𝟒𝟐 , 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤

✯☾✯

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗿𝗲-𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 clinic in hopes that they could come up with an other plan that would work in their favour.

Time was running out. Jenifer had everything she needed to make her sacrifice. They were now only left tortured with the when and the where.

Lizzie, an uncontrollable storm of nerves, could not sit or stand still and took to wandering aimlessly around the clinic in hopes of releasing some trepidation. She'd only just heard that Scott had been on the brink of joining the Alpha Pack to ensure the safety of others.

There was a plan. There was an unpredictable, capricious entity that somewhat formed a resemblance of a plan.

Vital information had been relayed about a supposed Nemeton,  a powerful, ancient tree that served as a beacon for supernatural creatures, a focal point for magical energy, and a sacred meeting place for Druids.

Supposedly, this was where The Darach would be able to accumulate as much raw power as it needed it make its sacrifice.

Deaton had proposed his own method of tracking it down without searching endlessly and pointlessly through Beacon Hills, and now that they had Scott back in the safety of their familiar warmth, Deaton decided they had everything they needed for this to take place.

It was Scott, Stiles and Allison whose parents had been taken, they had the intense vigorous connections. They were to be surrogate sacrifices for their parents. In order to undergo this druid-ritual, they were going to be submerged in ice cold water until they were at the point of death. This would create a tether, allowing the trio to form a cognitive connection to find this Nemeton.

It was dangerous, so dangerous even Lizzie could comprehend it, evident by the churning nausea hacking her from the inside out. Her best friends would be technically dead.

Hence, the pack had gathered around three metallic tubs in the clinic, brimming with clean cut ice and overflowing with water.

Lizzie chewed desperately on her bottom lip, feeling the tufts of skin slide bloody through her teeth as she watched Scott, Stiles and Allison each produce and explain their totems, their affinities with both their parents and the over-world.

The Sheriff's badge, a silver bullet and a watch.

Lizzie glanced up, cranking her neck to meet the eyes of her boyfriend, her own glazed over in panic. Isaac, in a similar state himself, could only gently tug the mangled bottom lip from the grasps of her teeth and take hold of her hand.

She didn't like this at all.

"Okay," Deaton began as Annie shovelled in the last scoops of ice into the tubs, "The three of you will get in. Each of us will hold you down until you're essentially..."

The man trailed off, leaving the aroma surrounding the dysphemistic noun.

"Dead." Annie finished for him, pointedly unable to meet anyone's eye.

Deaton continued, "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 emotional tether."

Then, something strange happened. A subconscious, almost missable movement of Isaac and Allison turning towards each other.

If Lizzie had blinked the following second, she wouldn't have acknowledged it. But, she did. And, oh, did it feel like her heart came to a screeching halt trying to comprehend just what that meant. Her thoughts looped dizzily and she found herself scrutinising their eye contact, the comfort in Isaac's eyes and the expectation in Allison's.

Before anything more, Lizzie felt a tug on her arm. Stiles had grabbed a hold of her and yanked her to his side, glancing at Deaton for approval. He nodded.

Of course Lizzie was to be his tether. Elizabeth Brown and Stiles Stilinski were that of the very same soul, of the very same mind, mirrored in understanding. People forgot how embedded they were into each other's lives, how knowledgeable they were of the intricacies of eachother's being. They were twin flames. Platonic Soulmates.

Isaac moved towards Scott, the boy who'd saved him, his morality, his life. Allison gravitated into the space of Lydia, her divine counterpart. Each of the pairs lined up behind a tub, Annie beside Deaton as his own support in strength as he conducted the ritual.

Lizzie, dwarfed behind her best friend and dancing from foot to foot, planted a kiss to Stiles' cheek as he stepped into the bath. All three surrogate sacrifices hissed at the coldness as they submerged themselves.

Lizzie winced desperately as Deaton gave the nod and she forced Stiles under, loosing sight of him beneath the ripples.

All three of them thrashed in pain, anguished, craving air and release until they went still, floating limply just under the surface of the water.

Letting out a sob, Lizzie released Stiles and stumbled backwards into the arms of her boyfriend. Isaac's hands rested against the exposed skin of her waist above her patterned denim skirt, tracing idly as he cradled her, gently easing her as she felt the rise and fall of his chest behind her. Their hearts beat in a rhythm that matched no time, it only belonged to them and this is where they would stay if or when Scott, Stiles and Allison returned.

✯☾✯

Sharp gasps filled the air, water sloshing all over the concrete floor, alerting Lizzie and Isaac, both of them flying up from their positions of leaning against each other and joining Annie, Lydia and Deaton in the main body of the clinic.

