Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I make her do or say."

Also, time for a brief warning and other disclaimer. So... to those who have read my previous stories, you know about Nixie's mom and the thing that's wrong with her. Well... she's back. I'm not going to explain how. You'll see. And I just want to reiterate that I'm not a doctor or scientist. I'm not an expert on the human brain and have no idea if the condition Nixie's mom has is something that can actually happen or would happen. So... don't go around saying this is a thing, because I have no idea. This is just for my story.

And also, memories arise for Nixie that for some, could be disturbing maybe. I tried not to go into any great explicit detail or anything like that. (At least, I don't think I did in my opinion.) Anyways, so this is a warning for that. If you think hearing about a parent snapping and turning into a hostile force that tries to attack their own children is something that you would definitely be uncomfortable reading, you may want to skip that part. Like, from where Nixie finds her mom's room to about... the sentence that starts 'Staring at her mother, she shines her eyes...' I think you should be good if you skip the part between there. Or if you don't think it'll bother you, read the whole thing of course. :)

Okay. I think that's all the warning I have for this chapter. Sorry for interrupting. Enjoy!

Chapter 6: Episode 5x16

Theo grabs Lydia from the room, and to Stiles' horror, wraps a hand around her throat. "Back off," Theo says to Jordan. And at first he keeps moving, but as Theo actually begins hurting her, Jordan comes to a standstill. Theo smirks and says, "Take him."

Corey, staring at him in horror, says, "The guy's on fire!" "You'll heal. Do it!"

Tracy goes first, stabbing Jordan in the gut with her kanima claws. Stiles makes a note when he sees that to tell Nixie that Jordan is like her in that respect. Kanima venom apparently doesn't work on hellhounds either.

He slaps Tracy across the face, and she flies into the wall next to him. Next comes Josh, who breaks off a pipe to get to electrical wires. Grabbing onto them, draining the electricity from them, he then reaches out and grabs Jordan, trying to electrocute and shock him into submission. But Jordan isn't fazed by that either. He looks down at the hand on him as though annoyed more than anything. Josh turns to Theo and says, "Theo this isn't working!"

And then Jordan slams him into the wall behind him, dropping him like dead weight to the ground.

Stiles then turns when he hears a whirring sound, and finds Valack drilling a hole into the back of Theo's leg. Theo drops Lydia and then Valack knocks him in the face with the drill. "Sorry Theo. I'm not done with her yet."

Jordan is still dealing with Josh when a hand grabs his wrist. Corey materializes from thin air, pleased with himself for a moment.

Well... until Jordan looks at him in annoyance too.

The hellhound was bred to take on bigger monsters than this. They were wasting his time.

Stiles stands in Valack's way, stopping him from taking Lydia. But that's when Jordan erupts into flames again, consuming Corey with him, and then shoves Corey down the hall. Valack spins out of the way, but Stiles isn't quick enough, and goes down with Corey on top of him. He struggles to get up, but Valack makes it out the door before he can get on his feet, and then Stiles can't get through. His key card no longer works.

Jordan is making his way down the hall again when Theo scrambles for the pipe Josh originally broke. With aim that should be unfathomable, he shoots it right in the center of Jordan's chest, close enough to his heart that Jordan slumps to his knees.

The pipe ends up burned in half, but the hellhound needs a rest. Despite knowing he needs to go, he can't right now. But he will save the banshee. The human side of him will submit to that, if it's the last thing he does.

Nixie, Scott, and Liam end up back at the guards they had already knocked out. Liam tries the barrier again, but to no avail. Scott grabs one of the communicator mikes from a guard and asks, "Does anyone have eyes on the closed unit? I need a status report."

It takes a moment, but Nixie smirks when someone responds, "It's a war zone down here." Then Nixie turns away as she cringes and feels claw marks stabbing into her neck. Not deep. Nothing but a superficial wound. But enough to make her bleed.

Lydia. Someone was doing this to Lydia. And somehow Nixie was doing more than just feeling and sharing in her pain. She was taking some of it away. Which might explain the immense pain in the side of her head, though she had yet to feel that bleed. She wipes the blood off of her neck and hopes that they're already healing enough to the point where the blood will stop.

Scott looks up at her and Liam, and then says, "Uh… 10-4. And what about the patients? Lydia Martin?"

"Who is this?" Nixie shrugs when Scott looks at her, and then he says, "It's… unit nine." "There is no unit nine. Who is this? How…" Scott crushes the mike and says, "Alright, we need to figure out another way to get into his closed unit." Liam asks, "How do we get through the mountain ash?" Nixie shrugs and says, "We can't. What are you thinking Scott? One of the patients might help." "No. But there is someone down here who might be able to help us figure it out."

Liam asks, "Who?" And Scott looks to Nixie and says, "Meredith." Nixie stares at him, and then says, "I don't know if she's down here." "She's a banshee. She's definitely down here. And you know her scent best. You've been the closest to her. Just try. Alright?" So Nixie nods and starts leading them back down the halls, trying to spot a scent that's familiar among all the others.

The first door she finds… it's not Meredith, but it is familiar.

Apparently with the knowledge now out to some that Nixie was a dragon, someone had moved her mother down here as well, even if she wasn't a supernatural creature. She was in a strait jacket, writhing around on the bed she was on.

And finally, weeks and weeks after having read that damn book, Nixie has her flash back.

She flashes back to the night her mother snapped while she was at home, one of the only times Nixie had been alone with her while she was in that state. Her mother was still half sane at the time, and after the incident had hired someone to always be around in case she should lose it again.

The memory is vivid, never having been like this before. Nixie honestly didn't know she'd picked up on so many details. But as it replays in her mind, she remembers that she'd been on the floor in the living room. The TV was on, but she hadn't been watching it. She was making a puzzle, some scene out of the Disney movie 'Beauty and the Beast'. That's when she heard something crash in the kitchen, and her mother started laughing.

