If You're Going Through Hell

A/N: Hello again everyone! This story is now about the same length as the third Harry Potter novel, so if you've made it this far all I can say is thanks for sticking with me. Also, thank you so much to Camille and kkalphwolf for your encouragement. I hope you continue to enjoy the story, and I promise Scott and the rest will have plenty more moments to shine as it unfolds. Here we go…

Chapter 22: Discoveries, Dear and Dreadful

The Pack did as they were told, scattering to rest and heal and taking comfort in one another's presence. Isaac fell asleep almost instantly, having fought well past exhaustion and become severely wounded. He lay somewhat sprawled out next to Derek, hand still gripping his former alpha's tightly like a lifeline. Derek watched him in fond exasperation before also settling down, too wary to outright sleep but calm enough to meditate and allow his body time to heal and recover. A few yards away, Theo soon succumbed to sleep as well, back resting against one of the conjured chairs and knees drawn up against his chest. In the center of the room, Stiles remained fixated on the spot where Nolan had lain before vanishing, unresponsive to the others around him. Scott fell asleep next to him, one hand still clenching his best friend's knee in silent support. On the other side, completing the loose circle they had created, were Ethan, Aiden, and Jackson. Ethan had curled up around Jackson, cradling his wounded boyfriend snugly against himself. Aiden watched them, torn between wanting to be with his brother and not wanting to intrude on their moment. He eventually settled on the latter, moving a short distance away to give them some privacy and settled next to Theo.

"You know, this isn't entirely necessary," Jackson whispered quietly in his mate's ear, not wanting to disturb the others.

"Shh, yes it is," Ethan whispered back, tightening his grip around the other for a moment. Jackson hummed slightly in response, comforted and content as they both watched the cuts and gashes on his arms slowly seal themselves up as if by magic.

"Ethan, can I ask you something?" Jackson turned, breaking the relaxing silence that had grown between them after a few moments with a serious expression on his face.

"Of course," Ethan replied, sensing the change in demeanor and meeting the distraught eyes in front of him without hesitation.

"Back there…when we found you and you were…the stuff that was happening to you…I can't pretend to know what that's like, but you…you know you can talk to me about it if…if you want to, right?" They sat up so they were facing each other, hands clasped together. Jackson gazed intently at his mate, his face betraying so many underlying emotions at once. Ethan looked away, lost in thought for a moment before returning to meet the look with a fond, wistful smile.

"Yeah, I know that," he said, taking a deep breath and sighing before leaning in closer, shifting so they sat next to each other. He remained silent for another long moment, wrapping an arm around Jackson's waist and leaning them both back against a couple of the conjured chairs. "I thought those days were long behind me," Ethan continued, once he was comfortable, "it was so long ago now, and so much has happened since then. There isn't really anything more to tell you about what happened. What you saw when you found me – that was the worst of it. The pain, the abuse, the torture. I hated them, all of them, for doing that to us. Still do, I guess. When Deucalion came and offered Aiden and me a chance to escape, we took it and never looked back."

"Are you…this is really selfish of me to ask, but after all of that, are you sure you're ok being with me?" Jackson asked, face reddening slightly as he said it and turned to stare off in another direction.

"Of course I am," Ethan said without hesitation, grabbing Jackson by the jaw and turning him so their eyes met once again. "I chose you, remember? I feel…safe, with you. I know you would never do anything like that, to hurt me, or my brother. I trust you. I love you. Now shut up and go to sleep!" He ended with a chuckle, leaning in to give his mate a quick kiss before lying back on the ground and beckoning for Jackson to lie down next to him. Jackson blushed again, but moved to join him without a sound, wrapping his arms around the wolf and snuggling up close before promptly doing as told and falling asleep with a soft smile on his face.

Aiden watched them with amusement, tuning out their conversation to focus instead on the other remaining Pack members. His eyes drifted casually over Derek and Isaac before falling on the lone Theo. Chimera, Aiden thought to himself, frowning slightly while remembering what the young man had told him earlier in this same chamber. At some point I need to get the whole story there. Chimeras are not meant to exist, and if what Stiles said about there being more of them is correct, than I really need to investigate and make sure we're not walking into some kind of trap here. Thinking of Stiles drew Aiden's attention to the human-demon in question. His frown grew deeper and forehead creased as he watched his former enemy staring at the ground distraught. Aiden remained indecisive for a moment before releasing a sigh and standing to quietly move and sit down in front of him, blocking his view of that spot on the ground.

