And Tethered

I woke up on grass. The Nemeton loomed ahead, its bark gnarled and twisted, roots spreading like veins across the blackened ground. My breath came fast and shallow, the weight of the moment pressing down on my chest.

Behind me, my friends stood frozen, their bodies locked in place as if they were statues. Stiles, Scott, Allison-all of them trapped in this place. Their eyes were open, but glassy, like they weren't really there. I saw the thin strands of silver string connecting them to the ground in front of me. A bit literal, but I got the message.

I had to protect them.

A cold whisper slithered through the air.

"Cassandra, darling... you always think you're the protector, but tell me, who's ever protected you?"

The voice sent an immediate chill through me. I turned slowly, my stomach twisting into knots.

My parents stood before me.

My father, dressed in his old doctor's coat, arms crossed over his chest, his expression unreadable. My mother, elegant as ever, her long hair falling in waves over her shoulders, lips pulled into a small, almost pitiful smile.

I swallowed hard. "You're not real."

My mother tilted her head. "Aren't we? Sweetheart, you've always been so smart. But tell me-why weren't you smart enough to save us?"

My heart stopped.

"You had the instincts, didn't you?" my father cut in, stepping closer. "The gut feeling that something was wrong. You've always trusted those feelings, haven't you? But that night... you didn't listen."

I took a step back. "Stop."

"You could have saved us." My mother's voice was soft, almost gentle. "If you'd just paid attention. If you'd just done something."

"I was a child. You knew about the supernatural. You knew what was coming for me, and you didn't protect me" I spat back.

Their faces twisted, their eyes cold as ice. "You let us die."

I clenched my fists, my nails biting into my palms. This wasn't real. This wasn't real.

"And Blaise? You don't even care what happened to him, do you?" That hit me harder than anything.

I staggered back, shaking my head. "That's not true."

"You let him suffer alone. You let him raise you while he was drowning, and you never once told him it wasn't his responsibility. You made him bury his grief because you were too weak to face yours."

My father's voice cracked like a whip, and I felt it like a slap to the face. I opened my mouth to argue, but nothing came out.

My mother's cold fingers traced my cheek. "And now? You're still running. From your past. From your guilt. From what you are."

"No. I'm not running. I'm fighting. And I know who I am." I said.

A sickening snap echoed through the air, and suddenly, they collapsed into ash, blowing away on the cold wind.

I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the echo of the voices away.

Then I heard the growl.

I turned just in time to see him step from the darkness.

The Alpha.

His crimson eyes glowed in the pitch-black, his hulking form radiating power. The very same beast that had bitten me, that had ripped through my life like a blade.

"You're mine, Cassandra." His voice was like gravel and smoke, rumbling through my bones. It was the alpha before we knew it was Peter.

My entire body tensed.

"You've felt it, haven't you? The hunger. The power. The part of you that wants to give in." He took a slow, predatory step forward. "You're not like Scott. You're not just some Beta stumbling in the dark. You were chosen."

I shook my head. "No."

"You're already changing. Faster. Stronger. But you still hesitate. Why?" His lips curled into something cruel. "Because you think you're still human? Because you think you have a choice?"

I gritted my teeth.

"Tell me, Cassie... how did it feel when you cut Jackson out? When you started lying to Lydia? Ignoring Danny? How did it feel knowing you were abandoning them?"

I swallowed, my throat dry.

"They're not your pack anymore. You know it. They know it. You don't belong to them anymore, Cassandra. You belong to me."

He lunged and I ducked, kicking him towards the side. Protect the string. Keep my friends tethered. He came at me again, and this time my hand instinctively reached for my knife, even though I wasn't sure if it would be there.

Much to my surprise it was, my hands wrapping around the comforting cold of the metal. When the alpha lunged again I tore my knife through its side and it dropped, sinking into the ground before fading away. I exhaled, breathing heavily.

I turned back, looking towards the images of my friends once more. It was all for them.

I felt it before I saw it - my reflection, stepping out from the shadows.

But she wasn't me. She had my face, my voice, but her eyes glowed silver, her lips curled into a smirk so sharp it could cut.

"They don't need you." I froze, following her gaze back toward my friends.

"Scott will have Allison. Stiles will always be second-best to him, but you?" She tilted her head, stepping closer. "You're not even second-best. You're extra. Stiles will always love Lydia. Isaac didn't want you. Allison, well, you did throw a knife at her. "

I shook my head. "Shut up."

"You couldn't save your parents. You couldn't save Blaise. And you won't save Scott."

This time I attacked, lunging at her.

We hit the ground hard, rolling across the dirt in a mess of fists and nails. She was fast, as fast as me, every strike met with another. I slammed my fist into her ribs; she drove her elbow into my gut.

"You think you can fight this?" She laughed, shoving me back and pinning me to the ground. "You're already losing."

Her hand wrapped around her knife, a mirror image of me.

"You can feel it, can't you? The anger. The darkness. It would be so easy to let it take over."

