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Step by Step, We'll Get There	By : Sasunarufan13 Category: S through Z > Teen Wolf Views: 4674 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf nor profit of it. Jeff Davis owns it.

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
Author's note: I'm not entirely happy with the latter half of the chapter. It's like my brain had one thing in mind, but couldn't actually translate it decently onto paper =_= I hope it doesn't suck too badly!
Warnings: Hm, something akin to violence? I don't even know how to word it to be honest
I hope you'll like it!
Chapter 16
There was no way he could leave her behind. Not when he'd finally found her. How would he get to her, though? The staircase was obviously out of the question, considering he hadn't been able to pick the lock. That only left the window.
Apprehensively he eyed the glass and wondered just how thick it was. It looked big enough for him to fit through, but the thickness of the glass could be a deal breaker. He had to try, though. He'd come this far; he wasn't going to let some glass hold him back.
Glad he had got into the habit of wearing several layers if the weather allowed for it, he rose up on his knees and removed his hoodie, leaving him in a thin shirt. He wrapped it around his right arm before he shuffled backwards a bit. He studied the window again before he pulled back his right leg, adjusted his stance and then slammed his foot against the glass with all the strength he could put into the kick. A small crack was left in the wake of it.
It took three more forceful kicks before the glass finally gave away and shattered apart; the pieces clattering down into the room loudly. He winced and looked around before remembering that the house was rather secluded and the chances of someone having heard the noise were slim to none.
With his hoodie covered arm he pushed the remaining shards out of the window before wriggling through it and dropping down onto the floor, bending his knees to cushion his fall. He might heal on his own, yeah, but he didn't particularly fancy cutting himself open on sharp glass. He wasn't that good with blood.
"Are you an idiot?" Cora's voice was raspy, rough, as if she'd done nothing but scream for hours on end until her voice gave out.
The likelihood of that possibility made his skin crawl and he stood up, shrugging on his hoodie quickly. "Nice seeing you too," he huffed. "One would think you don't want to be rescued."
"Do you even realise who's behind this?" Her eyes were luminous, even with the lack of decent light.
He offered her a thin smile. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I'm very well aware of what kind of a sick bastard he actually is. Lydia and I worked that out a few days ago."
"Then why are you here?" she growled and winced, her hand jerking as if she wanted to rub over her throat before she realised she couldn't lower it that far.
"To get you out of here before he's back and to collect proof for my dad," he answered and approached her, studying the shackles intently.
"No, why are you here alone?" she asked and even in this situation with her in this position, she sounded exasperated with him. Good to know some things never changed. "If you and Lydia figured it out, why the hell did you come here alone? Why not bring back-up, you idiot?"
"Because I wasn't sure whether I would find you here," he replied impatiently, testing the strength of the shackles. "I caught your smell on him, but I couldn't know for sure whether he kept you here or somewhere else. I couldn't bring my dad or any of the deputies, because they need a warrant for that and to get that, they need proof. I don't know about you, but I doubt Theo's going to talk willingly."
"You're still a fucking idiot," she muttered, pursing her lips together. "If he finds you here and kills you, it's going to be your own damn fault."
"Yeah well, he's not going to find me here, because Lydia's keeping him occupied," he retorted, faking a cheerful tone. "Our plan is for me to find you and get you out of here and for her to keep Theo occupied for as long as possible."
"And how are you going to get me out of here?" She quirked an eyebrow. "He keeps the keys with him at all times."
This close to her, he could spot traces of dried blood across her right temple running down her cheek to her neck. He couldn't immediately see any other signs of injuries, but that didn't mean much.
"I'll figure something out," he said determined and took a step back.
The shackles on her arms were bolted into the wall behind her, while the ones around her legs – much shorter than the ones on the wall – pressed her limbs in a curled position flat against the floor.
He would either need to find a way to undo the two locks or break the shackles somehow. Considering how sturdy they looked like, he fervently hoped that he would have more success picking these locks than he had with the one on the door.
"If he comes back, you need to leave," she said, her mouth thinning as she watched him contemplate the locks. "I mean it, Stiles. No need for us both to be in deep shit."
"We're both going to leave. Together," he said firmly, shaking his head when she went to protest. "You're insane if you think I'm leaving you here behind. I prefer you alive instead of being the final piece to his ritual."
"Who's the insane one here?" she hissed, narrowing her eyes. "You arrived here alone! What kind of fucking idiot goes into the house of a killer without any back-up?"
