The Fallen

Chapter 2b

"The Rose of Jericho"

Then I hear you whispering low

One more mile to Jericho

Nothing is ever what it seems

When you live inside your dream.

Lydia sat on on her floor, Stiles head in her lap as she desperately tried to wake him. Leave it to Stiles to ironically faint instead of assisting Lydia in trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Not that she could blame him, if it weren't for the shock that had frozen her in place, Lydia probably would have passed out earlier too. But her adrenaline had been pumping and she found herself missing her chance to be dramatic about the situation. She had chosen to take action. Take action, and call Stiles. The person who always figured it out. Well at least he typically did. When he wasn't lying unconscious.

Lydia raked her fingers through her hair, biting her lip in desperation for the lanky boy to open his eyes and snap back into the situation at hand. But Lydia had tried everything from light tugging of the hair, to slapping on the cheeks, to pinching. Nothing had made the boy budge. Although, he may or may not have some questionable bruises tomorrow morning.

Allison was sitting on Lydia's bed, looking down at the two with her knees tucked into her chest, her chin resting atop them. She had taken her chance to put clothes on after Stiles had fainted. Lydia had received some of Allison's things after her passing, so she'd found a pair of leggings and a loose purple shoulder top she figured the girl would like. In Allison's mind the clothes had just been left once at a sleepover. Little did she know...

"What was Stiles doing here?" Allison motioned to the sleeping boy.

Lydia didn't move her eyes from Stiles, trying to think of another way to wake him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, he has a Japanese dark spirit inside him, and we haven't found out a way to get him back yet..I'm not sure having him over like this is a good thing. I mean who knows when the switch will go off." Allison nibbled at her nail.

Lydia finally lifted her gaze from Stiles and looked at Allison. So her memory stopped just before Lydia got kidnapped then. Good. That was just perfect. So she still thinks everything is shit, and Lydia has to explain to her that somehow they saved Stiles and defeated the Nogitsune without mentioning the fact that Allison was their casualty amidst it all. How the hell was this supposed to work? She wasn't good at this. She couldn't think on her feet like Stiles could. He needed to wake up.

She ignored Allison's comment and did the only thing left she could think of. Gently lifting his head off her lap, she placed it on the floor and then shifted so she was now face to the face with him. Allison sat up straighter, "Whoa, what are you doing?"

"Sh," Lydia didn't even look at Allison as she silenced her, before she rested both her hands on the side of Stiles' face and planted her lips atop his own. Allison made a noise of surprise, and Lydia closed her eyes, willing Stiles to wake up in her mind.

It took a few seconds, but suddenly Stiles lips began to move, pressing back against hers, and then his eyes shot open, and he snapped into a sitting position, causing Lydia's small form to fly backwards off of him. "What happened!?" He blinked wildly.

Lydia took her index finger, wiping the smeared lipgloss from around her lips. "Oh nothing, you just fainted!" She quipped, pushing herself off the floor to stand.

"I did? Why?" Stiles asked, and Lydia was really beginning to regret calling him. She didn't have the energy to answer, so she lazily lifted a hand in Allison's direction. He had paused, and then turned to face the brunette who was sitting stock still ever since she watched Lydia kiss him. Allison had known Lydia had been growing feelings for the boy recently, but seeing her kiss him, was an entirely different concept to process. She was feeling a bit confused.

Stiles wasn't confused at all however, once his eyes landed on Allison and he found himself falling backwards on his hands and knees, scooting further away from her. "Oh. I see," he rasped out. "I remember now."

"Good. Now can you compose yourself or am I going to have to call someone else?" Lydia trailed him as he stood up.

"Like who, Ghost Busters?" He was in the middle of straightening out his shirt when Lydia whacked her hand against his arm.

"Stiles!" She glared, and looked at Allison to make sure it hadn't clicked in the girl's head. "Could you just focus for a second?"

"I am focused. It's hard not to be focused when she is sitting right there," he pointed directly at Allison, and the girl jutted her head back, feeling slightly offended due to his tone. "I don't even know where to begin with this. I mean where do we begin!?"

"I don't know, but you always figure it out." Lydia whispered feverishly, and Stiles sighed, really hating that he'd ever been considered to be that guy in the group.

"Yes, typically, but this," He lowered his voice. "This is literally the balance of life we are talking about here. We're gonna need way more then just my brain to figure this out, Lyds.." He hated to admit it, but it was the truth. Not even their detective minds together could unravel this surprise on their own. Eventually they would need help.

"Is someone going to tell me what is going on?" Allison finally stood, crossing her arms. Stiles and Lydia stopped talking and plastered fake smiles on their faces.

"I'm so not gonna get used to that.." Stiles whispered through his grin, at the sound of her voice.

"What are you talking about?" Lydia asked, trying to give her best smile.

"I'm talking about the fact that you almost attempted beheading me with a brush, and then began crying after you touched me. Stiles fainted when he saw me, and now is looking at me like I have two heads. And you two haven't stopped whispering since you got him to wake up," Allison went over the list in her head. "What, is going on?"

Lydia slowly looked up at Stiles and was caught off guard to see him already looking at her. Lydia was pleading for him to take the job of telling Allison out of her hands, and he took the hint without question. Still it wasn't an easy task, and Stiles averted his eyes to the floor once he accepted the responsibility. He swallowed down the nausea that had settled in his throat and took a step towards Allison, extending his hand for her to take. Allison looked at Lydia with a horrified look and Lydia sniffled.

"He's okay," Lydia nodded, tears forming in her eyes. "Go ahead.."

Allison sucked in a deep breath and then slapped her hand into Stiles'. The boy tried not to faint again at her touch, but instead led them back to Lydia's bed and sat her down, crouching down in front of her.

