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."

Chapter 8: Episode 5x17

Nixie has Jordan's arm in her hands as they sit across from Chris in the room. She'd called him and told him that he needed to come so they could ask him a favor.

He arrived not fifteen minutes after she got off the phone with him, and at her surprised expression at seeing him at the door already, he raises an eyebrow and says, "You never ask for help. Someone has to be dying." Rolling her eyes, Nixie had invited him in and said, "No one's dying. Well… yet… or at this current moment anyway. And FYI, I did tell you that you didn't have to come straight away."

Chris put an arm around her and said, "Alright, let's start over. Hi. Happy to see you again Nixie." She grins and says, "Hi. Happy to see you too. We're in deeply major shit… in case you were wondering." "I was. But considering that's a constant around here, I'm not surprised. What do you need from me?"

Now she and Jordan are on the couch, Chris in the chair across the room. He looks between both of them, and then leans forward and says, "I can't help until you tell me what I need to do or fix. Nix…" "I'm not worried about you. I'm worried about your dad."

Chris nods and says, "You have my word, I won't let him do anything to harm Parrish. If I think he will, I'll keep him away at all costs. If I think he can help though… I may consider letting him."

Jordan knows Nixie is none too pleased with that, but he watches as she straightens up suddenly and looks at Chris with a scrutinizing gaze. Chris meets her eyes evenly, and then she relaxes and says, "You don't trust him either." "No. Not entirely." "Good."

Turning back to Jordan, she nods and leans her head over on his shoulder. He kisses the top of her head, hoping to comfort her a little, and then sighs and turns back to Chris. "It happens every night. I don't know when and I don't know what triggers it, but at some point every night, I leave."

Putting his hand over one of Nixie's, he says, "When I come back, or when Nixie brings me back, I'm covered in ash and soot, burnt clothes and blood. And if I didn't know certain things, I'd call it sleepwalking. But I do know. And on top of that, half the time I wake Nixie up in the process, so I know it's not just sleepwalking. It's him. It's the hellhound."

Chris nods for him to continue, so Jordan says, "I'm not just wandering out the door. Nixie can attest to that, but I can also feel it. I'm heading out with purpose. I'm searching for something." He pauses again, and Nixie finally says, "This is why we need your help. I keep losing him. I've tried following him, but the hellhound is better at evading me now, at least some of the time. I always find him eventually, but it's getting harder to keep up. And once I've lost him, I'm not sure where to look next. Half the time, I only find him from sheer luck, and I'm done trying to count on that."

Jordan squeezes her hand and says, "That's why we need you to follow me. I need to know where I'm going and what I'm doing. If people are getting hurt because of…" Nixie's grip tightens and she says, "We've discussed that." "Baby, you're biased." "I'm also right."

Chris grins at the sureness of her response, and then says to Jordan, "I'm inclined to agree with her." Jordan just gives him a look that says he's not helping right now. Then he says, "Regardless of what you two believe, I'd rather have physical evidence to prove it. I want someone to have seen me and tell me that I'm not a part of what's killing people in this town. If I'm adding to the body count… I have to know."

Chris nods, and then asks, "So… what exactly is the plan?" Jordan sighs in relief, and Nixie rolls her eyes and says, "Yeah, like you actually thought he wasn't going to help us." "I knew he'd help you. I wasn't so sure about me." "You're important to me. Case closed." They both just grin at her, and then Jordan turns back to Chris and says, "I'm gonna sleep out here tonight on the couch. When I wake up at night, when it takes over… I want you to follow me."

And before Nixie can cut him off, he adds, "And if you have to… I want you to stop me." Nixie actually snarls a little beside him, but he just kisses the top of her head again and says, "Not kill baby. Just stop." "I still don't like it." Chris says, "I'll use as little force as I can Nixie, and only if I really feel the need. But, as stated earlier, I'm inclined to agree with you, so I don't think it'll really be necessary."

Nixie nods, and then Chris asks, "Will the hellhound still appear if I'm here though? And will he leave me alone if he wakes up and finds me watching him?" Nixie nods and says, "Even though the hellhound keeps saying he's not really Jordan, I'm the person that can still always reach him. The hellhound hasn't even spoken to anyone else in the past, just to me. But even I can't make him stop once he wakes up now. It's almost as if in those first few moments, he can't even see me. It's not until later, after all hell has broken loose apparently, that I can get him to listen."

Chris nods, and then says, "Alright. I'll come back later before you go to sleep. Who else is in on this?" Nixie says, "I talked to Scott, and he's probably getting Stiles and Liam on board. The others know, but I don't think they'll actually be out following like the rest of us."

Chris tells them that he'll come back around ten o'clock, about an hour before they'll be going to sleep. That'll give him time to set himself up in a dark corner, where he'll be least likely to disturb the hellhound when he first wakes.

After he's gone, Nixie sighs and says, "You're not dangerous."

Jordan comes up behind where she's now standing at the door. Wrapping his arms around her, he finally concedes, "I know I'm not dangerous to you. I can feel that. Somehow I can feel that even the hellhound would never be able to harm you on purpose. And for that, I'm grateful." He lets her turn to face him, and he says, "But I don't feel that way about the rest of the world, or even the rest of your friends. Just you."

"Flattery is going to get you nowhere." Jordan grins and kisses her forehead before saying, "We have to figure something out Nixie. And calling him here was your idea." "Yeah. Until you decided to give him permission to take you down." "Only if I'm hurting people. And both of you don't think I am, so it shouldn't even come to that."

Nixie finally says, "Fine. But if Chris does end up shooting you, I'm going to kick his ass, and then yours. Twice. Once for you and then again for your alter ego." Jordan chuckles and says, "Yes mam." "Oh, be quiet."

"Is it always like this?" Nixie nods to Chris' question as they watch Jordan struggle on the couch, his fists clenching, and his eyes moving back and forth beneath his closed eyelids. Sighing, she whispers back to Chris, "Sometimes I can calm him down a little if I hold him close, but that only works for a while. He always ends up waking up."

Chris nods, and then asks, "Out of curiosity, how do you feel about the temperature of the room?" "I'm fine. I feel good. But I know he makes the whole place feel like a sauna. I can sense that. It just doesn't affect me."

They watch as he suddenly sits up on the couch, and then stands and walks out the door. Chris makes to follow, and then says, "I'll text Scott. You go find him and the others. I'll track him as far as I can on my own. Maybe if you aren't behind him, he won't work so hard to evade. He'll just go where he's trying to go." "Alright."

