Infinite

Dark Moon

Stiles, Josie, and Jason stood in a cave possibly two hundred feet beneath the surface. Jason grunted as he hammered in the last spike with a long chain attached to it.

Josie watched Stiles's expression, but he kept it frustratingly blank. Not showing anybody what he was feeling.

"This should hold you until sunrise," Jason said, leaning the sledgehammer against his shoulder and he picked up his lantern,"Also since when you turn you get a lot bigger so it'd also have to fit through two hundred feet of a narrow passageway made out of solid rock."

Stiles nodded,"Good."

They made their way back up to the surface, and Josie sucked in a breath of fresh air with relief. Looking at Stiles he seemed happy to be in the sun too.

They still had a couple of hours until the sun set and he would turn, and Josie felt utterly helpless, not able to help her Twin Flame through this.

He already told her to stay away from him during that night, afraid to so much as scratch her from his lack of self control.

They found Kira at the basketball court, playing one on one with Scott. She seemed happy, smiling and laughing each time she made a basket.

But when she saw Stiles she paused, and both she and Scott jogged over to them,"Is it done?"

"All set up," Stiles told them,"Chains of solid titanium embedded in rock and at least five different other things to keep me from getting out of the chains don't hold."

"Are you sure that's needed?" Scott asked,"I mean, what if you--"

"I'm not your kind of shapeshifter, Scott," Stiles reminded him,"No control when I turn, and something else takes over when it happens."

Scott nodded slowly,"What does it feel like?" He asked, pointing the question at the three Lionhearts,"When it doesn't hurt anymore?"

"Good. Amazing, it's like you have nothing to worry about, nothing but freedom," Josie said, and Kira nodded in agreement.

"But that freedom isn't worth the pain you have to go through to get it," Stiles stated, and by the looks of Josie and Kira they agreed with that as well.

"Is there a way to not make it hurt?" Scott asked as they headed back toward Mama's house for an early dinner for Stiles. Something about having a full belly dulled the pain slightly.

"Hope found a way," Josie said,"She explained it to me once. Because Cursed Wolves are the products of dark magic it's painful, but her witch side kind of smooths out the roughness of the transition."

"Could you do that?" Scott asked,"Since your a witch?"

Josie shrugged,"I don't know. I haven't turned since the New Moon last month. And when Kira demonstrated that she had control I didn't want to...risk feeling it. Or not being able to turn back."

Stiles couldn't bear the thought of Josie not being brought back to him. To stay trapped inside the body of an animal forever, to have who she was lost forever.

As if sensing what he was thinking, Josie gave his hand a reassuring squeeze,"C'mon. I'm hungry."

The dinner was good, but there was an emptiness in Stiles's eyes, even as he faked a smile whenever someone said something funny, the smile never reached his eyes.

Only Josie went back down with him, and he stripped off his shirt and shorts, leaving him in only his boxers.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Josie asked, helping him tighten the cuff on his wrist.