Chapter 23 - Aimer et être aimé

After sending Teagan another text to check on her and see how Isaac was doing, Avery slowly tossed the blankets off of her and sat up on the side of the bed, realizing she was still in the same clothes from yesterday.

Laying her phone down on the bed beside her, she let out a heavy breath as she hung her head, images of the past few days playing through her mind like a picture book. Isaac almost dying, Stiles going missing again, the look on her best friends face when they realized Isaac hadn't been breathing was still haunting her.

It was that look of complete devastation on Teagan's face that she couldn't handle to see, looking down to her shaky hands she thought of how she'd gone against the promise to herself again, she'd tapped into the darkness, let it take her over to make her strong enough to help save Isaac. But now she wasn't even sure if any of that was worth it, from what she'd heard his condition hadn't improved at all.

Her gaze traveled over to the alarm clock and she wondered if any of her other friends were just sitting and staring at the time too, wondering how everything had fallen apart so quickly. Picking her phone back up she knew at least one of them had probably gotten less sleep than her, opening up her text messages she sent Scott a simple text she hoped would get him through the day, 'Just breathe'.

Dropping her phone back to the bed she groggily stumbled over to her closet and picked out a dress and shoes for the day, before making her way into the bathroom to shower and try to feel human again.

After heading down the stairs she put dry cat food down in Annabel's dish when her dad came into the kitchen, "You're up early."

"I'm gonna swing by the police station before school…" She admitted as she stood up and sat the bag of food down on the counter.

"No word on Stiles?" Richard asked his daughter, his tone somber and voice quiet.

"Still missing." She breathed as her phone went off from her jacket pocket. It was a text from Scott saying they needed to talk about what she did for Isaac at the hospital, he'd seen her eyes go black again.

"And Isaac?" He continued to question.

"No change." She answered as tears stung her eyes.

He quietly sat down at the kitchen island, not sure what else to say to her, she obviously wasn't giving up any information that he wasn't asking for.

"I'm gonna go." Avery said composing herself within seconds as she scrunched her curled hair and added, "I'm going to grab Stiles' dad something for breakfast."

It was over thirty minutes later when she walked into the police station, offering a small smile and thanks to the officer who'd held open the door for her.

As she walked through the station she saw Parrish at a desk, typing on the computer and she thought to herself that he literally must work around the clock, he was always either at the station or on patrol.

He looked up and saw her watching him, raising the hand she was holding a styrofoam coffee cup in she gave him a small wave, with a confused expression as to why she was there he smiled and nodded a greeting to her.

Without knocking she pushed the door open to the sheriff's office and said, "Morning."

Raising his head from the case folder he'd been looking over he asked, "Avery, what are you doing here?"

"I came to see if there was any news on Stiles… and I brought you breakfast." She said displaying the bag and cup of coffee.

"Thank you." He said, a little surprised as she sat the bag down on his desk with the cup.

"You're welcome." She offered a small smile then guessed, "I take it no new news?"

"Nothing." He admitted hanging his head, and staring down to his phone.

"Well, eat… you need to keep your strength up."

He looked at her with raised eyebrows as he opened the bag and pulled out a breakfast sandwich, as he unwrapped it he asked, "What is this…"

"The heart healthiest option on the menu of the coffee house I went to." She said with a small laugh, "It's whole grain… egg whites… bacon."

"Uh-huh…" He breathed before asking, "And why does the bacon look funny?"

"It's turkey bacon." She answered, holding back a laugh at his expression.

"Bacon comes from a pig… not a turkey." He reasoned as he stared at the sandwich more.

"We both know you're not supposed to have the real stuff… just try, it's not that bad, I promise." She said, watching as he took a bite and nodded but said, "It doesn't taste like bacon."

As he ate they talked about how Derek and Scott had tried but both failed on picking up on Stiles' scent or being able to track him.

Just as he was finishing up the bowl of fruit from the breakfast she'd brought him, and complaining about how the fruit should have been hash browns, Avery's phone went off from her pocket and she took it out, expecting it to either be Scott or Teagan but she gasped when she saw it from Stiles.

"It's from Stiles!" Avery exclaimed as she jumped out of her chair and raced around the desk to show him the text.

'Let my dad know I'm ok. Please don't look for me. Be back soon'

Taking the phone from her hand he continued to stare at it as he asked the question that both of them were wondering, "Why didn't he just text me?"

"I don't know…" She admitted as she reached down selected Stiles' name and hit the call button, as she clicked the speaker option on. But the call went straight to voicemail.

