A/N: Here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it! It's looking like I'll be able to get the epilouge to this story out a week after I publish the last chapter.
As always, let me know what you think of thechapter
Seeing
"Jay shouldn't be out there as bait, he's the only one left beside you and me," Steve stated as he and Fiona walked through the tunnels.
"He volunteered for this, and he's not alone," Fiona reminded him. "Jay knows what he's doing, and I the only one fast enough to outrun a Ghost Rider."
"I'm not so sure he's just going to be running from them. He seemed a little angrier than usual when he volunteered for this."
"He would do anything to save his friends, and with Leonard gone—" Fiona started before stopping herself. "All they're going to do is distract the Rider's long enough for us to remember Stiles and open the portal."
"You and Jay still remember Stiles completely, why hasn't a portal been opened yet?"
"We didn't have any solid memories with Stiles. You and August were the ones who spent the most time with him, we just saw everything through the link."
"Then why didn't we use the link to show everyone what happened?" Steve asked, coming to a stop.
"We tried that with you. Leonard thinks that the memories we showed you were so contradictory to what you believed to be true that it might have made things worse. So, we had to let everyone else remember on their own," she explained and they continued down the tunnel. "Leonard had written a couple of theories down that I found after he—He believes strong emotions can help bring back the memories of those taken. Something you can't fabricate or recreate later, but—" Fiona sighed as they came to the bunker door.
"But what?" Steve asked, as he pulled it open and saw the others.
"But if we share the memories as they come to us, we don't have to worry about that," Fiona replied.
"I don't think talking about what we see is going to help us at all," Malia stated, locking the door behind the other two.
"We aren't," Lydia told her. "We'll be able to see each other's memories as they occur."
"Through the link," Scott added.
"But the link is gone," Steve reminded them, shaking his head.
"I know, but Fiona explained it to me," Scott stated. "If all you need is another wolf to make a pack, then—" he shrugged, gesturing to himself.
"We don't know if that will work," Steve told him. "It could just as easily kill you."
"Leonard said that he was almost certain that it will work," Fiona assured him.
"And it could make it easier for all of us to remember Stiles," Lydia told him. "Reducing the time we would need."
"Besides, if we can't get the rift open and save everyone, then we're next, and our fate isn't much better," Malia said with a shrug.
"Why don't we just—" Steve started.
"Lydia and I will be paying attention while you link with Scott. If we get the slightest premonition, then I'll stop you."
Steve hesitated for a moment before starting to shake his head. "It's our best chance to save Stiles. To save everyone," Scott said. "Including August."
"Alright," Steve sighed. "We'll try it."
Scott nodded and turned away from the other alpha. Steve stepped forward, bringing out his claws. He lined his claws up with the back of Scott's neck, taking a deep breath before pushing his claws in. The two gasped before closing their eyes.
The room fell silent for a moment as the others watched. "Should something be happening?" Malia asked. Fiona held up her finger and leaned in, staring at the back of Scott's neck. After a moment, black tendrils started to crawl up Steve's arm, reaching his shoulder. The two gasped as Steve removed his claws, both of their eyes glowing red as they snapped open. "Did it work?" Malia asked.
"Did it?" Scott's voice sounded in Steve's head.
Steve sighed. "It did."
"Malia you're next," Fiona stated.
"Why me?" Malia asked.
"Cause we need to add your healing factor, or it will kill Lydia and me," Fiona told her.
Malia raised an eyebrow at Fiona. "It'll be okay," Scott assured her.
"Fine," the werecoyote huffed, turning around and moving her hair aside. Steve inserted his claws into her neck. After a few moments, black tendrils started to crawl up Scott and Steve's arms. Steve released Malia and her eyes shined blue for a moment before returning to normal.
Fiona spun around and moved her hair out of the way. "Now me." Steve repeated the process on the banshee. Fiona stumbled slightly as Steve removed his claws from her before turning to Lydia. Lydia swallowed before nodding and turning her back to the alpha. Steve inserted his claws, removing them after tendrils started to crawl up everyone else's arms.
"That wasn't so bad," Lydia muttered.
"So, now you just show us everything?" Malia asked, turning to Fiona.
"No," Fiona replied. "You'll all still have to remember on your own. But we can see what you remember, hopefully it'll help enhance the effect."
"We're going to be using that," Lydia added, pointing to the cooling chamber behind her. Scott nodded as Steve and Malia stared at the chamber, wide eyed.
"So, how cold does this thing get?" Scott asked, walking over to the chamber.
"Cold enough for a hellhound. It's not the same as the ice bath you gave Isaac, but it can lower your core temperature past—anything a human can survive," Lydia explained.
"So, what does freezing our asses off have to do with our memories?" Malia asked.
"Yeah, it doesn't really make sense to me," Steve added.
"It'll slow your heart rate, and put you in a trance-like state," Lydia explained.
"Like hypnosis," Scott added.
"Hypnotic regression," Lydia corrected. "If we can figure out how to work it."
"Shouldn't be too hard," Fiona muttered, examining the chamber closer.
"This says start, so maybe it's not that complicated," Malia stated, pointing to a set of buttons on the side.
"Yeah," Steve sighed as he examined the meters, dials, and valves on the other side.
"It's complicated," Scott gulped, looking at the same side.
"So, optimistically, how much time do you think we need to do this?" Malia asked.
"As much time as Liam, Jay, and Stilinski can buy us," Scott told her.
"If the Ghost Riders show up, I'll do everything I can to slow them down," Fiona added. The others nodded as Scott opened the chamber doors.
"I'm not saying you have to like him. I'm just saying that maybe he can help us," Liam said as they walked into the sheriff's station.
"As much as I think we could use the help, do you really think Theo is the person to go to?" Jay stated.
"I'll consider asking Theo for help when I don't have a station full of armed deputies to back me up," the sheriff replied, opening the door to the station. He froze when he saw that all of the deputies' desks were vacant and in tatters. He stepped in and picked up the mic to one of the radios. "Any available units, this is Sheriff Stilinski. Do you copy?" Static returned his call and he adjusted the dial slightly. "I repeat, any and all units. This is Sheriff Stilinski. Respond immediately with your twenty." More static came through the receiver. "All units—"
"They're gone," Liam muttered, interrupting the last call.
"That, that—That's not possible. That's—"
"We're the only ones left," Jay whispered.
"They couldn't have taken everyone," Stilinski said in disbelief.
"They didn't," Theo stated from his cell.
"Well, I guess it's time to consider," Jay commented stepping toward the chimera.
"Please—Please tell me that you brought the key card," Theo said.
"I also brought my gun," Stilinski told him.
"And your sense of humor. That is great," Theo replied.
