...
"Vanishing twin syndrome..." Alan's voice raised in question as he read from the file Stiles had brought him. After they had realized Mason was the last chimera, they had to figure out how he was a chimera in the first place. Thanks to some thorough searching from Melissa, the woman had found that Mason had had a twin that he had consumed in utero which made him a genetic chimera and perfect for the Dread Doctors experiments. Melissa brought the information to Lydia and Stiles at the Sheriff's station, and Stiles brought it to the animal clinic and it's vet.
"This is part of your expertise, right?" Stiles asked.
"Not particularly, no." He sat the file down on the exam table to look at the sonogram of baby Mason and his tiny twin, when a commotion behind them drew their attention.
Scott, Y/n, and Liam were supporting the Surgeon, Marcel as Ophelia had called him, as they brought him into the room. "He's still alive." The Alpha informed. The Surgeon could hardly stand on his own, a dark bloody looking wetness coated the mouth piece of his mask. With Alan's insistence Scott and Y/n helped lay him on the exam table as Alan checked him over.
"Can you help him? Keep him alive?" Ophelia asked the vet.
"I'm not sure he technically is alive."
"Screw keeping him alive. How do we get him to talk?" Liam asked instead.
"Personally, I don't think we utilize torture nearly enough." Stiles offered.
"Come." A voice called, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere.
"Did you hear that?" Liam looked up.
"Come to me."
"No." Ophelia quietly gasped.
"To me." The Surgeon sat bolt upright, emitting a high pitched sound. Everyone covered their ears at the offensive sound as the items on the shelves shook. The Surgeon hopped to his feet, using his burst of strength to grab Y/n by the back of her shirt. She cried out as she was pulled along with him to the exit.
Liam went to attack the doctor, Scott trying to stop him. "Liam, wait!" The Surgeon threw a hand back at Liam, the boy being thrown back by a sonic boom. He made his way outside, Y/n still in his grasp as he closed the doors behind them and made the metal furniture block the path to them.
"Y/n!" Stiles yelled, him and the wolves rushing forward to pull the tables and shelves away.
"Stop." Alan called before they could touch anything, pointing to the sparking light above the door. "It's electrified."
The Surgeon threw Y/n to the ground at Sebastien's feet, offering the witch to him as the Surgeon himself fell to his knees, looking up at the man as he approached. Y/n scrambled back away from them as Sebastien looked down at the Surgeon. He gripped the mask and pulled it off, eyes widening at the withered husk of the man he once knew. "Marcel... If this is what immortality looks like, I think you might have been misled."
"For you... All for you..." Marcel gasped.
"What did you do with it, Marcel? Where is the pike?"
"The Argents... The Argents..."
Scott had been listening, and the pieces clicked in his mind. "The cane."
"But they took it. They took the cane." Liam said.
Marcel, with his mission finally complete, was able to finally let go, his body falling to the side with a thump. Sebastien's eyes then found the witch as she got to her feet and backed away as far as the building would allow. He almost couldn't believe his eyes as her name fell from his lips. "Ophelia..."
"Sebastien."
"How?"
"Marcel summoned me, forced me into this body, for you."
"I love you." He breathed like a confession. "I never meant to hurt you."
She shook her head. "You haven't been capable of love for a long time. My Sebastien would have never laid a hand on me. You are not him anymore. He died with me, remember?"
"You will refuse me again?"
"I told you once, Sebastien. I will stop you, no matter what I have to do." She held her chin up in defiance as his eyes darkened.
"Then you leave me no choice. I will not spare you if you stay in my way." Without another word he turned away from her and walked away, more intent than ever to have the pike in his own possession.
The four inside the clinic stepped back as the pieces of furniture, now covered in a purple shimmer, were desparked and carefully moved back to their respective places. Y/n stepped into the room as her eyes shifted back. Stiles was quick to get to her and check her over, making sure that neither the Surgeon nor the Beast did anything to her. Scott and Liam had checked outside, but all they found was the Surgeon's body, and his mask which they brought inside.
