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 10: Episode 5x19

Corey couldn't believe it. How could he have been this stupid?

He'd been so worried about Scott and Nixie figuring out that Mason was the beast, about how they would react and what they might do… he forgot who the real enemy was. He forgot about the dread doctors.

And they didn't track anybody by scent. They tracked the chimeras by frequency.

Mason had known that. It had only taken him seconds to remember that. And Corey hadn't just brought him down to the tunnels where the dread doctors could most often be found. He'd taken Mason away from some of the only people who might've been able to protect him.

It didn't matter that he was fast and strong. It didn't matter that he could turn himself and Mason invisible. In the end, the dread doctors cornered them. The dread doctors knocked him out.

And now the dread doctors have Mason.

Corey sprints down the road, heading for Liam's house, Lydia's house, Scott's house… wherever everyone else is. He has to figure out their plan. He has to figure out what he can do to help save Mason.

After he spent so long thinking nobody cared, he couldn't lose Mason. He had to get him back.

He briefly ponders about calling Nixie. He has her number, and Mason had stressed to Corey that he was supposed to call her for anything. He'd even called her for permission basically before taking Mason on a date.

But he couldn't call her now. She was probably pissed at him. Even if she could understand his intentions were good; how could she not hate him. He hadn't just stolen Mason from them… he'd lost Mason altogether.

He'd just have to try and explain himself to her later, after they got Mason back. Maybe then she'd be calm enough to not hate him and accept his apology. He'd just have to hope for that.

Lydia slaps a hand against the steering wheel in frustration. Noah had told her he'd check the station, so she'd just gone to Jordan's house. She'd half hoped that at this point, Nixie would be there, and that she and Jordan would be talking about why he shouldn't leave.

But no one was there. Not only that, but the drawers in Jordan's room were open and several clothes spilled out of them and were lying on the floor. She checked the bathroom too, and his level of the shelf on the wall was emptied.

Pressing her lips together tightly, she then glances at the screen in her car when a call comes in. Seeing the sheriff's name, she presses answer. "Lydia." "I just came from his place sheriff. Half of his stuff was gone. You can't let him leave!" "Lydia…" "I promised Nixie! We can't let him leave!" "Lydia!"

She pauses to take a breath, knowing she shouldn't be taking out her frustration on the sheriff. Sighing, she says, "Sorry. I just… Nixie trusted me to keep him here when she couldn't stay to do it herself. I can't…" "It's alright. Listen, I got a call from Dispatch. He's headed for the highway."

Relief floods her system. They knew where he was and where he was going. That was halfway to getting him to stay. Sighing, she asks, "Can you stop him?" Noah takes a heavy breath and says, "Stopping him is one thing. Getting him to turn around…" "Leave that to me…"

She presses down on the gas pedal harder so she can catch up to where Noah tells her to meet him.

What was Jordan thinking honestly? He and his alter ego were finally becoming in sync and suddenly he felt like he had a complete and total understanding of what his visions and dreams meant? Hadn't he been around them long enough to know that none of them, with all their experience and knowledge of the supernatural and severely weird happenings here, were ever completely certain of anything happening around them?

It was the most ludicrous thought, in Lydia's opinion, for him to think that he could now know for certain what his dreams meant, when she herself, who had visions like this a lot more than he did, was still never entirely certain as to what they meant. He was frightened; of himself and of what damage he might cause. She could understand that. But he was a cop. Surely somewhere past all of what had recently happened, he should be able to get a grip and keep a level head enough to know that just ditching them like this wasn't the best or even most correct option.

At that same moment, Jordan is speeding down the highway. He figures if he takes this route, he'll avoid being caught by Lydia. He has a feeling she's coming after him, since Nixie is busy trying to help Scott and the others. He still fully intends to wait at the county line for Nixie. He'll call her when he gets there. But he didn't have to go anywhere that the others might be able to find him first to try and convince him to stay. He knew already he was going to have a hard time refusing Nixie's arguments of why he should stay.

He was still bracing himself; psyching himself up for telling her that he had no choice, he had to leave to keep them as safe as he possibly could, when the spike strips in the road finally caught his vision. He slams on the brakes, but with the rain still wetting the road and the fact that he didn't see them sooner, it's not good enough to avoid them. He runs over them still going nearly forty miles an hour.

The car swerves to a stop, and Jordan curses before stepping out to check on his tires. And sure enough, they're all blown out and ruined. He definitely wasn't getting anywhere in his own car now.

