...
Blue and red lights flash in the parking lot of the hospital. Y/n stands with Stiles, Scott, Melissa, and Noah as the Sheriff got a report. Dr. Hilyard was supposed to have come in for a ten car pile up when the E.R. attending never showed, but only her car appeared, drifting into another car and empty bar one lone moth.
"Two missing." Stiles repeated.
"Hang on, hang on. They were both in the car?" Noah questioned.
"No, dad, they're trying to tell you that it was two separate kidnappings, okay? Two doctors, both gone."
"So whose car is this?" This time Melissa answered.
"Dr. Hilyard, the on-call doctor. The E.R. attending is the one that never made it in."
"Let me just focus on getting your story first, all right?"
She nods. "Yeah."
"Kids, give us a second." The three teens nodded and moved away from the two adults.
"These are definitely sacrifices, right? Did you feel anything?" Scott asked Y/n and she nodded.
"It's the same. Dr. Hilyard and the other doctor were taken by the darach. They're the healers."
"What about Danny? He threw up mistletoe. That's not a coincidence, and if he hadn't been with Ethan, he probably would have died. Danny's not a healer."
She shrugged with a helpless shake of her head. "I have no clue why he was poisoned, but there must be a reason."
Stiles had noticed his dad on the phone and got the supernaturals' attentions. "Can you guys hear that?" He pointed to his dad and the two looked over.
After a moment Scott looked back with raised brows. "They found a body." The missing E.R. doctor had been found.
...
The next morning Y/n groaned against the light shining on her from her window. She lifted her hand to close the curtain with her magic but realized she didn't really have the energy for it, so instead she rolled over and buried her face in the pillow. She was gonna drift back to sleep for a few minutes but then her eyes opened into a squint of confusion. There was a bitter taste on her tongue. It was disgusting. She sat up and frowned, deciding to start her day a little early and the first thing she was gonna do wass brush her teeth at least three times to get rid of the strange taste.
It didn't really help. The taste persisted as she sat in Chem class with her head propped on her crossed arms. She had a slight headache that was steadily growing worse throughout the day and she was for some reason very warm. A slight sheen of sweat clung to her skin from it. She suddenly felt the dark shiver tingle her spine, but is was more mild than what she's felt before, so maybe it wasn't that feeling at all. A book hitting the desk made her flinch a bit and it was followed by Ms. Blake's voice. "Good morning. As you all know, Mr. Harris is still missing- I mean, sick. Anyway, I'm filling in while we all hope and pray for a more qualified substitute to take my place. Okay, so let's get started, shall we?" Y/n couldn't even lift her head to look at the teacher. She could feel the worried gaze of Stiles and Scott, but she didn't have the energy to reasure them that she was fine. Honestly she didn't even know if she was fine. She had never felt like this before. The teacher seemed to notice this. "Ms. L/n? Are you okay?"
Y/n picked her head up and gave the teacher a close eyed smile with a little thumbs up. "Just peachy, teach."
"Are you sure? If you're not feeling well you should see the nurse."
"No, I'm fine. I just didn't sleep well."
"All right." Ms. Blake relented and Y/n leaned back in her chair.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Stiles muttered to her and she gave him a small nod. He frowned but let it be anyways, deciding to inform her and Scott of what he found out instead. "Hey, my dad said that the E.R. attending wasn't strangled but did die from asphyxiation. They just don't know how."
"Do you think the on call doctor could still be alive?" Scott asked.
"I don't know... But, Scott, there's got to be at least 20 other doctors in that hospital- at least, you know? Any one of them could be next."
Y/n's phone buzzes then and she quickly answers when she sees it's Alan. He never calls her when she's in school unless it's an emergency. She leaned behind the table to try and conceal her actions for a moment. "Hey, Alan, is everything okay?"
"Unfortunately not. I honestly thought I might never have to burden you like this, but I'm afraid at the moment, you're my only hope. I'm going to be taken."
Her breath was knocked from her lungs. "What?"
"I need you to find me." The phone disconnected then.
"Alan? Alan, what's happening?" She saw the call was done and cursed. She looked back at Scott with a worried look and he looked back with wide eyes. He heard the call. She turned back to the front. "Ms. Blake, I'm actually not feeling so well. I think I might go to the nurse."
