I know it's been a ridiculously long delay since the last update. My sincerest apologies. The next two updates will wrap up the story and are all ready to be posted now so they'll follow shortly. Thank you so much for sticking with this story.

I do not own Teen Wolf.


Stiles raced home with the rest of the pack in tow, telling his dad he had it handled when he called.

"Wait, Stiles. We can't just rush in there." Scott warned him, grabbing his arm before he opened the front door.

"That's Lydia trapped in there. I want to know his motive."

"What, do you think he's just going to spill his guts to you because you shared a body?" Allison reminded him in a fierce whisper.

"No, but I do think there's no way to prepare for this guy. He's a trickster mastermind who thrives off of pain and chaos. He's not going to start murdering us left and right—he's more the type to get us to try to turn on each other."

"Well we know that isn't going to happen."

Stiles raised his eyebrows. "Don't underestimate his power; that'll be our first and last mistake."

A car pulled up to the house, and the three of them turned to look at the newcomer.

"Derek?" Scott said in surprise, the older ally coming to join them.

"Your dad got me out." Derek explained, looking to Stiles. "Said I could be of help here."

"My dad's out too?" Allison asked.

He nodded. "Cleared both of us from the investigation. Your dad's getting weapons."

"Excuse me?" Stiles interrupted. "Weapons for what?"

Derek sent him a look. "Stiles, maybe you've already forgotten in your newfound freedom, but this thing has already killed people. That was just the beginning. You know better than anyone how this thing thinks. It's only a matter of time. We need to be able to stop it."

"You're not putting bullets into Lydia."

"We're not sure how much of Lydia is still in there."

"I'M sure. She's in there. Probably screaming herself raw, trying to be heard."

"Look, like your dad said to me, it's more than a fight for her body. It's a fight for her mind. It tried to use your mother's disease to make you give up hope—we have no idea what it will do to Lydia. He said he was once told that if you want to defeat your enemies, you don't take away their courage, you take away their hope."

Stiles looked like he was ready to interrupt again but Derek held up a hand.

"Don't bite my head off yet, Stiles. Your dad sent me to help trap it, not kill it. And even Argent said he'd feel bad putting Lydia down."

"But not a nogitsune." Allison spoke up, and Derek looked at her in surprise. She rolled her eyes. "I know my dad. I'm not that easily fooled by selective, out-of-context quotes."

"We have to be prepared for the worst case scenario. No one is hoping we kill an innocent teenage girl."

Stiles made an irritated noise at the back of his throat.

"Well, I guess that's the best I can ask for. Let's go."

The four of them entered the Stilinski house together.


Lydia hadn't known where she was going, but that wasn't new. The uneasy feeling of unfamiliarity deep inside her never really lifted, seeing as she had absolutely no control of her own body or any way of reaching out to the ones she loved.

Instead, she was forced to watch the dark fox spirit use her body as a vessel as it acted out its instinctual mission. Despite being inside, Lydia didn't know the plan for anything; she just knew they had reason to be afraid. She could feel Void's emotions, and he was exhilarated, brimming with energy, so she knew managing to get into Stiles' house was only the beginning of the plan going the way he wanted.

She heard the front door open, and her lips curved into a sinister smile. Part two of the plan was clearly going well. Void had lured her friends there. But for what?

The bodies, whoever had come, were moving through the house, all heading upstairs first.

Void sighed through her mouth, springing up to sit on the edge of the counter, fingers fiddling with the dagger they had stolen from Noshiko.

It hadn't been a hard feat, but Lydia didn't understand that significance of the weapon. As far as she could tell, it was something that could work against the nogitsune. So besides to keep it away from its enemy, why else would it want it in such easy reach of the others, when it was possible they could steal it back?

The footsteps returned downstairs and slowly the group entered the kitchen. Scott walked forward first, keeping Stiles protectively behind him, eyes flashing red. Lydia was perched on the kitchen counter, legs kicking out in front of her and she dropped her chin to her chest in exasperation at the sight of them.

"Finally. I was beginning to think I was going to have to hang a banner to get your attention." Lydia said in a bored, condescending tone, sounding much more like the popular mean girl she once was. "You know, for being the so-called supernatural protection pack of Beacon Hills, you certainly don't use your powers very well. You should've been able to smell Lydia's damn shampoo a mile away."