Standing around the table again Scott now rifled through Mason's medical folder. "Maybe there's something in here. Something about how he was a genetic chimera."
"Mason had a vanishing twin." Alan informed.
"Now we've got a vanishing Mason." Stiles added, making Y/n lightly jab him in the ribs with her elbow.
"What does that have to do with him turning into a 250-year-old French guy? How does that even happen?" Liam asked.
"Hold on, Scott might have something." Alan pointed to the Alpha. "Mason's twin wasn't entirely gone. That's what made him a genetic chimera."
"The DNA was still there." Scott understood.
"Metaphorically speaking, the DNA of Mason could still be inside Sebastien as well."
"How?" Stiles asked, to which Y/n answered.
"Life is energy. Energy can be weakened, reshaped, strengthened, transfered, but it can never just disappear."
Alan nodded at the witch's explanation. "The Dread Doctors may have found a way to break the rules of the supernatural world, but there are some rules that simply won't break."
"So Mason can't just be gone?" Liam now had a little bit of hope again.
"Somewhere in Sebastien he has to still exist in some form. A spark of energy, a flicker of memory."
Stiles had picked up the Surgeon's mask to look it over as something occured to him. "Hang on... Liam, you said Mason said something right before he turned."
"He said, 'that's not my name'."
"He remembered his name."
"Damnatio Memoriae." Stiles said.
"That's what they wanted." Liam realized. "They wanted Sebastien to remember his name."
"Scott," Alan called, "you know the myth of what happens when you call a werewolf by it's given name?"
"It turns back to human."
"What does that mean? Someone can just walk up to the Beast, yell Mason's name and turn him back?" Liam asked.
Y/n shook her head. "Not just someone. Lydia. It has to be the banshee."
...
Sebastien has made his way to the Sheriff's station asking for help looking for someone called Argent. The name caught Noah's attenttion and he called the mysterious stranger into his office, just as Stiles was blowing his phone up with their newfound information. Noah understood then that the man wasn't just a man, that he was the monster they were all fighting against. Sebastien pieced together that Noah knew who he was, and boasted that even his new aged weapons couldn't kill him. After Noah claimed his baretta could probably do more damage than a musket, Sebastien gave him a choice. Let him walk out peacefully, or he'll walk out with his hands soaked in blood. Noah didn't want anyone to die, so he let him go, but Clark didn't get the memo. She noticed the Sheriff's drawn weapon and tense posture and drew her own weapon. She told Sebastien to stop while Noah warned her to put her gun away. Neither listened and Sebastien attacked, knocking her aside as Lydia came to help. Sebastien had lunged for her, managing to pierce the flesh of her neck just as she threw him back with a well-aimed scream. But the damage was done, and she fell to her knees, clutching her neck with both hands to stop the bleeding. He then spotted Hayden, picking her name from Mason's memories and taking her, hoping she could lead him to the pike.
Noah had rushed Lydia to the hospital where her wounds were treated. She was sleeping when Y/n and Stiles came in to check on her. Y/n reached forward and took Lydia's hand in her own, the action making the girl wake up. "Hey, you alright?" Stiles asked.
"Did- did you find something?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper and croaky. "A solution?"
"Our solution is you, Lyds." Y/n revealed, and Lydia looked away in surprise and disappointment.
Before anyone could really worry that maybe they were going to lose this battle, Y/n said she could heal Lydia, completely, but it would be difficult getting her out of the hospital now that she's already been checked in. That's when Scott got his mom to help. She took care of Lydia's paperwork while everyone gathered in Lydia's room, making sure no one was around to spot them. Y/n went over to Lydia's side and carefully removed the bandage making Lydia wince.
"Yeah, I'm gonna need to leave." Stiles claimed, already feeling light-headed at the sight of the wound.
