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Previous: "The Mission"
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Next: "Fresh Start"
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Teen Wolf: Time Episode 5
"Séance"
Flying out of the car as it had barely stopped moving, Cody frantically ran around in search of Daan’s body. They were on a quiet road just outside town, next to an empty patch of land. Immediately, Cody spotted the familiar sight of his friend. Despite the relief that he’d found the apparently-dead body, it was still tough to look at such a lifeless version of his closest friend. Cody didn’t let it phase him, and he took this as the prime opportunity to show off his worth to the pack.
“Guys, I’ve found him” Cody said, in his most distraught voice. He had to put on a bit of a show, considering neither Frankie nor Lawrie knew a thing about supernaturals. He’d tried to suggest dropping them home on the way, but neither would have any of it. They both approached Cody, as well as Corey, Becky and Parrish who had come along. Sheriff Stilinski was supposed to have joined them, but there was no sign of him yet. As they approached the sight of Daan’s body, Frankie’s eyes widened in horror.
“Oh my god” he commented, at a loss for other words.
“I’m so sorry mate” Corey added, planting a comforting hand on Cody’s shoulder. Of course, Corey was in the know too, but it helped keep the pretence up.
“Alright boys, let’s get back in the car. I’ll radio back and get someone to pick him up” Parrish ordered. Parrish winked at Cody as they passed each other. The mission was successful, now all they needed was to get in touch with Deaton. Parrish checked his mobile signal, but there was nothing – it was a remote part of Beacon Hills after all.
“Sheriff, do you copy?” he spoke into his radio. No response, which was unlike the sheriff.
The radio worked perfectly fine in fact, and it sounded as usual as it was sat lying on the cold floor next to the open door of Stilinski’s car. Nobody was around to hear Parrish’s call…
“Guys, I’ve found him” Cody said, in his most distraught voice. He had to put on a bit of a show, considering neither Frankie nor Lawrie knew a thing about supernaturals. He’d tried to suggest dropping them home on the way, but neither would have any of it. They both approached Cody, as well as Corey, Becky and Parrish who had come along. Sheriff Stilinski was supposed to have joined them, but there was no sign of him yet. As they approached the sight of Daan’s body, Frankie’s eyes widened in horror.
“Oh my god” he commented, at a loss for other words.
“I’m so sorry mate” Corey added, planting a comforting hand on Cody’s shoulder. Of course, Corey was in the know too, but it helped keep the pretence up.
“Alright boys, let’s get back in the car. I’ll radio back and get someone to pick him up” Parrish ordered. Parrish winked at Cody as they passed each other. The mission was successful, now all they needed was to get in touch with Deaton. Parrish checked his mobile signal, but there was nothing – it was a remote part of Beacon Hills after all.
“Sheriff, do you copy?” he spoke into his radio. No response, which was unlike the sheriff.
The radio worked perfectly fine in fact, and it sounded as usual as it was sat lying on the cold floor next to the open door of Stilinski’s car. Nobody was around to hear Parrish’s call…
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Guest Stars: Linden Ashby, JR Bourne, Seth Gilliam, Cody Christian, Ryan Kelley, Michael Johnston, Kaj Nieuwenhoff, Nick Robinson, Natalia Dyer, Harry Visinoni, Paige Turco, Michael Hogan and Dylan Playfair.
Night was approaching, and Liam and Nolan had spent most of the day together. What was intended as a lunchtime meal turned into an all-day date, of sorts. They were sat on top of Liam’s bed, not underneath the covers; they had each other’s arms for warmth. Neither of them were speaking to each other, but after their hectic day, they didn’t need to talk. All they wanted was to be in the presence of each other. Nolan was the little spoon, resting in Liam’s arms. Liam broke the silence momentarily.
“I think we should tell Scott” he ominously stated.
“About us?” Nolan responded, sitting up to face Liam in surprise.
“No” Liam quickly replied, still not comfortable with the idea of others knowing about his and Nolan’s relationship, or more notably, his own sexuality, “About earlier. About what happened to you.”
“Nothing happened” Nolan lied, shrugging it off.
“You know that’s not true. It won’t hurt. Scott’s way more experienced than I am, he can teach you control. I learnt everything I know from him” Liam tried selling the idea.
“Why don’t you teach me then?” Nolan wasn’t buying it.
“It’s not exactly working so far is it?” Liam pondered. Nolan had no response – as much as he didn’t want to admit it, it was true.
“Alright, let’s go” Nolan gave in. Both boys moved from their comfortable spots on the bed and sprang to life, heading towards the door, just as Joanna entered.
“Liam honey, have you got a second?” she asked. Liam sighed, while Nolan awkwardly looked on. Joanna looked serious, and unfortunately it didn’t seem like he could avoid this.
“Sure” Liam reluctantly replied, “I’ll catch you up” he directed to Nolan.
“So you wanted an explanation of Father Time?” Gerard said, with a hint of smugness in his tone.
“That is what I said on the phone call, yes” Argent impatiently responded.
“I’m sure you’ll remember that nothing in life comes for free. I hope you have it in your heart to spare a favour for your old dad” Gerard continued.
“Depends how satisfied I am with the service I receive” Argent wasn’t in the mood for Grerard’s games.
“Oh, but you need me. Little Scott and his sheep don’t know a thing about Father Time. I know I’m your only hope. I’m not oblivious as to how our relationship has declined, Christopher” Gerard proved to be stubborn as ever.
“What do you want? Tell me because we’re wasting time” Argent was growing more impatient as the conversation progressed.
“I’ll keep you informed. I’m rather enjoying the quiet life at the moment but nothing lasts forever” Gerard teased, “Because I am human after all, unlike many of your so-called friends, I’ll give you an advance.” Argent was perched for the information he’d been longing for.
The waiting game was playing havoc with the rest of the pack too. They felt helpless while Argent followed his lead, and he’d been annoyingly vague too. They’d exhausted any relevant conversation and none of them felt like making small talk. Stiles in particular was finding it difficult to keep still and not get involved.
“There’s got to be something we can do, right?” Stiles complained. Almost on cue, the doors to the surgery burst open, and the calm atmosphere was disrupted as Cody, Corey and Parrish burst open.
“We found him” Cody announced. Deaton opened the gate – it was past closing hours but this was a notable exception – and created space for Daan’s body. Deaton immediately checked him over, shining his torch into Daan’s eyes. No response, as he expected.
“Same story?” Scott asked. Deaton nodded. Scott wasn’t sure if this was good or bad news, but at least the body had been found. The mood was broken by the sound of his phone ringing, so he left the main operations area for somewhere quieter. As Scott left, Parrish turned his attention to Stiles, and their eyes met. Immediately, Stiles had a bad feeling in his gut.
“What’s happened? Where’s my dad?” Stiles began to connect the dots. Parrish wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Where is he?” Stiles reiterated, more firmly.
It was Argent who had phoned Scott, and he brought good news from his conversation with Gerard.
“He knows plenty about Father Time, more information than we’ll ever need from our ancestors, but the most important news is that there is a way to bring them back” Argent detailed.
“Go on” Scott was eager.
“We’d need a few ingredients” Argent continued, “A valuable item from each person, their body, and, you’re not gonna like this.”
