Eichen House looked more intimidating than ever. The scene looked as if it were straight out of the horror movie - the large steel gates with ravens perching on top, the dark trees surrounding, the flickering lights sticking out against the midnight sky. A shiver ran down Stiles' back.

"Is it just me, or does this place get creepier every time we come here?" Stiles whispered to Scott. Scott was leaning against the Jeep as Stiles bent over to fix it. Right when he and Lydia arrived, the car broke down. Again. Every one else knew the car was a goner, but Stiles' refused to believe it.

Stiles inhaled the smell of oil and machinery as Scott let out a light laugh. "I can't argue with that." Stiles' head was buried in the Jeep, holding a wrench in one hand and a roll of duct tape in the other, but he could feel Scott's body stiffen up next to him. Like there was something wrong.

Stiles' head snapped up. He narrowed his eyebrows at Scott, who was distantly staring at Kira. Stiles' eyes couldn't help but follow Lydia, who was talking to Isaac near the gate. Anger bubbled up in his chest. She shouldn't be here. Last time she was here, she almost got killed.

He couldn't go through that pain and panic again.

Stiles turned his attention back to Scott. Stiles always knew when there was something wrong with his best friend. The way his body shifted and how his usually happy eyes would be empty. "You okay, Scott?"

Scott turned to Stiles, giving him a little shrug. "Can I tell you something?"

Stiles twisted his wrench a few time (hopefully fixing the problem), then gave Scott his full attention. "Yeah, of course. What's up?"

He let out a deep breath. "It's Kira. Last night at the club... She lost control. It was crazy. One minute she was, Y'know, normal Kira, but the next minute she had this... Fire around her. I mean, she's had it before, but there was something different. Then, she said something in Japanse, and went at the guy." Something dark flashed over Scott's eyes, and Stiles heart immediately was clenched with concern. "She almost took his head off."

Blood.

The blood on Stiles' hand from the night before flashed into his mind. He vividly remembered the look in Donovan's eyes as he died. The sound of feet pounding against the floor. Spiderwebs coating his hands. He remembered the one word: Good.

Stiles sympathized with Kira. She had powers that she didn't know how to control. She was acting in self-defense, just like he was. It was her life or his, and, in cases with evil shapeshifters, it's more noble to let yourself live than to let a monster on the prowl.

Stiles' hands began to shake with anxiety. He couldn't let Scott know. "Maybe... Maybe it was self-defense," Stiles muttered, quickly turning his head back to the Jeep. He couldn't bear to make eye-contact with Scott. "There are certain things that you call kill for."

"I guess, but," Scott let out a deep breath. He sounded conflicted and frustrated. "We're trying to save these people. We don't kill people we're trying to save."

Stiles tore off another piece of duct tape. "Yeah, well, that doesn't mean we have to sacrifice ourselves for them."

Scott narrowed his eyebrows. "Stiles -"

To Stiles' luck, Scott was cut off by the screeching of the large gates opening. Turning his head, Stiles saw the ravens flying away from the moving gates and out into the forest. His heart skipped a beat. All the bad memories came flooding back in.

Stiles and Scott exchanged a glance. Anxiety wracked his brain and his hands shook. Needing something to grab onto, Stiles grabbed the hood of the car and slammed it down, not taking his eyes off Eichen House. He could see lights from the inside of the building. He wondered what was going on inside there. Who was getting tortured.

As they walked closer to the others, Stiles felt Lydia's eyes on him. He glanced over at her, and immediately melted as they locked eyes. Her Emerald green eyes were filled with worry, like she was reliving the events of the past. But, there was something about her. Maybe it was the way she stood tall or held her head high, but she looked brave. Not fearless, but brave. Like she was willing to do anything, not matter the consequences.

Stiles sucked in a deep breath as he caught up to her. He wished he could be brave like her. These new powers had made him strong, but not brave. He used his powers to kill someone. To him, it seemed like something straight out of a villain origin story.