Nixie was too little to recognize the sound of deranged laughter. She hadn't known the difference between that and just her mother's normal laugh. So she went to the kitchen, wanting to understand what was so funny. It didn't look funny to her. Her mother had broken one of the fancy glass wine dishes on the floor, leaving shards of glass all over the place.

When her mother looked up to see her, that's when Nixie had seen something wrong. Her mother had kind eyes all the time Nixie had known her as a child. Soft and gentle. They made you feel loved and warm. Which is probably why Nixie hated this memory and suppressed it. It was the first time ever that she'd seen something besides that kind and gentle love in her mother's eyes. She saw something… off. Something not right.

Something insane, though she hadn't really grasped that at the time.

Her mother had grabbed one of the larger shards from all the broken glass and asked, "Do you want to play too dear? Come on darling. Let's play." "Mom?" "You know you want to play." "Mommy, you're scaring me." "Let's play!" Nixie had screamed and run out of the way as her mother lunged at her, and then ran into the living room. She made it to the hall before her mother caught her and gave her a hard shove that sent her into the floor.

Nixie had rolled over and begged, "Mommy! What's happening?! I don't want to play!" "Yes you do! Come on dear, stop crying! Let's play!"

The scream that Nixie had let out as a child, when the glass was stabbed into her shoulder, is what had finally broken through to her mother that day. Nixie could even recall seeing the light come back into her eyes, and then the horror on her mother's face over what she'd just done.

It was that same scream in the dream now that pulled Nixie from the memory, back to the present. And she jumped when her mother was no longer seen in the bed, but was standing at the glass, her head pressed against it, and those same cold eyes and twisted smile looking at her as they had when she'd stabbed her as a child.

"Hello dear. Do you want to play?"

Scott had been trying to move her, but upon realizing that she couldn't hear him anymore, he took to looking at the woman behind the glass. It wasn't Meredith, but upon closer inspection, he could see all the similarities between Nixie and the woman in the strait jacket.

It was Naomi Bennett, her mother. It had to be. They looked too much alike for it to not be her.

When he felt Nixie jump back to reality, Scott put an arm behind her back to keep her steady. He wasn't sure if it would affect her like it had him, but when he'd gotten his repressed memory, the asthma had returned to him. But apart from being startled, Nixie appeared just fine. Well, maybe a little sadder, but fine physically.

Liam looks in at the woman too, and then asks, "Is… is that…" Scott looks to Nixie, and then nods and says, "Yeah. It is."

Nixie stares for a moment more at the woman asking her to play. She's laughing in a twisted and sick sort of way, and then bangs her head on the glass and says, "You know you want to play dear. We always have so much fun. It's been a while since you've visited me. I've missed you and our games. Have you missed me?"

Nixie nods after a moment and says, "Yeah mom. I've missed you." The woman smiles and bangs her head against the glass again and says, "Then let me out dear. We can play again. You know you want to play." But Nixie shakes her head and says, "I can't mom." The smile vanishes, and Naomi pounds her head into the glass and shrieks, "Why not?! I want to play! I want to play!" "I can't mother!" "Why not?!"

And Nixie smiles a little before saying softly, "Because you told me I couldn't. Not ever again."

The end of the memory, the only part of it that brought her solace, was her mother hugging her afterwards. Crying into Nixie's shoulder, Naomi had said, "Never again Nixie. Do you understand? If I ever talk about playing again, you run. Understand? You run and hide and don't you dare come out, no matter what I say. Never play with me again. Never."

Staring at her mother now, she shines her eyes at the deranged woman and says, "And I'll always love you for that. Never forget that mother."

Naomi stares at her and backs away in surprise, the glowing eyes startling her. Nixie nods and says, "I'll always love you. Always."

Taking a breath and sighing, she turns from the door and says, "Meredith should be this way. Come…" "Nixie?"

Nixie freezes, and short as they are on time, Scott doesn't try to hurry her. Coming back to the glass, Nixie gasps when she sees her mother again. But gone is the deranged and crazed look. Gone is the twisted smile. Gentle and soft eyes are looking into hers, and tears are falling down Naomi's face as Nixie comes back into view.

Hands to the glass, Nixie asks, "Mom?" Naomi nods and comes back, pressing her forehead to the glass gently. "Oh darling. I told you never to come here. You should never have to see me like…" "Mom don't. Please." Opening her eyes to stare into the soft eyes she hadn't seen in years, Nixie smiles and says, "You have no idea how good it is to see you."

Naomi smiles back and says, "Probably at least as good as it is to see you." Nixie laughs sobbingly, and then turns to Scott when Liam asks, "I get that this is… important. But what about Lydia?"

Nixie looks back at her mother, and then back to Scott. "Scott?" He looks at her, and she says, "Meredith is close. She shouldn't be too much farther. If you can't find her around the next corner, get me, but…" "Stay here Nix. We'll come and get you when we've learned something." "Right."

Naomi watches as the two boys run up the hall, and then asks, "What's happening?" "Oh mom, that would take entirely too much time. Time I don't have I'm afraid." Lifting her tear-filled gaze to her mother, she says, "One of my friends is in trouble, and this place is the cause. We're here to get her out, but… we've hit a few snags."

Nodding, Naomi leans against the glass again. She smiles as she looks at Nixie and says, "You've grown up so much. The last time I remember clearly, you were at least a foot shorter." Nixie laughs and says, "Yeah, I remember." "Are you still at the apartments?"

Nixie sighs after a moment and says, "No. The… the money had to be recalibrated about a year or so ago. Money to keep me in the apartments was taken out first. Then the insurance." Naomi frowns and says, "But…" "Mom, it's okay. I've got some really, really great friends, and quite literally the hottest boyfriend you could possibly imagine. And they're all taking really good care of me."

Naomi gives her a look and says, "I know you Nixie Bennett. Even when you were a child, you were taking care of other people when you shouldn't be." "That's not true. They're all mine to take care of and protect. It's what makes me who I am."

Her mother pauses, and then smiles and says, "You are older and wiser too. Probably too wise for your age. And I'm sure part of that is my fault." "Mom, believe me… you aren't the only factor in why I am the way I am. I'm protective by nature, and that's just me."