"You're not going anywhere." Y/n denied with a fond smile.
"Fine, I'm not leaving but I still might faint."
Y/n's eyes shifted as she turned her gaze to Lydia's injury. She raised her hand to press it over the wound itself when a thud echoed in the room. Liam had fainted when he saw Y/n's hand was going to touch the gash. Scott went to help his Beta while Y/n continued what she was doing. Lydia winced again as Y/n's hand cupped the wound, but it was only for a moment as the magic of two witches made quick work of healing any damage that had been caused, leaving Lydia good as new once again.
Once Lydia got dressed they all made their way through the hospital and to the elevator. Stiles started running ahead as soon as the doors opened. "Okay. I'll get Malia. Text me when you find Parrish."
"Hold on." Scott called, pulling a jar wrapped in a brown paper bag from his pocket and handing it to Stiles.
"What is this?"
"Something I've been working on for a while. Just make sure Malia gets it."
"Okay, is it a plan B?"
"It was plan A."
"Plan A never works."
"This one will."
"Okay."
"Hey." Y/n called, grabbing Stiles' hand before he could scurry off. She pressed a lingering kiss to his lips before looking into his eyes. "Be careful." Her request was an almost whisper, her worry reflected in her eyes as she looked at him.
"I will." He promised. "You be careful, too."
"I will." He gave her hand a quick squeeze before turning and taking off.
The other four made their way to the tunnels, now looking for the hellhound and the Beast that were somewhere down there. They had turned a corner when a strange sound caught Liam's attention. "Scott?" He whispered. "You hear that?"
Crackling electricty met their ears. "I heard that." Lydia confirmed.
"Lydia, stay close." Y/n instructed.
Liam had looked down to his feet, watching the water slosh around as he moved. His eyes widened in alarm as he turned to the banshee. "Hey, Lydia, get out of the water!" He pushed her to safety just as electricity traveled through the water and hit the three other supernaturals. Scott and Liam fell to the ground, momentarily incapacitated from the shock. Y/n let out a strangled sound as she dropped to her knees, her magic acting on her behalf and absorbing most of the electricity that had hit her. Her eyes had become a pale purple and a glowing mark had started to crawl up the side of her neck.
Lydia turned around to come face to face with Theo who grabbed her arms. "Sorry, Lydia." She looked at him in confusion for only a moment before he turned with her and pushed her into a hole. Scott managed to scramble over and grab her wrist before she could fall too far. Lydia screamed from the fear and the strain. Theo kneeled next to Scott before he plunged his claws into the Alpha's leg making him groan in pain. "Feel that, Scott?" Scott's eyes widened as he let out a gasp. "Kanima venom. Just let it happen. Let it go. Let everything go."
"No!" Scott groaned, unable to fight the effects of the venom as his hand let go. Lydia screamed as she fell down into the darkness.
"Lydia!" Y/n yelled, her hand reaching down a moment too late to catch her friend. She panted as she pushed herself up with her hands She suddenly hissed in pain, looking down to the left side of her chest wear a red slash appeared for a moment before her magic healed it as quickly as it came. Stiles had gotten hurt somehow. Stiles had been hurt and Lydia had been dropped who knows where. Y/n panted as she pushed herself up to sit on her legs, a bubble of emotion fueling her magic.
The Beast roared and Theo smirked. "You hear that? That's the sound of real power." Y/n clenched her hands as she felt it build, her attempts at holding it back being fruitless as a shout tumbles from her mouth and a burst of energy escapes her. Theo is thrown back and Liam ducks his head as best as he can, Scott unable to do anything against the venom effecting his limbs. Theo quickly recovered as he scrambled to his feet, disappearing down another corridor to face the Beast and hopefully take his power for himself.
Sebastien had come around a corner, stopping only when he saw Theo's shifted form. He smiled in amusement. "Another arrogant youth. A contender to steal my name? You think you can take it from me?"