"Ready for mine?" Jay asking, stepping toward the cell. Theo started to roll his eyes but stopped when Jay grabbed the chimera and pulled him into the cell door. "If we let you out, and you even think about doing anything that jeopardizes the chance of us saving my friends, I will personally kill you," he stated, spots forming on his face. Stilinski raised an eyebrow before nodding toward the werecheetah.
Theo smirked at Jay. "I'm pretty sure I beat you last time."
"Actually, I kicked your ass," Jay growled.
Theo bit his lip and Jay released him. "If we're the only ones left in Beacon Hills, then we need each other. Which means you need me out of this cell."
"We need to trust you," Liam told him.
"Then you need to get realistic, because trust is not important right now," Theo spat back. "It is us against them. And you want a lot more of us considering how many of them there are."
"I hate to say it, but—he's kind of right," Liam sighed.
"We might be better off leaving him in there," Jay stated.
"No, you need the numbers."
"If I let you out," Stilinski said, turning back to Theo. "And I see any behavior that I find remotely suspicious, Jay will be the least of your worries. I'll put so many bullets in your head, God wouldn't even recognize you."
"I'm an atheist," Theo smirked, leaning into the door. "Fire at will." Stilinski sighed as he pulled out his key card. He slowly brought his hand toward the scanner before pausing and pulling back. "You're gonna need to be a little bit closer than that, sheriff," Theo stated, as Stilinski started to flip the card through his fingers. "Wave it over the card reader," Theo added, reaching through the bars and pointing to the scanner. "Come on, right here. Up and down, you can do it."
"Sheriff, we need him," Liam whispered when Stilinski still didn't move.
Theo looked down at the card, his face begging the sheriff. Suddenly, his face shifted into a scowl as he reached through the bars for the card. Stilinski pulled the card back out of reach and Jay ran past, grabbing Theo's arm and wrenching it back until it snapped at the elbow. "See that's the kind of thing that's going to get you killed," Jay growled, holding on to Theo's arm as the chimera screamed in pain. Jay bent it further back as he stepped closer to Theo. "I just want to make things clear, no one is going to stop me from saving my friends."
Jay released Theo's arm and the chimera quickly pulled it back inside, stepping out of reach of Jay. "Tell me something," Stilinski said, calmly.
"What?" Theo shouted before moving his bones back into place place. "Tell you what? What are you talking about?"
"Tell me about my son," Theo shook his head in disbelief. "Tell me one thing about Stiles that you remember. Just one."
"You swipe that key card, I'll tell you anything you want."
"Sheriff. They are coming," Liam warned.
"Then let's get ready to fight them," Jay stated, glaring at Theo.
"One thing. Just one thing!" Stilinski shouted.
Theo grit his teeth as his eyes danced between Stilinski and Jay. The two shook their heads and turned away from the cell. "He was smart!" Theo shouted when the two nearly reached the door. They paused and turned back to him. "Smart enough not to trust me."
Stilinski nodded before moving back to the cell and opening the door. "Let's go," he said before leading them back to the entrance.
"They're here," Liam whispered after they heard a horse whinny.
"How close?" Stilinski asked.
"Right outside," Jay responded.
"How many?"
"I heard a couple horses, maybe more," Liam responded.
"Five, I—I think five at the most," Theo said, his voice shaking.
"Four of us, five of them. You ready?" Stilinski asked, cocking his gun.
"As I'll ever be," Jay replied stepping toward the door.
"Wait, are you kidding? Us against five Ghost Riders?" Theo asked, stopping them.
"We can take 'em," Liam replied.
"Five of them?"
"Four of us," Jay echoed, nodding to the sheriff. The sheriff stepped forward as the others shifted and prepared to fight. Stilinski opened the door and the group froze. "That's a lot more than five," Jay muttered, staring at the massive crowd of Ghost Riders.
The Ghost Riders drew their guns and pointed them at the open door. "Aw, hell," Stilinski sighed before the Riders opened fire. The sheriff disappeared in a cloud of smoke as the others took cover.
"Come on," Liam grunted, grabbing Theo and pulling him toward himself and Jay.
"Three of us," Theo sighed, shaking his head. Jay pointed to the back and they ran toward it. Liam grabbed a lockbox of keys as they ran out the door and toward one of the squad cars. "Keys! Keys!" Theo shouted as they piled into the car, holding his hand out to Liam in the passenger seat. Liam broke open the box and revealed a jumbled mess of keys. "Are you serious?"
"Here," Liam whispered, handing a key to Theo. The chimera tried to insert it into the ignition but it didn't fit.
"Give me another one," Theo ordered.
"Which one?"
"Any of them!"
"There's a lot of keys here," Liam shouted, picking through the keys.
"I could probably run faster than this," Jay commented from the backseat. He slid over to the door, but discovered he was locked inside.
"I really feel like you're not even trying right now, Liam!" Theo shouted after trying another key.
"I'm trying!"
"Shouting isn't really going to help!" Jay yelled as he stole the box from Liam. The beta dropped the handful that he had in his hand.
"Nope, give me another one—" Theo started as Liam handed him a tiny key from the floor. "This isn't even a car key!"
"Here," Jay replied, handing Theo a key. "Now go!" Theo paused as he looked back at the werecheetah. "Go!"
Theo jammed the key into the ignition and turned it over. "Woo!" Liam cheered slapping his hand on the dash. "Yes! Go, go, go!"
Theo shifted into reverse and slammed on the gas, ramming into one of the Riders bouncing over its body. "Works for me," Jay shrugged as they all grinned at each other before Theo shifted to drive and sped off.
"How'd you find the key so fast?" Liam asked.
"Because that's what I do," Jay said.
"What?" Liam asked.
"Please don't," Theo sighed.
"I'm fast, and I'm witty," Jay replied, causing Theo to roll his eyes.
After they finished examining the exterior of the chamber and guessed at how to operate it, Scott took his shirt off and Malia pressed the start button she had found earlier. The machine whirred to life and they could hear air hiss. "Okay, it's doing something. Ready?" Malia asked.
Scott nodded. "We'll be right here," Steve told him, tapping his head.
Scott nodded again and stepped inside the chamber. Lydia closed and started to seal the door. Scott looked to Malia and nodded again. "Remember, this will get cold enough to kill you. So, if something feels wrong, or like, it's not working—" Fiona started.
"It's going to work," Scott assured her.
Lydia stopped and leaned closer to the window. "I hope you're not saying that because you think I know what I'm doing."
"I'm saying that because I know you can figure it out," Scott told her. Lydia paused for a moment before turning all of the dials on the side from zero to ten. Frosty air immediately hissed into the chamber and Scott started to shiver. "Oh, okay, alright, yeah, that's cold. Really cold," he chattered.
"If we get a sense that he's going to die, we need to get him out," Fiona reminded them.
