mccall household
Scott's arm is draped around my brothers shoulders, and I hold on to Scott's other arm as we help him up the stairs to his room. He's still healing from his injuries, even though I've taken his pain.
We spent hours in the woods trying to track Corey and Mason, but we came up empty.
When we reach Scott's room, Stiles opens the door. I let the two boys walk in and stand by the doorway. Stiles helps Scott onto his bed and then sits next to him.
I'm about to walk out when Scott calls out to me.
"Veronica." he says, and I turn to face him. "We're gonna find him."
"Yeah." I say with a nod and a small smile, and head down stairs.
Malia, Kira, and Braeden have taken off for the night. Lydia is trying to figure out a way to stop Parrish from leaving Beacon Hills. Lydia learned a lot about Marie-Jeanne, and Parrish learned a lot about himself too. But he thinks he is the reason behind all of these deaths, and now Lydia has to find a way to keep him in Beacon Hills because he is not only vital in the fight against the Beast, he's become vital to saving Mason.
When I get to the living room, I find Liam sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. He stands up when he sees me. "He okay?"
"Yeah. Just needs some rest. You do too." I tell him as I walk towards him. He shakes his head, and I know it's because he wants to spend all night searching for Mason, but the sun is going to come up in a few hours and we need as much rest as we can get. I have a feeling the next 24 hours are going to be grueling. "I'll call you if I hear anything. I promise."
He nods.
We hug each other tightly, not wanting to let go. The both of us finding comfort in each others arms. When we hear Stiles coming down the stairs, we pull apart.
"Ready?" Stiles asks, holding up the keys to his Jeep.
"Yeah, lets go home." I respond.
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stilinski household
"We're doing everything we can down here, Veronica."
"I know dad, just please-"
"I'll let you know if anything changes, kiddo. I promise."
I sigh. "All right. Thanks."
"Get some rest. I'll check in with you later."
"Ok, love you."
"Love you too."
I hang up and take a seat on the couch. I cover my face with my hands as I try and stop myself from crying. I'm dreading the worst has already happened.
I told him we'd keep him safe, I failed him.
Stiles comes down stairs and sits next to me. "What did dad say?"
"Same thing he said when I called an hour ago."
He puts a hand on my shoulder and turns me towards him, wiping away my tears. "We're gonna find him. We're gonna save him."
"I feel so useless." I say, frustrated.
"Yeah, I know the feeling." my brother admits. "But you're not. You don't have claws or fangs, and neither do I. But Mason needs more than that to save him. He needs you, and he needs everything you can do, whatever that might be. All of the pieces need to come together, and you're one of them. So don't count yourself out, okay?"
"Okay." I say with some conviction. Somehow my brother always knows what to say, and I appreciate him always building me up, even when I'm tearing myself down. Whatever I can do to save Mason, I'll do it. No matter the cost.
Stiles pulls me into a tight hug, and I hug him back. His hug gives me some sense of peace in the craziness that surrounds us. He kisses my forehead and tells me to get some rest. I say good night and head up stairs.
After I change into my pj's and get ready for bed, I get my phone and dial Mason's number. Just like the previous times, it goes straight to voicemail and I smile as I listen to his voicemail greeting: Hey, Mason here! Sorry I missed your call. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Leave me a message. *beep*
"Mason." I sigh. "Just wanted to hear your voice." I pause, collecting my thoughts. "Please be ok. Just, just call me, okay? We can help you. We'll figure this out. I love you. And I'll see you soon."
I toss my phone on my bed, and place my hand around the back of my neck as I close my eyes. Trying to relax.
There's a gentle tap on my window and it makes me jump. I turn to find Liam sitting on the windowsill. I go to the window and open it. "Hey, any updates?" I ask, hopeful.
"No." he says softly. "You?"
"Nope."
He nods. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah, of course." I say, moving aside so he can climb in. He turns to look at me with sad eyes.
"You ok?" I ask.
He shakes his head. "I just-I just didn't want to be alone tonight."
"Yeah, me neither." I admit.
He wipes away a tear. "I'm scared. I'm scared that we won't find a way to save him."
"I am too." I tell him, holding back tears. "But we will. We have to."
He nods and wipes away another tear as I wrap my arms around him, and it's then when I notice that Liam is shaking. I hug him a little tighter.
After a few minutes, I pull away and take his face between my hands, placing a kiss on his forehead. "We should try and get some rest." I say, knowing it's going to be almost impossible but we have to try. He nods and starts to walk towards the window but I take his hand and stop him. I lead him towards my bed and we both get under the covers. Liam wraps his arms around me and kisses my cheek. I do the same. My hand rests on his chest and he takes its, our fingers interlocking.
We fall asleep in each others arms, but even in our sleep we still feel the window of opportunity to save Mason, closing.
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Liam jolts awake, waking me up. He quickly reaches for his phone, checking for any updates we may have missed as we slept. I do the same, but nothing has changed. Our phones ring after a few minutes with a text from Kira, asking us to meet her at Scott's house. Liam heads home to change and I get ready. I meet Stiles downstairs and then we head out to Scott's.
