stilinski household; following day
I stand in the shower, the warm water running over me, relaxing me. Even if it's just for 10 minutes. After I shower I get ready to head back to the hospital with Stiles. He's in his room getting ready.
We're going to go see my dad, and Lydia. Parrish found her in the woods in the early morning. She was able to get out from wherever Theo was holding her. She's fine but Parrish instead she go to the doctors and get checked out.
The ride home from the hospital was silent. My brother and I have barely spoken to each other after what happened with Scott at the hospital. We haven't even talked about what happened with Josh and every time I remember I can't help but become angry and betrayed.
After I'm done getting ready, I head downstairs and make myself something to eat while I wait for Stiles. As I sit down to eat, my phone rings.
It's Mason.
"Hello." I answer.
"Hey, how's your dad doing?"
"Better. Much better."
"I'm glad. And how are you doing?"
"Me?"
"Yes, you."
I sigh. "Ok, I guess. I can't believe all of this actually happened."
"It's been insane."
"Yeah, guess that's one way to describe it."
"Mhm. Hey, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something."
"Sure. About what?"
"Liam."
"No, Mason please. We can talk about anything else-"
"Veronica, he needs you. And I know what happened is difficult to even begin to understand but he needs you to hear him out."
I don't say anything, not sure if I want to deal with this right now.
"Please, I'm really worried about him." he pleads.
"I'm-" I sigh in frustation, trying to make up my mind. The image of Liam standing in the hallway comes back to me. "Fine, where is he?"
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I'm putting my used dishes in the sink when Stiles comes downstairs. We look at each other but we don't say anything. I walk past him and to the couch where I take a seat. I look down at my hands, my fingers twirling around a piece of string that hangs off the bottom of my shirt. "Mason is going to uh- to pick me up. There's something I need to do. He'll take me to the hospital afterwards."
"Gonna talk to Liam?" he asks.
"Yup."
He doesn't say anything, so I turn to look at him. He shrugs his shoulders. "All right, just be careful."
I nod.
He grabs his keys and walks out the door, neither of us saying goodbye.
I grab a pillow and scream into it, releasing some of my frustration. I hate being upset with Stiles.
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In the car on our way to the school's library, Mason explains most of what happened yesterday. When he got to the school, he came to the library looking for Lydia, but instead he found Liam attacking Scott.
"I told him to stop. He turned to look at me and something changed in his eyes. Like he was finally aware of what he was doing." Mason explains.
"You brought him back." I say absentmindedly in a whisper that I'm surprised Mason heard me.
"What?" he asks.
I turn to him. "Mason. You're Liam's anchor. You ground him, you bring him back."
He smiles, now aware that the bond he and Liam share is even stronger than before.
He goes on to tell me how Theo got to Liam. He made him believe that Scott wouldn't do what was necessary to protect us, that Scott prioritizes strangers over his pack. Theo filled his head with nonsense, played off his insecurities and fears and that's why Liam bought right into it. He made Liam think that Scott had pushed him aside. Liam ended up believing that the only way Mason and I would survive any of this was if he took Scott's power.
But the only reason Theo wanted Liam to kill Scott, was so that he could kill Liam after, and take the power from him.
Mason parks the car and says he'll wait out here for a while so that Liam and I can talk. I walk towards the library. The tape across the door forms an 'X'. It reads: sheriff's line do not cross.
I can see Liam standing in the middle of the mess, deep in thought.
I move the tape aside so I can get through. Liam hears me and turns around. He wasn't expecting me.
"Hey."
"Hey." he replies.
It's a while before either of us speaks.
"How'd you know I was here?" he asks, breaking the silence.
"Mason told me." I admit. I walk over to him and stand right in front of him. He doesn't meet my eyes. He can't. He's ashamed of what he's done. Instead he looks down and to the side.
"Do you hate me?" he asks.
"No, I don't." I say gently.
"You should. I'm a monster."
"That's not true. Liam, there was a super moon and Theo, he took advantage of your fears, you insecurities-"
"Yeah, so instead of helping you f ind your dad and instead of protecting you, I was here trying to kill Scott."
"It was Theo, manipulating you, getting inside your head. He did it to all of us."
"But what if it wasn't just Theo? What if it was just me?"
"It wasn't you. It was fear and doubt and he knew how to use that to manipulate you. He calculated everything, timed it perfectly so that the super moon would work in his favor."
Liam still stares at the ground, not believing a word I say. He's convinced himself that he's the monster Theo wanted him to become.
"Do you...do you remember the night of our first kiss?" I ask.
He finally looks up at me, our eyes finally meeting. He's holding back tears and I can see the guilt in his eyes. But there's the slightest hint of a smile on his lips, caused by the memory of that night, back when things were a little simpler. Or at least it seemed like it....
He nods. "Yeah, I remember."
