Hey guys! Super sorry for the hiatus, I know it sucks waiting for stories. I'm trying to write more, honestly, but I've been working on an outline for my story on Wattpad and high school has been consuming my time. I'll do my best to continue this story and I'd really appreciate if you guys kept following and leaving comments, as every alert I get for them warms my heart.

"Do you feel anything now?"

"No."

"Okay, how about now?"

"Nope."

"How about now?"

"Nada, senorita."

"Can you concentrate?"

"Well, I would be able to if you weren't asking me questions every seven seconds-"

"Oh, aren't you snarky today! What's got you in such a good mood lately? Is it the homicidal demon running around Beacon Hills or the fact that we have a seventeen-year-old kitsune's mother spying on us?"

"Actually, the act of riling you a bit is making me very chipper, thanks-"

"Can you two shut up?" Lydia snapped at the two of them harshly, massaging her nose with her thumb and forefinger. Scott pat her back sympathetically, sighing in annoyance.

Scott, Lydia, and Allison were all in similar positions of exasperation, worn down from the endless bickering of Stiles and Mel. The five of them were all packed in Deaton's back room, with Stiles laying flat on the metal table while Allison's cousin was trying multiple demon-seeking and memory-retaining rituals on him. So far, none of them were working. While Mel claimed that Stiles just wasn't paying enough attention, the boy in question said multiple time that '-Mel's crazy witch workings were just no match against his new post-demon superpowers'. While he and Mel kept up their bitchy banter, Scott and Allison simply took watch and aided Mel when she asked for supplies. Lydia, on the other hand, was sitting on the countertop behind Scott and Allison, translating the Latin book on demons that Stiles gave her earlier that day. She had finished interpreting half of the book in the time they'd all been at Deaton's so far, since no one dared to interrupt her after she started. Until now, she hadn't said a single word.

"Yeah, guys, Lyds is right. We can't get any of this done while you two are fighting," Allison said. She rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Mel, do you want to just start the next ritual? You needed some wolfsbane and mountain ash, right?" When she started heading for Deaton's cabinets, Mel interrupted her.

"No, actually," She turned her back to them and started digging around the tools on the counter behind her. "I want to try something else."

"Okay, what is it?" Stiles sat up impatiently, hanging his legs off the table. When Mel suddenly turned back to them with a knife in one hand and a needle in the other, Stiles panicked so much that he flailed and fell of the table with a huge (humorous, in Mel's opinion) thud. "Ow-shit! Jesus Chri-Mel, what the hell? You can't just pull a needle on someone like that!"

Mel raised a single eyebrow, turning her eyes from him to Scott. "So a needle is off-limits, but a knife is something he's okay with?"

Scott shrugged, reaching down and pulling Stiles up hastily. "He's got a thing with needles."

"Yeah, a completely reasonable thing, thanks. Needles are pointy and sharp and mostly contain mysterious liquids that could kill me," When Stiles brushed his shirt off like a startled little kid who just got pushed into a sandbox, both Allison and Mel couldn't help but let out a little chuckles. Even though the two girls weren't blood related, they had developed the same tiny habits, which all of the pack noticed. Stiles called their shared little quirks hunter traits. "We aren't doing whatever ritual involves needles. Absolutely not."

Mel rolled her eyes, quickly setting the tools back on the counter before turning back to face Stiles. "Well, if you aren't going to stop being such a baby, there's really only one ritual left," She sighed, sticking in her hands the back pockets of her jeans. At her changed demeanor, the rest of the teens stiffened and Lydia brought her head up to look at Mel rather than the book. "-but you really aren't going to like it."

Scott's eyebrows furrowed in concern and he stepped forward. "What is it?"

Mel let out a deep breath. "I believe you've done it before, Stiles," She crossed her arms at looked from him to both Scott and Allison. "All three of you have, just not quite the same ritual."

"Wait," Stiles interjected. "You mean the memory-resurfacing thing with the ice bath?" At Lydia and Allison's confused looks, he shrugged. "We did it to Isaac, remember? It's how we found out that Erica died." His voice trailed off at the end awkwardly at the mention of Erica, making Mel raise one eyebrow at the teens' sudden grief-ridden faces.