Thinking about his powers sent spiderwebs down his wrists. They clung onto his fingertips. Stiles let out a deep breath. God, these spiderwebs are like boners. They come out at the worst times.

Lydia looked up to Stiles as they walked up the steps. Stiles kept his eyes on the ground. Eichen House was intimidating, and didn't want the others to see his fear. "Stiles?" Lydia asked. "Are you okay?"

Stiles shrugged as he attempted to scratch the spiderwebs off of his hands. "I'm fine."

Lydia didn't believe it for a second. She sighed exasperatedly. "No, you're not. I knew I shouldn't have let you come. I mean, you almost got murdered here like three times! You should've stayed with Malia."

Stiles looked down at Lydia, ignoring Isaac, who was currently smirking at the two. (Isaac had once said that Stiles and Lydia would make the perfect couple. Needless to say, he wasn't too pleased when Stiles and Malia got together.) "I don't want to be with Malia right now," he said. "I want to be here with the pack. If something happened to Scott." He took in a deep breath as they approached the glass doors. "If something happened to you..."

The next thing Lydia did surprised Stiles. She reached out and took his hand. Stiles' heart skipped a beat. Before Malia was in the picture, they would always hold onto each other in times of trouble. But once Malia and Stiles got together, Lydia had become more distant. They were still friends, but they didn't cling onto each other like they did before.

Stiles felt something clench his heart. Damn it, he thought to himself. Stop thinking about Lydia. You shouldn't have any more feelings for Lydia. But, her small, warm hand against his made him feel comforted in such a scary place. He squeezed her hand in response. She gave him a small, tender smile.

Then, Stiles felt something coursing through his veins. It was the same feeling he got whenever spiderwebs were about to shoot out of his hands. No, he though angrily. Not now.

But, Stiles couldn't control it. The spiderwebs leaked from his wrists as he, Lydia, Scott, Kira, and Isaac stepped through the front door. They were hit by a blast of cool air, which made even more of the spiderwebs pour from his hands. His body went rigid.

He didn't want to Lydia find out about his powers. At least, not like this.

Lydia gave him a puzzled look as they stepped through the front door. "Stiles," she whispered, leaning closer to him. "What's on your hands?"

Lydia let go of Stiles hand, then took it between her own two. Her thumb went over the white webs covering his palms and fingers. She glanced up at him, concern in her eyes. "What is this?" She said as Scott checked in with the orderly. He couldn't help but notice that the creepy man was eyeing up Lydia. He took a step to the side, blocking his view of Lydia. "Are these... Spiderwebs?"

Stiles pretended to be just as shocked as she was. He hated to lie to her, but it was what he had to do. "I-I don't know," he stuttered, wiping the spiderwebs off of his other hands. "That's weird. Maybe there were some cobwebs on the Jeep. I didn't even realize they were there."

Lydia could tell he was lying, but, she decided to play along. "Yeah..." She mumbled. "Maybe."

"Lovebirds!" Isaac said, snapping both of them out of their trance. "You need to take off your belts."

Stiles let out air through his nose angrily. He awkwardly took off his belt, as Kira argued with orderly. Her sword belt was fastened tightly against her waist. Shit.

"It's kinda crucial to the outfit."

"Take it off, or the inmates will take it and try to strangle you - or themselves - with it."

"Well..." She said, running out of arguements.

Scott gave her an approving, loving look. Like he was trying to say: It's okay. You're strong enough without your sword. It's all good.

Stiles wished he could have a relationship like Scott and Kira.

Stiles and Kira both threw their belts into the plastic bucket, not taking his eyes off of the orderly. His creepy, dead eyes were locked onto Lydia. He was staring at all the things he shouldn't be staring at. Stiles suddenly felt overprotective. A guy that works at an insane asylum and is ten years older than her? No fucking way.

Stiles stepped in front of Lydia as the orderly stored their belts away. "Right this way."

***

"Alright," Isaac said, clapping his hands together. The booming noise caused a hiss to come from inside the mountain ash. "Lydia, Stiles - you're going to talk to Valack. You remember what to say, right?"

