Chapter 20: With Friends Like These

"Who are you?"

"I'm a friend. My name's Tyler."

"A friend? We don't even know each other."

"Kind of united under a common enemy, no matter who we are. You wanna tell me your name?"

"Not really."

"Oh-kay. But, seeing as we're both stuck here, together -"

"Look, I don't know you." Erica sluggishly scooted away from the stranger. "Which means, I don't trust you."

"How are we supposed to get know each other to trust each other then if you won't even tell me your name?"

"Maybe I don't want to get to know you. Maybe I just want to focus on trying to get out of here."

Erica grunted, pushing herself up into some semblance of a stance.

"Already tried," the stranger nodded at a series of cracks and holes decorating the wall. "Any time I started making noise, bastards put me down with wolfsbane."

"What do they want from us?" Erica glanced around the room.

"You probably know more than me." The boy shrugged.

"And why's that?" Erica huffed.

"Are you a member of the Hale pack?"

"How do you know the Hales?" Erica squinted.

"I don't. My friends called me for help. Apparently, they managed to piss off a bunch of Alphas, or a bunch of Alphas were pissed at the Hale pack and they got in the way. I don't know. I didn't catch the whole story. Figured they'd fill in the details when I got there. Obviously," he waved at the walls, "I didn't make it there."

"Your friends? The vampires? Elena and that douchebag boyfriend?"

"So you have met them," the boy smirked.

"If you're her friend, then you should know, the Alphas who took us, they took my friend Boyd about a week ago. And when they took him, they took Elena."

Tyler went stiff. "Why?"

"Something about them thinking she was some vamp chick named Katherine."

" Awesome ." The stranger slumped and then perked up. "Wait, that's actually a good thing."

"You think your friend getting snatched by crazy Alphas is a good thing?" Erica lifted a single brow.

"No, but - they don't know I'm here. No offense, but Damon would never risk his life for some strangers, especially werewolves. But he would do anythingto save Elena."

"Yeah, like leave us all here," Erica rolled her eyes.

"More like call in backup. Stefan, Caroline, Bonnie - the Alphas don't stand a chance ."

"Yeah, they're already all here. Stefan was with me when I got grabbed. They took him down. Looked pretty painful. I don't know how much help vampires are gonna be to us."

"Bonnie's a witch. A good one and a good person. Probably the best I know. Not to mention, scary powerful."

"And not here . According to your friend Jeremy, she tried a bunch of spells already from wherever the hell she is to find wherever the hell we are, and nothing worked. Not so powerful. And not so much in the caring for her kidnapped friend, I guess."

"Elena and Bonnie are best friends."

"Doesn't seem like it. Are you a vampire too? You smell -" Erica wrinkled her nose, "you smell like them, but also -"

"Like you." Tyler finished, frowning.

"How is that even possible?" Erica took a step back.

"I'm a hybrid. I was a werewolf and then I got turned."

"So - you're both ?"

Tyler nodded.

"Does it make you stronger?"

"Yeah, it does."

"Can you turn someone else? Like another werewolf?"

Tyler's head snapped up.

"This isn't something you should want. Being a werewolf - I was still human. Mostly. I aged. I didn't have to drink blood . You have no idea what having this done to me was like. The pain. The death. The constant running. It ruined my life."

"But you still have a life . You're alive."

"No, I'm not. Vampires aren't alive."

"Well, they're not dead. You're not dead."

Tyler slumped back against the wall. It wasn't the force of her ferocity, but the absolute terror behind it. He knew all about masking fear behind anger.

"None of that matters," he sighed, "because I can't do it. It's a long story, but, the way it was done, what it requires - it's just not possible anymore."

The girl's head fell forward, a blonde curtain covering her face.

"That doesn't change anything," Tyler straightened his shoulders. "We're not gonna die in here, you hear me? We're not."


"You think they're dead?"

Stiles leaned back in his computer chair, fingers scratching at his head. He was due for a trim but he just couldn't bring himself to care. His dad had him on practically permanent house arrest and he and Scott hadn't spoken for over a week. It wasn't like he had other friends to turn to, not really. All their childhood and early teen years it had just been him and Scott against the world. Sure, he considered Allison a friend now, but that was more through Scott and those two were also avoiding each other, which meant Allison was also avoiding Stiles. She checked in through texts via Lydia, the only other human apart from his father Stiles had been in contact with lately. A few weeks ago and Stiles would have been reduced to a stuttering schoolgirl at the thought of Lydia Martin in his bedroom. This was different. She was there because Jackson was on his own version of house arrest from Derek and, really, who else was there in this town besides Allison that could she talk to about what was going on? Stiles knew that, given the chance, Lydia would've been spending her summer days with her ex-lizard-current-boyfriend, instead of moody-bored-out-of-his-mind-Stiles. He tried not to let it bother him, too much.

"Jackson told me that Derek thinks they're still alive."

"Because Derek is a reliable source of information." Stiles rolled his eyes.

"You could always just call Scott and ask him yourself." Lydia pursed her lips.

"No, nah. Uh-uh. Scott made it perfectly clear he doesn't want me around. If that's the thanks I get for saving his wolfy ass, then I don't need him."

"Then why do you bring him up every time I'm over?" Lydia side-eyed him, playing with a paperweight from the desk.

"Wha - I do not. " Stiles grabbed the paperweight from her hand. " And, for the record, you just brought him up."

"Because this thing going on between the two of you is ridiculous." Lydia huffed and plopped onto the bed. "You guys have been friends since, like, thewomb . Why are you letting one argument -"

"One argument?" Stiles whirled in the chair. "He blamed me for him being a werewolf! He told me he didn't want me there! That I'd be used as bait or maybe turn into a new creature of the week they'll have to take down."

"How are you feeling?" Lydia picked the paperweight back up and glanced away.

"Not you too, Lydia. I'm fine ."

"You were dead and came back to life." She put a hand on his chair to stop him from spinning away again.

"And you not only survived being bitten by Peter, but also didn't turn into a werewolf or a lizard. Stranger things have happened in this town."

Stiles turned away from her, thumbs drumming absently against his desk. It was almost time for her daily phone call to Jackson and she'd be leaving soon anyway. Lydia sighed, picking her purse off the bed and heading for the door.

"He needs you, Stiles. And you need him."

Stiles didn't respond and she was gone when he turned around a moment later.

A/N: Who is happy to finally see Tyler?