"I just want your power." Theo claimed as he advanced, letting Sebastien block a punch before Theo shoved his claws into Sebastien's stomach. He focused on what Deucalion had taught him for taking power, what he had done to Josh and Tracy before, but something wasn't right. His brows drew together in confusion as Sebastien's eyes changed, glaring at the chimera before him with deadly intent. The Beast grew before his eyes before he was hit and thrown into a wall. The Beast growled and was about to finish him off when an emitter caught his attention. Sebastien shifted back, focus now drawn to the sound as he left Theo on the ground and pursued it. Theo had shifted back, panting as he watched Sebastien walk off. "No! NO!" He yelled after the man, having to crawl because he couldn't get back up. Deucalion walked into sight, followed by Scott, Liam, and Y/n as Theo looked up at the former Alpha pack leader. "You lied to me. You and Scott..." Deucalion crouched in front of Theo as he looked between the two Alphas.
"That's right, Theo." Deucalion removed his glasses to show his scarred eyes. "The whole time." Deucalion closed his eyes, and when he opened them again they were healed once more.
"It would have never worked."
"It could have worked. With Belasko's talons." He smirked before he reached forward and swiftly turned Theo's head, a sickening snap sounding as Theo fell limp to the ground.
"You broke my neck." Theo gasped as Deucalion stood back up.
"And good luck with that."
"Be grateful that's all we did." Y/n sneered.
Deucalion turned to Scott. "There's an access grate that leads to the sublevel. I think we can get to Lydia there."
"What about Mason?" Liam asked.
"We can still save your friend."
"Let's go." Scott said, the four turning and walking away when a gunshot echoed out.
The teens flinched while Deucalion fell against the wall with a groan. "This just isn't my day." He fell to the ground and they looked to see Gerard approaching with his gun raised, toting Chris behind him.
"This is a surprising alliance, Scott." Gerard claimed. "You and Deucalion?" Y/n stepped forward, irises glowing in anger having had enough of Gerard and his agenda against the supernatural, when Scott grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She listened to the silent request of the Alpha, but she wasn't happy about it. "How long have you been planning this clever little double cross?"
"About as long as he and I have been planning this one." Chris answered as he moved from behind his father, tossing the cane to Scott.
"What are you doing?"
"I knew when I brought you back, it would never be about saving lives. Only about immortalizing your own." Chris turned and both men raised a gun at the other. "Scott, go." They hesitated, not wanting to leave Chris there in the volatile situation. "Go, now!" He urged, and they finally listened. They made their way through the tunnels, flinching only slightly as they heard a gunshot.
They had taken several turns and gone down several passages trying to find Sebastien, and after one more corner Y/n suddenly stumbled, dropping to her knees and causing Scott and Liam to face her in worry. "Y/n?" Scott called, going to try and help his friend when she held a hand up to stop him.
"Don't. You need to stay back." She warned, voice strained as she felt the bubble building once again. Her arms moved to cover her middle as if she was in pain. She could sense something happening to Malia, pain, a lot of pain. And then there was power. Fear and relief fueled the magic building up and she couldn't stop the surge. "Get back!" She yelled, Scott's eyes widening as he pulled Liam and himself behind a corner just as another wave of energy burst out of her, this one stronger than the last as it left some cracks in the walls this time. When all seemed clear Scott carefully came from around the corner to check on Y/n. She was panting, but had pushed herself to her feet. She looked up at him and nodded at the question in his eyes. She's okay, for now at least. "We need to hurry."
Scott nodded in agreement, and looked around for a moment, trying to decide which direction to go, just as the Beta had come to a decision himself. "Scott." Liam called, and the Alpha turned to him. "I'll do it."
"Liam..."
"It should be me. If you get me close enough, I'll- I'll do it." He went to reach for the cane when Scott moved it out of his grip.
"We're not killing your best friend."
"The only one dying tonight is Sebastien." Ophelia said.