Scott moves to the back seat with Liam as Nixie joins them, and Stiles glances over at her and asks, "How you doing?" "I'm alright. Worried about him… but alright." "Yeah. Your boyfriend really needs to come to terms with his alter ego as well." Nixie sighs and says, "I don't even know if that's possible for him."

Liam squeezes her shoulder from the back seat, and she turns to look at him. Smiling, she asks, "How are you guys?" "Oh, you know, just the usual. Out past midnight, tracking a supernatural creature, probably gonna fall asleep in first period tomorrow. Typical night in Beacon Hills."

Nixie smiles at his sarcasm, but says to Scott, "I told you that we should've left him to sleep." Scott shrugs and says, "He's my beta. What are you gonna do?"

Scott looks at his phone when he gets another text, and then says, "He's headed to the school." Liam gives him a funny look and asks, "Why's Parrish headed to the school?" Scott reminds him, "It's not Parrish. At least, not right now." Liam leans forward and says, "Okay. They why's the hellhound going to the school?"

And in spite of the fact that it's her boyfriend they're speculating about, Nixie can't help but laugh when Stiles says, "Cause he's got a yearning for higher education. Liam…. Hellhound's headed to the school, so we're going to the school. Okay?" And then he looks over at Nixie and says, "And if he torches our English class before I can pass it this year, I'm gonna hit him in the head with a lead pipe."

Nixie shrugs and asks, "In the conservatory or the lounge?" Stiles smirks even as he rolls his eyes at her and says, "If only we were just playing clue. Life would be so much simpler." "But not nearly as exciting." "You call this exciting?" "You don't?" "No. I call it traumatically and horrifically terrifying, on levels that normal people should never have to witness or encounter." "Yeah, well, normal is overrated."

Liam glances between the two and asks, "Do you two literally have a comeback for every single thing you could possibly say to each other?" Nixie turns while Stiles shifts gears. Grinning at Liam, she says, "Imagine if we never could agree on a stopping point together."

Liam actually looks a little horrified by the thought, and Stiles and Nixie laugh as they race towards the school where Chris is waiting.

Nixie is standing between Stiles and Scott, when all three jump and then turn around as Liam accidentally slams the door of the jeep closed. "Sorry." Stiles gives him a look that says he had seriously been all for the idea of leaving Liam in bed tonight. Nixie just shrugs after a moment and says, "If he's here, we're not going to stop him from getting where he wants to go anyway. Come on."

When they find Chris, Scott asks, "Where's Parrish?" And Nixie follows up with, "And why are you carrying a gun? You said as little fire power as necessary." "First of all, I lost him. He's moving too fast. Second of all, he's a hellhound Nixie. A bullet's not going to scare him or seriously hurt him. It'll delay him, if that."

"Scott." They all turn to Liam, and he points and says, "That guy's not moving at all."

Stiles hits Scott on the arm, hanging back a second while the others move forward. Huffing, he mutters, "Am I the only one with a sense of self-preservation?" Nixie nods in answer to him, trying to remain silent now as they approach the dead body.

The guy is slashed open, claw marks deep and long going across his torso. And Nixie feels a slightly sick sense of relief when thinking that it couldn't be Jordan. The man on the ground would've been burnt in some fashion if Jordan had done it, so this wasn't him. Satisfied with that, she followed the others along, finding another dead body on the way.

That's when they see the bus, littered with dead bodies, and two glowing blue eyes lurking in the darkness within. And then the man at the back door of the bus lifts his head, and Nixie gasps at seeing he's still alive. Moving forward, past Scott, to try and help him as he mutters for aid, she suddenly feels a warm hand close over her elbow.

"It's a trap." The hellhound voices it to everyone, but doesn't look at them. He grips Nixie tighter and pulls her back against him. She struggles in his grip as the man on the bus begs for help, and even Scott moves forward to try and do something. But the hellhound holds Nixie firmly and says to Scott, "You can't help him."

And then the man is ripped completely in two. As his torso falls and hits the pavement, Nixie slaps a hand over her mouth in horror.

Oh… this asshole definitely needs to die.

Nixie shook with anger, and didn't even realize she was giving off an exceedingly cold vibe, until the hellhound wrapped his arms around her, his body temperature bumping up several notches to counteract her cold and to heat her up again.

The beast stands up on the bus, his entire frame taking up nearly all the light and space inside. Stiles mutters, "That's big. No one said it was that big." Liam whispers back at him, "I did."

Nixie nods and says, "So did I." The hellhound tightens his grip on her for a moment, and then releases her. She turns to him, but before she can speak, he says, "Do not follow tonight. He will return to you in time. Leave me be dragon."

The beast roars out at them, and the hellhound reaches up to touch Nixie's face gently for a brief moment. Then he moves past her and roars back at the beast, the claws on his fingers extending longer than she'd ever seen.

He and the beast take off into the woods after that, and Scott asks, "What the hell's happening?"

Nixie turns to look at Chris when he answers, "It's getting smarter." Then he looks at her, and says, "And Parrish hasn't been hurting people. He's been chasing after this thing." She nods, but asks, "But why?" Stiles comes up beside her and says, "Maybe that's part of what he does. Maybe that's, like, his job in the order of supernatural things. Kill the beast and cover up supernatural disasters from the normal public."

Sighing after a moment, Nixie says, "I guess… I guess there's nothing left to do tonight then. Damn it. I hate this." Scott nods in agreement, and then asks, "You're not going after him?" "He told me not to. He's never specifically asked me to not follow him before. I… I don't know. If he doesn't make it home before school tomorrow, I'm going to kick his ass the next time he's in hellhound mode."

Stiles nods and asks gently, "With a candlestick?" "No, the wrench." "Right. Stupid of me to suggest the candlestick. He'd just light it after all."

Liam shouts in exasperation, "Seriously! All the time!"

Mason couldn't really believe it. Well, actually, he could… but he didn't want to. "So you're just going to leave?" Corey stands up straight from where he was packing his bag to look at him. Mason shakes his head and asks, "What about your parents?" "They barely noticed when I died the first time."

Turning around, Corey pulls off his sweater and says, "Look at this. This is life in Beacon Hills. This is what happens." Mason reaches out hesitantly, wanting to touch him and comfort him, but also not wanting to hurt him any further. He remembers Nixie informing him that Corey had been in Eichen House and Jordan had done a number on him.

Well, not Jordan. Nixie stressed that it was the hellhound, and not Jordan.

Corey turns to him, notices his outstretched hand, and says, "It doesn't hurt." Pulling Mason's hand to touch his chest, showing that it caused him no pain, he adds, "It's just taking forever to heal."