Sighing, she says, "There is… so much has changed mom. So much is different and… it's so overwhelming all the time. But I wouldn't trade it for the world." Naomi nods, and then asks, "So… this boyfriend? Is it serious?" Smiling, Nixie answers, "I love him. With everything in me, I love him." "And does he love you?" "I think so." "Nixie…" "He says he does every day. There isn't a thing he wouldn't do for me." "Then why do you hesitate?"

Nixie pauses, and then sighs and says, "There's… my friend that's in trouble actually. She's… she's a lot prettier than I am; beautiful actually. And she and him… there's just a connection that they have that I never will with him."

Naomi shakes her head and says, "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever met Nixie. Inside and out. I may forget a lot of things. I… I almost never have clarity anymore. But in those brief moments, I do remember you. I remember the child who told me it was alright when I stabbed her in the shoulder. I remember my daughter, who should've been so frightened of me, hugging me tight and telling me that she still loved me. And that was you as a child. I know hardly anything about you now, but I know you must at least be twice as beautiful inside now as you used to be."

Pressing her head to the glass, she says, "And you get all your good looks from me, so you know you must be gorgeous." Nixie laughs and leans her forehead against the glass with her mother. "It's so nice to see you mom." "I know dear. It's nice to see you too."

And then they both hear Liam growl from up the hall. Naomi looks on in confusion, but then gasps when she sees her daughter's eyes glow silver in response to the growl. Nixie turns to look and says, "Liam." Turning back to her mother, she says, "I… A lot's changed." "Nixie?" "I'm still your daughter. I'm still…"

Naomi comes to the glass again and says, "I know that. I'll always know that somewhere inside." Tears falling again, Nixie says, "I can get you out too. We can get you out with Lydia. You can…" "No Nixie." "But things are different now mom. I'm stronger now. Stronger in ways you can't imagine. I can take care of you. I can keep you safe."

Naomi smiles, but shakes her head and says, "No Nixie. It's not supposed to be your job to take care of me. I'm the one person in the world you aren't supposed to have to take care of, at least until I'm old and gray. I'm supposed to take care of you, and I can't do that." "Mom, please…" "Come back and see me. Maybe… maybe you can pull me back together again, like you just did. Maybe we can talk some more. I would love to talk to you Nixie."

Backing up a step, Naomi says, "But I'm not leaving. I'm not going to become your burden. Not when you already carry so many others." "I wouldn't mind mom. I would do anything for you." "I know dear. Just like you would do anything for your friends. Your friends who need you more than I do." Smiling again, Naomi says, "I'll be alright. Come and see me again. Now go. Go and save your friend."

Nixie nods, and then says, "I love you mom. I will always love you." "And I will always love you darling. Now please, get out of here."

Nixie remains as long as she can, until she hears Liam growl again. Her eyes shine bright, and Naomi watches as scales ripple across her skin. But it's still Nixie, as it's always been Nixie. Smiling, Naomi says, "Go." And Nixie nods and takes off down the hall to help Liam.

Meanwhile, with Meredith, Scott has his claws in her neck, and she's showing him where Lydia is in her mind. As they watch her on the ground, head in her hands, Meredith says, "She doesn't have much time." "What's happening to her?" "She's being consumed by her power. Dr. Valack thinks it's worth it if she can answer the question."

Scott turns to her and asks, "What question?" "Who is the beast?" "Lydia can answer that?" "Not yet. Not until the screams in her head are loud enough to kill her." Scott looks to Lydia, terror coursing through him at her pained and anguished expression on the floor. "How do I get to her?"

Meredith shakes her head and says, "You can't. You won't be able to get past the mountain ash. But someone else might be able to. In fact, two of you might be able to." "Who?" She turns to him and says, "The hellhound. I know for a fact he can find her." "You mean Parrish?" "They're connected. Find the hellhound, and he'll find the banshee."

They listen to Lydia's screaming a moment more and then suddenly Scott finds himself in a dark room. There are writings on the walls, and after a moment, he recognizes them as seven columns. Seven columns of information related to him, his pack, and questions that need answers.

And Nixie's handwriting.

Looking around in confusion, Scott asks, "What is this place?" Meredith appears next to him and says, "This is where the dragon is staying while she tries to figure it out." "Figure what out?" "If she's dangerous." Turning to her, he asks, "Nixie?" Meredith nods and says, "Her heart is wide and strong, but there are fragile places in her, fragile places that she hides from all of you, but that are also obvious to those who look." "Like what? Why does she think she's dangerous?" "She feels pulled in two different directions because she and her dragon are not one yet. There will always be two sides of her, just like there are two sides to you, and two sides to all supernatural beings. But Nixie's are not in sync yet. The human half and the dragon half are not on the same page."

Looking to the wall of questions, the concerns Nixie has about her behavior and what it might mean, Meredith says, "And right now, the dragon is worrying the human. Even if Nixie doesn't fully understand what is happening. It's the dragon that is making her angrier than normal, because the dragon is a more passionate creature than any supernatural creature. That is why it has to be bred in a human with almost perfect matching characteristics. The human tames the passion. For Nixie, her patience makes her ideal for being a blue dragon, the most protective of all."

Pointing to the question on the wall that asks, "Why am I so angry all the time? Why can't I control my rage? Why do I feel pulled apart sometimes? If this keeps up, will I hurt my friends?" Meredith looks at Scott and says, "But she has not shown you and your pack all of who she is now. Everyone must see the dragon, and everyone must see the new developments. Everyone must see the pain she has taken for them, and everyone must accept her for who she is."

Scott nods and says, "We'll always accept her." "Her anger makes her unsure. She is frightened. Not of you, but of herself. You have to show her that she doesn't need to be. Otherwise, the dragon will always be at war with the human, and that will cause her nothing but pain, and it will diminish her if given enough time."

Scott nods, and then Meredith says, "Dragons, also, aren't bound by all of the same supernatural rules that most others are. Like a banshee, there are some laws that don't apply. Mountain ash is one of them." Scott stares and asks, "You mean she can get through the mountain ash?" "Yes. But she won't be able to find Lydia. You need the hellhound. Find the hellhound."