“What is it?” Scott firmly asked, not wanting to waste further time.
“A banshee” Argent replied, “A harbinger of death. Lydia has a connection with another plane as it is. That’s exactly what we need to do between here and Father Time’s plane. A séance if you like” Scott went silent – mulling the situation over.
“I’ll need to talk to Lydia” he responded.
“Make sure you do it as soon as possible. I don’t think we have much time” Argent notified.
“What’s up? What aren’t you telling me?” Scott was frustrated.
“He also told me why. That’s the one detail we’ve been missing this entire time” Argent continued.
“Did Theo guess it? Power? It always seems to be power” Scott thought aloud.
“He’s on the right track but not entirely. He needs power but that’s not the end game. He can’t materialise on our plane for very long, he’s bound to another. He wants to make that transition, give himself a world to live in” Argent explained in detail.
“Like a swap?” Scott compared.
“Exactly. If he takes other supernaturals into his plane, he’ll be able to take their life energy, courtesy of the Nemeton, and live in this world” Argent continued.
“That means Isaac, Daan and the Sheriff will be stuck there forever” Scott joined the dots.
“What’s more is that even if we delay this, they won’t survive for long. Just as Father Time can’t sustain himself here, they can’t live out a life wherever they are” Argent notified.
“Gerard told you all of this?” Scott was shocked.
“You know Gerard, he’ll want something in return, and I expect his favour will be pretty big this time around. Don’t you worry about that, speak to Lydia and solve this for good” Argent ended the call. Scott took a deep breath, and was about to re-enter the animal surgery, just as he saw Stiles rushing out, with Lydia and Malia chasing after him, concerned.
“Hey dude, what’s up?” Scott yelled after him.
“It’s my dad. I think he’s been taken” Stiles responded, feeling a mix of emotions. Scott was shell-shocked. His loved ones were dropping like flies.
“Guys, I’m gonna need a favour” Scott added, “Find something your dad loves. Something he cherishes, and bring it here.”
“What for?” Malia asked, intrigued as to how this might also help Isaac.
“I’ve got an idea. Speaking of which, I need to talk to you Lydia. Malia, you go help Stiles. I’ll get Casey and Maddie to look for something of Isaac’s” Scott dictated. Lydia looked concerned, as Scott didn’t have a particularly optimistic facial expression.
Scott didn’t waste a second in phoning Casey. He avoided going directly to Maddie, knowing they still weren’t on good terms, but as far as he knew, both were at Argent’s house so he killed two birds with one stone. He’d also instructed Cody to find something valuable of Daan’s, and now it was time to speak to Lydia. He couldn’t postpone it any longer, despite his phone buzzing with texts from Nolan in his pocket.
“What is it?” Lydia impatiently asked, “The suspense is killing me and quite honestly, your facial expression is even more worrying than Stiles’ bed head.”
“It’s what Argent said. There’s a way to get them back, but it involves you” Scott got to the point.
“A banshee thing, right?” Lydia guessed, not sounding too enthralled, “No rest for the wicked.”
“I’m sorry. The problem is, it’s our only way of getting them back” Scott was sympathetic.
“I understand. I’ll do it, of course I will. I should’ve seen it coming, I’ve been feeling strange ever since returning to this godforsaken town” Lydia complained.
“Premonitions” Scott added. The continued buzz of his vibrating phone was irritating him at this point.
“Sorry, can I take this?” Scott interrupted. Lydia nodded, getting her head around the situation. Scott looked at his phone, and was greeted by the sight of 58 texts from Nolan.
Speaking from outside Liam’s house, Nolan was perched on the curb, anxiously waiting a reply. He’d barely spoken to Scott, despite the two sharing some kind of bond between alpha and beta, according to Liam anyway. Scott being at university meant that they hadn’t had much of a chance to talk. Maybe that was why Nolan was struggling with control. The lack of connection with his alpha. None of the others had the same problem – they all shared a close bond with Scott. They’d known him for much longer than he had. Now he was anticipating the response from Scott. Nolan was well aware that the past few days had been hectic for Scott, and didn’t expect a response immediately, but in the meantime, he was at a loss as to what to do. He didn’t want to let himself loose at home when he lacked so much control. His parents wouldn’t understand the strange behaviour, they never did. Although, on the other hand, it would be surprising if they understood he was a werewolf without control. Nolan jumped as the phone in his hand vibrated.
1 new message from Scott.
Nolan opened the text like there was no tomorrow.
“Meet me at the high school” Nolan read the text aloud. Immediately, Nolan stood up and began sprinting to his destination. Despite the irritating lack of control, to say the least, Nolan certainly enjoyed the increased speed that the bite brought him.
Just metres away, inside the house, Liam was perched on the end of his bed, with Joanna to his left. In front of them, on the floor, was the bloodstained rug from the bathroom.
“I’ve never seen it before” Liam lied.
“Don’t try that on me sweetie. You and Nolan are the only people who have used that bathroom today. What’s going on?” Joanna gently spoke. She didn’t want to force Liam into saying anything, she wanted it to feel like his choice. She was scared though. She had no idea why the rug had so much blood on it, but it scared her more than anything.
“Is Nolan self-harming? Are you self-harming?” Joanna queried, worried about the response.
“No!” Liam quickly responded. He’d not considered the thoughts his mum, who was unaware of the supernatural world, might have when innocently finding so much blood, “I promise.”
“Then what is it? I’m at a loss because nobody bleeds that much for no reason” Joanna was becoming firmer, “Let’s face it, ever since Nolan started coming round, things haven’t been the same between us. Is he hurting you?”
“Mom, nobody’s hurt” Liam protested.
“So how do you explain the blood?” Joanna asked again, raising her voice. She wasn’t leaving without the answers she wanted, “What has Nolan done to cause this?”
“Nolan’s a werewolf” Liam blurted out loudly, mostly without thinking but immediately, it felt like a weight off his shoulders, “And so am I.”
Sat next to each other in the animal clinic, Theo and Becky were keeping an eye on the bodies in case either Isaac or Daan’s situation changed. Parrish was out looking for Stilinski’s body, and was under strict instructions from Scott to bring him back to the animal clinic. Whilst it wasn’t an issue for Parrish himself, it could have been difficult to explain to other officers. Theo was feeling reflective as he looked at the lifeless bodies.
“I’m so glad it wasn’t you” he commented, glancing at Becky.
“It could’ve been any of us” Becky corrected him. A moment passed before she continued, “For the record, I’m glad it wasn’t you either.” Theo smiled. He adored Becky, but hated how she made him feel. He felt like a lovesick puppy, instead of the strong wolf he’d trained himself to be. Now he was babysitting two essentially dead bodies.
“You’re bored aren’t you?” Becky noticed.
“Is it that obvious?” he responded.
“Hey, it’s a start. Scott wouldn’t have had you anywhere near him a few days ago. He trusts you to keep watch. That’s not bad going at all” Becky consoled him.
“It is progress I guess” Theo considered. He looked at Isaac’s lifeless body on the table. He didn’t know Isaac well at all, but had heard Scott talk about him. He and Isaac weren’t always allies, but Isaac earnt Scott’s trust and a place in the pack. That’s what he wanted. Maybe he needed to have a word with Isaac if he woke up. No, when he woke up. Optimistic Theo was the new approach.