"Hey," he said quietly, doing his best to not disturb the sleeping wolves surrounding them. Stiles didn't react until Aiden tapped him on the shoulder, drawing him out of whatever thoughts had possessed him and gaining his attention. "Not that its really any of my business, but you need to stop staring at the floor."

"You're right, Aiden, it isn't any of your business," Stiles replied, icily. He crossed his arms over his chest, his face an unreadable mask of emotions. Aiden sighed again, turning his face away to stare at his sleeping brother for a moment before returning his attention back to Stiles.

"You know, I never actually blamed you," he said, grimacing slightly.

"Never blamed me for what," Stiles asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"For me dying," Aiden replied matter-of-factly, refusing to acknowledge the wince his statement received. "Right at first, when we were figuring things out and Scott told Ethan and me that you were possessed by the Nogitsune, I wasn't really sure what to think. I didn't know if I should hate you, or fear you, or pity you. I though about how I might have to be the one to kill you, because I knew Scott would never do it. But, to be honest, most of the time I was just thinking about how much I wanted to be accepted into the Pack, your Pack, Scott's Pack, so I knew that, ultimately, I could never do that to you. And I didn't really want to anyway, not anymore. I grew tired of hurting people, that's not what I wanted then, or what I want now." Aiden trailed off for a moment, eyes glazing over, unfocused.

"Um, not that I don't appreciate this insight into your psyche, but is there a point to it?" Stiles asked, drawing Aiden's focus back to him.

"Yeah," Aiden said, gathering his thoughts together. "I'm not Scott, but I think I understand now what he was getting at. The Nogitsune used you, hurt you, made you do things – like both of my previous packs did to me. But you are not responsible for the things it did through you. When I was…dying…I was angry, and in pain, and a whole bunch of other stuff. But when it came to you I only felt one emotion. Regret."

"Regret?" Stiles queried.

"Mmhmm," Aiden hummed in agreement, "for a couple of things. I regretted not being able to do more to help save you and put an end to that nightmare. I regretted not actually getting to know you more in the first place, cause overall you seem like a really smart, cool dude, and you are absolutely loyal to your friends. But mostly I regretted the fact that my death was going to be on your conscience, because I don't believe you deserve that. I've had a lot of time to think about what happened since that night sent me here. But I have never once blamed you for any of it. And I don't…I don't think Nolan would want you to blame yourself for what happened to him either. I didn't really get a chance to get to know him or anything, obviously, but if he was anything like the rest of the people you and McCall pull together, then I know he wouldn't want you to blame yourself and wallow like this when you still got work to do." Aiden punched him on the shoulder lightly, eliciting a small smile and a punch in return.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Stiles said, joviality gone in an instant to be replaced by subdued melancholy. "I meant what I said earlier – I will see this plan I had through to completion, and I'll make sure Nolan and Noshiko are not forgotten. But I don't know if it'll be that easy to just forgive myself for all the mistakes I've made in the process."

"Perhaps you can start by accepting forgiveness from someone else instead," Aiden held out his hand tentatively, "and maybe offering forgiveness to your former enemy as well?" His body trembled slightly at the words, but he remained resolute.

"Of course I forgive you, Aiden," Stiles said softly, clasping the hand held out to him firmly and shaking it. "And…thank you, for being willing to forgive me also. And for telling me what you did. You're a pretty ok guy yourself, you know that?"

Aiden chuckled softly at that, releasing his hand. "I think I still have a ways to go. But at least with you guys, I know I'll get there, eventually."

Stiles turned to look at the alpha wolf resting next to him. "Yeah, stick with this guy and he'll lead you right," he said, patting Scott gently on the side as he said it. He released a sigh before turning to look at Aiden once more. "Guess we should probably follow his example now and get some sleep too. We're probably going to need it for whatever is coming next."

Aiden nodded his head in response and moved to stand up as Stiles stretched out beside his best friend and almost instantly fell asleep. He began to step away when a flash of red caught his attention, causing him to turn and notice Scott staring up at him with wide eyes and a soft smile. Thank you, the alpha mouthed, eyes darting to the sleeping man next to him a moment before returning to the wolf above him. Aiden smiled softly in return, nodded once, and then moved back over to where Ethan and Jackson slept to settle in himself, one hand clenched around that of his brother and eyes focused for a moment on his new alpha and new friend before allowing slumber to overtake him as well.

Derek remained silent as he observed the Pack around him, half in a meditative trance and half-aware of the conversations going on. He smiled to himself as he took in the sleeping forms of his seven packmates before stretching the arm not anchored by Isaac above his head, yawning slightly, and lying down as well. My pack, he thought with a contented rumble in the back of his throat as he soon joined them in sleep.