Mason takes a minute to just look over the damage done to Corey. Yeah, he can understand why he'd be afraid. Of Jordan, of Theo… of the beast. Hell, being afraid of Beacon Hills as a whole made perfect sense.

But that didn't change the fact that Mason knew Corey was better than that. Even if he didn't know it for himself, Mason knew it because of Nixie's reaction to him. Liam had explained to him, along with Scott now, that Nixie's judgment of people was to never again be questioned. Stiles was suspicious of everyone. You could question him. But Nixie knew… she just knew.

And she'd liked Corey from the beginning. When he was being turned into a chimera, and even when Corey had joined Theo's pack; Nixie had still favored him, still wanted to comfort him. She'd encouraged them to go out after all, knowing full well that Corey was probably with Theo at the time.

Nixie knew he was better. Mason knew he was better. And damn it, Corey was going to live up to that expectation.

Looking up at Corey, he says, "But you are healing. Maybe it's taking longer because of how bad you were hurt, but it's happening. I mean… look at you." Corey looks up at his face again, and Mason continues, "You can make yourself invisible. You're fast. You're strong. People like me need people like you to save our asses."

A small smile touched Corey's lips, and Mason took a step forward and insisted, "I need you." He had Corey's full attention at that, but Corey still shakes his head and says, "No, you don't. You're too smart to need anyone. And it's the smart ones who always survive." Mason scoffs and says, "Yeah, tell that to Nixie."

Corey tilts his head, his attention grasped again with the mention of her name. Seeing his confusion, Mason says, "Did you think it was just you that she's protective of? Hell no. She's that way with everyone that she lets into her circle; into her heart. You said I was smart and would survive? Nixie's idea of smart, the idea that drives her, the thing that makes all of us love her so much, even before I even really knew her, is that she will destroy whatever is threatening those she cares for. She will fight, defend, and if necessary, die to make that happen. That's her idea of smart. We've all seen it. And yeah, she's a bit extreme sometimes, but if all of that is what makes her what she is."

Stepping closer again, he says, "She's smart Corey. She's only a little bit below Lydia in that respect. But she has more scars, more injuries, and more heartache even, than you and all of us put together." Corey frowns at the mention of her being more scarred than him. He considered himself to be the worse of everyone that got out of Eichen House. Apparently, that wasn't the case.

Mason says, "Look, my point is, we're not getting out of this unscathed. We're going to get hurt. That's pretty much inevitable. I think being supernatural somehow requires you get injured several times a year. But we will survive. Not because I'm smart or even because your fast and strong. But because together we can beat this thing. And with Nixie on our side, it's like a guarantee that we're not going to die."

He was in Corey's space now; not that he hadn't been before, but he was right in it now. Urgently, he says, "So survive with me. Scott's gonna have a plan. They always do. And you don't need to worry about him being a jerk or anything anymore. Nixie has assured me that he has his head screwed on straight now, as does everyone else."

Corey grins at the comment and pulls his shirt on while Mason says, "And just a couple of weeks ago, he brought Hayden here with cell phone jammers to block the frequency of the Dread Doctors…"

Corey picks up his bag and lacrosse stick, but tilts his head at the contemplative look that enters Mason's eyes. Mason looks to him again and says, "Follow me."

Corey's confusion only briefly overtook his amusement at Mason's now excited movements. And it didn't escape him that Mason just began backing away, not having the slightest doubt that Corey would follow.

Because yeah. Corey would follow. Corey would probably follow him into a burning building. And all things considered, that would be asking a lot right now.

He shuts his locker and catches up with Mason just as he says, "It's frequency. Every time the beast shows up. Liam and Hayden saw it at the cell transmission towers. The attack downtown happened right near the radio astronomy observatory. Uh… Deaton was attacked by the beast at an army base, which has huge radar arrays."

Corey, following just a step behind all this time, has no idea what he's talking about. Yeah, that's all true, but what the hell does it have to do with anything. So he says, "Still not getting it." Mason turns to him and says, "The beast always shows up near a transmission source. What if that's how the dread doctors are doing it? By broadcasting a high-frequency transmission."

Corey nods, now getting it. "So, we should be looking for some sort of transmission?" Mason slumps his shoulders and says, "We don't have to look." Corey follows his gaze to the news vans in the parking lot, the antennas on top showing like a neon sign for Mason.

Turning back to Corey, he says, "The local news always covers the game. There could be two, maybe three vans. All of them transmitting."

Corey, now with fear in his eyes, asks, "Are you saying that thing's going to be out there tonight?" "I'm saying… people are going to die." Turning back to the vans, Mason adds, "A lot of people."

Corey watches the gears in Mason's mind turn, and then looks him up and down. The boy cared so much; about him and Scott and the pack. About Nixie and all her friends. Mason cared about the whole school.

Mason cared about him, even when he felt no one else had.

Which means he's staying, because there's no way in hell Corey's just leaving Mason here.

Which probably means he's also screwed. Well, unless Nixie has anything to say about it. Nudging Mason, he says, "People don't have to die, if Scott and Nixie are here."

Mason jumps, and then grins at him a little before jerking around to pull out his phone. "Right. I've gotta call Nixie."

"Okay, so here's what we got folks." Liam rolls his eyes as Nixie dramatically drops into the seat near Lydia. Taking one next to Stiles, he says, "Mason said it's not just a transmitted frequency. It's high powered. Like it has to be a really strong signal." Nixie nods in confirmation and turns to Lydia when she asks, "And that's causing it to shift?" Scott shakes his head and says, "No, I don't think it's just that."

Nixie smiles and says, "You and Mason are on the same page." Scott grins at her, and then Nixie turns to Lydia and says, "Last night, Argent said that it's getting smarter. So, what if the dread doctors are trying to make the beast grow faster?"

Stiles, for once in his life, a little lost on this concept, asks, "With frequencies?" Nixie leans forward on the table and says, "No, by shifting Stiles." Scott nods and says, "The frequency is just the trigger." Nixie adds, "The thing that makes the beast shift, even though there's no full moon."

Stiles looks between the two of them and says, "Okay, she's supposed to finish my sentences, not yours." Nixie grins, and then Scott says, "Look, the important part is when it shifts into the werewolf." Lydia perks up a little in realization and says, "Like Peter." Nixie nods as Scott says, "Right. When Peter was an alpha, he got stronger every full moon. Eventually, the burns healed and he was back to normal."

Liam leans back in his seat and says, "So the dread doctors don't want to wait for the full moon." Scott nods, "Right. They want the beast to be as strong as possible, as fast as possible." "Because of Parrish."