She clapped her hands together once to get their attention, smirking at heir startled faces. "Well, from what Allison has told me, it won't be exactly the same. When Isaac did it, it was to retrieve memories that he had repressed. When you three did it, you were trying to find the location of the Nematon." She sighed, looking at Stiles pointedly. "You're doing this to try to find memories that you have absolutely no control over. The demon either took them out completely or pressed them back so far into your head that you can't reach them on your own. In the latter case, you'll have to go deep through your mind and pass your worst memories to get the ones you're missing."

Scott looked at his best friend, immediately concerned. He knew only the basics of some of Stiles's worst experiences and could only imagine what they would do to him if he had to relive them. Allison stepped around the table and put a supporting hand on Stiles's shoulder, making him look down at her. "You don't have to do that, Stiles. Not if you don't want to." She spoke softly. Stiles gave her a little nod, sighing. The two had talked earlier that day, since Allison wanted to fill him in on what he had missed. She had also managed to apologize to him, allowing them both to be more calm around each other.

Lydia narrowed her eyes slightly at the two of them, but stayed silent. The banshee didn't want anyone to know that, along with having a freaking crush on Stiles Stilinski, she had a jealousy streak that seemed to flare up at only the worst of times. She turned her eyes to the boy in question and her shoulders sagged, knowing that what he would have to go through would weigh hard on him until this was all over.

Stiles, as if knowing that she was looking, glanced quickly over his shoulder at her. When he raised his eyebrows at her in question, she gave him a tiny nod. They both knew that, if he had to do this, she would have to be the one to push him under. Just like last time.

Stiles turned back to Mel, pursing his lips. "Okay. Let's do it."

"Alright," Mel smirked at Stiles, almost proud that the kid was willing to do this. "Call Isaac, Scott. Get him and Derek."

Scott's eye furrowed again. "Why?"

Mel tossed him a towel from behind her, which he caught and swiftly wrapped around his neck. "From the looks on your faces, some of Stiles's memories are really, really bad. Am I right?"

The silence that followed indicated that she definitely was.

Stiles stepped forward. "You are, but why would we need Isaac and Derek?"

"You'll fight reaching your memories and try your best to get out of the tub as quick as you can, subconsciously. If you succeed, your body will no doubt go into shock. You could even have a panic attack. We need to make sure you stay in that water for as long as you can without your heart stopping."

Kira walked down the hall that lead to her parents' apartment, happily swinging the two bags of groceries she carried. Approaching the door, she set one bag down and pulled her key out of her pocket, inserting it in the lock and opening the door, all the while humming Taylor Swift's Blank Space.

"Taylor Swift? Seriously?" Kira immediately threw her key in the direction of the voice with ninja precision, crouching into a fighting position. When she saw who had caught the key, however, she sighed and relaxed.

"Jake, you asshole! I told you a long time ago to stop scaring me like that. I could've killed you!" She brought her groceries inside and set them on the oak coffee table in the middle of her living room, slamming the door behind her.

The blonde nineteen-year-old chuckled, tossing Kira's key back to her. "Please, you couldn't scratch me." He outright laughed at the annoyed look she gave him, walking across the room and wrapping her up in a bear-hug. Kira was practically consumed by his tall, broad frame, as the top of her head barely grazed his shoulder. He sighed, patting her lower back. "Missed you, Kit."

"Kit?" She pulled back, eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh, come on. You already forgot the nickname I gave you? It's only been a couple of months." He faked a wounded look, poking out his lower lip.

Kira smiled and shook her head at him, the familiarity of the name finally coming back to her. "Kit for kitsune, right. Sorry, Jakey."

Jake grunted, falling back on the couch and looking up at her. "So, what's up? Anything new?"

"Well," Kira started, plopping down next to him. "I'm working with a new pack."

At the tone of her voice, Jake's eyebrows raised and he sat up. "And what's so new about it?"