"We can argue about semantics later," he said dismissively and pulled the hairpin out of his pocket. "First, let's get you out of here."
He decided to go for the lock near her arms first and began fiddling with it, twisting and turning the hairpin around in it, trying to find the right direction. He thought he might actually manage these locks with just a bit of time, but he had to be careful with how he held it in his hand. There was a sticky residue smeared along the sides of the lock, a residue he'd noticed was sticking to the shackles around Cora's wrists and ankles too, and the nauseating, sweet scent informed him it was some type of Wolfsbane.
That explained why, even though the locks were a bit less complicated than the one on the door, Cora hadn't been able to work herself free yet. Wolfsbane was poisonous for them, though one type was less lethal than the other one. He guessed Theo had gone for a type that would weaken Cora enough without actually killing her – at least not yet. Still, the quicker she was out of these shackles, the better. Even in the dim light he could see how red and burnt her wrists had become; the skin slowly being dissolved by the Wolfsbane.
He was almost there, just a few more twists, when buzzing in his pocket startled him and he cursed loudly, dropping the lock. He hissed when his thumb brushed along the Wolfsbane, his skin tingling before he hastily wiped it off on his jeans. The buzzing continued and he hastily pulled his phone out, dread filling him when Lydia's name glared back at him.
"Yeah?"
"He left," she said abruptly, agitation audible in her voice. "Stiles, I tried to keep him here for longer, but he said he couldn't, because he needed to go back home to prepare a surprise for you before your visit today. You need to leave now!"
"My visit?" he muttered confused. "We're not planning on meeting today."
"Well, either he just fobbed me off with that excuse or he somehow knows you're there!" she snapped, but her anger couldn't disguise the note of hysteria she was trying to supress. "Stiles, get out of there now!"
"I will, I promise, I'm nearly done; I just need a few more minutes and then Cora and I will be out of here," he promised and hastily stuck the hairpin back inside the lock.
"What? No! You promised! You need to leave now! Stiles, you can't - !"
He broke off the call and shoved his phone back into his pocket, focusing his attention back on the lock. There was a slight tremble in his fingers, his stomach churning uncomfortably, but he paid no mind to that. He still had time. He just need to remain calm, because panic wouldn't help them at all right now. Just stay calm, pick the lock, free Cora and get out of here.
"He's coming," Cora said calmly, as if she was talking about a friend and not her future killer. "You need to go now."
"Nope, I'm not leaving here without you," he said, jiggling the hairpin. "We still have time. I can do this."
"Stiles, just leave. You've got proof I'm here now; you can go to your dad with it and you can come back later," she sighed.
"Look," he briefly glanced down at her before looking at the lock again, "if he does somehow know I'm here – fuck, maybe I tripped an alarm or so – then we're screwed either way. He's not going to give me enough time to get my dad here. If he knows I'm here, the first thing he'll do is move you away and then we're back to square one."
Even worse, he thought, his stomach flipping nauseatingly, he'll do something to my dad as punishment for me trying to get you free.
"Like hell am I going to leave you here. We're going to get out of here and get you to safety. I swear that – aha!" he ended triumphantly, hearing the lock click when it finally unlocked and Cora's arms abruptly dropped down, the shackles falling off her. "See, one down, only one more - "
"Stiles, watch out!" she yelled alarmed.
He whipped around, caught sight of something flashing as it shot straight through the air, and jerked back instinctively. He wasn't fast enough and the thing cut his cheek, barely missing his eye before it slammed into the wall and dropped down. Searing hot pain exploded and he hissed, pressing his hand against the throbbing cut before pulling it back slightly.
Nausea filled him at the sight of blood smeared across his fingers. "Wow, he really doesn't trust anyone, huh?" he said faintly, his gaze going from his reddish fingers to the object lying on the floor next to his foot.
A small knife. Theo had somehow managed to link a trap to the lock and Stiles had triggered it by accident. Had Theo suspected that someone might discover his ritual after all and get into his house? He must have, because why else bother going through the trouble rigging a trap to a lock, just in case someone might try to free his victim?
There was a very thin line of black coating the blade of the knife and he swallowed, kicking it away in a corner.
"Stiles, are you okay?" Cora asked worriedly, her eyes widening a notch when she caught the cut on his face.
Keeping quiet about what might be possibly coating the knife, he forced a smile on his face and stepped over her legs to get to the other lock. "Yeah, just a cut. I'll be fine. Let's get you out of these now, okay? Any other traps I should know about?"
