If You're Going Through Hell

A/N: Hi everyone! This one took a while because there are so many things all beginning to converge together. It's also the longest chapter so far in the story; the first scene alone is almost as long as some of the shorter, earlier chapters. So, I hope it all still makes sense. I'll give a special shout out to Camille, who requested something awhile ago that I incorporated into the last scene of this chapter. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!

Chapter 28: A Confluence of Events

The two Stilinski's eventually pulled away from one another, each wiping tears from their eyes and taking a moment to compose themselves. Stiles looked around the kitchen briefly, noticing first the absence of the Pack and then second that the room had changed. The dust, dirt, and debris were gone, replaced by the near spotless state he had always strived to keep the house in. Murmuring drifted to them from the living room, so Stiles assumed that is where his friends had gathered.

"Stiles, what's going on?" his father finally asked, piercing him with his trademark glare.

"Dad, I don't even know where to begin," he laughed, stepping forward to wrap his arm around his father and leading him back to the dining room table so they could sit and talk. He took his time explaining, talking about everything that had happened in the living realm when the two had become separated, about hearing over the radio that his father had been killed while they were in hiding, then eventually being killed himself after losing so many of their friends. He told him about the crazy plan to bring everyone back to life, about the demon inside himself, about their successes in finding and saving several of their friends, and about his failures in losing Nolan and Noshiko. The Sheriff listened attentively, not daring to interrupt the lengthy diatribe. Finally, Stiles reached the present, with the Pack coming to the Stilinski house but getting caught in a demon/druid tunnel at the door and temporarily losing their bodies. "But what I don't understand," Stiles finished, "is why you thought I had committed suicide. That's an oddly specific thing for the magical influence to make you think."

"Really? In all of what you just said, that's the thing that you don't understand?" the former sheriff chuckled, ruffling his son's hair affectionately as he did.

"Hey! It may be weird and crazy, but everything else does make sense!" Stiles retorted, crossing his arms over his chest in a huff, though he couldn't suppress the grin from his face, causing his father to shake his head at him with a laugh.

"Well," the elder Stilinski said thoughtfully after a moment, "I always say, 'three's a pattern.' You've now encountered three of these transformation tunnel…things. What have you learned from them?"

"Hmmm…" Stiles began, trailing off for a few minutes lost in thought. "All three of them occurred around people who were stuck in pain. The first time it was Isaac, reliving his dad's abuse. The second time it was Ethan, reliving his former pack's abuse. And this time it was…"

"Me reliving a nightmare I used to have," Noah finished.

"Wait, what?" Stiles interjected. "What do you mean, what nightmare?"

"Honestly, it started shortly after your mom died and you began having panic attacks," he grimaced, pained by the memory. "I was so afraid that I was going to lose you too, and I tried to drown out that fear by drinking. Didn't help, of course, just meant I stayed asleep when the nightmares started. I kept thinking that I was going to be the only one left, that I was going to fail you as a father, and I wasn't sure I could handle that. The nightmares eventually went away, but they started up again a few years later…"

"When all the supernatural stuff started in our lives, because we were both in danger all the time," Stiles said, nodding his head, his expression a mixture of pain and understanding. "You're not a failure dad, you know that, right?"

"Something must have gone right, kiddo, because you turned out to be a pretty ok young man," the older Stilinski grinned, ruffling his son's hair again.

Stiles blushed and tried to suppress a grin, flailing to get his father to stop messing with his hair and focus. "So, each time, the transformation tunnels were connected to past pain," he said, shifting back to a serious tone.

"What else?" the former Sheriff queried. Stiles remained silent for a few minutes while he thought.

"And each time they did something to slow us down or try to prevent us from being reunited with the person in pain and taking the pain away," the younger Stilinski finally replied. "With Isaac, we were shrunk and started turning into mice, so we couldn't intervene or talk to him. He even briefly forgot us; Scott had to alpha remind him. With Ethan, he was de-aged so that he felt helpless to stop what was happening to him and he also forgot he had people he could rely on. And with you, we lost our ability to show you that we are here and prove we are real, that you aren't alone. And you forgot what really happened to us."

"So, what does all of that mean?" Scott asked from the doorway where he and Derek stood, having wandered back in after noticing the conversation at hand.

"It means that these tunnels aren't random," Stiles said with a look of determination. "Whoever is doing this is specifically targeting us, our Pack, in the hopes of slowing us down or preventing us from reconnecting with everyone. They want us to stay separated and stuck in pain or grief. And, specifically, they want us to forget about each other and our connections to the Pack as a whole." Noah reached over to place a hand on his son's shoulder in an attempt to ease some of the building tension. Stiles was practically vibrating with anger and frustration, but he settled down in response to the comfort from his father.

