Everything was black. Stiles felt heavy as he tried to fight his way into consciousness. He felt as if he were weighed down at the bottom of a dark lake. He slowly began fighting his way to the surface. He couldn't remember how he had ended up there, all he knew was that he needed to get out.

Very slowly the shimmering surface began to get closer. With one final push, Stiles emerged out into the sunlight.

The first thing that Stiles was aware of was pain. The pain seemed to be radiating through every inch of his body. It almost made him wish that he was still stuck inside of his head. Almost. He stayed as still as he possibly could because he knew that the second he moved, the pain would be unbearable.

Once he had adjusted to the pain slightly, the second thing he noticed was a warmth spreading from his hand. He knew immediately that it was Malia's hand. Just as he had known it was Malia's hand that he had felt squeezing his when he was trapped inside his coma. The feel of her hand in his gave him the strength to open up his eyes.

His eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand pounds. With a great amount of effort he managed to pry them open. At first the light blinded him and his vision was blurry. After a few moments of blinking his vision cleared enough for him to make out the white ceiling of the hospital. He moved his head slightly to try to get a glimpse of the others in the room and just barely managed to keep from crying out as his head throbbed. But he had managed to tilt his head enough so he could see better. What he saw brought tears to his eyes, it was all of the people he loved gathered together. No one had noticed that he was awake yet because they were all asleep or staring off into space. Stiles had no idea how long he had been in a coma, so he had no idea how long his friends had been staked out inside of his hospital room.

Bracing for another wave of pain, Stiles turned his head slightly to the right so that he could focus in on Malia.

The sight of her brought another huge wave of emotions. He head was propped up on her arms and he eyes were closed. Her hair was all tangled and she had dark circles under her eyes. But she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. The Malia in his dream was nothing compared to the real one. Nothing could ever really capture her essence. The fierceness and strength and protectiveness and beauty were things that were completely unique to her.

Seeing her took away some of the sting of losing his mom. Stiles squeezed her hand and watched as she jumped awake. She stared at their clasped hands for a few seconds as if she didn't really believe that he had just moved. Then slowly, she brought her eyes up until they found his.

He watched in fascination as dozens of emotions flickered across her widened eyes. Then she gave him a dazzling smile and squeezed his hand back.

"Stiles! You're awake! He's awake guys!" she practically shouted. Her raised voice sent a shock of pain through his head but he didn't care. He focused his attention on all of his friends and family.

His father had tears streaming down his face. He smiled through them and kissed Stiles on the forehead. He looked like he wanted to say something but was too overcome with emotion.

Scott also had wet eyes, he stood next to Stiles father. When Stiles met his eyes, Scott smiled and gave him a nod. No words needed to be exchanged between the two of them. They had been through too much together, one look could say it all.

Lydia and Derek had dry eyes, but Stiles could tell how emotional they were.

Isaac and Liam were crying and holding onto each other and Stiles.

Melissa was holding his other hand with Kira next to her. Both women were smiling so hard that it looked like it hurt.

Deaton, Kyle, Dawson, Olivia, and Remy were all standing a little bit back, allowing those who were closest with Stiles to surround him first. They were all watching the scene with smiles on their faces.

Stiles eyes started to drift close of their own accord. He struggled to keep them open, he wanted to stay awake. He wanted to stay with those he loved. He was also afraid of falling asleep again, what if he couldn't wake up again?

Melissa was the first to notice Stiles' struggle. She squeezed his hand and smiled gently.

"What do you say we let Stiles get some rest?" The others looked reluctant, but the nodded when the looked at Stiles and saw how his eyes were drooping. "Stiles, we will be here when you wake up." She leaned down and kissed his forehead before releasing his hand and stepping back. His father followed suit, kissing him and whispering a hoarse,

"I love you son," Stiles wished desperately that he could respond, but the tube down his throat prevented that, but one look at his father and he knew that his dad knew.

Stiles turned slightly so he could see Malia, his eyelids growing heavier by the second, but he just wanted one last look at her. She sat there, with tears in her eyes and a smile on her lips. Stiles' eyes finally closed with the image of her burned into the back of his eyelids.

Stiles drifted in and out of consciousness. He woke up a few more times, but he was only half conscious of what was happening in the room. A few of the times he was unable to pry his eyes open and just listened to the sound of voices around him. He couldn't really make out what they were saying, but the familiar sounds washed over him and put him back to sleep.

The next time that Stiles opened up his eyes, he found the room a lot emptier. This time he saw only Scott, his father, and Malia. He suspected that the latter had yet to let go of his hand. He was glad for that, her hand in his helped him to feel grounded to reality.

"Stiles" His father was the first to notice that he was awake. At the Sheriff's voice, Scott and Malia both plastered smiles onto their exhausted faces. Stiles knew that they were trying to seem bright and happy for his benefit and he appreciated the effort.