Stiles had no clue. He had just tagged along on this little death trip. Lydia held up The Dread Doctors book. "Just ask him what he knows about the Dread Doctors."

"Is there any etiquette for talking to this guy?" Stiles asked, slightly worried. He hadn't met Valack before, but he hadn't heard great things about the three-eyed man.

Kira shrugged. "I just wouldn't make eye contact. With any of the eyes."

Stiles titled his head to the side, considering it, then nodded. He glanced over at Lydia. She held out her hand, an open invitation to take it. Even though he felt guilty about holding hands with someone who wasn't his girlfriend, her hands were always warm, soft, and comforting. He grabbed her hand, and prayed to God that the spiderwebs inside him could control themselves.

It only then occurred to him that something supernatural was going on with him. What if he couldn't get past the mountain ash? What if all of his friends discovered he had powers? He knew he should probably come clean, but he just couldn't. For some reason, he didn't want them knowing about his powers. Mostly because that would mean they would find out about Donovan.

Lydia took a step forward, not hesitating one bit. She easily stepped through the mountain ash. Stiles' heart skipped a beat as his toes were at the edge of the door. He was afraid to step through. Lydia's a banshee and she can get through. So should I.

Stiles, sucking in his breath, stepped over the line. Nothing happened. Nothing forced him back. Stiles let out a deep breath or relief. Thank God.

"Are you okay?" Lydia whispered as the slowly walked down the hall. Stiles' new senses suddenly spiked up, and he could hear everything going inside of the cells. The hissing of a kanima filled his ears, along with the sobs of a young girl. He tried to shove it out, but he couldn't. He could hear every sound clearly and loudly.

Stiles let out a shaky breath as they walked past a female mute in a straight jacket. "I'm fine," he lied, then looked down to her. "You?"

Lydia didn't respond, but simply shrugged. Stiles' eyes scanned the cells, identifying who made what sound. He saw the werewolf scraping it's claws against the wooden floor and the wendigo banging against the glass. Then, as they walked by a werewolf, she began to scream, and starting pointing at Stiles.

Stiles jumped a little in surprise, and Lydia gripped his hand. "You!" The werewolf hissed. "What are you?! What are you?!"

Stiles averted his eyes from the werewolf woman. Can they smell it? He asked himself. Can Scott, Isaac, and Malia sense my new powers? Panic rose in Stiles' throat.

"Don't make eye contact," Lydia whispered as they walked closer towards Valack. Stiles nodded. Don't make eye contact. Don't make eye contact. Don't make eye contact. He repeated the words over and over as they passed the strange, dangerous creatures.

But, he could still hear them. Smell them. He could tell there was a banshee next to them. He didn't know how he could tell, he just could. He hadn't been able to tell when Lydia was next to him, and she was the strongest banshee Stiles had ever seen. What the hell is happening to me?

Lydia squeezed his hand as they approached Valack and passed... Donovan? Stiles heart began to pound furiously against his chest as he glanced over at the cell next to them. Sitting there - serene and calm - was Donovan. He was perched on top of a stool, his eyes glued to Stiles.

I must be hallucinating, Stiles thought. I killed Donovan. There's no way he could've survived that.

Stiles slammed his eyes shut, trying to block out the vision of Donovan. When he opened his eyes again, there was a strange creature atop the stool. It was green and slimy - something right out of a cheesy eighties alien movie. Stiles let out a sigh of relief.

"It's a slaugh," Valack said. "It shows lost souls. Do you know any lost souls, Stiles?"

A shiver ran down Stiles' spine. Everything about Valack was creepy. His accent, his crazy eyes, the bloodied rag around his forehead that hide his third eye. He didn't trust Valack one bit. Hell, he was even scared of him. But, he wouldn't let that stop him from getting the information he needed.

"Yeah," Stiles muttered. "Every soul in this damn place."

Valack faked a look of mock offense. "Don't talk like that. We're all works in progress."

Stiles felt Lydia tense up next to him. Peter. Lydia began to say something, but, he couldn't hear them. Instead, Scott's voice boomed through his head.