"That belongs to me." A voice suddenly claimed, drawing their attention to Sebastien as he moved to stand a distance away from them. "It's a family heirloom. I'd like it back, please."
"It's all yours. Just give us Mason." Scott told him.
"Unfortunately, I would not know where to begin. And while I've benefited from his memories, don't have much use for an alter ego."
Scott shared a look with Y/n and Liam, the two giving a small nod before eyes and faces shifted. "You want it? Come and get it." Sebastien's eyes shifted as he lightly growled. He transformed into the Beast as the three went to attack. The cane was tossed to the side as punches, kicks, and a few spells were thrown in order to keep the Beast busy until someone could get Lydia. Even if she was against him, Sebastien couldn't really bring himself to hurt Ophelia, so he resorted to taking one of the werewolves and throwing them at her to keep her out of the fight for at least a moment. Scott had been the unfortunate projectile, and Liam was soon hit back to join his seniors on the floor. They had gotten back to their feet, giving each other a look before they went to attack again, but the Beast slammed his fists into the ground, making them fly back from the force that was created.
Sebastien shifted back, glancing at Y/n before going to Scott and picking him up by the throat. "You're strong. There's no doubt in that. But none of you fight with a killer instinct. Let me show you how to go for the throat." He squeezed, and Scott groaned as something started to crack.
Liam glanced to the cane beside him and forced himself up to his feet, picking it up and pulling the sword from it's sheath. The sound drew everyone's attention to him. "Liam, wait. We can still save Mason." Scott choked out.
"Who's gonna save you?"
"What kind of werewolves are you?" Sebastien smiled derisively at them.
Liam gripped the sword and lunged to attack. "NO!" Scott yelled, but he was already in motion. Yet his arm was blocked and Liam was punched away by Sebastien, the sword clattering to the ground.
Sebastien's grip tightened on Scott, forcing the Alpha to his knees from the pain. "Sebastien, stop!" Ophelia called. "I'll go with you. Just spare him." She couldn't let Y/n's friends die if she could do something to stop it. Sebastien hesitated for just a moment, glancing back at her begging form. To have Ophelia back would be great indeed, but these 'werewolves' would still be in his way, and they may even try to come for her if he did indeed take her. They had to be dealt with. They all did. With hard eyes he turned away from her and released his claws. "No!" His claws had found their way into the back of Scott's neck, and Scott's eyes widened as Sebastien unknowingly began to invade his memories. Sebastien's brows furrowed as images of a familiar face flashed before his eyes, one he hadn't expected to see again.
"Marie-Jeanne?" He muttered as his claws retracted. Scott took his distraction to shove his arm away and fall from his grasp to safety.
Kira had come back from her quest to fix her sword to help everyone, and ended up freeing Lydia from the space she had been trapped in. The girls slid to a stop as they finally found their friends and Sebastien. "Mason!" Lydia yelled, but it was just her normal voice. Sebastien turned to her, face reflecting his anger at her presence.
"Lydia, use your voice!" Y/n urged as the Beast transformed and advanced on the girls.
Lydia took a breath and did as told. "MASON!" Her voice echoed through the tunnel, being aimed directly at the Beast as he staggered to his knees, holding a hand up in a vain attempt to stop the sound. His form bursts into shadows, and from the shadows came the one person they had all be trying to save. Mason stumbled forward and Corey appeared from his hiding spot to catch him before he fell.
The Beast's shadowy form screeched in anger before flying past them all, trying to make an escape only to be caught in the flaming hellhound's clutches. Y/n jumped to her feet, swiping up the sword as she stood. Ophelia cut her hand on the sword, spreading her blood along the blade and casting the spell she had used so long ago. With all their might they threw the sword, letting out a yell of effort as they sent the weapon flying at the Beast. It went right through him, disappearing in the purple and blue light that bloomed in the Beast's chest. He let out an agonizing screech as he was consumed by the light and his form faded into nothing.