"Wh'evrybdy?" Stiles' voice was rough and it was no louder than a whisper. His voice came out slurred because of pain and sleepiness. But he was glad to have the tube out of his throat so that he could speak.

"My mom sent everyone home," Stiles was grateful that Scott had understood his question. "They didn't like it, but they were all dead on their feet." Scott and Malia exchanged a look that told Stiles that everyone hadn't left quietly. "They finally gave in once the 3 of us said we'd stay and Melissa pointed out how overwhelming it must've been for you to wake up with everyone all around you."

"Yeah...but good to see friends." Stiles felt his eyelids drifting closed, but he fought to stay awake. "And dad..." He turned his head to see his father better. The movement sent a wave of pain through his body. He must've shown it on his face because his dad put his hand lightly on Stiles' forehead.

"Easy does it son. You've got a pretty bad concussion along with everything else. So slow movements." He brushed Stiles' hair off of his forehead, his father's eyes were glistening. Stiles turned his head slowly the other direction to get a good look at Malia. He wasn't surprised when he saw black veins shooting up her arm. She gave him a small pained smile.

"I wish I could take more."

"S'okay...feels better" Stiles mumbled, He wanted to spend more time with his dad and friends, but with his dad stroking his hair like he used to do when Stiles was young and Malia taking some of his pain, Stiles' body rebelled.

"What..." He had so many questions about what had happened on their side since he'd been taken. He looked at Scott, pleading with him with his eyes to explain. Scott seemed to understand, but he shook his head.

"Stiles, you need to rest. We can talk more once you wake back up." Scott used his firm alpha tone that he had perfected. It wasn't the supernatural voice, but it was the voice of a leader. It was a kind tone but it left no room for argument. Still Stiles wanted to argue, but he suddenly couldn't think of anything to say. His eyes somehow closed again, but he forced them back open, he wanted to stay awake, he wanted to stay with his dad and Scott and Malia. He was suddenly afraid of going to sleep.

"Stiles, it's okay, you can sleep." Malia leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. He ached for more, but knew that his broken body couldn't handle it. His eyes had shut when she had kissed him but he pried them open one last time. "Sleep Stiles, we'll be right here when you wake back up." She squeezed his hand, letting him know that she wasn't going to let go.

And with Malia's promise, both spoken and unspoken, he fell back asleep.

"Stiles, where'd you run off to? We were just starting to have some fun." The voice from the shadows sent a chill down Stiles' spine. Although he couldn't see anything, he could recognize that voice anywhere. Stiles tried to run, but he found himself bound. He tried to scream, but no sound would come out. "I'm coming for you Stiles. I can take you from anywhere at anytime. You aren't safe even in that hospital bed surrounded by your pack." The man spit out the last word as he stepped into the light. He had a vicious smile, a malicious twinkle in his eyes, and red hair that reflected the light. Stiles tried to scream again and the man laughed. He frantically squirmed in his bonds, trying somehow to get out. "Just you wait, Stiles. I'm coming." Stiles used all of his strength to try to break free, his every movement sent waves of pain down his body, but he ignored that. Nothing had ever been more important than breaking free. He gritted his teeth, and pulled with all of his might.

"STILES, WAKE UP!" At the sound of his father's voice, Stiles froze. He blinked furiously as his eyes adjusted to the bright light. A heaviness settled over him as he viewed the scene in front of him. His father had his hands on his shoulders, Scott had hold of his legs, and Malia had thrown herself over his torso. When he stopped fighting, they all released him and took a step back. Stiles' breath quickened as he looked between the 3 of them. They all were looked at him with shocked and terrified expressions on their faces. Stiles felt panic wash over him. He was disoriented and sweating and shaking from his nightmare. Stiles' father was the first to recover. He stepped forward and brushed his hand along Stiles' cheek.

"Shhh, son, shh. It's okay, it was just a dream. You're safe, you're with us now, no one is going to hurt you." The Sheriff soothed. Stiles closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing, he tried to concentrate on what his father was saying.

"You aren't safe even in that hospital bed." Stiles' eyes flew open. He wanted to physically pound the nightmare from his head, instead he tried to focus on other things. His gaze fell on Malia, who was standing a few feet from the bed. Those few feet felt like miles, and his hand felt cold without hers intertwined with it. She let out a choked sob and Stiles realized that she had tears streaming down her face. In a blur of motion she closed the gap between them. She fell to her knees next to his bed and took his hand in both of hers. She laid her cheek on top of their hands. Stiles couldn't see her face, but he saw her shoulder's shaking and felt warm tears on his hand.

"What happened?" He asked in shock, looking between Scott and his dad, he had never seen Malia so beside herself. His dad opened his mouth to answer, but at that moment a nurse burst into the room. The Sheriff hurried over to her to explain the situation. Scott shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"Man, I've seen you wake up from your nightmares, but this was different." Scott shook his head, as if he didn't believe his own memory of what had just happened. He looked at Stiles and hesitated, as if trying to decide if Stiles could handle hearing about it.
"Please, just...not knowing is worse." Stiles begged. Malia's quiet shaking had turned into full fledged sobs. Every cry tore right through his heart. He wanted nothing more than to be able to put his arms around her.