"Malia and I should be able to draw away some of the cold—" Steve started.
"No," Lydia interrupted him. "His core temp needs to drop in order to remember. You can't keep him warm."
Steve nodded. "So, what are we supposed to do? Talk to him? Help him remember? Wait until he turns into a werewolf freezy pop?" Malia asked.
"We need to guide him, keep him focused," Lydia explained before turning back to the chamber. "Scott, you have to think about him. Concentrate on Stiles." Scott nodded his head as the frosty air started to obscure his face. "Try to picture him in your head. Think about what he looked like. Things he said."
The machine whirred one last time before starting to wind down as Scott grunted in pain. "I don't like this. Something's wrong," Malia said, panicked.
"I think it's supposed to do that, actually," Fiona muttered, moving around the machine.
"Just give it a few more seconds," Lydia whispered.
The machine shook as Scott gasped and slammed his hand against the door. "I'm getting him out of there," Malia said, reaching for the handle.
"Wait," Lydia stated, grabbing her wrist. Steve leaned closer as Scott leaned back and dropped his arms. "Scott, can you hear me?" Lydia asked. Scott lifted his head and opened his eyes slightly, revealing his glowing red eyes. "Scott, can you hear me?" she repeated.
"Something's happening," Steve said as a picture faded in an out of his mind. "It's not being sent to us well though."
"How do we make it clearer?" Malia asked before Scott's head lulled forward and he started to blink.
"Scott, don't fall asleep. You have to keep your eyes open," Lydia told him.
"Trying," Scott muttered.
"It's not sleep. I think you're losing consciousness," Lydia said, tapping the glass. "And if you do that, I think we're going to lose you."
Scott's head nodded slightly before it started to dip back down. "Scott! Stay awake," Malia shouted as Steve shifted.
"Scott!" Steve roared in Scott's mind before his vision went black and he fell backward.
Steve opened his eyes and found himself on the second floor of Scott's house. He looked around and spotted Scott in front of him. "You kissed her, Scott. You kissed Lydia," Steve heard Stiles say. The two alphas turned to look down the hall and saw a younger Stiles fade into existence as he sat on the hallway floor.
"Steve, we need you to come back," he heard Fiona's voice in his head.
"Stiles, please let me out," Steve heard a younger Scott say from his room. Steve stepped forward, past Stiles and spotted Scott, with longer hair, laying on the ground, chained to a radiator with a dog bowl in front of him. "It's the full moon I swear."
"You're going to ruin the memory," Fiona warned. "Get out now!"
"You know I wouldn't do any of this on purpose," the younger Scott said, his eyes glaring at the doorway "And it's killing me. I feel completely hopeless. Just please, let me out."
"I can't," Stiles sighed.
Steve heard the younger Scott scream from the bedroom as his vision started to fade.
"Where does this take us?" Theo asked as he sped down the road.
"The hospital," Liam replied.
"Hospital? Why the—What the hell are we supposed to do at the hospital?"
"Hangout, perform surgeries—" Jay commented.
"Hide," Liam stated, interrupting the werecheetah. "Look we can't outrun them, right?"
"Speak for yourself," Jay told him.
Liam shook his head. "I know every inch of that building. Every room, every corner."
"Hide? That's the best that we've got?"
"We just need to keep them away from Steve and Scott for as long as possible," Jay explained.
"Why, what're they gonna do?"
"They're going to remember," Liam told him.
"Remember what?"
"Stiles, they have to remember Stiles," Liam said.
"What if they can't?"
"Then we all join the Wild Hunt," Jay muttered.
Steve's eyes snapped open and he pushed himself off the floor. "What happened?" he gasped.
"You entered his memories," Fiona explained.
"There was a chance that Scott could have seen you, it would have broken his concentration," Lydia told him.
Steve listened into Scott's thoughts as the other alpha bounced from memory to memory. "He's still finding him, but everything's jumbled," Steve told them.
"Yeah, we know," Malia said as she helped Steve to his feet.
Scott's heart rate picked up as he continued to jump between memories. "He's panicking," Steve muttered. "What do we do?" he asked turning to Lydia.
"I don't know," she said quickly. "It's like it's too much information, like, he's getting buried under all the memories, bring overloaded by them."
"So, what do we do to help him?" Malia asked.
Lydia hit the glass with her fist. "Scott? Scott, do you hear me?"
"If his mind is being overwhelmed—" Fiona started as Lydia went to hit the glass again.
Steve stopped her hand and she whipped toward the alpha. "Use the link, Lydia. External senses will just overwhelm him more."
Lydia nodded and closed her eyes. "Scott, can you hear me?" they heard Lydia say in their heads. "You need to focus."
They hopped out of the car as soon as they reached the hospital. They headed for the doors, but Liam paused at an abandoned ambulance that had its lights still flashing. "Liam, come on. We don't have much of a lead on them," Theo warned, turning back to the beta. Liam pulled open the door and flipped the switch for the ambulance's siren. "What the hell are you doing?" Theo shouted, reaching to turn the siren off.
Jay grabbed the chimera's arm and pulled him back out of the ambulance. "Bringing them here. We're the bait," Jay explained.
"What!?" Theo shouted as Jay and Liam pushed him into the hospital.
"If the Ghost Riders are here, then that means they're not trying to get to Scott and Steve," Liam explained.
"So, you don't care if they get to you?"
"Nope," Jay stated.
"They're going to get to all of us eventually," Liam added.
"You two! You're going first. That's the only reason I'm with you. Because while their wrapping whips around your necks, and shooting a hole in your face," Theo shouted, jabbing his finger into Jay's forehead. "I'll be running in the other direction! I'm on your side as long as it helps me."
"Well, when they're finished with us, they'll go after you, which will buy Steve and the others more time," Jay replied. "Also, don't touch me again," he growled before shoving Theo through the hospital doors.
Liam followed after Theo with Jay close behind. The dim emergency lights were all that remained of the power, leaves covered the floor, and various pieces of medical equipment were left abandoned throughout the halls. Theo froze as he stared down the vacant hallway. "Theo?" Liam asked approaching the chimera.
Theo remained frozen for a moment before shaking his head. "I'm fine," he snapped. "I just thought I was somewhere else for a second."
"Where?" Liam asked.
"In a bad dream," Theo mumbled, looking at the ground. The three of them jumped when thunder crashed outside and gust of wind blew through the doors, causing them to squeak. "You said you knew where to hide."
"Follow me," Liam stated before running down the hall. Theo and Jay followed right behind him.
"It's not working," Fiona sighed as Scott grabbed his ears. A bag echoed from outside the door, causing them all to jump.
"Did you hear that?" Malia asked.
"Thunder?" Lydia asked.
"Maybe," Malia responded.