As he rounds the corner of his vehicle to check the road, seeing the spike strips again, he's pondering how long it might take for a cab to come and get him if he calls now. That's when the police car lights and siren go off, and he glances up to see the sheriff waiting on the side of the road for him.

If he weren't so seriously set on leaving as soon as possible, Jordan would laugh at how stupid it was of him to forget that he wasn't just contending with Nixie and her group of friends. Noah and the other adults were a part of this too. He should've suspected that he'd also have to avoid the sheriff in order to actually get out.

It almost made him grin too; the fact that Nixie was so set on not letting him leave that it made everyone else work that much harder to get him to stay while she was busy protecting her friends from danger.

Noah looks at him and says, "I don't remember giving you any vacation time."

Annoyed with the sheriff now, Jordan leans back against his car and says, "Those were new tires." Noah shrugs and says, "Well, they're scrap rubber now."

Noah sighs at the further annoyed look that enters Jordan's gaze. Glancing back down the empty highway, he says, "How about I call a tow for you?" "I'll call one myself."

Wow. Noah hadn't ever actually seen Jordan so annoyed and frustrated. Well, except for when he'd been purposefully keeping Jordan on the desk at the station instead of letting him go out to do 'real' police work. Noah's definitely going to need more reinforcements to get him to stay. He was all for stopping Jordan, had all the resources in the world to make that happen. But he wasn't sure what to say to the young man to convince him that leaving wasn't going to help anybody in the end.

He'd no sooner wished for it than Lydia's car came around the corner and pulls to a stop before them.

Jordan turns from his car to see her, and flattered as he is by all their efforts, seeing her here now just frustrates him further. Couldn't they see what he was trying to do?

Gesturing to both of them, he says, "You're both out of your minds. You know that?" Lydia jogs up to him and says, "You can't leave." "I can't stay! I'm a hellhound. I have the word 'hell' in my name. Hell."

Noah gives him a stern look, but says gently, "You're also one of my best deputies." "You're only saying that because Nixie thinks that." "I'm saying that because it's true. Nixie just also happens to be correct on the subject. She's pretty smart, so it's not that surprising."

Jordan rolls his eyes and says, "You guys don't get it. The bodies I see in my dream are because of me. And there's gonna be more. A lot more." Lydia steps closer to him and says, "What, you think you have one illuminating encounter with your alter ego and suddenly you're an expert on everything about hellhounds?"

She stops him from responding by raising a hand to cut him off. Not that her stern eyes couldn't have done that as well. Then she says, "I've been predicting death longer than you. The things I've seen and felt; they don't always happen. And they almost always don't happen the way that I'm expecting them to at first glance."

Noah nods and then adds, "What if those people die because you didn't stay?" Lydia adds, "Because you weren't there to protect them."

Jordan just looks between the two of them without speaking, but Lydia can tell from his slumped shoulders that she's getting to him. Stepping closer still, she says, "You said you were drawn to Beacon Hills. I think you're here for a reason. And not just because you're Nixie's mate, so don't even bring that up."

Noah steps up with her and tosses Jordan his badge back. Jordan stares down at it for a moment, and then sighs and even smiles before saying, "I was so prepared for every argument I thought Nixie might bring up… I feel blindsided." Lydia smiles a little at that, but it quickly vanishes. Frowning, she says, "Get your bag and lets go. We need to find Nixie."

Jordan frowns with her and asks, "You don't know where she is?" "I know they were at the school. Stiles called me and told me both Scott and Nixie were hurt really badly from taking on the beast. Nixie's gonna need stitches."

Jordan grabs his things and slides in the passenger seat with her. As they head down the road, Lydia adds, "Also, on top of all the other reasons I mentioned that you need to stay, you're an idiot for thinking you were ever a danger to us." "Lydia… I was…" "Nixie might be your mate, but that does not mean she would still blindly try to make you stay here with us if there was any chance that you were a threat to us. If she had even a slight inkling in her mind that you were a danger to us, she would've allowed you to leave, only demanding that you keep in touch and let her know where you were."

Glancing at Jordan, she shakes her head and says, "The only task she gave me tonight was to make sure I didn't let you leave. She didn't care how. Just that I didn't let you get out of here."

Silence for a moment, and then Jordan says, "It was kind of stupid to think I finally knew exactly what it meant… wasn't it?" "Yes, it was."

