Hey guys! Thank you for the reviews! Especially to those who review pretty much every chapter. It means a lot :) So I still have a good amount of memories I want Scott and Lydia to see, but I don't want it to seem like the same thing over and over again so I will be adding some answers to questions the duo have been having soon in regards to finding Stiles in either the next chapter or the one following that. Hope you like it so far! Enjoy and please review!

CHAPTER 17

The sudden light made Lydia blink rapidly, and she waited for her eyes to adjust as the sounds of teenagers filled her ears. When she was able to see again, she saw that they were sitting on the floor in the back of a classroom, making a puddle of rain water on the floor. Scott didn't even seem to notice the change in surroundings; he just sat there staring at his bloody hand watching the cuts close and the bones mend. When Lydia felt his bone shift back into place in her hand, she shivered and took her hand back.

Scott barely noticed. He was trying to shut up his thoughts, he wanted to stop thinking. Seeing their Stiles hurt, seeing all these times he was in pain in so many different ways made him feel like a horrible friend. He thought of what he'd just seen, how cruel it had sounded now that he knew the whole truth- the real truth. He thought back to what they'd seen. The nogitsune tormenting him, not knowing what was real, almost dying again and again, or watching his friends almost die… getting attacked by Donovan. How could they have let him be alone so many times when he needed someone most of all? How could they have let him close himself off, so that the only time he told them something was wrong was when it was really bad? How many times had they just accepted that he was alright just because he brushed it off?

Lydia was looking for Stiles and located him sitting next to a past version of herself a row over from where her and Scott sat. Her gaze turned back to Scott. Lydia knew that Scott had it hard. He was constantly looking out for everyone's safety in the pack. Constantly the leader who had to take charge and fight the big bad. She knew that out of everyone, it was Stiles who kept him balanced. Stiles who was always there for Scott when he needed advice or to help him get through something. Even if he just needed a good laugh, Stiles was there for him. She also knew that Scott was there for Stiles a lot of the time. She knew that when the Sheriff was dying, Scott had done everything in his power to help his best friend, even if Stiles hadn't wanted his help. Even if Scott was badly hurt at the time. She knew Scott also had a habit of blaming himself, and this had to be hardest of all. Seeing his best friend hurt in so many ways, so many different times was clearly hitting him hard.

Lydia couldn't help but think of all the times Stiles had been there for her. Why wasn't she there for Stiles when he needed someone? She knew she wasn't thinking rationally. She knew she'd been there for him some of the times. But clearly not in his worst moments. She shook her head of the thoughts and turned to Scott, saying something they both needed to hear. "There's no point dwelling on something we can't change. All we can do is try to be there for him more in the future. And that starts with getting him out of here. Come on." She said, standing and holding out her hand. "Let's go find him." Scott looked up at her and smiled faintly. He took her hand and she helped him stand. He wiped the blood from his now fully healed hand onto his pants, and walked over to Stiles to test him.

Lydia stayed right where she was, thrown off by the face of Ms. Blake at the front of the class. There was no way was she getting closer to the dark druid that almost killed her. Scott walked back to her with a frown. Just as he opened his mouth to tell her something, there was a loud thump. Everyone turned their eyes to the window where there was a dark splatter or blood where a bird had just slammed into it.

Outside the window the sky was turning dark as a flock of crows came flying towards the classroom. Within seconds, another one hit a window nearby, and another, and another, and then there was a flock flying at full speed towards the windows. Glass broke and the birds were inside. Scott ducked and ran towards Lydia, covering her head. Her gaze was locked on Stiles, watching as he immediately shoved a desk out of the way and ran towards the past version of herself, covering as much of her as he could to protect her from the swarm of pecking birds.

Her mind went back to the night he broke her out of Eichen house, how Stiles had come back for her even though she'd warned him he could die. Of how she'd finally screamed at the clinic, breaking the glass, and how the last thing she remembered before passing out was Stiles throwing himself over her to protect her. Just like he always did.

As the crows continued attacking the students, Scott ushered Lydia towards out of the door and into the hallway, the screams of their peers growing dimmer. Her heart was beating out of her chest at having to relive that for the second time. Scott looked at her with wide eyes and she returned an identical expression. They were standing in the hallway of their school, in the middle of the day, drenched from head to toe and covered in feathers.

Lydia broke first. She covered her mouth with her hand and let out a ridiculous sounding squeak of laughter at their absurd appearance.

Scott cracked a smile "What was that?" he asked before laughing. Lydia burst into laughter at their situation and appearance and Scott lost it soon after. They stood there hunched over practically crying in laughter as the screams of their classmates dimmed in the background and the rushing of feathers stopped. Probably not the best time or place for it, but they both needed a good laugh to keep them sane in here. The hallway was starting to dim as their giggling faded, gulping in much needed air. Scott put his hand on Lydias shoulder, grin on his face as they were teleported somewhere else.
-

They came through the darkness and into the hospital. They were in front of the main desk where Scotts mom sat talking to Stiles. Stiles himself looked exhausted and fidgety. He was backing up from Melissa and looking around as if unsure what to do. Lydia looked at Scott, a smile still on her lips but a question in her eyes. Scott shrugged, and turned back to his best friend.

"Stiles?" Melissa was saying. Concern crossed her face and she stood up. "Are you alright?"