"So, we have yet another enemy down here," Derek said with a frown. "Does it change anything for us?"

"No," Scott answered, catching both Stilinski's by surprise, "our goal is the same as before: find our friends and bring them back to life. We just have to watch out for these things, and whoever is responsible for them."

"That makes sense," interjected Isaac, who had also wandered up behind his alpha and former alpha. "We've broken through each of them so far, so the only thing it's really done is slow us down a bit."

"Speaking of which," Theo called out from down the hall, "we should probably get moving. I don't think it's a good idea to just hang out here. I feel like we're being watched."

"I agree," Scott replied, turning to face the chimera briefly before returning his gaze to his best friend and then the man that was most like a father to him, "we should get going. We still have a lot of our friends to find. Sheriff, will you join us?"

"Of course, Scott," Noah replied, "though I'm not the sheriff of this town anymore."

"You will be soon," Stiles said with a look that brokered no room for argument.

"Can we go now?" Malia interjected, shoving her way between Scott and Derek. "No offense Stiles, but your Hell house is creepy."

"Limbo house," Stiles corrected.

"Whatever…it's weird, and I want to get out of here," she retorted.

"Lead the way," Stiles replied with a laugh and a shake of the head. "But through the back door!" he called out as she barreled back through Scott and Derek, "we don't want to have the transformation magic put on us again!" Malia quickly turned and darted for the door to the backyard, throwing it open and rushing outside.

"Finally!" she exclaimed as the rest followed after her, the Stilinski's bringing up the rear. The former sheriff hesitated, reaching for his pocket before realizing he didn't have any keys to lock the door with.

"It's ok dad," Stiles said quietly, "It's not really our home." His father looked a little lost for a moment, before nodding his head and following after the others.

"Where to next?" Braeden asked, once more inspecting her various weapons for signs of damage or dirt.

"Back into town," Scott answered, "I know I caught Boyd's scent on the way here, and Malia believes Deaton is around here too."

"If Boyd is here, the best place to check first would be the ice-skating rink," Isaac said cheerfully, turning to lead the way through the backyard.

He had barely taken three steps before Scott shouted after him, "Isaac, look out!" as a bullet came screaming through the air and tearing straight through the curly-haired wolf's shoulder. The force of the bullet knocked Isaac to the ground as a scream tore from his lips.

"Sniper!" Braeden shouted, already pulling up a rifle she had strapped to her back so she could peer through its scope.

"Take cover!" Noah shouted at the same time, grabbing his son and Derek and half-dragging them back towards the side of the house. The sounds of more bullets flying through the air caught their ears as the rest dove for shelter among the bushes or against the side of the house.

"We're surrounded!" Aiden called out from underneath a shrub where he, his brother, and Jackson had all hidden.

"Isaac!" Scott screamed again, shifting to beta form and diving after his injured packmate, grabbing him under the arms and dragging him to safety next to Stiles and the others. Derek dropped to the ground next to him, ripping through the remnants of Isaac's shirt with his claws to get a look at the wound, and quickly reeling back.

"They have wolfsbane bullets!" he shouted to the others, grimacing as he started to take some of Isaac's pain, the younger wolf struggling not to cry as he thrashed around for a moment. Malia shifted to full coyote form, Theo following suit with his full wolf form, and the two stealthily darted into the trees behind the house.

Braeden lined her rifle up carefully, having come around to the other side of the house and taken shelter under the awning of the garage. She fired a shot, grinning in satisfaction as the bullet hit her mark. "That's one down," she called out, swinging the rifle across her back to dart to the tree line herself.

"There's still too many!" Hayden shouted in response from her position behind one of the nearby trees.

"Not for long!" Stiles called back, quickly shifting into his demon form and taking to the sky. Hayden quickly followed his example, tearing off to skirt the tree line towards a house further up the road.

"Stiles, what are you doing? Get back here!" his father shouted as bullets began whizzing through the air from all directions aimed at the demon who ignored it all in favor of flying towards another sniper situated on a roof two houses down the street.

"Sheriff, Derek, get Isaac back inside the house. Find something to burn the wolfsbane out," Scott said before darting back out to where Jackson and the twins were pinned down.

"You heard the man," Derek said as he shifted to get Isaac up off the ground, half carrying the injured wolf while Noah led the way back to the door. A snarl and a scream echoed across the yard as wolf-Theo dragged another sniper to the ledge of a nearby roof and threw the man unceremoniously to the ground. Halfway down the street Demon-Stiles was swooping down to crash into his chosen opponent while across the street Malia dragged yet another hunter out of hiding, his ankle twisted in her mouth.

