Just as a reminder to all of those reading: When the text is written in bold and italicized lettering "like this," that is the part of the conversation had in sign language.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf. I also have no claim on any pop culture references that I may use throughout my writings. I only own my OCs. Enjoy the read.

(o.o)

Chapter 2.11

My phone vibrated under my pillow, telling me to wake up for the day. I groaned, still so tired, and tried to snooze the alarm. I pushed off of my pillow quickly, feeling a cold fluff on my arms as I moved. I finally opened my eyes to take in my surroundings. I wasn't home, not even in my bed. I was in a fenced-in clearing, probably a backyard, surrounded by trees. I tried to figure out what was going on and where I was on the ground amongst the snow. As I lifted my head from my pillow, it quickly turned to snow, disappearing with the rest of the flakes.

I stood to my feet, walking towards a strange-looking fountain with a ball on the top, covered in moss. "Hello?" I called, hearing the word echo back in the emptiness. I turned around swiftly, my hair moving with the sudden wind. I paused, finding it.

The monster I'd seen before: leather jacket, face covered in bandages. Who was underneath all that gauze?

"Who are you?" I asked, trying to be braver than I had been the first time I saw it.

"Who are you?" It repeated the words back, starting to circle her.

I turned in my spot, facing him as he moved. "Tell me who you are!"

"You know."

I scoffed, shaking my head. "I know you're an asshole."

The monster bared his teeth, breathing heavily.

"Who are you?!"

The monster stopped suddenly in his place.

I tried not to panic or show any fear, but I was terrified. I could feel my heart as it beat hard in my chest. I dug my nails into my palm, knowing it was how Scott would stay calm, and hoped it would work for me.

The monster started to charge me, one of his arms in front of his face, fingers bared like he was ready to scratch.

My breath stopped. I closed my eyes, raised my hand to grab him, and braced for the impact of the large figure. I felt the leather beneath my fingers, but the sensation changed as I tightened my grip on the jacket. Skin.

I opened my eyes again and found myself back in the hospital. Stiles was lying in bed below me, and I held onto his arm.

"No," I said aloud, slowly putting pieces together in my head. "No, I saw nothing when I touched him. I saw nothing, and I went to sleep." I looked to the chair I passed out in shortly after trying to have a vision. "And Scott's dad…." I looked to the door, knowing he'd be pulled in on a gurney after being stabbed with an Oni's sword. My breathing felt ragged. Shit, was anything real?

Stiles had kissed me goodnight before he left my passenger seat. Did that happen?

It did. It was real. Stiles is real.

I tightened my grip on his arm for just a second before pulling away.

(o.o)

I woke with a start, sitting straight up in my bed. I let out a heavy sigh, trying to slow my heart back down. To push the hair from my face, I raked my fingers through it. What had I been dreaming of? I shook my head, hating that I couldn't remember.

The phone under my pillow vibrated wildly as the light flashed alongside it. I grabbed the device, seeing a video call from Scott. I answered it after turning the light on from my bedside table. "Scott?"

"Is Stiles with you?"

"No, he slept at home tonight. Why?"

"I don't know. He just called me. I think something's wrong. He said that he's trapped somewhere. That he's hurt."

My heart dropped. "You heard this from him directly?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe he's just sleepwalking. He's probably just confused. It's happened before." I rubbed my eyes, trying to get the sleep from them. "Look, I'll just go over there right now and make sure everything's okay."

Scott nodded. "Alright. Isaac and I are on our way. Just in case." He hung up without another word.

Before I got myself out of bed, I took the briefest of minutes to make sure I could collect myself. The last thing I needed to do was preemptively freak out. I took a few breaths and got out of bed, dressing for warmth with speed. I left a note on the kitchen counter in case he was awake before I came back home for my dad. I exited my house through the front door after grabbing my car keys. Still, I ended up running to Stiles' house, my heart pounding with every step I took.

His dad's patrol car wasn't in the driveway, so I rushed into the house, knowing the door would be unlocked. I took two steps at a time up the stairs until I arrived at his bedroom.

Stiles was nowhere to be seen.

