Several hours later Derek gently jostles Paul as the plane lands. "Paul." Derek says softly shaking the bruised human. He'd not moved an inch the entire flight sleeping soundly clutching Derek tightly the whole way. Paul's eyes flutter open. He sits up and looks around sleepily. "Derek?" Paul says looking at him. "Do you know where you are?" Derek asks gently. "Flying back to Beacon Hills." Paul says seemingly more aware than he had been before. "Good." Derek says with a smile. "How do you feel?" "Tired. More here...Serum is wearing off." "Do you remember Dr. Deaton and Melissa McCall?" Paul nods his head and answers. "The vet and Scott's mom." " Yes. I want you to let them check you out. OK?" Derek says as gently but firmly as he can knowing how reluctant Paul had been in regard to medical assessment in the past. "OK." Paul says flinching the the overly loud speaker above them announces their arrival and the location of their baggage claim. In the parking garage. Derek is surprised when he sees Paul grin as he catches sight of the Camaro. Standing at the back of the car Paul reaches out and runs his hand along the smooth waxed paint. "I need to talk to Peter for a minute. Will you be OK in the car? I promise I won't leave I'll be right here with Peter." Paul freezes for a moment looking up at Derek, then Scott and Peter. "Do you want to sit in the front or the back?" Scott asks. "The back is fine Scott." Paul says standing frozen and not making eye contact. Scott beams at Paul's acknowledgement taking it as a sign albeit a small one that Paul is coming back to them. "I'll be right here. I promise." Derek says standing in front of Paul and placing both hands on his shoulders. "I believe you." Paul says. Derek reaches in his pocket and hits the button on the remote to unlock the doors. Scott walks to the passenger side and opens the door. "Paul?" He beacons softly. Desperate to not break the slight bit of progress he feels he's somehow made with Paul.
Paul steps timidly over to where Scott is holding the door open for him. Paul looks up at Scott a moment the fear from earlier being replaced by recognition. He looks down inside the car and pulls the seat forward before slipping in back without a word. Scott looks over at Derek and Peter before taking his place in the passenger seat and closing the door. Derek turns to Peter. "Don't leave." "Derek the longer we wait the further they will scatter!" Peter says impatiently. "I should have stayed there." "Why didn't you?" Derek asks raising his eyebrows. "You know as well as I do that I had to see him safely home." "We're not home yet Peter we're in the parking garage at the airport." "Keen observation nephew." Peter says. "What Paul needs now is not anything I'll be of any use for." "What is more important healing a pack mate or retribution?" Derek asks placing a hand on Peter's arm when he moves to walk away. "We can't let them get away! I can't let them get away." "You're needed here. Paul loves you. He has always liked you right from the beginning. We need to come together as a pack to help him heal. He needs to see that we all love and value him." Peter exhales through his nose. "You sound like Stiles." "Doesn't make it any less true. If you won't do it for me do it for Paul. Stay, just for a few days. We know who is responsible. Give the dust a chance to settle find out who survived then go after them." Peter looks through the back window of the Camaro where Paul is sitting speaking in short tentative sentences with a happy smiling Scott. "I'll give you a week." Peter says before looking back to Derek. "We're going to take him to Deaton will you go and prepare Danny?" Peter agrees and walks to where his car is parked a few spots away.
In minutes they off the airport grounds and heading to the clinic. As they pull up to the clinic Paul sighs. "OK back there?" Scott asks turning around. "Isaac." Paul says eyes downcast. "We'll go home as soon as we're done here OK?" Paul doesn't answer but nods his head yes. Scott and Derek exit the car after sharing a look. Scott holding the door and raising the seat for Paul. "Mr. Brace it is a pleasure to see you again." Deaton says lifting the barrier in the lobby to allow them entry to the inner rooms of the clinic. "Hi Paul." Melissa says as they enter the main exam room. She smiles at Scott and Derek. "I'm so happy to see you." She says gauging his reaction as he slowly approaches. Scott goes to stop her but Derek places a hand on his arm. Paul stares at Melissa but doesn't retreat. She wraps her arms around him in a brief hug he does not return before stepping back. "Boys?" Melissa says and gestures to the door leading out of the room. Paul gasps and jerks his head to look at Derek. "Do you want me to stay?" Paul nods yes with wide worried eyes. Derek points to a chair against the wall. "Is right there OK? Out of the way?" Paul twists the hem of his shirt in his hands anxiously and nods yes again. Derek hands Deaton a small plastic bag containing the implant they had removed from Paul while Melissa begins checking Paul out.