But she's smiling and it makes Jordan grin when she says, "Don't worry. I'm pretty sure Nixie will forgive you. Given the right persuasion." Jordan feels a slight blush rush to his cheeks, but he's still grinning when he says, "I'm going to have to have a talk with her about these in-depth conversations you two have concerning our relationship." "They weren't in depth. And I doubt she would've told me about you guys taking it to the 'next level', if I hadn't guessed it for myself. So you just focus on convincing her to forgive you." "Right."

At Scott's house, Nixie is helping Kira get Scott into his room. Once on the bed, she's about to just leave the two of them alone. But Scott sits up and says, "We've got to find them. It's Mason." Kira nods and says, "I know. Everybody's looking."

As Kira makes to push his books off the bed, Scott grabs at an envelope quickly. Nixie reads 'Scholarship Application' on the front, and instantly knows why he's worried. The deadline for that passed. Kira asks, "What?" "Nothing. It's just a scholarship. I missed the due date."

Kira assures him they'll figure it out, and then tells him that he's not going anywhere or doing anything until he's had time to heal.

Stiles runs up to the room as they're kissing, and when Kira gives them both a nod, Nixie steps out and into the hall with Stiles as he shuts the door. Sighing, she meets Malia and Braeden's gazes, and then looks to Stiles. Stiles looks at them too, noting the concerned edge in their eyes, so he walks up to them, keeping a hand on Nixie's shoulder, and asks, "What?"

When neither answer, Stiles sighs and asks, "What did I do?" Nixie turns to him and says, "Nothing. You are brilliant. Nothing is your fault right now." Stiles turns to her and says with a slight grin, "Sarcasm not appreciated right now." "I was being completely serious." "I know. Take a chill pill."

Back to the other two, he waits for an answer. Braeden nods to Malia and says, "Tell him." Sighing, Malia says, "You know how my mother wants to kill me?" Stiles nods, not seeing where this is going. Then she adds, "I think she might want to kill you too."

Sighing, he says, "Okay, uh, that's disconcerting. I should probably have a gun." And in spite of the fact that Stiles should definitely have protection of some kind, other than his ever trusty bat, even Nixie gives him a funny look at that statement.

Braeden seems to appreciate Nixie's added skepticism, given that Malia just turns to her as though expecting her to be ready to hand over a gun this very second. Shaking her head, Braden says, "I'm not giving you a gun."

Stiles gives her a look and says, "You have a gun. The Desert Wolf, who is trying to kill me, has a gun. I think I should probably have a gun."

Braeden gives him a look, then Malia when she just nods her head in affirmation. Finally she turns to Nixie. Nixie glances at Stiles, and then gestures with her hand for Braeden to give him a gun. At Braeden's ever incredulous expression, Nixie just nods and gives her a look that says 'Trust me and watch.'

So Braeden takes the clip from the gun and tosses it to Stiles, who then proceeds to fumbling it around before dropping it into the floor.

Taking a moment to consider that, he then concedes, "I probably shouldn't have a gun." Nixie pats his shoulder and says, "Wise decision brilliant one." "Okay, now the sarcasm isn't appreciated." But he still grins at her.

Nixie takes a breath, holding back a wince at the pain in her back and side. She'd taken a jacket from downstairs, but underneath she was still a bloody and mangled mess. She's not entirely sure how her bra is still on, since she's pretty sure it got torn up quite a bit as well. She was going to have to invest in something more sturdy and durable. What that was going to be, she has no idea, but something.

She follows the others downstairs and is about ready to head out to help Liam search the woods for Mason. Stiles grips her shoulder though and says, "Oh no. If Scott can't go anywhere until he heals, you certainly aren't going anywhere. You're worse off than he is." "I'm fine, and my wounds don't heal that fast. We can't judge my ability to go out and search the same way we do Scott. He needs time to heal. My body is trying to form scars. And besides, I'll be in the air most of the time." "Nixie…" "We have to find him Stiles."

He nods and says, "I get that, and we're all looking. But you aren't any good to him or any of us if you bleed out and pass out before we can figure out our next step after we find him… if we find him at all." "We will find him." "And when we do, we're going to need you at your best. Or… you know… as good as we can get you by then. You need rest."

She's about to argue further, when the door opens and Lydia walks in and asks, "Where is she?"

Lydia turns to see Nixie, and then rushes up to her and hugs her tight. Sighing, she says, "I got him."