Instead of him sleeping soundly, there was a pair of scissors stabbed into the middle of his mattress with red string tied to them. Their other ends were attached to different spaces on his crime board.

He thinks he's unsolvable.

My insides were frozen, but I wondered if it was because I felt sick with worry or because of what I could do. I took slow steps into the room, careful of the strings, and went to grab hold of the scissors.

I felt my eyes roll back, and Stiles' room disappeared, turning into a dark place I couldn't recognize. He was being dragged along the floor by his feet, screaming. I withdrew my hand, trying to figure out where he was, but I was pulled from the vision when I felt a hand grab my arm.

"Come find me."

I jumped away from the new contact, turning as Lydia's face became clear.

Lydia put a fist to her chest, signing that she was sorry for scaring me.

The words I heard repeated in my head and brought tears to my eyes. I furrowed my brow at Aiden behind her but shook my head, looking at her again. "That was Stiles," I inferred. "You… you heard him."

Lydia nodded. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize-"

"He's missing." I interrupted her, not wanting to talk about it. "Scott called me. He's trapped somewhere." My eyes flickered to the scissors sticking out of the bed.

"He uses red for unsolved cases," Lydia shared, probably filling in Aiden behind her.

"We don't know where he is, and he's hurt, Lydia."

Lydia took a step forward, trying to comfort me, but I stepped away from her quickly.

I shook my head. "I don't want to hear him." I insisted. "I can't. Not like that."

Lydia backed away with a sympathetic smile.

I looked up over her shoulder and saw Scott rush into the room. His eyes darted to me, and he quickly moved past Lydia and Aiden towards me with his arms open. I pushed myself into his arms for a comforting hug. I was grateful for his friendship, now more than ever. The hug ended when he placed a hand on my shoulder. I looked behind him, finding Isaac, and nodded hello. "He's not here, but this was," I said, gesturing to his bed. "H-he's been using red on his evidence board for his unsolved cases or data."

"Maybe he thinks he's part of an unsolved case?" Aiden offered.

"Or is an unsolved case." Isaac sneered.

I nodded at Isaac, hating that I would agree with him. "That was more of what I thought."

"Hold on - is he still out there?" Lydia questioned. "You don't know where he is?"

"I was under the impression that he was still here. Sleepwalking. He's been doing that a lot lately, but he's never gotten past the front door. Mostly because with the nightmares he'd been having, he's always had his dad or me here to look after him." I groaned. "I should've stayed."

"It's not your fault," Scott promised, getting back on track. "All we have to go off of is what he said. He was in an industrial basement somewhere."

"We came here to get a better scent," Isaac told Lydia.

"What else did he say?" My cousin questioned.

I looked to Scott, wishing we had a full transcript.

"Something's wrong with his leg. It's bleeding." The alpha shared.

Isaac nodded. "And he's freezing."

"Tonight's the coldest night of the year. It's going to drop into the twenties." Aiden said with urgency.

"What did his dad say?" Lydia asked.

"We kind of…."

I shook my head at Scott's response. "He doesn't know, does he?"

Scott shook his head.

Lydia scoffed. "Stiles is bleeding and freezing, and you didn't call his dad?"

"He made me promise not to!" Scott reasoned.

I agreed. "If we can find him, why should we make him worry more than he already is?"

Scott nodded. "We can find him by scent. If he was sleepwalking, he couldn't have gotten far, right?"

Aiden scoffed. "You didn't notice his Jeep was gone, did you?"

My heart dropped. I did. Why hadn't I put that together?

"You promised you wouldn't call his dad," Lydia pointed out, pulling out her cellphone. "I didn't."

"Wait, Lydia." Scott said, putting his hand over her to stop her. "I can get more help."

"We can call Derek," I reached for my phone, meeting Scott's gaze. "Allison, too."

"Everyone except for the cops. Great idea!" Lydia exclaimed sarcastically.

"You guys remember she only gets these feelings when someone's about to die, right?" Aiden reminded us. God, I wanted to punch him. What was he even doing here?

Scott sighed. "You don't have to call his dad. It's five minutes to the station," He said before looking at me.

I nodded, trusting his judgment on what to do. "I'll go with you," I turned to my cousin. "Want a ride?"

