...

Stiles' fingers twitch as he works the string on his lacrosse stick. "You know when you're drowning, you don't actually inhale until right before you black out." He sits in the Guidance Counsler's office, Ms. Morell at her desk in front of him. "It's called voluntary apnea. It's like no matter how much you're freaking out, the instinct to not let any water in is so strong that you won't open your mouth until you feel like your head's exploding. But then when you finally do let it in, that's when it stops hurting. It's not scary anymore. It's actually kind of peaceful."

"Are you saying you hope Matt felt some peace in his last moments?" Marin asked.

"I don't feel sorry for him."

"Can you feel sorry for the nine-year-old Matt who drowned?"

"Just because a bunch of dumbasses dragged him into a pool when he couldn't swim doesn't really give him the right to go off killing them one by one. And by the way, my dad told me that they found a bunch of pictures of Allison on Matt's computer. And not just of her though. I mean, he photoshopped himself into these pictures. Stuff like them holding hands and kissing. You know, like he built this whole fake relationship. So yeah, maybe drowning when he was nine years old was what sent him off the rails, but the dude was definitely riding the crazy train."

"One positive thing to come out of this, though. Right?" She refers to Noah getting his job as Sheriff back.

"Yeah. Yeah, but I still feel like there's something wrong between us. I don't know. It's just like tension when we talk. Same thing with Scott."

"Have you talked to him since that night?"

"No, not really. I mean, he's got his own problems to deal with though." Melissa has avoided Scott since that night, still trying to process what she saw. "I don't think he's talked to Allison either. But that might be more her choice, you know." Allison has become withdrawn and angry, determined to take down Derek because she blames him for her mother killing herself because of the Bite. "Her mom dying hit her pretty hard. But I guess it brought her and her dad closer. I haven't heard from Y/n since then either. It's like it's like she's avoiding me. Avoiding us. Jackson? Jackson hasn't really been himself lately. Actually the funny thing is, as of right now, Lydia is the one who seems the most normal."

"And what about you, Stiles? Feeling some anxiety about that championship game tomorrow night?"

"Why would you ask me that?" He asks as he uses his teeth to tighten the string. He seems to realize what he's doing and spits it out. "Ah. Uh, no. I-I never actually play. But hey, since one of my teammates is dead and another one's missing, who knows, right?"

"You mean, Isaac. One of the three runaways. You haven't heard from any of them, have you?"

"How come you're not taking any notes on this?" He lightly gestures to her desk.

"I do my notes after the session."

"Your memory's that good?"

"How about we get back to you?" He looks away and down at his lacrosse stick. "Stiles?"

He looks back up at her and shakes his head. "I'm fine. Yeah, aside from the not sleeping, the jumpiness, the constant, overwhelming, crushing fear that something terrible's about to happen."

"It's called hypervigilance, the persistent feeling of being under threat."

"But it's not just a feeling, though. It's- it's like a panic attack. You know, like I can't even breathe."

"Like you're drowning?"

"Yeah."

"So if you're drowning, and you're trying to keep your mouth closed until that very last moment, what if you choose to not open your mouth? To not let the water in?"

"Well, you do anyway. It's a reflex."

"But if you hold off until that reflex kicks in, you have more time, right?"

"Not much time."

"But more time to fight your way to the surface?"

"I guess."

"More time to be rescued?"

"More time to be in agonizing pain. And did you forget about the part where you feel like your head's exploding?"

"If it's about survival, isn't a little agony worth it?"

"And what if it just gets worse? What if it's agony now and then... And it's just hell later on?"

"Then think about something Winston Churchill once said: 'If you're going through hell, keep going'."

...

Y/n had been staying away from Stiles and Scott since that night. Bringing back Peter from the dead was insane and she doesn't even fully understand why she did it. But because she did she feels like she can't face them again until she does something, anything, to make up for it. So she's kept her distance from them. It's killed her, though, especially when Stiles would try to call her. Having to avoid him was the hardest part. Alan has tried to get her to talk to them, saying they'll understand. She knows they will, but she's still scared. Alan convinced her to at least go to the championship game that night and she agreed. Mostly because she's never missed one of their games before, even when Scott was just an average human and wasn't that good at lacrosse. Y/n stays on the sidelines and watches Stiles and Scott from a bit a ways away.

"Your dad coming?" Scott asks his friend.

"Yeah, he's already here." He glances back at Noah and Melissa sitting together.

"You seen Allison?"

"No, you seen Y/n?"

"Not yet." Stiles sighs and looks down. "She'll be here. I don't know why she's been avoiding us, but she's always been here."

Stiles nods and decides to change the subject. "You know what's going on?"

Scott sighs. "Not yet."

"It's going to be bad, isn't it? I mean, like people screaming, running for their lives, blood, killing, maiming kind of bad?"

"Looks like it."

"Scott, the other night seeing my dad get hit over the head by Matt, you know, while I'm just lying there and I can't even move, it just... I want to help, you know, but I can't do the things that you can do. I can't..."