-o-

"How do you know that someone down there is going to die? How do people who are already dead even die again in the first place? Who is it that's in danger?" Mason asked, staring wide-eyed at Lydia and clutching tightly to his boyfriend's hand.

"It's hard to explain," Lydia replied shakily, holding her head slightly in concentration. "Stiles and I formed a connection as part of the rituals to send Derek to the otherworld. It's like the three of us together form a bridge, so ever since then my banshee powers can sense a bit of what is happening around them as well as what's going on here in our world. As for what happens when a dead person dies a second time, or who's in danger, I have no idea." Suddenly, Lydia went absolutely rigid, her eyes wide and mouth open in a silent scream.

"Lydia, sweetheart, what's going on?" Melissa asked, cautiously placing a hand on the young woman's shoulder and shaking her gently. She didn't react at first, taking several moments before coming back to herself and curling her arms around her stomach and collapsing to the ground.

"Someone is gone," she said, voice barely more than a whisper.

"What? What do you mean? Who's gone?" the others asked in varying amounts of shock and horror.

"I don't know," she whimpered, tears beginning to fall as she shook her head. "I just know that someone who was with them died. I can't tell who."

Corey and Mason collapsed on the ground in front of her, sharing looks of trepidation and pain. Melissa alone remained on her feet, fighting to hold back tears and remain strong. "We just have to believe in them, that's all," she said quietly, more to herself than the others. "We have to keep hoping for the best, and trust they'll come home safely." She turned and walked back to camp without another word, busying herself with gathering the supplies Corey and Mason had brought back and organizing them alongside the rest of what had been accumulated in the clearing. After a while, Corey and Mason joined her, being put to work on finishing the makeshift tent that she and Lydia had begun while Lydia remained seated on the ground where she had collapsed.

Close to an hour passed before Lydia suddenly stood up and began walking, almost as if in a trance, towards the markers she had set up days earlier. "Lydia, what's going on?" Corey asked, being the first to notice her movements and drawing the others' attention.

"Somebody is coming," she said absently, as she continued to draw closer to the marker in question. She reached a hand out into the air, feeling the familiar static electricity that had accompanied Corey and Mason's arrival. The boys quickly came to her side, staring worriedly at her as she suddenly grabbed them each by an arm to pull them back. "Look out!" she cried as two bolts of lightning struck the ground inches from where they had stood, knocking all three of them off their feet.

"Lydia, Corey, Mason, are you ok?" Melissa called out, running over to join them.

"Yeah," Lydia replied.

"I'm ok," Corey said.

"I'm fine," Mason said.

"We're just fine too, thanks for asking," Brett replied.

"What?" Melissa asked, stepping back.

"Brett?" Corey asked.

"You're alive!" Mason shouted, incredulous.

"Yeah, I guess so," Brett responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I'm here too," Lori said with a pout.

"Lori!" Lydia said, darting forward to give the girl a hug. The others quickly followed suit, turning it into a giant pile of flailing limbs and bodies. Tears and laughter flowed freely as the four occupants of the clearing welcomed the newcomers, and it was several minutes before they settled down enough to speak properly.

"Alright, you have to tell us what's been going on down there. We haven't heard anything in two days, and I sensed that someone was just…lost. What happened?" Lydia began the interrogation as they all gathered around the campfire. Brett and Lori shared a look of resignation before facing the others.

"It's been bad, we've been in some tough battles," Brett began.

"We were fighting the Nogitsune," Lori continued, wincing at Melissa's and Lydia's gasp, "and we were losing. Brett and I got hurt too much to continue, Nolan too. Noshiko ended up sacrificing herself to defeat the Nogitsune, but by that point it was too late. Stiles started making the marks on the ground to send us back, but Nolan faded away before he could finish." Lori trailed off, her face a mask of grief and pain.

"What about Scott, and Stiles, and the others? Are they ok?" Melissa asked, solemnly.

"Everyone was pretty beat up during the battle," Brett answered, drawing his sister close to his side as he spoke, "but none of the others were touched by the Oni's blade that I know of. They should all be able to heal like usual."

"All? Who else has been found?" Mason asked, scrutinizing the wolf.

"Um," Brett said, thinking for a second. "There's Scott, Stiles, Derek, Theo, and some guys named Isaac, Jackson, Ethan, and Aiden, I think."

"Wow, you all have been busy," Mason said, impressed.