My vision blurred. I struggled, but her grip was too strong. "Just let go, Cassandra."

A spark of rage, of defiance, burned in my chest. My fingers curled, and I slammed my head forward, hitting her nose with a sickening crack.

She hit the ground, her body shattering like glass. I gasped, sucking in air, my hands shaking. Tears were streaming down my face, the words all echoing my head. I had won, but at what cost?

The Nemeton loomed, silent once more. I waited, tense, for the next fight to come. But it was quiet, empty. Just the wind whistling around me.

-----☾☼-----

Scott shot out of the water, his eyes wide and panting. Scott's voice broke through the silence first. "I saw it. I know where it is."

Stiles' breath caught as he pieced it together. "We passed it. There's-there's a stump... this huge tree-well, it's not huge anymore, it was cut down-but it's still big, though! Very big!"

Scott's face was pale, his mind clearly racing. "It was the night we were looking for the body-"

"The same night you were bitten by Peter," Stiles interrupted, his stomach twisting at the realization.

Allison's voice was quiet but urgent. "I was there too, in the car with my mother. We almost hit someone."

Scott's eyes widened. "It was me. You almost hit me."

There was a pause before Scott looked up, determination settling on his face. "We can find it." Nobody spoke.

Allison hesitated. "...What?"

Isaac shifted uncomfortably. "You guys were out a long time..."

"How long is a long time?" Stiles asked, his heart already pounding.

Deaton's expression was unreadable as he finally answered. "Sixteen hours."

Scott's eyes widened in shock. "We've been in the water for sixteen hours?"

Deaton nodded, his tone grave. "And the full moon rises in less than four. But Cassandra... she hasn't woken up yet. I think... I think you all need to pull her out."

The words barely had time to settle before Stiles was already moving, his heart slamming against his ribs. Sixteen hours? They had been out of it for sixteen hours, and Cassie still hadn't woken up?

His feet hit the tile of the clinic floor harder than he meant, but he didn't care. He had to see her. He had to get to her.

Scott was right behind him, Allison and Isaac following as they reached the other tub. And there she was. Cassie.

She lay still in the water, too still, her face pale, lips slightly parted like she was caught between dreaming and waking. Stiles didn't hesitate. He was at her side in an instant, reaching out before he even knew what he was doing.

"Cass," he murmured, his hands finding hers, squeezing. "Come on, wake up."

Nothing.

Scott moved next to him, his brows furrowed with concern. "We need to pull her out, like Deaton said."

"How?" Stiles demanded, his voice cracking. "How do we do that?"

Scott exchanged a glance with Deaton. "By reminding her why she needs to come back."

Stiles' breath caught in his throat.

He turned back to Cassie, bringing her hand up to his chest, gripping it tightly. "Cass, you gotta wake up, okay? You've been out long enough, and I need you here. With me."

His voice wavered, but he didn't care. None of it mattered except her opening her eyes. Isaac's eyes were trained on them, narrowed ever so slightly.

Scott leaned in. "Cass, you're safe. We're all here. You protected us in there, but we need you to come back now."

Still nothing.

A lump formed in Stiles' throat, panic creeping in. His free hand reached up, brushing her hair away from her face, his fingers lingering against her skin. "Cassie, please," he whispered. "Come back to me."

A sharp inhale. A sudden gasp.

Cassie's body jerked slightly, her chest rising as her eyelids fluttered. A moment later, her gaze focused, locking onto the first thing she saw-him.

"Stiles?" she croaked, her voice weak.

Relief crashed into him so fast he nearly lost his balance. "Yeah, yeah, I'm here. I'm right here."

She blinked, still dazed, but her fingers instinctively curled around his. Then, before he could say anything else, she pulled herself up and straight into his arms.

Stiles caught her easily, his arms wrapping around her tightly, like if he let go, she'd disappear again. Her face buried into the crook of his neck, her breathing uneven. They were both soaking wet, but it didn't matter

"I didn't know how to come back," she whispered against him. "I was fighting - I - I was keeping you guys safe but once it was done it was just me. Alone"

His grip tightened. "It's okay. You're not alone. We're right here. I'm right here.."

She pulled back just enough to look at him, her eyes glassy but determined. "I knew you'd be here."

Something in Stiles shattered and rebuilt itself all at once. He cupped her face, his thumb brushing away the tear trailing down her cheek. "Always."

Her lips parted, like she wanted to say something, but instead, she just surged forward, pressing her mouth to his in a kiss that knocked the breath out of him.

There was no hesitation, no uncertainty-just Cassie, warm and real against him. He kissed her back instantly, his fingers tangling in her hair, his heart pounding so hard he was sure she could feel it.

Someone cleared their throat.

Stiles barely registered it. He wasn't letting go.

"Uh, as great as this is, we still have a full moon coming," Isaac muttered, the jealousy obvious on his face.

