an odd angle, the former fighting and failing to get on his feet, one of his legs looks badly broken. Lydia and Allison are doing everything in their power to keep the dark witch from being able to intervene in the fight between the alphas. Jackson and Cora assisting them (they clearly would like to go against the witch, but that's impossible as she's shielded herself inside a circle of mountain ash). None of the Agents are present, but that's not exactly a surprise, if the battle is supposed to be a pack challenge.

Derek has never played football, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know how to do a tackle. He manages to do it with enough force to push Deucalion not just off Peter, but several feet away. Peter doesn't get up, he doesn't even move, which isn't a good sign… but Derek cannot focus on that, not when he still needs to keep fighting. He might be a born wolf, but Deucalion's an Alpha, one who's butchered his own pack, claiming their power for himself, who's connected to a dark witch… Derek cannot let his guard down.

Derek doesn't fully notice it at first, when it happens. He's fully invested in the fight, focusing on nothing except each move, each blow as it comes. He's surprised, when Deucalion manages to claw him on his flank, and the injury barely even makes him stagger, and even then not for long, though he chalks it up to adrenaline. At least until the loud, mournful howl breaks through the haze of the fight. Noah's howl… though it's soon followed by Cora's, Jackson's and Lydia's own banshee wail…

Derek stops, just for a fraction of a second to let out his own howl, bright red eyes flashing as the howl of mourning becomes a roar of rage and he throws himself at Deucalion more violently than before. He does his best to block everything and everyone else: Jackson's desperate fury, Cora's denials, Noah's begging to his mate to open his eyes…

When the situation changes, it does so suddenly, unexpectedly… they all hear Blake screech, furious. It makes Derek's ears ring enough that he miscalculates his next move and Deucalion manages to throw him against a tree. And yet even as he lays there, panting, he can see Blake throw a concussive wave at the Betas surrounding her before sprinting into the woods and he understands that whatever his mate's doing. It must be working.

The 'makings of a plan' as Stiles called it, was rather simple actually: they aren't quite sure if Deucalion dying will be enough for the circle to be considered closed (which, in theory, should kill Blake), or if they'll need to deal with Blake after that. Stiles also said something about perhaps finding something the Nemeton wants more… Derek has no idea what he meant with that either. And there was no time to worry about it. Not when they knew their territory and their pack were in danger.

The fight goes on for a little longer, until Derek finds himself being thrown through the air again, with more force than before. Enough that he breaks the tree he crashes against. He lets out a pained whine when he feels at least a couple of ribs snap, and he's quite sure his spine is at the very least bruised. It's bad enough he cannot get on his feet. But before Deucalion can take advantage of that to finish him off an arrow buries itself on his flank, then another on one arm, on his shoulder, his chest…

It's the last one that finally makes him turn his attention away from Derek and to the archer: of course, with the witch gone, everyone's focused on different things: Jackson and Cora trying to help Peter somehow, while Lydia works on waking Chris up. Allison for her part just stands there, tears running down her cheeks but she pays them no mind as she keeps shooting one arrow after another, not missing even once.

Deucalion lets out a furious roar and rushes her, despite Derek's attempts at calling his attention back to him. The huntress realizes there's no time for her to draw another arrow just in time for her to use her bow as a blunt object. The bow breaks, and then Deucalion takes hold of her by the neck, seeking to strangle her… or worse. Only right as he tries to bury his claws on the sides of her neck, instead he lets out a pained howl, pulling his hand back instinctively. There's a burn on his palm, silvery looking, in the shape of a pendant… Allison's pendant, which sits at the hollow of her throat… Claudia's pendant…

"…she's the circle, enveloping us." Allison remembers Noah telling her when the pendant was gifted to her. "She's with us… always."

She also remembers her brother mentioning once that he has a spark, just like their mom…

"Thank you mama…" She whispers under her breath… she could have almost sworn that the breeze carries a low, feminine chuckle, and the ghost of a kiss on her cheek.

