NINETEEN 

"I can't believe it." Lydia said. Stiles and I stand in Lydia's room, as she was sitting on her bed. Lydia looked at me. "I don't believe it. Scott can't really be with them. He can't be." 

"You didn't see the look on his face, though. It was..." Stiles trailed off. 

"Then what can I do?" Lydia asked. I put my hand around my neck and rubbed it. I was almost strangled to death. Why is this hitting me now? "I mean, I get that me and Stacey are some sort of, like, human Geiger counter for death. But neither of us know how to turn it on and off yet."

"Yeah, all I know that is she tried to kill because..." I trailed off, realizing what she said to me. 

"Because of what?" Stiles turns his head towards me. "Hey, Stacey, what?" 

"When she called me a Banshee, me and Lydia. She was surprised by it. What if that's not why she tried to kill me? What if she was after Lydia next?" I asked. 

"Then why did she?" Stiles asked. 

"That's what we need to find out." Lydia said. 

✢

Stiles, Lydia, and I walk down the stairs of our school on the same day. "Aiden isn't texting me back." Lydia said, as I walk in between them. Stiles then stop, and I stop, turning around. Stiles looks around, nervously. 

"Okay, well maybe we could just..." I was cut off by a phone vibration, it was Stiles' phone. Stiles gets out his phone and he looks down at it. "What?" I step forward. "Oh, god, what is it now?" 

Stiles licked his lips nervously. "It's from Isaac." Stiles looked at me. "Jennifer, she... she has Allison's father, she took him. She's got all three now." 

I notice that Stiles' hands start to shake his he puts his phone in his pocket. "There's still time. We still have time, right?" Lydia asked, stepping forward. I notice Stiles' breathing pattern, his breathing was heavy and shakily, looking around like he wanted to cry. He gasps. 

"Stiles?" I ask softly. "You okay?" He looks around confused and scared, and he turns around. "What is it? What's wrong? Is it a panic attack, are you having a panic attack?" Stiles nodded quickly, and I grab his hand quickly. 

"I'm... I'm having a panic attack." Stiles lets out shakily. 

"Come on," I quickly drag him down the hallways, and into the boy's locker room. 

"Stace!" I hear Lydia call, but I ignored her. 

I took him down to the boy's locker room, and I help Stiles' take off his bag and dump it on the ground and settle him down against the locker. Stile was panting frantically, which made me worry. We used to get panic attacks when we were kids, with Stiles mum died and my father left, it triggered us. 

"Just try and think about something else, anything else." I plead. 

"Like what?" Stiles asks, his breathing high pitched and fast. 

"Happy things, good things, friends, family..." I wince. "Oh, I mean, not family. Um, think about me. Stiles? Hey, baby, think about me." I cup hand around his face, staring into his eyes. "Breathe with me, Stiles. Try slow your breathing with mine, okay? Baby, come on, do this with me." 

He gasps. "I can't... I can't." He was hyperventilating, making me worried. 

"Sh, sh, Stiles look at me." I whisper. Holding your breath helps a panic attack, so when you kissed me, you held your breath. Stiles word's flash through my mind, and before I know it, I connected my lips onto his. He held his breath. I close my eyes and pressed my body against his and he forced me onto his lap. 

My legs are wrapped around him. I slowly pulled away, when his breathing was back to normal and I smiled. "Ooh. How'd you do that?" Stiles asks, looking at me. 

"I, uh... you told me when I had my panic attack that uh, um, holding your breath helps a panic attack, so when you kissed me, you held your breath." Stiles smiled at me, gratefully, and wrapped his arms around me, and kissed the side of my head. 

"I love you." Stiles mumbled. 

"I love you, too." I hear him sniff, I didn't want him to cry. I want him to be happy. 

"It was really smart." He mumbled to me. 

"I mean, you said it, Sti." I told him, pulling back the hug and looking at him again. 

"Sti?" Stiles asked, chuckling. 

"Come on, that was cute. Sti. Short for Stiles." I smile and pecked his lips again. He wiped away a tear, which he didn't get, so, I raised my thumb and I did it for him. He smiled and kissed my hand. 

He then pulled me towards him and leans back in the locker. "You're cute." Stiles whisper. 

"If I was really smart I should tell you that you should consider with the guidance counselor." Stiles chuckled. Then, he had this look like he had an idea. 

"Morrell." Stiles said. 

"Guys, what's going on?" Lydia asked, entering the boy's locker room. 

✢

Stiles, Lydia, and I run into the guidance office. We turn and see another girl sitting in the chair. "Are you here for Ms. Morrel?" Stiles asked. 

"No, I thought this was gym class." The darker girl sarcastically said, rolling her eyes. 

I turn to her this time. "Sweetheart, we're not in the mood for funny," I spat out. "Do you know where she is?" 