Scott releases Meredith gently, and even as she stares up at the ceiling, her eyes rolling back in her head, he hears a strong whisper, "Save them."

Nodding to her, he turns as the door opens and finds a huge black orderly standing there, looking like he might be ready to kill Scott.

Then he collapses, and behind him are Nixie and Liam. Liam has an arm around Nixie's shoulders as he asks, "Is he out?" Scott looks down at the man, and then back at him and says, "Yeah." "Okay." Nixie stumbles a little as Liam gives out, struggling for a moment to catch him so he doesn't fall on his face. Scott helps her, and then she looks at him with glowing eyes and asks, "What do we need to do?" "We need to find Parrish."

As soon as Liam is back on his feet, they start running down halls, trying to find a way back to the van outside. That's when Nixie stops. Liam looks back at her and asks, "What? Why'd you stop?" "Do you smell that?"

Scott comes to her side, and then says, "All I smell is more tunnel, and maybe something burning." "The burning. That's Jordan." Liam blinks and asks, "How do you know?" She smirks at him and says, "Because my boyfriend's hot. Come on. Follow that smell, and we'll find him."

She begins to lead, but then cringes and falls to her knees, clutching her head in her hands. Wincing and gritting her teeth, she gasps when the giant wave of pain finally passes. Looking up at Scott, she says, "We have to hurry. She's running out of time." Scott nods, and then points to Liam and says, "Help her if she needs it."

He takes over leading while Liam supports Nixie until she can right herself to walk on her own again. Nodding, she says, "Come on. We need to move faster." And Scott speeds up and they follow, until they finally reach the point where Jordan is on the floor. Before they reach him though, Nixie glances around in a panic.

Finding Scott's eyes again, she says, "She's frightened. Like, terrified again. And this time it is for her." Scott nods, and then leans down to where Jordan is laying on the ground at the bottom of a set of stairs. "Parrish? Parrish, hey. Can you hear me?"

No response.

Turning to Nixie, who is glancing around again, Scott says, "Hey. Focus Nixie. Wake him up." She nods and bends down. "Jordan? Jordan… we need you to wake up. I need you to wake up. Right now."

It takes a second, but then he opens his eyes and glances around him. Finding Nixie, he sighs and says, "Thank God. Is everyone okay?" "Not yet." He nods, and then looks at where he is and asks, "How did I get here?" Nixie shrugs while Liam says, "We don't know. We just followed the burning smell."

Scott bends down next to Nixie and says, "Parrish, listen. Eichen's in lockdown. There's no way for us to get out unless plan B works." "Plan B? What's plan B?" He looks at Nixie, but she shrugs and says, "I only knew about plan A. Granted, we figured a lot would go wrong, but I didn't think we'd have to change things so drastically as to need a plan B."

Scott says, "Parrish, don't worry about plan B. Right now, we need you to find Lydia." "Me?" Liam says, "Well, actually, not completely you. We… kind of need the other you." Scott nods and says, "The hellhound." Jordan looks to Nixie, who shrugs and asks Scott, "How does that help?" "Meredith said the banshee and the hellhound are connected through the deaths. She's a harbinger of death by predicting and finding them. Parrish hides them and protects the secrets of the supernatural by keeping some of those deaths secret. Meredith said he could find her and that none of the rest of us could."

Looking pointedly at her, he says, "And when we get to the barrier, you need to try going through first." "Me? But…" "Just trust me. But right now, we need to get the hellhound back." That's when Nixie cringes again and falls forward. Jordan sits up and catches her and asks, "What's wrong with her?" Scott shrugs and says, "I don't know. Somehow she keeps feeling and sharing in Lydia's pain."

Gasping when she feels she can breathe again, Nixie says, "Guys. It's getting worse. It doesn't just hurt me anymore. I'm starting to hear screams. They're faint but I know that's what it is."

Jordan looks down at her tormented face, and then looks up to Scott and says, "Find a torch." "What?" "A torch. Something. Anything that can be used to set me on fire. It'll bring out the hellhound. It's how Gerard did it when they wanted to test and see if I was one."

Moving and shifting his position a little bit while Scott and Liam look for something, Jordan holds onto Nixie tight and says, "I'll find her, and we'll save her. I promise." Nixie nods, and then lets him sit her down on the steps nearby while he curls into a ball next to the wall. Nodding to her, he says, "Just make sure I do find her." "I will."

Liam finally finds a can of something flammable, and Scott flicks the lighter on. He looks to Jordan once more, asking if he's sure he wants to do this.

Jordan leans towards Nixie one more time, kisses her soundly, and then whispers, "Bring me back to you." "Always."

Then he turns to Scott and shouts, "Do it!"

And they light him up.

Corey is laying on one of the morgue tables, torched and burnt and not healing. Malia and Josh are arguing it out about who should start helping first. That's when Corey finally manages a word. Looking up at Malia and grabbing her hand, he says, "Tell… Tell Nixie…" Malia looks down and asks, "What?"

He groans in pain, but then manages, "Tell her I'm sorry. I… I didn't…" He can't manage more than that, and then Malia just stares at him for a moment. Then she rolls her eyes and says, "Damn it." Looking to Josh, she says, "We go at the same time. Ready?"

Josh bends down to Kira, and Malia says, "Alright. Here we go." Malia takes more pain than she's used to. She takes it to keep him alive. She might not like any of them, but Nixie obviously still felt like Corey had a shot at being a good guy; at not being Theo's minion forever. That's why he still had her number, and why she still answered. And it's why Corey wanted to say he was sorry. He was sorry for possibly disappointing her.

And Malia was going to make sure that, in any case, he was going to tell her that for himself.

When they're finished, Malia returns to Kira's side, now able to touch her since Josh absorbed so much of the energy. He helps Corey to his feet. Corey's still in a lot of pain, but at least he's not dying. Looking over at Malia, Josh nods in thanks, and then asks, "Anybody know how we're supposed to get out of here?"