Before Deucalion can fully recover from the burn, and the shock, a shot rings through the clearing, forcing him to turn his attention to the side. There's Chris. He's still sitting on the forest floor, but he's bracing himself against Lydia, letting her hold him as straight as possible as he shoots time and again, until his clip is empty. Deucalion roars once again, but before he gets the chance to attack either Argent a hand is taking hold of his shoulder, making him spin around (it's until that very moment that Deucalion seems to realize he's no longer in his huge, monstrous Alpha form, instead a very deformed Beta shift… when he finishes the forced turn he finds himself face to face with none other than Noah Stilinski, who doesn't give him the chance to say or do a single thing, before he tears Deucalion's throat open with his claws. He doesn't even stop to contemplate what he just did, not even to make sure Deucalion is truly dead (then again, the Alpha power suddenly rushing through his veins probably makes that pretty clear). Instead Noah just turns around and dashes to his husband's side. He doesn't even try to move Jackson and Cora, who are working on staunching Peter's injury as much as they can, to try and keep what blood he has left inside him, while the other gives him CPR. He just kneels on the opposite side from him, takes Peter still warm arm between his hands and starts pulling pain. Once he starts, he doesn't stop. Not when Peter's pain hits him hard enough to make him gasp, not when he starts expending so much of his own energy that he starts to sway, or when his newly red eyes begin to flicker, switching between beta yellow and alpha red over and over again… until eventually they settle on yellow-gold, at the same time that Peter's own eyes snap open and he takes in a huge gulp of air, the first one he manages to take on his own since falling to Deucalion's claws.

"What the hell was that?!" Jackson and Cora cry out in unison.

"That, was an Alpha giving up his spark to heal a packmate." Chris points out as Lydia and Allison help him get to them.

Jackson half-absently places a hand on his arm, drawing pain, just enough for Chris to relax the slightest bit.

"Derek…?" It's the first thing Peter asks as soon as his partners have reassured themselves that he's, in fact, not going to drop dead on them at any moment, and sits up, turning to a side.

"I… I…" Derek has no idea what to say.

"You're the Alpha now." Peter points out, somewhat unnecessarily.

Derek knows that. There's no way he could not know that! He didn't plan this! Being an alpha! Being their alpha! How the hell is he supposed to do that?! He doesn't know how to be an alpha! He barely even knows how to be a beta! And the worst part, the worst part is that he doesn't even have time to be insecure, and worry, and go crazy with it all, because somewhere in the preserve his mate is facing off against a freaking dark witch that will undoubtedly kill him, kill them all, if given half the chance!

"We need to find Stiles." Is all he says in the end. "I… I need to get to Stiles."

Because, objectively speaking, there's no way the rest of the pack can do much of anything, really. They barely survived the battle against Deucalion. All things told, he's not sure how much help he'll be, really; but it's his mate in danger and Derek cannot not at least try to do something, anything, to help.

Peter nods, it's clear he understands exactly what his nephew is thinking. And much as he might hate it, he's self-aware enough to know the best he can do is get home and focus on healing.

"Get home, look after each other." Derek instructs. "I'll find Stiles."

He sprints into the forest before anyone can utter a response (not like he was actually expecting one). He has no idea where he's going, not really, just following the tug of the bond he and his mate share. Then, right as he feels like he might be getting close, an unexpected sound pierces through the forest: Lydia's banshee wail.

xXx

Energy cannot be created nor destroyed… and neither can magic.

Stiles cannot believe it took him so long to realize the obvious! The witch might have burnt the Nemeton (or what was left of it), but while the tree might have served as a physical manifestation of that particular nexus of leylines, of power, it was never the tree itself that was important. That's why the poisoning and cutting of it, while it damaged things, didn't actually stop the power from being there, didn't stop the leylines from carrying it to and from. In that moment, standing in front of the sinkhole where the Nemeton once stood, Stiles can almost see the magic in the land, beating almost like its own heart.

He spends almost a full minute just stand there, pondering things. Thinking about the best way to handle the situation. He knows Blake's in the clearing before she actually opens her mouth.

"I won't let you do this!" She practically snarls at him.

She looks nothing like the sweet, pretty teacher-hopeful she's been presenting herself as in town. Then again, it's not like Stiles ever bought her facade. He can barely grasp how anyone did…

"I will not die!" She screeches.

"We will all die, eventually." Stiles replies in a perfectly calm tone. "There's nothing more natural to life, than death."

"You will not kill me!" She snaps.

"No, I will not." Stiles agrees, which clearly surprises her, until he adds. "You're already dead. Julia Bacari. You've been dead for years. And while I understand it was terrible, what happened to you. While I understand wanting to make those responsible pay. Truth is, you've already done that. Or at least, done most of it. I won't let you cheat death, cheat magic, because you suddenly decided to go back on the bargain you made with the Nemeton."

"The Nemeton is gone!" She hisses.

"Is it?" He wonders if she's really that blind, or if perhaps she truly cannot sense, cannot see the things he can.

Stiles can tell the exact moment when Deucalion dies. And he's not the only one. Blake's pretty and youthful glamour falls, leaving behind her real image, deformed and scarred. What does surprise Stiles though, is that for all that she's clearly affected, she doesn't actually die. He wonders if that means she needed to be the one to kill Deucalion in order for the circle to be truly closed, if she managed to find and do some other magic to ensure her survival, or if maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't have died, from the very beginning…

Not all sacrifices are about death. Not all swords are made of metal.