Nixie's smile instantly slips at the mention of Jordan, and Lydia puts a hand on her shoulder in comfort. He hadn't come home last night. Nixie had fallen asleep in the corner of the couch, praying that he would be there when she woke up. But when she did she was still on the couch, still alone, and without any idea as to where the hellhound would've led Jordan off too.

Should've followed after him anyway. Stupid. So stupid.

Lydia then says, "So, if this is happening tonight, what are we going to do?" Stiles sighs and says, "Well, we do have one clue to go on." Pulling a picture from his bag, he says, "This came from the hospital. Whoever's lurking inside the beast is wearing a size ten of indeterminate make."

Lydia asks in exasperation, "Indeterminate?" Nixie nods absentmindedly and says, "They have no idea what kind of shoe exactly is on it." Stiles nods and says, "Partial print. It's all they were able to get considering all the fire, blood, and carnage." Scott sighs and asks, "How many size tens are out there?" "Only one with Parrish's blood on the sole."

Nixie turns her head away again at the mention of Jordan, but then back again when she feels Stiles reach out for her hand. Squeezing gently, he says, "He'll be alright Nix."

She nods, and then says, "So… about the game guys." Liam nods in agreement and asks, "Yeah, are we going to try and get that cancelled?" Stiles gives him a look and says, "No, no, we're going to play, but we're just going to hope really hard that it doesn't turn into a blood-soaked massacre." Liam gives him a look back, but relaxes and rolls his eyes a bit when Nixie says gently, "Translated, that means, 'obviously you idiot'."

Liam shoves her shoulder gently, and then says, "It's just… aren't we missing out on a chance to catch this thing? I mean, we don't have the who, but we have the where, and the when."

Scott and Nixie look at each other. The thought had crossed both of their minds, and Nixie knew that Stiles was probably up for it if that's what they decided. And the sooner they could catch this damn thing, the better it would be for everyone.

But Nixie knew that Scott also shared her other opinion. And she nodded as he finally said reluctantly, "There's too many people."

Backing them up, Lydia adds, "And we still don't actually know if it's going to happen. It just might end up being a regular lacrosse game." Nixie smiles and says to her, "Loving the optimism Lydia, flimsy though it may be." "I'm serious. It's possible, right?" "Oh absolutely." And Nixie laughs when Stiles says in his most sarcastic tone yet, "Oh, it's absolutely possible."

Everyone's eyes connected for a moment, much to Nixie's amusement, and then Liam said for everyone, "So we're still getting the game cancelled?" Scott acknowledges that, and he, Liam and Stiles all grab their bags and head out the door to do what they can to get it cancelled.

Nixie waits for Lydia to grab her stuff, and then Lydia asks, "Who are you going with?" "Stiles I guess. Scott's got Liam. You coming?" "Sure… I mean, what else…"

Nixie turns back to look at her when Lydia stops talking, stops moving. Coming back to her, Nixie asks, "What? What's wrong?" "I don't know… I'm not…" She gently brushes some hair from Lydia's face and says, "Don't fight it Lydia. Follow it."

She follows as Lydia leads her to an aisle of the library. On the floor, is a single book, opened to the page depicting a hunter killing a wolf with a spear. Nixie sighs as Lydia bends down to pick it up, and says, "Right. Because that's not ominous at all." Lydia nods in agreement, but then they both jump when a voice from the other side of the shelf says, "Nixie."

Lydia's eyes find him first, and she jerks Nixie down to see Jordan through the stacks of books to the other side. "Jordan!"

Nixie scrambles around to be beside him. And he looks terrible. Worse than any other time she'd gotten him back home before. "Shit! Shit, shit, shit!"

Lydia moves to his other side and pulls out a scarf to try and clean him up a little. Jordan winces, but reaches out with his good arm and touches Nixie's face. Sighing in relief, he says, "I'm sorry. I couldn't… I tried…" "Jordan, hush. Don't talk too much. You need rest."

He grips her arm in his hand and says desperately, "Don't leave. Please don't leave." Nixie cups his face in her hands and kisses him soundly. She keeps it short, not wanting to prevent him from breathing or anything, and definitely not wanting to hurt him. It seems to be enough though, and he relaxes even further when she says, "You couldn't send me away if you tried. You owe me. I've been worried out of my damn mind about you. And you can tell your alter ego the next time he tells me not to follow after him, I'm going to beat him to death myself."

Jordan grins and chuckles a little, though the action causes him to wince again. Nixie holds him close, and then asks Lydia, "How in the hell did he even get in here? It's the school library. What the hell?" Lydia shrugs and says, "I don't know."

Lydia waits a moment longer, and then says, "We should call Chris. Maybe he's come up with something by now. Maybe he can help." Nixie looks over at her, and then nods. Helping Jordan off the ground, Nixie says, "I've got one of his jackets in my locker. Let me go get it and I'll meet you at your car. Jordan… can you walk?"

He leans heavily against her for a moment more, but then nods and says, "Come straight back." "I promise." But Lydia says, "You get him to the car, here's the keys. I'll get the jacket. Go."

So Nixie helps Jordan into the backseat, and is about to shut him in, when he grabs her arm again. "Stay. Please." "I'm going to the other side Jordan. I'll be…"

He pulls her down and into his lap. It takes her another moment to get inside the car enough so they can shut the door. Huffing, she says, "You're wounded. I'm trying not to add to your pain. Just let me…" "You weren't there."

She pauses, and then asks, "What?" Jordan lifts his eyes to hers, and then sighs and says, "You weren't there, when I came back. When I got back to me again, you weren't there." "Jordan… I'm sorry… I was…" "No, Nixie. I don't blame you and I don't want you to apologize. But…"

He pulls her closer, her head resting on his shoulder, his arms wound as tightly around her as he can manage while still in pain. Sighing, he says, "This scares the shit out of me Nixie. But every single time I've come out of this so far, you've always been there. Either leading the way home, or cleaning off the grime in the shower. It's been soothing in a way I can't explain. It's such a relief to know you're there with me. It's grounding. I swear, it's how I know if I'm really back in reality or not."

Hugging her tighter, he says, "You weren't there this time, and it felt like waking up while still being in a nightmare. I can't… I don't know how to better explain it. I…" "Jordan, I'm sorry this is happening to you. Lydia is calling Chris. Maybe he can think of something to help." "I hope so."

Lydia climbs into the driver's seat and says, "They're in the tunnels. We're meeting them in a bunker of theirs." Nixie glances at her as Lydia backs the car out of the parking lot. "They?" Lydia meets her eyes, and Nixie lets out a slow and controlled breath before she says, "Is Gerard aware that I will castrate him if he so much as touches or gets too close to my boyfriend again?" "I told Chris to remind him. Much as we hate him, I am hoping to avoid at least the majority of death that has to occur tonight." "Well said my friend. Well said."

