This chapter is way more than I normally write, but I love it
Acoustic 'way down we go' playing over the top of Scott's first memory of Stiles was everything I needed and more.
Here it is if anyone wants to listen to the masterpiece again
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"Scott? Can you hear me?" Lydia asked, preparing to guide him through his memories.
Scott had his hands over his ears and his eyes scrunched shut. Whatever was going on in his head, it was all too much for his senses.
"Scott, listen. Imagine this. Imagine you're in the high school. Visualise yourself in the high school, in the corridor where all the lockers are. Just try to imagine standing there. That's where your memories are. They're all in the lockers. They're locked away behind each one. Every memory of Stiles is in a separate locker.
"Scott, you're there. In the highschool. You're standing there now," Lydia said, guiding him to the best of her ability.
Scott slowly lowered his hands as his eyes widened. It was actually working. He stared straight ahead, going through the hallway in his mind.
"I need help," the Alpha said. "I don't think I can do this. I can't figure it out."
"Keep looking," Lydia insisted.
"There are memories, but I don't know which one's the right one. What am I supposed to do?"
"Open a locker, find a memory," I suggested. "Find a memory, and then go from there."
Scott fell silent again, doing as I had told him. Now that it was working, we needed to help him find Stiles.
"It's getting too cold," Lydia said as she looked at the temperature dial. "He's getting too cold."
"What if it's not enough to remember him?" Malia asked.
I looked away from the chamber to face her, "What do you mean?"
"What if it's some kind of connection he's supposed to make because of a memory?"
I glanced down, to see that she was holding a small block of silver in her hands. The ones the Argents used when they graduated from their training program. The kind Allison had used to kill the Oni.
"Like an emotional connection?" Isaac asked.
"That could be why it worked for Stilinski, right?"
Lydia turned away from Scott, "He wasn't just remembering someone. He was remembering his son."
Malia smiled, putting the silver down and approaching the chamber. "Scott? Scott, can you hear me? Listen, I remember something. At the start of the year, Stiles was trying to find a place for you guys to live after graduation. He said you, he and Riley were getting an apartment together? He was helping me study, and I remember saying something to him. Something like it's not always a good idea to live with your friends. Even your best friends."
"But Stiles said it wouldn't matter because you weren't just his friend. You guys were more like brothers. And Riley. . ."
My sister looked at me, and I felt myself gulp as I held back tears.
"She was the love of his life."
A sob escaped me as I brought a hand to my mouth. I felt Isaac wrap an arm around me, both of us watching Scott react. It seemed to be working, but there was no way of telling at the moment.
"It's too cold," Lydia said, reaching for the latches.
We helped her undo them and open the door, Scott falling out as we did so. He collapsed to his knees, turning to us as he took deep breaths.
"What, what's wrong? Why'd you bring me out?"
"Your heart rate dropped. You were gonna die. We had to."
Scott looked back at the chamber, disappointment clear on his face. "But then, but then nothing happened, did it? It didn't work."
He looked at me, but I just looked away. I didn't want to give him hope or make him think something had happened. The only thing that happened, was that Scott had nearly died.
Malia and Isaac helped the Alpha to his feet, who tried to walk back over to the chamber, claiming he was going back in.
"No!" I immediately said. "No, you nearly just died, Scott. I'm not losing you, too. I won't."
"It was working, Ri," he told me, putting a hand on each of my arms. "Something was happening. I could feel it."
"But nothing was happening out here. Nothing, Scott," Lydia informed him. "All we saw was you freezing to death."
Scott tried to go again, but Isaac held him back. "You can't risk it, man. You're too cold still."
"I'm going," I claimed, removing my jacket.
Lydia immediately said no. "Riley, you don't heal as fast as a werewolf does. And without constant access to air, you won't even be able to start. You'll die."
"We can't give up."
"I'll go," Isaac offered.
I frowned, looking to him, "Isaac-"
He shook his head. "I've already had memories of him, so maybe that will help. I promised you you'd see him again."
He peeled off his jacket and then lifted his shirt over his head, "Let me help get him back."
"It's too dangerous," Lydia said, worried after what we just saw happen to Scott.
The Alpha pursed his lips, "Not as dangerous as doing nothing. Maybe he'll handle the cold better than me."
Isaac nodded, "Riley, Stiles and I had a complicated relationship. But, maybe it's enough."
"So, what will his visual be?" Malia asked.
Lydia looked annoyed for a moment before she nodded. She knew we needed to keep trying, and we needed her to do so.