“I can’t believe I’m doing him a favour after everything” Maddie moaned. She was rummaging through Isaac’s bedroom. Although, by bedroom, it was still a couple of unpacked suitcases for Isaac.
“It’s not about Scott, it’s about Isaac” Casey reminded her. He was looking too, while Archie stood watching from the doorway, feeling quite useless.
“What are you even looking for?” Archie was confused.
“We need something he found valuable” Casey explained, “We’re gonna get him back.”
“A piece of old tat is gonna bring Isaac back? That’s the most ridiculous thing yet” Archie commented.
“He’s not wrong” Maddie chirped.
“It’s to make a connection with him only. Lydia will bring him back” Casey took pleasure in educating them both.
“She’s a…” Archie tried to remember what Casey had told him earlier, “…kanima?”
“Banshee” Casey corrected.
“I knew that” Archie jested.
“This is hopeless” Maddie complained, “Isaac never cared much for anything sentimental. It was the people around him that he cared for.”
“We can’t offer ourselves though” Casey mentioned.
“Why not?” Maddie responded.
“Well, err” Casey paused. He didn’t actually know why, but in the world of supernaturals, offering yourself as a sacrifice didn’t sound like a particularly optimistic idea, “It could be dangerous. There must be something he found important.”
“I’ve got it” Maddie perked up. She reached into the side pocket of his suitcase and pulled out a photo. A picture of Isaac with Scott, Stiles, Lydia and Allison from school.
“He took it with him when he left Beacon Hills. I said the people around him are what he cared for, this is what we needed” Maddie detailed. She stood up and led the way to regroup with the others.
Deflated, Stiles stared blankly at his living room. All of the memories he’d experienced there with his dad, and now there was a chance he’d never see him again. All he could think about was when his mother died, and how broken he felt at the time. He couldn’t go through that again. He wouldn’t. Malia stood behind him, giving him the space he needed. She knew how it felt – sometimes it was better to say nothing at all. However, she was aware they were against the clock. They had to find something precious of Stilinski’s, and fast.
“Have you got any ideas?” Malia queried.
“I don’t know where to start” Stiles muttered, not in the mood for conversation. He knew it was a necessity though. He approached the coffee table, but there was nothing except a pile of papers his dad brought home from work. They certainly weren’t something he valued. Nevertheless, he picked them up. Weirdly, they gave him a sense of comfort.
“If only we were looking for something he’d be happy to bin” he thought aloud, before slamming the papers back down.
“What did your father love? More than anything?” Malia asked. She knew Stilinski well, but Stiles knew him better than anyone. Their connection was heart-warming to her. It was the first time she’d seen a loving family since she was little. She missed it so much.
“Err, I don’t know. I suppose alcohol won’t count” Stiles remarked. As he scanned the room, he noticed a photo on the cabinet. His parents, with a young baby Stiles.
“Mom” he thought aloud, “That’s it!” Stiles raced upstairs, leaving Malia confused. She followed him up. Stiles was in his dad’s bedroom, looking through the chest of drawers.
“What are you looking for?” Malia asked. Stiles didn’t respond – he was too busy searching. At last, he found it. Tucked away at the bottom of the top drawer was his dad’s old wedding ring.
“He loved my mom more than anything” Stiles explained. Malia put a comforting hand on Stiles’ shoulder. She knew exactly how it felt to lose a parent.
Night was approaching and Beacon Hills was getting darker by the minute. Nolan strolled up to the school doors. Before he entered, he looked at the night sky approaching. There it was – the moon. He still had two more weeks until the full moon, but it was already on his mind. He’d experienced two already – both of which were spent locked up at Lydia’s lake house with Liam on guard.
Hopefully Scott will make the next full moon more pleasant, Nolan thought. He pushed open the double doors and immediately caught sight of Scott, stood in the centre of the corridor facing towards him. Scott stamped his foot quietly. To any regular person, that wouldn’t have many any audible sound, but for Nolan, he heard it as if an elephant has stomped its foot.
“You want control? I’ll teach you” Scott said.
“I don’t want it” Nolan replied, “I need it.” Scott walked up to Nolan, and put a comforting hand on his arm.
“You’ll learn. I’m sorry, I should have taught you this sooner” Scott apologised.
“It’s OK. You were busy. Liam did his best” Nolan replied.
“I promise we’re doing our best too. I think we’ll have Daan back with us in no time” Scott reassured Nolan.
“Daan? Where’s he gone?” Nolan innocently questioned. Scott wasn’t aware, but Nolan hadn’t heard the news about Daan. Scott’s heart sunk for a moment.
“I’m sorry, I thought you knew. Daan was taken too, as well as Sheriff Stilinski” Scott announced. Nolan’s chirpy persona suddenly became very sullen.
“Cody’s been great. All hands are on deck. We’ll get him back, I promise” Scott comforted him. This was exactly the sort of moment the duo hadn’t shared yet.
“All this has happened today? While I’ve been round Liam’s enjoying myself? What sort of a friend am I?”
“It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have stopped it – none of us could” Scott put his arm around Nolan for a hug, to console his distraught beta. Scott continued, “Wanna talk about it?”
“No” Nolan replied quickly, drying his eyes, “We can’t waste time. I need to learn control so I can help get Daan back.”
Meanwhile, Cody and Corey pulled up outside Daan’s house. His mum worked nights at the supermarket so Cody was quite confident the house would be empty by this point. Cody was on very good terms with her, considering how often he and Nolan chilled out at Daan’s house, but nevertheless, it prevented awkward questions.
“Have you got a key?” Corey queried.
“Well duh” Cody responded. He took his keychain out of his pocket. Four keys were attached, “My locker, my house, Daan’s house and Nolan’s house.”
“I see” Corey reacted, not sure what else to say. He made a mental note to nag Mason for a key to his house. As Cody led the way to the front door, another car pulled up.
“What’s he doing here?” Cody groaned. He noticed the car instantly – it was Frankie.
“Didn’t you shake him and Lawrie off?” Corey scolded.
“Obviously not” Cody responded.
“I thought you guys might need a hand” Frankie grinned, approaching the duo as his blonde locks flowed with the light breeze.
“You didn’t have to” Cody smiled, putting on an act. He turned around and continued his walk.
“No, I’m sure I do” Frankie continued, placing a firm hand on Cody’s shoulder, stopping him from walking, “You wouldn’t want me exposing your secret, would you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about” Cody responded calmly. Inside, he was panicking. Corey felt the same. He gave Cody an alarmed glance.
“I heard every word of your chat with Stilinski. Planes of existence, missing bodies and all of this is being hidden from the public. This goes way beyond the school newspaper” Frankie threatened. Cody and Corey had no response. They couldn’t say no. They had no idea what Frankie wanted, but for now they had to give it to him.
Liam was relieved. He’d finally told his mum the truth about who he is. It’s out in the open at last. She knows he’s a werewolf. One less burden to carry, even if it was an uphill battle from now.
“Don’t be stupid Liam, this isn’t funny” Joanna responded. She was upset at this point. It was an uphill battle for her too. She didn’t believe Liam – why would she? He was being ridiculous.