"Scott, there's more of them coming from the other side of town," Braeden shouted, her gaze focused through the scope of her rifle as she took aim once more.

"What's the plan, Scott?" Ethan asked, scrambling out from under the shrub and turning to help Jackson to his feet while their alpha helped Aiden.

"Hayden is getting the last of the snipers," Stiles added, landing ungracefully next to the quartet of wolves and shifting back into human form. "But there are at least a couple dozen more hunters heading this way from the center of town too. We're going to be surrounded again if we stay here."

"We can't move until Isaac is healed enough though," Scott replied, eyes darting across the once peaceful neighborhood. "We can't leave him behind."

"Scott, Stiles, we need you inside!" Derek's voice interrupted them.

"You guys fan out, help the others and hold off the hunters as best you can," Scott directed to Jackson and the twins before turning and racing off towards the house.

"Stay safe!" Stiles added before turning to follow. The trio ran towards the gap between the houses, meeting Braeden there to decide how best to attack the incoming forces. Scott reached the house first, scrambling inside before stopping in his tracks. Stiles arrived a few seconds later, barreling into his best friend and almost knocking them both to the ground. "Whoa, what happened?"

"Everything's gone," his father answered. He stood in the center of the empty dining room with Isaac huddled on the floor at his feet whimpering in pain.

"I've checked every room, closet, cabinet," Derek continued, running back into the room from the kitchen. "There's nothing here. No furniture, no tools, nothing."

"Then there's no way to get rid of the wolfsbane," Scott finished, dropping to his knees in front of his injured beta and grabbing his hand in order to drain some of the pain.

"Keep him comfortable and…alive, for a few more minutes," Stiles said, dropping to the floor as well and pulling the bag of dust out of his pocket. "I'm not going to lose anyone else," he whispered, barely audible even to the wolves' supernatural hearing. Without another word he began to draw intricate runes and patterns in the dust, humming slightly to himself as he went.

"I'll check to see how the others are doing outside," the elder Stilinski said, watching his son work for just a moment before heading towards the living room to peek through the window, drawing his gun as he did so. The sounds of gunshots and growls could be heard echoing down the street from both directions as the battle outside raged on. Derek wordlessly sat next to Scott and Isaac, placing a gentle hand on his former beta's shoulder and adding to the pain-drain. Isaac sighed in relief, his trembling slowing enough for him to regain control of his limbs and open his eyes.

"I'm sorry…I should have been…more careful," Isaac whispered, turning his gaze from Derek to Scott and back again.

"It's not your fault Isaac," Scott interjected quickly. "I should have checked to see that the way was clear."

"It's not your fault either Scott," Derek said with a huff. "We all let our guard down, and we were ambushed. It was a simple mistake."

"It's gonna be ok, though," Scott continued after exchanging glances with the older wolf. "You'll be back in the real world with the others, and soon the rest of us will be there too."

"I'll be waiting," Isaac coughed out, black blood spilling from his mouth onto the floor.

"Alright, move him into the center of the circle," Stiles said, standing back up and facing the others. Derek and Scott obeyed, carefully lifting the broken wolf and gently placing him on the floor in the center of the ring of runes Stiles had created. The demon/druid began to chant, hands lifted up, as a telltale gust of wind began sweeping through the room. When he finished, he stepped into the ring to kneel down next to Isaac and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You take care of yourself, ok?"

Isaac nodded, ever the embodied picture of a kicked puppy. "When am I going to see you again?" he whispered, hopeful eyes boring into the young man next to him.

Stiles let out a long sigh before replying, shifting his position to sit on the ground and wrap his arms around his injured friend. "I don't know, buddy. It's hard to say what could happen down here," he said, a myriad of emotions all crossing his face at once.

"In that case, I want to tell you something," Isaac said, wincing as he moved to sit up a little better himself. He waited for Stiles to give him his full attention before continuing. "When we were in school, I had the biggest crush on you…"

"Wait, what?!" Stiles interrupted, jaw hanging open in surprise. Isaac laughed at the sight before wincing again, causing Stiles to snap his mouth closed and grimace in sympathy.

"Yeah, I'm bi…guess I should have started with that," Isaac continued. The whirlwind around them began to pick up speed, though both of them ignored it in favor of their conversation. "I was too nervous to say anything to you though. You were so cool and confident and entertaining; I was afraid you wouldn't like the quiet kid who got beat up by his own dad all the time." He trailed off, his expression forlorn for a moment.

"Isaac, I…" Stiles started before Isaac waved him off.

"It's ok, Stiles. You had your own stuff to worry about at the time, I understand. But, when Derek offered me the bite, I took it not just to get stronger and away from my dad, but also because I was hoping it would give me the strength to talk to you…for real, you know?" Isaac glanced back at Stiles before collapsing back on his unhurt side.