"But what about Noshiko and Nolan? Does that mean they have to be found again, or…" Melissa started, but was unable to finish her question.

"I don't…I don't think they can be," Lori replied, eyes downcast. "The others mentioned something about there being a world beyond, like the one we were just in is only the first stage of the afterlife. I think, when you die there, you go to whatever the next stage is."

"Oh," Melissa said, shaking her head slightly.

"So…that means that they can't come back," Mason said, partly questioning and partly resigned.

"I don't know," Lori shrugged her shoulders in response. The group fell silent, reflective and mournful for a few moments until Lydia stood up, trance-like once more as she began to walk slowly towards the markers again.

"Lydia? What is it this time?" Melissa asked, rising to her feet to join the banshee.

"Someone is coming," Lydia said, voice monotone as though she wasn't fully in control of it.

"Again? Who this time?" Mason asked, leading the rest of the group to rise to their feet and follow her. Lydia didn't answer, instead continuing to walk slowly over to stand in front of the new marker set up for Nolan and reaching a hand into the air in front of her.

"Nolan?" Corey asked, looking at the backpack surrounded by runes with apprehension. "Are you sure?"

"Nolan? Really?" Brett asked, eyes darting back and forth between the various group members. Before anyone could reply, a shimmering blue ball of light floated up from the ground through the backpack. It hovered in the air for a moment, inches in front of Lydia's outstretched hand, before beginning to grow and bend. The gathered group watched cautiously, pulling Lydia back a step as the blue light began to take on the shape of a person hovering in mid-air. Slowly the light changed colors, to reveal familiar pale skin, brown hair, and torn clothing. The figure remained in the air for a moment as the light continued to fade.

Suddenly, Nolan opened his eyes and drew in a deep breath, breaking whatever spell was on him and sending him plummeting to the ground. "Ow," he said, wincing and rubbing the back of his head as he shifted into a sitting position.

"Nolan?" Brett asked in wonder, breaking the silence that had descended on the group who all stared intently at the boy on the ground.

"Yes?" Nolan replied, tentative as he took in all of the people watching him.

"You're alive!" Brett shouted, pouncing on the boy and knocking him back flat onto the ground. A moment later, Nolan let out an "oof" as several more bodies piled on top of and around him, each drawing him in tightly and celebrating his return.

"Guys…can't…breathe!" Nolan managed to gasp as a dozen arms all squeezed him at once. They all quickly pulled back, just enough to allow him some oxygen and to offer apologies before the interrogation.

"What happened to you? How are you here? Did Stiles find you? They said you died again? Are you ok? Are you a ghost?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys, one question at a time," Nolan interjected, holding his hands out as though he could physically stop them.

"Sorry," Lori said on behalf of them all. "It's just, we thought you were gone for good. What happened?"

Nolan took a moment to compose himself, eyes glancing over each of them in turn. "I thought I was gone for good too. I told Stiles…wait, if I'm here, do the others know that I made it?" He turned to take in the clearing, frantically looking around as though hoping to see the rest of his friends.

"We have no way of knowing," Lydia said gently, reaching out to place a comforting hand on his shoulder and trying to settle him down. "We don't have a way to contact them or talk to them unless Stiles reaches out to us."

"Oh," Nolan said, slumping his shoulders as he turned back to look at the others. "I said goodbye, because I thought I was dying again. I don't want them all to think I'm gone and be upset when I'm actually here."

"Wait, back up. If they don't know you're here, than how are you here?" Brett asked, incredulously.

"I was saved," Nolan replied, his gaze going unfocused as he spoke. "I was in so much pain after the battle, and I could feel my life, or whatever you call it in the Underworld, draining away like the first time I died. I felt my body give out, and I sort of drifted away I guess. I could see a tunnel, and I felt like I should go down it, like that was the only thing I could do. But before I made it, a hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me in a different direction. I met a woman. Or at least, I think it was a woman. The voice sounded feminine, but I couldn't see her, everything around me was dark. She called my name, and said that my friends still needed me. Then she shoved me in another direction, away from that tunnel I had seen and into a blue ball of light. The next thing I knew, I was here."

"Wow," Lori breathed, when it seemed he was finished.

"Well, whatever happened, we're just glad you made it back safely," Melissa said, enveloping the young man in another fierce hug.

"Thank you," Nolan whispered softly.

"Well, now that that's settled, can we eat? I'm starving," Brett called out, breaking them all from their stupor and gaining a round of laughter.