Kira perked up, excited she could finally tell someone about this amazing new pack. She couldn't tell her mother, of course, because revealing that she actually spoke to them would get her in major trouble. "First of all, they have a banshee! She's super gorgeous and also best friends with a hunter, who's in the pack as well. It's weird, honestly, because there's a ton of variety in that one little group. There are a set of twins who used to be alphas but aren't anymore, and a beta, and another alpha turned beta named Derek. I think they have an emissary, or maybe two, because I always see them talking to the towns local vet and another hunter-girl showed up a little while ago. She's staying with the Argents, apparently, but I don't know anything about her. She's really good at hiding. Then there's Sc-" She cut off her rambling, cheeks heating up in an obvious blush. "Um, Scott. He's a true alpha."

Jake titled his head and smirked, catching on to Kira's little crush immediately. "And you like him?"

"What? N-No, I don't!" She blinked innocently, getting up and walking over towards the kitchen. "Even if I did, which I don't, I can't. Mom would kill me."

"She's just looking out for you, Kit. I don't blame her." He got up and followed her, bringing her groceries with him and setting them on the kitchen counter. "You know how dangerous werewolves can be." When their eyes met, Kira sighed at the underlying meaning of his words. She did know how dangerous werewolves could be, because that's how they met.

About six months ago, Kira's mother gave her an investigation case in an extremely small town in order to earn her second fox tail. When she arrived, she discovered that a family of hunters had been attacked by the alpha of a pack they'd taken out. The mother was killed by the alpha, the father missing, and one of three sisters dead from a successful suicide attempt. Kira was sent by her mother to find the alpha and father, but all she ended up doing was spending time with another hunter, Jake Mason, who was searching for the two sisters at the time. At first, Kira was a bit afraid of him finding out that she was a kitsune, but he turned out to be extremely okay with it.

See, Jake was more of a liberal hunter. He only did his job when necessary and only killed if whatever harmful creature he was hunting wasn't willing to change. He never really told her why he was looking for the two sisters in the first place, but she had discovered his relationship with one of them, the first girl to disappear, after she had found a letter written to him in his car when he was driving her to get a new katana three months ago. Reading it nearly made her cry, and she had only got through half before he noticed, gently took it out of her hands, and stuffed it in his pocket. He never elaborated on it, but Kira had figured out from the letter that the girl, whoever she was, loved Jake more than anything and hoped he wouldn't hate her for leaving.

Even with the lack of information on his past, Kira had become fast friends with Jake and the two kept in touch when they parted ways the first time. He had continuously checked in with her, as she was always grateful for his company. Eventually, her parents warmed up to him and Jake became a surrogate brother and son in their tiny family.

Jake helped her put the groceries in the right place, instinctively knowing where the Yukimura's would put different items. "Look, I'm not gong to tell you to stay away from this guy. If he's a true alpha, he has to be at least decent," When the two were done sorting the groceries, he leaned on the kitchen counter as Kira hopped up and sat upon it. "I'm just going to tell you to be careful. Getting too involved in your cases is almost never a good idea."

Kira nodded, pursing her lips. "Got it."

He suddenly brightened, smirking playfully. "So... I got a new set of throwing knives."

"Really?" Kira gasped, jumping down from the counter excitedly. Jake laughed and nodded, so the two of them were immediately heading for the Yukimura's training room.

Lydia glanced up from the huge, dusty book that she'd been translating for hours, noticing that Stiles was completely silent on the other side of Deaton's back room.

He was never completely silent.

The two were alone, as everyone seemed to have some job to do before they dunked Stiles in a freezing tub of water. Mel went back to the Argent's to get some herbs that she planned to have Stiles soak in to make the procedure safer, and Scott had went with Allison to get ice and a thermometer that they could use in the water. Derek and Isaac still hadn't arrived from the loft across town. Since nobody dared to interrupt Lydia's interpreting session, she was left behind to watch over Stiles.

Lydia noticed the lack of fidgeting or pacing from Stiles almost instantly. His nervous movements almost always made noise, a quirk of his that had now become both familiar and endearing to her. His silence, on the other hand, was a clear indication that something was wrong. She quickly folded the corner of the page she was nearly done with, closing the book and cautiously waking towards him. "Stiles?"