"Allison," Stiles looked at her hands in his and rubbed his thumb over the smooth skin. "Something has happened recently.. and we reacted to you, the way we did because of this thing.. That happened." This was already going horribly downhill.

"What.. Happened?" Allison lifted her shoulders to her ears.

Stiles glanced back at Lydia and then to Allison. "...We defeated the Nogitsune."

Allison's eyebrows raised. "Wait, what? I don't remember that happening. Why don't I remember that happening?"

"Well because.." Stiles voice caught in his throat and he closed his eyes briefly to give him a moment to think. "–Because you died.. Before it happened." He said finally, opening his eyes to look up at her.

Allison was staring at him. She was staring at him long and hard. "This is a joke, right?"

"No, I wish it was," Stiles whispered. "You were killed by an Oni after saving Issac."

Allison was prepared to laugh. She was ready to full on cackle because Stiles was pulling the biggest joke he'd ever told. But then she saw Lydia's face. Lydia, who she could read like the back of her hand. Lydia who was covering her mouth to prevent a sob from escaping her lips, and looking at Allison like she was still dead.

Allison tore her hands from Stiles' grasp and stood. "This isn't funny."

"Allison," Lydia spoke finally, her voice watery and broken with tears.

"No! Lydia! Stop!" Allison felt the anger boil inside her. "You're both lying to me! If you don't want to tell me what's going on, fine! But this is a sick alternative!"

"Allison, we're not lying to you!" Stiles tried to stop her as she began storming around the room.

"Right! Well if I'm dead, how am I standing here? Huh?" Allison stopped in her quest, looking at them.

The pair was baffled, because they didn't know how. That was something they had yet to figure out.

"Exactly," Allison said after she was greeted with silence. "You guys are sick!" She looked around. "Where is my phone?"

"You don't have one anymore,..your father cut it off a few weeks after the funeral.." Stiles answered quietly, once again looking anywhere but the brunette.

"Bullshit. Lydia, call my phone.." Allison pushed a fallen curl behind her ear. When Lydia didn't move, Allison gave her a look. "Lydia, please call my phone!"

Lydia blinked, teardrops making a home on her face as she slowly pulled out her phone. Stiles pinched the brim of his nose. Lydia scrolled through her phone, breaths shaky, and then she clicked on the number she hadn't used in so long. She put it on speaker so they would all hear when it did nothing but pull up an automated voice.

It hardly even rang before the robotic voice echoed through the room. "We're sorry. The number you have dialed is no longer in service or is currently disconnected. If you feel you have reached this recording in error, please check the number, and try again." Lydia slowly lowered her phone.

Allison shook her head. "No. That's not–you must have dialed the wrong number. Try again."

"Allison, it's the right number." Lydia's head was beginning to throb.

Allison walked forward and snatched the phone from her hands. "Give me it," she sighed, dialing in her number and pressing the phone to her ear.

Lydia turned and sat down, feeling dizzy. This was all too much to handle.

When Allison heard the same message she grunted, tossing the phone on the bed. "Screw this. I'm going home."

"Allison," Stiles said monotone, still pinching his nose in the same way his father always did when stressed. "You can't go home right now."

"I can do whatever the hell I want, Stiles.–" Allison pushed passed him and reached for the doorknob.

"–You were pierced through the stomach." Stiles dropped his hand from his face, turning to face her. Allison stopped short, her hand inches from the knob. "You shot your last arrow. A silver arrow. And it killed the Oni," he continued retelling the story. "You figured it out. You saved, all of us. And then, an Oni, took it's sword, and dug it through your stomach..." Allison jumped.

She remembered the pain, numbing her whole body. The coolness that encased her afterwards. The feeling of death crawling. A trembling hand reached up and felt the area of her stomach that had once been pierced were sharp silver, killing her. The memory suddenly felt like the present and her whole world began to shake.

She remembered Scott, holding her. Crying. She remembered her lungs burning and her eyes blurred with tears. It felt like she was dying all over again. She stood very still, and Stiles took a hesitant step towards her, his hand outstretched. Lydia looked on with worried eyes and her hand slipping from her mouth as she watched on, seeing the realization hit Allison like a truck. The girl didn't move.

Stiles finally reached her, placing his hand on her shoulder. Allison whipped around, gasping with eyes rimmed red from tears. Stiles pulled his hand back, not wanting to upset her anymore then she probably already was. "I'm sorry," he breathed, a pained expression on his face as he took a step away from her to give her space.

"How long?" Allison finally spoke, her voice thick with tears.

"A few months.." Lydia wrapped her arms around herself.

Allison turned fully, leaning back against the door, and slowly sliding down it.

Swallowing, she closed her eyes before licking her lips and looking up at the pair.

"And my dad? Where is he?" Allison let the tears simply fall down her face, not ashamed.

"France..." Stiles took a seat by Lydia's bed, resting his arms on his propped up knees. "He didn't really see much use of staying here after..." He trailed off and Allison knew clearly what he meant.

They all sat in silence for a long time, not moving, staring ahead of them as though the world would enclose around them and there would be nothing left. Allison felt numb, and suddenly very cold. As though she was wearing her skin as a suit. Like rubber. She wasn't meant to be here. They all knew it. But she was there, and that was enough to puzzle them all.

She hated how she could remember dying. She could remember what it felt like when the life left her eyes and when she took her final breath. It was agonizing, and she found it harder and harder to swallow the more she thought about it. Twisting her fingers with her opposite hand she tilted her head upward, straining a pain shot through her head, and then all over her.

"I need to see it.." Allison looked at both of them, her orbs bouncing back and forth.

"See what?" Lydia asked.