Nixie's entire body relaxes. And yeah, okay… if she'd been able to go out, she wouldn't have just gone looking for Mason. She would've eventually gone to find Jordan too.

All things considered, it was good not to have to worry about finding Jordan on top of the more serious issue at hand. Consequently, her deputy steps inside the house and instantly meets her gaze worriedly. Apparently he already knew that she'd been hurt pretty badly.

Nixie looks to Stiles with accusatory eyes, but he doesn't look apologetic at all for telling the others about her and Scott fighting with the beast. He just moves to the kitchen to get the first aid kit when Jordan asks about it. Then Jordan guides her back upstairs and into the bathroom across the hall from the guest room.

Sitting her on the edge of the sink, he says, "Take off the jacket." She does, hopping off the counter as she does so. When he gives her a look, she says, "It's my back mostly. My side too, but my back is the bigger issue."

She leans heavily against the sink as he works on her. The gash near her spine is the most sensitive, and he takes great care with that one, trying to not hurt her anymore than necessary. When he finally has her stitched and bandaged as thoroughly as he can manage, he turns her around and wraps her up gently in his arms.

Sighing against the top of her head, he says, "I'm sorry for almost running off. I thought…" "You thought you'd suddenly become smarter than Lydia Martin?" He chuckles at her sarcasm and says, "I guess so. Pretty silly idea, right." "I mean… you're a smart guy Jordan. But Lydia is a literal genius. We should all bow to the level of intellect she is able to bring to this group."

Jordan kisses her temple, and then asks, "Am I forgiven?" "I don't think I have enough energy to hold it against you anyway." He smiles at that, and then guides her into the guest room. Stripping off his jacket and shirt and boots, he pulls back the covers and settles her into the bed and slides in behind her. Keeping her wrapped in his arms, her back pressed gently against her chest, he says, "Get some sleep baby. We'll pick up hunting for Mason in the morning if the others haven't found him by then."

She wants to argue, but she honestly can't. As ready as she'd been to go back out a little while ago and continue searching for Mason, she just no longer had the energy. All of the adrenaline had finally left her body, leaving her utterly exhausted and in no condition to keep going.

Placing one of her hands over Jordan's, she asks, "Please don't leave before I wake up." "I'll be here. I promise."

And he felt the most incredible sense of relief in feeling that his statement would actually be true. No hellhound was going to take him over and drag him out of bed tonight. He had control. They were in sync.

And now, when the time finally came, he and the others might just stand a chance against this beast.

When Scott wakes up the next morning, he's completely healed. Hopping up and getting dressed, he heads down the stairs, but pauses and slows down upon hearing everyone else in the dining room already.

"My dad's got an APB out." Kira looks to Stiles and asks, "For a five-foot-eight, sixteen year old?" Stiles answers, "I recommended nine-foot tall rampaging werewolf." Nixie grins at Stiles, and then says to Kira, "Yes, for a sixteen year old. Jordan's also putting a bolo out on Mason's car. It apparently went missing after we left the school last night."

True to his word, Jordan had been there when she'd woken up. And more than that, though he was most certainly already late for his shift at the station, he'd taken another thirty minutes in the bathroom to check on her injuries.

The surprising part was that a majority of them had already healed over and were now scars on her skin. It was the fastest her body had ever healed before. Shrugging, Nixie had suggested, "Maybe something about needing to be well enough to look for Mason and take on the beast accelerates it. Maybe it just depends on the situation as to whether it heals fast or slow. As you can see, we are still quite in the dark on the finer aspects of my supernatural psyche."

The shower they took after that consisted of just a shower. Though Jordan had teased her about that fact the whole time, she just simply refused to have anything else happen in the shower of Mrs. McCall's house. It felt too weird to her.

It didn't stop her from showering with Jordan. Just… stopped her from any of the other interesting activities that they'd normal perform while also in the shower.

But enough about that. After Jordan left, Nixie had gone about making breakfast for when everyone woke up. Now they were here, forming a battle plan of sorts.

Liam, in spite of all the certainties, says, "It still might not be him."

Nixie puts a hand on his shoulder and says, "Liam…" He looks at her, the worried sadness in his gaze breaking her heart for him. Mason was to Liam what Stiles was to Scott. He couldn't lose him.

And with a firm squeeze to his shoulder, Nixie hopes that Liam understands that she isn't going to let that happen.

He finally adds in, "But… Hayden's at the school looking." Malia offers up, "I can keep checking the woods."

