Hey guys! So, I wanted to keep a little bit of the humor since everything's been so dark lately with the show, but keep the edge of the story. By my estimation, I'd say we have 3 chapters left? That sounds about right…

Who's NOT ready for the finale on Monday? *raises all the hands*

Chapter 15

Just a Few More Moves

"Come on, Lydia, just tell me what he's saying. Just tell me what smart-ass, douchebaggery is coming out of his mouth because we all know that it's happening. I can't see him like Scott, I can't hear him like you, but I know he's saying something." Isaac's saying, whirling around as if he's afraid Stiles is going to jump onto him at any moment. "Stiles, I know you're saying things! Just, like, 'reveal yourself' to me or something!"

Stiles, who'd remained completely silent this entire time, smirks at Isaac. He pushes himself from the wall and moves close to Isaac, and beams in his face. Lydia rolls her eyes. She leans toward Scott and hisses, "Should we tell him that Stiles has not said a word for five minutes now?"

Isaac whips his head up. "What?" He exclaims, eyes blazing at the two of them. "You've been letting me yell at the pipsqueak like an idiot for five minutes and you didn't say anything?"

Stiles chuckles. "And he didn't even wear a scarf for me, I'm hurt." He says, circling Isaac like some good-natured vulture. "Scotty, why don't you keep your betas in line? He should be thrilled to see me, especially if I literally transcended life planes to help you guys and you can't be bothered to dress up for me?"

"Stiles," Scott groans. "Don't be a dick."

"Aha!" Isaac shouts, pointing his finger and whirling around. "I knew you were saying things about me!"

Scott's about to retort when his phone goes off in his pocket. "Hello? Allison, you find anything?" Allison's hesitant on the other line and Scott's nerves electrify. "Allison! Are you okay? What's going on? Allison!"

"We did find something," she says quietly after a moment. "Well, I found something."

"Allison, what is it?" Scott cries.

"Stiles." Allison states. "Scott, I see Stiles. He's standing here, giving me that Stiles-look that he has whenever he's planned something out and it's going exactly like he wanted."

Scott looks up at Stiles, who's giving him the exact same smirk Allison's describing. With a smug head tilt, he waves his hands up. "All that's missing is muffled rap music in the distance. That's right, friends! Stiles Stilinski just made Limbo his bitch! Booyah! Two Stiles, two locations, no waiting, folks!"

"Technically, there are three of you."

"Huh?" Stiles says, pulled out of his self-congratulating dance by Lydia.

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Your body is wandering around Beacon Hills right now, possessed by a fox."

Stiles rolls his eyes and waves her words aside. "Minor detail." He puts his fingers up and starts to pacing. "Now, what we need to do is get your assess in gear because you're getting them handed to you profoundly. And plus," he shrugs impishly. "I'm dying here. So I'm kinda on a tight schedule."

"Yeah, Allison," Scott says, eyeing his best friend wearily. "Yeah, I know. He's right here too. Turns out, since he closed our doors, he's allowed to be a perpetual pain in the ass to us until we fix him."

"What do I do?" Allison asks and Scott could tell she was freaking out. "What do I do with him?"

"Listen to him!" Scott says. He casts Stiles an inquisitive glance but his friend merely chuckles. "Stiles, if you could help us at all, that would be great."

"What do you think I'm trying to do, buddy?" Stiles chuckles, shaking his head. "But you're on the phone with, let's take a guess, Allison! I don't know about you guys, but I'm having a severe case of déjà vu. I mean, if I had a dollar for every time Scotty blew me off to talk to Allison, I could start myself an investment fund. Amirite, ladies and gentlemen? Amirite?"

"Allison, just do as he says." Scott mutters. "I'm gonna have to call you back."

As soon as he turns off his cell phone, Stiles rounds on him. "Are we finished with the next great love affair of the century, now? Thank you? Scotty?" Stiles says. "Because we've lost precious time and I don't know how much longer I can keep this whole façade up." He says gesturing to himself. He claps his hands together. "Now, not to sound too much like Shang from Mulan, but let's get down to business!"

He pauses, but no one responds. Stiles rolls his eyes. "This is where you say, 'To defeat the… Japanese demon!" He exclaims, pumping his fist in the air. "Okay, whatever, we'll work on it later. Next job – to the basement!"

XXX

"Allison, I have to say it's a bit disconcerting when you talk to yourself." Chris Argent says, eyeing his daughter.