"I think I have an idea. But Isaac, if your heart rate goes down like Scott's, or if we think you're going to freeze to death-"
"Don't let it get to that point," Isaac stated, agreeing to Lydia's terms.
We set up the chamber again, closing a shirtless Isaac inside. Once the cold air started, Lydia led him into his memories.
She used his new bedroom in the McCall house as the place, and his television held the memories, every channel something different.
"Can you see yourself there?" the strawberry blonde asked the boy. "Are you in your room now?"
"I'm here. I'm in my room," Isaac replied softly.
"Can you see the television?"
"I see it."
This seemed to be going better this time around. Lydia gave me a reassuring look, before turning back to the chamber. "Pick up the remote, the television holds your memories. The remote gives you control over them. Concentrate, each channel is a different memory. Everything that's ever happened to you.
"Go through the channels until you find your memories of Stiles. Try to find a memory where you made some kind of connection with him."
Lydia fell quiet, all of us waiting as Isaac did what he was told. His eyes open as he searched. Something then happened, his eyes widening for a moment.
"Isaac, what happened? Did you find something?" I asked, desperate.
"We didn't get along," he stated. All of us on the outside of the chamber shared a look, not too surprised if our theories of me dating Stiles after Isaac were right.
His eyes went back, no longer wide as he continued to search.
"I didn't do it for you," I heard him mumble.
I remembered this. It was when we needed tickets to follow Jackson to a rave. This wasn't a memory where they made a connection.
"Isaac, dig deeper. You were friends, I know it," I told him.
His eyes flicked as he tried, thinking harder.
"You don't need to thank me. She's my best friend."
My chest felt heavy as I thought back. After Isaac found me buried in the Preserve. They found a common ground, something worth getting along for - me.
"Isaac, can you hear us?" Lydia asked.
Suddenly, Isaac's eyes were wide, gasping as he brought his hand to the glass which was beginning to frost over. Scott went to open the door and let him out, when Lydia got him to stop, pointing up.
There was a light coming through the roof. It was unnatural, the rooing shaking ever so slightly.
I knew there was a chance it was a rift, but one look at Isaac and I knew I had to get him out before he freezed to death.
"We can't leave him in there," I said, grabbing the latches and unlocking the door, letting Isaac fall out.
I caught him as he fell, his cold skin making me gasp. I lowered to the ground, holding him to me, letting him use my body heat.
Scott went and found a blanket, bringing it over and passing it to Isaac. The boy thanked him, wrapping the material around his body.
Lydia was over at the chamber flicking all the switches. I heard the sound of the machine beginning to turn off and immediately stood up.
"Lydia, what are you doing?"
She hit the last switch, walking over to us. "It's too dangerous. We're not going to save anyone by freezing you guys to death."
"But it was working, right?" Isaac asked, tightening the blanket around himself.
"There was a light and strange noise. No Stiles."
"But I remember him now," Scott told her. "I can see him in my head."
"Same here."
"He's more real now than he's ever been. If we can bring Stiles back, we can bring everyone back."
My jaw clenched shut, jealousy seething through me. Removing my shirt and putting it with my jacket, I walked over to the chamber.
"I'm going, Lydia. I don't care if I could die."
"Riley, no," Lydia said. "There's a huge difference in being a vivid memory and an actual corporeal human being. This hasn't worked twice now, and it will kill you."
"But that's why it should be Riley," Scott stated. "Not the dying part, obviously. If this is about connection, who better than Riley? In nearly all of my memories, I see them together."
The Alpha turned to me, smiling softly. "I see you with him, and I see the way you look at each other. The way you love each other. No one I know has a connection like that."
"I saw it, too," Isaac agreed softly.
I felt tears in my eyes as I turned to Lydia, a desperate look on my face as I pleaded with her. "Please, Lydia. I need him back."
Her features softened as she saw my tears fall. "Alright. But you're not getting in there," she said as she handed me my shirt. "We have to do it the old-fashioned way. We're going to have to actually hypnotize you."
♧♤♢♡
"My mother had a hypnotist who helped her quit smoking," Lydia claimed as she wrote the script for the hypnotism while the rest of us set up a table.
"She had me see the same one when I was ten."
"You smoked when you were ten?" Scott asked
I stopped what I was doing to turn and look at him. This boy was a senior who wanted to be a veterinarian, and was the Alpha of a supernatural Pack. Sometimes, I questioned how.