"If I did, I wouldn't be waiting here for 20 minutes." She exclaimed. "So how about you two back out the door and wait your turn." 

"We're not here for a session." Lydia fire's back. 

"Well, I am." She said. "And I've got some series issues to work on." 

"Hey, wait, wait." Stiles said, pulling me closer to him. "You're Danielle. Your Heather's best friend." 

"I was Heather's best friend," Danielle said. "We've been working on that issue for three times a week." 

"Hold on. Did you say Ms. Morrell was 20 minutes late?" I asked. 

Danielle shrugged. "And I don't know why, either. She's always on time." Danielle explained. 

"I was seeing her at the beginning of the semester." I turn to Stiles. "She was never late." 

"Then she's not late, she's missing." Stiles said, in his low voice. Sometimes, I'd like to think he does that on purpose, other times, I think it's natural to him. 

"What if we're not the only ones who think she knows something?" I said, my eyes widening. 

"Then I want to know what she knows." Stiles then walked over to the desk, and I frown. 

"What are you doing?" Danielle asks. 

"Trying to find her." Stiles digs through Morrell's draws. 

"Those files are private." Danielle sassed. 

"Yeah, she kind of right." I pressed my lips together, watching my boyfriend looking through the files. "That one's yours." Stiles holds up the file. 

I walk forward. "Let me see that." I snatch it off him, and he placed another one on the table. 

"That one Lydia's." 

"Let me see that." Lydia repeats, snatching her book, stepping forward. 

She then opens up her books.  "Wait, Lydia, that's your drawings," Stiles said, looking at the drawings of trees. Lydia flick through there all the trees. 

"Yeah, I know. It's a tree." Lydia said. 

"Yeah, it's good, too." Danielle said, looking over my shoulder. 

"Thank you." Lydia told Danielle. 

"No, but that's the same one though." Stiles said. 

"Same as what?" I asked. 

"It's the same one I always see Lydia drawing in class." 

"It's a tree." Lydia scoffed. "I like drawing trees." 

"No, but it's the exact same one." Stiles moved forward and took the file off Lydia. "Don't you see?" I then look between the two trees, they were the same one. "Wait a second." He then grabs ahold of Lydia's purse, and find another tree in there, and puts it down. Why? It's the same tree. "You see." 

Stiles flickers through the trees, comparing it with the other fresh tree that was recently drawn. "Okay, you can have my session," Danielle announced. "You've got bigger issues."  

Lydia gasps, as all the trees Lydia had drawn, were the exact same tree. "What is this?" 

Stiles then frowned and stopped at a tree. With his hands, he picked it up and slowly turned the book around. Until it was upside down. 

"I know where they are." 

✢

Lydia, Stiles, and I exit the room. "It's the Nemeton," Stiles explained. "That's where she's keeping them. It has to be." 

"Stilinski! McCall!" I stop, hearing my father's voice. Now, he's at my god damn school. 

"Uh." Stiles turns to Lydia. "All right. Go to Derek, okay? He and Peter, they have been there before so they'll know what it is." Lydia nodded. "Tell them it's the root cellar, all right? They'll know." 

Lydia then walked off and Stiles and I turn around to see Rafael standing there. "Did you know your dad's car in the school parking lot and has been since last night?" Rafael asked. 

"No. What does that mean?" Stiles asked. 

"It mean's he's officially missing." 

Thanks, Captian Obvious. 

✢

"Stiles, Stacey, why am I getting the feeling you two know something that could help find your dad?" Rafael sits us in the classroom, Stiles and I were sitting on desks, with Rafael leaning against one.

"If we did, why would we not tell you?" Stiles asks. Oh, he's good.

"If it meant helping your dad, why wouldn't you?" Rafael fires back.

"So you're asking me to tell you what I wouldn't tell you?" Stiles asks, mixing up his words, he good like that.

"First, I have not idea what you just said." Rafael said. "Second, how about either one of you just help me help you?"

"Well, I don't know how to help you help me tell you something that would help you if I don't know it." Stiles raised an eyebrow. He did it again.

"Are you doing this on purpose?" Rafael asked.

"I don't know anything, okay? Can I just go?" Stiles asked. "Can we just go?"

"Where are your other friends, Stacey?" Rafael turned to me, and I held my breath.

"You mean Scott?" I cleared my throat.

"I mean Scott, I mean Isaac Lahey, I mean Allison Argent, these twins, Ethan and Aiden." I scoffed. They're not my friends. "I've been told you two's whole little clique didn't show up at school today,"

"We don't have a clique," Stiles said. We have a pack, dumbass.

"Stiles, Stacey, come on. There's been a pretty disturbing amount of violent activity in this county in the last few months." My heart rises, my mind flashing back to when I was almost killed the other night. I then felt someone grab my hand, and I look down and saw it was Stiles'. "Several murders tied to this school. I don't know what's going on here... but it's serious. And, hey," Stiles turned his head towards Rafael. "Your dad is missing."