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. The Beast was dead once again. Scott looked around at his friends. "Is everyone okay?"
"Not everyone." Theo answered, now healed and very angry. Electricity crackled over his body as he glared at Scott who growled in return.
Kira ran forward just as Theo released a bolt of electricity, the kitsune's eyes shining as she caught the energy on her sword. "The skinwalkers have a message for you, Theo. Your sister wants to see you." She plunged her sword into the ground. Cracks formed along the ground, leading right up to Theo's feet and opened a hole up in front of him.
A pair of grimy hands gripped the ground and pulled up the figure of Tara Raeken herself. Her eyes were set on Theo as she grabbed at his ankles and started to drag him down. "Scott, help me!" Theo begged as he clawed at the ground, feeble attempts to fight the fate laid before him. "No! No! Scott! Help me, Scott!" Everyone could only watch in shock as Theo was pulled further and further into the pit. "No! Scott! Help me! No! Wait! Wait!" He was finally tugged all the way in, and the ground closed in above them, not even leaving a scar of where the hole once was.
Everything was silent, and the worst seemed to be over. That is until the ground rumbled. "What was that?" Liam asked.
"I think it was her." Scott answered, eyes on Y/n who had lent against a wall, fingers turning pale from her grip on the cement and eyes squeezed shut in a feeble attempt to hold it back. The tremors seemed to radiate from where she stood, loose debris dancing over the ground while the others tried to keep their footing. Ophelia was grieving, Y/n could feel it. Ophelia knew Sebastien had to be stopped, any means necessary, but it still hurt like hell. It hurt so much, and Y/n was afraid what would happen because of it.
"Y/n?" Lydia called, taking a step forward only for Y/n to hold her hand up, unintentionally sending a shockwave that made Scott have to catch Lydia from falling back.
"Please, stay back. I'm sorry. I don't have much time." Her voice was strained as she took a few steps back.
"What do you mean? Time for what?" Without answering Y/n's eyes opened, the usual violet now almost white. Everyone covered their eyes as air suddenly gushed through the tunnels carrying leaves in it's wake, obscuring their vision with the intensity of it. When it died down the leaves fluttered to the ground where Y/n once stood, the witch now nowhere in sight.
Stiles, Malia, and Braeden had been recovering after Corinne's attack, all being injured in one way or another before Malia finally got the upper hand, using Belasko's talons to siphon the Desert Wolf's power and leaving her weak enough for Braeden to knock unconscious. They all looked up when Scott and Lydia burst through the door, seeming a little frantic. "Did you do it? Is he dead?" Stiles asked, but recieved no answer as Scott and Lydia looked around the living room.
"Is Y/n here?" The strawberry blonde asked.
Stiles furrowed his brows. "Why would she be here? She was with you."
"She disappeared."
"What do you mean she disappeared."
"The ground started shaking, she said she didn't have much time. We thought she would have come back here." Scott informed.
"We haven't seen her." Malia said, now a little more than worried.
Scott's phone started ringing and he was quick to answer. "Liam?"
"Scott, we found her!" The Beta rushed out. Stiles was the first out of the door as soon as Liam told them where to go, and that turned out to be the school.
Stiles almost didn't let the Jeep stop fully as he clamored out of the vehicle, rushing to where Liam was anxiously waiting with Jordan who had mostly led the way there. "Where?" Was all he asked.
"This way." Liam led Stiles, followed by thier friends, to the lacrosse field. When they got there they stopped by the bleachers as they took in the sight before them. Y/n was standing in the middle of the field, hands pressed to her eyes as a fierce wind whipped around her, swirling energy acting as a barrier between her and the world, between her and them.
"Y/n!" Stiles cupped his hands around his mouth in an attempt to make himself heard over the howling wind. If she did hear him, she didn't really show it, only curling in on herself further as the wind worsened, a step down from being a tornado. Scott reached a hand out to the wall, but it was pushed back from the magic that kept it going. Scott frowned as he looked at his friend, not knowing how he was supposed to help. When Stiles moved to walk through it Scott stopped him.