"He's healing. Slowly."

Nixie rolls her eyes and says, "Thank you Captain Obvious. I wasn't aware that his healing abilities had somehow been stunted."

Chris gives her a look, but doesn't argue with her. He'd said it more for himself and his father anyway, then he had for her. And besides, he knows she's worried about Jordan. It wouldn't do him any good right now to argue about whether or not he should be stating the obvious.

He does sigh and shake his head though when Gerard asserts himself forward and asks, "Can you tell us what you remember?"

Before Jordan can answer, Nixie snarls, snapping Gerard's attention to her. He offers a smirk, but then flinches back when she makes to step towards him. Chris steps into her path though and whispers, "I still need him."

Now she gives him a look, but eventually she calms down. Still, she says, "He doesn't talk to him."

Chris nods, but smiles when Jordan takes Nixie's hand in his and says, "Nixie, I'm alright. Just let the old man talk, so long as he's got something useful to say." Turning back to him, she says, "Whose side are you on?" "The side that figures this out the fastest."

They stare at each other for a moment, and then he pulls her to sit in his lap. The wounds have at least healed over enough to not bleed and hurt nearly as much, so even though Nixie hesitates, Jordan just draws her in to rest against him. She was a soothing balm to the overheated temperature he still had about his skin. Sighing, he then looks up at Chris and shakes his head. "I can only remember bits and pieces. Moments when I caught up with it."

Nixie's head jerks back and she asks, "You caught the thing?!" He nods and says, "Fought with it too." Nixie's eyes widen, but Jordan simply says gently, "I'm alright." "But next time you might not be. Your alter ego is expecting too much from you while keeping you in the dark. Next time you go to sleep and he wakes up, I'm going to have serious words with him, whether he wants to or not."

Jordan grins at that, and then looks up as Chris asks, "What else do you remember?" Jordan pauses for a moment, long enough for Nixie to know he's not happy about having to give this answer in front of her. He apparently knows it's going to upset her. Finally though, he says, "I was losing."

Nixie holds him tighter and kisses his neck before saying, "I am not letting you out of my sight again. I'll take the beast out myself if I have to." "We don't know who it is yet Nixie. You have to try and save him." "I have to keep you safe too." He smiles and kisses the side of her head before saying, "I appreciate that, but I'm pretty sure I'm stronger than you are. If I ever get me and my alter ego on the same page that is."

Lydia watches as Nixie holds Jordan tighter, and then turns to the other two men and demands, "You said you could help him." Gerard nods and says, "We have an idea or two." And though Nixie hates the sound of his voice, she turns to look at them and asks, "What ideas?" Chris looks pointedly at her, clearly saying to her that she has to keep an open mind, and then says, "We've been wondering if resolving this internal conflict you're having could help resolve the external one you're losing against the beast."

Jordan tilts his head and asks, "But we don't know how to get my alter ego to cooperate with me. With Nixie, she just had to let us see all of her. No one's got a clue how to get my alter ego to spend more than a few seconds talking to anybody, and the only one he's ever really been open to communicating with is Nixie. And even that was reluctantly from what I understand, at least most of the time."

Nixie nods in confirmation, and feels her stomach drop a little when Chris says, "There are several ways for bringing out the supernatural subconscious in creatures such as yourselves. Some more natural than others. Some less natural, but at this point, necessary. We don't have time to wait for the hell hound to figure out that he's losing because he's only fighting with half of the strength he could be."

Gerard nods towards an open doorway and says, "Deputy, it's time you and your alter ego, had a proper introduction." Nixie frowns in concern, but at Chris' nod, she stands up and follows Lydia into the room Gerard has led them too. Jordan is close behind her, his heat still radiating off of him against her back, as Lydia asks, "How are you going to do that?"

"With this?" Nixie turns to see what Chris is talking about, and gapes at the giant machine behind the cage door. Needless to say, it was an intimidating piece of monstrosity. Frowning and tilting her head at it, she asks, "What the hell is it? And what does it do?" Gerard smirks and opens his mouth, but shuts it when Lydia says, "Not from you, unless you want to die. And I don't care what it is. Just explain how it works."

Chris nods and says to Jordan, "It'll bring your body temperature down to a level that would kill a normal human being." Nodding as he looks over the device, Jordan asks, "Why down and not up?" "Something happens to someone like you, when the body cools to extreme temperatures. Everything slows down. The heart, the mind. It lets you consciously access a part of you that's usually unconscious."

Nixie closes her eyes, grits her teeth, and counts to ten slowly as Gerard comments, "The supernatural part." She could control her anger now. It was easy. That didn't mean she wanted to hear him anymore than she had before.

Jordan looks over at Nixie and asks, "What about Nixie? She's always cold." Chris shrugs and says, "I guess dragons are different. At the very least, Nixie being a blue dragon makes her exceptionally different. Dragons are rare. Blue ones are rarer still. Only time will tell if she could ever be cooled to a point where her supernatural half would emerge."

Gerard is grinning, but then jumps back when Chris jerks to look at him and says, "We are never putting her in here unless it somehow becomes necessary." Lydia nods and says, "Because, as I'd like to point out, this is dangerous, isn't it? And not just for Nixie, for Jordan too."

Nixie nods, but then can't honestly find it in her to argue when Gerard says, "Well, it's far less dangerous than if the Deputy can't evolve to face the beast."

She doesn't argue. But she does snarl in a low tone when Gerard keeps staring at Lydia. The elder man huffs in annoyance and says, "Am I not allowed to make a point?" "Not when you look like you're about to eat my best friend."

Chris just shakes his head and says before his father can speak again, "Shut up."

Jordan wraps an arm around Nixie's shoulders, hugging her close to calm her down, and then asks, "Evolve?"

Chris nods and says, "Well, the beast is not just getting smarter. Imagine it this way… each night, the teenage chimera…" Lydia adds in, "The success." Chris nods to her, and then looks to Nixie when she adds, "Who we still have no idea as to what they're identity is." Chris nods again, and then looks to Jordan and continues. "This teenager goes out into the night and transforms. Whether it's a young man or a young woman, they become a werewolf. A very large, very powerful werewolf the people of Gevaudan called the beast."

Sighing, he says, "And every night it transforms, it remembers a little more of who it used to be." Gerard nods, and then glances at Nixie and keeps his eyes on her as he speaks. "It yearns for its identity. It's name. Not just the beast of Gevaudan, but the man." Chris nods and says, "The man of Gevaudan, who wants to live too. He wants to exist."