"Oh, oka-" Y/n doesn't let her finish as she bolts from her seat and out of the door. She ran down the street as fast as she could. She tried to use her magic to make her faster, even trying to use the new spell she learned in Paris, but none of it was working. Something was very wrong. She should have felt if something was going to happen to Alan. She's felt it all the times before, why is this one different? She rushed into the clinic, somehow having made it there before anyone else, and ran into the back room. She was in such a panic about her guardian that she didn't notice that she wasn't alone. A white puff of powder was flung into her face. She fell against the metal table, her hand failing to grasp the edge as her fingers slipped and she fell to the ground, coughing and sputtering against the bitter taste. Her vision clouded as she fell to her side and she barely made out the pale figure in a hood before everything went black.
Scott rushed into the animal clinic, panting from having followed Y/n, and was surprised to see Noah and a deputy already there. "How did you know?" Scott asked.
"Stiles called me as soon as you and Y/n left school. I'm sorry. Your boss's car is still here, and the back door was wide open."
"Where's Y/n?" Scott suddenly realized that his friend wasn't there.
Noah gave him a confused look. "I... I thought she was with you."
Scott shook his head, a sudden sinking feeling in his gut. "No... She- she was ahead of me getting here."
Noah shared a glance with his deputy and then gave Scott a serious look. "Scott... I need you to tell me everything." After some time Stiles had showed up as well. Scott had to break the unfortunate knews that Y/n was now missing as well. He's handleing it as well as he can as he nervously taps his fingers on his crossed arms. Noah comes up and puts a hand on Scott's shoulder and gives his son a sympathetic look. "All right, we're gonna do everything we can. Right now, the best thing you can do is go back to school."
Stiles frowns but doesn't say anything. When Noah turns away Scott nods his head towards the kennel room and Stiles follows him in there. "We have to tell him." Scott said.
"You mean, like, tell him, tell him, or tell him something else that isn't telling him what I think you want to tell him?"
"You know what I mean."
"You remember how your mom reacted? She didn't look you in the eye for, like, a week."
"And she got over it, and- and it actually made us closer."
"I don't know, dude. I mean, look at him. Come on, he's completely overwhelmed as it is."
"He's overwhelmed because he has no clue what's happening. He's got people dying in his town, the town that he's supposed to protect, and it's not his fault that he doesn't know what's happening. He's gonna find out sooner or later."
"Yeah, but is now really the right time?"
"Now might be the best time if we want to find them. I mean, what if not telling him now gets someone else killed?"
"What if telling him gets him killed, huh? I mean, okay, look, I want to find her more than anyone, Scott. And I get that Deaton's been like a father to you. I get that, okay? But this is m- Scott, this is my actual father. I can't... I can't lose both of my parents, all right? Not both of them."
"You're right."
Stiles sighs. "No, I'm not. I'm not right. And Y/n would probably kick my ass if she heard what I was saying." They shared a small laugh. "I'll tell him."
"I'll help you."
Stiles sighs one more time before following Scott out of the room, but then they find Marin talking to the Sheriff. "Please, whatever you need, however you can help find my brother and Y/n." Scott and Stiles look at each other in confusion and Stiles mouths 'brother'?
"Will you excuse us for a moment?" Noah excused himself and his deputy.
When they were alone Marin walked up to the teens. "Okay, listen closely, both of you. No sheriff, deputy, or detective is going to be able to find them."
"You don't have to ask for our help." Scott said.
"Actually, I'm trying to help you, because, if you're going to find my brother and Y/n, then you need to use the one person who might actually have an ability to seek out the supernatural."
Stiles looks at Scott in realization. "Lydia."
Stiles found Lydia with Cora at school and he took them to an empty classroom so they won't be disturbed. Lydia sits at a desk and Stiles slaps a box in front of her. "A quija board?" She asked, unimpressed with the object. (I DO NOT fuck with that shit, hell no, nuh-uh, no way José, I'm outtie 500. Anyways, moving on.)
"Also called a spirit board, and it's worth a shot." He starts to set it up. "Could you just try it, please, okay?" He set the planchette on the board upside down and Lydia flipped it the right way. "Let's not forget who this is for- Scott's boss, the guy who has saved our collective asses on more than one occasion, and Y/n, my girlfriend and your best friend." Lydia frowned a bit. She was upset that Y/n was missing, but how is she supposed to help?
"Oh, wait, should we all do this?" Cora asked.
"Yeah, yeah." Lydia sighed and put her fingers on the planchette with the other two. "You guys ready?"
"Yeah."
"Yes."
Stiles slightly nodded before looking down at the plastic object. He had only one question for it, because they figured if they found one, the other would be with them. "Where is Y/n L/n?" Lydia glanced up at his tone. He was almost desprate sounding, but then again she was desperate too.