"My grave.." Allison informed, and then she looked back down at her nail beds, now clean of the dirt that once outlined them. "I need to see it."

Lydia looked to Stiles, who peeked at her from the corner of his eyes. "I don't know if that's such a good idea.." He said slowly.

"I don't care, I need to know that this is real," Allison shot her head up to stare him on and Stiles looked at her surprised. "Look, you can show me or I'll go find it by myself, either way I'm going."

"Allison, we don't know how you're even here right now. You're supposed to be dead," Stiles reminded her. "Now, we have more experience with the supernatural, so although this is a lot to take in right now we're not as thrown off by it. But other people will probably feel the need to visit a psychiatric hospital after seeing you walking around town.." He had a point and Allison knew it, gritting her teeth in return.

"Well then what's the plan then, huh? Just keep me locked in Lydia's closet like I'm E.T or something until we figure all of this out?" Allison waved her arms wildly.

"No," Lydia stood slowly off the bed. "No, we call Deaton."

Allison looked at her best friend like she was a figment of her imagination. Why had she pretended like everything was okay? Why hadn't she warned Allison? Did she not think she could handle it? Because if that was the case, Allison couldn't deny that she was right. For the first time, Allison felt she couldn't handle a situation. But she would have to, just like she did all the struggles she'd faced in her life. Her life that she was no longer supposed to be living, apparently.

"Okay," Allison pondered and then nodded to herself. "Yeah, okay. That.. That sounds like a good plan."

Lydia smiled weakly, fighting back tears. Allison was sitting in front of her. She was in her room a place they had found solitude so many times through nail painting and magazine flipping and endless deep conversations on boys and life. Now there they were, trying to figure out why she wasn't, dead.

"Uhm, let's try and keep this just between us for right now," Stiles rubbed his hands on his jeans. "I don't know if Scott is ready to handle.." He glanced at Allison. "This."

"I mean if anyone was going to tell him it would be you, so if you think you should wait.." Lydia gave an understanding nod.

"Yeah. He's still––Well, yano." It was very obvious he was trying not to give any information out. "Dealing with the loss."

Allison frowned painfully. "Scott––He––He was there? The night I died. He was the one who––...I said my last words to him?"

Stiles looked at her, stared for a moment even. Then, he timidly nodded.

"Oh god I probably destroyed him," Allison placed her head in her hands. "Didn't I?"

"Honestly?" Stiles shook his head. "I think if you hadn't said your last words to him he would be worse off."

Allison let her hands slip so they were now clasped under her chin. Her eyes suddenly grew wide. "And Issac? How's Issac?"

"We haven't heard from him since the day of your funeral... He left for France with your dad. He kind of.. Took him after it all that happened." Lydia crossed her arms.

Allison could feel a bit of relief wash over her. It had been something she and her dad had talked about. That if one day they were to leave Beacon Hills they would bring Issac. Make sure he had a home, a family. He had his pack, but he had slowly become the son Chris never got, and Allison hadn't minded having him around.

She was happy to see something good had come from her untimely death.

"Good," Allison pressed her hands into the carpet, pushing herself up. "So, is there anything else I should know before we go see Deaton? I just wanna be filled in.."

"Well Uhm," Stiles cracked his fingers. "We have a new pack member.. Her name is Malia. You remember her right? The were coyote we found in the woods.. Well––not we––but Scott and I?"

Allison squinted her eyes. "...Yes I believe so.." Her face relaxed in recognition. "Did she turn out to be a Hale?!" She looked to Lydia seeing as she could remember their talk in the car, comparing Peter and Malia's photos and finding similarities neither of them wanted to be true. Stiles looked quite confused and turned to Lydia.

Lydia cleared her throat. "Yes. She turned out to be Peter's daughter.."

"Holy shit," Allison breathed. "Talk about a cruel fate! I mean I guess it beats dying though––" She stopped herself short, the words flying out of her mouth and hitting her hard once they had left.

"We don't have to go see Deaton today you know?" Lydia took a step forward. "We could - catch up, get you prepared.."

"Lydia, we should go now. Just so we can know what we're dealing with here." Stiles cut in, not willing to waste anymore time.

"I agree with Stiles," Allison scratched her palm. "If we can figure out how I'm.. Back, then id really like to find out sooner rather then later.." Lydia knew it was kind of selfish. Selfish to think that maybe just one more day with Allison wouldn't be a bad idea. Selfish that the initial shock was slowly wearing off, she couldn't imagine possibly figuring out how Allison was back and sending her back to the land of the dead. She had wanted more time, and now she had an opportunity to maybe have that time, and it suddenly felt like it wasn't going to last more then a day, at most.

"Yeah," She squeaked, turning her back to them and walking to her closet. "You're right, we should go now," she pulled on a light jean jacket. "Stiles?"

"Yeah I got it," he twirled his keys around his index finger, allowing them to slap into his palm. "Should we get her like.. A hood, or an invisible cloak.. Or something?" He couldn't shake the weird feeling he got when looking at Allison, but he managed to focus long enough to make sure all bases were cleared before they walked back into the land of the living with their very dead friend. Or at least, supposed dead, friend.

Lydia was flipping her hair out of her coat when he mentioned it, "Right. Good idea," she breathed, turning and fumbling through the items in her closet. She finally settled for her dad's old rain jacket. It was black and torn in some places, but it was the only thing she kept of his since the divorce. "Here you go..Zip up." She handed it to Allison, and the girl looked at it meekly as she took it into her hands.

After Allison pulled the hood over her head and zipped the jacket up to her chin, Stiles and Lydia decided they were satisfied with her disguise. They all hurriedly exited the house, making sure to keep Allison's head down at all costs. The only moment they felt safe was when they were pulling out of the driveway in Stiles' jeep, yet even then the car was filled with a tension filled silence. That is, aside from Stiles' nervous drumming of his fingers on the wheel.