"It's okay."

"We're losing, dude."

"The hell are you talking about?" Coach suddenly appears behind the boys. "Game hasn't even started. Now put on your helmet and get out there. You're in for Greenberg." He instructs Stiles.

"What? What happened to Greenberg?"

"What happened to Greenberg? He sucks. You suck... Slightly less."

"I'm playing? On the field? With the team?" Stiles is in disbelief.

"Yes, unless you'd rather play with yourself."

"I already did that today, twice." Y/n had been listening in and couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. He really doesn't think before he talks sometimes.

"Get the hell out there!" Stiles flails a bit as he gathers his gear and runs onto the field to take position.

"Oh, no. Why is my son running on the field?" Noah asked just as Y/n decided to sit next to the adults.

"Because he's on the team?" Melissa answers.

It seems to click as Noah gives her a look. "He is. He's on the team. He's- he's on the field. My son is on the field!" He stands up and yells. The other people just give him looks and Y/n gives him a clap as she sits next to Melissa. Noah sits back down.

Y/n looks at Melissa and she can feel her nervous energy. "I hope you're not scared of me." Y/n says quietly to her. "I know I'm a little different and you know that now, but I'm still the same Y/n you've come to know. That's just... Another part of me." Y/n gives her a little smile and decides to leave it there. Melissa looks at her and her eyes seem to soften as she thinks about what the girl said.

Y/n watches the field but then she hears Scott's name and she listens as Gerard talks to him. "Scott, can you hear me? Ah, you can. Good. Then listen closely because the game is about to get interesting. Let's put a real clock on this game, Scott. I'll give you until the last 30 seconds. When that scoreboard clock begins counting from 30, if you haven't given me Derek, then Jackson is gonna kill someone." Y/n furrows her brows. Gerard is in control of the kanima now? That's not good for anyone. "So tell me, Scott, who's gonna die tonight? Should it be your mother, who so bravely came out to support you? Or the Sheriff, your best friend's father? Or how about the pretty little redhead who managed to survive the bite of an Alpha?" Lydia sat next to Y/n then, the girls sharing a smile, Y/n's a little more forced because of what she's hearing. "Or perhaps the young witch, one of the few of her kind. Yes, I know about your other best friend, Scott." An involuntary shiver runs down her spine. How did he know? She's been so careful. "Or maybe one of these innocent teenagers with their whole life ahead of them? Or should I do everyone a favor and kill that ridiculous Coach? It's up to you, Scott. But you are going to help me take Derek down. Because if you don't... I'll have Jackson rip someone's head off right in the middle of the field and drench everyone you love and care about in blood." The ref blows the whistle, signaling the start of the game.

20 minutes go by in a flash it seems and the guest team has 2 points. Stiles somehow gets the ball but is instantlly tackled and the crowd groans. "He's probably just warming up." Melissa says.

Stiles struggles to pick up the ball on the ground, repeatedly saying he's got it when he's tackled again. "He's just nervous." Y/n explains.

"Plenty of time to turn it around." Lydia agrees optimistically.

"Totally." Y/n nods. Stiles goes to catch the ball but it hits him in the face guard.

Scott goes to get up but Coach catches him and yanks him back down. "Sit down, McCall."

"But, Coach, we're dying out there."

"Oh, I'm aware of that. Now sit." Scott sighs and Isaac sits next to him.

"You came to help."

"I came to win." Isaac smirks. "You got a plan yet?"

"No, right now it's pretty much just keep Jackson from killing anyone."

"Well, that might be easier if you're actually in the game. We have to make it so Coach has no choice but to play you."

"How do we do that? He's got a bench full of guys he can use before he ever puts me on the field." He glances at said guys and gets an idea, looking back at Isaac who has the same thought. "Can you do it without putting anyone in the hospital?"

"I can try." Isaac puts his helmet on and goes on the field. The game starts and Isaac rams down a fellow player.

"Lahey!" Coach yells. "Ramirez! You're in." He orders the next player on field. Isaac rams another player. "Murphy. You're in." Murphy goes on field. More players are run down and Coach stands up to yell at Isaac. "Lahey! Seriously, what the hell is your problem?" Isaac just shrugs as the whistle is blown. Going through another round another player is knocked down, but this time it was Isaac who was run down by Jackson.

Scott runs on field to check on the Beta. "It's not broken." Isaac informs. "But I can't move it." Medics come with a stretcher. "I think Jackson nicked me 'cause I can feel it spreading."

Scott looks over at Gerard. "You wanna play chess, Scott? Then you better be willing to sacrifice your own pawns."

Isaac is taken off field and Coach gives Scott his helmet. "McCall. Either you're in or we forfeit."

"Okay." Coach walks off only to be replaced by Melissa.

"Hey, something's happening, isn't it?" She asked. "Something more than a lacrosse game?"

"You should go."

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere. And everything I said before, forget it. All of it. Okay? If you can do something to help, then you do it. You have to."

