If You're Going Through Hell
A/N: Hi everyone! Soooo…have you ever gone on vacation and taken your computer and notes with you with the intention of being really productive on a story you were writing, only to get really distracted by everything else going on and not accomplishing a single thing? Yeah, me neither. This chapter is totally on schedule with the rest of the story…Hehe.
Chapter 9: Reinforcements
"Stiles!" Derek groaned while Scott literally facepalmed next to him. Mason turned his attention to them, trying to make sense of what was going on around him.
"You guys…knew about this? How is this possible? What is even happening right now?" Mason's voice rose with his questions and frustration, Corey's tight hold on his arm seemingly the only thing keeping him grounded to his spot in the middle of their mini-cave.
"It's a long story…" Derek began, before being cut off by Stiles.
"We're all dead, except Derek, and trapped in the Underworld. I overpowered a demon and now possess it's body and can transform into him when I want to, learned how to do some pretty amazing Druid rituals from Deaton's grandfather, contacted Derek and Lydia with the demon's powers and used the Druid rituals to bring Derek's spirit here, to Limbo, where we rescued Scott from the Suicide Pit, and now we are trying to find all of our friends and bring them back to life, starting with you two," Stiles said in one breath, words tumbling out as fast as possible.
"Ok, it's not a long story, just a confusing one," Derek said, rolling his eyes at his friend. Mason simply stared on in shock, either too confused by what was just said or too unable to believe it all could be true. Corey had gone still while Stiles rambled, his sobs stopping while he clearly listened to what was said, but he still refused to look up or uncurl himself from his spot next to Mason.
"The point is," Scott interrupted, trying to put his friends at ease, "we're on a mission to rescue all of our friends and make it so we can all go back home."
"What's the point?" Corey said, voice muffled by his awkward position. No one answered him, so he continued, still speaking into Mason's side, "We're all dead. If we go back, we're just going to be killed again. The world hates us."
"Corey, you can't honestly want to stay here," Stiles replied, "not after what we just saw happening to you."
Corey stiffened once more, angry at being reminded of what had happened to him. He finally sat up straight, pressing himself to Mason's side as he made eye contact with Stiles, "no, I want to get as far away from that circus as possible. But if we go back to the real world, it'll be no different than before. We'll all get tortured, and separated, and killed. At least down here we can all stay together. Isn't that better?"
"Corey," Scott said, expression dripping with sympathy and understanding, "I get it. But things will be different this time. We're going to have all of our pack together this time, all of us in one place. And most of our enemies are down here too, so it's really just Monroe we have to face when we get back. We can change how the world views us, we can make things better, together."
"And besides," Stiles added, seeing the doubtful expression on Corey's face, "there's no guarantee we could all stay together down here anyway. This is a wild and crazy world, we could easily get separated or hurt. And, it's not the final stop on the Afterlife journey. We would all eventually move on at some point too."
"What do you mean?" Mason asked, eyes lighting up with his natural inquisitiveness.
Stiles shrugged, "no one really knows for sure, only that nobody stays in Limbo forever. You could be here a few days, or a few centuries, but eventually you do leave and go somewhere else. Since no one knows for sure, there's no guarantee that we will all end up being together, even if we all decide to stay here."
"And," Derek added, somewhat surprisingly, "we're not all actually here yet. I'm technically still alive and have to return to the living world soon. Lydia is still up there too."
"But…I don't want to go back," Corey whispered, turning away as he leaned his head against Mason's shoulder and wrapped his arms tightly around his anchor. Mason returned the embrace, at a loss for how to respond.
"You don't want to have the chance to live again?" Scott asked, clearly taken aback by Corey's words.
"No," the other responded dully, shaking his head as he did so.
"Why not?" Stiles asked, inching forward to join the others in the middle of the outcropping.
"It didn't work out so well when I came back to life after dying the first time. My life was nothing but hell the first time," Corey said simply, tightening his grip on his boyfriend. The others winced at the statement. "My own parents didn't even realize I had died or care that I had been missing. I was always invisible, even before I could actually become invisible. My second chance at life was barely any better. I didn't have any real friends, nobody cared about me. You guys are my friends now, but you were pretty mean to me too for awhile. And I got hurt a lot, worse than what my dad ever did to me. And then I died a second time. Why would I want to go back and do it a third time?"
