I wrapped Stiles' vest tighter around my body, my knees were pulled up against my chest with my arms wrapped around them, my head rested on my knees. It's been four hours since Stiles, Scott and Allison died, four hours since I didn't move from the position that I was currently in. Isaac and Lydia couldn't bear seeing this so they sat on the couch in the waiting room, Deaton was making sure that their hearts were still beating, even though it was only one or two times in a minute but it was enough to bring them back.
As another hour stroke by, I couldn't handle looking at them, so I stood up and put the hood of Stiles' vest over my head.
"Where are you going?" Lydia asked as I walked past the wooden barrier that Lydia left open for Isaac and I to walk past it.
"I can't do this right now, I need some fresh air. Could you... um, could you text me in case they wake up, in case they ever wake up?" I whimpered and opened the front door. The fresh air hit my lungs immediately. I put my hands in the pockets of Stiles' vest when something cold met my skin. I grabbed the item and pulled it out, revealing the keys to Stiles' jeep. I sighed and decided to take Roscoe to a little trip with me, so I hopped in and started the car.
It didn't take long before I parked the car near the look out point of Beacon Hills in the preserve. The engine died down and I jumped out of Stiles' baby blue jeep. The familiar scent of trees filled my nose, goosebumps appearing on my skin due to the light wind blowing through the bushes and trees. I leaned my back against the nearest tree at the cliff and skidded down until my bottom met the cold ground.
I don't remember how, when or why, but somehow a tear slipped down my cheeks, leaving a mark on Stiles' vest and soon more tears were streaming down my face. Maybe I held it back too many times, maybe I was just exhausted of living this life, a life filled with fear. Maybe all I ever wanted was to live a normal life. One where my parents and Tess were still in the picture, with Stiles and Noah, maybe even Claudia, and we're all sitting in the backyard while our dads are making a delicious BBQ.
But who am I talking to? Normal doesn't exist in our world.
Minutes passed by, minutes turned to hours. A text from Lydia said that they were still unconscious and this was thirty minutes ago. The sky turned purple, a sign that night was about to fall over Beacon Hills. Maybe it was time to go back.
I pulled myself up and removed the leaves that were stuck on my pants. My feet dragged me back to Stiles' car and in a matter of time, I pulled into the clinic's parking lot and cut the engine.
The bell ring as I opened the front door, Isaac's head rose, a gentle smile appeared on his face while he shook his head, signalizing that there was no change. I sighed and sat down next to Isaac, leaning my head against his shoulder.
Just as I closed my eyes for a second, a loud bang made us jump up from our seats. Gasps and coughs were heard, water splashing filled our ears. Isaac was the first to react and he grabbed my hand, dragging be to the back of the clinic as fast as possible.
"I saw it! I know where it is!"
"We passed it! There's... there's a stump, this huge tree. Well, it's not huge anymore. It was cut down, but it's still big, though, very big," Stiles rambled without taking a breath in between.
His hair was sticking to his forehead, his clothes were drenched in water, lips so blue showing that he was freezing like hell.
"It was the night we were looking for the body," Scott added, totally out of breath.
"Yeah, the same night you were bitten by Peter!" Stiles said.
"I was there too, in the car with my mother. We almost hit someone!" Allison joined their conversation.
They were totally forgetting that we were also still in the room, the three of them focused on each other. "It was me!" Scott shouted. "You almost hit me!"
Allison gasped, shocked that she and her mother almost hit Scott.
Scott turned around, facing us finally, his face was filled with hope. "We can find it."
Everything was suddenly quiet, no one was talking, their breathing calmed down. "What?" Allison asked as we all stared at them.
"You guys were out a long time," Isaac said finally.
"How long is a long time?" Scott asked, his mouth slightly opened.
"16 hours," Deaton replied. "And the full moon rises in less than four."
Scott couldn't believe our words. Time was flying by, the chance to find their parents was getting smaller every minute.
Stiles stared at Scott for a second before his eyes met mine. I couldn't hold it back any longer, another tear slipped down my face before I jumped forwards and wrapped my arms around Stiles' body. "I was so scared, Stiles."
Stiles tightened his grip on me and placed a kiss on my hair line, his lips lingering longer on my skin. "It's okay. I'm okay, Amber. I'm okay."
Stiles tried to pull away but my fingers were linked together behind his back, making it impossible for him to pull away. "Hey, stop crying, Amber. It's fine. I'm okay, everything's okay," he mumbled into my hair while his hand stroke my back. I nodded and slowly pulled away. My eyes met his, a gentle smile making its way on my face. Stiles pressed his lips together, forming a thin line before he pressed another kiss to my forehead. "You look so much better in my clothes than I do."
"Oh yeah right," I mumbled and grabbed a fresh towel that Deaton placed on the counter. Stiles took it from me and wrapped it around his body.
Scott's voice brought us back to reality, we were still looking for the place where Jennifer kept the parents. "I have to go back."