"So why didn't you?" Stiles asked when Isaac didn't continue.

"I…" Isaac began, hesitating to look at his former alpha, who stood off to the side watching the two closely, though it was obvious he couldn't hear what was said above the noise of the wind. "I was going too, and then I realized that you already liked someone else," he said meaningfully, gesturing with his head at the man in question, "someone who really likes you too."

"What, Derek?" Stiles laughed, flailing a bit as he did so. "No! We're just friends…just, good friends is…all," he practically deflated at the look Isaac gave him. "Alright fine, I like Derek. But he doesn't like me back, at least not that way…" he stopped again at another purposeful glace from the wolf. "Really?"

"Of course he likes you," Isaac said with a huff. "Anyone with eyes can see it. All of us can smell it," he said with a wink, causing Stiles to groan and blush. Isaac paused as a spasm of pain gripped him for a second, then continued, "and I think you two will be good for each other, once all of this is over."

"Maybe," Stiles said thoughtfully, almost sadly. Isaac gave him an inquisitive look, prompting him to continue. "Derek's not going to be very happy with me when this is all over. Scott either. Or you, as far as that goes."

"Why? You're bringing everyone back to life and together. What could they possibly be mad about?" Isaac asked with his trademark puppy eyes boring into the older boy.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you, at least not yet. But do me a favor?" Stiles answered, giving Isaac an unreadable look, who simply returned it with a nod of his head. "Look after them, and help them get over it, please?"

"Yeah, I'll do whatever I can to help…" Isaac said before another coughing fit interrupted and he had to quickly turn away to spit more black blood on the floor. Stiles kept a firm grip on him, giving him support until the fit subsided.

"Thank you, pup. You're a really good friend, and I'm glad you are a part of this Pack," Stiles said once Isaac had turned back around. He leaned in, placing a gentle kiss on the wolf's forehead and causing him to blush slightly. Before Isaac could respond, the whirlwind reached its climax, catapulting him upwards through the ceiling in a flash of lightning. "Goodbye, Isaac," Stiles whispered softly, almost mournfully, as Derek and Scott stepped forward to help him back to his feet.

"Are you ok?" Scott asked, searching his best friend all over.

"Yeah, its just…hard to say goodbye," Stiles replied, turning his eyes back towards the spot, no remnant of the wolf remaining, not even a drop of blood, and only a scattering of dust showing that anything had happened. Derek watched him thoughtfully, his forehead creased slightly in concern with a frown adorning his face.

"But at least this time its not forever, right? We'll meet up with him again in a few days, once all of this is over," Scott said, tilting his head to give Stiles a confused look.

"Yeah, you're right," Stiles eventually answered, finally meeting his friend's gaze.

"Guys, don't get comfy. We have company!" Noah shouted from the living room, drawing his gun and running for the back door.

-o-

She remained hidden in the shadows, stealthily observing the group of werecreatures and friends from far enough away that they would not be able to sense her presence. Being part aswang gave her an extra advantage in that regard; unless they were really paying attention, they shouldn't notice her. She had reached the end of the Dread Doctor's tunnels not long after the last of them had crawled up through the storm drain into Limbo Beacon Hills, which made it almost too easy to follow them and eavesdrop on their conversations. The "plan" seemed absurd to Nora; there was no way this ragtag band of misfits could possibly be powerful enough to resurrect the dead from the world of the dead. Even the Doctors were struggling to come up with a way to do it, and they'd spent years studying the most occult and forbidden means of mastering life and death.

No matter, whether they believed they could succeed or not was irrelevant. Her task was simply to observe, unseen, from the shadows, and then report back to the ones who would actually accomplish the unimaginable. Nora followed them through the forest towards the school, remaining hidden in the upper branches of a tree as another alpha werewolf, whom they called Gerard, accosted them. Apparently, he and this group had history together, though the arguing seemed rather petty in her eyes. Gerard ordered a kanima to attack them before disappearing through a hidden portal in the wall of the high school. That was a little more interesting; he was clearly a clever, resourceful old man. The Doctors might be interested in him. She watched as the group split into sections, some fighting the kanima while others took on a slew of hunters that appeared over the horizon. The timing on that was a little too good to be coincidental in her opinion, but still, in the long run what the dead hunters did in this world would be as irrelevant as the rest.

The "Pack" managed to hold off the attack long enough to escape, Nora quietly trailing behind them. She listened from a distance as they found another friend of theirs, Malia, and argued amongst themselves about morals. So foolish, she thought to herself, what use is there for arbitrary rules that hinder one's progress? She sighed, bored, as they debated for a bit before finally taking back off through town, towards a house that supposedly resembled the former dwelling place of the one the Doctors were so interested in. She still didn't quite see the appeal in him; being able to transform into a demon certainly gave him strength, but there were other, easier ways to do that as well.