"That night, I told you that I'd always look past your faults, your imperfections and see the real Liam Dunbar. I meant that. Last night, that wasn't you. And I know that because I know the real Liam Dunbar, and last night, that wasn't him. That wasn't you."
Something changes in his expression. And now I see hope in his eyes. Hope that not everything is lost. Hope that he can be forgiven. I wrap my arms around him, hugging him tightly. He tenses and hesitantly wraps his arms around me, still ashamed and not wanting to use the hands that almost killed Scott to touch me. But after a while he relaxes and I can feel his arms hold me tighter and closer.
I pull away. "Talk to Scott."
"He doesn't want to talk to me."
"He will. Just give it some time."
"I feel like I need to do more than say sorry. I need to help make things right."
"Is that why you're here?" I ask.
He nods. "I'm trying to find the Nemeton. I'll help make something right and help Scott."
"It'd mean a lot to him. He's desperate to find...them." I can't bring myself to say bodies. They're much more than that.
Mason walks in, pushing the tape out of the way like I did.
"We should really get going." he says and Liam agrees. Mason walks over to a shelf and picks out a book. He brings it over to a table and we gather around it.
They turn to a map with telluric currents. "Stiles says that he and Lydia were looking at the intersections."
"Probably...this one." they say as their fingers meet on the map.
"Okay, we should make a copy-" Mason begins but Liam simply tears out the page from the book, leaving a very shocked Mason behind.
Before we take off, the boys head to the bathroom in the building next to the library. I wait for them here. I walk around picking up some of the mess that was left behind last night. As I pick up books I do my best to ignore the blood that stains the floor. It's probably Scott's.
I bring some of the books I picked up to a table and set them down. I look out the window. The school is empty, there's no movement. No clubs meeting, no team practices.
I hear movement behind me. Someone ripping the tape off the doorway.
I turn around and see him, a smile on his face.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I ask.
"Looking for you. I need your help finding something." Theo replies.
"And why would I help you? After everything you've done!"
"Because you're gonna need me. Sooner or later, you'll realize we are on the same side."
He slowly starts walking towards me. Every time he takes a step forward, I take a step back. "Same side? Same side!? My dad almost died because of you, twice! You killed people we were trying to save. And you killed Scott! Why would I ever be on your side?"
He laughs. "People you were trying to save? Like Tracy. Josh? They did their job, it was only a matter of time before we got rid of them."
"What are you talking about?"
"See, they weren't just experiments. Or chimeras, as you named us. They had a bigger purpose. They were meant to come between you and Liam. Corey was supposed to help destroy Liam and Mason's friendship, but that didn't work out too well. Plus, we had a deal."
"A deal?"
"Oh, he knew everything. But I promised him if he kept quiet, I'd let him live." I take another step back, bumping into a table behind me. Theo makes his way over to me and stands right in front of me, placing his hands on the table on either side of me. He leans forward and I turn away from him. "Josh and Tracy on the other hand weren't so smart. They became, a little too invested. They did their job well. Tracy made Liam doubt his place in the pack, making him want, making him desire a more normal life. And Josh, he was the perfect shoulder for you to cry on."
"Stop. Just stop." I say, holding back tears. "You used them."
"Yeah, I did. But you killed them. See, it's your fault Josh is dead." He says taking a step back and I take in a deep breath of air, realizing I had been holding my breath. "He cared about you so much, that he was willing to die, so he couldn't hurt you anymore. Pathetic." He laughs, mocking me.
I stand with my back against the table, the palms of my hands curl around the edge of it. All the anger and frustration that has been building over the past couple of days, I've been trying to keep it under control but he just pushed me over the edge.
Still grabbing onto the table I bring my knees up to my chest and kick my legs out, right into Theo's chest, throwing him off balance. I walk towards him, grabbing him by the shirt and pushing him into a bookshelf. I press my forearm into his throat. I try to remember and use everything Derek's taught me.
"Give me one good reason, why I shouldn't kill you myself!" I yell at him.
He pushes me away and starts walking towards me, but I bring my hands up.
The pain I'm making him feel brings him to his knees. I concentrate it all around his neck, hoping that the pain will be so much that it'll somehow cut off his air. He brings his hands to neck, as if he were trying to pry away someones hands, but there are none. It's just me.
He's gasping for air now.
I've never inflicted this much pain on anyone before, and it's taking it's toll on me. My vision begins to blur and I feel like my legs are going to give out but I can't stop. I don't want to stop. I want him to die, to pay for everything he's done. So I inflict more, and more.
But it's too much for me. Everything goes black and I fall to the floor. I blink rapidly, trying to get my eyes to focus. When I do, I see Theo making his way towards me. I get up, but he moves quicker than I do. He grabs my arm, twists it, and brings it behind my back.