Rafael stands up. "Fine. But I don't want you going home alone. You have someone you could stay tonight?"

I scoff. He doesn't want Stiles to go home alone, he's not even his own son, yet his daughter is sitting in front of him and he doesn't even say a bloody hello. Unbelievable.

"He's with me." I turn my head and saw Deaton standing in the doorway.

I smile at Rafael. "Toodles, Rafael."

✢

"It has to be on a telluric current," Stiles explains, leaning on the table at the animal clinic. Allison, Isaac, Lydia, Deaton and I stand in the room. "Or maybe even at the axis of two, or where they all intersect. I just know it's where Derek took Paige to die."

Allison steps forward. "My dad and Gerard were there once." Allison started. "But Gerard said it was years ago and he couldn't remember where it was. And my dad obviously isn't here to tell us now."

"Yeah, mine either," Stiles said. I nodded.

"Then how do we find this place?" Isaac asked from behind. We all look at Deaton.

"There might be a way," Deaton started. "But it's dangerous." He turned to us. "We're gonna need Scott." I smile because right now, I really needed him.

✢

Dumping the ice, Deaton does. Across from me, there were three bathtubs. Filled with water and ice, Stiles, Scott, and Allison were all going to go in that ice in order to find the Nemeton. By doing this, they'll make the Nemeton alive again, and creatures no one has ever seen come to Beacon Hills. So yeah, it'll be like a Beacon to Beacon Hills.

Huh. Iconic.

"All right," Deaton said as soon as Lydia had dumped the last bag of ice in the tube. "What did you bring?"

"Um, I brought my dad's badge." Stiles held it up for a second, I was standing next to him. "Jennifer kind of crushed it in her hand, so I tried hammering it out a bit. Still doesn't look great. Um..."

"It doesn't need to look good if it has meaning." Deaton reminds Stiles.

"Is that actual silver bullet?" Isaac asks the person who lives with us now, did I inform that? I look over at Allison who was looking at the silver bullet held in her fingers.

"Yeah, my dad made it as a kind of ceremonial thing. When one of us finishes learning all skills to be a hunter, we forge a silver bullet as a testament to the code." Allison explained. Huh. Interesting.

"Scott?" Deaton asks, and I turn to Scott. He looked at me, a little hurt in his eyes. I look down and saw that he was holding mum's watch, something Rafael gave her. I took a step forward as I was next to him as well.

"My dad got mum this watch when she first got hired at the hospital," Scott explained. I remember that moment.

"She used to say it was the only thing in her marriage that ever worked." I finished, and Scott nods his head. I felt someone grab my hand, I knew it was Stiles.

"Okay, the three of you will get in. Each of us will hold you down until you're essential, well, dead." I pressed my lips together at Deaton's words. "But it's not just someone to hold you under. It needs to be someone who can pull you back. Someone that has a strong connection to you, a kind of an emotional tether."

I step forward to Scott. He's my twin, I've gotta be it. "Stacey, you go with Stiles." I turn my head and I nod, and took a step towards him instead.

"Are you sure? I mean, Scott and I both have to go under." Allison said.

"It's okay," Scott told Allison. Scott then walked past them, to the tub.

✢

Soon, they were ready. I watch Stiles' take a step to the tub, standing behind it. He then turned to me. I gulp, I'm going to drown him. I can't believe I'm killing him. He pulled me into a hug. "I don't want to do this, I don't-"

"Sh," Stiles mumbles softly, rubbing my back. "It'll be okay," he pulled out of the tub, and he gently kisses me on my forehead. I've got to be strong for him. "I love you."

"I love you more." My voice cracked as he turned around to the tub, and he raises his leg and puts his foot in it. Soon, he was standing in the tub, tears threatening to fall down my cheeks. I look at Scott and Allison, who were slowly making their bodies into the water and then watched my boyfriend put his shoulder's under. He shivers.

They all shiver, in fact and I step forward towards the tub. Lydia was with Scott, and Isaac was with Allison. I look down at Stiles, who looked up at me, shivering.

I then dip my head down and I connect our lips together, he kissed back, closing his eyes. I had put my hands on his shoulders and shivered at how cold it felt. I then let go of the kiss, everything felt like it was slow motion.

I give Stiles a small shoulder massage. "By the way," Stiles turns his head towards Scott. "If I don't make it back and you do, you should probably know something. Your dad's in town."

"Don't say that, Stiles. Your gonna make it. Your gonna make it." I repeat, and Isaac and Lydia steps forward to Scott and Allison. Scott then looked at me, and I nodded. "I love you, too, Scotty,"

He then looked forward. And I squeeze Stiles' shoulders, as the other's do as well. And I slowly push in Stiles, and he looked up at me, as he slides in the water, looking at me. He's gonna make it. I mouthed three things to him before he went under.

I love you.