Allison, Scott and Stiles were all sitting up, breathing heavily as they clutched the sides of the tubs. Lizzie's body jerked as she darted to open the linen closet, plucking out three towels and handing them to her friends.

"I saw it, i know where it is!" Scott immediately launched into explanation, barely giving himself time to catch his breath, clambering clumsily out the tub.

The other two followed, Stiles adding on, "We passed it. There's...a stump. A huge tree- well, it's not huge anymore. It was cut down. But, it's still big though. Very big."

"It was the night we were looking for the body," Scott explained, referring the last year when Peter bit him.

"I was there too in the car with my mother. We almost hit someone." Allison chimed in, shivering uncontrollably, so much so, Lizzie leaned over and rubbed her back, wrapping the faded cotton towel tighter around her friend's frame.

"It was me," Scott realised, "You almost hit me."

The boy turned to Deaton confidently, "We can find it."

The five that had not been under water could only gawp soundlessly at the sopping wet teens, dripping all over the clinic.

"What?"

"You guys were out a long time..." Isaac murmured grimly, his hands resting on his hips.

"How long is a long time?" Stiles questioned.

"A really fucking long time." Annie quipped unhelpfully, earning many sideways glares.

"16 hours." Deaton finally confirmed.

"We've been in the water for 16 hours?"

"...And the full moon rises in less than four."

✯☾✯

It took a while to get Scott, Stiles and Allison not only warm but also settled. Yet, eventually, their hysteria calmed and they were able to discuss what was on the cards for them next in a more rational manner.

Scott knew what time it was. He knew he should have been back with the alpha pack hours ago.

"No, dude, you're not going back with them!" Stiles exclaimed like it was the only truth he'd ever known.

"He's right, Scotty. You can't leave." Lizzie agreed with a tremor in her voice, leaning against Isaac's broad side.

Scott tightened his jaw and admitted, "I made a deal with deucalion."

"Does anyone else think that sounds a lot like a deal with the devil?" Stiles through the question out in exasperation.

"Why does it matter anyway?" Isaac questioned, even in panicked times he always found a way to contradict or dismiss Stiles.

"Because... i still don't think we can beat Jennifer without their help." Scott informed them.

Annie rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Well, thanks Scott for the ingenious vote of confidence-"

Deaton cut her off, his brow furrowed with lines etched from his years of wise dealings and supernatural knowledge. "I think Scott's right, Circumstances like this sometimes require that you align yourself with people you'd normally consider enemies."

Isaac, baffled, was quick to bounce back, "So, we're gonna trust him, the guy that calls himself, death, destroyer of worlds? We're gonna trust that guy."

His tone may have oozed with sass but, despite his incredulous perspective on this, he was relatively calm. He always seemed to be a beacon of rigid tranquility.

That's why he and Lizzie worked so well, just his presence seemed to quiet her nerves, quell the aches of her anxiety.

The lights flickered, feeding off the tense energy.

Deaton shook his head, "I wouldn't trust him, no. But I would use him to your advantage. Deaucalion may be the enemy but he could also be the bait."

As the group processed the severity of Deaton's proposition, the door to the clinic clattered and the group followed the source of the noise to the reception area where Ethan was waiting.

"I'm looking for Lydia." He announced, rather ominously, Lizzie thought.

"What do you want?" The redhead in question demanded softly.

"I need your help." The Alpha Wolf said. Annie hummed in suspicion, not so gracefully weaving her way to the front of the group, elbowing Stiles in the ribs in the process.

"With what?" She all but shouted.

"Stopping my brother and Kali... from killing Derek." He choked out solemnly.

✯☾✯

Like clockwork, the group had split, each faction divulging in different tasks to maximise the use of the little time they had to save Chris, Melissa and Noah.

Lydia took Ethan to repeat his revaluation in front of Peter, Derek and Cora. Scott, Isaac and Allison left to the Argent's to find anything with a strong scent for any of the wolves to use to track down the parents. Stiles, Lizzie and Annie following their footsteps, except in the Stilinski household.

After accomplishing the first thing the set out to do, Stiles, Lizzie and Annie piled into Stiles' jeep, Lizzie ostracised in the back seat still, despite Annie only being a new comer to the group and someone that Stiles clearly and obviously didn't quite trust yet.

"Remind me again why you're here?" Stiles grumped, eyes fixed on the road, through often darting up to the front mirror to ensure Lizzie's wellbeing.

Said pixie was completely and utterly fine, gazing dreamily out the window at the crackles of lighting splitting the sky into lacerations.

Annie crossed her arms against the tight black t shirt plastered against her chest, "Because you lot can't survive without me. You could do with some fire power."