"We'll catch up," she insisted. Lydia looked around the room before stopping at me. "There's something here."

"Find it." I challenged her. "We'll be working on finding him in the meantime. Then after we find him, we're all gonna work on figuring out what the hell is wrong with him."

Scott, Isaac, and I left the house, and I drove myself and Isaac to the sheriff's station, following Scott on his bike. I ran out of the car as soon as the vehicle was turned off, catching up with Scott before he got inside. "Sheriff!" I shouted as soon as I entered the building, running towards his office.

Stilinski exited his room, standing at the desk just outside his door, looking at me with confusion. His eyes moved along to Isaac and Scott behind me. "What's going on?"

"I-it's Stiles," I told him, no confidence in my voice.

The sheriff's face became full of worry. "What happened?"

"He's missing," Scott said, dropping the bomb.

"Missing?"

I nodded. "The Jeep is gone, and he wasn't home."

"He called me and said that he was trapped somewhere, but he didn't really know where." Scott shared.

"We think he was sleepwalking."

"He said something about an industrial basement, but he couldn't tell."

"If he was sleepwalking and sleep-driving, he could be anywhere," I said, even though the sheriff had already figured that one out for himself.

Sheriff paused, placing his hand on the desk before him, taking everything in. Even I could admit that we probably should have been more gentle, but this was Stiles, and we needed to find him. Sheriff turned his attention back onto us and nodded. "If his Jeep is gone, that's where we start." He turned to his deputy. "Parrish, let's get an APB out on a blue 1980 CJ05 Jeep."

The young deputy at the desk nodded, taking his notes.

Sheriff turned to another man. "Cordova, I want a list of any kind of industrial basement or sub-level of any building that he could've gotten into while sleepwalking." He turned again, addressing the rest of his men. "It's the coldest night of the year, so far… So if he's out there barefoot in just a t-shirt, he could already be hypothermic. Let's move fast. Let's think fast." Even Sheriff Stilinski getting everyone to work started to put my mind at ease.

Stilinski turned to us. "You three, come with me." he started towards his office, closing the door once we were all inside. "Is there anything you need to tell me that I can't tell anyone out there?"

"Lydia knew that he was missing," I shared. "She heard it. And I - I saw it when I was in his room. He's definitely somewhere dark, but I didn't have time to tell where."

Scott looked down at me, catching that I had confirmed I saw him, too. I was sure he thought what I had been. Lydia and I only saw things when people were about to die. Or, at least, I thought I did, but Stiles wasn't going to die.

"Can you help find him?" The sheriff asked.

I shook my head. "Lydia's working on it. She's still at your house, trying to see what she can gather from his room there."

Stilinski looked up to Scott. "Can you find him by scent?"

There was a shadow outside the door, and Deputy Parrish opened it from the outside and peeked his head in. "We got it, sir. We found the Jeep."

(o.o)

I rode with the sheriff to the hospital where Stiles' Jeep was found. Anxiously, I kept wringing my hands in my lap. A few hours ago, I would have given anything in the world to hear the sound of Stiles' voice. Now, I wish I could get the words out of my head.

The sheriff had been on the phone the drive there, talking with Melissa so he could explain to her what had been going on.

When he hung up his phone, I studied him in the passing lights from the street. His features were much the same as Stiles' were, and I'd practically memorized them. I could tell that he was worried about his son, but he was trying not to let it get the best of him. Much like I was. "Sheriff?"

Sheriff glanced at me for just a moment.

"We're gonna find him."

Sheriff offered a small smile at the corner of his mouth before nodding his head, knowing that I was telling him the truth.

We arrived at the hospital, and the pair of us rushed out of the cruiser. I was relieved to see the Jeep, loving that stupid vehicle more and more every day. Unfortunately, no one was in it, and the battery was dead.

"He must have left the lights on," the sheriff deduced.

Scott appeared next to us. "Why would he come here?"

"We came here yesterday for Melissa's help. Maybe, subconsciously, he thought she'd help him again." I offered as a suggestion.

Stilinski nodded. "Let's go find out."

The group hurried into the hospital through the emergency room, and Melissa greeted us in the hallway.

"Security's doing sweeps of every floor. Nothing yet." She shared.