She remained hidden in the shadows as the group trekked into the house, allowing a magical spell to be placed on them and displace their consciousness from their corporeal selves. Idiots, she grumbled as she listened to their panicked outcries and discussions on how to rectify the situation. This is turning into a waste of time, these people are nothing but amateurs in the supernatural world. Finally, they broke the spell by overloading it with emotional connection. Crude, but effective, she thought to herself as she settled in to listen to the conversation between father and son. She learned a few interesting tidbits of information, more details about their plans and what they hoped to accomplish. It was all a little too altruistic for her tastes. She watched as the snipers placed themselves into position on the nearby rooftops as well. This should be interesting; this pack may be powerful, but they are mind-numbingly daft if they haven't sensed the presence of all of these guys yet.

She watched with grim satisfaction as the first bullet struck, the smell of wolfsbane wafting across the yard to her hiding spot. Well, that one is lost, she thought, unsure if she should be rooting for the McCall Pack or the ones attacking them. But they apparently weren't quite ready to give up on their fallen friend just yet, and a moment later a group of them, the core leaders by the looks of it, had all gathered with the injured wolf inside the house. She crept closer, keeping to the shadows, so she could hear better and observe through the now broken window.

What she saw caught her by surprise and momentarily stunned her speechless. The demon-possessed boy was also a druid, and he had mastered a ritual that was believed to have been impossible. The Doctors had ruled it out as ever being an option because the conditions needed to make it work were so specific there was no way it could ever truly succeed. What is this creature? She thought in wonder, and where did he learn such power? She watched, breathless, as the injured wolf was taken away in a bolt of lightning, and stayed just long enough to receive confirmation that the group leaders all believed their Packmate was now safe and secure in the world of the living. I have to report back, she thought before scrambling away to the trees behind the house and making a beeline for the nearest storm drain that could lead her to the Dread Doctor's lair. My Masters are going to be so pleased to hear what I have to tell them.

-o-

Stiles, his father, Derek, and Scott all raced out the back door and around to the side of the house, meeting Braeden and Hayden there. Jackson, Aiden, and Ethan were all further down the street, locked in a vicious battle with about a dozen hunters who had all arrived on the scene. At the other end of the street, Malia and Theo could be seen tearing claws and fangs through another group of hunters marching on their location.

"We're outnumbered Scott…again," Braeden said with disdain as she watched the alpha approach.

"Stiles, can you give us a little recon?" Scott asked, turning to his best friend.

"I'm on it," Stiles replied, shifting rapidly into demon form and taking to the skies once more.

"That…is going to take a lot of getting used to," Noah said to himself as he watched his son transform and fly away.

"Tell me about it," Derek snorted, catching the look the former sheriff gave him and quickly averting his eyes back to their alpha. They watched the battles taking place around them, Hayden darting into the fray to help Malia before she could be hit with a stun baton.

"What happened to Isaac? Did we lose him?" Braeden asked, trying to mask her concern for the young wolf, though the others weren't fooled.

"We couldn't get the wolfsbane out, but Stiles was able to send him back to the real world," Scott replied. "He's alive now, and safe with the others."

"That's…good; incredible actually," Braeden said, the barest hint of a smile forming before she schooled her features back into her normal, neutral expression. A moment later the demon/druid returned, transforming back into human form.

"There's got to be at least fifty more coming from the south side of town," Stiles said hurriedly, already on the move and beckoning the others to follow him. "The snipers are gone, and no one has replaced them, but I could see a few large and mildly terrifying weapons being dragged along behind the group that's heading our way. Honestly, I have no idea where they are getting all of this stuff; it's not like there is a store you can go to or a manufacturer you can place an order with. Yet, here they are…"

"Stiles, get to the point," Noah interjected before he could ramble any more.

"Right, right, sorry," the younger man replied, distracted. "Our best bet is going to be to cut a path through the middle. If we can get back to downtown, I'm pretty sure we can lose the rest of them in all the shops and stuff. But we need to move, now, and we need to make sure we aren't followed."

"Ok, Stiles, I trust you," Scott said, sincerely, sharing a look with his second in command before letting out a low rumble heard by all of the supernaturals, summoning them back to him. As one, they all turned and raced after their alpha, cutting a path through the backyards of the nearby houses and leaping over several fences. Stiles returned to demon form, grabbing Braeden in one arm and his father in the other, the two providing a cover of gunshots aimed at the hunters trailing after them. With supernatural speed, the group quickly lost the men and women following them, and they slowed to stop on the outskirts of an old shopping center.