The note, Phoebe's words, come to him then. And he knows they're true. Even without actually dying, no one can deny that Julia Bacari sacrificed a lot that day, after Kali tried to kill her. Some might even say that her whole life, as she hasn't truly been Julia since then. Regardless, if she's still alive, that means she's still a threat. Good thing he's nothing if not adaptable. He told his mate he had the makings of a plan. The first part has been fulfilled, his pack have dealt with Deucalion. While he might have hoped that alone would be enough to ensure Blake would be dealt with as well, he always knew there was a chance it wouldn't be. Which is why Stiles is there, in that very clearing, at all.

In any case, if Deucalion's dead and the magic that kept Blake as… well, as Jenniffer Blake, has broken, that means the circle is closed… most likely. Which means that for the first time since Paige died tragically the Nemeton, the power that makes Beacon Hills a beacon, is open and, essentially, up for grabs.

A thousand thoughts run through his mind in seconds: the Nemeton, leylines, pure magic… the Five Fold Knot… sacrifice… Virgin, Warrior, Healer, Philosopher, Guardian… a Warrior, or Priest, Wiseman, Healer, Shield? (it's a mess between translations and interpretations)… a 'sword of glory' wielded in defense of the land and her people… a sword that isn't Excalibur… the land, like a territory… 'a sword of glory'… Beacon County… Not all sacrifices are about death. Not all swords are made of metal…

He senses Derek's arrival a fraction of a second before the wolf is there, pressing against his back. Read to fight.

"Do you trust me?" He asks with no preamble.

"Yes," Derek doesn't hesitate, not even for an instant.

Stiles takes Derek's hand in his, pulling the wolf's hand across his body, to his opposite hand, drawing his index finger slowly but purposefully across his own palm. Derek doesn't need any instruction, he pops a claw almost automatically, letting it run across his mate's palm, drawing blood. Then does the same to his own hand. They don't even need to say a word, everything feels so clear right then… instinctive.

The witch seems to realize what they're doing, or at least, that whatever it is, it's no good, not for her. She waves her hand, calling on her magic, pulling roots and branches and ivy from around the clearing to try and tie the young mates, pull them away from the nexus. It's no use. They're standing too close to the well of power already. It burns all her efforts to ash.

Stiles says nothing, he just holds his bleeding hand, clasped with Derek's own, over the hole, and waits. Their blood mixes together and drips from their joined hands. Drops falling, one by one. Then… it's as if they became suspended in mid-air, only to vanish into the aether. It doesn't surprise Stiles at all. They're dealing with a Nexus after all. Those are never limited to any one single dimension. And with the physical manifestation of it, the Nemeton, gone… he can only pray that the wrong kind of individual will not come across it. It could be catastrophic. And yet, isn't that why he's there?

It seems to take forever, and also no time at all. Questions are being asked and answered, all without words, and not all by Stiles himself! He takes a moment, the length of a heartbeat to worry that he might have put Derek in danger, by choosing to pull him into things, to make him a part of it all. But they're mates, blood-bound, which means he'd have been involved either way, right? Since it's all about the blood, like always…

It was the last item in his 'makings of a plan'. If once Deucalion was dealt with, and the circle was closed, the witch remained a danger, then what he had to do was make sure that the Nexus would choose him instead of her… Of course, when he chose to aim for that particular goal he didn't realize just how rigged the 'game' was already in his favor. But it's not like he's complaining. There will be a price to pay, he knows: Magic always comes with a price. But if it means the safety of his family, of his pack, the welfare of their territory; then whatever that price may be he's more than willing to pay it.

"We," Derek corrects, winding his free arm around Stiles so they're both pressed even tighter together. "We're mates, Mieczyslaw…" Stiles's heart actually skips a bit at the sound of his (perfectly pronounced!) full name. "There's no I, or you, anymore. Only us. Always."

"Always." Stiles agrees quietly.

Nothing will ever be the same again.

Now, before any assumptions are made: this is not the end. Not yet. We have a third part left to go, which will wrap up things and serve as a sort-of epilogue to "The Guardian" and the whole of "Chaos Theory" in general. See you next week!

P.S. Please don't forget to kudo/like, leave review/comment. Tell me what you liked, what you didn't. What you'd like to see in the finale (I don't promise to fulfill all wishes, but if I can do it, I'll try).

P.P.S. If any Shadowhunters fans are around, I'm posting a Time-travel fix-it fic series.