When he looked up at her, the slight indentation between his eyebrows and the quivering of his lips was clear indication of his inner turmoil. To Lydia, he looked almost helpless, and most definitely terrified. "I don't know if I can handle this, Lydia." His breath suddenly hitched and his eyes glazed over for a second, sending a wave of panic into the girl standing before him.

Lydia put a soothing hand on his arm, her eyes widening at his sudden change in demeanor. "It's okay, Stiles. You're alright. I just need you to calm down, okay?" She knew that she wasn't doing the best job at comforting him, as his breathing sped up despite her actions. It made sense, though, that she wasn't good at this. She wasn't used to helping him, despite the couple of times she had before. Stiles was always the calm one when she was panicked; Even his sarcastic comments and anxious behavior was soothing to her at this point. She wasn't familiar with him needing help, let alone from herself.

"I know, I just-" Stiles started to hyperventilate, placing one hand on his chest and the other on the counter next to him. "I really don't know if I can do this, Lydia. The first time was horrible enough. I was a freakin' wreck when my mom died, and it didn't exactly help that my dad became a borderline alcoholic. I couldn't handle trying to help my dad, I couldn't handle missing my mom so much that it hurt, and I could just barely handle all of my friends nearly dying all the time. I nearly tried to kill myself, Lydia, and I don't-" He shut his eyes as his breath hitched, shaking his head. "I don't want to do that again, to try that again. I can't do this. Please, I have to tell Mel that I cant do this."

There was a beat of horrible silence before Stiles opened his eyes, instantaneously regretting his outburst at the look on Lydia's face. She was scared, shocked, and devastated all at once. Worst of all, Stiles saw pity. He hated pity, especially from his friends, which was the main reason he always kept himself from blowing up like this. He tried to turn away from her, but grunted in pain when he chest tightened further and his breathing rapidly sped up.

Making a quick decision, Lydia took his face in her hands and forced him to face her. She ignored the alarming rate of his chest movements and concentrated on getting him to calm down before she had a panic attack of her own. "Stiles," She started. "You have to calm down, okay? Just focus on me." She demonstrated a couple deep breaths, sighing when Stiles's chest adjusted to follow hers. They stayed like that for a few minutes and waited until Stiles had clam down to pull away from each other. Lydia stepped back, watching as Stiles hands came together and started fiddling as usual.

He looked up at her again, jaw clenching. "I'm sorry. I, uh, shouldn't have freaked out like that."

Lydia rolled her eyes at his obvious guilt. "You don't have to apologize, Stiles," She turned, hopping up to sit on the metal counter next to him and swinging her heel-clad shoes. She glanced over at him and pursed her lips. "And you definitely don't have to go through with this if you don't want to."

"I want to know what happened in all those weeks that I can't remember," He sighed. "I'd just rather not see my mom dying again, you know? It wasn't exactly a picnic the first time."

Lydia pat his shoulder sympathetically. "Well, we'll all be here with you. I may not know what your going through, but you have Allison and Derek and Isaac," She sighed. "The point is, you won't be alone. We're all going to be right outside the tub, and my hands are going to be in there with you."

He chuckled, glancing over at her. "You're sure you want to push me in? Your nail polish might freeze and chip off." He laughed when her hand moved his face, pushing his head away playfully.

"Shut up, Stiles," She smiled at him, hopping down from the counter upon hearing a car pull up outside. "You're going to be okay, you know. If anyone I know is strong enough to go through anything, it's definitely you." Their eyes met and Lydia squeezed his shoulder sincerely, pulling back when Mel walked in with a backpack slung over one shoulder.

The hunter looked between the two of them, eyebrows raising. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, we were just-" Lydia started.

"Discussing how long it would actually take you to get ingredients for whatever Stiles soup you were planning to make." Stiles finished for her smugly, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Watch yourself, Stilinski. I could lie and make you stay in that tub more than need be." She retorted.

Allison walked in carrying a bag of ice in each hand and Scott followed, holding at least five in his arms. Isaac walked in behind them carrying a few jugs of water, while Derek trailed behind, giving a curious look to Mel.

