#~myfics

[kase1248]

the ties that bind (have been broken) - Chapter 12: life

full circle.

"You went to see Stiles? When?"

"When you were… lost. I went to confront him about everything. I wanted him to tell me the truth, once and for all."

"And?"

"He told me he was lying about it all. That he knew the truth but he couldn't tell me."

"Because he didn't trust us," Scott finishes sadly but Derek is shaking his head.

"No. Because it was too late. He said it was bigger than us and we couldn't have stopped it once it had started."

"We could have tried," Scott says quietly. "As long as there were people to save, we could have tried."

"I think there's more to this than we realize," Derek says, his eyes flickering to the darkened moon hanging in the sky. "He said something about picking up the pieces in the end. I'm starting to wonder if this has been about Stiles the whole time."

Scott looks startled at that, as if he'd never considered the possibility. "You mean… the witches have been after him from the very start? Like the ritual has been targeting him?"

"Maybe. There's something else, Scott. Something I can't remember but I think I'm meant to. Like something took the memory away. I feel like I've lost something important. Someone important."

"You mean Stiles," Scott realizes. "Like they're manipulating us against him. Is that why he doesn't trust us?"

"Maybe," Derek repeats again. "I can't say any of it for sure, but I can't shake the feeling, Scott. Something is different, I just don't know what."

[kase1248]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

“You can come out at any point, y’know.” Stiles wipes a bead of sweat from his forehead. It’s taken him about an hour to find his way back to the clearing where Scott had been grabbed by the hunters. Behind him, Derek steps out from behind a tree, distinctly unimpressed. “What are you doing?” He’s been following Stiles the entire way: Stiles didn’t even need to be a witch to know that, Derek is not as subtle as he likes to think. “Hiking,” Stiles responds distantly. At Derek’s annoyed growl, he sighs and turns to face him. “I’m looking for Scott, what did you think I’m doing?” “How exactly do you plan on doing that?” Derek asks in lieu of answering. “There’s no scent trails, no tracks to follow, no clues.” “A good thing too, because I can’t follow those anyway,” Stiles paces slowly around the clearing. “I told you, you rely too much on your noses.” He reaches out in a wide motion with his right hand and Derek watches with a reluctant fascination as his eyes begin to glow silver. His wolf can sense the magic in the air, tingling against his skin. “What are you doing?” he repeats, awe-struck despite himself. “I didn’t see where they took Scott, you obviously didn’t see where they took Scott; but the trees did.” “And you talk to trees now?” Stiles turns to look at him with those eerie glowing eyes. “I’m an Earth mage, Derek. Yes, I talk to trees.”

[kase1248]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

The last thing Lydia expects this late in the day is a knock at the door. Scott’s out at work, having been called in for an emergency surgery. Lydia had busied herself with wedding plans but her heart isn’t really in it at the moment. With everything that’s been happening recently, the stress has started wearing her down: vampires, werewolf hunters, and of course, human sacrifices that they can’t stop. Not to mention Scott’s spiralling in a way she’s never seen before and she’s having a hard time trying to ground him back into the Alpha she knows and loves. Somehow, it seems to come back to Stiles. “Stiles?” The witch in question is standing awkwardly in her doorway. He looks pale and tired, and there’s a permanent crease to his brow, even as he smiles weakly at her. “Hey,” he says quietly. He glances briefly over her shoulder, as if expecting Scott behind her. “I have something to teach you if you still want to learn.”

[kase1248]

knowledge is power.

Scott sighs, leaning against the counter as he watches Stiles work. “A couple days ago, I asked you about being under our protection. You didn’t answer. Why?”

Stiles bites his lip, contemplating his answer. There are a lot of reasons, he thinks, that he didn’t, couldn’t, accept the offer but he’s not sure Scott will want to hear any of them. “I’m used to protecting myself.”

“You don’t have to be, around us,” Scott says.

“It’s not so easy,” Stiles points out. “Old habits die hard and all that.”

“I know,” Scott agrees softly, and Stiles gets the feeling that this is only the tip of the iceberg. “I realize we haven’t had much time to talk, since you got back. We just kind of ended up thrust together with the ghouls and the vampires. I don’t think I’ve really had a chance to think about this,” he gestures between them. “Or to talk about it.”

“What do you wanna say?”

[kase1248]

plan of attack.

“Sounds like they’re trying to lure you out,” Stiles says, after Scott relays the apparent vampire attacks at a hastily called meeting with him, Lydia, Derek, Allison and Isaac. He’d been surprised to receive an invitation but he’s not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He’ll take his inches where he can get them, thank you very much.

“By attacking innocent people?” Scott asks, even though he already knows the answer.

“Yeah,” Stiles shrugs loosely. “They’ll be expecting you to jump to their defence. It’s kind of what you’re known for.”

“But why?” Lydia asks, confusion marring her features. “What’s the point? If they wanted to kill us, they would have done so last night, right?”

“Probably,” Stiles agrees. “After all, they almost did.”

Scott’s mouth turns down at the reminder of Sammi’s injury from the night before. She had been okay when he’d last checked on her but he still feels antsy about her being alone right now. Near-death experiences aren’t easy to recover from.

“So why didn’t they?” Derek asks.

And isn’t that the question that’s been plaguing Stiles ever since yesterday?

[kase1248]

haunted memories.

“Hunk told me,” Shiro brings it up carefully.

Keith looks up at him, a tint of confusion on his features. “Told you what?”

“What happened to you guys last year.”

[kase1248]

unwanted nightmares.

“What are you doing?” Derek asks, sounding torn between curiosity and annoyance.

“Warding the apartment.”

“Why?”

“Because this is supposed to be a safe place for me to sleep and I’d sleep better if it was actually, y’know, safe.”

“Safe from what? It’s not like there’s anything in town other than my Pack and we’re hardly a threat to you.” Stiles doesn’t know about the strange scent in the woods and if Derek has his way, he never will.

“Can you say that for sure?” Stiles asks slowly, drawing a particularly delicate sigil. “No offense, but you guys aren’t exactly the most observant. There’s more in Beacon Hills than you probably realize.”

[alumbianchronicler]

Chapter 8 - Lightning Moon

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works