“I promise I’m telling the truth” Liam replied, looking into her eyes. Joanna glanced back. She knew when her son was lying. She’d seen it a million times before. Then his eyes glowed bright yellow, like she’d never seen before.
“Oh my god” she reacted, as tears began streaming down her cheeks, “My boy. What’s happened to you?”
“It’s OK” Liam replied, feeling emotional too. He ensured his eyes were back to normal, so he didn’t freak her out any more, “I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you but I didn’t know how.” Joanna took a few seconds to gather her thoughts. So many questions were running around her mind. It was like she was in some weird nightmare.
“When did this happen?” she asked after a moment of silence.
“A couple of years ago. It’s a long story. Scott bit me, he’s the alpha, and I joined his pack” Liam detailed.
“Scott? He’s one too?” Joanna butted in. Liam realised he had a long slog ahead of him.
“He got bitten too, like I did. It was a choice between living as a werewolf, or dying. He saved my life, mom” Liam explained.
“So where does Nolan fit into this? Did Scott bite him too?” Joanna continued.
“Scott bit him, but I’ve been training him. He’s new to all of this. The blood came from him, he was trying to control himself” Liam clarified.
“I was wondering why you were suddenly spending so much time together” Joanna noted. Liam blushed.
“Yeah, that’s it” Liam lost eye contact. Joanna noticed the tell-tale signs. This was Liam lying. He wouldn’t make eye contact, and was twiddling his fingers.
“Is there anything else you want to tell me?” Joanna asked, knowingly, “There’s something else, isn’t there?” Liam couldn’t hide it any longer. He’d made one confession today, another wouldn’t hurt.
“Nolan’s my boyfriend” Liam admitted. Once again, he made eye contact with Joanna, who responded with silence, gathering her thoughts again.
“Oh sweetie” she replied, pulling him in for a hug, “Why couldn’t you tell me any of this? I wish you’d mentioned it.”
“I didn’t want to upset you” Liam responded, overcome with emotion and shedding tears, “You’re mad at me, aren’t you?”
“No” Joanna responded, “Frustrated, yes, but mad? How could I be mad?” She let go of the hug and looked him deep in the eyes.
“Now tell me one thing” Joanna’s tone was serious, “Are you safe?”
“I…I don’t know. I can’t promise anything” Liam honestly responded, “But mom, Scott is brilliant. He protects everyone, every time. If there’s anyone who would keep me safe, it’s him.” Liam smiled, wiping away the tear that fell down his cheek.
“Control is all about monitoring your heart rate” Scott explained, “You lose control when your heart rate increases. This can be caused by a number of emotions. Frustration, anger, nerves, or even love.” Nolan stood opposite, taking all of this in. This rang true with him. He was pretty sure he’d experienced them all in recent times, and all had caused adverse reactions from the inner wolf.
“Think of something that makes you feel angry” Scott commanded. Nolan closed his eyes, trying to think of a moment. A few seconds finished as Scott watched on, waiting for the response.
“I can’t think of anything” Nolan responded, “I block out anything bad so it doesn’t affect me.”
“So what’s brought on your lack of control? What do you feel when you’re out of control?” Scott queried, confused as to how Nolan was in such a predicament. Nolan blushed.
“It’s Liam” he replied. He couldn’t formulate the sentence he wanted to say next, but his awkward lack of eye contact was revealing for Scott.
“Oh” he reacted, “You and him?” Nolan nodded.
“That’s great” Scott smiled, “Think of Liam, the way you usually do.” Nolan shut his eyes again. It wasn’t difficult for him to think of Liam – he did it most of the time anyway. It wasn’t long before Scott noticed a shift in Nolan’s posture. He glanced at his hands, and just as he suspected, Nolan’s claws were in full view.
“OK Nolan, listen to the sound of my voice” Scott commanded, “You need to breathe deeply, and think of an anchor. A reason to stay human.”
“Liam’s the reason I want to stay human” Nolan growled, as the wolf began to take over.
“I know. I was the same as you with a girl I loved. Her name was Allison. When I thought of her, I lost control. I changed the way I thought of her – I didn’t just fancy her, I adored her. I thought of how happy I wanted to make her. Ground yourself” Scott revealed. Nolan took deep breaths. He continued to keep Liam in mind, but instead of picturing him and Liam in the present, he thought long-term. He wanted to keep Liam by his side for years to come, and to do that, he needed to stay human. The wolf couldn’t win. More determined than ever, Nolan felt his claws recede. His breathing slowed as he opened his eyes to see Scott.
“I did it” Nolan realised, smiling with pride at himself.
“You did” Scott replied, sharing the pride, “That’s all you need for control. Remember that. It might take some practice, but the foundations are there” Nolan nodded.
“Let’s go get Daan back” Nolan sprang into action.
Stirring as if he’d woken up from am alcohol-fuelled nap, Stilinski opened his eyes and was blinded by the immense brightness he experienced immediately. He saw plain white light all around him. As he tried to sit up, he saw two blurred figures approaching. He couldn’t tell if they were actually blurred, or if it were his vision adjusting. Slowly, they became more defined. Amongst the confusion around, well, pretty much everything in that moment, Stilinski was delighted as he identified the two blurred figures as Isaac and Daan.
“Welcome” Isaac greeted, offering a hand. Stilinski grabbed hold and helped himself up.
“How long have I been here?” Stilinski questioned, still dazed.
“It’s hard to say, we don’t really know ourselves” Daan responded, “We don’t even know where we are.”
“It’s another plane of existence” Stilinski explained as his headache started to fade, “They figured it out. Our bodies are still in our world, they appear dead but we’re, well, I don’t know about you but I don’t feel very dead.”
“So what do we do? We’ve been waiting here for god knows how long” Isaac interrogated, impatient.
“I guess we wait” Stilinski replied, much to Isaac’s frustration.
The pack was regrouping at the animal clinic again. Deaton had cleared the space in the centre with some help from Theo, and Parrish had arrived with Stilinski’s body. His was placed in between Isaac and Daan’s, all of whom were on a separate desk each. Lydia stood in front of them all. She was trying to come to terms with what she was about to do. She didn’t actually have any idea of what was supposed to happen. Would the three of them wake up all of a sudden? Would she travel into the other plane to retrieve them? Would it be life-threatening? She had no idea, and it scared her. Stiles placed his father’s wedding ring in her hand, while Maddie gave Lydia the photo of Isaac’s. Finally, Cody arrived back. In his hand was a small bead.
“I bought it for his birthday, the first one after we met. It was his first dreadlock bead” Cody explained to Lydia, as he dropped it into her palm. Last to re-join the group were Scott and Nolan, who had picked up Liam on the way.
“You told her everything?” Nolan was surprised to hear Liam’s story.
“Yup. She knows every inch of my life” Liam laughed.
“I’m proud of you” Nolan replied, grinning. He kissed Liam on the lips, not caring at all about who was watching. The rest of the pack were waiting in the lobby, perched on chairs, on the floor or stood up. Everything was set up. Scott entered the main area, avoiding eye contact with Maddie as he passed through the lobby, and stood with Deaton and Theo. He gave a nod, signalling that it was time to start.