Malia looks at both of them and says, "This place is still in lockdown." And as Corey looks at the door, wondering if someone might be able to break it open, Kira shakes her head and says, "It's not just locked." Josh nods and says, "Yeah, I can feel it too."

Corey looks around at them and asks, "What are we supposed to do? Just wait here?" Malia gives him a look and says, "There's a plan B. We've got a guy on the outside in case this happens." Surprised at that, Corey asks, "Who?" Kira answers, "Mason." "Mason's gonna unlock the lockdown?"

Josh almost looks like he might laugh when he asks, "How's he going to do that?" Sighing, Kira says, "He's got the blueprints of the building. And he has the full map of Eichen's electrical system. All he has to do is get into the transformer shed behind the building." At Corey and Josh's concerned but hopeful expressions, Malia says, "Don't worry. Mason knows exactly what he's doing."

Stiles finally finds Lydia. And yes, Theo helped. But Stiles isn't at all happy about it. And now they can't get the damn door open. So much for this being a brilliant and perfectly working plan.

Valack looks back at the door, and then grabs the dread doctor mask from the table. "I'm sorry Lydia. But time's up."

And that's when she screams. Louder than before. Stiles and Theo have to duck down and cover their ears, the sound disorienting and dizzying.

Valack's skull is shattered on the left side, and he crumples in a heap on the ground, the mask falling beside him.

Stiles finally bursts into the room, and Lydia looks at him and says, "You came back." Stiles gives her a look while he pulls the wire connections from her temples. "First of all, Nixie would kill me if I didn't. Second of all, don't look so surprised. We're getting you out of here. Okay?" Lydia shakes her head slightly and says, "You can't. It's too dangerous."

"Lydia, please shut up and let me save your life." She smiles at him tiredly, and Stiles helps her off the bench and says, "Okay. Here we go." And with that, he leaves Theo behind, along with the mask that Theo eventually decides to take with him.

Meanwhile, Jordan is just turning into his alter ego, and he's about to start moving, when all three jerk their heads to see Nixie on the ground again. This time she roars, her head down on the ground, hands at her temples. She feels like her mind is splitting in half. She can only imagine how much pain Lydia must be in.

When it's finally over, she slumps onto her side and says, "Hurry. Go. Find her. I… I can't…"

Liam had been about to offer to help her when both he and Scott jump back. Jordan, or the hellhound, bends down to Nixie. Picking her up gently in his arms, he cradles her to his warm and overheated skin and says, "We will save your banshee, dragon. To save your other friends, I need you. Regain your strength. You will need it."

He glances at the other two, and then begins walking back towards the doorway they'd originally been trying to get through.

Nixie stares up at Jordan as he walks. She knows it's not him. Not entirely. But she asks anyway, "Jordan?" He glances down at her, and then says, "Your human loves you." "And you?" He tilts his head at her, and then says, "I care about you. Because of him." Nixie nods and says, "I guess that's enough for now."

When they reach the door, Jordan puts her down, and then points to the doorway. "Dragon, you go first." "But…" "Go." She glances back at Scott, who nods that it'll be fine. So she walks up to the door, and then pushes at the barrier with her hand. Except nothing pushes back.

Confused, she takes a step inside, and then walks through. Casting her gaze back to them, she asks, "Are you freaking kidding me?! I could've done that the whole time?!" Scott is about to answer, but then Jordan says, "Worry later. The banshee needs us."

And as he steps forward, Liam asks, "How's he going to get through the mountain ash though?" But when Jordan steps up to it, unlike Nixie who could just walk through it, they could all suddenly see the barrier that the mountain ash made.

And the hole that Jordan somehow made in it.

Scott steps up to it and sticks his hand through. And with a smile, he says, "He's burning it right out of the walls." Nixie starts heading down the hall, but Jordan then scoops her up again. "I'm fine. Put me…" "You are not. You are in more pain then you care to admit, and more than you can handle alone. If you wish to save your friends, you will save the strength you have left for when I say you need it."

Nixie finds it best to not argue. And besides, Jordan feels nice. So she loops her arms around his neck and lets him carry her on down the corridors, into the tunnels, all the way to where Lydia is.

"I can't hold it!"

Stiles turns back to Lydia and says, "Lydia!" "Stiles run!"

Jordan drops Nixie to her feet, and then grabs Stiles and tosses him back out of the way. Then he looks at Nixie and says, "On her other side dragon. Use your wings." Nixie runs around to Lydia's backside, and as soon as Jordan is at her front, wrapping his arms around Lydia, Nixie tosses Liam's jacket aside, lets her wings unfurl, and then wraps Lydia, Jordan, and the front of her own body in her own form of protection.

Lydia screams, and Nixie covers her ears. Warm hands cover hers as well, and the sound lessens to a bearable amount of sound. Opening her eyes, Nixie finds Jordan still wrapped around Lydia, but his hands are over hers on her ears, trying to protect her as well.

When it's done, he says, "You contained the sound. Now get your banshee and your human out of here dragon. She still needs help." Nixie nods and stands back, quickly pulling her wings back in. Grabbing the jacket and slipping it on, she turns back to see Jordan finally coming to.

Nodding to him, she asks, "Can you carry her?" He nods and picks up Lydia, who asks, "Nixie?" "Hey Lydia!" Taking Lydia's hand, she says, "Stay with me alright. We're gonna fix this. I promise. Just hang on." "Okay."

In the hall tunnel, everyone is covered in dust. But all three boys look relieved when they see Lydia still alive. Wincing in pain, but alive. Nixie beams at Stiles and says, "Good job. Now what?" Jordan nods and asks Scott, "Where to?" "This way."

And they all follow as he leads the way out of this hell hole. Liam takes over after a moment and says, "There's a gate up ahead." Scott asks, "What about Mason?" Nixie jumps in surprise and asks, "Mason? What is he doing?" Stiles looks back and says, "Cutting all the power to Eichen. It'll end the shut down." "But he's…" Liam looks back and says, "That's why we didn't tell you that detail. He figured on your saying he shouldn't do it alone. And he's on it. Trust me."