"No. I bit my fingernails," Lydia said, giving him the same look.
"You're lucky you're pretty," I told the Alpha as I ruffled his hair.
"Just find a lighter or a candle, please."
Malia turned on a blowtorch, and my eyes went wide. She looked over to Lydia, asking if it was too much.
"You are not bringing that anywhere near me," I told her.
Isaac stepped in, holding a small white candle. "I've got one."
He sat it down on the table and Malia used her blowtorch to light it. Lydia gestured for me to take a seat, which I did nervously.
Malia stood across from me and Lydia gave her the notepad she'd been writing on, Scott asking what it was.
"An induction script. Malia is going to talk her through this," she explained.
"Why me?" Malia asked.
"Because, you're her sister."
"So I just read?"
Lydia shrugged slightly, "Well, you have to soften your voice. Keep it relaxed but not monotone. Go for clarity, not volume. Try it."
Malia didn't look any clearer on her task, but gave it a go anyway as I stared ahead and tried to focus.
"Take a deep breath and look at the candle," she said, pausing between every word, giving the sentence no flow.
I frowned, turning to Scott and raising my brows. The Alpha took the script, mouthing an apology to Malia.
Scott looked at me and I gave a small smile, nodding to him that I was ready. Scott nodded also, taking a deep breath before he spoke.
"Take a deep breath and look at the candle."
I moved my gaze to the candle, watching the flame sway in the light breeze flowing through the bunker.
"Feel the air around you. Feel the muscles in your body begin to relax. Your hands relaxing. Your eyelids relaxing. As you relax, imagine you're in your room, standing in front of your shelf."
I felt my eyes shut slowly, my head fuzzy. When I reopened my eyes, I immediately noticed I was no longer in the dark bunker, but in my bedroom, right in front of my shelf like Scott had said.
I reached out and touched my finger to the spines, reading the titles. These were books I'd read over the years, some of the spines worn down from reading or being thrown.
"Your books hold your memories, every chapter in each book a different moment in your life. You can open any book you like, and see a memory."
I removed one of my books from the shelf, opening it and turning to the first page. I could see myself sitting in a car with a boy with a dark buzzcut.
He had his hand on my arm and was smiling, "You know what'll make you feel better?"
I raised my brows at him, waiting for an answer.
"Star Wars marathon!" he grinned goofily.
I started to laugh, leaning forward and hugging him. "Thank you, Stiles."
"Any time," he smiled. "Now, let's get out of here. Scott can go on his silly date, we have more important things to attend to. Star Wars waits for no one."
This was after I had broken up with Isaac. I had told no one, but Stiles knew something was wrong. I told him what happened, and he immediately started to think of ways to make me feel better.
"Try to find a memory of Stiles," I heard Scott's voice echo from outside of my room. "A memory where you felt a connection with him."
I turned the pages, finding another memory. This time, we were at the school with Allison, Jackson and Lydia.
"Stiles, I'm scared."
The boy shook his head lightly. "You don't need to be. Scott will get us out of here."
"But what if he doesn't?" I whimped softly. "I don't want to die, Stiles."
He quickly wrapped me in a hug, running a hand through my hair like you do when trying to console a child. You're not going to die. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I promise."
We had been trapped in the school with the Alpha hunting us down. Scott had gone to find the keys to get us out, but I wasn't feeling confident.
I turned the page again, stopping when I reached a memory that caught my attention.
It was the night of our first full moon, and Stiles and I had had one of our first big fights.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I'm sorry," I told him. "I- I didn't know how to. How was I supposed to bring that up in conversation?"
The boy blinked at me in shock, "Didn't know how? You're my friend, that's how. You find a way."
I could see tears in my eyes as I looked at him. Scott had kissed Lydia back when Stiles was trying to focus his feelings, and I hadn't told him.
"Stiles, I-"
"No. No, you don't get to have an excuse. Scott's affected by the full moon, fine; but you. . . you're supposed to be. . ."
He then just looked away from me, apparently at a loss for words.
I wiped my eyes, slamming the book shut and shoving it back on the shelf.
"The memory doesn't have to be good," Scott's voice said. The emotions I was experiencing in here just have been translating to my body, also. "Find another memory. Keep looking for Stiles. Find another memory."
Running my finger along the spines, I chose one with a blue cover, pulling it from the shelf. I decided just to turn straight to the middle this time, looking at the memory it held.
"Why do you do that to yourself?"