Allison takes a breath. "I told you, Dad. He's here. Stiles is right here."

Stiles flicks his fingers. "Tell him I say hello. And that I think our fathers should join a bowling club. My dad needs more dad friends. I mean, he spends the majority of his time at the station or with me. He needs other hot dad friends. Wait, I don't know how 'hot' got in there, but the truth is the truth. We got some supremely hot dads, Allison." He smirks to himself. "Probably why we are so stunningly beautiful ourselves." He says, brushing his jawline.

"Stiles, can you focus?" Allison says.

"No, I can't, isn't that the weirdest thing?" Stiles says. "You'd think that in some weird, supernatural Limbo-state, I'd reach a new level of Zen, but that is totally not the case!" Stiles waves his arms around, his hands trembling. "But I am just as unfocused as I usually am – even more so, actually. Do you think you can convince the possessed-me to take some Adderall, because I am literally bouncing off the charts. I have at least ten lists going on in my head right now, three of which involve urine – take that as you will."

Allison wants to snap at him, but she can't help but be comforted at the usually chatter of Stiles. She never realized how much she missed it until he's in front of her now. "Is one of the lists how to save your life?"

Stiles grins. "As a matter of fact, yes." He puts his arm out for her to take, which she tries, but her arm goes right through. Stiles looks at her and his face falls a little. He puts his hand out to touch her again, his fingers trembling as it hovers above her shoulder. "I'm dying." He says for what is probably the tenth time, but this time, it's without any humor. "I'm dying Allison."

Allison's eyes fill with tears. But she says something that she didn't expect. She was going to start with flowery sentiments, but she knows more than anyone that they don't help when death's involved. And Stiles is too smart not to see through them. "I know."

Stiles' eyes fill with tears and it makes her ache that she can't touch him, comfort him. "I can't be like this around Scott." He says with a sorrowful smile. "So I'm sorry I have to be like this around you. It's just… Scott—"

"—needs hope." Allison finishes. "But Stiles, there is hope."

Stiles smiles grimly. "I can't be so sure right now. I'm just so very cold."

"We'll get through this. One play at a time."

Stiles laughs. "See, this is why you guys are losing. You're looking at it one play at a time. Seriously, you are going to need to figure out how to think properly without me."

"We're not going to have to do that Stiles, because you're going to live."

"That remains to be seen."

"This is very odd to hear only one part of this conversation." Chris says. "If it's all the same to you two, would you mind leading the way Stiles, while you guys chat it up? While I'm certain we could get past any security this school has, I'd like to get this done unnoticed."

Stiles salutes him. "El Capitan! At your service, my liege!"

Allison rolls her eyes.

Chris sighs. "I'm so glad I can't hear him right now."

XXX

"Good Lord!" Stiles cries out, clutching his chest.

Stiles stumbles to the ground and Scott instinctually goes to catch him, but he – quite literally – slips through his hands. "It's okay, buddy, I'm fine." Stiles wheezes, scrambling to his feet. "It's just… harder some times more than others. But let's get started! Now what could I have left here that is important?" He says to himself, tapping his chin.

"You mean you don't know?" Lydia cries. She's not as frustrated as Isaac is, but Scott can tell she's struggling with the fact that she can't see Stiles. "Why would you bring us here if you didn't know?"

Stiles puts his hand to his chest. "Me? Bring you here? You all came on your own volition. I merely set the stage. But I can't remember everything? I've been living my life in a bathtub, if you want me to paint a very vivid image for you. My roommate is literally Deaton. I'm living in an animal clinic."

"Then why are you here?" Lydia cries.

"Um, ouch!" Stiles cries. "You banshees and your need to cut guys down a peg!"

"What did you just say?"

"You banshees!" Stiles cries. "All of you are just pains in my asses. And I mean that literally!"

Lydia frowns. "You mean you've met more than one?"

Stiles opens his mouth to retort, but then freezes. "Holy shit, I think I have."

"Stiles?"

Everyone looks up to see a person standing at the top of the basement steps. "I heard you screaming, so I came like you asked."

They all look to Stiles, who shrugs his shoulders.

"You can see him?" Scott exclaims, staring at the girl. "You can see Stiles?"

She shakes her head tentatively. "No, but he's been talking to me for a while now. He said if he ever came by to give him this." She held out her hand, her fingers uncurling.

