"Think it'll hold them off?" Malia asked, causing me to shake my head. "Probably not." Lydia nodded. "Definitely not."
"You guys aren't hoping i'm gonna be the optimist, are you?" Malia questioned as we all stared at her, then at the large machine in the back.
"So, how cold does this thing get?" Scott asked as we walked over to the giant freezer. Lydia's idea was to basically freeze us like back when we took ice baths when looking for the nemeton.
Lydia shrugged. "Cold enough for a hellhound. It's not the same as the ice bath you gave Isaac but, it can lower your core temperature past anything a human can survive.
Malia crossed her arms. "So what does freezing our asses of have to do with our memories?"
"It'll slow your heart rate, and put you in a trance-like state." Lydia replied. "Like hypnosis." Scott commented.
"Hypnotic regression. If we can figure out how to work it." Lydia muttered, examining the machine.
Malia took a step forward, pointing at a button. "This says start, so maybe it's not that complicated."
I glanced at all the dials surrounded the one temperature gauge, shaking my head. "It's complicated."
"So, optimistically, how much time do you think we need to do this?" Malia asked as Scott placed his hand on the lever, yanking open the door. "As much time as Liam and Stilinski can buy us."
Lydia pressed the start button, causing the machine to light up, making some kind of noise.
"Okay, it's doing something. You ready?" She asked, turning to Scott, who had taken off his shirt.
He nodded, stepping towards the freezer. Before he could walk in, I pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tightly.
"Please, if anything feels off, please tell us. I can't lose you." I muttered as I felt him nod. "I will, I promise."
I nodded, letting my grip go, Scott walking into the freezer. Lydia pulled the lever up, locking my brother inside the contraption.
"Remember, this will get cold enough to kill you. So like Aubrey said, it something feels wrong or like, it's not working-"
"It's going to work." Scott cut Lydia off, causing her to sigh. "I hope you're not saying that because you think I know what i'm doing."
Scott shook his head slightly. "I'm saying that because I know you can figure it out."
Lydia took a deep breathe, before turning all the dials to the right. A white mist started to fill the freezer, causing Scott to gasp. "Oh, okay, alright, yeah, that's cold. Really cold."
"So what are we supposed to do? Talk to him?" I questioned as Lydia turned towards me.
"Help him remember?" Malia stated. "Wait till he turns into a werewolf freezy pop?"
Lydia shook her head. "We need to guide him. Keep him focused."
I turned towards the door as Scott groaned from the inside. I could almost feel his pain through the glass window. "Scott, you have to think about him." Lydia shouted. "Concentrate on Stiles. Try to picture him in your head. Think about what he looks like, things he said."
Scott shot his hand towards the glass as he shook inside the freezer. The machine started beeping, causing me to fill up with worry.
"I don't like this. Something's wrong."
Lydia held her hand up. "Wait. Give it a few more seconds."
Scott let out a loud shout as he tried gripping onto the glass. "I'm getting him out of there." I shook my head, grabbing onto the lever.
"Wait!" Lydia's hand shot forward to my wrist, preventing me from pulling the lever. I glanced up, noticing Scott looking up at us, his red eyes showing.
"Scott. Can you hear me?" I asked, letting go of the lever.
Scott eyes changed back to brown as they started to flutter open and closed.
Lydia's eyes widened. "Scott, don't fall asleep. You have to keep your eyes open."
"Trying." Scott mumbled ever so slightly.
"It's not sleep. I think you're losing consciousness." Lydia put her hand on the lever. "And if you do that, I think we're gonna lose you."
"Scott, stay awake." I yelled, narrowing my eyes. "Scott!"
"Scott, try and find him." Lydia said. "Try to find him in your memories."
Scott's eyes frantically looked around the room, darting quickly from one side to another.
"Find him in any memory. Good or bad."
Scott's eyes started to water as he kept moving, not able to keep still. His chest moved up and down at a rapid pace.
"What's happening to him?" I demanded as Lydia shook her head. "I don't know."
"He doesn't look good. He looks lost." Malia stated.
"I think he is." Lydia replied. "I think maybe its too much information. Like, he's getting buried under all the memories. Being overloaded by them."
"So what do we do to help him?" I cried out as Lydia banged her hand on the glass window. "Scott? Scott, do you hear me? You have to try to focus."
A crackle of thunder erupted into the air, causing me to jump. Malia took a step towards the door. "You hear that?"
"Thunder?" Lydia questioned, causing Malia to shrug. "Maybe."
Lydia sighed, shaking her head. "This isn't working."
"Then we have to figure out something else. I rather my brother not turn into an icicle." I bit my lip as Lydia nodded. "I know."
"Is he going to freeze to death in there?" Malia questioned, watching Scott, who still frantically shook his head.
"If his memories don't kill him." Malia sighed. "There has to be another way to do this. Isn't there?"
Lydia shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. This is my first attempt at trying to open a dimensional rift in space-time. So i'm kind of fumbling in the dark, okay?"
I shook my head. "I'm getting him out." I walked over to the lever placing my hand on it.