They all sat in silence for a few moments, no one knowing how to answer Corey's question. He turned to face each of them, briefly making eye contact, before burying his face into Mason's shoulder once more.
"Cor…I think we should do it," Mason whispered softly, stroking the other's hair.
Corey stiffened, his whole body radiating tension. "What? What do you mean?" he asked, slowly.
"I think that you and I should return to the world of the living," Mason replied, continuing to run his fingers through Corey's hair in an effort to soothe him.
"Why?" was the only response he got instead.
"Because, Cor," Mason said, taking hold of his boyfriend's shoulders gently and raising him up so they could look at one another properly, "I want to show you, to prove to you, that we can have a happy life together. That was taken away from us by everything else that happened, but I know it can still be a reality. I want to live with you, grow old with you, maybe get married and raise a family. I want the chance to show you that life isn't always bad. And I want to show you how much you are loved. Please. Will you let me do that?"
Corey's tears began to fall once more, quietly, as he stared longingly at the man who meant the world to him. "Please, Mase, don't make me go back. I don't want to be beat up and hurt all the time or separated from you again. Please, let's just stay here instead."
Mason began to silently shed tears as well, watching the pain and confusion in his boyfriend's face and wanting nothing more than to make it all go away, "Corey, what kind of life would we have here? This place hasn't been any better to us than the real world was." Corey flinched at that, but Mason continued anyway, "If we go back, we have a chance to be happy. If we stay here, we know it'll just be more of the same. I think we should take a chance on happiness."
"Even if things turn out worse than they were before?" Corey asked, skeptically.
"Yes," Mason said, a note of resolution in his voice. "At least then we'll know we tried, and we'll know we can always find each other here again."
"What if we don't? What if we get separated and never see each other again?"
"That won't happen," Mason's voice rang with finality as he spoke, "it's my one and only superpower, remember? I can always find you. And I will."
Corey gave a small smile at that, wiping some of the tears from his eyes as he turned his attention back to the others. "So, um…how does this work exactly? Are we all going to go together, or…" he trailed off, uncertain of what to ask.
Scott quickly answered, "I think you guys should come with us for now. We could use your help while we look for the others."
"I disagree," Stiles interjected, causing all eyes to turn to him. "Lydia is in the real world, all alone, looking after Derek's body and the ritual circles that will bring everyone back. We did what we could to defend her position from hunters, but the reality is that she could be discovered by someone with a strong enough will. If they capture her, or even just disturb what we set up, then that's game over for everyone, nobody goes back to life, Derek's spirit gets permanently separated from his body, and Monroe wins. I hate to put pressure on you guys, but Lydia needs reinforcements, and right now you are the only ones we can send back."
"What about you three?" Mason asked, trying to assess all the variables.
"We have to stay here," Stiles replied, "Derek is the bridge between the two worlds, since he is still alive but his spirit is here. Scott is the Alpha, which means he stands a much better chance of finding our Pack than anyone else would. And I'm the only one who can perform the Druid rituals that send everyone back. Plus, I'm a demon, so I'm pack bodyguard at the moment."
"We can send you together," Scott added quickly, seeing the hesitation in his friends' faces, "and then you two will be together in the real world, along with Lydia. And we'll be sending more of our friends back as we find them, until we are all eventually there together."
"You'll be safe," Derek continued, "Lydia and Stiles built a barrier that will keep people away and warn you if they do end up coming through. No one will know you are alive, so you will be able to hide with your camouflaging abilities and no one will even know they should be looking for you."
"And it's only for a few days at most," Stiles finished, "because we have a time limit on how long Derek can stay here."
"Ok," Mason said, turning to look at Corey as he did so. They shared a look, understanding passing between them before Mason continued. "We will go back, help Lydia with what she is doing, and wait for everyone else to join us."
"But that doesn't mean we are going to go with you to fight Monroe," Corey said.
"But you guys are part of the Pack," Scott replied, uncertain.
"And we still will be, if you'll let us," Mason said, "just, maybe not fighting members. It's been hard enough on both of us already."