"What do you want?" Scott asked.

"Now Scott, I thought we were over this?" she simpered, letting out an impatient scoff. She jumped down from the counter, and Scott immediately released a warning growl. "Oh, stop that nonsense. You and I both know you won't hurt me while I'm in this body."

Derek, who had been staying in the sidelines, stepped further into the kitchen.

Lydia grinned at the sight of him.

"The whole original pack together! How sweet."

Allison subtly raised her taser gun, stepping out slightly to have a clear shot.

Lydia turned in her direction.

"Oh, Allison. Really going to electrocute your best gal pal? That's sort of breaking the girl code, isn't it?"

Allison sent the wires flying, a determined look on her face, but she blanched when Void snatched up the wires before they could hit her chest and twisted them until it sprung the gun from her hands.

Derek lunged forward, ready to pin her, but she launched him across the room until he smacked against the cupboards, falling limp.

Lydia swiped her hands against each other as if brushing off dust. "So. Moving on…"

"What do you want?" Stiles demanded, Scott sending him a warning look, but he ignored his best friend and kept his eye trained on her.

"I thought we had been over this. You of all people should know, Stiles."

His eyes narrowed.

She stepped forward. "Chaos." Another step. "Pain." Another step. "Strife."

"You were called upon at a different time. No one here wants that. Even Noshiko." Scott reminded it.

"Oh, Noshiko. I suppose I should thank you, by the way. Getting her to call off the Oni has really saved me from having to keep a nightlight on to get to sleep. My beauty rest comes much easier."

"Let's skip the fake pleasantries. Give Lydia back." Stiles demanded.

"Why would you want such a weak creature? Humans… so fragile. So… mortal." She smirked. "She's been more accepting than you, though. For that, I should be grateful. But still, listening to her whimper and whine is getting old. I suppose I should try to find someone stronger. So, sure, you can have her. Let me just free her."

Suddenly, before they could catch up to what was happening, Lydia dragged the hidden kaiken down her forearm in a gruesome zigzag, slicing open her skin. The dagger fell from Lydia's hand as she collapsed to her knees, blooding pouring from the wound, staining the floor.

"No! What have you done?!" Stiles screamed, pushing past Scott to get to her.

Void was laughing maniacally, eyes alight with sick joy, as Stiles tried to put pressure on the wound and stop the bleeding.

She was losing consciousness as Allison crowded next to him, trying to help.

"You asked me to free her. I'll free her from you all." she whispered, giggling psychotically before she fainted.

"What do we do? What do we do?!" Stiles panicked, hands drenched in red now. He didn't need Allison's first aid training to know that if they didn't get control of it soon, she was in serious trouble.

Derek was watching, looking a little ill. "We can't just take her into the hospital. That's probably exactly what Void wants."

"My mom. Let's take her to my house. She'll be able to help." Scott suggested.

"Let's go. Let's go now. Before she comes to." Allison said, helping tie the hand towel around her wrist to slow the bleeding.

Derek moved forward to lift Lydia, clearly the strongest of the four, and lead the others out of the house to head to Scott's place.


Derek and Scott manoeuvered the unconscious girl's body into the McCall residence.

"The couch, put her on the couch." Stiles said, hands scrambling to help but knowing Scott would likely scold him for touching the villain in his girlfriend's body.

The alpha helped place her gently down on the cushions in the living room as his mom and boss came through the door.

"Guys, this is crazy. She needs to be in the hospital." Melissa said, seeing the blood-soaked towel.

"Mom, remember what happened the last time the nogitsune went to the hospital?"

No one bothered to respond. It was obvious that everyone remembered very well.

Deaton approached and peeled back the towel, examining the open wound.

"It doesn't look like she's bleeding now. I think she might even be healing."

Derek looked intrigued. "You mean healing like we heal?"

"That's good, right?" Scott asked earnestly.

"For her, yes. Us? I'm not so sure." Deaton admitted.

Melissa clapped her hands together. "Well, if it means not having to perform a hospital procedure on a psychopath, I would call that a win for now. But I still want to keep an eye on it." She dragged her eyes away from the wound to look to the pack. "What are you guys going to do with her? She could wake up any minute."

Stiles stepped closer to her protectively.

"I didn't mean like that, Stiles. She needs to be restrained."