"Only if you three fill us in on all the details of what's been going on down there," Melissa chided. "And I mean all the details." She placed her hands on her hips menacingly, causing Brett to gulp before shaking her head in exasperation. "Come on, you can talk while I cook." She led the group, now seven in number, over to their campfire and began dragging some of the supplies that Corey and Mason had brought out to make a proper meal. The sounds of laughter and joy filled the clearing as the sun reached its peak in the sky to shine down directly upon them. Brett, Lori, and Nolan reveled in it, after having been gone so long, satisfied that they were alive and back with friends where they could await the rest of the Pack's arrival.

-o-

The Pack belowground awoke in much more somber spirits to the perpetual drab gray of Limbo, but at least they were reasonably well rested and completely healed of their battle wounds. Scott stood, watching his companions as they shook off the last vestiges of sleep and slowly gathered around him. "I know its been tough. Losing Noshiko and Nolan hit us hard, and I can't promise that things are going to be better when we leave here. Stiles can send any of you back if you want, you've all already done more than enough, more than I have a right to ask you to do."

"Scott, we're with you until the end," Isaac interrupted, gaining several nods and affirmative grunts from the rest.

"Alright. I won't say I'm not worried, because I am. I don't want to lose any of you. But I'm also grateful for your help. We've still got twelve more Packmates to find, at least, and I have a feeling its going to take all of us to do it," he said solemnly, eyes meeting each of his friends in turn. "I guess, if we're ready, its time to leave the Portcullis and see where we end up next." He paused for a moment longer, until Derek placed a steadying hand on his shoulder. Scott accepted the encouragement before leading the group over to the last remaining door. No face emerged this time; instead, the door itself seemed to glow slightly with anticipation. Scott reached out and grabbed the knob, twisting it to open the door. The 8 pack members felt the familiar sensation of cascading forward into the brilliant flash of white light that met their eyes until they finally crashed to the ground in a heap.

The sound of running water was the first thing to catch their attention as they clambered to their feet once more. "Where are we?" Jackson asked, cautiously looking around at the tunnel they had been thrust into. The walls were slick and tinged green, as was the ground beneath their feet.

"The water treatment tunnels," Stiles replied, a confused expression on his face as he examined the closest wall with intensity.

"Again? But why would the Portcullis lead us here? Who could possibly be down here?" Isaac asked with a dramatic sigh, unhappy with this turn of events.

"Hayden," Scott answered after carefully scenting the air. "But she's not alone."

"The rest of the chimeras are down here too," Theo added, his head cocked in an odd position as he stared down one end of the tunnel. "I can sense them."

"Not just them," Scott continued, closing his eyes in order to focus on his other senses. "The Dread Doctors are here too."

"Oh joy," Stiles retorted sarcastically, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation. "Because things weren't difficult enough already. I can't wait to see those three again."

"Is there any chance we can sneak in, get Hayden, and then get out without being seen?" Ethan asked, watching the rest with trepidation.

"I don't think so," Theo replied as a low growl rumbled through the tunnels towards them.

"Great. Well, might as well go meet the welcoming committee," Stiles said, grimacing at the sound as Scott and the rest turned as one to face the direction it had come from. "Just remember, if you get hurt too badly, you have to give me enough time to draw the runes to send you back."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Isaac replied, nudging him in the shoulder.

"Best to be prepared, that's all I'm saying," Stiles answered, nudging back and almost knocking the wolf off his feet.

"Get ready guys," Scott called out as the sound of running footsteps began echoing down the tunnel. "Here it comes."

-o-

A/N: So, I don't normally do this, but I felt like sharing and I'd appreciate any thoughts you have that might help as the story continues to unfold. I wavered back and forth for quite a while on what was ultimately going to happen to Nolan after I introduced him into the story. In my original plan, he was going to be killed off completely, unable to come back (which is Noshiko's fate; her sacrifice saved the pack but means she is unable to be rescued. But, as she said, she lived a long life and trusts them to take care of her daughter, so she will be at peace in the next world). But, as I continued to write I sort of fell in love with Nolan's character, or at least my take on him, and I couldn't bring myself to do it. So then I was going to save him the same way I did the others. But I still wanted there to be a weight to his ending, something that will push Stiles in particular forward. And this is what I finally settled on – Nolan is alive, saved by an "unknown woman," but everyone down in Limbo thinks they've lost him and have no way of knowing otherwise unless they check in up top. Now, I have the rest of this story plotted out already, so I know what I plan for each person's fate to be. But, I am curious to know what you all think as well. At any rate, thanks for reading. See you all soon!