"We can figure that part out later," Derek interjected before Scott could argue further. "For now, we need to get you guys up top and then we need to get moving again."
"Agreed," Stiles said, springing into action. He quickly spilled some sort of dust out of a bag he'd been keeping in his pocket onto the ground, stooping to draw some runes in the mixture of dust and dirt before anyone could say anything. He then drew a large circle around the runes before standing back up and clapping the dirt and dust off of his hands and clothes. "There, we're all set."
"What do we need to do?" Mason asked, eyeing the circle apprehensively as Corey's grip on his hand tightened.
"You just stand in the circle and think about the real world. Actually, think about the Nemeton specifically, because that's where Lydia is and where the runes that match these ones are. I'll perform the ritual and you'll disappear from this world and reappear in that one, simple as that."
"Will it hurt?" Corey asked, trying to hide the quiver in his lower lip unsuccessfully.
"I honestly don't know," Stiles answered, understandingly. "If it does, it will all be over very quickly. That much I do know."
Corey nodded grimly, then stepped forward into the circle, pulling Mason along to stand beside him, hands still clasped tightly. Stiles began whispering under his breath, some sort of incantation, as he made various gestures with his hands. They could feel a soft breeze begin to pick up in the cave, the sound adding an eerie vibe to the already dreadful place.
Scott came forward, clasping each of them on the shoulder. "I'm proud of you both," he said, "thank you for being willing to do this. I promise I'm going to do everything I can to make this new life better for both of you." They each nodded, unsure how to respond but appreciative of the words. He quickly stepped back as the wind picked up speed, now blowing directly around the circle Stiles had drawn.
"Good luck you two," Derek called out from his spot a few steps away, "take care of each other, and Lydia…and me." They nodded again, grimacing slightly.
Finally, Stiles finished his incantation, shouting to the two friends in the circle over the force of the wind, unable to be heard by Derek or Scott. "You two are in charge now. I know you still have doubts, and I know you don't want to fight anymore. But I want you to promise me that, whatever happens, you will do what you can to protect not only each other, but the Pack as a whole."
"What are you trying to say, Stiles?" Mason called back, seeing through the pretense.
"Look, I can't explain right now. Just know that, whatever happens, I'm doing everything in my power down here to make sure our Pack is as safe and put together as possible. If I have to make a few sacrifices along the way, so be it."
"Stiles, you're not making any sense," Corey yelled.
"I know, I know…it will make sense later on. Just, promise me, when that time comes, you will be there for everyone else. And not be too mad at me for whatever happens."
The two boyfriends looked at each other nervously, then turned and nodded in agreement.
"Good, thank you. Say hello to Lydia for me!" Stiles called out.
"Wait!" Corey shouted, suddenly turning a brilliant shade of red again, "are we going to still be in just our underwear when we come back to life?"
"I have no idea!" Stiles shouted back, eyes glinting mischievously as the two friends began to hover above the ground. "Bye!" he said, waving as they shot upwards into the air, through the rock ceiling, and out of sight. The rushing, howling wind suddenly stopped, the circle drawn in the ground completely lost among the scattered dirt and debris. Everything was quiet once more, as though nothing had happened.
"Did it work?" Scott asked, nervously stepping forward towards where the circle had been?
"Did what work?" A voice asked from the cave entrance. The three friends froze in fear before each turning slowly to look at the new arrival.
-o-
Life had become rather dull and uneventful for Lydia Martin. She tended to her fire, making sure it didn't go out so she would be warm at night and able to cook the food she and Derek had collected for her meals during the day. She tended to Derek as well, pouring water and soup down his throat to keep his body healthy while mending the occasional wound that would spontaneously appear. Thankfully, nothing nearly as serious as that first injury had appeared, instead only minor scrapes, cuts, and the like that his werewolf abilities had quickly healed. The magic she and Stiles had used to form the barrier around the Nemeton seemed to be working flawlessly; there was not a human or supernatural creature in sight. It even interfered with the radio's ability to receive broadcasts, with only three stations still coming in.