"He shut his phone off." She sighed in defeat.

Looking up when they heard a soft knock on the door frame they saw Parrish walking in, as he tried to keep his gaze focused on the sheriff, "Sheriff, he just needs your signature." The young deputy said as he motioned to the delivery man walking into the room behind him.

He handed Avery her phone back and stood up, as the man sat a few different packages down on his desk.

Parrish stole a glance at Avery as she flashed him a flirty smile and a wink.

Trying to ignore her, he looked back at Stilinski as he said, "It's just printer cartridges and stuff. Batteries for the next blackout."

Reaching forward he held onto the front of his belt where the buckle was as he reasoned, "Not a bad idea considering the number of electrical problems in this town."

His voice trailed off as he looked back over to Avery who was glancing down his snug fitting uniform to where he was holding onto his belt, he followed her gaze and then looked back at her as she arched a brow and ran her tongue over her bottom lip. Causing his eyes to widen as he quickly dropped his arms to the side, growing more uncomfortable by the second with her sultry gaze on him in a room with other people.

"You okay, deputy?" The sheriff asked as he looked up from the clipboard where he'd just signed off on the delivery sheet.

His gaze snapped over to where Avery bit down on her bottom lip, her eyes traveling over him again. Trying to ignore her, he cleared his throat and nodded to his boss, "Yeah… I'm okay."

Avery could barely hold back a laugh at seeing him growing more and more nervous and uncomfortable.

Without another word, Parrish turned and left the room when Agent McCall walked in and said he wanted to speak to the sheriff alone.

Avery lingered for a few moments before Stiles' dad thanked her for breakfast again and told her to get to school, but let him know if she heard anything else.

~()~

Teagan shifted around in the chair she was sitting in, feeling her eyes trying to close, but quickly snapped them back open. She placed her elbow on the arm of the chair and laid her head in her hand, as she kept her eyes on Isaac. Any time he would make a little noise, she would lean forward to grab his hand, letting him know she was there beside him.

She knew she wasn't like the others, she couldn't take his pain away, but she hoped she could still give him some strength by just being there. She knew it probably didn't do much, but it was all she could do.

When she heard the door open, she turned her head, expecting to see a nurse walking in to check on him; it something they did constantly throughout the day, but it wasn't a nurse who walked in, it was her father.

"Hey." Paul softly said, as he walked further into the room. His looked over at Isaac, seeing how badly he looked, then looked over at his daughter with a pained look on his face. He hated seeing her hurting this bad, and believe it or not, he hated to see Isaac in pain as well. He was just a kid, he didn't deserve it, he didn't deserve any of the bad things that happened to him in his short life.

"Dad? What are you-" Teagan began to asked, wondering what he was doing there. Until she realized it was probably cause she hadn't called to check in or been home in hours. "Oh, my God, Dad, I'm-I'm so sorry. I forgot to call you, I-"

"It's okay." Paul said, as he held up his hands, letting her know he wasn't there to yell. "Melissa called me. She told me what happened to Isaac and that you were here with him."

Thinking he was there to take her home, she shook her head, as she frantically said,"I can't leave him, Dad. He needs me, I can't-"

"Shh, it's okay. I'm just here to check on you." Paul interrupted, as he walked over to the chair. He laid a hand on her shoulder, then looked over at Isaac, as he added,"I'm here to check on both of you."

Teagan looked up at him with tears in her eyes, as she asked,"You are?"

Paul nodded his head, as he squatted down beside the chair, then said,"I know you think I hate Isaac, that I hate you being with him, but that's not the case. I'm just scared for you, Teagan." He reached up to wipe a tear from her cheek, as he continued,"You are all I have left, you are my whole world, Sweet Tea and I can't lose you."

"And I can't lose him." Teagan whispered. She choked back a sob, as she whimpered,"Daddy, I can't lose him."

"I know." Paul said, as he pulled her toward him to wrap his arms around her. He felt his heart break for her, as she cried on his shoulder. He still didn't like the fact that Isaac was a werewolf and his daughter was involved with this dangerous world that could destroy her, but he also knew how good Isaac was for her. He knew things were getting worst and worst for her, and he knew Isaac was the one keeping her grounded. He knew how much worst it could get if the younger boy was not in her life.

"He's going to come back to you, Sweet Tea. You have to believe that, you have to hold on to that hope, okay?" Paul said, as he tighten his hold on her. He pulled back a little to look at her, wiping the tears from her face, as he continued,"I don't understand this world, the supernatural one; I don't understand when exactly you got involved or exactly everything you have went through. There is a lot I don't understand, but one thing I do understand is love. The love you and Isaac have for each other."