"We're pretty sure this is what they have been using to control the bond." "Interesting that they would be trying to learn about his ability to manipulate the bond while simultaneously deadening it so that we couldn't find him. I can't imagine how they could have ever made any progress." Deaton says eyeing the device with distaste. "Is it possible this only controls a part of the bond?" Derek asks. "Anything is possible. Although I can't see how they would have the knowledge or ability to block only certain aspects of the pack bond." "Do you think you can come up with a way to counter it?" Derek asks looking back at Paul who is laying on the table looking at him as Melissa gently probes for hidden injuries. "With time possibly. However given the need to constantly inject the serum leads me to believe that it will likely wear off on its own. I will study this and come up with one for future use. However most likely he will be free from its influence before I can synthesize anything." Derek sighs sitting down in the chair he had indicated while Deaton and Melissa fuss about Paul. Derek pulls his phone and sends a quick text to Stiles looking up every few seconds making eye contact with Paul. "Paul honey I need to draw some blood so we can do an analysis. Is that OK? Deaton has something that should help with the pain you're experiencing." Paul doesn't say anything just nods his head. Melissa freezes when Paul positions his arm for the blood draw. There are dozens of track marks and scars. Indicating where needles had pierced his skin again and again over a long period of time. Melissa shares a look with Deaton who's typically stoic demeanor tightens in anger. Melissa looks a way a moment taking a deep breath when she looks back her eyes are brimmed with tears that she manages to keep from falling while she does the blood draw. Paul doesn't even flinch as she and Deaton work. The blood draw finished Melissa steps away to a dark corner of the room. Scott joining her and putting an arm around her shoulders.
A couple hours later Derek, Scott and Paul pull up to the house. They get out of the car. The wolves pause when they see Paul is standing still looking up at the house. "Paul?" Scott asks daring to place a hand on Paul's shoulder. Paul allows the contact drawing a small smile from Scott. "I never thought I'd be here again." He says reaching up and squeezing Scott's forearm as he leans his head over against his hand. Paul looks at both Scott and Derek then proceeds into the house. Danny and Peter are both waiting in the foyer. Paul gives them both a small anxious smile. "Need help with the stairs?" Peter asks. "I'll be OK." "He doesn't know you're here." Danny says placing his hand on Paul's arm. Paul flinches slightly but doesn't pull away. "He's in and out of consciousness. He won't talk to anyone.." Derek's phone rings. He looks at it and and answers "Stiles. Give me a minute. Do you want me to go up with you?" Derek asks Paul. "You're not leaving?" Paul asks eyes darting to the door. "No I'll be here in the house." "OK." Paul says and starts up the stairs grunting softly as his weak battered body protests. Reaching the top of the stairs he looks back down at the others who are looking up at him expectantly before walking down the hallway towards the bedroom.
The door is open. Paul steps in the familiar space. The room is mostly dark save for a couple of small accent lights casting dim pools of illumination. Paul approaches the bed slowly. The effort from the walking at the airports and climbing the stairs having taken a toll on his meager energy reserves. With some soft grunts he climbs in the large bed and slips under the blanket next to Isaac. "Baby Isaac." Paul says softly as he moves Isaac's long untrimmed hair off his face. Isaac's eyes snap open and he inhales sharply through his nose. His eyes flash yellow as he jerks his head over and looks at Paul. "Isaac." Paul says again. Isaac exclaims loudly recoiling away from Paul he falls backwards out of the bed crashing the floor in a tangle of flailing limbs and blankets. He shoves himself away from the bed backwards until his back hits the corner of the room. "No!" Isaac says. "You're not here!" Paul looks at Isaac with concern. "I'm here baby." He says as he slides off the bed and slowly approaches the panicking wolf. "They found me. Derek, Scott and Peter. They brought me home." Paul drops to his knees in front of his mate. "Can you smell me?" Paul asks as he inches closer. "I can't feel you!" Isaac accuses acidly attempting to shift to beta but only pulling off a soft partial change. "The hunters blocked our bond injected me with drugs. I'm here Isaac it's really me. You said you'd never hurt me." Paul says continuing to move closer. He reaches out and touches Isaac's hand. Isaac whimpers but doesn't pull away. "It's me fancy face." Paul says pulling closer. Isaac's face reverts back to normal and he pulls Paul in with a sob. Clutching Paul tightly Isaac buries his face against his shoulder and cries loud broken shuddering sobs.
Downstairs Scott, Derek, Danny and even Peter are all smiling at each other. "Feel that?" Danny says. They all nod with relief as Isaac's presence on the bond flares brighter and stronger than it has in recent memory. "What do we do about Kyle? How can we get Paul's memories back? He and Stiles will be back in two days." Scott says with concern looking up in the direction of the bedroom.