And then Scott walks in and says, "My mom can check all the hospitals in the county." Nixie turns swiftly towards him, and then wraps him in a hug faster than he can blink. Grinning down at her, he says, "Nice to see you up and running too this morning." "Exactly. Oh, sorry. I got in Kira's way. My bad."

Kira just grins at Nixie as she moves to hug him as well, and then Scott looks to everyone else and assures, "We can find him." Liam asks, a bit more hopeful now, "What happens then?" "We figure out a way to save him."

Lydia nods and then says, "Okay. Where else could we look?"

Scott shrugs and says, "Let's ask Corey."

If she's honest, Nixie knew he was there already. Though in control of herself, now more than ever, her second sight still sometimes came to her without her really pulling it up. She could do it whenever she wanted to now, but sometimes it just snapped on anyway, without warning. It had happened when she'd been serving breakfast, and she'd seen him there, against the shelf. Or… not really seen him, but the aura around him. Stressed and worried and frightened and sad.

Not at all good things, but as she hadn't been sure why, she'd decided that maybe she'd wait until the room cleared out to talk to him. She knew he was still wary of the others, but she had hoped that he would at least still talk to her if they ended up alone.

But Scott wasn't for that. He grabbed Corey from where he could sense he was standing, pulling him away from the shelf and into view for the others to see.

Frantically, Corey says, "Wait, wait! It's not my fault! They took him and I couldn't do anything! They took him…" Scott cuts him off and asks, "Who?" "The dread doctors."

Nixie glances around at everyone, and then she says gently, "Scott…" He glances at her, and at her worried gaze he releases the front of Corey's shirt and says, "I'm not gonna hurt him." "I know that. It's just… he's not sure of that." Scott nods at her, and then backs out of her way when she marches up to Corey and says sternly, "And what part of call me for anything and everything did you seem to forget. I know you're new and all, but that rule is pretty straight forward. Even Braeden understands that it's mandatory."

Corey stares down at her for a moment, and then a tear falls from his eye as he says, "I'm sorry. I thought…" "I would never hurt Mason. Again, I know you're new, but come on."

But in spite of her stern tone, she wraps Corey in a hug and says, "Stick around. We're going to find him. We're going to save him. And we might need your help at some point." "Alright."

He hugs her back, and then Nixie turns to Scott and asks, "Now what?"

Riding with Lydia, Nixie says, "Look, I know for a while I was all weird and thought you and Jordan were having a love affair. But point one, that was the dragon, not actually me. And point two, what else do you really need me for right now? We're getting Jordan and going to the nemeton. Not exactly a two person job."

Lydia looks over at her and says, "I convinced him to stay, but I think it would still mean more coming from you." "I already told him he was an idiot for trying to leave in the first place. Not sure how much more blunt I can be."

Laughing at her friend, Lydia says, "How about trying to say it in a more positive light? And you know you're not fooling him right? He knows you're still peeved that he tried to leave at all."

Nixie sighs and says, "I'm not… well, okay, I am peeved. But I'll get over it as soon as we save Mason." "Are you sure?" "Pretty positive. Like… eight-five percent sure." "Yeah, well, in any case, I told him that there was the possibility that all those people in his dream… that they all die because he wasn't here to save them. You are coming with me right now, to help me reaffirm that you believe that too." "I can do that at the station and then go look for Mason!" "Nixie, don't argue with me. Scott and Liam are working on a new angle for that."

Nixie nods with a frown and says, "Yeah. One involving Theo." "We're desperate." "I know. Doesn't mean I have to like it anymore than when it was first suggested."

When Jordan climbs into the backseat after they pull into the parking lot, he asks, "What's wrong?" Nixie turns to him and says, "The world is going to hell in a handbasket again. Scott and Liam are working with Theo to try and find Mason. We're going to an ancient tree stump to try and get some more insight for you and your hellhound so you can take on the beast, which I am still not totally okay with, but that's out of my power. Oh, and just because it's the thing that's bothering me the most… Mason is the beast."

Sighing as she leans back in her seat, she says, "Just imagine what he must be thinking. He has to know it himself by now. And Mason… he's not a killer. He's a gentle and optimistic soul. Imagine how terrified he must be of himself now that he knows what he's done, all the lives he's been forced to take whenever the dread doctors made him shift."

Jordan squeezes her shoulder and says, "We'll save him." Turning to him again, she smiles and says, "That's the spirit."