"No, dude. You are not going back with them," Stiles argued with his best friend. He just had him back and now he's about to be gone again. We needed Scott to find Noah, Melissa and Chris.
"I made a deal with Deucalion."
"Yeah and the deal was shit," I sassed and leaned against one of the tubs.
Allison and Scott were wrapped in their own towels, Lydia handed it to them while Stiles and I had our moment.
"Totally shit. Does anyone else think that sounds a lot like a deal with the devil?" Stiles asked everyone else.
"Why doesn't it matter anyway?" Isaac added to the conversation, his head was still down, his eyes focused on his feet.
"Because I still don't think that we can beat Jennifer without their help," Scott answered easily.
"He trusts you more than anyone. Tell him he's wrong!" Allison pleaded Deaton with her puppy eyes that worked too well normally.
"I'm not so sure he is. Circumstances like this sometimes require that you align yourself with people you'd normally consider enemies," Deaton replied.
"So we're going to trust him, the guy that calls himself death, destroyer of worlds? We're going to trust that guy?!" Isaac asked in disbelief.
Deaton shock his head, "I wouldn't trust him, no. But you could use him to your advantage. Deucalion may be the enemy, but he could also be the bait."
You could practically see everyones heads on fire, no one had any idea what Deaton meant, but as the door creaked, all of our heads turned to the front door. Deaton gave us a look, saying that we should all stay put until it's safe to come out, but Scott followed him anyway.
"I'm looking for Lydia."
"Ethan?" I mumbled to Stiles and followed him to the front of the vet clinic. Right in front of the barrier stood Ethan, a defenseless look on his face.
"What do you want?" Lydia asked as she joined us all.
"I need your help."
"With what?"
"Stopping my brother and Kali from killing Derek."
"Well that's what I call a change in character," Styles said with a hint of sarcasm, earning a pinch in the back from me.
"Lydia, are you sure you want to go? Maybe this is another trap?" Allison asked her best friend, reaching for her hand to stop her. "I have to. Aiden's probably going to listen to me. I have to."
I nodded and pressed my lips together before I put a hand on Allison's shoulder and said to Lydia, "Be safe. Call us if something's wrong, okay?"
Lydia nodded and opened the barrier, following Ethan back to the car that he came with.
"Okay, we have to do something now! Time's running and I don't really want to know what will happen when the moon rises. We need a plan, now!" Isaac said.
"Okay, uhm... how about this! Stiles and Amber, you head back to your place, look for something that smells a lot like your dad, maybe we can use it to find the nemeton. Allison, same for you. I'll meet you and Isaac at your place once I changed into something that's now drenched and found something that belongs to my mom. But we have to meet Deucalion. He's the only one who can stop Jennifer." Scott suggested.
Everyone agreed and grabbed their coats, heading to the vehicles outside. "Scott, we're going to look for them while you meet and talk to Deucalion, okay? We have to make sure that they're okay until the storm wears off. We have no time left to wait for you guys," I told him as I opened the passenger door of Stiles' jeep. "We're going to find them, Scott."
Scott nodded and hopped into Allison's car, speeding off way over the speed limit. Stiles did the same, pressing the accelerator all the way down until the tires squealed. He was quiet the whole ride back to his place, putting the car in park once we made it onto the driveway. I jumped out and rushed inside, Stiles hot my trails.
I opened the bathroom door and grabbed Noah's towel, but the scent was too faint to smell him out.
"I've got his underwear!" Stiles shouted from the bedroom.
I rolled my eyes and shouted back, "I'm not gonna smell your dad's boxers!"
"What about socks?!"
"Okay, I'll smell the socks," I answered and dropped the towel on the floor. Stiles was already on his way back down the stairs, skipping every second step. The engine was already running once I made it to the car and hopped in. Stiles put the car in reverse and raced down the road, this time faster than before.
"Stiles, killing us won't save your parents," I told him and placed my hand on top of his on the steering wheel. His knuckles were white due to the strong hold on the steering wheel. "Just smell the socks, please."
I sighed and grabbed the socks that were placed on my lap and opened the window, trying to catch a scent. "Next one right, I think."
Stiles took a sharp turn right and ignored the red light, no car was in sight, so he sped over.
"Left! Stiles! Left!"
The storm was getting worse, branches were flying around, some hitting the windshield of the car.
"Stiles! I can't smell anything! The storm! It's getting harder to catch a scent," I shouted as another branch hit the windshield.
"Focus, Amber! I know you can do it!" he encouraged me while he tried not to lose control of the car. But it was hopeless, Stiles couldn't hold onto the steering wheel any longer as a bigger branch flew right towards the car. Stiles tried to dodge the branch and turned the steering wheel left, thankfully there was a smaller path.
"Oh shit that was close. Are we still going to right way?"