If she was being honest with herself, Lydia was plain bored. After years of fighting, researching, and scraping to survive while getting straight A's in class and maintaining the perfect image of popularity, she had no idea what to do with so much free time and no pressing demands. She had decided to begin wandering around the clearing aimlessly, thinking about the various friends represented by the memorials and runes she and Derek had set up almost two days earlier. As she did, she felt herself being pulled, drawn to the runes marking the spots for Mason and Corey. Something is happening, she though to herself, reaching out tentatively into the air and feeling the static electricity there. I wonder what…
Before she could finish the thought, two bolts of lightning struck the ground mere inches from where she stood. Lydia jumped back, screaming as she did. The two boys mirrored her, jumping away from the sound and yelling as all three fell to the ground.
"Lydia?" Mason called out.
"Mason!" Lydia replied, eyes darting around nervously.
"Oww, my ears," Corey said.
"Corey!" Mason and Lydia called in unison.
"Stop yelling!" he yelled back.
"You're alive!" Lydia yelled, grinning as she skidded over to Corey, Mason doing the same.
"Yeah, I guess we are," Mason said, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend.
"It worked, it really worked!" Lydia said, drawing them both into a tight hug. "I can't believe it worked." She was now laughing while tears fell down her face, but she didn't care. "I'm so happy you guys are back!"
"We are happy to be back," Mason said, pulling away slightly to sit properly and watch his boyfriend for a reaction. He noticed, happily, that they were now both dressed in the clothes they'd each been wearing when they died. How that worked, he didn't know, he was just happy they weren't showing up in front of Lydia wearing nothing but underwear, or worse.
"Yeah, I guess we are," Corey said, slightly more subdued, but smiling slightly nonetheless. Lydia finally let go of them both, shifting to sit cross-legged in front of them.
"Ok, so spill. You guys have to tell me everything that happened down there," she said.
"Aww, we just got back, can't we at least eat first?" Mason replied, groaning as he felt, and heard, his stomach beginning to rumble.
"Yeah, I haven't eaten in…how long has it been since I died?" Corey said.
Lydia pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Hmph, fine then. How about you tell me about the Underworld while I make dinner?"
"That'll be great!" Mason said.
Just then, the air went suddenly still, all birdsong and insect noise going silent. A faint rippling could be seen around the barrier to their left. Lydia's hand flung to her mouth as she scrambled to get up off the ground, dragging the boys with her. "Quick, we have to hide!" she whispered.
"What's going on?" Mason whispered back, struggling to keep up with her.
"Someone's coming through the barrier," she stopped, turning her head in every direction around the clearing, deciding what would be their best option. After just a few seconds, her eyes focused on the paler of her friends. "Corey, can you make us invisible?"
"Yeah, I think so," he replied, quickly grabbing onto each of them and phasing them out of sight.
"We need to go and hide Derek's body as well," Lydia whispered, pointing at the prone man stretched out on top of the Nemeton.
"Alright, but stay close to me. It gets harder to stay invisible the more people we add," Corey said. The three friends slowly crept over to the body surrounded by runes and mountain ash in the center of the clearing. When they got close enough, Lydia grabbed the man's hand and Corey grunted slightly as he was added to their unseen bunch. The three friends turned back to face the section of barrier that had been rippling. The air there now looked like a dense fog.
"I thought Stiles said no one could get in here?" Mason whispered towards Lydia, so quietly they could barely hear.
"That's the general idea," Lydia whispered back, "the barrier makes it so anyone approaching this area suddenly thinks of other things they need to do so they will go away. But, if someone is determined enough to push through, then they will still be able to, they just have to concentrate."
"It looks like this person is determined enough," Mason replied.
"Does anyone know about this place?" Corey asked.
"Well, lots of people know about the Nemeton, although only a few people actually know how to find it. Nobody else knows that we are here though, Derek and I were very careful when we came here."
"Who do you think it is?" Corey asked, shaking slightly.
"I don't…" Lydia began, but was cut off by a voice calling out from the trees.
"Hello? Is anybody there? Please tell me I'm not going crazy and hearing voices," the voice said.
"Wait is that…" Corey began.
"No, it couldn't be," Mason interrupted.
"Yes, it is!" Lydia said, "I'm not sure I can believe it, but it has to be!"
"Hello?" the voice called again, uncertainly, as a figure stepped through the fog and into the clearing.