"What about the basement?" Sheriff asked.

Melissa nodded. "I can take you there. Follow me."

Scott stopped me with a hand on my arm before I could hurry off with them. "Derek should be here. I'm going to find him and see if he found a scent."

I nodded and then took off after Melissa and the sheriff. I caught them at the employee elevator before the doors closed, and we rode it down to the lowest level it would go. It wasn't yet the basement, but there was a door leading to another set of stairs. Before the door even opened, I stopped, staring at it. "This isn't it," I swore.

Stilinski looked at me with a furrowed brow.

"He's not here," I said again with certainty.

The sheriff turned away from me, probably needing to check anyway. He went in with Melissa and came out, realizing that I had been right. "How did you know?"

I shook my head. "I just know." I didn't want to tell him the real reason, though. I couldn't even admit to myself that my powers seemed to lead me towards tragedy. I wasn't cold. The feeling that I got from touching the scissors in Stiles' room was only a ghost of a prick in my spine. My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out, finding a video call from Lydia. Answering it, I turned around so that Sheriff could also see my cousin's face. "What did you find?"

"He's at Eichen House."

I furrowed my brow. "Eichen House?" I asked, looking up at the sheriff.

"It's a psychiatric hospital," he responded. "Barrow was there before…everything."

"And you think he's there?" I wondered, returning my attention to Lydia.

Lydia nodded. "I know he is."

"Alright. Let's go." The sheriff said, patting me on the shoulder.

"We'll meet you there."

IWhen the Sheriff and I finally pulled up to Eichen House, Lydia and Aiden were already there waiting for us. I took one look up at the building, and my breath caught in my throat. It looked more like a prison than it did a mental health facility. I wondered what would bring Stiles here even if he was sleepwalking. How could he have gotten all the way here without his Jeep, barefoot?

We approached Lydia at the gate, Stilinski wary about whether or not his son was behind the gates. "Lydia, I don't want to say 'are you sure about this,' but —?"

"No, he's here." Lydia's eyes glanced towards me.

Much like the sheriff, I was still unsure. I felt something, but I wasn't sure at all what it was.

Lydia looked back at the sheriff. "I swear to god he's here."

Stilinski nodded, buzzing the gate to let us in. As soon as the badge flashed up at the camera that saw us, the gate opened. Sheriff pushed his way through, right up to the receptionist.

Once we were led to the stairs and given the correct keys, Lydia took the lead with the sheriff, Scott, Aiden, and me right at her heels. It seemed like she knew where she was going. I could only dream of having that much clarity with my ability. Lydia stopped suddenly, looking at a specific door.

My eyes trailed over the door. She was right. Whatever she felt, I was pretty sure that I was feeling it too.

After a moment, Lydia turned back to the sheriff. "It's here. Right here."

Sheriff took a step in front of her, going towards the door, not bothering with the key and kicking it open.

The five of us rushed down the stairs, and I used my cellphone as a flashlight to get a better look around. Stiles was nowhere to be seen.

I found Scott and tapped his arm to get his attention. "Anything?"

Scott shook his head in response.

I looked at my cousin. "Lydia?"

"I don't get it. This has to be it." She signed.

"I'm sure you believe that, but Lydia, he's not here," I said, confused and irritated.

"This is it," Lydia said, still insisting. "He has to be here."

Sheriff took steps closer to Lydia. "Then where is he, huh? Where is he?"

Lydia backed up quickly, squeezing her eyes shut. She'd been yelled at.

I took a step closer to the sheriff, grabbing his hand to pull him back away from my cousin.

The man looked down at me and then at my hand wrapped around his. He shook his head, realizing what he'd done. Sheriff looked at Lydia. "I'm sorry."

I squeezed his hand before letting it go.

Lydia looked lost. "I don't understand."

I reached my hand towards her, holding it out so she could take it.

"You didn't want to." Lydia reminded me.

I knew that. "I have to believe you." It took her a moment and a very stern look from me, but she grasped my hand with her own. The second that her hand touched mine, I felt it. Stiles should have been here. I pulled away, not wanting to hear Stiles' voice anymore. I looked back at Aiden, and my eyes glanced towards the light upstairs.