"It'll need to be something formidable. He's stronger than you think." Stiles said quietly, eyes completely focused on Lydia's face.

A few of them stared, not used to him dropping facts from his possession so absent-mindedly, but it was clear his head was elsewhere.

Before anyone could move, Lydia suddenly lunged, eyes snapping open, and her hands went immediately to Stiles' throat. She grinned maliciously, squeezed tighter as he choked and struggled against her, and the werewolves in the room moved forward to tackle her off of him.

She was cackling as they forced her down onto the couch again.

"Oh, that was fun. I like it when boys play rough."

Stiles massaged his throat, coughing, with Allison by his side trying to get a proper look at it to make sure he was okay.

"You should hear the way Lydia is screaming inside right now. She begged me not to hurt you."

"Well, as she can see, I'm fine." Stiles spat, anger flashing in his eyes at the mention of Lydia's distress.

"Ah, to be a teenager in love." she sighed patronizingly.

Deaton approached her, meeting Scott's eyes and nodding as if to ask for his trust. Derek and Scott held her as still as possible as he poured a clear liquid into Lydia's forced-open mouth.

It didn't take long to take effect, and, though Lydia didn't understand the cause of the sensation spreading through her body, it was clear Void did.

"Kanima venom. Nice touch." he said with her voice, scoffing.

Deaton simply backed away, the werewolves letting go once they were sure Lydia's body was paralyzed.

Lydia's eyes roamed around the room, seeming to enjoy the crowd's attention.

"Now, where is the rest of the pack? Seems we're missing a few members."

"They're not your concern." Scott said.

"Hmm… okay, alpha. I'll play along." she simpered. "Still, I hope Kira gets to her mother in time."

His eyes narrowed.

Her grin stretched, knowing she had guessed right about where Kira was. She had been alerted that Void had found the kaiken and that Noshiko must have had a run-in with him. "She's like a mother to me too, in a way. After all, she too brought me into this world. She may be ancient but she's a lot more fun than you bakemono trying to save the world every day."

"Doc, you brought something to paralyze her body. You got anything for his mouth?"

"Yes I do." Deaton ripped off a piece of duct tape and covered her mouth.

Void screamed in anger, muffled by the sticky barrier, but her eyes were still dancing with laughter.


Derek guarded the nogitsune while the others talked in the kitchen.

They weren't sure how long the kanima venom would last, and the nogitsune did not seem as bothered by their trapping of him as he should have, which made them all wary. He seemed almost happy about it, which meant that it may have been what he was planning all along, and those plans never ended well.

"If my dad is coming with weapons, we should hurry this along and figure out an alternate plan to putting a bullet through Lydia's brain." Allison said lowly, brow furrowed in worry.

Scott interjected. "The only lead we had was the scroll, and the scroll said to change the body of the host."

"That's if I translated it correctly. We're looking for a cure in something that might not be anything more than a metaphor or proverb." Deaton reminded them.

"Even if it is right, it's already been established that Lydia can't turn into a werewolf, because of whatever she is. Does Void possessing her change that? It's still her body." Stiles said.

"Either way, it could kill her. I've never done this before. What if I bite her and accidentally hit an artery or something?" Scott said.

"That venom is not going to last long. Something needs to be done sooner rather than later."

"Maybe we should call someone. Someone else who knows how to get into people's minds." Derek said, stepping back to appear in the doorway, looking apologetic, and Stiles groaned in time with the others.

Melissa sighed. "Do what you must. I have to clean up that wound, just in case it's not healing the way we expect. I don't want Lydia ending up with an infection."

Stiles nodded in gratitude, running a hand through his hair and exhaling heavily as he turned back to the others to continue working out a plan to separate Lydia and Void.

Melissa headed into the living room and sat across from Lydia, jerking her head to the side. "I think they need your help in the kitchen more than out here. I'll be fine. I'll yell if I need anything."

Derek didn't look like he wanted to budge at first but he acquiesced, sighing and going to join the others, making sure to stand on an angle in the doorway to keep an eye on the situation.

Melissa opened her first aid kit and adjusted the makeshift bandage so she could get a better look at the wound before getting to work.

As she cleaned, her eyes flickered up at the change in breathing and she saw the pain in Lydia's eyes, the tears brimming on the edge of her eyelids, and her mouth fell open.