Lydia rubbed her lips together, her heart thumping in her chest as she pulled out her phone, dialing the familiar number.

It took three rings before Deaton's voice rang through the receiver, "Lydia," he tried to surprised. "Is everything alright?"

"Hi Deaton," Lydia forced a smile that he couldn't see, and Stiles glanced at her as he drove. "I'm not really sure, I was hoping you could tell me.."

"What appears to be the problem?" It never failed to amaze Lydia how calm he could sound after the things they typically faced.

"Ah," Lydia turned to look back at Allison, who was staring out the window with a far off look. "Are you sitting down?"

"The anticipation is horrifying.." She could practically see his brow furrowing in preparation for the worst, and Lydia flicked her eyes to Stiles, afraid to continue.

The freckled face boy gave her a slight smile, doing his best to encourage her whilst trying to focus on the road. Finally, Lydia sucked in a deep breath, and closed her eyes, wincing as she muttered the words, "Allison is alive." She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, preparing for his burst of shock, disbelief, heart attack..

Silence.

Silence for a good 2 minutes, before Lydia pried her eyes open. "..Deaton?" More Silence. Lydia could feel Allison and Stiles staring at her. "..You still there?"

"Yes I am here," Deaton cleared his throat. "How soon can you get here?"

"We're already on our way. I'd say like.. 5 minutes?" Stiles nodded when she looked to him for clarification.

"Good. We don't have much time." Deaton no longer sounded calm, but frightened.

"What? What do you mean? Do you know what this is?" Lydia sat up straighter.

"I believe so. I could be wrong, but if I'm not, then the quicker you get here the better." She could hear the clinking of glasses as his voice became rushed and breathless.

"Deaton, what're you––?" Her voice was cut off by the dial tone, and Lydia snatched her phone from her ear.

"What did he say?" Allison leaned forward, so that her head was right between the seats.

"He didn't really say anything.. Just that he might know what caused this, and if he's right about it that we need to hurry to him because we don't have much time?" Lydia frowned to herself as she explained.

"What does that mean?" Allison questioned.

"That's exactly what I'm wondering.." Lydia lifted her eyes to meet Allison's. "Stiles, how fast can Roscoe speed here?"

"Enough to give my father a heart attack when he gets a phone in that his son is going 40 miles over the speeding limit.." Stiles gripped the wheel a bit tighter.

"Perfect," Lydia turned back to face the front in her seat.

"God he's gonna kill me.." Stiles slammed his foot on the gas and the car lurched forward, the tires screeching against the pavement as he did his best to play speed racer the rest of the way to the vet.

Allison did her best not to grow dizzy from being tossed around in the back seat with each yanking turn Stiles took. But she soon realized that getting car sickness was no longer an issue. Even though she'd had it her entire life. The girl placed a tentative hand on her stomach, where by now she would typically feel it twist and turn with the promise of road sickness. But what she got was nothing. Just the flat, hard abdomen of a girl who shouldn't be living.

Lydia turned her head silently, looking at Stiles who's knuckles had grown white due to how tightly he'd been gripping the wheel. She felt bad for bringing him into this. After everything he'd been through over the course of the past few months, this was probably the last thing he needed. But at the same time, she couldn't handle all of this on her own. And Stiles had slowly begun to fill the void that had been empty due to the lack of her best friend, so if anything he shouldn't of expected anything less. Still, she could practically hear his heart pounding in his chest and so she reached over giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. Stiles froze slightly under her touch, and then relaxed, nodding a thanks.

Allison squinted at the two from the back seat suspiciously, and then she leaned both her elbows on either of their seats. "Speaking of things I should before we see Deaton - is this a thing?" She motioned between the two.

Lydia casually slipped her hand back into her lap, looking back with confusion drawn on her features. "This..?"

Allison nodded her head to Stiles, and Lydia instantly gasped, jerking backwards in shock and causing Stiles to swerve on instinct. "Whoa! What!?" He shouted.

"Nothing!" Lydia squeaked and then turned to Allison. "Trust me, absolutely nothing." This time it held a different meaning. Allison put her hands up in defense.

"You can't gasp like that while i'm speeding you're going to give me a heart attack," Stiles lifted a hand off the wheel to place a hand on his chest. "Holy.."

"Sorry. I thought I saw something.." Lydia gave Allison one final look and then sat forward. "I won't do it again, promise."

Stiles rolled his eyes, "That would be preferable, thanks.." He calmed his breathing down, placing his hand back on the wheel and slowing a bit as they pulled onto the road leading to the vet.

Allison chewed on the inside of her cheek and then paused, deciding against it. Technically it was dead flesh. But it wasn't. The thought already grossed her out before she could remind herself that she was sort of alive. At least, she felt like she was.

Stiles put the car in park and they could see Deaton moving quickly through the vet window. Lydia hopped out of the car, pulling her seat forward so Allison could slip out. Stiles glanced around and then locked his car, placing his hand on Allison's back to lead her to the doors. It was weird, touching her. And he soon pulled his hand back, shoving it in his pocket instead when Allison looked back.

He shot her a sad smile, but they both knew why he had pulled back the way he did. He wished things weren't so complicated. He wished even more that he didn't feel so responsible for it. Deaton's door let out a shrill ring as the bell hanging above it shook upon opening. The lobby was empty as usual, and Allison looked for cameras before sliding the hood off her head. Lydia was picking at her cuticles, arms limp at her side. Stiles didn't fail to notice she was in a daze, stepping a bit closer to her to remind her that he was there, if she had by chance forgotten.