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mccall household
The pack is gathered around the kitchen table, listening to Lydia explain what Gerard told her about Marie-Jeanne and the pike that defeated the beast. She also explains her connection the the hellhound. I look over at Lydia, knowing that both the hellhound and the banshee will be instrumental in saving Mason. Lydia has become stronger as she developed her banshee abilities with Meredith.
"Our dad's got an APB out." Stiles says.
"For a 5'8" 16 year old?" Kira asks.
"He actually recommended a nine-foot tall rampaging werwolf." I add.
"It still might not be him." Liam says, his voice full of hope and my heart breaks a little. We all turn to look at him and he see's the same expression on all of our faces. "But, Veronica and I will keep checking at the school."
"I can keep checking the woods." Malia adds.
"My mom can check all the hospitals in the county." Scott says as he walks into the room. We all turn to him, looking for guidance from our Alpha. "We can find him."
"What happens then?" Liam asks.
"We figure out a way to save him." Scott says and all the doubts I had before are gone. We will find a way to save him.
"Ok, where else could we look?" Lydia asks.
"Let's ask Corey." Scott says seeming to reach out into thin air but in reality grabs Corey, who is now visible to us, by the shirt.
"Wait, wait, it's not my fault." Corey says.
"Then where is he!?" I ask.
"I don't know, they took him and I couldn't do anything!"
"Who?" Scott asks.
"The Dread Doctors."
"Ok, well how do we find them?" Liam asks.
Scott turns to him. "Theo."
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beacon hills high school
Against Stiles' wishes, I go with Scott and Liam to meet Theo.
Scott opens the door to the boys locker room and we find Theo waiting for us.
"I told you we'd end up on the same side." he says as we walk in.
"How about I punch you in the balls to remind you we're not?" Liam asks.
Theo chuckles. "I like this kid."
"We know you're not on our side, Theo." Scott says.
"We all want the same thing." Theo says, trying to convince us. "We want Mason back."
I scoff, not believing a word he says.
"Yeah, but the difference is that we want him back alive." Scott emphasizes.
"Well, I'm open to a comprise. You still got the map with the telluric currents on it?" Theo asks. The three of us glance at each other and Scott nods. "Bring it to the operating theater in two hours." he says and we begin to walk out. Scott first, then Liam, then me.
"For your sake, I hope you can actually save him." Theo says as I walk by him. I stop and turn to look at him. "Unlike Josh, or Tracy."
I don't think, I just do it. I punch him. Theo's eyes glow yellow with anger.
Liam is quickly at my side, snarling at him.
"If something happens to him, and you have anything to do with it-" I begin but Scott stops me. He stands between Theo, and Liam and I. "Enough. Not here, not now."
I look at Scott and nod. He's right. We need to focus all of our energy on finding Mason. Theo is doing what he always does, trying to distract us, trying to manipulate us.
I walk out of the locker room, Liam and Scott behind me.
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few hours later; the woods
Lydia and Stiles are at the Sheriff's Station with my dad, while Parrish and the Argents try to track down the beast. But that's the problem, they are tracking down the Beast and not necessarily trying to save Mason.
Braeden and Malia are at Scott's house, taking advantage of the fact that the mountain ash will help to protect Malia from her biological mother, and also to see if Mason will show up there.
Corey is at the school, while Liam, Scott, Theo and I try to find Mason out in the woods. We met up with Theo earlier to give him the map of the telluric currents. The Dread Doctors have been using The Soldier to prolong their lives, and to keep him alive they need to be underground, have a power source and be on a telluric current. Wherever the Dread Doctors go, he goes too, Theo said.
The leaves and branches crack under our feet as we make our way into the deepest parts of the woods. Scott and Theo argue about Deucalion as they lead the way, Liam and I following behind. As we continue to walk, my hand begins to tremble. Someone's in pain. That's when Liam stops walking, and we all turn to look at him.
"We're close." he says.
"Yeah, we are." I add.
"You got his scent?" Scott asks Liam and he nods. Scott turns to me. "And you can feel his pain, can't you?" he asks me.
"Yeah." I say as I become more worried.
"Which way?" Theo asks. Liam and I look at each other, neither of us wanting to respond. "You think you're going to leave me behind?"
"Liam, Veronica..." Scott says gently, trying to convince us to lead them in Mason's direction.
"Look, he wants to kill him." Liam objects.
"I just want his power!" Theo snaps back. "Time's running out. Where is he, Veronica?"
Liam and I look at each other again, knowing we shouldn't trust Theo but we do anyways. "This way." I say as Liam and I take the lead.
Liam follows Mason's scent, as I follow his pain. We reach an abandoned place that is hidden between dry and dead trees. Liam rushes to open the door but Scott stops him. "Listen."