They were quiet for a moment and Stiles looked at Lydia. She noticed and realized Cora was also looking at her. "What?"
"Aren't you going to answer it?"
"Oh, I don't know the answer. I thought we were asking some sort of spirit."
"Well, do you know any spirits?" Cora asked.
"Y/n does." Stiles and Cora sighed and he put the board away, moving on to the next idea.
He pulled an item from his pocket and held it in his fingers. "Okay, this is... This is Y/n's ring that I gave her." They found it in the back room of the clinic next to the table and Noah let Stiles hold on to it. "Just close your eyes, and I'm gonna put it in your hand, and then we're just gonna try and see if you can feel out for her location. It's called psychometry."
"I'm not a psychic." She quickly pointed out.
"You're something! Okay? You and Y/n have some kind of connection, all right? Just, Lydia, put out your hand." She finally obliged, closing her eyes and holding out her hand. He set the ring in her palm and she made a sound. "What?"
"It's cold."
He gave her a look. "Lydia, concentrate, please? Trying to save lives here, for the love of God." He muttered the last part but she still heard him. She closed her eyes again and clenched her hand around the ring, really trying this time. She really does want to find Y/n, she just doesn't know how. Her brows furrow in frustration but Stiles mistakes it as something else. "What is it? What do you see?"
She opens her eyes with a small frown. "Nothing." Stiles sighs and takes the ring from her, tucking it safely into his pocket. Then they move on to the next thing. He holds a pencil in front of her and sets a notebook on the desk. "Automatic writing?"
He nods. "Y/n's done it before, maybe you can too." Lydia doubts it but takes the pencil anyways. It takes her a second but then she starts to draw something. "Lydia, what are you doing? What- what the hell is that?"
"A tree."
"A tr- Lydia, you're supposed to be writing words, like in sentences, something like a location, something tha would tell us where she is."
"Well, maybe you should've said that."
"Isn't she supposed to be some kind of genius?" Cora asks.
"Genius? Yes." She sighs. "Psychic, no."
"Lydia, you need to take this seriousl-"
"You think I'm not?" She cut him off. "You think I don't want to find her just as much as you? I'm trying. I'm really trying so hard, but nothing is working. I mean, honestly, I don't know why you're even bothering with me anyway. Especially since it's obvious you should be talking to Danny."
"What? Why Danny?"
"Because... Last night, he was a target." Scott walked into the classroom, hand over his bloody and wounded shoulder. "But it wasn't a sacrifice."
...
Alan hung from the ceiling of the abandoned vault. He was suspended by his wrists and he had to pull himself up every now and then to catch a breath. He was struggling a little more each time, but he had to keep fighting. He tiredly glanced to the side where a hunched figure shivered. Y/n had indeed been put with Alan in the vault and she wasn't doing much better than him.
He could tell, even from his blurry vision and dazed state, that she had been poisoned with mistletoe. A puddle of white liquid and the berries was near her from where her body tried to expel the substance, but it's too late, it's already in her system. Every now and again she would have a coughing fit and a mix of white and red would stain the floor further, but the red was slowly turning darker and darker. Pretty soon it will turn black. He's seen it once before, with his old friend, but luckily she was treated before it was too late. He's afraid that that won't be the case this time.
If help doesn't come soon, they are both going to die.
...
Stiles had gone to visit Danny in the hospital, and while the boy was asleep he went through his stuff, finding a report on telluric currents. Scott had also found something, but in Allison's father's office. A map with markings of where the six sacrifices where taken and ultimately found, along with six other spots of where future sacrifices would be found. Scott, Stiles, Lydia, and Cora met back up in the clinic to go over everything they found.
"Okay, so, what does this kid's homework have to do with finding Y/n and Deaton?" Cora asked.
"Because it's not just homework, okay?" Stiles answered. "It's a project on geomagnetic fields. They flow through the Earth. They can even be affected by lunar phases, all right? Now, look at this." He flips around some pages. "This is a note from Harris on Danny's proposal." The note was written in red and Lydia read it out loud.
"'I strongly advise you to choose another subject. The ideas here, while innovative and thoughtful, border on pseudo-sciene. Not suitable for class'."
"Harris wasn't just a sacrifice. He knew something." Scott realized.