And Liam speeds up, but Nixie hangs back as Lydia asks, "What's happening?" Jordan says, "Plan B. Apparently." Glancing back, Nixie says, "You know they never actually fill me in on everything Lydia. We're going to have to have a serious talk with them when this is over." "You first. You're hiding things." Nixie turns her head fully around, nearly running into a wall nearby. Straightening, and keeping on walking, she says, "Not for long. You were the last one Lydia. Everything… everything should be fine now."

But Jordan doesn't miss how Nixie avoids actually admitting to anything she's hiding. He knows it'll have to wait, but still.

At the gate, Stiles shouts, "Liam wait!" Nixie speeds up in time to watch Liam grip the fence. It remains shocking for about a split second, but then ends, and Liam pulls the two sides apart with ease. Beaming, Liam looks back and says, "I told you!" Smiling back at him, Nixie then turns to Jordan and says, "We have to get her to the front of Eichen. That's where Malia and Kira should be."

Kira and Malia pull up literally as Scott is closing the grate on the street. And Nixie smells a familiar scent, but pays it no mind right now.

If she had though, she would've noticed Natalie, who has been trying to find a way in since she looked at the file Noah gave her. And she stares at in shock and surprise at Nixie and the others, and at Lydia with them.

Jordan asks, "Can you stand?" Lydia nods, but slumps when he puts her on her feet. He keeps one of her arms around his shoulders, but Lydia reaches for Nixie anyway. Nixie wraps her arms around Lydia completely, hugging her tight as tears begin to stream down her face. "Hang on Lydia. Just hang on."

Lydia nods, and then sighs and says, "I love the rain." And in all her worry, Nixie finds it slightly humorous that she hadn't even noticed it was raining again, or that it was her fault until just now. Nixie then laughs a little and says, "Me too."

Malia slams the door shut behind her and asks, "Is she okay?" Scott shakes his head and says urgently, "No. We need to go. Give me the keys, we gotta get her to the clinic."

Jordan suddenly falls forward as Tracy slashes across his back with her kanima laced claws. Nixie's eyes burn bright, brighter than Natalie had seen before, and she spins Lydia out of the way. Shoving her towards Stiles, Nixie then turns on Tracy and roars as the girl comes at her.

Shoving back and keeping Tracy at bay, Nixie shouts to Stiles and Scott, "GO! Get her out of here! Save her!" But Tracy kicks her in the chest and says, "She's coming with me."

Natalie watches as Nixie grabs Tracy by her collar and throws her back into the gate with a ferocity that she had never seen before. And understanding finally hit Natalie as he watched Nixie take Tracy on. This is why they all looked to her for help, why they saw her as the brave and protective one. This is why Noah had said that not listening to her was as good as being ignorant and stupid. Because Nixie's thoughts were always focused on one very simple thing.

Protect and save her friends and family.

Scott and Stiles start taking off down the road, but Lydia shouts, "Nixie! Nixie please!" "Go! I'll be behind you! Go!"

Tracy shoves both hands into Nixie's stomach and lifts her up and shoves her back into the column behind her. Malia snarls and Jordan picks up a pipe from the ground, prepared to knock Tracy in the back of the head with it. Nixie snarls at her and says, "You are going to lose Tracy. And you are going to die very badly." "Oh yeah. Well you…"

But she doesn't finish. She's suddenly electrocuted from behind, and Nixie is dropped and slumps down the wall. And when she looks up, Natalie is there with an electric baton.

If she weren't still so pissed at the woman, Nixie might've thought to say thank you.

Jordan rushes to her side and asks, "Are you alright?" "Yeah. Kanima venom doesn't effect me." He nods and helps her up. "I can get the van. We can…" "You do that, but help Kira, Liam, and Malia get there. I'm running." "Nixie…" But Nixie turns to face him and says, "I promised her I'd be right behind her, and I meant that Jordan."

Reaching up for his head, she pulls him down and kisses him hard. He sinks into it for a moment, and then she pulls back and says, "I'll see you once we've saved her." "You better." Smiling at him, she kisses him again, and then turns and takes off down the road like a bolt of lightning.

Jordan watches after her for a moment, and then he and the other three turn to Natalie when she says, "Um… I was going to say someone please get my daughter out of this hell hole. But… since that's happening already, can I ask why Nixie was kissing the sheriff's deputy?"

Malia rolls her eyes and Kira says, "There are so many other things to be explained before we get into that. Right now, everybody come on. This isn't over yet."

In the jeep, Nixie has just reached them, running alongside the jeep. Jumping up and sliding in the open window, she turns to the back and says, "I'm here Lydia." Stiles nods and says, "See Lydia? She's here. Just hold on, okay?"

Lydia screams through her lips though, and Nixie can feel the splitting in her head return.

And Lydia can feel the relief more profoundly this time, as though the close proximity made it more apparent as to where her relief came from. She'd felt it every single time. When the drill was making a hole in her head, and whenever the screams were becoming to much and she felt like her head would explode. She'd felt the briefest moment of immense and unbearable pain, but then it would life. The pain would still be there, but it would become something more tolerable.

And now she knows... it's been Nixie the whole time. Looking at her now, Lydia says, "You. You've been helping me." Nixie nods and says, "Later Lydia. Later. Just focus alright. Just hang on."

Stiles nods and says, "Lydia, look at me. You're gonna make it, alright. You're gonna make it." She looks to Stiles, and then gasps and says sadly, "But you're not." Stiles touches his ear and comes back with blood. He obviously doesn't care though, but Lydia is staring at him like she needs to be as far away from him as possible.

Reaching back, Nixie touches Stiles' neck and steals his wound and pain. The new ache in her ear makes her wince further, but she says, "He'll be fine Lydia." Lydia glances at Nixie's now bleeding ear and asks, "How…" "Later."