"You kinda just went berserk. It took all of the strength that the 3 of us had to keep you from falling off the bed. You were fighting us so hard...and screaming" Scott shuddered, "I've never heard anything like that before." Scott looked at him with a shell shocked expression. "Stiles, what-" He started to ask a question but stopped himself. Stiles lightly shook his head, answering the unspoken question.

"I can't man, not yet." He wasn't ready to talk about his nightmare, because in order for Scott to understand, Stiles would have to tell him everything and he didn't like thinking about it, let alone reliving it as he voiced what had happened outloud. "But please Scott, tell me what happened to the hunters. I need to know." Stiles trusted them when they told him that he was safe, but his thoughts kept drifting back to his nightmare. He had to know what had happened, he had to know that the redhead and his other torturers were never coming back again. Scott nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by the nurse who came hurrying over. She was heavyset and had kind eyes, but when she spoke it was in a tone that left no room for argument.

"You two can talk later, right now Mr. Stilinski, we have to get you stitched back up." She gestured at Stiles' torso. He saw with horror that his hospital gown was covered with blood. He must've opened up all of his stitches with his struggling.

"Okay, but first, can we just have a quick minute" He begged, nodding his head towards Malia, who was still sobbing, although less than she had been at the beginning. The nurse, Elizabeth her nametag said, surveyed the scene with her hands on her hips. Then she gave a nod,

"You have two minutes, you can't afford to lose anymore blood Mr. Stilinski." She gave him a small smile and bustled out of the room. Scott and his father each gave him a worried glance before following her out.

"Malia" He said softly when they were alone. He gently pulled his hand out and stroked her hair. "Malia, look at me." She lifted her head. Her eyes were red and puffy, her face was pale and splotchy, her hair was crazy, and she had blood on her cheek that Stiles suspected was his own. But still Stiles drank in the sight of her. He would never get tired of looking at her and he was never again going to take simple things like just being together for granted.

"I'm sorry..." Malia sniffed.

"Shh, it's okay, I'm okay." Stiles reached over and wiped the tears and blood off her cheeks as best he could. "I didn't mean to scare you." He murmured. At his words a fresh set of tears filled Malia's eyes.

"Oh, god!" She huffed and furiously wiped at her eyes. "This should be the other way around, I should be comforting you. It's just..." Malia cut herself off and looked away from him.

"Just what?" he prodded, but she just violently shook her head. "Malia, you can tell me."

"I know, but you have enough to worry about without shouldering my burdens as well. I need you to focus on getting yourself better. Then you can comfort me all that you want." She gave him a weak smile, but it did a lot to lift his spirits. He ran his thumb along her lips and stroked her cheek. She leaned into his hand and closed her eyes.

"I love you, Malia Tate." This wasn't how he had imagined saying those words to her for the first time, but looking at her, he just couldn't wait any longer. After all they had been through, he needed to tell her, he needed to make sure that she knew without a doubt that he loved her. He had planned to do something super romantic and then drop those three little words, but since he knew he wouldn't be in any position to make grand gestures for a while, this seemed like as good of a time as any.

At his words, Malia's eyes flew open in shock. As she looked at him a huge smile spread across her face, the first genuine smile had had seen since he woke up. Malia looked like she wanted to pounce on him but she settled on kissing him softly on his lips, then his cheeks and nose and forehead. She peppered soft, little kisses all over his face. When she leaned back she still had the smile on her face.

"And I love you, my brave Stiles." Her words washed over him like a healing balm. Stiles felt lighter and his pain didn't seem as sharp. He knew he had a goofy smile on his face that matched hers. He ran his fingers along the crease in her cheek that her smile made. She took his hand lightly in hers and kissed each of his knuckles gently. Each light kiss sent a thrill through his body. Malia had never before shown him such gently, caring affection. She was more the hot kisses, scratches on the back type person. Stiles had never minded it, but he found himself drawn to this more delicate, caring side of her. It showed that she trusted him enough to allow herself to be more exposed and vulnerable, something that Malia did not often do.

Stiles and Malia were so caught up in their own world that they didn't notice Nurse Elizabeth until she cleared her throat. They both gave a small jump and then smiled at each other.

"Alright Romeo, I would rather you not die a needless death for love like in the book. Let's get you stitched up and then you two can get back to ogling each other." Stiles gave a little laugh, the sound was rough and sounded foreign to his ears, but Malia beamed at him and even Nurse Elizabeth cracked a genuine smile. "Finally, a patient that appreciates my sense of humor. You and I are going to get along very well Mr. Stilinski."

A/N

YOU GUYS GOT THIS TO 50K! Words cannot explain how much I love you all. Thanks for all of your support and votes and comments! I hope that this emotional yet happy ending to the chapter makes you as happy as I am right now!