"Lydia?"

She nodded, sniffling still, and Melissa carefully removed the tape.

Lydia licked her lips, pushing back her tears, and then her eyes focused on Melissa. The glint in them changed—her lips were twisted in a smirk again.

"Really, Melissa? I shed one tear, and that's all it takes. Come on. You can't crumble that easily. How are you going to hold up when Scott knows the truth?"

"What are you talking about?"

She seemed even more amused by her question. "Oh come on. When he finds out why his dad really left? You know Stiles was there, right?"

Melissa paled instantly.

"Oh dear. You had no idea. You called Stilinski right after it happened. You didn't tell Scott, but you told the Sheriff. Hmm. But Stiles heard it like he hears everything. And then there was that night after your fight, when you knew you'd have to tell Scott that you two were talking about divorce, and you went to pick him up from Stiles'…"

"Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about." Melissa growled.

She grinned. "Oh, but I do. See, the best part of this whole possession thing? I still remember what I learned while we shared a brain. So I know that Stiles—young, nosy, ten-year-old Stiles—caught the two of you having your heart-to-heart by the front door. And he didn't miss you kiss him, despite still being married to another man. Instead, you told Scott that you and his dad just weren't right for each other, that right now things weren't working. You didn't give him any reason not to hope for one day, even though you knew you had fallen for another man. Stiles, perceptive kid that he is, knew right away, even though he listened and supported Scott over the years as he talked about the whole thing from his naïve perspective. But you want to know why he never told Scott? Because he knew that Scott would never forgive you. He knew how much Scott would hate you. The mother he looked up to, who he believed to be so brave and independent, was really just a cheater and a liar. You weren't some innocent woman left by an alcoholic jackass. You were the cause of his fatherless upbringing."

"This isn't you, Lydia." Melissa said, but Lydia wasn't sure whose benefit it really was for.

"Didn't you know Lydia used to be a gossip? Used people's secrets to gain power? Oh come on. Don't tell me you fell for that nice girl act." Void said patronizingly, raising an eyebrow.

Without another word, pushing back the moisture in her eyes, Melissa replaced the tape on Lydia's mouth and kept working at the wound.

Lydia, inside, though surprised by the revelation, knew that it wasn't so black and white and Melissa definitely didn't deserve that sort of judgment for the past. She had done right by her son and was an incredible mother. She didn't even need to see it firsthand to know. The way Scott looked at her confirmed it. And she knew that nothing would change that for him.

She would never think poorly of her—her warmth since she met her was beyond anything she was familiar with. And she would never use that secret to hurt her, to gain power over her or manipulate her. She wasn't that girl anymore. She never really was.

If only she could speak and offer words of comfort, instead of being paralyzed in every way.


It was a strange concept, being possessed. Lydia was aware of everything that Void was seeing and experiencing, but it was like she was trapped in a different part of the mind. Almost aware on a subconscious level of what was going on.

The other part of her was in a duel with him, sitting across from the bandaged man as they played pieces on a game board. She didn't remember ever learning the rules of the Japanese game Go, but clearly she had picked them up in some way or another, since she placed her pieces strategically against his.

It was unlike anything she could explain, being in that state. It was like her mind was being split into pieces. Sometimes she was so fully encompassed with old, painful memories, playing on a reel in her head, it was like no other part of her existed. Other times, she was watching Void live out its movements like some sick TV show. And then there were the times she was trying to figure out her next move, trying to figure out how to beat him, trying to find a way back to being in control.

She was somewhat aware that there was tension in the reality she was absent from, amongst her friends, some new visitor that was causing their guards to go up. Void was eating it up like a five-year-old with a chocolate sundae. But there was nothing she could do about it.

She placed another piece down on the board.

In reality, the group was taking instructions from Peter Hale, an enemy since he went on a murderous rampage and was the one to turn Scott a few years back.

Not one they liked trusting, but his experience was above their own, and his loyalty to Derek, his nephew, wasn't missed.

"So he's going to enter Lydia's mind and try to lead her out of his grasp? How the hell does that work?" Stiles asked.

"It's supernatural, not science." Peter reminded him, guiding Scott to stand behind where Lydia was sitting and placing his claws along the top of her spine. "He'll need someone to go with him, of course. Someone who has a strong connection to Lydia, a sort of… emotional tether. Might I hazard a guess that that will be you?" His eyes roamed back to Stiles.