Shoes shuffled against the ground, and the three teens looked up as Deaton rounded the corner. He stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes landing on Allison, who suddenly felt severely self conscious. She pushed some hair behind her ear nervously, giving her hands something to do as she awaited his response. His face was hard to read, contorted with a mixture of sadness, happiness, and confusion all at once.

"Uh, Deaton?" Stiles' voice broke through the silence, causing Deaton to blink rapidly.

"Yes, sorry, I just.." He stepped to the side, opening the half door to let them behind the counter. "Please, come to the back."

Lydia took the first step, looking down at her heels as they clicked against the flooring. Stiles followed quickly after her, giving Deaton a knowing look on the way. Allison was last, and took her time, pausing to stop in front of Deaton, "It's nice to see you.." She spoke quietly through what would be a smile if she wasn't so nervous.

Deaton lifted his arms, pulling her into a hug. The two had never done things like this when Allison was alive, but she figured dying could effect their typical interactions. "We're going to figure this out.." He said into her hair, before releasing her slowly. "It's good to have you back with us.." He braced her shoulders, and then led the way to the back. Lydia and Stiles were already looking through the bottles resting on the metal table. "I see you've found the inventory..."

"All of these things are for animals?" Lydia lifted a bottle.

"Hidden in plain sight," Deaton plucked the bottle from her hand. "This is actually wolfsbane. I just labeled it as a pain medication." Lydia raised her eyebrows.

"You better hope nobody ever tries to rob this place. The police will be pretty interested in your hiding places.." Stiles slid a bottle across the table. "So what's this one?" Deaton caught it in his hand, smiling gently. "Why are you smiling?"

"I just find it funny how you selected this bottle in particular,...Your spark led you to this one," Deaton looked up to look at Stiles, who instantly frowned. "What, did you forget about your spark?"

"I just kind of figured if there was any spark left in me the nogitsune drained it out of me.." Stiles shrugged. "I never really got what it meant anyways so it's no big deal."

"It means you have a gift, Stiles.." Deaton pointed at him. "And it's still in you. Don't forget that."

"Well, with the kind of gifts distributed around here, I think I'll be okay forgetting it for a while.." Stiles was being snippy, but he wasn't interested in anything supernatural having to do with him. Being possessed for a month could do that to a person. ".. Anyways what's so special about me selecting that bottle?"

Deaton pursed his lips, holding back his urge to change Stiles' attitude towards his gift, and then unscrewed the cap. "...This," he poured the contents in a line on the table. "Is The Rose of Jericho."

"The.. What?" Stiles leaned forward, to get a better look. Both Allison and Lydia kept their distance.

"The Rose of Jericho.. Also known as the resurrection plant," Deaton held it up at eye level and then looked towards Allison. "Quite ironic, wouldn't you think?"

"What does this mean? Someone planted the rose of Jericho on Allison's grave and now she's back amongst the living?" Stiles flailed his hands around dramatically. Lydia rolled her eyes, pinching her nose.

"Precisely," Deaton tilted his head from side to side. "Or, at least, in a way, yes. The actual ritual performed with this is actually much more complicated. If someone did plant this flower... They knew very well what they were doing. Therefore they had purpose." He explained.

"That's a dead end. It's not like we can narrow it down if that's what happened. A lot of people wanted Allison back.." Lydia finally spoke up.

"Yes, but not everyone wanted Allison back for the same reasons," Deaton took a step towards Allison, gesturing to her with the rose. "Some people might have saw use in her.."

"Use?" Allison's eyebrows raised. "What use do I serve?"

"You're smart. Powerful. And you know more about Scott McCall then anyone else.." Deaton's hands folded together in a loose clasp, and Allison stood up a bit straighter as he explained the plausible reasons to her.

"So, somebody is using her to get to Scott?" Stiles lowered his thumb nail from his lips. "That's stupid."

"Not to whoever brought her back. Somebody found Allison to be a very important part of their plan," Deaton crossed his arms. "We, just have to figure out what that plan is."

"I'm not so sure we're on the right path here guys. I mean, if someone had wanted to bring Allison back, why not wait for her to wake up? Crawl out of the grave, and then take her into their hands the moment she took her first breath again? Why let her roam around?" Lydia stepped closer to the lab table separating herself from Deaton. "I'm assuming if they're as intelligent as you say they are for knowing how to use this plant, that they wouldn't make such a stupid mistake as to let her out of their sight." Stiles snapped his fingers and pointed to Lydia, whilst looking at Deaton. As if to say, she's got a point.

"Those are fair points, but letting her roam free could very well be apart of their plan as well," Deaton lifted his shoulders meekly. "See how she affects the pack––" He paused suddenly, putting his hand on his chin. "..They were expecting her to go to Scott first."

"Allison would have caused Scott to be at his weakest," Stiles mumbled to himself, yet at the same time aloud. "The shock from seeing Allison would have confused him and put him in an emotional state that would effect him, should he be suddenly attacked."

Deaton nodded in agreement. "Like I said, they knew what they were doing."

"They just didn't know who they were doing it to," Allison whispered. "If they had done their research they would have learned fairly quickly that it was less likely for me to go to Scott."

"They could have been basing it off of who your final thoughts were with––which, was indeed, Scott." Deaton reminded. "It could have been many factors, and it could have been anybody. For all we know this person could have been tracking you from the first day you stepped foot in Beacon Hills, to the last. Or, they could have been tracking Scott for the past few months and gained false intel due to the lack of time. It's really hard to say."

"Whatever it is, how do we go about fixing it?" Stiles brushed off Deaton's info.