"Here, I thought you might want these," Jackson said, handing a wad of material to Theo and Malia as they switched back to human forms.

"Thanks," Theo replied, somewhat embarrassed to be naked around all of the others and quickly moving to slip his clothes back on. Malia just shrugged and accepted hers as well, putting them on at a more leisurely pace while the others talked.

"I think we lost them," Scott said, holding a hand up for silence as he listened for the sounds of any footsteps in the area. "At least, I don't hear anyone nearby."

"There's something going on over that way, though," Aiden added, pointing in the direction opposite from the one they had come from. Those with supernatural hearing could hear the sounds of machinery running and something else they couldn't quite place.

"It's Boyd and Erica!" Derek exclaimed suddenly, breath catching in his throat. He took off towards their location without waiting for the others, who quickly chased after him. The group rounded a corner, stopping at the entrance to the Ice Rink Boyd had once worked at while alive. "Is it another trick?" Derek asked, afraid of getting too hopeful.

"I suppose there's only one way to find out," Stiles replied, placing a hand on the older man's shoulder gently, nudging him forward.

"Stiles, Derek, and I will go in," Scott said, turning to the rest of the group. "Everyone else, keep a lookout for hunters or other traps. I don't want a repeat of what happened to Isaac." They all nodded before spreading out to take defensive positions around the building, Jackson and Theo scaling the fire escape to take watch from the roof.

The trio of Derek, Scott, and Stiles cautiously made their way towards the entrance, pausing to let the druid of the group check for magic tunnels and spells first. Assured that they were in the clear, they pushed their way forward. The scent of loneliness and depression hit the wolves' senses life a tsunami, rolling off the ice in front of them. As they got closer, they realized the sound of machinery they'd noticed earlier was Boyd, riding atop the old Zamboni in the center of the skating rink. They could practically feel the young wolf's haunted emotions as they approached him, calling out his name. Boyd turned to stare at them with empty, vacant eyes, an unrecognizable shell of the man he had once been.

"I really wish Isaac was still here," Derek said, distraught, "he always knew how to get through to Boyd."

"Well, now its your turn," Stiles said jovially, pushing the man out onto the ice with a laugh as Derek struggled to maintain his balance and slid several feet towards the man and the machine in the middle. He turned to glare at his laughing friend, muttering something under his breath that Stiles couldn't hear. Scott simply watched them both, unsure if he should be amused or upset by their antics.

"Boyd…are you there? I need you to focus," Derek called out as he continued to inch his way closer to his former beta. The younger wolf continued to work, unfazed and apparently unaware that others were there with him. "Boyd! Can you hear me?!" Derek shouted as loud as he dared to without drawing unwanted attention. It still had no effect on the man though. Derek reached out to shake Boyd's shoulder, but even the physical touch seemed not to register. It was as though everything that made Boyd who he was had been hollowed out, leaving nothing but this outer, vacant shell behind.

"Derek?" a voice called out suddenly from somewhere deeper in the ice rink, causing the trio to glance nervously around them. "Derek!" the voice called out again, louder and strained.

"Wait, that's Erica!" Scott said, turning to face the direction the voice had come from.

"Yeah, you're right," Derek replied, sliding across the ice towards a hallway marked 'employees only' off to the side. "Erica!" he called out, "hold on, I'm coming!" Scott and Stiles followed, the latter of the two chuckling slightly.

"What are you laughing about?" Scott asked with an inquisitive tilt of his head.

"Oh…nothing," Stiles answered, suppressing more laughter. "I'm just happy we found her is all. Do you think it will be alright leaving Boyd out here by himself?"

"We'll still be able to hear him," Scott said, glancing back to watch the young man in question, still driving his machine around and unaware of the rest of the world around him. "What do you think is going on with him anyway? This isn't…normal."

"I'm not sure," Stiles replied, scrunching his nose in contemplation. "Maybe Erica will be able to give us a clue." They caught up with Derek at the entrance to a maintenance room in the back of the building. Erica was there, trapped in a tangle of wires and metal beams pinning her to the far wall.

"What happened to you, Catwoman?" Stiles asked, taking in the mess of mangled steel and copper all around her.

"A demon happened to me," she spat angrily, eyes glowing golden. "It's about time you guys showed up, I was starting to lose my mind!"

"Starting to?" Stiles questioned, giving her an appraising look and trying to hide the smile on his face.

"Shut up!" she retorted, though there was no malice behind the words. "Just get me out of here already!" The three of them got to work, cutting through wires with claws and bending metal with supernatural strength. Within a few minutes, Erica was free and dashing forward to wrap each of them in a crushing hug in turn. "Now, someone tell me what is going on!"