Lydia took a deep breath as she turned back to Scott. "I can't get through to him," Lydia sighed.
"Is he going to freeze to death in there?" Malia asked.
"If his memories don't kill him first," Lydia replied.
"There has to be another way to do this, isn't there?" Malia asked, turning to Fiona and Steve who were still standing by the door.
"Jay," Steve whispered, not paying attention to the others.
"I don't know, this is my first attempt at trying to open a dimensional rift in space-time," Lydia whimpered. "So, I'm kinda fumbling around in the dark, okay?"
"Stop asking if he can hear you," Fiona stated, leaving Steve behind. "Just talk to him, assume he can."
"And say what?" Malia snapped at the banshee before shaking her head. "I'm getting him out."
"Wait, I'm not the only one," Lydia stated.
"What?"
"I'm not the only one fumbling around in the dark."
"What does that even mean?"
"I think we have to treat this more like actual hypnosis," Lydia explained. "They use images to guide you through your memories. Like a stairwell. The steps take you down through one year of your life to the next. That's how they regress you back."
"That'll work," Fiona mumbled. "Lydia, send him an image, something familiar to Scott, something like—"
"The high school," Lydia whispered, closing her eyes. "in the hallway with everyone's lockers lining the walls." She mumbled to herself a few times, creating the image in her mind before sending it to Scott. Scott dropped his hands and Fiona looked into his mind as the alpha spun around in a version of the school's hallway. "Each of your memories of Stiles is in a separate locker," Lydia explained. "Just open the lockers."
"Steve," Fiona hissed, drawing his attention away from the door. Steve closed his eyes and focused on Scott's mind as Scott reached out and slowly opened a locker.
"This is your brilliant idea?" Theo shouted as they pushed the shelf in front of the door. "Barricading ourselves in the morgue."
"The Ghost Riders go after the living," Liam told him. "So, we hide with the dead."
"The dead don't like to yell, so please be respectful and keep your voice down," Jay whispered back as he opened pulled out one of the drawers. "Yuck," he spat when he saw that it was already occupied.
"I'm not getting in one of those," Theo told them.
"Yeah, me neither," Liam said, pushing the drawer back in and latching the door.
"You should've left me in the holding cell. I didn't sign up to be bait."
"We should have left you in the ground," Liam commented, turning back around.
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah, really," Liam replied.
"What do you think I was doing down there? Just hanging out with my dead sister? Having a good time catching up on childhood memories?"
"Well, you obviously weren't just rotting away," Jay commented.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Theo asked, turning to the werecheetah. "I was gone for a few months and now it's like you're a completely different person."
"My friends were taken," Jay growled, stepping toward Theo with his amber eyes glowing. "I tried to protect them, but I couldn't."
"Well, that's reassuring," Theo scoffed, turning away from Jay.
"You're not my friend. When the Ghost Riders show up, I'm not even going to try to save you." Theo turned back to Jay surprised. As Jay continued approaching. "The only reason you're here, out of the ground and out of that cell, is to buy us every second we can get trying to save our friends. We're going to use you, just like you would have used us to save yourself."
Theo looked up at the ceiling for a moment after Jay finished. "You still hear the ambulance?" the chimera asked, looking back down at the others. Liam and Jay looked up toward the car, not responding. "The siren, can you still hear it?" Liam slowly shook his head and Jay realized the sound of the siren had completely faded away. "They're here," Theo announced.
Scott held his phone to his ear. "Scott?" a voice panted from the other side.
"Stiles, are you there?" Scott responded.
"Scott, I—I don't know where I am. I don't know how I got here."
The image flashed before him, but he still stood in his room, holding his phone. "Hey, this is Stiles, and you've missed me. Leave a mess—" the voicemail stared before Scott hung up and redialed.
The voicemail echoed as Scott continued to dial the number. "Pick another memory," Lydia's voice rang out, disrupting the repeated echo.
Scott shook his head as he reached out and slammed the locker shut. "I don't think I can do this," Scott called out in a panic. "I can't figure it out."
"Keep looking," she assured him.
Scott turned to look down the hallway that had countless lockers along the walls. "There are memories, but I don't know which one's the right one. What am I supposed to do?"
"Find another memory, just find another memory."
Scott nodded and reached for another locker.
"It's getting too cold," Lydia muttered, looking at the gauges. Steve opened his eyes and moved closer to the chamber.
"We still have some time," he whispered, peaking through the glass at Scott. "His heart is starting to slow though."
"What if it's not enough to remember him?" Malia asked.
"What do you mean?" Fiona asked.
"What if it's some kind of a connection, he's suppose to make because of a memory?"
"Like an emotion connection?" Lydia asked.
"That could be why it worked for Stilinski, right?"
"She's right, it about the emotional connections we have to the memories, not the memories themselves," Fiona stated.
"Stilinski wasn't just remembering someone, he was remembering his son," Lydia added.
"We have time for him to find one more memory," Steve sighed stepping back from the chamber as Malia approached. "Maybe."
"Scott? Scott, can you hear me?" Malia's voice rang out in his head. "I remember something. At the start of the year, Stiles was trying to find a place for you guys to live after graduation." Malia's voice paused and he looked up at the ceiling, waiting for her to finish her thought. "He said you were getting an apartment together?" Scott shook his head, before closing his eyes and reaching for the locker, trying to remember the memory she was talking about. "And I remember saying something to Stiles. Something like, 'it's not always a good idea to live with your friends, even your best friend.' But Stiles said it wouldn't matter because you weren't just friends. You guys were more like brothers."
"Brothers," Scott muttered, fog coming from his breath as he opened the locker. A red light filled the inside and he reached out, grabbing a flare. He looked down at the flame shooting out of the end, moving it down to his side.
Scott blinked and found himself standing in the parking lot of the Motel Glen Capri. The flare in his hand, his body soaked, standing in a puddle, and the smell of gasoline surrounding him. He looked forward and saw Allison and Lydia standing behind Stiles. "Scott, just listen to me, okay?" Stiles said, barely above a whisper, tears falling from his eyes as he took a step forward. "You're not no one. You're someone, you're—Scott, you're my best friend. Okay? And I need you." Scott felt his body shake and tears started to form in his eyes as Stiles paused took another step forward. "Scott, you're my brother," Stiles stated, before taking a deep, shaky breath. "Alright, so—" Stiles moved closer to Scott, stepping into the puddle of gasoline beneath him. "So, if we're gonna do this, then, I think you're just gonna have to take me with you." Stiles grabbed onto the flare.
Stiles slowly started to pulled the flare from Scott's grasp as tears flowed down his eyes. Once the flare left Scott's hand the memory went dark.
He opened his eyes as he fell out of the cooling chamber. Steve caught him before he could connect with the ground. "What's wrong? Why'd you bring me out?" Scott asked as he started to get control of his body.