"I've seen it over and over again, that kind of love is what everyone searches for. It's the kind of love your mother and I had, and it's the type of love we always wished for you, and because of that, I know he's going to be okay. That love is going to save him." He continued. He placed his hands on either side of her face, as he added,"You're going to save him, Teagan."

"He says I always save him, but I don't know how. I don't know how to do that." Teagan said, as fresh tears fell down her face.

"By not giving up. He needs your strength, Teagan, and I know you have a lot of that." Paul said. He flashed her a small smile, as he said,"We, Youngs, have a lot of strength, especially your mother. She was one of the strongest women I knew and you are so much like her."

Teagan bit her bottom lip, as she glanced down, any other time being compared to her mother would have warmed her heart, but after being terrorized by her so much lately, it was getting hard to remember the kind woman who raised her. She couldn't blame her father for bringing her up though, she never told him about her mother haunting her. He knew she was having nightmares and hallucinations, but she never told him what happened in them. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin his memory of his late wife.

"Your mother would be so proud of you." Paul said, as he brushed her hair from her face.

"Are you sure about that?" Teagan quietly asked, as she raised her head back up to look at him.

"You turned out exactly how she wanted you to." Paul said. "I remember the day she told me she was pregnant with you. We laid in bed for hours just talking about you. All the things we wanted to teach you, the way we hoped you would turn out. Which parts of us we hoped you got." He softly chuckled, as he continued,"That part of the conversation was short, cause I hoped you got everything from her and nothing from me. I wanted you to have her big brown eyes, her beautiful smile and her sense of humor." He paused for a moment, as tears filled her eyes. He shook his head, another small chuckle escaping, as he said,"God, your mother had a great sense of humor and when she began to laugh, I mean really laugh..."

"She'll always snort." Teagan said with a half smile, as she remembered her mother, the way she use to be, the loving woman who raised her.

"She'll snort." Paul repeated with a smile. He pointed to Teagan, as he added,"Which is something I have heard you do once or twice. Something else you got from her."

"Guilty." Teagan said, smiling.

Paul smiled back, as he said,"But getting back to my original point. That night, we said all we really wanted was a daughter who's happy and loved the way she is meant to be loved. A daughter who stands up for what she believes in, who will fight for what is right, who stands by her friend's sides and never turns her back on them. A daughter who is strong, and bright, and beautiful. And that is what you are Teagan. You are more than we could have ever imagined you to be, and I know I speak for your mother when I say we are both so damn proud of you."

"I miss mom. I miss her so much." Teagan whimpered out, referring to the mother she once knew, not the one haunting her now. That mother she never wanted to forget, but unfortunately those memories were slowly leaving her mind, as the bad memories took over.

"Me too, Sweet Tea. Me too." Paul said, as he pulled her toward him again.

After a long hug, Paul stood up, causing Teagan to look up at him, as she asked,"Are you leaving?"

"Not yet, but I'm getting too old to be this close to the floor." Paul said with a smile. He walked over to the side, sitting down on the small couch. He patted the couch cushions, asking her to come sit with him.

Teagan looked over at Isaac as she stood up. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, before whispering in his ear that she was still here; she wanted him to know no matter where she was in the room, she was still there for him. She walked over to the couch, sitting beside her father.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her toward him, as the two sat together and watched Isaac. The two were silent for a moment, until Paul spoke up and said,"Tell me about him."

"Hmm?" Teagan asked, as she threw her head back to look up at her father.

"Isaac. Tell me about him." Paul said, then added,"I want to hear all about this boy who stole my daughter's heart. How did you two meet?"

"Well, I knew him from school, but before we moved, I never really talked to him. I didn't know that much about him." She began to say. "But then we moved back and I dunno, it was like, things were different but they were also the same. Or maybe it wasn't really the town that felt different, maybe it was just me, but either way, it was like I looked up one day and there he was. There was Isaac."

She softly smiled as she thought about the day she and her father were at the cemetery burying her mother's ashes; that was the first time their path crossed since she moved back, then she thought about the day at school when she rushed into the boy's restroom during a panic attack and he was there. It seemed like anytime things were spinning out of control and she needed that sense of calmness he was always there. He thought she was the one who saved him, but he was wrong; the truth was, he was always the one saving her.

"He has been there for me over and over again. I would be lost without him. As corny as it sounds, he completes me." She added.