Stiles could have retched at the pun, hands tightening around the steering wheel, as if he was choking it, "Or, maybe, you're just inserting yourself where you don't belong."

Annie smirked, "Are you scared of me, Stiles? You sound like you're scared of me."

The jeep seemed to speed up, picking up dust as it cruised along the desolate night time roads.

"No, I just don't trust you." Stiles shot back sharply. The words were harsh but he meant them.

Annie chuckled to herself lowly, "Makes it fun then I guess..."

The silence that followed was alive, electric, dripping with palpable tension only interrupted by Lizzie's off-key humming and the roar of thunder.

The vehicle was picking up masses amounts of speed and the roads were getting thinner, windier.

"Stiles, i think we should slow down." Lizzie chirruped from the back seat.

"Slow down, Stilinski!" Annie echoed at a louder volume.

But Stiles was too blind, too myopic with grief over his missing dad, apoplectic with the rage that he let this happen to him, the emotions mangled with this unknown surge within him that awoke anytime Annie spoke to him, to see the thick trunk of an oak tree right before them.

The jeep couldng be stopped, hurling full force into the wood of the tree and catapulting the passengers forward into states of unconsciousness.

✯☾✯

When Stiles awoke, there was a warmth and crackle of flames. His eyes opened to view the source, a small blaze rested comfortably in Annie's palm as she shook him awake.

He coughed, sticky liquid sliding down the side of his head, the wound matching Annie's.

"I can't wake Lizzie," Annie strained regretfully, guilt swimming in her posture, her gaze. She leaned over the boy and forced open the driver's door of the jeep, dragging she and Stiles out with her.

"No, no, no..." Stiles warbled as he was sliding out of the vehicle, throwing his head over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of his best friend.

Lizzie was strewn over the backseat, blood dripping viscous and fast over her pale skin, her glasses smashed against her freckled face.

But, Stiles didn't have the time to argue, his limbs grasped at by Annie, tugging him away from the car and into the darkness of Beacon Hills Reserve.

"Which way?" Annie yelled over the clatter of the storm, the wind whipping her hair every which way.

Stiles' legs moved before his mind could catch up. He'd been here before, in the ice bath.

The pair wound through the trees, feet pumping hazardously against the soil of the ground as Stiles' subconscious led the way. Until, they were spat out into a clearing.

A large stump, the surface area cracked and mossy. And beside it, the doors to an underground root cellar, seconds away from caving in.

Once again, the fire re lit in Annie's hand as she and Stiles slipped down into the collapsing cellar beneath the Nemeton.

Isaac was stood in the centre of a derelict open space under cover of ground, holding the makeshift roof up with his wolf strength as the others, The sheriff, Melissa, Chris and Allison did their best to help them.

The sight of Stiles and Annie seemed to cause an eruption of hope and strength as all seven people raised their hands to the ceiling of mud and soil, pushing it upwards.

The support wavered, Isaac, the majority of the strength, was wavering, his arms wobbling on exhaustion.

The shelter was going to give.

A second round of newcomer came tumbling into the cellar. A light different to Annie's fire, a blinding beam of fizzing power.

Lizzie stumbled as she catapulted through the cellar, her glasses slipping off her face and falling into the mud, in her hand was Stiles' aluminium baseball bat she'd scavenged from his jeep. Just long enough to reach from the floor to the collapsing ceiling. She jammed it between the two adding further support, holding it up.

Upon realisation of momentary safety, Stiles and Allison crashed into their respective parents in relief. Melissa first gathered Lizzie up in her own arms before beckoning Annie and Isaac to the join the cuddle.

After a few seconds of Melissa McCall smothering, Isaac broke away from the hug, grappling around on the floor in search of the cracked pair of spectacles belonging to the love of his life.

He found them screwed up in the corner of the room and swiped them off the floor before placing them tentatively back on Lizzie's face. He stroked the cold, wet skin of her cheeks as he did so, his fingers emitting the warmth of pure love that bled into her flesh.

✯☾✯

Lizzie always knew that Scott was and always had been their leader, it was an unwritten fact. He possessed everything of a hero, a role model. He was kind and forgiving and now, he had something to show for it.

Scott may have become an alpha by breaching a circle of mountain ashe, defying every rule of the supernatural world, but he already was one to his friends. His pack.

They were not bound by blood, by love, yet their loyalty was thicker than family and kinship. Each had chosen to walk with him before he became what he was, before he gained his official status, before his eyes turned red.

They were his shield. He was their sword. They moved as one.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮
wrote this in one sitting i was so excited i found somewhere to watch teen wolf!!

hope you liked that's season 3A DONE!!
i really laboured lizzie and stile's friendship to make 3B more painful.

love you all thank you so much for reading