Stiles' eyes narrowed and he walked over to sit next to Lydia, casting his eyes to his girlfriend.

Peter moved to position Scott's other hand over Stiles' neck. "This isn't going to be easy. But focus on finding Lydia. Focus on bringing her back. This is more a battle of her mind than her body. Don't get caught up in what you see in there."

"This is going to be some weird Alice in Wonderland shit, isn't it?" Stiles said.

"Say hi to the Cheshire cat for me then." Peter said cheekily before forcing Scott's claws into both teenagers, all three of them letting out a pained gasp.


It was like being stuck in a weird home movie. That's what Stiles could remember.

It was like a dream—you couldn't really see the flaws until you were out. But Stiles knew he had been there before, that there was something familiar about this.

Lydia's hand was intertwined with his as they walked along campus, her pink dress shining in the moonlight. They had left the party a few minutes before.

He found the amused words leaving his mouth as if he was reciting some sort of script. "So we should really do this again sometime. Attend a crappy party, get abandoned, wallflower in the corner, leave early. We're fulfilling all of college students' dreams."

Lydia giggled and rolled her eyes at him.

Stiles was stepping closer to her before he could stop himself, her eyes widening in anticipation, and he touched a strand of her hair.

"Lydia…"

There was so much he wanted to say, but he had no words. It's as if his mind went offline. He was suddenly completely blank, forgetting everything.

And then she was leaning up and kissing him, pulling him down to her height, her lips soft but eager against his.

Stiles let himself get lost in her, his heart clenching with how badly he had wanted this, how long he had been her friend and thought this was impossible. His hand fisted her dress at her waist.

She pushed closer to him, hands in his hair, and their kissing grew more serious.

Her lips found his neck, and he inhaled a deep breath, their make-out session outside her dorm building stealing any air in his lungs.

He could smell her shampoo. Apples.

She was kissing him again. But he wasn't as into it this time. The gears in his mind were turning.

"This isn't real." he said.

"What?" she asked, lipstick smudged as she pulled back and furrowed her brows at him.

"This isn't real. Your hair… wrong scent. This is wrong."

"Stiles, what are you talking about—"

"This isn't… you're not Lydia." he said, backing away from her. "I have to get out of here." His eyes caught sight of the dorm building behind them. He suddenly knew where he needed to go and started to move.

"NO!" Dream-Lydia shouted, and Stiles watched as blood poured from her side, slash marks appearing like an invisible slasher attacked.

But Stiles was already running.

He burst through the door to find himself in a completely different place—a huge room that seemed to go on forever. He found Scott stumbling in, likely from another invisible door, next to him.

"Well, this has been weird."

Scott shrugged. "Isn't it always?"

They seemed to see the same thing in the distance simultaneously.

Lydia and Void, cross-legged across from each other, playing some black-and-white board game on a giant stump. The Nemeton stump.

They ran in that direction, but the distance only seemed to stretch further. It didn't seem like it was possible for them to catch up to where she was.

"Lydia! LYDIA!" they both started shouting as loud as they could. Maybe she could come to them.

She didn't seem to hear a thing.

"How in the hell are we supposed to get her attention?"

They stood there, staring off at the dueling pair, until Stiles clapped Scott on the arm.

"Wait. Lydia is part of the pack now, right?"

"Well, yeah?"

"So think like an alpha, Scott. How do you alert the other members of the pack where you are?"

It took him a moment and then he understood.

Baring his fangs as he turned, Scott let out a calling roar to his lost friend.

Lydia, who had been completely oblivious to the newcomers, engrossed in the game before her, knowing if she just won that this would be over, suddenly stopped. She heard it – the distinct roar of the True Alpha of Beacon Hills. She understood now how Stiles recognized the differences—she suddenly just knew that was Scott.

She turned from the shaking game, only to see they were in a huge white room, hundreds of yards of emptiness stretching in all directions.

And in one of those directions stood Scott and Stiles.

How had they…?

Void, too, turned to see the interruption.

"You can't save them, Lydia. I've shown you how this all ends." he murmured.

Lydia gritted her teeth and, with all her strength, swiped the game pieces off the board so they scattered across the tile floor.