Aiden, taking the hint, pulled my cousin back up the stairs with the sheriff and Scott following behind them.

I stayed for just a moment longer, turning in my spot and looking around with the light from my phone. Something was here, even if it wasn't Stiles. I felt a chill run down my spine and shook from the cold. I stopped, looking up the stairs feeling like I was being watched. The sheriff was watching me. I gave him a sad smile and made my way up the stairs.

"Thank you," the man signed.

I furrowed my brow. "What for?"

"Keeping a clear head where I can't."

"It's what Stiles would do," I said with a sigh. I'm sorry he wasn't here, but we'll find him. I don't care if it takes all night."

The sheriff pulled me to his side with one arm, kissing the side of my head. He shuffled a bit, pulling his phone from his pocket and reading a text. The sheriff's shoulders fell. "They got him."

(o.o)

As the sheriff drove to the hospital, I found out exactly where Stiles had gotten his driving skills from. He was determined to get to Stiles, and I didn't blame him. I felt the same way. I wished more than anything to follow him back to the room Stiles was being helped in but held back. Sitting in the chair next to Lydia, I held her hand for comfort. I no longer felt the cold that I did back in Eichen House, and Stiles' voice was merely a whisper. I needed her support. I kept my eyes glued to the doors that the sheriff would come out of. My leg bounced up and down nervously, and I had a thumbnail between my teeth. What was once a bad habit had resurfaced with anxiety.

The swinging door opened, revealing an exhausted sheriff.

I stood from my chair and took a step towards him. "Is he okay?" I asked, feeling a shiver in my chest.

Sheriff nodded, sighing. "He's sleeping now. And he's just fine."

The group of me, Lydia, Scott, Melissa, and Scott's dad gathered around the sheriff, wanting the news.

"He doesn't remember much." The sheriff said. "It's a bit like a dream to him."

I sighed but still felt so tense. I wished I could lay eyes on him for just a few seconds. To see him and know.

Stilinski turned towards Agent McCall. "Thank you."

"It was that repellent we sprayed in the coyote den to keep other animals out. I couldn't go near it without my eyes watering. It was just a good thing he mentioned it over the phone."

"No, it was more than that. Thank you."

McCall shook his head. "It was a lucky connection."

Stilinski scoffed. "McCall, can you shut up, please, and accept my sincerest gratitude?"

It was a moment as McCall thought about it, but he nodded once and held out his hand. "Accepted."

Stilinski grabbed it and shook it once.

"Alright, you three," Melissa started grabbing our attention. "You've got school in less than six hours. Go home. Go to sleep."

My eyes darted to Stilinski.

Stilinski nodded. "Melissa called your dad filled him in. You can come and see Stiles tomorrow when he's awake."

My eyes watered. I knew that was the answer, but still. Overcome with a bit of emotion, I stepped forward, hugging the sheriff. He hesitated but still hugged back, giving me a pat to send me off. I pulled away reluctantly and headed down the hallway with Lydia and Scott.

Lydia grabbed my attention. "I don't know what happened. I was so sure."

"Yeah, I wasn't much help either. Doesn't matter if he's okay." Scott insisted.

I nodded. "I wish I could see him, though. I won't be able to sleep otherwise."

Lydia turned sharply, looking back towards the parents.

Scott furrowed his brow. "Lydia, do you hear something?"

I looked at her, wondering the same thing.

Lydia shook her head. "No, I didn't hear anything."

I glanced between my cousin and Scott. "Anyone up for a sleepover?" I asked.

Both Scott and Lydia hesitated. I knew how odd of a request that it was, but I didn't feel like being alone.

"I'm not asking for you," I said to Lydia, noticing how off she was. I sighed. "I'm asking for me. If none of us can get any sleep, we might as well be awake together."

Thankfully they all agreed, and we all pulled up to my house a few minutes later; Scott on his bike and Lydia and I in her car. We'd decided to drive by the sheriff's station tomorrow to get my car.

When I opened the front door to my house, I saw Dad in the living room on the couch. He stood quickly and seemed upset, but when Scott and Lydia came in behind me, his shoulders relaxed. "Is Stiles okay?"