"Your heart rate dropped, you were gonna die," Lydia told him.
"We had to," Malia told him.
"But then—but then nothing happened, did it?" Scott asked, turning to Lydia as he started to shiver. "It didn't work."
"No, but we're not done trying," Steve told him.
"You're right," Scott said, pushing himself to his feet. "I'm going back in."
"No, you're not!" Lydia told him, quickly blocking the door to the chamber.
"It was working. Something was happening. I could feel it."
"But nothing was happening out here. Nothing, Scott. All we saw was you freezing to death" Lydia told him.
"You can't help anyone if you're dead," Steve reminded him as Scott reached for the door. Scott paused and looked down at his hands as they continued to shake.
"It's my turn," Malia told them, removing her shirt. Scott and Lydia looked at her, surprised. "I have plenty of memories of Stiles too."
"It's too dangerous," Lydia warned her.
"But we have a better idea of what we're doing. We'll have a head start," Steve told her.
"It's not as dangerous as doing nothing," Scott added. "And she'll probably be able to handle the cold better than me."
"If it's all about connection, then Stiles was the first person I connected with in a long time," Malia stated.
"She'll need a visual," Scott said, looking to Lydia.
Lydia started to shake her head for a moment before closing her eyes and sighing. "Okay, I have an idea, but, Malia, if your heart rate goes down like Scott's, or we think you're going to freeze to death—"
"Then get me the hell out of there," Malia interrupted.
"Alright, let's do this," Fiona stated, turning the dials on the machine to reset it as Malia stepped in. Lydia closed the doors to the chamber as Fiona pressed the start button.
An image of the school's library flashed in Malia's mind. She opened her eyes and found herself in the library, but all the books were knocked over and scattered on the ground. She stepped forward, stepping on a pile of books as she moved down the rows. "I'm here. I'm in the library," Malia stated, surprise in her voice.
"Can you see the books?" Lydia's voice asked.
"I see them—" she started, gawking at the mess surrounding her.
"Concentrate on them. The books on the shelves are your memories. Everything that's ever happened to you. Find the shelf that has all of your memories of Stiles," Lydia's voice explained. Malia paused at a row and stepped into it. "Try to find a memory where you made some kind of connection with him."
Malia stopped and reached for one of the books. The cover read Exposition Workshop. She shook her head slightly before opening the book and flipping through the pages. Her vision blurred slightly and she blinked to clear her eyes.
She opened her eyes and found herself in Eichen House, she looked down the hallway and spotted Stiles. She blinked again, turning the page, and found herself out in the courtyard.
"Hey," Stiles started as he approached her. Malia punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground and interrupting his greeting. Malia slammed the book shut and was back in the library.
"Did you find something?" Lydia asked.
"I definitely connected," Malia commented.
She grabbed another book, flipping through the pages before her vision took her to the basement of Lydia's lake house. She was chained to the wall and struggling to control her shift as she tried to free herself from the chains.
"I'm not gonna run. 'Cause I don't think you're going to hurt me," Stiles stated from behind her. She growled as she pulled harder against the chains. "And I think that maybe you're so afraid of hurting me because of what you did to your family—"
Malia closed the book, tossing it aside as she grabbed another book. "You want to help me? Find a way to change me back," she said while showering at Eichen.
"You want to go back?" Stiles asked, turning to face her. "To being a coyote?"
Malia picked up another book. Memories flickered through her mind, but she didn't recognize a connection so she tossed it aside and grabbed another book. She flipped through the pages and her vision started to blur again.
She opened her eyes and found Stiles crouching over her as she sat on the ground in the Hale vault, black goo dripping from her chin as it fell out of her mouth. "Hey," Stiles whispered. "Malia, I gotta leave for a few, okay?"
"Where are you going?" Malia breathed, her vision still not clearing up.
"Whatever's happening, it's worse for you guys."
"Stiles, where are you going?" Stiles didn't respond, but he rubbed her arm gently before covering her up with his jacket. "You're coming back, right?"
Stiles smirked, running his hand through her hair. "Yeah, I'd never leave you behind," he told her.
Malia smiled as Stiles kissed her forehead. "Malia?" Lydia's voice echoed.
"Malia, open your eyes," Scott's voice told her as Stiles started to walk away, his hand lingering with hers before he walked out of reach.
She felt her head fall to the side as Stiles walked away. "Malia, can you hear us?" Lydia asked again.
"Malia! Open your eyes!" Steve called out. She looked up and watched Stiles close the vault door behind him.
Malia looked up from the book, tears in her eyes. She dropped the book and reached out for another, but gasped in pain as she watched frost crawl up her arm, starting from the book. She watched as it made its way to her shoulder before her eyes started to glow blue.
She opened her eyes and saw the chamber's glass window in front of her. She gasped and reached to push it open, but it didn't budge. Scott and Steve rushed to unlatch the door.
"Scott, look," Lydia stated, pointing to a green light coming in through the grates. The two alphas paused, turning to look at the light. The room started to shake as the light grew brighter. "Something's happening."
"We have to get her out!" Fiona called out as frost started to form on the window and Malia struggled to breathe. The four of them quickly unlatched the door, grabbing Malia as she fell out of the chamber. She clutched Scott, panting and shivering as she stared blankly ahead.
Jay, Liam, and Theo stepped back from the door as they heard the Ghost Riders walk through the hallway. A few doors opened further down the hall and the three of them looked at each other. They nodded and grabbed one of the wheeled tables. They saw a Ghost Rider open the door on the other side of the hallway as Theo and Liam pointed the table at the door. The Rider started to turn around and Jay pushed aside the barricade as Liam and Theo shoved the table through the door, slamming the Ghost Rider into the wall next to the room it had just check.
The three of them gasped as it seemed they had knocked the Rider out. They ran around the table to check, but froze as five other Ghost Riders started to approach them from the other side of the table. "Hide with the dead?" Theo commented as the Riders pointed their revolvers at them.
"It was worth a try," Liam shouted. They ran as the Riders opened fire, the bullets exploded in clouds of smoke as they connected with the wall behind them. They continued sprinting as they rounded the corner.
Steve and Fiona led Malia to a chair as Scott ran to get her a blanket. "What are you doing?" Scott asked as he wrapped the blanket around Malia. Steve and Fiona turned back as Lydia started to turn off the machine.
"It's too dangerous," Lydia explained. "We're not going to save anyone by freezing you guys to death."
"We don't really have another option," Steve pointed out, moving toward her.
"It was working, wasn't it?" Malia protested.
"There was a light and a strange noise. No Stiles," Lydia replied, stepping away from the machine.
"But I can remember him now. I can see him in my head," Scott said.