"Wait." Lydia shouted, causing me to turn around. "I'm not the only one."
I rolled my eyes, keeping my hand on the lever. "What?"
"I'm not the only one fumbling around in the dark."
"What does that mean?" I questioned, causing Lydia to step as close to the window as possible. "I think we have to treat this more like actual hypnosis. They use images to guide you through memories." Lydia explained.
I took my hand off the lever. "Like a stairwell."
Lydia nodded. "The steps take you down through one year of your life to the next. That's how they regree you back."
Malia nodded. "I think I get it. So he needs to imagine something. What do we tell him?"
"Scott?" Lydia yelled into the glass. "Can you hear me?" No response.
"Scott, listen. Imagine this. Imagine you're in the high school. Visualize 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 lockers. They're locked away behind each one. Every memory of Stiles is in a separate locker."
Scott's head stopped twitching, his eyes stopped darting all around, focusing on the glass. Scott shook his head slightly ."Lydia, I need your help. I don't think I can do this. I can't figure it out."
Lydia nodded to herself. "Keep looking."
"There are memories, but I don't know which one's the right one. What am I supposed to do?" Scott started to panic.
"Find another memory. Just find another memory."
Scott started to shake. "It's getting too cold." I said. "He's getting too cold."
"What if it's not enough to remember him?" Scott panicked.
"What if it's some kind of a connection?" I suggested. "LIke an emotional connection?"
Malia nodded. "That could be why is worked for Stilinski, right?"
It all made sense now. "He wasn't just remembering someone. He was remembering his son."
I moved up towards the glass, placing my palm against the side, feeling the cold air.
"Scott? Scott can you hear me? Listen I remember something. At the start of the year, Stiles was trying to find a place for the three of us to live after graduation. Remember? He said we were getting an apartment?"
I could see Scott faintly nod. I smiled to myself, reminiscing in the memory. Änd 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 we weren't just friends. We were more like family."
Scott started to pant, as his body started slipping downwards. "Lydia the door!" I shouted as Lydia ran forward, ripping the latch downwards, opening the door.
Scott took a deep breathe as Malia and I stopped his body from colliding with the hard floor. His skin was freezing cold to the touch, causing me to shiver.
"What, what's wrong? Why'd you bring me out?" Scott questioned, standing up, putting his shirt back on.
"Your heart rate dropped. You were gonna die. We had to." Lydia said, causing Scott's face to drop.
"But then, nothing happened, did it? It didn't work." He asked, causing me to nod.
Scott shook his head. "I'm going back in." He started to walk towards the freezer; I jumped in front of him. "No, you're not!"
Scott sighed. "It was working. Something was happening. I could feel it."
"Maybe that was you feeling your death." I spat, rolling my eyes.
Scott shot me a glare as Lydia shook her head, placing an arm on Scott's shoulder. "But nothing was happening out here. Nothing Scott. All we saw was you freezing to death."
Lydia took her hand on Scott's shoulder. "You're still too cold."
Scott sighed. "We can't give up now."
"We're not" Malia stated as she pulled her shirt over her head. "It's my turn. I have plenty memories of Stiles too."
Scott shook his head. 'It's too dangerous."
"Not as dangerous as doing nothing." She stated as Scott slightly nodded, turning towards Lydia. "She'll probably handle the cold better than me."
"If it's all about connection, then Stiles was one of the first people I connected with in a long time."
Lydia sighed, turning towards Scott. "She'll need a visual."
I nodded, opening the door for Malia. "I have an idea."
Malia stepped inside as I closed the door, pulling the level upwards. "But Malia, if your heart rate goes down like Scott's, or if we think you're going to freeze to death-"
"Then get me the hell out of there." Malia finished Lydia statement.
I placed my hands on the dials, turning them all to the right, filling the tank with the same white air as Scott had.
Malia closed her eyes, taking deep breaths.
"Malia, imagine you're in the library, can you see yourself there? Are you in the library."
"I'm here. I'm at the library." I saw her fingers twitch as the container filled up with more air.
"Can you see the books?" She slightly nodded. "I see them."
"Concentrate on them. The books on the shelves are your memories. Everything that's ever happened to you. Find the shelf that has all of your memories of Stiles. Try to find a memory where you made some kind of connection with him."
Suddenly, Malia jumped, causing Lydia to take a step forward. "Did you find something?" She questioned.
Malia nodded. "I definitely connected."
Her eyes went wide as she went silent.
"Malia." I questioned, her eyes started to flutter closed, her breaths becoming rapid.
"Malia, open your eyes!" Lydia yelled as her eyes snapped open, her hand placed against the glass.
The room lit up as a small light tunnel opened up at the corner of the ceiling. "Something happening."
Malia's pants got louder as we turned our attention back towards her. The glass started to freeze over as Scott struggled with the dials.
Lydia ripped the freezer door open, Malia falling out into Scott's arms.
"What are you doing?" She panted as Lydia shut the door. "It's too dangerous."
"We're nog going to save anyone by freezing you guys to death." Lydia muttered.