"Well, Erica," Stiles began mischievously, "welcome to…"

"Stiles, I'll rip your throat out if you finish that sentence," Derek grumbled, smacking the younger man playfully upside the head.

"…Hell," Stiles replied, sticking his tongue out at Derek before darting out of the way of another smack. "And you forgot the 'with my teeth' part. The threat's not nearly as effective without it."

"Boys!" Erica shouted, interrupting them before they could go any further in their bickering. "Seriously, someone tell me what's going on." Scott took over, explaining what had happened since Erica was captured by the alpha pack. She interjected a number of times, surprised to find out that Scott was now the alpha instead of Derek, that the Pack had grown so much since her death, but also that so many others had also died. She was astounded by the revelation of the plan to bring everyone back to life, stopping Scott midsentence to knock Stiles to the ground in a crushing hug. "You're the best Batman in the world!" she cried happily, before eventually helping him back to his feet and allowing Scott to continue telling their story.

The group made their way back out to the center rink as Scott finished, taking in the fact that Boyd still sat atop the Zamboni, silently resurfacing the ice. "Do you know what happened to him?" Derek asked Erica as they watched somberly from the sideline.

"Not really," she replied, devastated at the sight. "The demon just showed up out of nowhere and grabbed me. I started kicking and screaming and Boyd jumped in to help, but then the demon put his hand on Boyd's head and said something I couldn't understand. The next thing I know, Boyd goes completely slack and gets this weird look in his eye before walking over to that machine and starting to ride it around the ice. I shouted his name, growled at him, tried to connect to him through the pack bond, everything I could think of, but he just ignored me. Then the demon dragged me to that closet and trapped me there before just walking away. I've been stuck ever since."

"That's so strange," Stiles said, looking lost in thought. "But if its demon magic that is keeping him looked away from true consciousness, I think I know how to counter it."

"Really?" Erica asked, incredulous, "I mean, don't get me wrong, I know you're resourceful and all, but how much can you really have learned about demon magic?"

"Plenty," Stiles grinned, transforming into demon form and laughing as she jumped backwards. Scott had neglected to tell her about this when they were talking earlier. "I had a really good teacher." Derek groaned at Stiles' antics and took over explaining to Erica while Demon-Stiles ambled over to Boyd, inspecting him with a critical eye. "Hmmm," he murmured, lost in thought once again. He walked around the Zamboni, careful to not be hit as Boyd steered it in a slow circle, before reaching over and shutting the machine off. Without the rumble, the room became almost deathly quiet, all eyes focused on Boyd, who didn't react to the intervention. Stiles slowly dragged him off of the contraption, placing him on the ice where Boyd stood rigidly still, staring at the wall. The demon/druid placed a hand on Boyd's head, closing his eyes as he concentrated on something. He whispered, the words foreign and unintelligible to the other wolves; his eyes flashing silver for a brief moment before both he and Boyd recoiled as though shocked. Stiles transformed back into human form as Boyd finally regained true consciousness.

"Whoa, what just happened?" the wolf asked, staring around at the others.

Erica bounded forward before anyone else could respond, wrapping her arms around him and tearfully shouting, "Boyd, you came back!" Stiles grinned in satisfaction while Scott watched with a lopsided, pleased look on his face. Derek practically beamed, however, ecstatic that the last of his former betas was now accounted for, though he would never truly admit it.

-o-

"What did you think you were doing?!" she screamed, stomping forward to shove him against the wall.

"Gaining another powerful ally," Gerard replied, flashing his alpha red eyes at her and forcing her to release her grip on his collar. "It was tactical."

"It was reckless," she replied with a huff, "letting Scott know you are here, and that you are an alpha werewolf, before we are ready to attack him. I mean, seriously, are you trying to get us all killed again?" She shook her head, exasperated, before turning to walk back down the tunnel, Gerard keeping step with her. "Tell me it was successful, at least," she commanded, sneering at the lizard creature following dutifully after the old man.

"I should think that would be obvious," Gerard replied, glancing back at the kanima, "but I could command him to kill someone for you, if it would put my dear daughter's mind at ease."

"Hilarious," Kate Argent retorted, shaking her head in exasperation and picking up her pace slightly. "You've already killed me once; you're an absolute idiot if you think I'll let you do it again." She turned back to her father, exposing her claws and fangs and growling slightly to get her point across.

"And you killed me," he said, calmly watching the display of aggression. "I would say that we are even in that department. Besides, we are worth far more to each other alive and together in this realm then we are separate or split between this and the next realm of the dead."

"Which is the only reason I haven't killed you again already," she muttered under her breath, turning back to face the direction they were headed. The tunnels here were long and winding, the air stale and musty from apparent years of disuse.