"So can I," Malia added.
"He's more real now than he's ever been. If we can bring Stiles back, we can bring everyone back," Scott continued.
"There's a huge difference in being a vivid memory and an actual corporeal human being," Lydia explained.
"Then maybe we just need more connections," Steve stated, working to turn the machine back on.
"I said it is too dangerous," Lydia told him, turning to stop him.
"Steve's right, but I think it should be you," Scott said, stopping Lydia.
"I won't last two minutes in there."
"Then let's think of something else. Malia's right. It's all about the connection," Scott said. "When I was remembering everything, I was also remembering the two of you, together. I don't think anyone had a connection like you guys."
"I saw it too," Malia stated. "You have to try Lydia."
"Then we have to do it the old-fashioned way," Lydia stated. "We're going to actually hypnotize me. Turn it off," she added, turning to Steve.
"Not until I try," Steve replied.
"You've seen what it's done to us," Scott warned him.
"I have," Steve replied, turning the dial. "And maybe you're right that Lydia is the key to bringing Stiles back, but maybe you're wrong, or the hypnosis doesn't work. And if it does, but doesn't bring Stiles back we can't waste time hypnotizing me." Steve said, turning the last dial and facing Lydia. "Get everything set up. Get hypnotized. I'm going to try to remember what I can through this before we lose the others."
"Steve's right," Fiona interrupted as Lydia tried to protest. "Every connection we can make has to matter, and we can't take the time to induce both of you into a hypnotic state. I'll focus on Steve while you get ready."
Lydia bit her lip, staring at the other two for a moment. "Fine," she sighed. "But you're coming out at the slightest sign that things are going wrong." Steve nodded at her before stepping into the chamber. Lydia started to gather what they needed as Fiona pressed the start button.
Jay ducked as one of the Riders whips flew over his head. He barreled into the Rider, knocking it into a closing elevator before running back and helping Liam. The werecheetah slid and fell to the floor as Liam knocked the Rider's arm aside, causing the bullet to fly toward Jay. Liam pushed the Rider back as Jay got to his feet. Theo ran back, grabbing the Rider as it aimed at Liam, and forcing it into another room. Liam grabbed a crutch and jammed it in the door, locking the Rider inside.
The three nodded at each other before they heard spurs moving on the upper floor. "They're everywhere," Theo muttered.
"Good," Liam replied.
"Really? You really need me to remind you that getting captured by the Ghost Riders isn't gonna help you save your friends?"
"No, but—" Jay started, but stopped when he noticed the shadows of approaching Ghost Riders from around the corner.
"We're all getting caught," Liam whispered to Theo. "You can do it while you're running. We're going down fighting."
They turned down the hall as five more Riders rounded the corner. Liam and Jay shifted and roared at the Riders before rushing toward them. They heard a roar behind them as Theo followed behind them.
"The library worked for me," Malia told Fiona as Lydia continued to get ready for the hypnosis. "Kept everything organized."
Fiona nodded, watching the frosty air obscure Steve's face before his red eyes started to glow.
Steve opened his eyes and found himself in the school's library. The books were neatly put in their spots on the shelves. "Find the aisle on Stiles," he muttered to himself, walking past the tables. He stopped and moved down one of the rows, before grabbing a book from the shelf.
There was no title on the cover, so he opened it and found himself in Stiles's room. "I'll try to make this relatively painless," Steve stated as placed his hand on Stiles's back. Black tendrils crawl up his arm as the alpha cleaned the circular wound left behind from Donavan. "All set," Steve stated as he removed his hand.
The memory faded as Steve felt a rumble in the library, he opened his eyes and noticed some of the books had fallen to the floor. He tossed the book aside and grabbed another.
Steve stood in Stiles's room again, but Steve was near the door and Stiles was facing the window, his back turned to the alpha. "You need to leave," Stiles stated in a dry voice.
"Stiles, you know he wouldn't want that," Steve explained.
"Leave," Stiles repeated, turning to Steve and revealing his red face and tears rolling down his cheek. Steve opened his mouth to respond, but Stiles stopped him, chucking the dry erase eraser at him. "Go!" Steve looked at the eraser as it bounced off his chest and get the floor. "Get out," Stiles choked.
Steve felt another rumble and noticed more books had fallen to the ground. He peaked around the library but saw no cause and grabbed another book. Steve was sitting on the couch back at the new pack house. Stiles was sitting across from him "Scott said he was pretty worried about it. Mainly that it seemed like you were going for the kill," Stiles explained.
Steve shrugged before looking to the ground. "That was the goal," he admitted.
"Maybe we won't tell Scott that detail—" Stiles started, another rumbled filled the library, but Steve ignored it. "A guy named August called—"
The vision started to fade with another rumbled, but Steve shook his head and focused on the memory. He had removed his shirt and was looking at the lightning bolt tattoo on his arm. "It's a symbol of my pack," Steve stated.
Steve was back in the library after another rumble had knocked him to his feet. He started to panic when he heard The Beast roar from down the hall. He looked around and saw faceless students starting down at him from the second floor.
"What's happening?" Scott asked, moving toward the chamber.
"His memories of The Beast are starting to bleed into the library," Fiona muttered, staring at Steve as he started to struggle in the chamber.
"Then we need to get him out," Lydia stated, moving toward the chamber as she set down the pad of paper and pen she just found.
"No," Fiona stated, blocking Lydia. "It's not the chamber it's the library. He's just not familiar with the library."
"Fine," Lydia muttered as she pulled her hand away from machine and returned to her pad of paper. Fiona watched as Scott and Malia searched the bunker before turning back to Steve in the chamber. "My mother had a hypnotist who helped her quit smoking," Lydia stated as she started to write. "She had me see the same one when I was ten."
"You smoked when you were ten?" Scott asked, turning from the locker he was searching.
Lydia turned back to him in disgust. "No, I bit my fingernails," she told him before turning back to the pad of paper. "Just find a candle or a lighter, please."
"Too much?" Malia asked as she lit a blow torch.
"I got one!" Scott shouted bringing over a candle.
"Quiet," Fiona hissed without turning around. "Let Steve focus."
Lydia nodded at the table and had them light the candle. "What's that?" Scott asked as they gathered around the table.
"An induction script. One of you is going to talk me through this.," Lydia explained before handing the paper to Malia.
"So, I just read?"
"Well, you have to soften your voice. Keep it relaxed but not monotone. Go for clarity, not volume. Try it."
"Take a deep breath and look at the candle," Malia read slowly, stressing and drawing out every word. Lydia snatched the pad away from her and passed it to Scott. Malia turned back to Lydia in shock but was met with a glare from the banshee.
"No pressure, but Steve isn't going to be much help connecting with Stiles," Fiona sighed, turning away from the chamber and joining the others.