"Now check this out. Allison's dad wasn't the only one with a map, all right?" Stiles starts to unfold a map. "Danny had one too." He laid it flat and Scott sat down the printings he made of the map he found. "Danny marked all of the telluric currents, okay? Now, the weird thing about Beacon Hills is that it actually is a beacon. You wouldn't believe how much energy flowing through this Earth is around this town."
Scott looked wide eyed at the maps. "Stiles, look, they match. All right, there's three places, right? Where they're kidnapped, and the place where their body was found." He circled the coresponding areas with a pen.
Lydia pointed. "Look, that's right on a telluric current."
"So, maybe where they were sacrificed is somewhere in between."
"Let me see that." Stiles takes the pen from Scott. "You said there's six more bodies to be found. Deaton and- and Y/n are one of them, like, combined." He marked the clinic. "Got to be somewhere in between, right?" He followed the current that started there until he was stopped by Cora grabbing his hand.
"Stop." She moved his hand to the correct spot. "They're in the vault. They're in the same vault."
...
It's getting more and more difficult for Alan to lift himself up. Sweat drenches his skin as he struggles for each breath. He can't do this much longer.
Y/n lies on her back, her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths is getting slower. Her skin has a thin layer of perspiration and white is mixed with the black blood that dots her paling complexion.
She's never felt so weak in her life. She knew that mistletoe was dangerous for her, but she's never experienced it for herself before, and it was one of the worst things she's ever had to go through. She was completely cut off from her magic. She was so used to feeling the magic in her veins, feeling the connection to the earth and energy of the world, that when she was suddenly without it it was like she lost a limb. It was an empty feeling throughout her whole being. A piece of herself was forcably taken from her and this would be the last thing she ever felt.
She was dying. Each breath was harder and shorter than the last. The poison and lack of oxygen was making her mind foggy, hardly having a coherent thought, but one thing did stick.
She didn't want to die.
At least not without seeing Stiles one more time.
...
The four gather everything up as they prepare to save the doctor and the witch. Lydia pauses when she sees Cora stood still and looking at her phone. "Guys, hold on."
"Lydia, we don't have time." Scott insisted.
"It's Boyd." Cora informed. "The plan didn't work. They cut the power."
"It's just like he said." Scott muttered. "Go. I can save Y/n and Deaton myself."
"What? Scott, no, I'm going with you." Stiles said anxiously.
"Cora can't get there fast enough without you." Scott put a hand on his friend's shoulder and gave him a serious look. "I will get her. Go. We can save all three of them." Stiles wanted to refuse, but reluctantly nodded. He trusted Scott.
"All right, let's go." Stiles sped the girls to Derek's loft while Scott raced his bike as fast as he could to the bank.
As soon as he could Scott hopped off his bike and ran into the bank. The first thing he saw when he got to the vault was Alan and he rushed forward to help, only to be shoved back by the barrier mountain ash created around the man. As he sat up he heard a weak groan and looked to his left to see Y/n. He was shocked. He had never seen her looking so bad. She looked like death with black blood and a bit of white making a trail down her chin and the sides of her face. He quickly reached out to her but was pushed back the same way as before. He stood up and finally spotted the rings of ash around the two.
He looked between the two with furrowed brows. They were dying and he couldn't get to them. He decided to try and force his way past the barrier. He faced Alan again. Y/n would be okay for a moment, Alan was suffocating. He put his hands on the invisible wall and started to push. A blue light started to emminate from the ash as it worked against the werewolf. He groaned and yelled at the effort, trying desperatly to get to the man. Alan opened his bleary eyes and watched Scott stuggle. He watched Scott's eyes shift to the Beta yellow, but then they grew to the Alpha red. His eyes faded when he was shoved back again. He coughed and groaned. He couldn't do it.
"Scott!" A voice called and he turned to see Noah at the vault door. "Let me give it a shot." He pulled out his gun and aimed at the rope holding Alan. He shot it and it snapped letting Alan fall to the ground, finally free and able to breath properly once again. As quick as he could Alan shifted himself to disrupt the ash around Y/n and he sat himself next to her head. He checked her pulse and sighed in relief. It was faint, growing fainter, but still there. There was still time. He wiped some of the blood and mistletoe from her face and gave a tired smile to Scott and Noah when they crouched in front of them.
"How'd you find us?" Scott asked the sheriff.
"The vials in the clinic with the celtic symbols on 'em? I knew that one of 'em looked familiar." He pointed to the bank logo on the floor.
"Sheriff, thank you for being one hell of a detective." Alan thanked him.
"You bet. Let's get you two an ambulance."