"Besides," Gerard continued, ignoring the jab, "I left plenty of hunters back in town to keep McCall and his friends busy. By the time they realize what is really going on, it'll be far too late to stop us." She simply shook her in exasperation, trudging on in silence for a few minutes.

"Well, I got to hand it to ya, if nothing else you've been ruthless with that one at least," Kate replied, pointing. The tunnel they had traversed opened up onto a balcony of sorts overlooking a large cavern. Below them, on the ground, stood a bloodied and beaten Liam, held in place by two beta wolves from the pack of former hunters. Along the wall beside them stood a row of scared and trembling humans, all wide-eyed and distraught because of the scene in front of them. And in the middle of the cavern, directing it all like an orchestra conductor, stood Araya Calaveras. The former matriarch of the hunters had a wicked gleam in her eye as she appraised the young wolf in front of her.

"My, my, lobito, I must say I am impressed. Such bravery from one so young. If you had been a hunter, I would have perhaps even been proud of you," she sneered.

"Why are you doing this?" Liam cried out, trying not to wince in pain. "You all are werewolves too now. What's the point?"

"The point, little wolf, is that we still live by the code, and die by the code, no matter what the circumstances," Araya replied, pausing to survey the room once more.

"Your code is stupid!" Liam shouted, anger rising and causing him to beta shift, "I've never done anything to you! My pack has never hurt anyone. All we've ever done is fight to survive and ask to be accepted! Why won't you leave us alone?"

"You are foolishly naïve if that is what you really believe," she said with disdain, turning to another hunter-turned-wolf next to her. "Tell me Severo, what do you think of this one over here?" she asked, pointing at a young boy in the line up along the wall. The boy squeaked, backing away until he hit the rock and curling in on himself in a feeble attempt to become less noticeable.

"I don't know, maybe 3 minutes," Severo replied, a grin on his face.

"3?" Araya asked, evidently surprised, "I think you are being too generous, Severo. I doubt he would last more than 2."

"Would you like me to find out?" he asked, grin widening as he cracked his knuckles.

"No!" Liam shouted, interrupting their conversation.

"That was very rude, lobito. You should wait your turn to speak," Araya chided him, turning back to face the beta with another look of disdain.

"Leave him alone, he didn't do anything to you," the young wolf replied, struggling to free himself from the grip of the two holding him.

"That may be true," Araya said, looking thoughtfully at the boy in question, "but the problem here is not what he did do, but what he didn't do. Isn't that right, chico?"

"I…I don't…I don't know…what you're talking…about," the boy stammered, eyes darting around all over the cavern, hoping for some means of escape.

"Of course you do," Araya continued, "you shared so many classes with them all, did you not?"

"I…I…I guess so," he stuttered. Liam could tell that, if he had still had a heartbeat, it would be dangerous fast and erratic at the moment.

"So why is it, that when the peacekeepers asked for your help, you denied them?" Araya asked, a wicked gleam in her eye.

"I…I couldn't…hunt the werewolves…they saved…me," the boy trembled as he spoke, the hint of tears welling up.

"Ahh," his interrogator sighed, shaking her head. "This generation is so foolish. Scott McCall did not save you like some hero. He saved himself. You were merely an added bonus." She paused, glancing back at Liam. "Why, just ask Senor Dunbar here. He knows all about what happens when Scott McCall comes to the rescue. After all, the lobito would never have needed saving, and never become a werewolf, if it wasn't for Scott McCall."

"That's a lie!" Liam shouted, furious. "Scott's a great alpha, and its not his fault that all this stuff happened. We did the best we could with what we knew." He looked away, shamed slightly by his memories.

"This is getting us nowhere," the Calaveras huntress sighed again. "Severo, let's put that one to the test, see if you are right about him lasting three minutes."

"Noo!" Liam screamed, jumping forward in spite of the goons holding him while the boy actually collapsed to the ground in fear. "You can't kill him just because he didn't fight with the other hunters. That's not fair!"

"And what would a wolf know of fairness?" Araya sneered.

"A hell of a lot more than any hunter!" Liam snapped back.

"Fine, if you think you are so morally superior," she said, voice going deathly quiet as a smirk crept onto her face. "I'll let you choose. The punishment is three minutes under the stun baton. We can either give it to that one," she jabbed a finger in the direction of the boy whimpering on the floor. "Or we can give it to you."

"I'll take it," Liam said defiantly, without hesitation.

"Good, good," Araya replied, smirk widening. "Severo…give the lobito his punishment. To the groin this time." She laughed as Liam gaped in horror and Severo ignited his stun baton, slowly advancing on the beta wolf. Scott, please come find me, Liam pleaded silently.