Lydia's glare shifted to Fiona who shrugged. "Take a deep breath, and look at the candle," Scott read calmly. Lydia turned her attention to the flame, blocking out everything else but Scott's voice. "Feel the muscles in your body begin to relax. Your hands relaxing. Your eyelids relaxing." Scott paused when he noticed that Lydia's eyelids drooped shut. "As you relax, imagine you're sitting in front of a TV."
"Steve, think of the old pack house library," Fiona told him as he ran toward the glass window. He closed his eyes as an echo of The Beast's roar in the distance. He opened his eyes and saw a chandelier hanging above a table and chairs with bookshelves lining the walls.
Steve stepped toward the shelves and grabbed a book. He flipped it open and his vision faded before he found himself standing in August's old room, standing next to the hunter at his desk. "What this?" Steve asked, sliding a sheet of paper toward him.
"Just some doodles," August replied, flushing.
Steve smirked as he closed the book, thinking back to the drawing he found when cleaning up the room.
"Focus on Stiles," Fiona reminded him. Steve nodded, moving toward another shelf when he spotted the Oresteia as he passed by. He grabbed the book and flipped through the pages.
He gasped when he found himself in the woods. He and the rest of the pack were getting to their feet and the Senate members were standing next to their respective children. "The pack is no longer part of the Senate," Tiberius announces before turning to August. "Let's go home.". August looked back to Steve, scowling, before the hunter turned and followed after his father.
Lydia opened her eyes and looked around the classroom, her vision focused on the TV in front of the class. "When you turn the TV on, it's going to play memories from your life," Scott's voice echoed. "The remote gives you total control. You can play any memory you want. All you have to do is hit the button."
Lydia looked down at the desk she was sitting in and found a remote. She slowly reached forward and grabbed the remote, pressing the power button. The TV clicked as it started to turn on. "Honey, there's a Stiles here to see you," her mother's voice echoed in the classroom.
Lydia looked up and saw the TV displaying an image of her laying on her bed. She seemed fairly out of it and remembered that she was high on the medication her mother gave her. Stiles sat next to her on her bed. "I'm just making sure you were okay," he told her.
"What the hell is a Stiles?" her voice echoed from the TV as she changed the channel.
Another image started to come into focus, the spring formal her sophomore year. The rest of her classmates where dancing in the balloon decorated gymnasium while she and Stiles sat at one of the tables. "You wanna dance?" Stiles asked as Lydia stared at her nails.
"Pass," she commented, looking around at all the other students.
"You know what? Let me try that again," Stiles muttered, getting to his feet and leaning over his chair toward her. "Lydia, get off your cute little ass and dance with me now."
"Interesting tactic. I'm still gonna stick with no."
"Try to find a memory of Stiles," Scott's voice echoed, causing Lydia to look around the classroom. "A memory where you felt a connection with him."
She turned back to TV and changed the channel. "I'm the only one who knows how smart you really are," Stiles stated, still leaning over the chair.
"Field's medal," Lydia muttered as she sat in the classroom.
The Lydia on the TV got out of her chair. "Nobel doesn't have a price for mathematics," she said. Lydia in the classroom echoed her words.
"Field's medal," Lydia muttered again.
"Try to find another memory," Scott told her. "Keep looking for Stiles."
The vision faded and Steve was standing in the shower. "You missed a spot," August said from behind him.
"Yeah, I haven't really started," Steve stated, furrowing his brows.
"I kinda figured," the hunter replied with a grin.
"Did you want to go first?"
August shook his head. "We make a good team."
"I don't know if teamwork is needed for a shower."
"You know what I mean," August sighed as the grin disappeared from his face.
"No, I really don't. You left the pack."
"The pack got my brother kidnapped!"
Steve growled, his eyes turning red before he slammed the book closed.
"No!" he thought to the others, sensing them reaching for the chamber.
He turned back to the shelves, grabbing another book. Steve saw a significantly younger version of himself, curled up in his bed, his eyes red with tears.
"Ovid tells the story of how Lycaon defied Jupiter himself by trying to feed him the flesh of another human with the hopes of proving he wasn't all knowing. Ovid writes that Jupiter caught on and destroyed the house with his lightning bolt before turning Lycaon and his family into wolves," a younger August stated as he stepped into the room.
"I didn't try to feed anyone human flesh, but I was still turned into a monster," Steve sobbed.
"Ovid is writing from Jupiter's perspective though. My family has a different telling. Lycaon was already a wolf. When the gods struck back at man over Prometheus's gift, Lycaon rose to defend mankind. Jupiter feared the wolf and tried to destroy him and his pack with his lightning bolt, but he failed and Lycaon beat back the gods, saving humanity. The wolves had the power to defy the gods."
"You think I'll defy the gods one day?" Steve asked as August joined him on the bed. The hunter nodded back at the young werewolf.
"Steve, it's time," Fiona stated as Steve returned to the library.
Steve turned around and spotted another book. "Not yet," he replied, his eyes still glowing red. He stepped forward and picked up the Iliad.
Fiona tilted her head as she saw Lydia's thumb move as if it were pressing a button. "Field's medal," she muttered. The three of them turned to Lydia, surprised as she continued. "Nobel doesn't have a prize for mathematics—Field's medal."
"Find another memory. Keep looking for Stiles," Scott told her. "Find another memory."
"His heart rate is dropping," Malia whispered, moving toward the cooling chamber.
"Alright, let's get him out," Fiona sighed, joining her.
The banshee grabbed the handle but froze as Steve's red eyes snapped open. "No," he growled inside her and Malia's head.
Fiona pulled her hand back. "So, we just let him stay in there?" Malia asked. Fiona turned to her shaking her head. Malia turned back to the chamber and narrowed her eyes. "His heart rate jumped back up, I guess we can let him be." Malia shrugged before returning to the table to watch Lydia as the banshee continued pressing a button with her thumb. Fiona watched for a moment before turning back to Steve. Fiona shifted her attention between Lydia and Steve as Lydia continued to flip through the channels. After a few moments, Steve's red eyes started to fade.
"Steve, it's time," Fiona thought to the alpha.
"Not yet," he replied. His eyes started to glow brighter and the banshee flinched. She looked down and noticed black tendrils running up her arms.
"What's going on?" Malia asked. Fiona turned as saw black tendrils running up her and Scott's arm as well.
"Steve's trying to buy himself more time," Fiona muttered. She turned back to the cooling chamber as frost enveloped the glass. The only thing visible to Fiona was the red glow of Steve's eyes.