Stiles looked a me with a confused look. "What do you mean?"
"With Lydia. She doesn't like you, yet you insist on pining after her. No offence, but it's exhausting."
Stiles ran a hand over his buzzcut, "It's not like it's something you choose, you know? When you like someone, you don't just stop because it becomes too hard. You keep going until you're lucky enough that they see you. That maybe one day, they'll see you the way you see them. It's something worth waiting for."
He had been talking about me, and I didn't even realise it.
"How do you tell someone that you have feelings for them, though?" I asked.
He laughed, a sad look in his eyes that I hadn't noticed the first time around. "If I knew that, do you honestly think I would still be at this stage?
For the longest time, we both liked each other, but he was pretending it was Lydia, and I was just avoiding it altogether. All because we didn't want to complicate things.
I flipped through the pages, finding another memory.
The two of us sat in the Jeep, arms around each other. I remembered this night. It was when Stiles had realised that I had healed and that Peter had known what I was, and he was apparently dead.
"Thank you. I have no idea what I would do without you," I whispered.
He smiled sincerely, "You don't ever have to find out."
He was staring at me, and I was staring back. I looked into his eyes, my own slowly trailing down, focusing on each feature. His eyes soft, breath calm, lips parted ever so slightly, no words escaping them.
I quickly looked back up into his eyes, only to see his searching my face.
Leaning in an inch, his eyes swung up to meet mine. To my surprise, he didn't shrivel away from my advance; he began to move closer.
My heart skipped a beat, and I kept growing closer to him.
A loud banging sound made me drop the book, leaving the memory. We had nearly kissed for the first time but then my mother knocked on the window and interrupted. It was probably one of the most embarrassing moments of my life.
Leaving the book, I was quick to pick another and open it.
"Why does it matter now?" It's already happened."
"Because you could've died!" Stiles shouted.
Throwing my hands up, I shrugged heavily, "And you could have too, Stiles. We run that risk every day. So why does this time change anything?"
"Because this is the second time I've seen you almost die, and I can't do that again! I already almost lost my dad, I can't risk losing another person I love!"
I was so stupid that night; so caught up in everything that I hadn't heard what he was saying until he was gone.
"You're just not getting it," the boy grumbled.
"Getting what?" I had yelled.
"Lydia isn't the one I'm worried about!" he shouted right back. "She isn't the one that I sit up at night worried whether she'll make it through the next day! She isn't the one who keeps doing crazy things which put her life at risk! She isn't the one who drives me insane, but I like her anyway!"
He stepped around the bed and walked until he stood in front of me.
"She isn't one of the most important people in my life," he sighed. "Someone who I know I can't live without."
I turned the page to move to the end of the memory, where I had done something I had always regretted.
"Riley?" Stiles whispered.
He took a cautious step towards me, but I only stepped away.
"Stiles, you can't just mess with my head like that and expect me to just be okay with it. I need time to think, okay? Please. I- I think you should go. I'll see you at the game later."
He looked shocked and hurt, but nodded slowly, picking up his phone and keys off of my bed.
"Right. Okay. I'll see you later," he mumbled, rushing out of the room.
I felt tears pricking in my eyes as I watched him go. Sniffling, I flipped to the end of the book, finding the night I had come to him after he had gone missing.
"He's not going to get away with this. With any of this."
Stiles grabbed a hold of my hands, running his thumbs across my fingers to sooth me. "Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm okay. You're okay, so I'm okay."
Searching his eyes, I knew he was serious. He hadn't just been saying things, he cared about me for real.
Placing a hand on either side of his face, I pulled him down as I went on my tiptoes to meet him half way. I closed my eyes and pressed my lips to his.
I touched a finger to my lips, a strange tingling feeling on them. I remembered this; kissing him for the first time.
Moving along, I kept hunting for more memories. Each time I remembered something, I felt part of me grow stronger, the void becoming less barren.
This memory was the night of the Glen Capri, when we got back together the first time. The first time I'd said I loved him.
"I love you, Stiles Stilinski."
Taking a deep breath, he took half a step back. "Oh, okay. I'm going to need a minute."
My heart was ready to break in half, until I saw the corner of his mouth curve up in a smile. "That's not funny, Stilinski! You know what? I take it back," I claimed, turning away.
With a small laugh, he grabbed my waist and spun me back around,planting his lips on mine. My annoyance melted away as I sunk into him. Unlocking our lips, he rested his forehead on mine, "Sorry to inform you,but there's no take-backs, Winters. So, you're just gonna have to suck it upand accept that you love me. . . and I love you."