When Noah walked out of the room Alan grabbed Scott and spoke to him quickly and quietly. "Your eyes were red. Bright red." He smiled.
"How is that possible?"
"Paramedics are on their way." Noah informed as he peeked around the corner for a moment. "I'll be back in half a minute."
Alan nodded and continued when he was gone again. "It's rare. it's something that doesn't happen within 100 years, but every once in a while a Beta can become an Alpha without having to steal or take that power. They call it a True Alpha. It's one who rises purely on the strength of the character, by virtue, by sheer force of will."
"You knew this would happen."
"I believed. From the moment I knew you were bitten, I believed."
Scott looked away as something occured to him. "You're not the only one."
"No. Deucalion isn't after Derek. He's after you."
...
Y/n had 'magically' made a full recovery after Alan had given her a drink he made that would fully expel the mistletoe from her system. She wondered why the darach would take her with Alan and try to sacrifice her as well, she didn't really fit into any of the archetypes. When she asked him he theorized that if the darach managed to sacrifice a witch, for whatever purpose, it would give them extra abilities, similiar to those of a witch but weaker. Y/n had frowned at that. Not only was her magic blocked from her it could have been taken and used as well. She really didn't like that. The magic in her blood was a gift passed down through the generations, not something someone can just take.
Now she was pissed and wanted to find the would-be witch and crush her into a bloody pulp in the ground. Maybe a tad aggressive, but it was understandable.
When Y/n could she went back home with her guardian and she sat down on her bed with a relieved sigh. Not even two minutes after did she hear the front door open, followed by thumping footsteps that led to her room. She knew it was Stiles before he had even made it to the first step, but it didn't stop her from being surprised when he practically broke down her door and rushed up to her. She let out a small 'oof' when his body crashed into hers, arms thrown around her and holding tight as if she was a dream and might disappear if he let go.
She didn't say anything and just put her arms around him as well, letting him take as long as he needed to feel okay again. He let out a shaky breath after a moment. She was okay. She was alive and she was here in his arms. She could feel the tension and the stress practically melt off of him when he assured himself that she was okay. When she felt he was calm enough she slowly pulled away, only far enough so she can lightly trace her fingers over his cheek. He turned his face into her palm and brought a hand to cover hers, his lips grazing the softness of her skin.
He could feel her gaze on his face, her e/c irises leaving a tingling trail wherever they went. He kept his own eyes closed. He knew that if he looked at her she would see everything he'd been feeling since she was taken. But he couldn't keep that up for long. "Stiles." She gently called and just the sound of her voice was enough to draw his eyes open and to her. She had a small smile and her gaze was soft. "I'm okay." She assured.
He gave an almost indecernable nod. "I know. I just- I just needed to see for myself." He brought a hand up to her neck and pulled her closer to press a kiss to her forehead. He had been so worried, so scared that they wouldn't find her in time, but he's beyond relieved they did.
It took a few more minutes but she managed to coax him back to the bed where they stretched out and held each other. It may not seem like it at first, but Stiles is the type, when he needs extra assurance, who would lay on his girlfriend, having his ear over her heart just to hear the steady rhythm of it. It calmed him and was more proof that she was here, she was fine. She slowly raked her fingers through his brown tresses, the motions soothing him and her equally.
He suddenly felt a warm spot in his pocket, and when he dug his hand in to investigate, he pulled out her ring. His mouth went to a small 'o' of realization when he remembered. He sat up a bit then and she looked at him in question, it fading when she saw the object in his fingers. "They found it at the clinic when they were searching for clues. My dad let me keep it because he knew what it was."
"I thought I was missing something." She mused. She didn't notice at first but she definitely did have a feeling that something was indeed missing. She hadn't taken it off since Stiles gave it to her and she definitely felt it's absence even if she didn't realize at first what it was. She held up her index finger for him. "You mind putting it back on for me." She had a little mischevious glint in her eye. He huffed a small laugh but obliged, slipping the little silver promise ring back onto her finger where it belonged. He took her hand and pressed a kiss to her fingers before he smirked.
He looked into her eyes and then started to lead a trail of kisses down her arm, up her neck, along her jaw, and finally to her lips where they relished in the feel. Their kisses were like lightning and something they could and couldn't get used to at the same time. It was exilerating and left them breathless, making them crave more and more. They let themselves get lost in the feeling and lost in each other. As she let out sighs of love and delight she had a thought in the back of her mind.
She was thankful that the house was empty at the moment.
~~~
Published: 5/5/21
Edited: 4/12/22