Stiles drummed his fingers on the wheel of the Jeep as he drove, urging the thing to move faster. "C'mon now you can do better than that! Hurry up!" He pressed down on the accelerator and the Jeep rattled in protest. Keeping his foot steadfast on the pedal, he eventually convinced the car to go minimally faster. Rounding a tight corner in the road, he tried to think why his girlfriend wouldn't tell him she was meeting her mother. And on top of that, why would she bring his dad instead. He scoffed, imagining that she had been on her way out when his dad had caught her. The Sherriff had probably insisted on escorting her. Just because he was beginning to believe in the supernatural, didn't mean he trusted it, especially with the life of Stiles's girlfriend. The thought brought a reluctant smile to his face, and he had to force himself to focus as he pulled over and jumped out of the car.

He started off into the woods at a run, which quickly degraded into a mediocre stumbling walk. His physical fitness had not improved much over the years. Clutching the map tightly in his hand, he powered on. The map was there more as a comfort than a requirement, he had memorised the route he would need to take before he left Lydia. A twinge of guilt appeared in his chest, he felt bad for abandoning her. But this was important. Finally, the sickeningly familiar smell of the coyote den reached his nose. The scent brought back memories of a very dark time, and he couldn't help but reach down and scratch his ankle, the ghost of a steel jaw trap itching at his skin. Edging closer to the den, he called out, "Malia? Hey Malia are you in- woah!" He had slipped on some loose leaves and was sent sprawling onto the cave floor. Groaning, he pushed himself up, blinking to get the dust out of his eyes. A quick glance around told him that no one was here. Still, he refused to be discouraged, so he set about scanning the area for clues. The first thing he noticed were scuffs in the dust near the cave wall. There were also scratches on the rock. Frowning, Stiles crouched down to get a closer look. Something shiny caught his eye, and he shifted a small rock to reveal a silver ring. He wasn't sure whether to feel comforted or terrified. It was Malia's ring that she wore most days. He had given it to her as a 'well done on finishing summer school without killing anyone' gift.

He sniffed, shoving it into his pocket as he left the den. It seemed obvious to him that she had been there, and that she had struggled against whoever had initially confronted her. That only served to confuse him more than he already was, as if what Lydia said was true, she now felt comfortable in the presence of her captors. Scrabbling out of the den, he made his way back to his Jeep. As he opened the door, he noticed a small light blinking on his phone, which he had left on the passenger seat. Hoping for good news, he grabbed it and stared at the screen. To his surprise, he had a voicemail waiting for him. He dialled up the number and listened. When he heart Malia's voice, his heart lurched.

Stiles? Why don't you ever answer your phone?! I'm just calling to let you know I'm okay. I wouldn't suggest trying to find me though, because the people I'm with aren't very welcoming to strangers. I learnt that with your dad. Before you freak out, he isn't dead. He caught me leaving to meet my mother in the woods. He refused to let me go without his company, so we went in the cruiser. She attacked the car and we managed to get out before it crashed. Somehow we ended up hiding in my old den, and this weird mechanical man cornered me. They took us to this weird building. Your dad- the Sherriff was yelling at them, trying to get the man to let us go. My mother gave me a choice. Either the dread doctor would shoot him or me, because they only needed one. It was instinct Stiles. My brain just flipped to coyote mode and I did what I had to, to survive. I told them to shoot him. And they did. I haven't seen him since, but they say he isn't dead. But now I'm safe, because they won't kill us both. I'm helping my mother, we're working with these doctor people. She says it's important, that it will change the supernatural world for the better. Anyway, that's all really. Don't try and find us, cause they'll just shoot you, and I couldn't handle that. See you later.

The phone beeped, signifying the end of the message, and Stiles dropped the phone, feeling sick to his stomach. He was frozen, staring out of the windshield at nothing. She had sounded so casual. It had been her decision to shoot his dad, and she didn't even care. He was still processing it all. She didn't sound shocked, or scared, or even remorseful. Just matter of fact. He had thought that she had worked through her coyote instincts, had learned to care for people outside of her and her mate. Maybe he was wrong. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, the overwhelming feeling that this was all her fault kept eating away at him. He felt so betrayed. Something tapped on his window and he practically jumped out of his skin, flailing around inside the car. Twisting in his seat, he looked out and saw Lydia standing outside his window. She looked heartbroken.