Nixie straightens up and asks cautiously, "How would he even do that? Without his own body I mean?" Chris looks down to her and says, "Imagine that one night the teenager goes out and transforms again. But when the beast transforms back, the man of Gevaudan stands there instead."

Gerard says, "Fully realized. Alive once again." Nixie narrows her eyes and says, "If you smirk at one more God damn thing while I'm down here, I'm going to take a note from Derek Hale's book and rip your throat out. With my teeth."

But she stops growling and turns to Lydia in surprise when she says, "That's what Valack meant." At Nixie's worried gaze, she says, "Don't. I'm fine. But while he had me, he tried to explain some things. In his own twisted and demented way, he was trying to help figure out how to stop all of this. And he said, 'When the beast remembers, the teenager would be gone.'"

Jordan turns to her and asks, "Gone? As in no longer exists? How's that even possible?" Nixie looks to Gerard and Chris at that, but neither of them looks entirely sure or comfortable trying to explain the terrible ways that would in fact happen, or what it would mean for the teenager being taken over. Jordan sighs and says, "Forget I asked."

Chris opens the door of the machine, and for a moment Jordan just stares inside. Nixie grips his arm in her hands and says, "You don't have to. We'll think of something else. Lydia and I are geniuses. We can do it." Chris grins at the comment, not doubting the two girls could come up with something if given the time.

But that was the thing. They didn't have time. And Jordan knows that too.

Taking one of her hands and raising it to his lips, he kisses her knuckles, and then says, "Bring me back." "Always." He smiles gently, and then also says, "But if your friends need you, go. I don't want any of their lives on my conscience because you decided to stay here instead of going off to help them." Nixie pauses for a moment, but then turns back to Lydia. She nods and says, "I won't leave him here with Gerard."

Gerard almost looks offended, but is at least smart enough at the moment to make no comment. Nixie turns back to Jordan and says, "I'll stay as long as I can. I might not have to leave at all." "But if you do need to leave, go. I'll understand."

Nixie nods, and then lets go of him reluctantly as he steps into the machine. Chris shuts him inside, and then starts filling the thing with the cooling airs and gases.

And as Jordan's hand slams against the glass, Nixie lets her eyes glow. Lydia lurches forward, but Gerard grips her arm and pulls her back.

He then shouts in pain when Nixie slashes her talons across the back of his hand. Snarling at him, she says, "Next time your hand comes off." Pulling Lydia behind her, she says, "It's alright. He'll be fine." "How do you know?"

And as glowing orange eyes meet her glowing silver ones, Nixie sighs in relief and says, "Pretty sure my heart would be breaking if he weren't going to be okay."

"Just out of curiosity… what if it doesn't work? What if we have to go up against this thing?" Everyone in the classroom looks at Malia as she asks that daunting question. She shrugs and says, "I mean, I hate to bring up bad memories, but even with Nixie taking the majority of his injury, Scott's still healing from what Theo did to him."

Kira turns and says, "No, he's not."

Scott lifts up his shirt to confirm what Kira has said. There's no mark left. He's completely healed. Looking back up at them, he says, "It started happening the night we finally got Lydia out of Eichen. It finished up when we finally all saw Nixie for who she was and helped her become one with her dragon."

Smiling at his friends, he says, "I healed. When we were all together again. When we were finally a pack again. Deaton said that the reason Nixie had been in so much internal pain before was because she had felt the pack being torn apart, and it chipped away at her. For me, it wasn't nearly as bad, but my not healing and how weak I was… that was all dependent on us; on the pack."

Stiles nods and says, "The alpha draws his strength from the pack. He is stronger with those who honor him with their presence and allegiance." "Exactly."

Liam smiles a little and says, "The beast doesn't have a pack." Scott grins back and says, "Not like us. We can do this guys. No one dies tonight."

As they're about to leave the room, Mason says, "So… I just… have a quick issue to address." Everyone turns to him, and he says, "I mean… Corey's coming around, but he only came here tonight because I told him Nixie was in on this plan, and that she'd be here. He's still… well, wary of Scott after the whole mind meld or whatever it was you did to him."

Scott nods in understanding, and then looks to Stiles. He lifts his phone and says, "She's on speed dial, and I am under strict orders to call her should anything drastically terrible happen. Currently, she's with Lydia and Parrish, trying to get the hellhound to acknowledge Parrish and have them be on the same page as well."

Mason nods, and then asks, "And… since Scott is healed… is she?" Malia frowns and says, "It doesn't work the same for Nixie. Aren't you the smart one?" "Well, yeah, but there's way more information in the library about you guys then there is about actual dragons in mythology." Scott holds a hand out to Malia before she can comment again, and he reminds her, "Nixie likes him. Has from the beginning."

Mason smiles a little at that acknowledgment, but he frowns too when Scott says, "Dragons don't heal on the fast pace that the rest of us do. They heal slowly, so their body can retain whatever scars it can from battle." "Why?"

Kira puts a hand on Mason's shoulder and says, "Deaton explained it to us once. Dragons wear their scars with pride, as a show of how many battles they've fought in and won. Nixie might be healed over by now, but there will always be a scar from where she took Scott's injury."

Mason nods, and then says, "Okay, so what should I tell Corey?" Stiles answers, "Tell him she's on her way. Whether or not this thing shows up tonight, the plan is to meet back here at some point to come up with more of a plan than we already have." "Okay. Great."

As they finally start heading out of the room, Stiles sends a text to Nixie.

"Shows about to start."

Nixie looks down at her phone, and then tells Lydia, "The game's about to start. Stiles is keeping me updated." Lydia nods and says, "You sound like you expected him to avoid updating you. Like he would actually risk it, considering the near hour long lecture you gave him about not avoiding to call you if something went wrong."

Nixie just shrugs and says, "Stiles is Stiles. That's my only response."

Looking at her boyfriend in what is practically an over-exaggerated ice box, Nixie says, "I can't even see him anymore." Chris puts a hand on her shoulder and says, "Use your other eyes. He's there and he'll be fine."

But Lydia still asks, "Is he okay though? Like… now? How do we know? We can't…" "Talk to him." Nixie and Lydia both look to him, and Chris says, "Both of you. This part is on you two. You're the only two with a strong enough connection to him to reach him."

Nixie and Lydia look at each other, and then Lydia takes a step forward and asks, "Jordan?"

Nothing.

"Jordan? Are you still with us? Parrish?"

Still nothing, though the breathing from inside the box appears to grow slightly louder. Lydia looks back to Nixie and whispers, "Come on. You know that if anything, he's waiting to hear you." "Why would he be waiting for that?" "Because he knows what happened last time you thought Jordan and I got too close." "That was…"

Nixie stops at Lydia's look, and then sighs and steps up to the box. Taking a breath, she says, "Jordan. Jordan, can you hear me?"