"But it was working, wasn't it?" Malia questioned, causing me to nod. "There was a light and a strage noise. No Stiles."
Malia furrowed her eyebrows. "But I remember him now. I can see him in my head."
Scott nodded. "So can I. He's more real then he's ever been. If we can bring Stiles back, we can bring everyone back."
I laughed. "There's a huge difference in being a vivid memory and an actual corporeal human being." I crossed my arms as Malia nodded.
"I know. Which is why I think it should be you." My eyes widened as Lydia nodded. " I think Malia's right. It's all about connection."
"When I was remembering him, I was also remembering the two of you together." Scott admitted. "I don't think anyone had a connection like you guys."
Malia nodded. "I saw it too."
I sighed, nodding. "Alright, let's do this.
Hestently, I stepped into the cold chamber, pressing my back against the cool wall. The door enclosed me as I heard the lock click shut.
"If you start to-"
I cut him off. "I know Scott, I will."
He nodded, backing away from the glass.
I closed my eyes as the cold air began to seep into the closed area. My body started shivering at the touch as I calmed my breathing.
"Aubrey, listen to me. You are in you're living room."
I opened my eyes, now exactly where Lydia had said.
"There are video tapes surrounding the floor."
As I glanced down at the floor, I noticed hundreds of tapes surrounding the coffee table.
"All of those are memories. Find the ones with Stiles."
I bent down, picking up one of the tapes, placing it in the VCR. Sitting down on the couch, I waited for the memory to play.
"Stiles, I'm getting this weird feeling." I heard myself say as I watched the screen. I was sat in front of Stiles, who was staring down at me.
"Like butterflies in your stomach," Stiles questioned, causing me to nod. "Yeah, exactly, what does it mean?"
"I think it means we like each other."
"You like me?" I asked, causing him to nod. "Do you like me?" He questioned.
"I think so."
The tape stopped, popping out of the VCR. I got up off the couch, placing the tape back, grabbing another one and putting into the machine. I closed my eyes, letting the tape take me back into my mind.
"I don't know why this is happening all of a sudden." Stiles started as I stared at him. "But everytime I look at you, I get this strange feeling, like I have to protect you. I always want to be around you to make sure nothing happens to you. I never want to see you get hurt. I care about you, more than an average friend would." He finished, causing me to smile.
The tape popped out, a smile was still plastered on my face. When Stiles' confessed himself to me, right before formal. The next tape I put it was the one I was waiting for.
We stood inside the Macy's as Stiles dragged me over to a corner. "Aubrey, willyougotoformalwithme?"
I chuckled. "Stiles, I didn't get any of that."
He sighed. "Will you go to formal with me."
I smirked at him. "Is Stiles Stilinski asking me to formal?" He chuckled. "Is Aubrey McCall going to say yes?"
I giggled, nodding. "Yes."
As the tape popped out, I heard Lydia from inside my head. "Keep going Aubrey, it's working. Hurry."
I quickly put in another tape.
"Aubrey, I-I have to tell you something," Stiles said nervously, scratching the back of his neck.
"What? What is it Stiles?"
"I'm in love with you Aubrey McCall." He stated as I smiled.
"I love you too Stiles Stilinski."
He pulled me down into his chest, burying his nose into my hair. "I'm never letting you go."
I could feel the coldness trying to take ahold of my body as I reached for one of the last tapes that caught my eye.
As I moved my hand closer to the puddle, I heard my name. "Aubrey don't!"
Stiles stopped at the edge of the puddle. The rest of the group ran up behind him, watching me intently. "Stiles, go." I mumbled, starting at the open cord.
"Aubrey, please. Y-you don't have to do this." Stiles stuttered, a tear slipping from his eye. I shook my head. "I have to, there's no hope. Not for me." I stopped glancing at the cord in my hand. "Not for Scott, not for you."
Stiles shook his head rapidly. "Aubrey, that's not true, that's not true at all." He took a step forward. "Why would you think that?"
"Because i'm just a burden. A mistake." Scott sniffled. "You're not a burden, not even close. And you're especially not a mistake."
I felt another tear trickle down my face as Stiles took another step forward, this time into the water. He held out his hand. "Aubrey, please, I-" I saw another tear drip down his cheek as he paused.
He took another step, now fully in the water.
"Stiles' what are you doing" He shook his head, grabbing onto the cord. "If you're going down, i'm coming with you."
My eyes shot open as I was released from the cold. I landed in Scott's arms, shivering as the door shut behind me.
"Why did you take me out?" I asked as Scott turned my head.
In front of me was this huge light, showing another side of the tunnel.
"It worked." I whispered.
Stepping forward, I noticed a figure coming closer.
A familiar figure.
My eyes started to water as I stared in awe.
"Stiles?"
The reason this took so long is because i've been dealing with some personal issues and school/work issues but I plan on updating soon because I legit have one more chapter of season 6 left which is crazy :D. Plus i'm writing 2 more books, based on Supernatural and the other on The Vampire Diaires, if you wanted to check them out ;)
Anway, hope you enjoyed.
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