Acting quickly he slid out of the car and stood in front of her, holding her arms gently. "Lydia? I told you to stay at mine, what's the matter?"

She was clearly trying not to cry. "As soon as you left, I started to get this feeling. It was different to the other ones though. Like I was panicking without knowing it?" He nodded his understanding, and she continued, "then my heart lurched, and I drew this ring on the board." She showed him a photo on her phone. It looked exactly like the ring sitting in his pocket. Reaching down he picked it out and showed it to her.

"It's Malia's ring. I found it just now in the den. I swear I almost had a heart attack when I saw it."

"Oh. And then something else happened." She looked up at him, tears swimming in her eyes, threatening to roll down her cheeks. "I heard the voicemail. It was like she had sent it to me. I felt like I was in your head, and as soon as it started I couldn't breathe. I got here as quick as I could. I heard everything and now I just feel- feel-"

"Heartbroken?"

She stared at him, sniffing, "Yeah. But I don't know why. Why would I feel like that?"

He looked from the ring in his hand, to the den, to her shining face. Slowly, the pieces fell into place. "Because, that's how I feel."

"What?"

As everything came together in his head he found himself speaking very quickly, and only hoped Lydia would be able to keep up. "You drew the ring and felt the lurch that I felt the moment I found it. That might be coincidence. Plus you felt the panic I felt in the car. And then you felt the same heartbreak I did when we heard the voicemail. One's an incident, two's a coincidence, and three's a pattern. Remember what Deaton said when I went into the ice bath. I needed an emotional tether to bring me back. He told you to go with me. Lydia I think we're connected, somehow. Like an-"

"Unspoken connection. That's what you said to me in the hospital one time."

"You were actually listening to me? I thought you were in a call?"

"I was, but I could still hear you. I was just being a- well, being a bitc-"

"It doesn't matter, that wasn't you, not the real you. Anyway, I think that this unspoken connection let's you feel what I feel. That's how you knew I was in Eichenhouse, or at least I thought I was, when I was sleep walking, remember? You knew, that in my head, I was there."

"That... that actually makes sense. We're emotionally tethered. But what does that mean, for us, I mean?"

He stared at her, trying to think of an adequate answer. Eventually he came up blank, answering with, "We'll just have to figure it out later. At the moment, we have a treacherous werecoyote to find."

"Stiles, don't be too hard on her-"

"YOU HEARD THAT VOICEMAIL! You know how guiltless she felt. She didn't even care that my dad was dying!" All of his built up frustration exploded in an outburst of rage. He was panting and staring at her, waiting for her to yell back, or retaliate, or storm off. Anything. He knew he deserved it. Instead, she took his hand, easing him towards her so she could wrap her arms around him. As they embraced a feeling of calm washed over him, and he began to relax. She stretched up to his ear, whispering softly:

"It's going to be alright Stiles. We'll find them. Both of them."

Burying his face in her hair, he muttered "Thank you, my emotional tether." He said the last part with exaggerated admiration and a hint of playful sarcasm. Smiling at the return of the old Stiles, she shoved him away from her playfully, before climbing into the driver's seat of the Jeep. He stared incredulously at her. "Seriously?"

"Get used to it Stilinski. I'm not letting you drive anywhere with the state you're in at the moment." She winked at him and he gave her a dramatic eye roll before climbing into the other side of the Jeep.

A/N: Here's the next chapter. I'd just like to say I'm totally open to suggestions for the story, and I'll try to work them in somehow :) This chapter includes an idea from TvRomances which I think fits in really nicely, and I hadn't thought of including, but I think it adds a lot to the story. The idea of Stiles and Lydia realising that they have a strong connection was from TvRomances, and I just edited and elaborated slightly so that it fit nicely into the chapter I was working on. I'll try update more often, Stay Classy, Icepoppy