"Those two... They're pretty good together."

Stiles' hands instinctively went up to his ears. Lydia gave him a questioning look, so he immediately dropped his hands. He didn't want to lie to her any more than he needed to. Lydia continued to talk, but he couldn't hear a word she was saying. Kira's voice rang through his head. "Yeah they are."

Are they talking about me and Lydia? Stiles thought.

"No super strength or samurai swords, but they stay alive," Scott said.

"He still likes her, doesn't he?" Kira asked.

Stiles' body went rigid. Shit. Is it really that obvious? Anyone paying enough attention could see that Stiles clearly still had feelings for Lydia, but he didn't think people would notice. He wanted him to notice his feelings for his beautiful new girlfriend, Malia, not Lydia.

"Yeah, and, in other shocking news, grass is green," Isaac said sarcastically.

Scott laughed lightly and Kira giggled. "But it's different now. Isaac, you remember the way he used to be around her, right?"

"Was it bad?" Kira asked.

"He told me that if I laid a hand on her he would turn my ass into a scarf and give it to her for her birthday," Isaac said.

Kira laughed. "C'mon, I'm sure it wasn't all that bad."

In Stiles' mind, he could feel Scott smile. It was a strange sensation, but somehow he knew. "It was kinda obsessive... But not all bad. You know, Lydia used to pretend not to be smart?"

I was not that obsessive, Stiles thought to himself.

"Our Lydia?"

"Yeah, Stiles was the only one who knew," Isaac said.

"He paid attention. He listened. He remembered," Scott said.

Isaac sighed. "I wish they would just get together already. Hey, maybe we can break up him and Malia! I never liked them anyway. Plus, Malia's hot. Maybe I can make a move on her..."

Scott scoffed. "You and Malia? I can't see it."

Kira clicked her tongue. "I can." Her tone suddenly turned stern. "But we are not breaking up Stiles and Malia. If they want to break up, then they'll break up. Capiche?"

Scott and Isaac begrudgingly mumbled "capiche."

Suddenly, he can no longer hear them. He hears Valack's voice on full volume, booming throughout his head. "I want you to scream."

Valack slid the recorder through the small opening in the glass. Lydia reached for the recorder, but Stiles stepped in front of her, and took the recorder away from him. "No. No way."

Lydia sighed impatiently. "Stiles -"

"Lydia," Stiles said sternly. It felt a bit strange talking to her now that he knew what the other thought of their relationship. "Who knows what he could use your scream for? You're powerful. He might figure out some way to murder with it -"

"Stiles, this isn't your decision to make," Lydia said sternly. Stiles wasn't sure what she was trading her scream for, but he was sure it wasn't worth it. Lydia turned back to Valack, disregarding Stiles. "I'll do it."

"Lydia -"

"Stiles -"

Valack rolled his eyes. "You two argue like an old married couple. Now, Lydia said yes, so she will scream for me. Sorry, Stiles, but you can't change her mind."

Stiles felt something snap inside of him. "Listen up, I know Lydia. I know I can't talk her out it. Stop acting like you know us, you son of a bitch, or I'll be sure to break your insides."

"Stiles."

"I could do it you know," Stiles said. He couldn't control the words coming out of his mouth. Stiles had a few problems with anger earlier in his life, but he could usually control it. It must be his new powers, causing him to rage out like this. "Don't underestimate me. I swear to god, if you use Lydia's scream for anything bad, I will hunt you down."

Lydia gripped Stiles' arm. "Stiles."

At, just like that, Stiles was no longer angry. It was like Lydia's voice had snapped him out his trance. He staggered backwards. "Stiles, now is not the time," Valack said. "Nor is that issue of any importance. Tell me - how many have died so far? How many have the Dread Doctors murdered?"

Neither Stiles nor Lydia responded. "I am on your side! Why do you think I wrote the book? I wrote it as a warning. As a message. I knew they would come again. And they're here now, and innocent children are dying! Do you want to know how many died to first time? Do you want to know how many will die if they succeed?"