"I don't- I don't know. I guess. I guess not really?" He said, unsure as Melissa stepped around the desk and approached him nodding in assurance.

"Alright kiddo. Alright come with me." She said, wrapping her arm around Stiles comfortingly as she lead him down the hallway. "It's okay." Scott and Lydia followed behind them as Melissa lead Stiles into a patient room and had him sit on the bed. She got out a nurses clip board and started filling in his basic information. She knew a lot of it, after all Stiles was pretty much like a second son to her and it wasn't his first hospital visit. Name, birthday, social, emergency contact, she wrote in all of them by heart as Stiles removed his jacket and glanced at her nervously. He seemed on edge, unsure of what to do or where to look. Like he didn't want to be here but didn't want to go anywhere else. Finally, Melissa turned back to him. "Okay Stiles tell me what's going on."

He paused. "I'm not exactly sure."

"Okay well what kind of symptoms have you been experiencing?"

"Blackouts, but not for that long, and sleepwalking which I used to do a lot as a kid. Uh, also having some really bad anxiety."

"Panic attacks?" Melissa asked, eyes drifting from the medical form to Stiles.

"Yeah a couple. Oh and I temporarily lost the ability to read, but that may have had more to do with this giant magic tree and a whole human sacrifice thing." Stiles said, and Melissa laughed.

"I recall something vaguely about that yes. How many hours of sleep are you getting?" Melissa asked, writing down the symptoms on the clipboard.

"Eight." Stiles said automatically, shifting his eyes away.

"A night?" Melissa asked.

"The last three days." Melissa stopped writing and turned to Stiles in surprise and worry. Scotts eyebrows went up. He knew this had to be when the nogitsune was starting to take over. He remembered Stiles telling him he hadn't been sleeping all that well but he hadn't realized 'all that well' meant almost not at all. Stiles looked down at his hands as Melissa wrote something down. It took a minute to realize that Stiles was counting his fingers. Scott swallowed, heart hurting for his best friend who was struggling to figure out if he was awake. To figure out if this was real.

Lydia was watching Stiles mouth move, and remembered the panic attack memory she'd seen. How Scott had helped him distinguish reality from a dream by counting his fingers. She wondered just how often he had been unsure of what was real or not in the months between when he died with Scott and Allison and when the nogitsune took over.

"Yeah definitely eight." Stiles said, looking back at Melissa.

"Been feeing irritable?" She asked, turning around and grabbing a pair of plastic gloves.

"Yeah." Stiles said, nervously touching his lip. "Possibly to the point of homicide."

"Inability to focus?"

"No the Adderall's not working."

"Impulsive behavior?"

"More than my usual? Hard to tell."

"Vivid dreams during the day." She said, her back still to him as she opened a small package containing a syringe.

"Okay basically all of the above. Do you know what this is?"

Melissa nodded, smiling at him. "I think so." She said, bringing up the syringe. Stiles looked at it apprehensively. "What's that" he asked.

"Do you trust me?"

"When you're not holding a needle." She smiled and lifted up his sleeve, exposing his shoulder.

"It's midazolam. A sedative." She said calmly as she inserted the needle into his skin and pushed down the plunger before Stiles could object. Stiles immediately looked cautious and he looked from his arm to Melissa.

"Why'd you give me a sedative?"

"Because you Stiles? Are one profoundly sleep deprived young man. You need rest. You need it now. Lie down." She said, hands on his shoulders as she began guiding him down to the bed."

"Okay… Okay how long does it take to- oh not long at all." He said as his eyes began to droop. Melissa gently maneuvered him down into the bed and raised the blanket over him, tucking him in. Stiles seemed to be fighting it a little, but his eyes were closing. Melissa held his hand as he began to slip under. He gripped it tightly back, as if scared to fall asleep. Melissa ran her hand over his forehead and brushed his hair back. Scott smiled, remembering her doing that to him every time he was sick as a kid.

"Get some rest." She said, nodding as his eyes closed and his breathing evened out.

"Thanks mom." Stiles whispered, before his head tilted to the side and he was out. Scott smiled at him mom for being there for him, and for treating Stiles like another son. Stiles was like a brother to Scott, and he knew he felt the same way. He knew that Mr. Stilinski was like a dad to him; he was there for Scott throughout all the years when his own father wasn't. It would make sense that Stiles would think of his mom as another mother to him too. Especially after his own mom had died. He was pretty sure Stiles didn't remember saying that out loud, but he knew his mom had to. Melissa reached up and turned off the light over Stiles head before exiting the room.

Lydia smiled at Stiles on the bed- he looked at peace finally. Like he was unbothered in sleep. No nightmares or nogitsunes- just sleep. It was nice to see. She let her hand hover on the edge of his shoulder, and ache in her heart. She missed him. Even when he was comatose he barely ever slept, he just stared at the wall, eyes unfocused. She wanted to see him smile, or crack a joke. She wanted to talk to him and have him hear her. She wanted him to wake up. She didn't notice when the room started to fade until Scotts hand was on her shoulder. She blinked and looked up to his face as a cloud of darkness surrounded them.

When everything was back in focus, she realized she was standing next to her 16 year old self in the middle of the lacrosse field- and Peter was emerging from the shadows.