At the clinic, Deaton says, "Get her on the table!" Stiles lifts her up and they lay her out. That's when she starts to scream again, and Stiles says, "Doc!" "Hold her!" "She's gonna scream!" "Stop her!" "How the hell are we…"

Nixie strips her jacket off and shoves both boys away while Deaton works. She groans in pain as she pulls her wings out, and Stiles eyes widen and his mouth drops open at the sight again. Then she snaps them shut, cocooning her and Lydia's heads within the confines of her wings. "It's okay Lydia. Just a little one. I can take it. I'm not like Stiles. Just a little one. You can't die on me. Just a small one."

And Lydia does let out a faint scream. Deaton turns in panic, fearing the worst, but then freezes as he too sees what Nixie is doing.

They can all hear the scream, but it's muffled and faint, trapped and confined within the walls of Nixie's protection.

When she pulls back, Nixie immediately drags her wings back into her body, leaning heavily against the nearby cabinet. And Deaton doesn't miss the red, irritated and seriously raw skin on her back where her wings come from. She was definitely not okay.

But she grabs the jacket and looks at him in fear before saying, "Help her. Save her." Deaton nods and says, "Hold her." Scott and Stiles do, and then Stiles asks as Deaton holds up a large needle, "What the hell is that?" "Mistletoe." "Mistletoe? She's got a freaking hole in her head!" Nixie comes over and says, "Stiles, hold her. He knows what he's doing."

Deaton squeezes his concoction into the hole in Lydia's head, and then Nixie tries to grab Stiles out of the way as Lydia jerks upright and screams again.

Stiles stays with her though, and then stares down at her when she doesn't open her eyes when she falls back down. "Lydia? Lydia. Lydia, come on." Nixie stands up and stares down in horror at her friend, not moving and not responding.

Had it… had it all been for nothing?

Stiles shakes his head and says, "No, no, no, no, no. Come on. Lydia, wake up. Come on, wake up. Can you hear me? Lydia. Lydia open your eyes." Nixie slumps back against the counter, her back aching at the contact. But it doesn't matter. If Lydia's gone… what the hell was the point of all this?

"Lydia. Come on, come on." Stiles is trying so hard. Nixie watches with baited breath as he continues, "Lydia, listen to me. Hey, show me your eyes, okay? Lydia, you have to open your eyes. Lydia please."

Nixie stares a moment longer, and then feels the despair engulf the room. Deaton, Stiles, and Scott. They all feel as if they've failed.

But Nixie finally realizes something else. She doesn't feel broken. If Lydia were gone, surely that would mean something in her should break again. A member of the pack dying… it had to have an effect on her like that. But she wasn't feeling that.

Stiles jumps when Nixie suddenly comes forward. Slamming her hands down next to Lydia's head on either side, she says, "Lydia, you can be tired later. Wake up damn it. Now!"

It takes one more second, and then Lydia gasps and moans as she finally takes in a deep breath and opens her eyes. Stiles slumps in relief and says, "Oh my God."

Nixie falls to her knees at the head of the table, holding Lydia's head in her hands, her thumbs brushing Lydia's temples gently. Gasping and crying in relief, she can hear the rain start to pour again outside. She doesn't care about that right now though. Resting her forehead to Lydia's, she says, "Never again. Never again Lydia."

Stiles smiles and asks, "You okay?" Lydia nods shakily and Stiles breathes out a laugh of relief. "You're okay." She holds his hand in one of hers tightly, and reaches back with her other, gently finding Nixie's head and running it through her damp hair. Smiling finally, Lydia says, "I knew you'd find me." Nixie nods, and then says, "Stiles, Lydia. He found you. I just did what I always do." "What's that?"

Smiling Nixie, says, "I came to be with you, wherever you are." Lydia smiles and laughs a little at that. Stiles beams at all of them, and then asks, "You wanna try to sit up?" Lydia nods and Nixie rises to her feet to help. She comes to the other side and brushes some of the shattered glass off of Lydia's legs and shirt.

That's when Lydia glances to the doorway and asks, "Mom?" Nixie turns and they all see Natalie standing there with tears in her eyes. Glancing at the windows, Natalie says, "They… they said that when it rains… it means…" Nixie nods and says, "Happy tears this time. Tears of relief."

Nixie starts to back away. Upset as she still is, Natalie already looks like she's tormenting herself enough over what Lydia's been through. She'll let them have their space.

But Lydia grips her shoulder tight and says, "Please…" So Nixie puts a hand on her back and says, "I'm not going anywhere Lydia. I'm just giving your mom some room." And the woman comes in and wraps Lydia in a hug. "Oh honey."

Lydia hugs her mom back, and then says, "They saved my life mom." And looking up at Stiles, Lydia smiles and says, "Stiles saved me." And everyone beams at him, though Stiles is about to point to Nixie and suggest that she and Jordan helped. Nixie shakes her head and says, "We never would've gotten to her in time without you Stiles. It was all you."

He grins at her, and then says to Deaton, "I'm not paying for the windows." Nixie busts out laughing, and Lydia grins and says, "It so good to hear that again."

Nixie hops onto the table on the other side and hugs both Lydia and Natalie. Sighing, she says, "I think we may have some things to work out." "Like you hiding?" Nixie shakes her head and says, "Later. Much later. Right now, I was referring to the fact that I kind of threatened your mom with endless suffering."

Natalie looks over at her, but Lydia just chuckles and asks, "Is that so?" "I was kind of desperate and running out of options. As you can plainly see." Lydia wraps an arm around her and says, "Stiles found me and saved me. But you're the reason I lived this long." "No Lydia. That was you." "It was you. You took it from me. I felt it. Every time I thought it was too much… a little of it went away, enough for me to bear."

Holding Nixie tighter, Lydia says, "That was you. That was you protecting me."

Natalie watches the rain pour in a gentle fall outside as Nixie hugs Lydia tighter as well, tears slowly working down her cheeks. She was a bloody, scarred, burnt, and weary mess of a dragon. But she was happy. She was relieved.

And Natalie can tell by everyone's expressions that it's a familiar saying to hear when Nixie says, "I will always find you, and I will always protect you. Always."