Paul smiled, as he said,"That's how it was for your mother and me. She brought out all the good in me." He wiped away a lone tear from his cheek, as he continued,"She use to always say the best relationships were the ones that brought out the best version of you. That's how you know its real love, that's how you know that person is your soul mate."

"I remember that." Teagan said with a smile, as she remembered all the times her mother told her to find the one who brings out the best. She would tell her, if she wasn't her best version with a guy, then that guy wasn't the one for her, and that was okay, cause that meant the perfect one was out there for her.

"Do you remember your mother's other favorite quote?" Paul questioned, as he looked down at his daughter. As Teagan shook her head, he lowered his eyebrows, as he began to say,"Uh, wait a minute, let me see if I remember how it went. It was ... Aimé et.. No wait, it was aimer et être aimé."

"Love and be loved." Teagan softly said, translating the words, now remembering all the times her mother said those words.

"Right, love and be loved." Paul said, then added,"She believed if you were a loving person, if you throw love out there, it would be returned to you. That you would be loved in returned." He kissed the top of her head, as he continued,"Always remember that, Sweet Tea. Anytime things get too hard, just remember your mothers words; aimer et être aimé. Love and be loved."

"I'll remember that." Teagan softly said, as she closed her eyes. Hearing the voice in her head whispering;'Tuer ou être tué'. She opened her eyes, blowing out a breath, as she looked over at Isaac, before whispering,"Aimer et être aimé."

~()~

"Feeling better? You looked a little nervous earlier…" Avery teased with a knowing and flirty smile as she leaned over the desk Deputy Parrish was sitting at.

With a sigh at himself, when he couldn't help but steal a quick glance down the top of her dress he looked at her and said, "What are you still doing here, I thought you had school." It had been a few hours since he'd seen her.

"Oh I do, but I'm waiting around to see if any new leads come in for Stiles." She admitted with a frown, but quickly recovered her formally flirty behavior as she said, "Besides… I'd rather be here with you."

"I'd rather you be at school." He tried to hide it but she caught the smile on his lips as he looked down to the desk, trying to ignore her, but if there was one person it was impossible to ignore; that person was Avery Dukate.

"Are you trying to ignore me, Deputy Parrish?" Avery teased her voice quiet as she trailed a finger across the top of his hand that he was holding a folder open with.

His gaze lingered on his skin where she'd touched him before he finally raised his head and looked at her with a raised brow as he reminded her, "We're in a police station full of other people, Miss Dukate."

The corners of her lips turned up into a smile as she leaned in closer and said, "Are you suggesting we go somewhere more private?"

She bit down on her lip and fought back an amused laugh as he adjusted in his seat and tried to not smile as he said, "I wasn't suggesting anything that would inappropriate… you're a teenager."

With a slight eye roll at his professional tone and his words, she started to let out a discouraged sigh but then a smug smile spread over her lips as she leaned over the desk even farther and said, "Is that what you tell yourself when you're trying so –hard, not think about me?"

"Avery…" He sighed, as he closed his eyes for a few seconds refusing to look up at her, "I think you should leave… go to school. I'm trying to get my work done."

Looking at her phone for the time she saw school was almost out, and had a few texts from Jared, saying she needed to meet him after school with the money if she wanted her homework.

"Are you saying you can't focus when I'm around you, Deputy Parrish?" She cooed, as her eyes scanned over the top of the semi-cluttered desk.

And just like that, she pulled him back in making him entirely entranced with her as he quietly replied, "What I'm saying, Miss Dukate… is that you make it hard to focus on anything." With a small smile he added, "We'll let you know if anything turns up about Stiles."

"Well…" she breathed, as she picked up his personal cellphone he had laying out on the desk, "You'll need my phone number to do that…"

As she added her name and number to his contact list, he said something but she didn't hear him as she saw two of the deputies leading Derek past her in handcuffs.

"Derek…" She gasped, worry spreading over her face.

He looked at her then his gaze traveled over to the young officer sitting at the desk, watching them. He'd heard them talking since he was brought into the station, and remembered her saying that she was okay the night the Oni attacked her because Parrish was with her, and only moments ago he'd heard her calling the deputy by his name.

Swallowing hard she looked down to the phone in her hand, as she saved her name and laid the phone back down on the desk, starring as the police led Derek back to a room.

"Why is he here?" She demanded to know, looking back to Parrish who hadn't missed the exchanged of looks between them. He'd looked into some records on the computer and from what he'd seen, he knew while Derek was on the run for the attempted murder of Avery and her friends that they police had posted a squad car outside of her house because they'd been dating at the time.

"I don't know…" Parrish admitted, his forehead lined as he saw how worried she was.