Void growled, metallic teeth flashing, but Lydia suddenly felt the pressure building inside her. All the frustration, all the anger and pain and fear, built up to an unstoppable pressure. She screamed in retaliation, loud and ringing and with a force she didn't know she had. Even Void seemed surprised, as he went tumbling off the stump they sat on as if the very sound had a physical gust to it.

Lydia felt like her mind snapped like an elastic band, stretched and tugged in her head as she lost consciousness.

When she came to, she felt shaky and weak and like she was dragged under water. Or maybe something thicker, like mud or quicksand. With heavy limbs, she tried to pull herself out, choking for air. She felt like she was mummified. She started scratching at the bindings around her, her body going into panic as it was deprived of oxygen, still unsteady on her feet.

She felt hands on her, but they were pushing her, forcing her down, and she tried to fight them off to get to the bandages on her face, she just needed to breathe, but she was weak and outnumbered.

"Wait, wait, WAIT!"

She recognized that voice. Allison.

Lydia stopped fighting. Was she back with her friends?

She only just clued in that her body had been listening to her directions. Was she free of the nogitsune?

Her friend's gentle hands worked on pulling the wrappings off her face.

"Allison?" she whispered hopefully.

She smiled. "Lydia."

"Scott." Deaton's voice came, like a warning.

Lydia followed his gaze to see the front door was open. She didn't understand.

Scott seemed to catch on instantly. His face paled. "Where are they? Where are they?! Stiles! STILES!" He raced out of the door but it was too late.

Void had kidnapped Stiles. They were gone.


Lydia was weaker than she had ever been, barely able to stand up on her own.

She didn't miss the hesitance Melissa showed when it came to touching her to check her vitals—she hadn't forgotten the previous wearer of her face's cruel actions or words. Lydia understood, but it still hurt a little.

How she could tell was surprising in itself—she ached all over. It was as if the pain had manifested into every single cell in her body. Maybe it came with the territory of belonging in an entirely fabricated body that was made from some sort of weird supernatural voodoo.

Melissa forced a smile. "Well, medically, you seem okay. You're definitely a real person."

She nodded. "Okay, but am I really me?"

Scott came into the room.

"She's here?" Lydia sat up.

"Lydia, I don't know about this."

"We have to do this, Scott. I know what I'm doing."

She followed him downstairs. Noshiko was waiting in the living room.

"Do you recognize me?" the older woman asked.

She nodded.

Kira was with her. "Mom, don't do this."

"I asked her to come." Lydia explained.

"You're the one who is going to get stabbed with swords! Mom—"

"It's already done."

Lydia felt them before she saw them. The Oni came out of the shadows, surrounded her. She remembered the way they had seemed to suck something out of her at the Argents that time. She wondered what would happen if they found something reminiscent of the nogitsune in her veins.

The yellow firefly eyes bored into hers and her whole body seized up, a gasp escaping her lips. And just as quick, she collapsed on the floor, the Oni disappearing into the darkness.

"Check behind her ear." Noshiko instructed.

Kira had raced next to her and folded back the skin to see the etched marking.

"I'm me?" Lydia asked, struggling to get herself upright. Scott helped her to her feet.

"More you than the nogitsune." Noshiko answered with a nod.

Scott was confused and looked back and forth between his friends. "So why did Void take Stiles? Do you think he's going to try to repossess him now that you're free?"

"He has his own body now. I don't think he can if he wanted to. But he must have taken him for some sort of advantage." Allison suggested.

"Do you think Void's body is, like, a direct copy of mine? Will it have the same abilities?"

Deaton looked intrigued. "That is the question, isn't it? It may not have the same resistance to the bite."

"But the banshee powers… could they be helpful to him somehow?"

They all stared at her. She finally remembered that they hadn't been privy to that information.

"I… when Void took over, when he heard me scream when I sensed he was going to let Oliver kill Stiles… he told me I was a banshee. The Wailing Woman. I'm connected to death, can sense when it's coming. Especially when its supernatural related. That's why I scream."

"That's how you got him out of you." Scott said suddenly. "You screamed."

She shrugged. "He told me I have more power than I think I have. I don't know what to do with it yet."

"We'll figure that out. For now, we should focus on finding Stiles." Allison reminded them.

"We better move quickly. I don't have a good feeling about any of this." Lydia admitted, wondering if Stiles was okay, wherever he was.