I cry out in pain.
"You can take pain." he says into my ear. "You can inflict it on others. Only downside is you feel pain on a greater scale. Even your own." he says, twisting my arm again and I try to hold back another scream.
"I'm only going to ask you this once. Where are they? The talons!"
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about!"
"Don't lie to me!" he shouts.
"I'm not! If you'd listen to my heartbeat, you'd know I'm not."
His grip on my arm loosens, and he's become distracted by our conversation and as he listens to my heart. I slam the back of my head into his face, right into his nose. He stumbles back and lets go. I turn back to him and bring my leg up to kick him but he grabs it instead. In one quick motion, he pulls me closer and then his fist connects with my face.
Down to the floor I go again, landing on my side. I use my elbow to prop myself up. He's about to say something, when there's a roar.
Liam and Mason stand by the door. Liam runs towards Theo and lunges at him, knocking Theo over.
Mason rushes over to me and helps me up. "You ok?!" he asks, eyes wide with concern.
I nod. "Yeah."
Liam and Theo stand facing each other. Eyes glowing. Claws ready to dig into skin, tearing it apart. Small growls escape their mouths.
Then Theo's claws retract and his eyes lose their glow. "Useless. All of you." he says as he begins to walk past us. He's at the door when he turns towards us. "Tell Scott I say hello." he says with a smirk and walks out.
Liam wants to go after him, but Mason stops him. I have a bloody lip thanks to Theo. And my nose bleed because of all the pain. Mason brings over a tissue box that was on the check out counter. Liam takes some and gently wipes away the blood from my face.
"Thanks." I tell him.
He nods. "Of course."
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Mason and Liam just dropped me off and are on their way to the woods, looking for the Nemeton. I didn't say anything about Corey, not yet, not until I talk to him first.
Before going to see my dad, I stop by Lydia's room. She's doing all right, but she took a hard knock to the head. She's ok now, thankfully. Theo basically kidnapped her because she predicted Scott's death when she was at the library. He didn't want her to warn us.
I'm with her until her mom arrives. I hug her goodbye and head upstairs to find my dad. The room is empty, so I wander the halls of the hospital looking for them. I end up on the floor where the morgue is located. I see my Dad and Stiles talking so I decide to go back and wait for them in his room. I wait for the elevator but when the doors open I see Scott.
"Hey, I've been looking for you guys." he says.
"Hey. Yeah, dad and Stiles...are talking." He nods. "I'm going back to my dad's room to wait for them."
"I'll go with you." he says and I step into the elevator.
In the elevator I tell him about what happened with Theo at the library. I tell him about the talons he's looking for, but Scott says he's never heard of them. He also tells me more about what happened with Lydia. Parrish was able to find her because of the connection the banshee and the hellhound share.
When we get to my dad's room, Scott's phone rings. It's Parrish. They've found a body. Scott says he'll come see my dad later. He's walking away when I call out after him.
He stops and I walk towards him, embracing him in a hug. And I take his pain the same way I did last night. "You might be able to lie to me about other things, but not about this. I can tell if you're in pain. You can't hide that from me, not anymore." I tell him.
He smiles and gives me a kiss on the forehead before walking out.
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Later on in my dad's hospital room, Stiles watches security footage on my dad's laptop. It's from where the body was found.
"How do you have my password?" my dad asks, surprised at the way Stiles navigates through everything on his computer.
"I have all your passwords." Stiles replies.
"Ok, well give me my damn computer." my dad says reaching for it.
"Hang on, hang on. I think there's some footage missing. Or something missing in the footage." Stiles says, moving the laptop out of my dads reach.
"I think there's something missing in your head." my dad counters, making me laugh.
"Yeah, well you're not wrong about that." I say. Stiles glances at me and I raise my eyebrows as I take a drink of water.
"What the...?" Stiles says, looking at the screen.
I get up from my chair and walk to where he sits. On the screen, what seems to be a giant animal runs across.
"They did it." I whisper.
"They did what?" Stiles asks.
"They succeeded." We turn to look at each other. "It's the beast." I tell him and closes the laptop.
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After dad falls asleep, Stiles gets his keys and stands up from his chair.
"Going to see Scott?" I ask.
"Yup." he says, as he begins to walk towards the door. I stand up and follow him out.
"Talk to him. We all need to start talking to each other again." He nods. "Ok, now go make-up with your boyfriend." I tease him, and we share a laugh.
"Yeah, ok." he says.
There's less tension between us now, and I genuinely smile at my brother.
"Hey. We still need to talk about...you know." he begins.
"Yeah, but first talk to Scott. We'll talk later."
He nods again and walks away. He turns the corner and then is out of sight. I walk back into my dad's room and put two chairs together. I make myself as comfortable as I can and then close my eyes. I fall asleep a few minutes later.