“Lydia, are you ready?” Deaton asked.
“As I’ll ever be” Lydia responded, worry throughout her voice. Stiles watched on from the doorway. He briefly intercepted and held Lydia’s hand.
“You’ll be amazing, like you always are” he reassured her, “And I’ll be here waiting for you at the end.”
“That sounds like a threat” Theo remarked. Lydia smirked.
“Alright Lydia, I need you to close your eyes” Deaton explained, “Focus only on my voice, and the items in your hand. Make a connection with Isaac, Daan and the Sheriff.” Lydia did her best. She knew the way to accessing her banshee powers was by allowing them to naturally find her. Forcing them never worked, so she didn’t. Lydia felt herself drifting off, into a deep sleep, as she began to lose focus of her senses…
Sat on the floor, Isaac was fed up. He hadn’t eaten or drunk anything in what must have been days, and he was feeling the effect of the plane he was in. Despite the huge amount of space, it felt very claustrophobic with no sense of direction or any pointers as to exactly where they were. Each second that passed felt like another ounce of hope lost. To his amazement, he started to see a familiar face materialise in front of them. All three stood up as they recognised their flame-haired friend.
“Lydia?” Isaac was confused. She was translucent, not fully there, but it was a promising sign.
“Hurry. Touch my hand” she ordered, speaking coldly with little expression. Daan wasted no time in reaching for her hand, but just as he did, an immense gush of wind began to build up. A familiar feeling for all three of them. Father Time materialised, intercepting his route to Lydia. His back faced Daan, and he looked directly at Lydia. With a simple swish of his hand, Lydia faded away, and Father Time was gone within an instant as per usual.
“What? No!” Isaac yelled, running up to where Lydia stood. It was as if she was never there. “That was our way out. It’s gone. We’re stuck here.”
“I think we should tell Scott” he ominously stated.
“About us?” Nolan responded, sitting up to face Liam in surprise.
“No” Liam quickly replied, still not comfortable with the idea of others knowing about his and Nolan’s relationship, or more notably, his own sexuality, “About earlier. About what happened to you.”
“Nothing happened” Nolan lied, shrugging it off.
“You know that’s not true. It won’t hurt. Scott’s way more experienced than I am, he can teach you control. I learnt everything I know from him” Liam tried selling the idea.
“Why don’t you teach me then?” Nolan wasn’t buying it.
“It’s not exactly working so far is it?” Liam pondered. Nolan had no response – as much as he didn’t want to admit it, it was true.
“Alright, let’s go” Nolan gave in. Both boys moved from their comfortable spots on the bed and sprang to life, heading towards the door, just as Joanna entered.
“Liam honey, have you got a second?” she asked. Liam sighed, while Nolan awkwardly looked on. Joanna looked serious, and unfortunately it didn’t seem like he could avoid this.
“Sure” Liam reluctantly replied, “I’ll catch you up” he directed to Nolan.
“So you wanted an explanation of Father Time?” Gerard said, with a hint of smugness in his tone.
“That is what I said on the phone call, yes” Argent impatiently responded.
“I’m sure you’ll remember that nothing in life comes for free. I hope you have it in your heart to spare a favour for your old dad” Gerard continued.
“Depends how satisfied I am with the service I receive” Argent wasn’t in the mood for Grerard’s games.
“Oh, but you need me. Little Scott and his sheep don’t know a thing about Father Time. I know I’m your only hope. I’m not oblivious as to how our relationship has declined, Christopher” Gerard proved to be stubborn as ever.
“What do you want? Tell me because we’re wasting time” Argent was growing more impatient as the conversation progressed.
“I’ll keep you informed. I’m rather enjoying the quiet life at the moment but nothing lasts forever” Gerard teased, “Because I am human after all, unlike many of your so-called friends, I’ll give you an advance.” Argent was perched for the information he’d been longing for.
The waiting game was playing havoc with the rest of the pack too. They felt helpless while Argent followed his lead, and he’d been annoyingly vague too. They’d exhausted any relevant conversation and none of them felt like making small talk. Stiles in particular was finding it difficult to keep still and not get involved.
“There’s got to be something we can do, right?” Stiles complained. Almost on cue, the doors to the surgery burst open, and the calm atmosphere was disrupted as Cody, Corey and Parrish burst open.
“We found him” Cody announced. Deaton opened the gate – it was past closing hours but this was a notable exception – and created space for Daan’s body. Deaton immediately checked him over, shining his torch into Daan’s eyes. No response, as he expected.
“Same story?” Scott asked. Deaton nodded. Scott wasn’t sure if this was good or bad news, but at least the body had been found. The mood was broken by the sound of his phone ringing, so he left the main operations area for somewhere quieter. As Scott left, Parrish turned his attention to Stiles, and their eyes met. Immediately, Stiles had a bad feeling in his gut.
“What’s happened? Where’s my dad?” Stiles began to connect the dots. Parrish wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Where is he?” Stiles reiterated, more firmly.
It was Argent who had phoned Scott, and he brought good news from his conversation with Gerard.
“He knows plenty about Father Time, more information than we’ll ever need from our ancestors, but the most important news is that there is a way to bring them back” Argent detailed.
“Go on” Scott was eager.
“We’d need a few ingredients” Argent continued, “A valuable item from each person, their body, and, you’re not gonna like this.”
“What is it?” Scott firmly asked, not wanting to waste further time.
“A banshee” Argent replied, “A harbinger of death. Lydia has a connection with another plane as it is. That’s exactly what we need to do between here and Father Time’s plane. A séance if you like” Scott went silent – mulling the situation over.
“I’ll need to talk to Lydia” he responded.
“Make sure you do it as soon as possible. I don’t think we have much time” Argent notified.
“What’s up? What aren’t you telling me?” Scott was frustrated.
“He also told me why. That’s the one detail we’ve been missing this entire time” Argent continued.
“Did Theo guess it? Power? It always seems to be power” Scott thought aloud.
“He’s on the right track but not entirely. He needs power but that’s not the end game. He can’t materialise on our plane for very long, he’s bound to another. He wants to make that transition, give himself a world to live in” Argent explained in detail.
“Like a swap?” Scott compared.
“Exactly. If he takes other supernaturals into his plane, he’ll be able to take their life energy, courtesy of the Nemeton, and live in this world” Argent continued.
“That means Isaac, Daan and the Sheriff will be stuck there forever” Scott joined the dots.
“What’s more is that even if we delay this, they won’t survive for long. Just as Father Time can’t sustain himself here, they can’t live out a life wherever they are” Argent notified.
“Gerard told you all of this?” Scott was shocked.
“You know Gerard, he’ll want something in return, and I expect his favour will be pretty big this time around. Don’t you worry about that, speak to Lydia and solve this for good” Argent ended the call. Scott took a deep breath, and was about to re-enter the animal surgery, just as he saw Stiles rushing out, with Lydia and Malia chasing after him, concerned.
“Hey dude, what’s up?” Scott yelled after him.
“It’s my dad. I think he’s been taken” Stiles responded, feeling a mix of emotions. Scott was shell-shocked. His loved ones were dropping like flies.