"I'm afraid it can't really be called fixing. We could undo what has been done, but that will just reinvent the grief you've been healing from these past few months." Deaton winced, and Allison glanced at her two friends.

"So, you're saying I would just go back to being dead?" Allison swallowed the knot in her throat.

Deaton stared at her long and hard, and then nodded silently. "As much, as I hate it, you are not meant to be on this plain anymore. The longer you stay on this plain, when you're meant to be in another, the quicker your body will begin to re-deteriorate. Your hair will start to fall out, along with your teeth. Skin will become almost like paper––easy to tear through. You'll die a slow, and draining death.. and once you do, I can't promise you'll take the same path you took prior to being brought back. It could change your entire afterlife."

"There's an afterlife?" Stiles turned to Allison, eyebrows raised.

"I––I don't remember.." She was in a daze, thinking over what Deaton said.

"Which is normal. The moment you were brought back it was like a reset button. That's why you can't remember when, where, or how you died. And it's also why you'll not have any recollection of what happened after your heart stopped," Deaton sighed, sad to be discussing this topic with kids who he considered family at this point. "The other side is very private. They try to keep the veil on as tightly as they can."

"Basically, we have no other choice but to end our friend's life for the second time, or else she'll become a walking corpse with her teeth showing through her cheeks and her eyeballs hanging out of their sockets?" Stiles painted a picture that was not welcomed by anyone in the room.

Allison for one, raised her fingers to delicately touch her eye, as though she was checking if it were still in it's place. Lydia simply shuddered.

"Stiles, enough." Lydia spoke through gritted teeth.

"I'm just saying this seems a little unfair," Stiles didn't take his eyes off of Deaton, and Lydia felt an instinct to step forward, blocking his view. It didn't take long for Stiles' eyes to trail down and meet her own. "Sorry." He swallowed and Lydia sighed.

"There's nothing else we can do?" Lydia finally spoke, turning to face Deaton. "Because quite frankly.. I don't see the benefits in losing my best friend all over again, either.."

Deaton paused, drumming his fingers against his lips. "Quite possibly.. But that would require me going to my sources, and that would take another day or two, tops."

Lydia slowly turned to look at Stiles, then finally Allison, who was still in a daze. "Well?"

Allison blinked, looking upward. She didn't know what to say. No option sounded completely satisfying. Another day or two only gave her another day or two to panic on the outcome of the situation. And dying wasn't really on the top of her current wish list. Could the dead even have wish lists? Active ones, anyways? "I don't know.." Allison swallowed, finally dropping her hand from her face. Then, she did something she didn't normally do, which was look at Stiles. "Stiles?"

Stiles was as surprised as she was that she'd turned to him for an answer. "I.." He shook his head. "–I say we try it? What's two more days gonna do, right?"

"Two more days for Scott to possibly find out.." Deaton reminded. "We would have to be extremely careful. Which is also quite difficult seeing as we don't know who is behind this. You two may need supernatural protection from Scott or Derek, and that may not be a plausible resolve right now."

"Derek would be fine, as long as it's not Scott." Stiles stated, taking a step forward and leaning over the metal lab table. He closed his eyes and sighed, the sinking feeling rising in his chest. "God, anyone but Scott."

Lydia twisted her lips sympathetically, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Two more days it is... I'll call Derek."

Stiles nodded, and wiped a hand over his nose. "Yeah. Okay."

"So,.. What am I supposed to do between now and then? Is there anything to expect.. Physically? Allison looked down at her skin, prodding at it.

"If you're wondering if you're going to go full on Zombie in the course of 48 hours, I'm here to calm your pounding heart," Deaton assured. "You may grow an overwhelming sense of hunger. It's only natural, your digestive system is rebooting. In fact, all of your systems are. The digestive track is different though, seeing as you've been in the earth for a bit, you'll crave more of a natural meal.."

"Natural meal?" Allison frowned.

Stiles winced. "I think he means raw meat."

"Precisely." Deaton pointed a finger, and shoved his hand in his pocket.

Allison clasped a hand over her mouth. "Oh god, that's disgusting."

"To average human huntress Allison Argent, maybe. But, to risen from the dead Allison, not so much." Deaton waved his hand. "Eventually it will go back to normal, but the start will be a bit rough."

"So, I should start shopping for uncooked hamburger meat, or should I go hunting for deer?" Allison scratched the back of her head.

Stiles snorted a laugh. Everyone turned to look at him, confusion on their brow. He quickly cleared his throat. "Sorry, I just.. I thought of something Malia said.. About.. deer– Please continue!" He covered his mouth.

Deaton gave him a knowing smile, and then turned back around to face a clueless Allison, and a slightly bothered Lydia. "Raw hamburger meat from the grocery should be just fine. Although I'm sure we'd all love to see you back to work with a bow and arrow."

Allison's face lit up slightly, and then it faltered. "Oh no, I doubt I even have a bow and arrow left to work with. I'm sure my father disposed of it all or hid it in some storage unit in France. His way of coping.."

"Well we have two days. I'm sure we could find something up to your argent carved bow standards.." Deaton smiled gently. The door to the vet suddenly dinged, and footsteps pattered quickly on the tile. Deaton's eyes grew wide, raising a finger to his lips. He motioned for Allison to hide, and she looked around with a crazed look, not knowing where to run. Stiles spazzing out, flailed his arms, scooping her into his hands and pushing her towards the cat holding room.

Lydia did her best to hide all of the things pulled out, and even did so much as straighten out her clothes to seem more natural.

When Deaton returned a minute later with an teenage boy, who she was sure went to her school, her shoulders visibly relaxed. He was holding an injured dog, who was whimpering with each step it's owner took. Deaton wiped at the sweat that had formed on his forehead. "Lydia, I shall see you later?"