"The Dread Doctors are back, all because a few teenagers who never even considered the consequences decided to reignite a supernatural force they barely understand!" Valack said angrily. The Nemeton. Ever since Donovan died, hell, ever since Allison died, Stiles had been in a constant state of guilt. But now he felt even guiltier. He was one of the people who reignited the Nemeton. It's partly his fault. The Nogistune. Allison. The Benefactor. And now the Dread Doctors.

He had powers now, he should be able to help. He will help. He has to fix his mistakes.

Stiles glanced over at Lydia, and placed the recorder in her hand. "Scream, Lydia. Scream."

So she did. It was loud, and it practically broke Stiles' eardrums with his new, amplified hearing, but they needed information on the Dread Doctors. He didn't trust Valack one bit, but he knew what he had to do.

Stiles, with blood now dribbling from his ears, dropped his hands. He felt a coat of spiderwebs on them, but he didn't care. He wiped them off on his pants. Stiles opened his mouth to say something, when he is interrupted by Kira's voice pounding through his head: "I can't control it!"

Suddenly, the lights flicker. To a normal human, it would've been tolerable. But, with Stiles' new senses, it sounded like something had shattered near his ear. It was almost as loud as Lydia's scream. The lights continued to flicker - going from extremely bright to pure darkness.

Valack looked at them with panic in his eyes. "Who did you bring with you?"

Stiles and Lydia exchanged a wary glance. "A Kitsune!" Valack said. Alright, what the hell? Is he some kind of mind reader?

Boom!

A light explodes. Stiles could hear it, and it felt like someone had taken a bottle and smashed it against the side of his head. His hands went to his ears, where he could feel spiderwebs leaking from his fingertips and filling his ear. He tried to remove his hands from his ears, but the sound was too loud. He kept his hands over his ears for a few more seconds, staggering backwards and ignoring Lydia calling his name in a panic.

The room became dark, and lights were no longer breaking, but Stiles could still hear it. He could hear everything. He could hear Scott, Kira, and Isaac panicking, he could hear loud footsteps against the footsteps, he could hear werewolves scraping their nails against the floorboards. It was like he was a banshee, hearing everything at once.

Even though he felt like his head was about to explode, he could hear Valack: "It's not just the mountain ash that keeps this building secure. It's the electromagnetic energy. It's what allows certain creatures to be kept in and keeps other creatures out."

Panic laced his voiced. "They're here. And you let them in."

Boom! Another light exploded in the distance. Stiles let out a scream of pain. He crumbled against the wall. It felt like someone had taken a hammer, and was furiously beating against the side of his head. He didn't know what to do.

"Stiles!" Lydia cried, and crouched in front of him. His eyes were slammed shut, but he could feel her presence in front of him. Suddenly, he heard Scott screaming in pain, and Isaac's voice: "Scott, no!"

He let out another cry of pain. Isaac's voice reverberated in his brain. It felt like someone was drilling a hole into his head. He couldn't control his new powers. It was all too much. Tears leaked from Stiles eyes as he collapsed into a sitting position on the floor.

Boom!

"Do something!" Lydia screamed at Valack, which felt like another bullet to the brain for Stiles.

"I can't do anything!" Valack said impatiently. "This is your fault! You brought the Kitsune with you, and now the Dread Doctors are here to kill us all. Including your pathetic little boyfriend over there."

"Shut up!" Lydia screamed angrily. She turned back to Stiles, who was rocking back and forth, spiderwebs pouring from his hands. She cupped his face with her hands. "Stiles, what's wrong? Talk to me, Stiles. Stiles!"

She gently shook his face. He wanted to say something to her, but he couldn't hear anything.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Lydia's hands went to his, and he suddenly realized that she must be seeing the spiderwebs coming from his hands. "Spiderwebs?" She questioned, brushing her thumbs across his face. "Oh, God, blood. Stiles, c'mon, say something. You're okay."

He wanted to say something to her, but, as another light broke and more pain radiated through his body, his world faded to black.