“Guys, I’m gonna need a favour” Scott added, “Find something your dad loves. Something he cherishes, and bring it here.”
“What for?” Malia asked, intrigued as to how this might also help Isaac.
“I’ve got an idea. Speaking of which, I need to talk to you Lydia. Malia, you go help Stiles. I’ll get Casey and Maddie to look for something of Isaac’s” Scott dictated. Lydia looked concerned, as Scott didn’t have a particularly optimistic facial expression.
Scott didn’t waste a second in phoning Casey. He avoided going directly to Maddie, knowing they still weren’t on good terms, but as far as he knew, both were at Argent’s house so he killed two birds with one stone. He’d also instructed Cody to find something valuable of Daan’s, and now it was time to speak to Lydia. He couldn’t postpone it any longer, despite his phone buzzing with texts from Nolan in his pocket.
“What is it?” Lydia impatiently asked, “The suspense is killing me and quite honestly, your facial expression is even more worrying than Stiles’ bed head.”
“It’s what Argent said. There’s a way to get them back, but it involves you” Scott got to the point.
“A banshee thing, right?” Lydia guessed, not sounding too enthralled, “No rest for the wicked.”
“I’m sorry. The problem is, it’s our only way of getting them back” Scott was sympathetic.
“I understand. I’ll do it, of course I will. I should’ve seen it coming, I’ve been feeling strange ever since returning to this godforsaken town” Lydia complained.
“Premonitions” Scott added. The continued buzz of his vibrating phone was irritating him at this point.
“Sorry, can I take this?” Scott interrupted. Lydia nodded, getting her head around the situation. Scott looked at his phone, and was greeted by the sight of 58 texts from Nolan.
Speaking from outside Liam’s house, Nolan was perched on the curb, anxiously waiting a reply. He’d barely spoken to Scott, despite the two sharing some kind of bond between alpha and beta, according to Liam anyway. Scott being at university meant that they hadn’t had much of a chance to talk. Maybe that was why Nolan was struggling with control. The lack of connection with his alpha. None of the others had the same problem – they all shared a close bond with Scott. They’d known him for much longer than he had. Now he was anticipating the response from Scott. Nolan was well aware that the past few days had been hectic for Scott, and didn’t expect a response immediately, but in the meantime, he was at a loss as to what to do. He didn’t want to let himself loose at home when he lacked so much control. His parents wouldn’t understand the strange behaviour, they never did. Although, on the other hand, it would be surprising if they understood he was a werewolf without control. Nolan jumped as the phone in his hand vibrated.
1 new message from Scott.
Nolan opened the text like there was no tomorrow.
“Meet me at the high school” Nolan read the text aloud. Immediately, Nolan stood up and began sprinting to his destination. Despite the irritating lack of control, to say the least, Nolan certainly enjoyed the increased speed that the bite brought him.
Just metres away, inside the house, Liam was perched on the end of his bed, with Joanna to his left. In front of them, on the floor, was the bloodstained rug from the bathroom.
“I’ve never seen it before” Liam lied.
“Don’t try that on me sweetie. You and Nolan are the only people who have used that bathroom today. What’s going on?” Joanna gently spoke. She didn’t want to force Liam into saying anything, she wanted it to feel like his choice. She was scared though. She had no idea why the rug had so much blood on it, but it scared her more than anything.
“Is Nolan self-harming? Are you self-harming?” Joanna queried, worried about the response.
“No!” Liam quickly responded. He’d not considered the thoughts his mum, who was unaware of the supernatural world, might have when innocently finding so much blood, “I promise.”
“Then what is it? I’m at a loss because nobody bleeds that much for no reason” Joanna was becoming firmer, “Let’s face it, ever since Nolan started coming round, things haven’t been the same between us. Is he hurting you?”
“Mom, nobody’s hurt” Liam protested.
“So how do you explain the blood?” Joanna asked again, raising her voice. She wasn’t leaving without the answers she wanted, “What has Nolan done to cause this?”
“Nolan’s a werewolf” Liam blurted out loudly, mostly without thinking but immediately, it felt like a weight off his shoulders, “And so am I.”
Sat next to each other in the animal clinic, Theo and Becky were keeping an eye on the bodies in case either Isaac or Daan’s situation changed. Parrish was out looking for Stilinski’s body, and was under strict instructions from Scott to bring him back to the animal clinic. Whilst it wasn’t an issue for Parrish himself, it could have been difficult to explain to other officers. Theo was feeling reflective as he looked at the lifeless bodies.
“I’m so glad it wasn’t you” he commented, glancing at Becky.
“It could’ve been any of us” Becky corrected him. A moment passed before she continued, “For the record, I’m glad it wasn’t you either.” Theo smiled. He adored Becky, but hated how she made him feel. He felt like a lovesick puppy, instead of the strong wolf he’d trained himself to be. Now he was babysitting two essentially dead bodies.
“You’re bored aren’t you?” Becky noticed.
“Is it that obvious?” he responded.
“Hey, it’s a start. Scott wouldn’t have had you anywhere near him a few days ago. He trusts you to keep watch. That’s not bad going at all” Becky consoled him.
“It is progress I guess” Theo considered. He looked at Isaac’s lifeless body on the table. He didn’t know Isaac well at all, but had heard Scott talk about him. He and Isaac weren’t always allies, but Isaac earnt Scott’s trust and a place in the pack. That’s what he wanted. Maybe he needed to have a word with Isaac if he woke up. No, when he woke up. Optimistic Theo was the new approach.
“I can’t believe I’m doing him a favour after everything” Maddie moaned. She was rummaging through Isaac’s bedroom. Although, by bedroom, it was still a couple of unpacked suitcases for Isaac.
“It’s not about Scott, it’s about Isaac” Casey reminded her. He was looking too, while Archie stood watching from the doorway, feeling quite useless.
“What are you even looking for?” Archie was confused.
“We need something he found valuable” Casey explained, “We’re gonna get him back.”
“A piece of old tat is gonna bring Isaac back? That’s the most ridiculous thing yet” Archie commented.
“He’s not wrong” Maddie chirped.
“It’s to make a connection with him only. Lydia will bring him back” Casey took pleasure in educating them both.
“She’s a…” Archie tried to remember what Casey had told him earlier, “…kanima?”
“Banshee” Casey corrected.
“I knew that” Archie jested.
“This is hopeless” Maddie complained, “Isaac never cared much for anything sentimental. It was the people around him that he cared for.”
“We can’t offer ourselves though” Casey mentioned.
“Why not?” Maddie responded.
“Well, err” Casey paused. He didn’t actually know why, but in the world of supernaturals, offering yourself as a sacrifice didn’t sound like a particularly optimistic idea, “It could be dangerous. There must be something he found important.”
“I’ve got it” Maddie perked up. She reached into the side pocket of his suitcase and pulled out a photo. A picture of Isaac with Scott, Stiles, Lydia and Allison from school.
“He took it with him when he left Beacon Hills. I said the people around him are what he cared for, this is what we needed” Maddie detailed. She stood up and led the way to regroup with the others.