When they get to the woods, to the nemeton, Jordan reaches out tentatively to touch the stump. Lydia stays near the edge of the roots, watching as Nixie stands beside him. Putting her hand on his shoulder, Nixie says, "You can still save them Jordan." He closes his eyes as he tries to access his supernatural side. Nixie says more encouragingly, "You can save them all."

When his eyes snap open and glow orange, Nixie smiles. He'd done it.

And then when he pulls back, the stump of the tree having begun glowing with red hot lines of heat from Jordan's touch, he wraps her in his arms and holds her close. "Jordan?" Kissing the top of her head, he says, "We will find him. We will save Mason. And I will kill this creature before he can lay a hand on any one of you. I swear it."

It didn't take a genius to figure out what else he must've seen this time. Nixie. He had to have seen Nixie's face, her mangled body, amongst all the others that he usually saw gathered around the base of the tree. Holding him tightly, she says, "Yes we will. Now come on. We need to start forming plans C through Z. If necessary, double A through double Z as well."

Jordan huffs against the top of her head and pinches her side, making her jump and nearly giggle. "What was that for?" He just grins and shakes his head at her. "For being you. Because in spite of the world going to hell in a handbasket, as you so delicately put it earlier, you can still find it in you to make people laugh." "Laughing relieves tension, and tension is not good for the situation we are currently in. And also, I was very serious about the number of back up plans we might need."

Stiles sighs and says, "Still nothing from Scott and Liam." Lydia sighs in frustration and says, "Are we really sure this is a good idea?" Nixie jumps up from the couch in Noah's office and says, "No! In fact, we're certain it's a bad idea! I said that from the beginning. Did no one hear me?"

Stiles stares at her briefly, and then looks to Lydia and says, "Uh, no. No one thinks this is a good idea. But Nixie, in particular, thinks it's the worst idea known to mankind." Back to Nixie, he asks, "Summed up good enough?" "I suppose. Still very not okay with this." "Join the club."

Noah waves a hand at both of them to make them be quiet, and then asks, "But in spite of that, you're trusting Theo anyway?" Stiles says, "We're not trusting him, we're using him?" Lydia gives him a look and asks, "What if he's using us?" "Well, that's probably a given. Look, we're just trying to cover every place Mason could show up. Malia and Braeden are at Scott's house." Noah nods and adds, "Melissa's got the hospital." Lydia adds, "Hayden and Corey are at the school."

Noah nods, and then says, "Somebody's got to find him." Lydia sighs and says, "Let's hope they find Mason, and not the beast."

Nixie nods, and then asks, "Just out of curiosity, what are we doing by being here?" Noah raises an eyebrow and says, "Keeping an eye on the bolo, the APB, and also working on getting back in touch with the Argents so Jordan can hook up with them." Nixie nods again, and then says, "For the record, I'm not okay with that either. Just because Gerard is still in the picture."

Lydia nods and asks, "Does anyone know what Chris' plan is to avoid letting Gerard take credit for everything?" Nixie shakes her head and says, "I just know he has one. He's better at using his father than we are at using Theo. The only sure fire thing we've got as a surprise for Theo is Deucalion." Lydia nods and asks, "Anybody heard from him lately?"

Stiles shakes his head, but Nixie says, "He texted me an hour ago actually. He's got Theo's trust. How he got it, I don't know, but he has it. Theo thinks Deucalion is definitely on his side, and that he totally hates Scott." Stiles nods and says, "So if nothing else, we can feel victorious in having tricked him about this one thing."

Lydia grins when Nixie says, "I still call dibs and beating him into unconsciousness when all of this is over. Is a coma too much to hope for? Is that too dark?" Turning to Nixie, Lydia says, "Considering Theo's behavior in the past, I'm gonna say no. He made me catatonic. I think a coma is the least he deserves."

Nixie smiles back, and then sighs and asks Stiles, "Anything?" He checks his phone and says, "Nothing yet. I'm sure they'll let us know when they have something." "I hate waiting." "Again, join the club."

"Nothing here." Nixie sighs at Melissa's answer and says, "Yeah, same here."

Stiles takes his phone back with a disgruntled noise, but Nixie just shrugs and turns to Lydia when she asks Malia, "Anything on your end?" "Not a thing. And I'm gonna lose my mind if I don't get out of this supernatural cage." "The mountain ash is there to keep you safe." "I should be keeping Stiles safe."