XXX

"Something in here." Stiles says, pushing open the boys' locker room door. He frowns. "Great, I can't embrace my friends, but doors I have a surprisingly natural ability to open them. Very funny, Universe! We all think you're fucking hilarious!"

"Stiles, focus," Allison says quietly.

"It's hard to when the world seems to have a hard-on for your misery!" Stiles exclaims. "But more focused, I think it's something in one of these lockers."

The Argents and Stiles start shining lights in the lockers. "All I'm getting is the deep, deep desire to teach a hygiene course at the school." Chris states.

"In a boys locker room?" Stiles chuckles. "What a shocker there,"

"Tell Stiles that I know that he must've said something sarcastic and I want him to know that it's not helping anything."

"10-4, Mr. Argent!" Stiles says. "No sarcasm here! Actually, I think I am physically incapable of being sarcastic."

Allison bites her lips, shining a light into the locker. Something glints in the locker when she does so. "Dad, over here." Allison says, ushering him over.

Her father makes quick work of the lock and when they open the door, items come tumbling out. "Okay, so maybe we didn't split up quite right." Allison says with a huff. "I've got to call Scott. We need to talk to Lydia. Right Now."

Stiles' expression is humorless as he says, "Wow, Possessed me is kinda a dick."

At their feet lay several different chemicals, each one more difficult to pronounce than the next.

XXX

Scott stands outside Derek Hale's loft, Stiles at his side. "Bro, I wish you were here." Scott states, watching everyone filter into Derek's house. "Like, really here. I could really use your help right now."

Stiles shoves his hands in his pockets. "Don't I know it? You guys are helpless without me."

"No, bro, me." Scott says. "I need you – for more than just the figuring out stuff. I need you to be here. Tell me I can do it. Tell me we can win."

Stiles gapes at him. "Dude, of course you can."

"I need you to say it." Scott states without looking at him. "I need you to say the words."

Stiles steps in front of his line of sight, putting his hands up. "Scott, buddy, listen to me. Look me in the eyes. You can do this. You can figure this out and beat whatever demon fox has got me. I know it."

"You didn't say all of it." Scott murmurs. "I need you to say all of it."

Stiles frowns. "What do you mean?"

"You didn't say that I will save you. That you'll be here next to me. After this is all done."

Stiles gives him a sad smile. "I will. You'll figure it out."

Scott nods his head, making his way up to Derek's. Stiles doesn't follow. Scott takes a look back at his best friend. "I know you're lying."

"How?" Stiles calls after him, but Scott can barely tell he's there anymore.

Scott opens the door just as Stiles is nowhere to be seen. "Because I know you." He mutters to himself.

It takes him a little while, but he composes himself in the doorway. He can hear everyone rustling in the next room. He glances out the doorway one last time, even though he knows Stiles isn't there.

"Scott, we need you in here!"

Scott takes a moment.

Then he runs into the living room.

Everything's in disarray. People are arguing on the couch, Lydia's in a corner, looking at the chemicals in the locker at school, Kira looks like she's trying to take control of the group and explain something important, while Chris, the Sheriff, and Derek are having some sort of adult conversation with one another.

Scott rushes to the living room. "Okay, what's up? What do we got?"

Kira looks relieved that Scott enters the room. "My mother and father spoke to me about kitsunes. They think that it's a trickster spirit – a nogitsune."

The Sheriff clears his throat. "We discovered my access card was used on a date that I wasn't in the office, accessing records from Barrow's old case files. Specifically the schools he targeted and how he targeted them."

"Comforting." Scott says. "There was a girl at Eichen House that gave us a USB drive that had all the floor plans for the school, the hospital, and Deaton's office."

"That's not the worst part," a small voice pipes up from the corner of the room.

Everyone turns to face Lydia, who's eyes are wide, surrounded by notes of the chemicals. She shakes, a tear running down her face. "The combination of these chemicals – in the right dosage – make an extremely potent explosive. But that's the not the worst part."

Scott's eyes are wide. "How is that not the worst part?" He cries.

"Based off the amount gone from these bottles, there's enough gone to make one."

Isaac frowns. "How is that a bad thing? So he only made one. He didn't have enough time to blow all three places to the sky. I consider that a win."

The Sheriff sighs. "That's exactly the problem. Three places. One bomb. The game's in motion. And he's going for the oldest trick in the book.

"Divide and conquer."

A/N: Here you are! There are definitely 3 chapters left. I had a good time writing sassy Stiles. I miss sassy Stiles so very much.

Please review if you have a moment!