"Stiles, we don't know what could happen if you go in there."
"It doesn't matter. I can't leave her alone." Scott knew Stiles would go no matter what he said, and, if he was honest, if he were in Stiles' shoes he would do the same. Scott nodded and stepped back with the others as Stiles turned towards Y/n again. Bracing himself for anything he stepped towards the barrier, expecting harsh winds ready to sweep him off of his feet, but all he felt was a breeze. The magic in the storm, her magic, bent and shaped itself around him, unwilling to do anything that might hurt him. With another glance behind him he continued forward, walking into what felt like the eye of the storm.
He got to a few feet away from her before she spoke up without looking at him. "You shouldn't be here. You need to leave."
"No way." He instantly denied, the idea of turning back not even an option in his mind.
"Stiles, it's too dangerous!" She claimed, finally looking up and letting him see how bright her eyes were glowing. "I can't control it anymore. You all need to go, now. It's too late for me." He could see the marks on her skin, creeping up the sides of her face, twisting around her fingers. He could imagine the ones he couldn't see were large and connected like lightning etched into her skin, just like the photo Alan had shown them.
Undeterred he stepped closer, reaching for her hands. She let him take them in his, unable to bring herself to pull away from him. "If it was too late you wouldn't still be standing here. We can still fix this."
"You don't understand, I don't know what's going to happen." She almost sobbed. "I could hurt everyone! I could hurt you!"
"You could never hurt me." He looked at her with the softest gaze, one reserved just for her as he moved a hand up to hold the side of her face. "It's gonna be okay. You're not alone in this. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere. We'll get through this together." He pulled her into his chest, holding her close as she closed her eyes again. Her body automatically relaxed against him, every fibre of her being betraying her fear by keeping him close, letting herself melt in his touch. Her senses were filled with Stiles, his scent on his shirt, his breath on her hair, his heartbeat against her own. He believed wholeheartedly in her ability to do what she needed to do, who was she to disprove that? The bubble she had been trying to hold back finally burst, and she let it, feeding into it as she let her magic loose.
He felt her fingers curl into his shirt, holding on for dear life as he felt the hair on his arms raise. He flinched when the first bolt of lightning struck the field not far from them, watching as another hit the grass a moment later. More followed, the field being bathed in faint purple flashes, but none of them came close to hitting him or the others who were still watching, Y/n managing to keep her power surge contained within a certain space, although it was difficult, very difficult. Creating a lightning storm was the quickest, and arguably safest way for her to release a lot of energy, but it was also difficult to control in this quantity. A scream ripped from her throat at the strain, a surge of energy rushing out of her, traveling over the ground as it joined the wall she had put up, another attempt to keep her loved ones safe.
Stiles turned his head away as her chest started to glow from the inside out, the sudden consistent brightness stinging his eyes in the flashing darkness of the field, his ears ringing with the constant boom of lightning strikes. But his arms behind her back never faltered as they kept her caged against him. He chanced a glance at her when he felt the grip on his shirt loosen slightly and found her with her back arched, head tilted back as the glow moved up her her neck, a bright object coming out of her mouth. The pale purple star-like ball hovered in the air for a moment, almost seeming to flicker in greeting, or farewell, before it rose higher into the sky, and dispersed itself among the glittering tapestry above.
Stiles' attention was quickly drawn away from where the light disappeared back to Y/n as he felt her legs buckle, quickly supporting her enough to lower them both to the ground. His eyes flitted over her features, noting that the glowing marks had disappeared, seeming to fade away with that ball of light. "Y/n?" He called, becoming a little worried at her pale, sweaty skin and the shallow movements of her chest. "Y/n." His hand came up to hold the side of her face, shaking her a little to rouse her. He was relieved when her eyes fluttered open this time. Instead of the blinding, almost white glow they had been moments before, they were finally back to their usual violet, eventually fading to a tired e/c. "Is it over?"