Lydia closes her eyes and briefly counts backwards from ten as Stiles chooses that moment to run into the window of his dad's office. Then she says, "He'll be fine." "Lydia…" "Nixie is here. He'll be fine."

At the very least, that statement appeases Malia enough to not argue anymore about trying to leave the house. Lydia smiles at her small victory and says, "Call me if anything changes."

Nixie's second sight flashes on, and as she glances at the door of the station, she notices a dark aura outside. Stepping out, she spots a woman in a black leather jacket beginning to walk away.

The woman then blinks in surprise when Nixie is suddenly in front of her. Silver eyes glowing and talons extended, Nixie snarls and says, "If Malia hadn't specifically told me she has dibs on you, I'd break your neck right where you stand." Smirking, the woman says, "But she did, didn't she. So run along back to your little friends. My business isn't with you."

As she tries to brush past though, Nixie grips her arm, talons slicing into her flesh. The woman tries to jerk away, but finds she can't so much as budge. Meeting Nixie's ever brightening eyes, her smirk shrinks slightly.

Finally, Nixie just says calmly, "Understand this, Desert Wolf. If you harm my friend, getting your power back and dealing with your daughter will be the least of your worries. Because there is nowhere on this green earth that you will run that I won't find you. And I will make you pay for whatever you do to her." "Oh, I'm shaking in my boots." "You'll be shaking in your grave by the time I'm finished with you."

She releases her and walks back into the station. Sighing, she walks up to Lydia and asks, "Should I be concerned by how many people I'm willing to kill lately?" Lydia shrugs and says, "Considering all the people you ever threaten are those that are trying to kill us, I'm going to say no." "Good. Anything new?" "Nothing." "Figures."

"We're close." Scott sighs in relief at that, and asks Liam, "You got his scent?" Liam nods, but as Theo asks which way they need to go, Liam stays silent. Smirking, Theo asks, "You think you're gonna leave me behind?"

Scott says, "Liam…" "He wants to kill him. And Nixie…" Theo rolls his eyes and says, "Again with Nixie. Nixie hates me. Got it. But all I want from Mason is his power. You want to fight someone that actually wants to kill Mason? Go fight Parrish." Liam narrows his eyes and says, "Parrish won't kill Mason." "And how can you be so certain of that?" "Because if it were possible that Parrish would intentionally do that, Nixie would've sent him away herself. She wouldn't risk it. But she insisted he stay, and that we need his help."

Looking to Scott again, Liam says, "But she most certainly was not okay with this." Theo looks to Scott too and says, "Nixie's never been okay with me, but you're here now. We're already this far. And I'm not leaving."

Liam snarls, and then asks, "Who'd you see when you put on the mask?" "I already told you. It wasn't Mason." "Who was it?!" Theo looks between both of them, and then sighs and says, "I saw a man dying in the snow. He was impaled on a spear." Scott ponders that a moment, and then explains, "It's called a pike. Lydia told us the story."

Theo throws out his hands and says, "Then you both know what it means. Time's running out. Where is he Liam? What direction?"

Liam looks to Scott again, and then says, "Nixie wouldn't let him come." Scott nods and says, "And if I could, I'd get her here to keep him distracted. But the cell service doesn't work out here, and as much as I hate to admit it, Theo is right about one thing. We're running out of time."

Nodding towards Liam, he says, "It's your call though. He's your best friend."

Finally, Liam says begrudgingly, "This way."

Nixie and Lydia meet each other at the door of the office. Sighing, Nixie says, "I finally got a hold of Chris. He let me know where they're heading, and Jordan's heading that way now. They're going to the library, of all places." Lydia rolls her eyes and says, "I still don't have anything from Scott or Liam. Wherever they are, their phones might not even be working. I tried to call them, but no answer."

Sighing, she follows Lydia into the office, and then can't help but laugh when Lydia pokes Stiles in the forehead to wake him up. He scrambles about in surprise and says, "Hmm? What? What happened? Who's dead?"

Lydia rolls her eyes and says, "No one. At least, not yet." Nixie nods and says, "That we know of at least. Still nothing from Scott or Liam. I have half a mind to go out and hunt them down myself." Stiles asks, "Why don't you?" "Because the fact that I'm currently here with you is the only thing keeping Malia from trying to break out of Scott's house."

Stiles nods in understanding, and then everyone checks their phone once more to see if anything knew has come in.

Nothing.