Later on, Lydia tries to insist that Nixie come home with them. Everyone still thinks she's at the lake house. But she shakes her head and says, "I'll let your mom take you home and be with you a while. I'll come see you tomorrow."

Lydia concedes to that, too weary to argue any more tonight. After she's gone, Scott touches her shoulder and says, "We need to talk." "Not tonight Scott. Please?" Sighing, she adds, "I'm tired. I just want to sleep. Can we… can we just talk about it later?"

He nods. Everyone's tired. He doesn't blame her. But as she walks outside, once out of earshot, Stiles asks Scott, "Is she hiding again?" "Yeah. At least, some things." "What was the wound on her chest? It was bleeding. Did Tracy?" "That was me." "What?!"

Scott turns to him and Deaton, and says, "She took half of the wound that Theo gave me, the one meant to kill me. That's what that was. She's the only reason I'm alive."

And they both look at Deaton when he says, "She's hiding more than that, and it shows in the way her body is working against her." Stiles asks, "What do you mean?" "I mean there's ice on the floor where she was standing, and she should be able to control that easier. I mean her back is raw and red and near the point of bleeding from each time her wings come out."

Sighing, Deaton says, "It means she and her dragon are not one yet, and that is bad for her." Stiles asks, "How do we make her one?" "By helping her clear up the problems that she thinks she has on her own. By seeing her for all of what she is, and accepting it." Nodding, Scott says, "That's what Meredith said too. That we have to make her see that we accept her for all that she is."

Stiles asks, "Why wouldn't we accept it? She must know…" Deaton interrupts and says, "Nixie does know. But the dragon part of her is a more visual believer. It's probably why Nixie is having such a hard time understanding what exactly is wrong. She, herself, in her mind, knows that things are finally back as they should be with the pack. But the dragon needs more. It needs to see that her pack is together again, and that the pack accepts her and all the recent changes that have happened to her."

Stiles nods, and then asks, "Could the dragon also look at something visually and interpret it differently from Nixie?" "Yes, if they weren't one. Especially if she witnessed it during the time before she turned eighteen. Why?"

Stiles glances between Deaton and Scott, and then says, "She thought, or maybe still thinks, that something could be going on between Jordan and Lydia. And she told me she knows it's stupid, but she can't shake it. Like another part of her is arguing against it." Scott nods and supplies, "Her dragon."

Deaton looks between them, and then says, "Tomorrow preferably, as soon as Lydia is able and ready, we all need to go and see Nixie. We need to help her solve the problems she thinks she's having. And we need to make her let us see her. All of her."

Scott nods, and then says, "I… I think I know of a way to get a leap on that." Stiles and Deaton look to him, and he says, "When I was in Meredith's head, she showed me walls that I think Nixie has been writing on. Like one of Stiles' boards of information. Only, it was mostly about her. And she was trying to figure out what was wrong with her and how to fix it. But mostly, the thing Meredith pointed out to me was that she wasn't afraid of us or what we might do to her."

Deaton tilts his head and asks, "Then what?" Stiles sighs and says, "She's afraid of what she might to do us, isn't she?" Scott nods and says, "Her dragon, more than anything. She's worried about losing control, losing her temper at someone and then accidentally hurting them."

Deaton nods, and then says, "Tomorrow would most definitely be preferable."

Outside, Malia, Kira, and Liam all rush inside when Nixie points and says, "She's alright."

Jordan waits by the transport van. Coming up to him, Nixie asks, "How do you feel?" "Fine. You?" "Relieved. She… I think she almost…"

Nixie shakes her head and says, "But she's fine, and it's easier to breathe now." "Good." He drags her to him without any other warning, and kisses her soundly on the lips, pulling a moan from her as he slides his tongue between her lips.

When he lets her go, she sighs and asks, "What's that for?" "For being mine." Smiling, she says, "Good." Looking down at herself, Nixie sighs and says, "I need a shower." "Me too. Want a lift home?" She ponders it, and then sighs and says, "I need to get my bike out of the rain and away from the station. Can you take me to get it?" He nods, but then asks, "Do you want to come to my place?"

She ponders that a moment, and then nods and says, "Yeah. Yeah, that sounds nice." "Alright. Let's go."

And that night, in spite of everything else she felt she needed to worry about... she slept soundly, and didn't wake until ten or so the next morning. Thank God it was Sunday.

She found a note on Jordan's pillow next to hers that said, "Had to go to work, but didn't want to wake you. There's bacon and toast on a plate in the microwave. I love you." Smiling, she hops up to eat breakfast, and then changes and heads out to her cabin in the woods. She still has a lot of figuring to do, and is honestly still hoping she can work through most of it without having to bug the others.

Little did Nixie know, that at that very moment, Lydia was calling Jordan and Noah at the station. And at her words, a pang of worry rushed through both men. "What?"

Lydia sighs at Jordan's question, and then says, "Me, mom, Deaton, and Scott and Stiles are all here at the lake house. All the flowers you bought her and sent to her are on the porch still, and none of her stuff is here. And there's no notes or writings on boards like Scott thinks there should be."

Noah looks at Jordan in concern, and then asks, "What are you saying exactly?"

"I'm saying she's not here, and she never was. We don't know where she's been living since she left Kira's house, but it's not here. And… I think…"

Jordan had feared this thought, but knows it's probably the right one when Lydia says, "I think she's made herself homeless again."

And that's Chapter 6! So I probably won't get to post again until tomorrow. (Maybe later tonight, but we all know what happened last time I mentioned that.) (I'm mentally crossing all my fingers and toes, hoping the internet won't crash again.) But anyways, I really hope you guys are enjoying the story.

Just a bit of a heads up. The next chapter is what I'm calling an intermission. Basically... there's just too much to try and do in the act of 'repairing' Nixie, to try and put it in with one of the chapters based on one of the TV show episodes. That chapter would end up being ridiculously long. (You might think some of the others are too long already, so imagine what that chapter would look like. Yikes!) So anyways, just figured I'd let you know.

Six more chapters to go! Woohoo! :)