Lydia glanced at the boy, with almost golden green eyes, who was frowning between her and Deaton. "Uhm, yes, of course." She gave a short nod, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear and slowly backed away near the back door. "When Scott gets into work, could you tell him to call me?" There. That made sense. She knew someone who worked here. And that's why she was in the back.

The last thing Lydia needed was for a teenager from school to walk into the back room of a vet to see a sweaty Deaton, a disheveled Lydia Mrtin, and then tell the whole school that she was sleeping with the local vet. These things did happen. The supernatural world didn't prevent high school gossip. With that in mind, she quickly turned and pushed through the back door, where Allison and Stiles had their backs pressed against the side brick wall.

"Wow. Great hiding space you guys, really.." Lydia complimented sarcastically. "Scott would have never been able to find you two."

"Look, we had no other option, my jeep is parked in the front." Stiles pushed himself off the wall.

"Why didn't you just stay in the cat holding room where you went?" Lydia pointed over her shoulder.

"Because I'm allergic," Stiles placed his hands on his hips, and then sniffled. "My throat was beginning to kill itself."

"Yeah right. You are not allergic, you probably just don't like cats." Lydia sighed, beginning to walk in front of the two.

"Why would I lie about being allergic to cats of all things!?" Stiles followed quickly behind her, and Allison soon fell into step beside them.

"Because it's what you do. Lying is what you're good at.. amongst other things." Lydia tilted her head to the side.

"When have I ever lied to you?" Stiles crossed his arms as they began to round the front of the building.

"You really want me to pull out that list right now?" Lydia's hair whipped over her shoulder as her feet began to pick up their pace to reach his jeep.

"Yes." Stiles blinked. "I really do––"

The sound of an engine roaring cut them off really quick, and Stiles and Lydia both snapped their heads to the side. Passing through the front parking lot of the vet, Scott was headed right toward them on his dirt bike. Stiles' heart dropped to the pit of his stomach, and all of the air escaped him. There was no way that he didn't see Allison. There was no possible way. He probably heard her heart beat, smelled her scent, heard her voice––something! It was too late to try and turn around and run. Too late to do anything but accept the fact that their alpha, was about to have the emotional shit kicked out of him.

"Allison––" Lydia turned quickly on her heel, only to see that the girl was gone. "...Allison?"

Stiles opened his eyes, turning upon the confused tone laced within Lydia's voice. It didn't take him long to see what she was confused. "Where'd she go?"

"I don't know. Maybe she went to hide when she saw Scott?" Lydia's eyes trailed around them as she spun in a complete circle, taking in their surroundings.

"Where could she have possibly run that fast?" Stiles copied Lydia's movements, his heart suddenly racing.

"I don't know, Stiles! Okay!? I don't know!" Lydia shouted, too exasperated to play 20 questions. The pair were two busy freaking out, that they hadn't noticed Scott shut off his bike. They hadn't noticed him pull off his helmet, a frown upon his face after seeing his two friends spinning in circles in the back lot of the Vet. They hadn't noticed him walk over to them, the same look still across his features.

"Guys?" He called, his helmet in his hand. Stiles almost tripped over his own feet turning to face him. Lydia took her time, trying not to seem obvious. One of them had to keep their composure, and it was quite clear that wouldn't be Stiles.

"Scott," Lydia pressed a smile to her features. "Hi."

"What are you two doing?" He lifted an eyebrow, looking between the two.

"We were just... looking around." Stiles stated the obvious.

"Why?" Scott jutted his head back.

"Well.. Because...We.." Stiles was trying to form a lie, and Lydia rolled her eyes, stepping in front of him.

"I lost my earring," She spoke as though it were nothing. "My mom gave them to me for my birthday, and if I come home without it, her feelings will be deeply hurt. With everything going on, it's the last thing I want to deal with."

"Right." Stiles backed her up, scratching his chin.

Scott's questioning look pulled back a bit, as he decided whether or not to believe the lie Lydia was clearly telling. After a few moments of a brief stare down, Scott let out a sigh and shrugged. "Alright."

Lydia offered him a weak smile. "I should probably head home though, so, could you keep a look out for me?"

Scott nodded slowly, and then paused. "Wait a minute.. I get you lost your earring.. But why were you guys here in the first place?"

Stiles looked at Lydia with wide eyes, and she was really beginning to question why she thought he was the right person to partner up with in situations like these. Taking in a deep breath, Lydia tucked her lips in. "I couldn't wait to ask him about what I saw in the hallway today.. I tried sleeping but it kept me up, so I asked Stiles to just, take me to Deaton.."

Scott's face fell guilty, as it was clear he had forgotten about the earlier ordeal. "Oh.. Right, What did he say?"

"He said that it was probably just my banshee instincts. That since my powers are growing, I can not only sense death before it happens, but I can also sense the dead postmortem.." Lydia explained, right off the top of her head. Stiles looked at her amazed, because they hadn't even mentioned it to him inside. It didn't surprise Stiles that Lydia would be able to think up an intelligent sounding explanation, but he was just surprised she'd gotten through it with such composure. If he'd been telling that lie, it would have been filled with breaks and shifty eyes. He wondered how her heart beat was doing.

Taking what Lydia said in, Scott chewed on his bottom lip. "Did he say anything about the possibility of werewolves sensing the dead postmortem?"

Lydia's eyebrows knitted together. "..No..Why?"

Stiles focused his attention back on Scott, the same question forming in his head. Scott looked down at the ground, shoving his hand in his pocket, which was something he did when he wasn't exactly sure how to go about explaining something. "...Ever since you two left the school...I've been sensing her too. I hear her voice. Her heart beat. I can smell her..." He listed off his experiences. "––Like right now it feels like she's close by.. Yano? Like, she's here, with us. I know she's not.. but .. It's like you said in the hall.. It feels real."