He had managed to avoid being impaled by this knife, but he didn't fancy trying out his luck twice in a short time. Especially because time was something they were steadily running out of now.
Slowly she shook her head, casting a nervous look around the room. "No, I – I don't think so. I didn't even know that trap was there," she admitted, chagrined with herself. "He must have done that when I was passed out."
"Hey, it's fine," he reassured her and got to work on the second lock. "You warned me on time anyway. Just, you know, keep a look out when I pick this lock, just in case he put up a second trap."
She nodded, her eyes gliding from one corner of the room to the other one constantly. She was exuding nervousness; the emotion strong enough to override the dark stench of pain and misery which had been clinging to her until now.
Being able to feel how nervous she was, did nothing to help his own nerves. The cut on his cheek was still throbbing; the burning sensation slowly spreading out. A headache was building up and he had to blink rapidly several times when his vision wavered a bit. He didn't know what kind of strain of Wolfsbane had been coating the knife and he wanted to get out of here before the poison had the chance to spread throughout his entire body.
Already his right cheek was a strange combination of throbbing pain and growing numbness; he had to get out of here before it could completely numb him.
Or worse.
Picking the last lock took much longer than he had wanted it to, because his sight was starting to become blurrier with each minute that passed and he had to pause several times because his hand trembled too much. Sweat was coating the back of his neck and he felt like he was running a fever; fire setting his whole body alight, the flames burying themselves between his skin and his muscles.
Finally, fuck knew how much time had passed already, the hairpin had been twisted in just the right way for the lock to give away and Cora was able to shove the shackles off her.
"Can you stand?" he asked, breathing a bit harsher when he straightened up and shoved the hairpin back into his pocket. God, how much time did they still have left? It couldn't be that much anymore.
"Y-yeah, I – I think I can," she said dubiously and slowly stood up. She'd barely risen up completely when her left knee buckled and gave out underneath her.
He was just in time to catch her around her waist before she would smack against the floor. "Is your leg or your foot broken?" he asked urgently, bringing her arm around his neck.
"No, it's just the Wolfsbane," she said through gritted teeth. "Are you feeling okay? You feel warmer than usual."
"I'm fine," he said flippantly and looked at the window, squinting at it.
He thought that if he gave her a boost, she would be able to make it through the window. The table could be pushed underneath it and he could use that to get himself out. They would need to move quickly now, though, because he had no idea how much time had passed since Lydia had called him. His phone had buzzed several times afterwards, but he'd been focusing on getting rid of the lock. She'd be so fucking pissed once he saw her again.
"All right, if I give you a boost, do you think you can make it through the window?"
"What about you?"
He waved at the table against the wall. "I'll use that one to get up there. Can you shift? I doubt we'll have much time anymore and our shifts will get us away from here quicker."
She nodded slowly. "I think so, yeah. I should be able to."
He really hoped so, because his car was still at Erica's place; he'd arrived on foot here, because there was no way for him to hide his Jeep anywhere nearby. His car wasn't exactly inconspicuous.
"Okay, come on, let's get you out of here," he muttered and helped her to the window.
He nearly stumbled over his own feet a couple of times when spikes of pain shot through his legs, but he just clenched his jaw together and forced his legs to keep moving. Taking a deep breath when they reached the window, he bent down and laced his hands together.
"Up you go," he said and grunted when she set her left foot in his hands.
She latched onto to the edge of the window and pushed herself up with his help. It didn't go really smoothly, because she was obviously weakened by the poison which had been smeared across the shackles. In fact she'd only been able to hoist herself up completely with her butt and legs still inside the room when the sound of a rapidly approaching car had them both freeze at the same time.
He felt her tense against his arm when the car stopped somewhere close by the house and then soft footsteps made their way to the front of the house.
Theo was home.
"Stiles, he's here," she whispered and her voice shook with fear.
"I know, come on, just a bit more and you're through the window," he whispered, pushing her legs up. "You're almost there, don't freeze on me now!"
For once she listened to him and she wriggled through the gap, pulling her legs up. She disappeared from sight for a few seconds before her ashen white face popped back into the window. "Stiles, come on, now it's your turn!"
She reached out with her hands to grab him, but stopped when the sound of a door opening and closing reached them.
Theo was definitely inside the house now – and judging by the footsteps, making his way right to this room.
No doubt about it: somehow he knew Stiles was here – or at least that someone else besides Cora was currently inside the house. Shit.
Instead of grabbing her hands, he pushed them away and stepped back, waving her away. "Go now! Shift and run!"