He glanced over her once, raising a single eyebrow in a look that she immediately returned. He stuck a hand out reluctantly. "Nice to meet you. I'm Derek."

Mel simply glanced at his hand before moving her eyes back up to his face. "Mel." She turned after a second, going back to the counter where she laid her backpack and pulling out three small vials of multicolored powders. She handed one to Stiles and popped the caps of the other two, dumping them into the tub as Scott and Isaac filled it with water and ice.

Stiles looked down at the tiny tube, popping the cap open and sniffing it curiously. He looked up at Mel expectantly. "What's this for?"

Mel started dumping ice into the bucket with Allison. "It's called Daemonem Se Repellunt. In simple words, it's a type of mountain ash especially used for demons. If whatever we're trying to catch decides it wants to invade you again, it's going to have to go trough a hell of a struggle first," She patted the rim of the tub when it was filled to the top, standing up. "It's my last batch, though, so don't take all of it. Snort some up your nose or something."

When all was sorted, after Stiles had reluctantly snorted the mountain ash and peeled off his jacket to reveal a grey V-neck, Lydia rolled up her sleeves as the other surrounded Stiles and the tub. He reluctantly stepped in, mouth parting in a silent gasp as he slowly started to sink into the tub. Lydia placed her hands on his shoulders, gently gripping them and pushing down when he started to hesitate. He looked up her for a second and shut his eyes as his face submerged, his final gasp loud in the tense silence of the room. All the while he was shivering, his entire body shaking and thrashing as it rapidly tried to adjust to the cold. Mel glanced up a her cousin pointedly, so Allison took out the thermometer that she and Scott had gotten and set it in the water, bringing out after a few seconds.

"The water's at a little less than forty degrees." She said.

Mel crossed her arms, watching as Lydia's arms started growing goose bumps and Stiles's skin paled. She tapped her fingers on her arms anxiously. "He's not going to start fighting until his body starts going through severe hypothermia and his subconscious instincts kick in," At the concerned looks on everyone's faces, she held her hands out defensively. "Calm down, okay? The stuff that I put in the bath will make sure that the hypothermia will wear off when he starts warming up. He'll be fine."

Suddenly, Stiles lurched up and Lydia yelled as her hand was slammed against the side of the tub. Derek, Isaac, and Scott all held him down, their shirts getting soaked as the water splashed around Stiles. He started coughing and bucking his body out of the water, desperately trying to escape the hold of his friend's. After at least thirty seconds of this, Scott started to panic. He looked up at Mel with a desperate look on his face. "How do we help him!?"

"Just keep him under, Scott." Mel stepped forward and took Lydia's place at his shoulders, keeping his head under the water. The strawberry blonde was cradling her fast bruising wrist, watching the scene intently until Allison came over to check on her.

Stiles let out one final shout before his body stilled, rising to the top slowly just as Isaac's did all those months ago. His mouth parted in a small gasp and everyone started to calm down as his breathing steadied.

"Alright. Nobody talk but Scott and I. We can't confuse him," Mel started, setting her hands on the side of the tub gently. She cleared her throat and kept her eyes on Stiles's face, watching for signs that he was still semiconscious. His eyelids were moving and his lips trembling, signaling to her that he was having the right reactions. She waited a moment before deciding to speak. "Stiles, it's Mel. Can you tell me what you see?"

After a few silent seconds, Scott moved forward. "Stiles," He called out. "Talk to me, man. What do you see?"

Stiles's eyes opened slowly, staring at the light on the ceiling with a black look. His words trembled as he spoke. "It-It's red. It's red and purple and blue and orange. It looks like..." He trailed off, his voice falling out as he shivered.

Mel met Scott's eyes and nodded for him to go on. "Stiles," He tried again. "What is it? What do you see?"

Stiles's eyes blinked slowly, his head bobbing calmly in the water. "I saw my mom-her and her grave," At that, most of the packed looked down solemnly, a horrible feeling of grief passing through them.

Mel, however, caught on to Stiles's use of past tense. "What do you see now, Stiles? You said it was red and orange, remember?"