I kept going, turning pages and finding new memories, stopping whenever one caught my eye.
Stiles took the brush, dipped it in the paint and then held it near my arm, but not touching. His hand was shaking until finally, he started. The paint was cold but my whole body felt hot at Stiles' touch.
I observed the strokes he made, like spirals and swirls of air travelling down my arms. He then stopped painting, making eye contact with me.
"Even if you weren't a sylph, this is how I see you. Free spirited, gentle, beautiful. Do you like it?"
I took the brush from his hand, painting a small heart onto his wrist. "I love it."
He leaned forward, closing his eyes to kiss me. I was going to return the gesture, but instead, his lips met the paintbrush. I wiped it across his lips as his eyes opened in shock. I couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction.
"Oh, you think that's funny, do you?" He asked. I continued to laugh, nodding as I did so.
"Right, okay, come here."
I yelped as he grabbed me, pulling me towards him as he kissed my cheeks, leaving paint behind on both. "Still funny," I informed him, before kissing him on the lips.
I opened another book.
"Why do you think I keep you around?" I chuckled.
He laughed, "Wow, and here I was thinking I was just here as eye candy?"
Putting my pen down, I frowned as I tried to hold myself together, a smile threatening to ruin it.
"That's funny, I thought that's why you kept me around? Supernatural trophy girlfriend?"
"Oh, for sure," he winked, pushing his books away and leading me over to him. I found myself straddling him as I looped my arms around his neck. He ran a hand through my hair, stopping it on my cheek as he looked into my eyes.
"It definitely has nothing to do with the fact that I am completely. . . totally. . . desperately in love with you," he whispered.
A smile tugged at my lips as I put a hand on either side of his face, kissing him softly. "I love you so much," I mumbled against his lips after pulling away.
I flipped through the pages, looking for more.
"In ten years, I see us still together. Living in our own place, drowning in student loans, but still happy. Spending our Saturday nights, eating popcorn and me getting you to finish the Star Wars series while we dodge Scott's calls."
I let out a bark of laughter as I shook my head at him. "And why would we be dodging Scott's calls?"
"For fun?" he shrugged. "There are other things that I see for us in ten years, but I don't want to say anything in case I jinx it," he whispered.
"Then don't say anything," I whispered back. "Just know that I will always say yes to you. "
I turned to another chapter.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, removing one arm so that he could place a hand on the back of my head, not letting me go. "I'm so sorry," he repeated.
Shaking my head, I held him tighter, "Don't be. I don't care about that anymore. Just don't let me go."
"Never again," he assured me.
Changing books, I opened it, and that's when I found it.
"Remember that I was an idiot who was too scared to admit my feelings for you. That I carried around a crush for you for years. Our movie night where you let me make you watch Star Wars. That you were the first girl I had ever kissed. The first girl I ever loved. I need you to promise me, okay? Promise me you'll remember me."
I went to say his name, my mind failing me for a moment. "Stiles," I said quickly, grabbing a hold of it and trying not to let go.
One of his hands reached up, wiping away my tears.
"Remember that night when we almost kissed for the first time? You told me you wanted the boombox next time? You need to remember me, because I owe you one boombox. I want to give you that. I want to give you the world."
"I love you," I said. "I'll remember you. I will. I promise."
"I love you so much," he said as he squeezed my hands again. "Completely, totally, desperately."
The way he said the words made me think that they were supposed to mean something. Before I could ask, though, the door flew open and he was ripped away from me.
I woke from the trance, tears streaming down my cheeks. The air in the trench was moving in rhythm with my emotions, anything that wasn't weighed down beginning to move.
"I was there," I whispered.
"What?" Scott asked.
I glanced up meeting his eye, "I was there the night they took him. I was the last one to see him."
"Where."
"We were in his Jeep," I cried. "He tried to get me to leave, but I wouldn't go. He asked me to remember him, and he told me he loved me. And then they took him. And there was nothing I could do."
The room began to shake, and there was a moment where I thought I was losing control of my ability. But then, a light just like before shone into the room.
Getting up from the table, I walked over to the door and lifted the handle, pushing it open. At the end of the tunnel was a bright light, so bright, I almost had to cover mt eyes.
But I didn't dare, staring directly into it.
The tunnel was silent, all five of us just staring. And then I saw it, the silhouette of a person exiting the light.
"Stiles," I whispered.