The eyes that finally lift and meet hers are glowing bright orange, the only thing she can really see right now amidst all the smoke and fog in there with him. But the voice isn't Jordan. It's the hellhound alone that says, "No, beautiful dragon. I've told you before. Not Jordan."

She sucks in a quiet but sharp breath at that, and then turns to Lydia and says, "Ask him something?" Lydia nods and asks, "Okay. Who are we talking to?"

The hellhound answers, "Cerberus. Garmr. Black Shuck. I've had many names." Well, at least that was news. Gerard, from behind them, asks, "How about Jordan Parrish?"

Nixie knows the old man has his own motivations for wanting this to work, for making this happen. Being beaten by Scott and spending a couple of years in a home for sick people hadn't done anything to change him. But at this current moment, for whatever his reasons may be, he is at least trying to help get Jordan and the hellhound to see eye to eye.

It's the only reason she doesn't turn and snap at him. That, and Jordan's eyes that haven't left hers, not even as he'd answered Lydia's previous question. Lydia then asks, "Do you know who I am?"

Jordan's head nods and the hellhound says, "The banshee. Best friend of the dragon." Lydia nods and asks, "And Nixie? Do you know her?" "Dragon. Beautiful dragon." Lydia grins a little at that, but Nixie keeps her face neutral and her eyes locked on Jordan's.

Lydia asks, "What about Jordan Parrish?" He tilts his head, and instead of answering her, he says to Nixie, "My dragon." Nixie shakes her head, but doesn't interrupt as Lydia continues with, "Why is it you and not him? What happened to Parrish?"

"Jordan Parrish died." Nixie flinches so visibly from the response that Chris moves up behind her to hold her arms, hold her upright. But it only gets worse when the hellhound continues and says, "There is no Jordan Parrish."

Stiles asks, "So, is the fact that Kira is now controlled by her fox spirit something to call Nixie about?" Scott shakes his head to Stiles and says, "I can handle Kira. I'll get her back. Stay on the field and try to buy Malia more time." "Right. Just out of my own curiosity, when exactly am I allowed to call Nixie? Because after a certain point, I'm calling her with or without your permission, okay? I have no intention of giving her a reason to want to hit me in the back of the head."

Scott turns to him and says, "If you see the beast, call her. If you know it's coming, call her. Until we absolutely can't handle this, she needs to stay with Parrish. Chris is certain we need the hellhound, and she and Lydia are the only two that can talk to him when he's like that."

Stiles huffs, but nods and says, "Alright, go… get your girlfriend. Stop her from killing Brett's sister. Nixie will be pissed about that too if you don't." "Right."

On the bus, Corey and Mason are looking through the bags and the shoes, but they can't find anything. "Twenty-five pairs of shoes. No blood." Mason nods to Corey and says, "Come on. We should check the parking lot too." "How?" "I don't know, it's worth a shot though."

Corey nods, but pauses when Mason asks, "Why are you here?" Corey turns to face him, and asks, "What do you mean? You asked for my help." "I know. But… you made a big deal out of it. You only agreed finally because I assured you Nixie would eventually be here."

Gesturing around them, Mason says, "She's still not here. And I mean… I'm sure she'll come when we need her, but she's not here. And you still are?"

Stepping up to Corey, he asks in a softer voice, "So why are you still here?"

Corey might've been about to answer, when suddenly there was a creaking sound from the door of the bus. Spinning around, Corey grabs Mason in one arm, then the back of a bus seat in the other, and turns them both invisible.

That was news to Mason, since he hadn't been aware that Corey could do that with more than just his own body. Maybe Corey hadn't really even known it either. In any case, he's sure glad it worked.

After the guy walks back off, Corey lets go of the seat, watching carefully to make sure no one else is coming. Mason looks at him, takes in just how close they are, and then says, "We should go."

Corey turns to look at him, eyes darting down to Mason's lips. And then he says teasingly, "Don't you want to hear my answer."

It's not so much an answer as an affirmation to what Mason had already hoped. Corey was there for him. And as their lips met, Mason held his face securely in his hands to make sure Corey couldn't lean away before he was ready.

It was perfect. Right up until Corey pulled back suddenly, using some of his supernatural strength to break free of Mason's hold. Blinking, Mason asks, "What's wrong?" "Nothing. I'm okay. Come on."

As they start looking through the parking lot in what cars they can, Corey pulls his phone from his pocket and takes a moment to consider whether he should call Nixie or not. She was the only one, aside from Mason, that he trusted.

But could she be trusted with this? If he told her that he knew… that he was sure that Mason was the successful chimera the dread doctors had created… would she help protect him? Or would she inevitably find that the only way to save everyone was to kill Mason?

Even as he put his phone away, deciding to keep it to himself, he felt like it might be a bad idea. Everyone in the pack that he'd seen, even when Nixie had been at her angriest and worst, had never once actually been afraid of Nixie. The assuredness they had in the fact that she would sooner die than let any harm come to them while she was around was something that couldn't be argued with.

But he still put his phone away. He still wouldn't risk it just yet. He had to take more time to think about this.

He just hopes he has that kind of time.

Nixie felt like she couldn't breathe. Jordan… dead.

No, that's not what this was. Jordan was real. Jordan maybe should've died at some point, but he wasn't dead. The hellhound before her was all serious and business. He was all about his job in the supernatural order of things, with no concern, or at least very little concern, as to the rest of the community. The hellhound didn't care about Beacon Hills, or her friends. For Christ's sake, the hellhound didn't even really care about her.

He only cared about her in any sense at all… because Jordan did. Because Jordan loves her. Because he loves her so much… that the hellhound has no choice but to acknowledge her.

It makes the time that she spent worrying about him falling for Lydia seem that much stupider. The hellhound and the banshee were connected by deaths. The hellhound and the dragon were polar opposites. He should've treated her like everyone else. He should've ignored her unless it was prudent to his job to talk to her, as he had done with everyone else in the past.

But he had never ignored her, not even the first night she'd followed him. He couldn't ignore her.

And that was Jordan, fighting his way to the surface, in spite of the hellhound taking over.

Nixie stays silent though as Lydia asks, "What are you talking about? How is Parrish dead?"

Jordan's eyes are trained on Nixie now, and she can see the concern held there. The hellhound doesn't understand yet. He always knew that he cared for the dragon because the human body he was in cared for her. But even he didn't understand just how great of an affect the human had on him, and how much he needed Jordan in order to function and win this fight.