And Liam does. He listens for Mason's heartbeat. "It's him!" he says as he rushes inside and we all follow him down the stairs to where Mason sits on the ground. Liam, Scott, and I kneel at his side.
"Mason." Liam whispers to his best friend. He reaches out and grabs on to our arms tightly.
"What is this thing?" Liam asks about the apparatus that seems to be connecting The Solider to Mason.
"I don't know." Theo replies.
"Liam, I can feel it." Mason says, clearly in pain. "It's in my skull."
My heart breaks for him. I turn to Scott. "We have to do something, quick." I say, placing a hand on my best friends shoulder.
"Mason, we're going to get you out of here." Scott says and then turns to us. "Hold him still." He then turns back to Mason. "I'm going to try to pull it out. Let me know if it hurts."
Scott places his hand around the device and slowly begins to pull it out.
Mason screams out in pain, and I can feel it. It's so much I have to close my eyes.
"It definitely hurts." Mason says, grabbing on tighter to us.
"I barely moved it." Scott says.
I'm about to tell Scott something, when we hear the all too familiar clicking of the Dread Doctors.
"They wanted us here." Theo says, turning in the direction of the Dread Doctors. Scott gets up, standing next to him. The Dread Doctors move towards us, cornering us.
"Guys, try to get that thing out of Mason's neck." Scott says.
Liam and I turn our attention back to Mason. "Liam, Veronica. Get out of here, just go." he says.
"No! Not without you." I tell him.
Liam grabs the device and tries to pull it out of Mason's neck, but he screams out in pain again.
"Stop! Stop." I tell Liam. I grab Mason's arm. "I'll take his pain, while you get that thing out. Be careful, okay?"
Liam nods and beings to pull out the apparatus from Mason's neck. He doesn't scream out in pain anymore, he just grabs on to our arms a little tighter, scared that he'll feel the pain again. The black lines run up my arms and up to my neck. I try not to cry out in pain, but it's just too much.
"Veronica?" Liam asks, having stopped.
"No, keep going. It's working." I say, seeing that the metal contraption is halfway out of Mason's neck.
One of the Dread Doctors sees that we've almost freed Mason and just like at the school, with a simple motion of their hand, they send me flying across the room right into a wall.
"Veronica! Veronica!?" Mason yells out after I was ripped away from his grip.
"I'm ok. I'm ok!" I call back as I sit up. Liam stands, making his way over to me. "No, stay with him." I tell him, and he kneels back by Mason's side.
"He's coming with us." Theo challenges the Dread Doctors.
Mason cries out in pain again, and Scott rushes to his side.
"You're failure taught us one thing. We believed that to resurrect the perfect killer we had to start with the perfect evil. From you, we learned true evil only comes by corrupting something truly good." The Dread Doctors explain.
"Not something." Scott says.
"Someone." Liam adds, turning to Mason.
That's when Theo goes up against the Dread Doctors, Liam following his lead.
"Liam, wait!" Scott calls out, going after him and joining the other two boys in the fight.
"Liam! Liam!" Mason yells, worried for his friend, who the Dread Doctors have slammed into the floor. And now they do the same to Scott. Theo is the only one left fighting the Dread Doctors.
I start to make my way over to Mason, when what I see stops me. "Mason?" I say as he slowly stands up, and he himself pulls out the metal contraption attached to his neck as he screams in pain.
Everyone stops and stares in shock. Liam and Scott stand where they are.
"Transformation. Transformation without frequency." one of the Dread Doctors says.
"Mason!?" Liam calls out.
"That's. Not. My. Name." the boy says as he is engulfed in what looks like a black, shapeless yet solid shadow and his eyes begin to glow.
We look for cover as the Beast begins to tear apart the Dread Doctors. One of their heads landing by my feet.
Theo is stupid enough to stand in it's way, and the Beast pushes him aside, but not before digging his claws into him. Just as he does with the Dread Doctor that proudly says "success", and then drags him outside.
I rush over to Scott and Liam. Scott takes my hand as we quickly go after the Beast.
It stands over the Dread Doctors body, unaware of the fact that the Hellhound is racing towards it. Parrish punches the Beast, throwing it off balance.
That's when gunshots ring out.
Chris aims his gun towards the Beast, towards Mason. Gerard follows closely behind.
"No, Chris wait!" I desperately plead as I run towards them, afraid of what this will do to Mason. But Gerard makes sure I can't get to Chris, grabbing my arm and pushing me back. I pull my arm away from him, getting out of his grip.
Scott and Liam are at my side now.
Scott growls at Gerard, warning him not to touch me again.
"Guys, look!" Liam says and we all turn to see the Beast transforming back into a human. But it's not Mason.
Gerard calls out.
the stranger replies before taking off, Parrish immediately running after him.
"Who the hell was that?" Scott asks.
"You've seen the Beast of Gevaudan." Gerard answers. "That was the man."
"Sebastian Valet." Chris adds.
"Like I said," Gerard continues, now facing us, "Mason Hewitt is gone."