She gave an almost imperceptible nod. "Ophelia's finally back where she belongs. And I got rid of the excess energy. Probably a little more than I should have."
He sighed in relief, pulling her closer to press his lips to her forehead, letting his nerves relax now that she was out of the woods. "You scared me there for a minute." He spoke against her skin.
"I scared myself." She admitted, voice just above a whisper. Without them noticing the wind had calmed down and the lightning had stopped, letting Scott and the others finally make their way over to the couple. Scott, seeing that Y/n was breathing and talking, smiled down at his friends, grateful and relieved that everything was finally okay again.
...
"You saved their lives." Noah said, looking at Stiles who was sitting on the couch in his office at the Sheriff's station. "Mason. Malia. Y/n. Half the population of Beacon Hills. That's gotta feel pretty good."
"Yeah, it did." Stiles agreed. "For a while."
"But it's something you want to feel again."
"Yeah. Yeah, I think so."
Noah smiled. "Welcome to your future career in law enforcement."
...
Lydia parked next to Malia's car in the school parking lot, the werecoyote herself leaning on the hood as she looked over a textbook. She tucked it away as she saw Lydia and put her bag over her shoulder as Lydia stood next to her. Y/n fixed the bag on her shoulder as she walked up to Lydia's other side, and the three took a moment to look around at their fellow students, finally smiling again now that the invisible shadow had been lifted from their town. The girls smiled at each other before Lydia linked her arms with theirs and the three headed inside.
"But she'll be back. She still has to graduate." Lydia commented as she, Stiles, and Y/n started to leave the class that they shared.
"That's the thing, though, I don't know..." Stiles admitted as they started down the halls. "When we started this school year, I was so stressed about everyone ending up in the same place after we graduate. But I don't think it matters. We always seem to find each other anyway. Even Allison." Lydia slowed down making the couple stop to look at her. "He didn't tell you." He realized, and Lydia tilted her head a bit in confusion.
"It was in the tunnels." Y/n started. "When Sebastien had Scott by the throat, his claws went into his neck. He didn't even realize what he was doing."
"Sebastien was going to kill him, but then he stopped and he said a name."
"Marie-Jeanne."
"He saw Scott's memories." Lydia gaped.
"He saw Allison." Stiles confirmed.
"They must have looked like each other."
"They did. I mean, they were identical. It surprised me when I saw her in Ophelia's memories."
"It gave Scott a chance to break free. She saved him. Allison saved his life." Lydia smiled at that, and the three continued their path to the library where they were meeting up with Scott. The Alpha himself had been on the upper level, looking at all of their initials on the bookshelf before he turned and smiled at his friends as they sat down at the table down below. With one more glance at the shelf Scott then made his way down the stairs, giving Stiles a pat on the shoulder and a smile as he took his seat next to his best friend. Stiles returned the gesture as he gave Scott's shoulder a squeeze. The girls across from them also smiled at Scott in greeting before they turned their focus to their text books, all happy that this was the only thing they had to worry about for now.
~~~
Published: 9/14/22
5b is done! I can't believe it! Seasons 5a, 5b, and 6a were and are the seasons I hade been most excited about and I can't believe we're almost done! 6a will be the last season, and let me tell you, I have some big ideas for it :D but, because of that, I need to take some time off to make sure everything will mesh correctly.
I'm not sure how long I'll be away, maybe three or four weeks, I'm not 100% sure, but while you wait for my return I have another Question Collection for you to check out! I've decided to do another Q&A because I really enjoyed the last one we did, and I thought why not do it again to post at the end of the book? As stated in the actual chapter, the Question Collection will stay up until the end of the day that the second to last chapter of 6a is posted which should be more than enough time to leave any questions you may have :)
Until then, I love you all, I will miss you, farewell for now! ð