Jay slid under the bullet as the Ghost Rider fired. He swept the Rider's legs out from under it. As the Rider fell, its head collided with one of the medical carts. Jay got to his feet and turned around, ready to fight back but stopped when he saw black blood pooling underneath the motionless Rider's head. "Wicked," Jay panted. He heard struggling around the corner and ran back to the others. One of the Riders was choking Theo and forcing the chimera to the ground. Jay heard a gun go off in the room next to Theo as Liam fought off another Ghost Rider. Jay ran forward, kicking the Rider in the back, knocking it over Theo. Theo grabbed a scalpel from a cart and jammed it into the Rider's neck. The two got to their feet and watched as Liam forced the Rider to shoot itself in the face.
"We're still not friends," Jay told Theo as the three of them moved toward each other. Theo shook his head at the werecheetah before looking at the motionless bodies on the ground. Liam went to fist bump the others but paused when they heard Ghost Riders wail down the hall. The three of them looked up as another five Riders approached. Jay and Liam shifted and roared at the Riders as Theo ran behind them, pressing the elevator button.
The chimera ran back, grabbing both Liam and Jay and pulling them back into the elevator. "What're you doing?" Liam asked as Theo tossed them to the ground.
"Being the bait," Theo smirked as the elevator doors closed. Liam and Jay jumped to their feet and rushed to stop the door, but it closed before they could reach it.
The two of them listened as Theo roared and fought against the Ghost Riders. After a moment, they heard him cry out in pain before the hallway filled with silence.
Steve opened his eyes and found himself standing outside the pack house. His arm around August as they watched Kaia create a fleur-de-lis in the sky. Kaia burned a lightning bolt around the first image before holding the two there. August pulled Steve tighter to him.
He blinked as he felt a tear roll down his face. The alpha was in his old room, he closed the door behind him as August stared out the window. "We're alone now," Steve stated.
"Now more than ever," August muttered, not turning around.
"I meant in the room. We're pack, remember, we don't need anyone else," Steve said as he joined the hunter, wrapping his arm around him and pulling him close.
August chuckled and turned to Steve. "Everything else seems to be falling into place, maybe we'll wind up in the Republic again as well."
"I think Kaia's memorial to Allison declared our independence."
"After everything that's happened, who would have thought that an Argent would be the one to bring our pack together."
The two looked to where Kaia had burned the images into the sky earlier. "Her code is better than the Republic's."
"Is it now?" August asked, smiling slightly.
"It fits us. We're the ones prepared to defy the gods. Who better to protect everyone else form that? Plus, it sounds better."
"Protegimus illos qui nequeunt protegere se," August whispered.
Steve heard his voice echo the pack's code as he smiled, staring at the sky, holding August before blinking.
Steve gasped as he opened his eyes. His hand reaching out against the frost covered glass. As Fiona worked to open the door, Steve remembered standing in the parking lot in front of Stiles's Jeep. He looked around as August fired his gun ahead of them. The hunter's gun clicked as he ran out of bullets. "I need to see them!" Steve called out before collapsing into Fiona's arms. Steve remembered August shaking his head and giving Steve a half smile before disappearing. "I need to see them," he panted.
Lydia set the remote down when she heard voices coming from the hallway. "What is it now?" she heard her own voice ask.
"She took him. She's got all three now," Stiles replied.
"There's still time, we still have time, right?" Lydia stood and walked out of the classroom, following the sound of her own voice and Stiles's panting. "Stiles? Are you okay? What is it? What's wrong? Stiles."
Her voice echoed as Lydia walked toward the locker room. "I think I'm having a panic attack," Stiles panted.
"Okay. Come on. Come on," the other Lydia said as a door banged open. Lydia heard someone collapse to the ground as she walked into the locker room. "Just try and think about something else. Anything else."
"Like what?"
"Happy things. Good things. Uh—Friends, family—" the other Lydia said as Lydia walked around the locker and saw herself talking to Stiles as the boy struggled to breath. At the mention of family, he turned toward her and narrowed his eyes. "Oh—I mean not family—Oh god. Okay—uh—just—try and slow your breathing."
"I can—I can't," Stiles wheezed.
The other Lydia grabbed Stiles's face, holding it up to look at her as he continued to wheeze and sob. "Shh—Shh. Stiles, look at me. Shh," Lydia said, stroking his cheek with her thumbs as she tried to calm him. "Look at me. Shh, Stiles."
Stiles's eyes widened as Lydia leaned forward and mashed her lips against his. His breathing slowed as he closed his eyes and kissed her back, her hands slowly sliding down to his chin. She pulled away slowly, her eyes still closed as Stiles look at her in shock. Lydia opened her eyes and their gaze met as the setting sun shined between them. They stared at each other in silence for a moment. "How'd you do that?" Stiles asked, blinking away the shock.
"I—uh—" Lydia started, licking her lips briefly before falling silent. "I read once that—holding your breath could stop a panic attack. So, when I kissed you—um—" she paused, biting her lip. "You held your breath."
Stiles nodded slowly, his eyes still locked with hers and still slightly in shock. "I did?"
"Yeah, you did."
Lydia turned away from herself and Stiles. "That's when it happened," she muttered.
Lydia opened her eyes, staring at the candle in front of her. "When what happened?" Scott asked. Lydia didn't respond as she saw a memory of Stiles staring at her while he wrapped red string around her fingers. "Lydia, what do you mean? When what happened?"
Lydia's lips started to quiver and her eyes started to water as she saw Stiles holding her as the Dread Doctors walked past in the hallway behind them. Fiona turned back a Lydia gasped. "When I kissed him," she muttered, finally finding her words. She paused again as she saw Stiles unhooking the wires Valack had put on her head. "That's when it all changed." She stopped again as she saw Stiles staring at her as they sat in his Jeep. "I saw him," she sobbed, her voice breaking. "I was there. I was the last person to see him."
"Where? When did you see him?" Scott asked.
"The Ghost Riders, they—When they took him," Lydia choked out. She remembered Stiles telling her that she will forget him. He held her hand tightly as he stared into her eyes.
"Just remember—Remember I love you," she heard Stiles say to her before he was pulled away and disappeared.
The candle went out and Lydia continued to stare at the tendril of smoke floating away from it. "I never said it back," Lydia muttered. "I never said it back."
The four of them turned to the chamber as Steve slammed his hand against the glass. Fiona quickly undid the latches and Steve fell out of the chamber. "I need to see them!" he called out as Fiona caught him. "I need to see them," he panted, shivering.
A blinding green light filled the room through the vents. They turned toward them as Steve pushed himself to his feet. The room started to shake again, glass bottles shattering as they rattled off the shelves. Steve stepped away from Fiona as he and Lydia headed toward the exit, the others following behind. Lydia opened the door, revealing a bright white light at the end of the tunnel.
Two silhouettes stood in the light as they walked toward the banshee and the alpha.
"Stiles?" Lydia sighed.
"August!" Steve called out at the same time.