"Yeah, I think so," I replied as I turned around and looked through the rear window to see the branch hitting the ground before it shattered to pieces. I turned back around, Stiles was still trying to keep the car in control but it was getting harder every second. More and more leaves were blocking the sight and before we knew it, the path ended and a big tree was right on front of us. "Stiles!" I shouted and put my hands on the dashboard right on front of me, my eyes going wide just like Stiles.
"Oh shit!"
"STOP!" I yelled on top of my lungs and held my hands right on font of me. I waited for the big crash, but nothing happened. The had stopped right on front of the tree, a faint white transparent wall was right in front of us. Everything was quiet, too quiet for a storm like this.
Stiles was panting next to me, his eyes closed until he realized that nothing happened. He opened his eyes and stared at the wall right in front of us. He turned his head, staring at me in disbelief with his mouth wide opened.
I dropped my hand and the wall disappeared within a flash. The storm was back, leaves and branches flying around like they never stopped.
"What was that?!" Stiles asked, his facial expression never changed.
"I.. I don't know. I just... I don't know."
"You just saved our lives with your patronus."
"Stiles, I don't know how I did that," I mumbled while I stared at my hands.
"Amber! You just saved our lives, no matter how you did that! We... hell, that tree right there is huge! We could've been mush by now," he said and grabbed my hands with his larger ones. "We will find out how you did this, but right now we have to find our parents! We have to walk, there's no way Roscoe can drive through the forest."
I nodded and pulled my hands away from his, opening the passenger door and grabbed Noah's socks that I dropped once I saw the big tree in front of us. Stiles walked around the car and got something from the trunk before he was right next to me. His aluminum bat in his right hand, the left one was reaching for mine. I grabbed it and sprinted off, trying to catch another scent.
We were running for about twenty minutes, but we still hadn't found the nemeton yet. "Stiles, I can't. All I can smell is mud and soil. I can't smell anything."
"Damn it! We have to find them! The storm is getting worse! And it's only two minutes left until the moon rises," he groaned as he looked at his watch.
"Stiles!" I said and stopped right there.
"What?"
"Do you hear that?"
"What?"
"That's an emitter. It's an emitter, I'm 100% sure. It's one of Argent's!"
"Are you sure?" he asked with hope written all over his face.
"It has to be! This way!" I replied and grabbed his hand again, sprinting off. I followed the noise for a good minute until I saw the cut down three. The ground was falling in right next to it. The smaller holes becoming bigger and bigger.
"I can't do it! I can't hold it! It's too much!"
"Isaac? That's Isaac!" I exclaimed and followed his voice until I found the opening to the hideout. I jumped down first and was met with five pairs of eyes staring holes into me.
"Amber! Where's Stiles?" Noah asked concerned but his face softened once Stiles jumped down. Stiles saw what was going on and reacted in milliseconds, his bat was now holding the ceiling in place, before everyone in here would be crushed.
"I always said aluminum was better than wood," Noah said and wrapped his arms around his boy.
"Amber," Melissa mumbled. I turned my head around and met her worried look. I crawled over to her and wrapped my arms around her neck. "You're okay, you're all okay."
"Where's-"
"He's okay, he's with Deucalion trying to stop the storm. It will be over any second," you promised as she leaned onto your shoulder.
And just like you promised, the storm stopped. Light was coming in through the holes, everyone was letting out the breath that they kept in.
"Is it over?" Allison asked as she raised her head. I nodded and put my hand on her thigh until Stiles's phone rang. He picked it up right away. "Scott? Yeah, we're okay, we're all okay. How about you, you okay?" he asked his best friend and nodded once Scott told him that he was okay. "You think you can come and get us? And um, bring a ladder."
➳
"What?" I asked.
Stiles was right next to me on his back, his right arm under my head, pulling me against his side so my head was on his bare chest now. Our legs tangled together. His other hand found mine, his fingers were playing with mine until he intertwined them and rest them on his stomach.
"I still can't believe what happened. I swear, I was never so scared in my life. I think it was years ago when I had my last panic attack, I-"
"Hey, it's okay, everything's fine now. We've got your father back, and Chris and Melissa. Again, we won. Nothing's going to stop us."
"You know, I couldn't have done it with you. I don't know what I would do without you."
I didn't know what to say, so I pressed my lips to his. Stiles kissed me back but pulled away just a few seconds later. "I mean it."
"I know and I'm proud of you. I don't know if I could go through all of this again. I mean, my parents were gone in just a heartbeat. But you... we were fighting for them for days. I don't want to know what it feels like to be scared to lose someone every day but I'm so proud of you. You did a really good job."
"Why does it feel like you're rewarding me for a good grade?" he laughed and rolled over so he was on top of me now with his hands on either side of my shoulders, holding him up.
"Stiles!" I whined as his lips found my neck. "I already did this just a few minutes ago."
"I know" he mumbled against my skin, the vibrations caused a moan to escape my lips. "But it wouldn't be bad to do it again."