The hellhound responds, in a slightly gentler tone of voice now, "He's a body. A means to an end. I am beyond life and death. I am infinite. I have no use for your deputy."

Nixie snarls, shocking the hellhound further, but he finally turns his attention to Lydia when she says, "But we do. We need him!" "Your deputy won't kill the beast." Nixie snarls again and says, "Lydia… tell him."

Lydia turns to Nixie, and then nods and turns back to the hellhound. Glaring at him, she says, "Neither will you."

The hellhound actually blinks at her in surprise, and she continues, "I'm a harbinger of death too. I know people are going to die. And if you do not let Parrish in, he will die too."

The hellhound doesn't respond, so Lydia slams her fist against the door and says, "You'll die!"

Nixie steps up to the glass, catching the hellhound's attention. Shaking her head, she says, "I am not your dragon." "I feel it. You are…" "I am Jordan's. You only acknowledge me at all because of him."

Lydia turns to look at Nixie in amazement, and even Chris is looking at her now, trying to understand what she's apparently just found out. And Nixie can't help but smile at the hellhound as she says, "That's the only reason you talk to me when you're like this. Jordan is the only reason you don't treat me like you do all the others. If he weren't mine and if he didn't love me, you wouldn't even know my name. Hell, you might not even take the time to know what I am. But you do. You know my name and you know what I am. And that is not because you are some great supernatural creature, or because I belong to you."

Stepping up as close as she can get, Nixie says, "You see me, because Jordan is mine, and because he loves me. And that takes strength. It takes strength to be able to have any kind of influence over you and what you do. And Jordan has that. And you think you can beat this thing without him? No. No, you can't win without him. You don't have anything to lose and to fight for, without Jordan. You don't even have me, without Jordan!"

Glaring at him, she says, "You have a chance with Jordan. You need him, or you are going to die. And so help me God, if you die and take my mate away with you, there is no place in heaven or hell that you will go that I cannot find you. And I will find you. And I will kick your ass and put a test to just how infinite you think you are."

Lydia puts her hands on Nixie's shoulders, and then turns as Chris says, "Tell him to remember." Nixie turns too and asks, "Remember what?" Gerard nods towards them and says, "Tell him to remember the moment Parrish died."

Nixie and Lydia turn back to Jordan, and Lydia asks gently, "When did he die?"

His eyes never leave Nixie's now, and he says, "When I was born." Nixie suddenly sees flashes of memory in her vision. Memories of Jordan in Afghanistan, working on a bomb.

The bomb exploded. But instead of death, Jordan was kept alive, to serve as the hellhound. All because of the sacrifice that Scott, Stiles, and Allison had all made two years prior.

Damn. That Nemeton seriously still had a lot of power left in it, considering it was just a stump at this point. A huge ass stump, granted; but it was still just a stump.

When Nixie comes back to herself, Jordan and the hellhound are finally seeing eye to eye.

Which apparently means that Jordan is roaring from inside the machine. And as the door bursts open, he falls out and slumps to the ground below.

Nixie scrambles to be beside him, holding his torso up off the floor. "Jordan? Jordan, look at me."

He meets her gaze, and then smiles gently and says, "I'm alright." "Are you sure?" He let her assess him herself, and then looked to Lydia when she asks, "Are you alright?"

He nods and says, "I know who I am. I know what I have to do."

And Nixie freezes all over again when he says, "I have to leave."

She slowly draws her eyes up to his, but before she can speak, he pulls her closer and says, "Not you. I just… I need to leave town for a while. I need to get out of here. I can either lure the beast away, or maybe… maybe…" He shakes his head and says, "I can't stay here. Too many people are going to die because of me. I… I can't…"

Nixie can tell from the sound of his voice that she won't be able to argue with him about this right now. She needs time. If she can go with him back home, talk to him about it for a while, she can make him see reason. But right now… he's terrified of something he must've seen himself. Maybe his dream again… maybe something about it has more meaning to him now.

She's just about settled on the fact that she can drive him home and work this out, when her phone goes off. Glancing down at it, she curses and says, "He seriously had to call me now. Not before, and not an hour from now. He calls now."

She gives Jordan and stern look and says, "Do not leave without me."

He nods, apparently okay with that, and then she stands up and answers the phone. "Stiles." "We have problems. We've been working on it, but nothing apparently worked. Coach didn't cancel the game. Kira became possessed by ultra kitsune again, Mason and Corey haven't reported finding any bloody shoes, and one of the news vans fixed their antenna, and now everything is sparking and exploding and I'm pretty sure we're about to be in deep shit."

He said it all so fast that anyone else might've had to ask him to repeat it. But Nixie was used to interpreting Stiles' impressively speedy speeches. Sighing, she says, "What part of call me the minute something goes wrong did you not hear?"

Lydia looks up at her, stunned at that, and Stiles says on the phone, "I know. Kick my ass later. But please get here. I have no idea what's about to happen." "I'm coming."

Pocketing her phone, she turns to Chris and Gerard. She ignores the elder man, but to Chris she says, "Thank you."

He nods to her, and then she turns to Jordan. Coming up to him, she grabs the back of his head and pulls him down for a kiss. He jerks in surprise at the sudden action, but quickly falls into step with her, wrapping his hands around her waist and securing her tightly against him.

When she finally pulls back, she takes a few breaths before saying, "Do not leave. Not before I've had a chance to talk to you. At the very least, wait for me at the county line."

Jordan stares at her for a moment, and then kisses her hard before saying, "Always."

She relaxes a little at that statement. Then she turns to Lydia and walks towards the door with her. Turning around, she whispers to Lydia, "I don't care how you do it. I don't care what you have to tell him. Do not let him leave town. We need him. Not just me. We all need him." "I'm on it. Where are you going?"

"To the school. Apparently the world is going to hell in a hand basket, and my presence is required." Lydia tilts her head and says on a breathless laugh, "Is there always time for sarcasm?" "I'm quite certain my last dying statement will be a sarcastic and mocking comment towards death itself."

Outside, Nixie takes off her jacket, then her tank top, staying in the black sports bra she's wearing. Bringing out her wings, she takes a breath and says, "Alright. New flight speed record, here we come."

There is still so much to worry about, and Nixie can feel that time is running out. She needs to convince Jordan to stay. They need to find out who the chimera is. They need to save Malia from her mother. They need to just straight up kill the dread doctors so this can never happen again. And the list is still unending.

But first things first. She needs to get to the school so she can help save her friends and everyone else still in it. No pressure.

Chapter 7! Yay! And hopefully the next chapter will be posted soon after this. Hope you guys are still enjoying the story. :)