Lydia glances over at Stiles and asks, "You okay?" "Yeah, I'm still thinking?" Nixie smiles gently and says, "Not a surprise." He smiles back at her, and then sighs and says, "Still trying to figure out why Mason? I mean, he wasn't even on the genetic Chimera list."

"He is now." Nixie looks up to see Melissa in the doorway, and then rushes up to hug her tight. Melissa doesn't even question why. She just hugs Nixie back while explaining, "Mason was born with twin embolization syndrome." Lydia, already understanding, asks, "You mean fetal-resorption? He had a vanishing twin in utero?"

Melissa nods and says, "Which accounts for two sets of DNA." She hands the file to Lydia while Stiles asks sarcastically, "Can someone please say it with words that have less than three syllables?" Nixie nods and says, "And no medical terminology for those with no medical term understanding? Mainly us two." Melissa looks to them both and says, "He ate his twin."

Stiles sighs and says, "Oh God." Nixie rubs a hand over her face while Lydia asks, "But does that help?" Melissa says, "I don't know. But it's just bizarre enough to sound like it might be important, right?" Lydia nods and says, "It has to help. There has to be something."

Nixie nods and says, "I think understanding how it helps will require some sort of explanation from Deaton. Let's see if we can at least reach him. Fill him in on this and see if he can come up with something that might help us save Mason from the beast."

Jordan listens from outside as Chris and Gerard discuss what they've apparently just learned.

Gerard, in surprise, says, "Mason…" Chris nods and says, "Mason Hewitt." Chris then also emphasizes, "He's a sophomore. Liam's best friend." "And a mass murderer."

Ignoring his father's implication, Chris says, "We're gonna need to tell Scott the rest…" "Not necessarily." "If there's a way to save him…" "The pike won't save him. It'll kill him. Mason Hewitt is gone."

Glaring at his father while he isn't looking, Chris drops the argument for the sake of his charade, and then says, "But you still can't tell me where it is. How do we know it's not a steel cup gathering dust in someone's antique collection?" "Oh, I think it's closer to us than that. We'll find the pike. Whatever shape it's in."

Chris ponders briefly how he ever put up with all his father's dramatic theatrics. Even now, the old man sounds like he's an actor in a movie, preparing for some grand final battle. And sure, maybe they are preparing for a final battle, but there's no need to emphasize that point with added dramatic flare.

It almost makes him wish Nixie were here to snarl and make Gerard shut up, if only for a brief moment.

Sighing, Chris then says, "If we can't, then we're going to need a lot more firepower to take on the beast."

That's when Jordan opens the doors behind them, and Chris can't help but feel relieved. Lydia or Nixie one had done it. They'd convinced the young man to stay. And he can't help but grin when Jordan asks confidently, "How much firepower do you want?"

Outside, before taking off, Jordan pulls Chris aside and says, "I'm not going to let him kill Mason." Chris nods and says, "Neither am I. Nixie would never forgive either of us if we allowed Gerard to even get close enough to attempt it. Don't worry about that. I have him handled. Right now, you just focus on helping us find Mason in the first place. I have a feeling in order to find the pike, we're going to have to at least get close to Mason." "Why?" "Because wherever Mason is, that's where the dread doctors will be. I think my father suspects that they somehow might have it. I'm not sure why… but it's worth a shot."

Jordan finally nods, sending a text to Nixie before stripping off his jacket and lighting himself up in flames.

At the station, Nixie pulls out her phone as it buzzes. And at seeing Jordan's name, she opens the text to see if something's wrong.

And even with everything wrong going on around them, she still smiles at what he sent her.

"With the Argents. Going to try and find Mason or the beast. I will not let him kill the beast until we're sure Mason is safe. Don't you dare get hurt while I'm gone. Love you baby."

She doesn't bother texting him back yet. She knows he's probably already tossed his phone aside so he can bring out the hellhound and hunt for the beast.

Nixie just hopes that somehow Melissa's information helps them. She hopes that somehow this will show them how to save Mason and then kill the beast once and for all.

Hope. To some it seemed a small thing to have at this point. But Nixie and all her friends have seen firsthand just how powerful it can be. She's seen miracles happen in the darkest of times, built and materialized out of nothing more than their hope and faith in each other. It would be enough this time as well. It had to be.

Chapter 9! Or 10, depending on how you're choosing to count them. So close you guys. I have two more chapters to post.

Thanks to everyone who's reading the stories and I hope you're enjoying them as much as I enjoyed writing them in the first place. The next chapter will be posted soon. :)