I nodded. "He's okay. He's at the hospital now."

"Good," He said, looking over my shoulder at the others.

Lydia stepped forward, freeing her hands. "CJ said we could stay here until school."

Dad's eyes met mine, and I hoped I was begging quietly for him to say yes. After a moment, Dad nodded. "I'll make some hot chocolate. Get everybody warmed up."

I sighed and moved further into her house, going to sit on the loveseat I usually sat on with Stiles.

Lydia took the lead of her and Scott, sitting on one end of the couch while he took the other.

I grabbed the remote to the TV and turned on a random movie, keeping the volume down low for background noise. I turned to the others. "Thanks for coming over. I just don't —"

Scott shook his head. "You were right. We'd all be awake anyway."

I sighed in relief, glad I was right about one thing tonight.

After a few quiet moments, Dad came in with an armful of blankets. I smiled at him, briefly wondering how he would be if it were me instead of Stiles having the problems. He was always so level-headed, but without me around, what would happen?

"Drinks are almost done. Anyone hungry?" Dad asked. "We've got pizza rolls."

Lydia and Scott both shook their heads.

"Thanks, Dad," I smiled at him.

Dad nodded and left the room again.

I studied my friends. They were so concerned with what was going on with Stiles. They had every right to be. I hoped I concealed my worry better, though. I wasn't embarrassed for how I felt about Stiles, but I was trying to hold things together. Mostly, I was amazed at how things have changed. Our friendships had changed the most. I smiled, looking down at my lap. I shook my head, looking back up at Scott. "Scott, did I ever tell you that I thought you were gay?"

Scott furrowed his brow, narrowing his eyes, likely confused as to why I was bringing it up.

"Yeah. There was that day that Isaac got detention for beating up Ethen, even though he hadn't done it." I shared.

Scott nodded.

"Before Harris freaked out on you two, he got up for the bathroom so suddenly, and you tried to follow…." I trailed off, letting him figure out the rest.

Lydia was already covering her mouth with her hand, trying not to laugh.

It took Scott a moment, but when he realized what I meant. "You didn't."

I nodded. "I did. Only for a second, I swear."

"But you knew that he dated Allison. I told you that." Lydia reminded me.

"Sexuality can be very fluid, Lydia," I said with a shrug.

"And you know this?"

"Maybe," I said with a headshake. "But seriously, if something had been going on between you two, I wouldn't have judged you for it."

Scott nodded, adjusting on the couch to get more comfortable. "On the topic of admitting things from before we were all friends: We did think you were something supernatural."

"Oh, I figured that out after Derek filled me in on everything. I might have been the new kid, but all of you were giving me some strange looks. Like every day."

"They had no theories, though," Lydia swore. "Nothing that stuck because I knew you weren't a werewolf."

"Or a kanima, but we didn't have anything else to go on," Scott added.

I furrowed my brow, hating the quick thought that came to my mind. "That's not why Stiles gave me his phone number, was it?" I asked. "It wasn't so he could find out what I was?"

"Oh, honey, no," Lydia said, shaking her head, looking at Scott for reassurance.

Scott shook his head alongside my cousin. "No, that was just Stiles." Scott looked away from me for just a second. "Honestly, I overheard your conversation with Lydia that first time he drove you to school."

I felt the head rush to my face. I hadn't even thought of all the conversations I may have had before I knew about Scott's abilities. How many things had he overheard?

"I didn't tell him what you said specifically. Just that you were having trouble making friends."

Lydia reached forward to gain my attention. "Because of the difference in communication."

I nodded, remembering how hard it was. Not many people had slowed down for just a moment to talk to me.

Scott agreed with Lydia. "Yeah, that. You were right. Stiles does bounce off of the walls when he talks, but he didn't change that because I told him to. He did that because he wanted to."

Hearing that made my eyes water. I tried to hold back the tears threatening to escape, but I could only be so strong in one day. The tears flowed freely, and I looked back up at them. "He's gonna be okay, right?"

Scott nodded. "We're gonna figure out what's wrong with him. We're gonna help him. And he's gonna be okay."

I let out a slow breath. I knew that, but it was nice to be reminded.