Deflated, Stiles stared blankly at his living room. All of the memories he’d experienced there with his dad, and now there was a chance he’d never see him again. All he could think about was when his mother died, and how broken he felt at the time. He couldn’t go through that again. He wouldn’t. Malia stood behind him, giving him the space he needed. She knew how it felt – sometimes it was better to say nothing at all. However, she was aware they were against the clock. They had to find something precious of Stilinski’s, and fast.
“Have you got any ideas?” Malia queried.
“I don’t know where to start” Stiles muttered, not in the mood for conversation. He knew it was a necessity though. He approached the coffee table, but there was nothing except a pile of papers his dad brought home from work. They certainly weren’t something he valued. Nevertheless, he picked them up. Weirdly, they gave him a sense of comfort.
“If only we were looking for something he’d be happy to bin” he thought aloud, before slamming the papers back down.
“What did your father love? More than anything?” Malia asked. She knew Stilinski well, but Stiles knew him better than anyone. Their connection was heart-warming to her. It was the first time she’d seen a loving family since she was little. She missed it so much.
“Err, I don’t know. I suppose alcohol won’t count” Stiles remarked. As he scanned the room, he noticed a photo on the cabinet. His parents, with a young baby Stiles.
“Mom” he thought aloud, “That’s it!” Stiles raced upstairs, leaving Malia confused. She followed him up. Stiles was in his dad’s bedroom, looking through the chest of drawers.
“What are you looking for?” Malia asked. Stiles didn’t respond – he was too busy searching. At last, he found it. Tucked away at the bottom of the top drawer was his dad’s old wedding ring.
“He loved my mom more than anything” Stiles explained. Malia put a comforting hand on Stiles’ shoulder. She knew exactly how it felt to lose a parent.
Night was approaching and Beacon Hills was getting darker by the minute. Nolan strolled up to the school doors. Before he entered, he looked at the night sky approaching. There it was – the moon. He still had two more weeks until the full moon, but it was already on his mind. He’d experienced two already – both of which were spent locked up at Lydia’s lake house with Liam on guard.
Hopefully Scott will make the next full moon more pleasant, Nolan thought. He pushed open the double doors and immediately caught sight of Scott, stood in the centre of the corridor facing towards him. Scott stamped his foot quietly. To any regular person, that wouldn’t have many any audible sound, but for Nolan, he heard it as if an elephant has stomped its foot.
“You want control? I’ll teach you” Scott said.
“I don’t want it” Nolan replied, “I need it.” Scott walked up to Nolan, and put a comforting hand on his arm.
“You’ll learn. I’m sorry, I should have taught you this sooner” Scott apologised.
“It’s OK. You were busy. Liam did his best” Nolan replied.
“I promise we’re doing our best too. I think we’ll have Daan back with us in no time” Scott reassured Nolan.
“Daan? Where’s he gone?” Nolan innocently questioned. Scott wasn’t aware, but Nolan hadn’t heard the news about Daan. Scott’s heart sunk for a moment.
“I’m sorry, I thought you knew. Daan was taken too, as well as Sheriff Stilinski” Scott announced. Nolan’s chirpy persona suddenly became very sullen.
“Cody’s been great. All hands are on deck. We’ll get him back, I promise” Scott comforted him. This was exactly the sort of moment the duo hadn’t shared yet.
“All this has happened today? While I’ve been round Liam’s enjoying myself? What sort of a friend am I?”
“It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have stopped it – none of us could” Scott put his arm around Nolan for a hug, to console his distraught beta. Scott continued, “Wanna talk about it?”
“No” Nolan replied quickly, drying his eyes, “We can’t waste time. I need to learn control so I can help get Daan back.”
Meanwhile, Cody and Corey pulled up outside Daan’s house. His mum worked nights at the supermarket so Cody was quite confident the house would be empty by this point. Cody was on very good terms with her, considering how often he and Nolan chilled out at Daan’s house, but nevertheless, it prevented awkward questions.
“Have you got a key?” Corey queried.
“Well duh” Cody responded. He took his keychain out of his pocket. Four keys were attached, “My locker, my house, Daan’s house and Nolan’s house.”
“I see” Corey reacted, not sure what else to say. He made a mental note to nag Mason for a key to his house. As Cody led the way to the front door, another car pulled up.
“What’s he doing here?” Cody groaned. He noticed the car instantly – it was Frankie.
“Didn’t you shake him and Lawrie off?” Corey scolded.
“Obviously not” Cody responded.
“I thought you guys might need a hand” Frankie grinned, approaching the duo as his blonde locks flowed with the light breeze.
“You didn’t have to” Cody smiled, putting on an act. He turned around and continued his walk.
“No, I’m sure I do” Frankie continued, placing a firm hand on Cody’s shoulder, stopping him from walking, “You wouldn’t want me exposing your secret, would you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about” Cody responded calmly. Inside, he was panicking. Corey felt the same. He gave Cody an alarmed glance.
“I heard every word of your chat with Stilinski. Planes of existence, missing bodies and all of this is being hidden from the public. This goes way beyond the school newspaper” Frankie threatened. Cody and Corey had no response. They couldn’t say no. They had no idea what Frankie wanted, but for now they had to give it to him.
Liam was relieved. He’d finally told his mum the truth about who he is. It’s out in the open at last. She knows he’s a werewolf. One less burden to carry, even if it was an uphill battle from now.
“Don’t be stupid Liam, this isn’t funny” Joanna responded. She was upset at this point. It was an uphill battle for her too. She didn’t believe Liam – why would she? He was being ridiculous.
“I promise I’m telling the truth” Liam replied, looking into her eyes. Joanna glanced back. She knew when her son was lying. She’d seen it a million times before. Then his eyes glowed bright yellow, like she’d never seen before.
“Oh my god” she reacted, as tears began streaming down her cheeks, “My boy. What’s happened to you?”
“It’s OK” Liam replied, feeling emotional too. He ensured his eyes were back to normal, so he didn’t freak her out any more, “I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you but I didn’t know how.” Joanna took a few seconds to gather her thoughts. So many questions were running around her mind. It was like she was in some weird nightmare.
“When did this happen?” she asked after a moment of silence.
“A couple of years ago. It’s a long story. Scott bit me, he’s the alpha, and I joined his pack” Liam detailed.
“Scott? He’s one too?” Joanna butted in. Liam realised he had a long slog ahead of him.
“He got bitten too, like I did. It was a choice between living as a werewolf, or dying. He saved my life, mom” Liam explained.
“So where does Nolan fit into this? Did Scott bite him too?” Joanna continued.
“Scott bit him, but I’ve been training him. He’s new to all of this. The blood came from him, he was trying to control himself” Liam clarified.
“I was wondering why you were suddenly spending so much time together” Joanna noted. Liam blushed.
“Yeah, that’s it” Liam lost eye contact. Joanna noticed the tell-tale signs. This was Liam lying. He wouldn’t make eye contact, and was twiddling his fingers.
“Is there anything else you want to tell me?” Joanna asked, knowingly, “There’s something else, isn’t there?” Liam couldn’t hide it any longer. He’d made one confession today, another wouldn’t hurt.
“Nolan’s my boyfriend” Liam admitted. Once again, he made eye contact with Joanna, who responded with silence, gathering her thoughts again.