"I will."

Y/n frowns to herself, and, although they weren't for her, she took Melissa's words to heart. Scott and Stiles get knocked down while playing. Scott sits up a bit as Gerard's voice filters in over the crowd again. "Don't you know what you're really bargaining for, Scott? Haven't you guessed what the real offer on the table is? It's Allison. It's always been Allison. You give me Derek, and I'll let you have Allison." There's 10 minutes left on the clock meaning Scott only has 9 and a half to figure something out. Scott got up and started to run off field, Y/n catching him when she could.

"Scott, what's happening?" She asked.

"Gerard is going after Isaac."

"What can I do?"

"Just stay here and keep an eye on Jackson. There's not much time." She nodded in understanding and he ran to the locker rooms to help Isaac. She went back to the stands, taking her seat between Melissa and Lydia.

Five minutes are left and Coach notices Scott's absence, standing and calling for him. "McCall! Where's McCall?" On the field the opposing team knocks Beacon players down, one of them losing the ball. Stiles is standing alone in the middle of the field and the ball rolls to his feet. The players are confused at the missing ball, none of them seeing where it went. Stiles sees no one behind him but the goalie in his position. He picks up the ball and starts running to the goal.

Y/n notices his movement and she gasps. "He has the ball. He has the ball!" Stiles screams as the players start to chase him down field.

"Oh, crap." Noah cringes with worry.

Stiles hesitates a few feet from the goal, glancing back at the player horde. "Stilinski! Shoot it!" Coach orders. "Shoot the ball! Shoot it, you idiot!"

"Shoot it!" Y/n yells. Stiles seems to hear her and does as told, shooting the ball in to goal. The crowd roars with cheers, none more so than the father and girlfriend of 24 of Beacon Hills.

"I scored a goal?" Stiles asks himself. The score board changing in favor of Beacon Hills answered his question. "I scored a goal! I SCORED A GOAL!" Y/n screams her cheers for him, filled with joy at his personal victory. And he scored another goal and another and another, Y/n screaming happily each time. The team surrounds him and pats him in congrats, but he's only half paying attention, his eyes drifting to the stands where he sees Y/n smiling brightly and clapping for him making him smile back.

Scott rushes through the crowd and to the end of the field, his eyes darting to the clock and seeing the last 30 seconds start to tick away. He looks over at Jackson who walks around the celebrating players to stand in the middle of the field, shedding his gloves and helmet. His eyes shift and claws come out. 3... 2... 1... The buzzer sounds, Beacon Hills have won the game. Y/n rushes down to were Scott was and he looks at her in confusion. "Nothing happened. Nothing." Suddenly the flood lights go out, dousing everyone in darkness. Someone screams.

People start running and bumping into each other and rushing to get away, some falling down the stands as they trip. It's all Y/n can do to keep herself up, the sudden rush of panic and the swamp of people disorienting her. She manages to find Scott as Melissa calls for him. "Scott? Scott, where are you? Scott!"

Scott seems to snap out of his disorientation faster and catches his mom. "Mom, mom, mom, mom. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine. But somebody is hurt. Somebody is down on the field."

"What?" A rush of fear makes Y/n's breath stutter, her mind instantly panicking about Stiles. The lights come back on and Coach is running to the group around the person on the ground, ordering them to move.

"Get out of the way! Move. Back off!" It's Jackson that's on the ground. "Move. Move." Melissa, Scott, and Y/n rush over as Lydia also runs to them.

"Jackson?" She calls. "What's happened to Jackson? Jackson! Jackson!" She pushes a guy away to see the blonde on the ground. "Jackson, what's happening?"

"Can we get a medic over here? We're gonna need a medic!"

Melissa falls to her knees next to Jackson and leans down to listen for signs of life. "He's not breathing. No pulse."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing." She lifts up his jersey and they see blood on his undershirt over his stomach. "Oh."

"Oh, my God." Lydia gasps. "There's blood. There's blood." She starts to cry, Y/n taking her hand. She's a bit relieved it's not Stiles, but Lydia cares about Jackson and she can imagine how that would hurt.

"Look." Scott taps Isaac and Y/n, gesturing to Jackson's bloody hands.

"He did it to himself?" Isaac questions.

Melissa looks up at Lydia. "Get down here." When she doesn't respond she repeats herself more firmly. "Get down here and hold his head. Tilt it up." Y/n lets go of Lydia as she get on her knees and helps Melissa. Noah pushes past the crowd, glancing at Melissa doing CPR, when he notices something and looks around.

"Stiles. Where's my son?" He says quietly to himself but Y/n's head whips to him when she heard him. "Where- where's my son?" Noah still looks around and Y/n does too, the panic she felt earlier now returning even stronger. "Where's Stiles? Where's Stiles?" He questions louder, getting other's attention. "Where the hell is my son?"

~~~
Published: 3/17/21
Edited: 4/12/22

Second to last chapter of season 2, how are we feeling?