"Mr. Argent?" She gasped, as they also led Allison's father through the station in handcuffs.

"What is happening…" she breathed out, losing all traces of her formerly flirty and seemingly carefree behavior.

As her phone went off again she quickly replied and told Jared to wait for her by his school bus, that she'd be there soon.

"I'll see you later… there's something I need to take care of…" She breathed before pausing for a moment and picked up his phone and snapping a quick picture of her making a kiss face and setting it to his background.

Focused on her and how quickly her moods seemed to shift he started to ask if she was alright but she cut him off, "Please, don't ask me for the hundredth time since we've met if I'm okay. I'm fine."

Then as she turned to leave she called over her shoulder, "Nice phone background by the way."

"What?" He asked, as he quickly grabbed his phone off the desk to see what she was talking about.

~()~

After sitting with her father for a couple of hours, the two stood up and Teagan left the room for a few minutes to walk her father to the front entrance. He offered to sit with her longer and call out of work, but she told him it was okay, she would be okay alone, and she would call him later.

Once he was gone, she walked over to the closest coffee machine to grab a cup. The last thing she wanted to do was sleep; not only cause of the nightmares, but also cause she never wanted to look away from Isaac. She wanted to be right there once he woke up and she knew he was going to wake up. She knew he would come back to her.

When she heard a big commotion coming from the emergency room entrance, she made her way over toward that area. Her mouth dropped open in surprise when she saw them wheeling in the coach from her school.

She placed her hand over her mouth when she saw all the blood on the front of his shirt before they wheeled him through a set of doors to work on him. She quickly pulled out her cell phone, seeing that she had a missed call from Scott and quickly called him back.

"Teagan? Are you still at the hospital?" Scott questioned, as soon as he answered the phone.

"Yeah, what the hell is going on? I just saw them wheel in coach." Teagan said back.

"We found Stiles. He doesn't remember anything he has done lately, it's like he's in some kind of-of-"

"Fugue state." Teagan interrupted. Finishing his sentence for him.

"Right, exactly! It was like he was a completely different person. He wasn't Stiles." Scott said. She knew how that felt, there were a few times she didn't feel like herself at all.

"But he is now? He's Stiles again. Are you sure?" Teagan questioned.

"Yeah... At least I think so, I mean, he seems like Stiles. I don't know what the difference would be." Scott admitted nervously. "But he says he's himself and I believe him." He added.

"That's fine, but Scott, just be careful. They're called tricksters for a reason." Teagan pointed out.

"I will, but listen, Teagan, there's more." Scott began to say. "We found wrapping paper in Stiles' jeep. Like the kind he used to wrap coach's present. The exact kind."

"The one with the nails and bolts?" Teagan questioned.

"Yeah, which was also a thing Barrow did." Scott said, then added,"We think there could be a bomb out there somewhere, so just be careful. Stay with my mom, stay with Isaac, just stay there, okay?"

"But wait, didn't Barrow board a bus with the bomb?" Teagan questioned, remembering when Stiles had originally told them about Barrow, back when they were searching for him.

"It's at school." Scott mumbled. He looked over at the twins, as he repeated,"It's at school. The bomb is at school."

As he went to end the call to tell the Sheriff their theory, Teagan called out to him, stopping him, as he asked,"Where's Avery? Is she with you?"

"No, I haven't seen her today." Scott answered.

"Good, maybe she never went to school. I'll call her to make sure, but Scott, you all need to get to school and fast. If there is a bomb there... Just be careful. All of you be careful." Teagan stated, before she ended the call.

Without a second thought she scrolled through her contracts to call Avery, hoping and praying her best friend was far away from school. Things were quickly spiraling out of control and she was starting to wonder if any of them were going to make it out alive.

Things were getting worst and her mother's voice was getting louder and louder. She leaned back against the wall, her breathing labored as she tried hard to ignore the voice. She glanced down at the phone, her hands shaking as she tried to find her best friend's number.

She froze when she came across Isaac's number and picture. She clicked on the picture, her eyes filling with tears as she stared at his smiling face. She blew out a calming breath, just seeing the picture reminded her of what she was fighting for. She was fighting for him and the rest of their friends.

With that thought in mind, she pushed off from the wall, scrolling through her phone again until she came across Avery's number and placed the phone against her ear as it began to ring. She had to warn her best friend.

~ A Teen Wolf fanfiction collaboration between Miss E Charlotte and Sage Londyn.~

A/N- Thank you all for reading the latest chapter, don't forget to leave a review and let us know what you thought!