“Oh sweetie” she replied, pulling him in for a hug, “Why couldn’t you tell me any of this? I wish you’d mentioned it.”
“I didn’t want to upset you” Liam responded, overcome with emotion and shedding tears, “You’re mad at me, aren’t you?”
“No” Joanna responded, “Frustrated, yes, but mad? How could I be mad?” She let go of the hug and looked him deep in the eyes.
“Now tell me one thing” Joanna’s tone was serious, “Are you safe?”
“I…I don’t know. I can’t promise anything” Liam honestly responded, “But mom, Scott is brilliant. He protects everyone, every time. If there’s anyone who would keep me safe, it’s him.” Liam smiled, wiping away the tear that fell down his cheek.
“Control is all about monitoring your heart rate” Scott explained, “You lose control when your heart rate increases. This can be caused by a number of emotions. Frustration, anger, nerves, or even love.” Nolan stood opposite, taking all of this in. This rang true with him. He was pretty sure he’d experienced them all in recent times, and all had caused adverse reactions from the inner wolf.
“Think of something that makes you feel angry” Scott commanded. Nolan closed his eyes, trying to think of a moment. A few seconds finished as Scott watched on, waiting for the response.
“I can’t think of anything” Nolan responded, “I block out anything bad so it doesn’t affect me.”
“So what’s brought on your lack of control? What do you feel when you’re out of control?” Scott queried, confused as to how Nolan was in such a predicament. Nolan blushed.
“It’s Liam” he replied. He couldn’t formulate the sentence he wanted to say next, but his awkward lack of eye contact was revealing for Scott.
“Oh” he reacted, “You and him?” Nolan nodded.
“That’s great” Scott smiled, “Think of Liam, the way you usually do.” Nolan shut his eyes again. It wasn’t difficult for him to think of Liam – he did it most of the time anyway. It wasn’t long before Scott noticed a shift in Nolan’s posture. He glanced at his hands, and just as he suspected, Nolan’s claws were in full view.
“OK Nolan, listen to the sound of my voice” Scott commanded, “You need to breathe deeply, and think of an anchor. A reason to stay human.”
“Liam’s the reason I want to stay human” Nolan growled, as the wolf began to take over.
“I know. I was the same as you with a girl I loved. Her name was Allison. When I thought of her, I lost control. I changed the way I thought of her – I didn’t just fancy her, I adored her. I thought of how happy I wanted to make her. Ground yourself” Scott revealed. Nolan took deep breaths. He continued to keep Liam in mind, but instead of picturing him and Liam in the present, he thought long-term. He wanted to keep Liam by his side for years to come, and to do that, he needed to stay human. The wolf couldn’t win. More determined than ever, Nolan felt his claws recede. His breathing slowed as he opened his eyes to see Scott.
“I did it” Nolan realised, smiling with pride at himself.
“You did” Scott replied, sharing the pride, “That’s all you need for control. Remember that. It might take some practice, but the foundations are there” Nolan nodded.
“Let’s go get Daan back” Nolan sprang into action.
Stirring as if he’d woken up from am alcohol-fuelled nap, Stilinski opened his eyes and was blinded by the immense brightness he experienced immediately. He saw plain white light all around him. As he tried to sit up, he saw two blurred figures approaching. He couldn’t tell if they were actually blurred, or if it were his vision adjusting. Slowly, they became more defined. Amongst the confusion around, well, pretty much everything in that moment, Stilinski was delighted as he identified the two blurred figures as Isaac and Daan.
“Welcome” Isaac greeted, offering a hand. Stilinski grabbed hold and helped himself up.
“How long have I been here?” Stilinski questioned, still dazed.
“It’s hard to say, we don’t really know ourselves” Daan responded, “We don’t even know where we are.”
“It’s another plane of existence” Stilinski explained as his headache started to fade, “They figured it out. Our bodies are still in our world, they appear dead but we’re, well, I don’t know about you but I don’t feel very dead.”
“So what do we do? We’ve been waiting here for god knows how long” Isaac interrogated, impatient.
“I guess we wait” Stilinski replied, much to Isaac’s frustration.
The pack was regrouping at the animal clinic again. Deaton had cleared the space in the centre with some help from Theo, and Parrish had arrived with Stilinski’s body. His was placed in between Isaac and Daan’s, all of whom were on a separate desk each. Lydia stood in front of them all. She was trying to come to terms with what she was about to do. She didn’t actually have any idea of what was supposed to happen. Would the three of them wake up all of a sudden? Would she travel into the other plane to retrieve them? Would it be life-threatening? She had no idea, and it scared her. Stiles placed his father’s wedding ring in her hand, while Maddie gave Lydia the photo of Isaac’s. Finally, Cody arrived back. In his hand was a small bead.
“I bought it for his birthday, the first one after we met. It was his first dreadlock bead” Cody explained to Lydia, as he dropped it into her palm. Last to re-join the group were Scott and Nolan, who had picked up Liam on the way.
“You told her everything?” Nolan was surprised to hear Liam’s story.
“Yup. She knows every inch of my life” Liam laughed.
“I’m proud of you” Nolan replied, grinning. He kissed Liam on the lips, not caring at all about who was watching. The rest of the pack were waiting in the lobby, perched on chairs, on the floor or stood up. Everything was set up. Scott entered the main area, avoiding eye contact with Maddie as he passed through the lobby, and stood with Deaton and Theo. He gave a nod, signalling that it was time to start.
“Lydia, are you ready?” Deaton asked.
“As I’ll ever be” Lydia responded, worry throughout her voice. Stiles watched on from the doorway. He briefly intercepted and held Lydia’s hand.
“You’ll be amazing, like you always are” he reassured her, “And I’ll be here waiting for you at the end.”
“That sounds like a threat” Theo remarked. Lydia smirked.
“Alright Lydia, I need you to close your eyes” Deaton explained, “Focus only on my voice, and the items in your hand. Make a connection with Isaac, Daan and the Sheriff.” Lydia did her best. She knew the way to accessing her banshee powers was by allowing them to naturally find her. Forcing them never worked, so she didn’t. Lydia felt herself drifting off, into a deep sleep, as she began to lose focus of her senses…
Sat on the floor, Isaac was fed up. He hadn’t eaten or drunk anything in what must have been days, and he was feeling the effect of the plane he was in. Despite the huge amount of space, it felt very claustrophobic with no sense of direction or any pointers as to exactly where they were. Each second that passed felt like another ounce of hope lost. To his amazement, he started to see a familiar face materialise in front of them. All three stood up as they recognised their flame-haired friend.
“Lydia?” Isaac was confused. She was translucent, not fully there, but it was a promising sign.
“Hurry. Touch my hand” she ordered, speaking coldly with little expression. Daan wasted no time in reaching for her hand, but just as he did, an immense gush of wind began to build up. A familiar feeling for all three of them. Father Time materialised, intercepting his route to Lydia. His back faced Daan, and he looked directly at Lydia. With a simple swish of his hand, Lydia faded away, and Father Time was gone within an instant as per usual.
“What? No!” Isaac yelled, running up to where Lydia stood. It was as if she was never there. “That was our way out. It’s gone. We’re stuck here.”
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Next: "Fresh Start"
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