If he's being honest with himself, Stiles doesn't think he'll ever bear seeing the ignorance in his father's eyes ever again, looking at him as if he had no memory of all the years that have gone by and as if Stiles was nothing but a stranger to the man. Of all the things that have happened in his life, Stiles thinks that moment had to be one of the worst he's ever experienced. And now... Now Lydia will forget about him too.
Before he can say anything the redhead cups his cheeks instinctively, and it's hard not to notice how her lower lip is quivering, or how tears start to well in her eyes. "No one will forget you. How could someone ever--"
"You heard Deaton." His heart stammers in his chest at her touch more than it already was from all the running. "The Wild Hunt doesn't just take people, it erases people from reality." Lydia keeps shaking her head as if what she's hearing can't be true. "I'll be taken and no one will remember me."
"I'll remember you."
"Lydia, you won't--"
His words are cut short by her lips, firm yet soft against his own, and for a fleeting second he's so surprised he doesn't really respond. But then he kisses her back because he has known for a while it was coming if only for a moment, the clock ticking against them. Always against them.
She can't hold back a sob. "You're not going anywhere, I won't let you."
Their foreheads touch and Stiles breathes in, her taste still on his lips and he hopes that's something he'll never forget. "I have to. Lydia, they'll come for me. The Riders will come for me and no one can stop them."
"We'll figure something out, you can't just--"
"You'd see them too."
She knows that, of course, but still... "Stiles--"
"No. I'll let them take me and everyone will forget about me. There's... There's no other way around it."
Lydia purses her lips and tries her hardest not to cry. "I'll remember you, Stiles. We all will."
He knows it's a lie. People are already forgetting all about him. "You'll forget me."
The pain in her voice makes his insides clench. "I won't."
For a moment they just stare at each other; then his arms wrap around her frame and pull her in, and Stiles thinks she cries against his chest for a minute but he isn't sure. He doesn't think he can take seeing her cry right now.
He loses count of how many times he softly kisses the top of her head or hugs her tight. "I'll let them take me, and you'll all forget about me." Lydia whimpers in his arms and he closes his eyes shut, breathing her in, trying to imprint in his memory everything he can about her. After all, he has no idea if he'll forget all about her too. "I trust you'll do everything you can to figure out a way to bring me back, alright? If anyone can, it's you, Lydia."
She looks up at him then, her hands looking for his to hold this time around. "I won't let you go, Stiles. I can't just..."
He catches a stray tear that rolls down her cheek and kisses her again, barely a brush of lips and still so meaningful to them both. He wishes it didn't feel like goodbye. "I need you to go, Lydia, and to leave me behind. I need you to not do something stupid and reckless, and to not look at the Ghost Riders, okay? I need you to stay, and I need you to look after my dad and Scott, and to make sure that everyone else is safe. I trust you'll try your hardest to bring me back, Lydia." It takes her a moment to respond but she nods in resignation. "I trust you."
In her head, she hears something else entirely.
She hears I love you, the same way she's had so many times before.
Remember - Part One
Start from the beginning