Stiles closed his eyes once again and stayed silent for minutes, the buzzing of the light and the serene splashing of the water being the only things the pack could hear until he spoke again. "Fire," He answered finally. "I see fire."

The rest of the pack watched at Mel's eyes widened in alarm and her mouth dropped open in shock. "Get him out," She sputtered. When no one moved, she raised her eyebrows at them expectantly. "I said, get him out. Now! On three, come on!" She grasped Stiles's arm firmly and waited until the werewolves followed. "One, two, three-!"

In a huge wave and splash of water, the four pulled Stiles out with so much force that he was lurched to his feet. He gasped loudly and immediately started to shiver. Lydia stepped forward and picked up the towel that had dropped from Scott's shoulders, wrapping it around Stiles as he stepped out of the tub. Scott helped her support Stiles as they walked him over to the counter, helping him lean against it. Stiles panted and wiped his eyes, shaking water out of his hair like a shaggy dog. Lydia glanced at him, annoyed when water dripped across her forehead.

Allison looked over at Mel worriedly and furrowed her eyebrows at her cousin's shell-shocked face "What happened?"

Mel looked back her, eyebrows raising expectantly. When Allison only continued to look confused, she seemed almost annoyed. "Your dad didn't teach you anything about demons or otherwise, did he?" When Allison shook her head, Mel dragged a hand over her face.

"Now that we've established that even Allison is in the dark here, Mel, can you tell us what the hell that was?" Lydia interrupted the silence, agitated. Stiles's arm was wrapped around her shoulder as she tried to warm him up, her hand rubbing across his back. Scott took a moment to notice the contact between the two, his eyebrows furrowing in curiosity before he looked back at Mel expectantly.

"It wasn't a demon that possessed Stiles," Mel started pacing as she stuttered through what she was trying to tell them. "I mean, he was, but the bastard definitely didn't start that way."

"Wait," Derek interrupted, eyebrows raising in disbelief as he understood what Mel was getting at. "You're serious?" When the hunter nodded back at him, he muttered a few select curse words and started heading out, calling back to them quickly that he was going to find Peter.

Isaac crossed his arms impatiently. "Okay, seriously, what's going on?"

Mel stopped her pacing and looked at Stiles, placing her hands on her hips worriedly. "Did the demon say anything before you were possessed? Ask you anything, something like that?"

Stiles nodded. "He told me to let go. To let him in." When Mel's demeanor went from worried to borderline hysteric, he stiffened. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"We're not dealing with any old demon," She stated surely. "What possessed you was a fallen angel, Xaphan. He became a demon after hell was created."

The pack was completely stunned for a second as they processed the new information. Lydia stiffened as Stiles's arm tightened around her and Scott glanced at his best friend in shock. Allison looked nervously at the three of them, her lower lip bitten between her teeth.

"Wait," Isaac started, his arms crossed. "If the thing's still a demon, what's the big deal?"

Mel sighed. "Former fallen angels and demons have different types of souls. Fallen angels actually have to do something to earn being kicked out of Heaven, but demon's are usually just souls that go to Hell after they die and end up returning to our world. When angels need to possess people, they need some form of consent. You let him in, Stiles, just as he asked," She said reluctantly. Scott pat Stiles's shoulder and Lydia started to rub his back again, the two of them trying to keep their friend from feeling any worse that he probably already did. Mel started pacing again, waving her hand as she started explaining again. "Xaphan was an angel that rebelled along with Lucifer, who was basically the first angel to rebel against God. Xaphan was cast into Hell with him after trying to literally burn down Heaven, and legends say that he's in charge of keeping Hell on fire."

"So we're not dealing with a demon, just a pyromaniac fallen angel. That's great." Stiles said dryly.

Lydia rolled her eyes at his sarcastic comments, trying hard to keep from chuckling. She really shouldn't have been laughing, but Stiles's snide comment somehow always made her crack. "Stiles, will you just-"

"No, I'm being serious! Kate was an arsonist, sure, but she has nothing on an actual angel. I'm kind of excited."

"Shut up, Stiles."