"I can't leave you here!" she hissed panicked and her eyes glittered with something suspiciously akin to tears. "Stiles, come on! I can't leave you behind! Grab my hands!"
He shook his head, looking around quickly for anything he could use. "I'll be right behind you, I swear! Just go!"
When she still hesitated, he flashed his eyes at her and hissed, "Go! Otherwise me saving you will have been for nothing!"
She growled and flashed her eyes in return. "You better be right behind me, or I swear to god, Stilinski, I'm going to kill you myself!"
She pulled back and a few seconds later there was the noise of shifting bones before four paws thudded away. At the same time Stiles heard a key being turned into the lock up the stairs and he ducked down in the little alcove underneath the staircase, grabbing the only thing that could be used as a weapon.
His lungs were starting to hurt now, an unrelenting pressure against his chest making it harder to breathe, but he did his best to keep his breathing regular. He knew it wouldn't matter much. The moment that door opened, Theo would know where he was hiding. The only thing he could do was keep as still as possible and await the right moment to strike. He would only get one shot at this; he couldn't blow it.
He stilled when the door opened slowly and footsteps halted in the doorway.
"You know, I really should have expected you to figure it out," Theo said conversationally, lightly as if nothing was wrong. "The Sheriff's kid and one of the smartest in our year – no surprise that you would eventually figure it out."
He took a step down.
"And even right before I could complete the ritual." He sounded admiring. "Even managed to pick the locks, I see. This just confirms I made the right choice after all."
Stiles kept quiet and instead listened to the other man taking a couple of more steps down. He seemed to be toying with him, leisurely making his way down, because he thought he had him.
"I mean, of course I knew what I was doing when I chose you, but," he whistled in awe, "you really exceeded my expectations. You're really special, Stiles, and I can't wait to show you how great we'll be together."
Those words only made Stiles' stomach churn more violently. God, he prayed he wasn't about to get sick now.
"There's still that little matter of finishing the ritual, of course, but no worries. I'll tend to her once I've got you out of here," Theo continued and slowly descended the rest of the stairs. He sounded a bit apologetic when he went on, "I know you like her, but her sacrifice is necessary. You'll understand soon enough, I promise. Everything will make sense soon. Now why don't you come here, hm? I promise I won't be mad."
He took the last remaining step, halting at the bottom of the staircase. "You were just trying to do the good thing and I get that, I really do. But you're also confused about what the good thing actually is. I'll be more than happy to explain it to you in a bit, but let's get upstairs first, okay? It's more comfortable there than here." He chuckled softly.
"You like playing Hide and Seek, Stiles?" he asked softly, padding closer and closer. "I'm guessing you do, but we'll have to play it another time. I have to go after my little runaway first."
He halted a few feet away from the alcove and turned slowly around until his gaze landed on Stiles. His eyes glowed red and when he smiled, the hint of his fangs showed through.
"Looks like I found you, dear," he said in a sing-song voice.
"Yeah, look what I found, asshole," Stiles snapped and whipped the shackle straight at the Alpha.
The heavy metal slung through the air and delivered a firm blow against Theo's left temple. He howled when the Wolfsbane coating the shackles burnt his skin and scrabbled at his face, his claws sprouting into existence while he tried to rub the sticky paste off his face.
Making use of the man being momentarily distracted, Stiles sprinted past him, ignoring the way his muscles protested and pushing himself up the stairs. He almost tripped a couple of times but he managed to burst through the door right when a furious roar shook the foundations of the house.
"Oh Stiles, why did you have to do this? Now I have to punish you."
The dark tone had shivers running down Stiles' spine and he stumbled into the door of the room next to the basement. When footsteps rapidly made their way up the stairs, he shook his head in order to dispel the daze threatening to take a hold of him and pushed himself off the wall, propelling himself through the open front door.
He could barely see anymore, his vision becoming too blurry and a headache splitting his skull, but he still had enough presence of mind to shrug himself out of the hoodie when a hand snatched the back of it. He lost his balance when he stumbled over something and a burst of panic shot through him when he felt claws snatching at his wrist.
Without even consciously making the decision, he suddenly started shrinking, the world expanding in a rapid, almost frightening way around him, and then he was off, running like the devil himself was after him.
At this moment Theo might be the devil himself.