Lydia's pupils grew wide, and she clamped her mouth shut, trying to grip Stiles' arm whilst Scott was lost in a train of thought. Stiles winced lightly at her grip, trying to keep calm in front of his confused friend.

"Do you think it was the board?" Scott finally looked up. "I mean, do you think it worked? What if it worked? What if Allison is trying to contact me––us!" He quickly corrected himself at the end of his sentence.

"Scott––" Stiles spoke up, stepping forward.

"No, I mean it can't be a coincidence right? Lydia and I both sensing her?" Scott pointed between he and Lydia. "I was coming to talk to Deaton myself about it, hoping maybe if I left the school it would be less.. But, if anything it's stronger here. I literally can feel her."

Over Scott's shoulder, Lydia caught Allison peeking around the corner, very carefully. Lydia shook her head, and Allison shot back behind the brick wall. She re-planted her eyes on Scott, acting as though her shake of the head was just a reaction to what he said.

"What? You don't think so?" Scott asked her.

"I think it's been a really long day.." Lydia looked up. "An emotional day. Our minds could very well just be playing a trick on us. So, I think we should all just go home, get some rest––or try to.. And reconvene in the morning."

Scott eyed Lydia, and then glanced at Stiles, who gave him a look of approval. With both of their confirmations, he dropped his head. "Yeah, you're probably right," Scratching the back of his head he cleared his throat. "Well, I'm gonna go see if Deaton needs me for anything.. Text me if you guys need anything, yeah?"

Both the banshee and the human nodded, their lips twisted and tucked. Scott offered one weak smile, and then he moved passed them to enter the Vet through the back door. Stiles and Lydia both let out a heavy breath, their shoulders slouching as they relaxed. "That was too close.." Stiles breathed.

"It always will be," Lydia began walking towards the corner, "Allison?" She called quietly.

The brunette stepped out from her spot carefully, arms wrapped around herself, and tears in her eyes. Lydia hurried to close the gap between them, placing her hands on the girl's arms. "What's wrong, are you okay?"

Allison parted her lips, her breath trembling as she prepared to speak. "I wasn't ready to see him," She admitted, her voice cracking. "I thought I would be, I thought it wouldn't feel different. The way, it didn't feel different with you, or Stiles.. But with him.. I could feel his pain. I could feel him mourning me, and I just.. I wasn't ready." Tears marked her cheeks, and she shook her head, unable to continue speaking.

Stiles' eyebrows shot up. He'd never seen Allison Argent cry. Well, no actually that wasn't true. He'd seen her cry twice. Once when they blew up Peter in front of her, and the second when the Kanima had her by her throat. Both times, traumatizing for everyone involved. But this was a different kind of cry. This made his heart ache, and he didn't feel that way when it came to most people.

"..I really don't want to interrupt this, because I feel like it needs to happen," Stiles began. "But we gotta go. Scott could come back out at any moment, and we don't want to take our chances again.."

Lydia looked back at him, and then turned back to Allison. "Allison.."

"No, he's right," Allison sniffled, lifting her head and wiping under her eyes roughly. "I don't even know why I was crying, sorry." She licked her lips, and cleared her throat. "We should go." With that she slipped out of Lydia's grasp, and looked to Stiles.

Stiles jumped into action, stepping forward to lead the way. The three walked hurriedly back to his car in complete silence. They all thanked god that the front of the vet didn't have many windows. Once they were all situated, Stiles turned on the radio, Disappear by Mikky Ekko flooding through the speakers. He gripped the wheel, whipping out of the parking spot and heading down the road.

10 minutes into the ride, Stiles' jeep slowed to a stop, and both girls lifted their head up. "What are you doing?" Allison mumbled.

"Welcome to Beacon Burgers, what can I get for you today?" The automatic and familiar voice said through the order box in the drive thru lane.

Lydia slit her eyes, "Seriously, Stiles!? Now!?"

"What!?" Stiles shrugged his shoulders. Lydia continued to stare at him, a knowing glare set on her face. "I'm hungry!"

Lydia sighed.

"So can I...?" Stiles questioned, trailing off.

"Yes, get your fries!" Lydia waved her hand, looking out the window. Allison smiled weakly from her seat in the back.

"Do you guys want anything?" Stiles glanced back at Allison and Lydia.

"...Do.. Do ghosts, eat?" Allison frowned. They all glanced at each other then, none of them knowing the answer.

"Well... Do you feel hungry?" Stiles raised an eyebrow.

Allison paused, thinking in silence. "...I don't think so..."

Stiles whipped around quickly, turning to the window. Because even though they had a million things on their plate, and it was probably the least of their priorities, he needed to eat. Even if the strawberry blonde scowling at him, and the ghost in the back, didn't. "Let me get One Jumbo curly fry special, with a coke, please!"

"Why don't you just get 3 jumbo sized number 19s?" Lydia pointed at the menu.

"Because apparently the special is the equivelant of that, except cheaper!" Stiles looked back at her.

"That's a thing?" Lydia pursed her lips.

"Sure is!" Stiles smirked.

"Huh. You learn something new every day..." Lydia leaned back in her seat as they pulled up to the window.

A/N: I hope the wait was worth it. Sorry this took forever. But I am officially done with high school as of today! I can't believe the day has finally come that I'm done with high school and posting a chapter on here. I've been on here since I was in the 6th grade so it's definitely a strange and bizzare moment. I think this chapter should be posted out of celebration. I hope all of you are doing well. Please give me some feedback if you'd like, and congrats to any of my fellow seniors graduating this year!