Only a couple of seconds later he became aware of something bigger than him running right after him and he forced his body through another burst of speed, disappearing into the forest. Every cell in his body was screaming; every breath, every pump of his heart sent the Wolfsbane further and further into his small body, the potion working quicker now that he was a lot smaller all of a sudden. His lungs burnt, his paws were on fire, his throat was filled with needles and shards, making every swallow painful, and he barely could see anything anymore, darkness creeping in on him.
He didn't have long anymore, he knew. Not with the way the potion was quickly getting pumped through his entire body, not with the giant panther quickly gaining ground on him, diminishing the distance between them. Bushes rustled and branches creaked and broke when the giant cat forced his way straight through them. His own smaller body had an easier time navigating through the forest, the ground offering just enough support for him to push himself off and speed away.
His smaller form was an advantage, but he was rapidly growing weaker. His entire mind was blank; no ideas forming, no plans springing into existence. The only thing he could think of was getting Theo as far away from Cora as possible. If he couldn't get her, he couldn't complete the ritual and she could tell the police what had happened. Without her, the Alpha had nothing and couldn't do anything.
He clung to that thought and he clung to the thought of his dad, of Scott, of Derek, of Lydia, of seeing all his friends and family again. He used that desire to propel him through the bushes, navigate around trees and jump over little creeks.
But his strides grew shorter, his jumps weaker, and his body couldn't handle running so fast anymore. He was shutting down, his organs feeling like they were being liquified, and he could barely get any air inside his lungs anymore. His paws trembled and threatened to buckle underneath him any moment now.
What could he do? Where could he go to?
He tripped over a tree root and rolled down the small hill, broken off branches and stones digging into him on his painful descent down. When he finally stopped, he stood up on shaking paws and coughed and hacked, suddenly having it too hard to breathe.
A black tar like substance splattered across the forest floor.
Blearily he stared at the shiny liquid and even with the daze threatening to take him under, he realised he was running out of time. Quickly. Either the poison would do him in or Theo would get to him. Neither option particularly appealed to him.
He didn't want to die, didn't want to leave his dad behind. His dad, who didn't even know where he was now, who had no clue his only son was currently being hunted down by the killer he'd been trying to catch for months now.
If he died here, he wouldn't see dad again. He wouldn't be able to joke around with Scott, wouldn't be able to challenge Lydia anymore. If he gave up, he would never find out whether he and Derek would have been good together.
He couldn't give up now. But he was getting so tired …
Everything hurt, everything ached and screamed and he just wanted to lie down and rest. Instead he forced himself to continue, stumbled more than ran, and tried to find that one place where he could be safe.
Somehow he managed to stay out of Theo's reach for a while and when he blinked next, he was suddenly standing in a familiar field.
The tree trunk – Nemeton, a voice whispered in his ears – seemed to tower above him and almost trance like he walked over to it, dragging his exhausted body to the trunk. He whined when he dropped down and panted, the pain worse than anything he'd ever felt before.
He just wanted to go home … He wanted his dad, he needed Derek, he wanted to see Scott and Lydia … He wanted to bicker with Isaac, game with Erica and Boyd. He wanted his pack.
He just wanted home.
"You put up one hell of a fight, but it's over now, Stiles." Theo stepped into the clearing, his eyes blood red and glinting viciously. "I'm going to have so much fun breaking you."
Stiles squeezed his eyes shut and whined brokenly, pressing himself even closer to the dead tree, as if it could protect him from the advancing Alpha. He … He needed someone to help him. He needed someone here before it was too late.
SOMEONE HELP ME!
The birds quietened, the leaves stopped rustling; everything became dead silent. Theo stopped walking and looked up with a frown, his head cocked to the left as if he was listening.
Then the earth exploded and a hellish white light filled the clearing as bright as the sunlight, blasting from seemingly nowhere.
Something wrapped around Stiles, something thin but strong, and squeezed him tightly, so tightly that all the air was slammed out of his chest, and he opened his jaw in a soundless scream.
A ferocious roar rebounded through the clearing, more furious growling joining. The earth trembled violently underneath him and a high pitched whistling sound tore through the air, suppressing all other sounds abruptly.
The pressure remained unrelenting and even though his mouth was wide open, he couldn't breathe.
He couldn't breathe and he couldn't move. He was going to die here.
He was going to die here; he was going to leave his dad alone and Derek and Lydia and –
Darkness. Nothing.
AN2: Yeah, not particularly happy with the ending, but I couldn't figure out a way to make it better, so *throws hands up*
Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
I see you all back in the next chapter!
Cuddles
Melissa
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Step by Step, We'll Get There