Cassie pulled away slightly, letting out a breathless laugh. "Right. Right. Saving the world first." Stiles moved to help her out of the water, wrapping a towel around her.

"And then us," Stiles murmured into her ear, his fingers still curled around her waist. "Because we're definitely talking about this later."

-----☾-----

I stood at the edge of the group, arms crossed, trying to steady the war raging in my head. The conversation blurred around me, words overlapping, arguments bouncing back and forth. My gaze flickered to Scott, the determination in his eyes unwavering.

"No, dude- you are not going back with them," Stiles said, his voice sharp, frustration leaking through every syllable.

Scott barely flinched. "I made a deal with Deucalion-"

Stiles cut him off. "Does anyone else think that sounds a lot like a deal with the devil?" I was reminded of Jennifer, walking away from her deal.

Isaac scoffed. "Why does it matter, anyway?"

"Because I still don't think that we can beat Jennifer without their help," Scott admitted, his voice steady, but I could hear the doubt creeping in at the edges.

Allison turned to Deaton, her eyes pleading. "He trusts you more than anyone-tell him he's wrong."

Silence stretched for a second too long. Then, Deaton spoke, his voice carefully measured. "I'm not so sure he is... circumstances like this sometimes require that you align with people you'd normally consider enemies." His eyes flickered to me and I knew he knew what I had been offered. I looked away.

Isaac ran a hand through his curls, exasperated. "So, we're gonna trust him-the guy that calls himself 'Death, Destroyer of Worlds'-we're gonna trust that guy?"

Deaton's expression didn't shift. "I wouldn't trust him, no. But, you could use him to your advantage. Deucalion may be the enemy, but he could also be the bait."

I tuned them out, my mind spiraling. I knew what I should do-stay, fight with my friends, stand beside Scott and Stiles and Allison like I always had. But I also knew that Jennifer was still out there, waiting, and part of me couldn't shake the thought that maybe-just maybe-if I went to her, if I gave her what she wanted, I could end this.

I could stop the bloodshed.

What if my role in all of this wasn't to fight, but to surrender? What if this was how I saved them?

"Cass?" Stiles' voice snapped me out of it.

I blinked, realizing I had zoned out completely. My arms were wrapped around myself, my nails digging into my sleeves. He was watching me closely, his brows furrowed in concern.

Before I could answer, another voice cut through the air.

"I'm looking for Lydia," Ethan announced, stepping forward.

Lydia stiffened. "What do you want?"

"I need your help."

Stiles' posture went rigid. "With what?"

Ethan glanced at each of us before finally saying it. "Stopping my brother and Kali... from killing Derek." I felt my heart stop.

I could feel the decision forming before I had fully processed it. The prophecy. Jennifer. Derek. My friends. I had a choice to make.

And I knew exactly what Stiles would say if I told him what I was thinking.

So, I didn't.

"Stiles and I will find the tree, and Jennifer. I know she is still looking for me. Isaac, take Lydia and then you and Allison, look for the root cellar too. Scott, go to Deucalion." I paused when I looked at him, my chest tightening. "We'll see each other again. Once this is over."

I turned on my heel and walked straight toward the Jeep, pulling the passenger door open without a word. Stiles was only a few steps behind me.

"Cass?" His voice was softer this time, more cautious.

I hesitated for only a moment before sliding into the seat. "Let's go."

Stiles didn't question it. He climbed in beside me, started the engine, and pulled out onto the road.

But as the headlights cut through the darkness, I kept my gaze fixed on the window, trying to ignore the gnawing feeling in my gut.

Because I wasn't sure if I had made the right choice, or if I was running straight toward the wrong one.

The storm was brutal as Stiles drove through the preserve. I was silent, my nails digging into my skin. I wanted to say something to Stiles, about the kiss, about us, but all I could think about was Jennifer. Her words, my decision not to be a sacrifice. How I would live with myself if Melissa and the Sheriff died, two people who had filled the void my parents left.

I could feel Stiles glance at me every couple of minutes, but I didn't look his way. A flash of light sent a tree into the road, causing Stiles to swerve. "Whoa, sh--!" His voice was cut off as the jeep slammed to a stop, his head smacking the steering wheel, mine hitting the side window. I blinked, trying to shake the daze, but was met with the eyes of Jennifer.

"You really should have taken me up on my offer sooner." She blew something into my face, and everything went dark.

-----☾-----

I woke up somewhere dark and cold. My hands were bound tightly, and everything felt sluggish, like I was wading through molasses. I blinked, trying to orient myself, but everything was tinged with black.

"Cassandra, you're awake," Jennifer's voice was light and pleasant, like I wasn't drugged and tied up.

"Do you not know the meaning of no?" I said, my tongue feeling swollen in my mouth.

"Well, you're my insurance policy. Scott has teamed up with Deucalion, and there's always the odd chance your friends find the parents. So you will be my fail safe. If I kill you, I'll have the power I need. Even though it won't be as good as you giving yourself up, it will do."

I tried to process her words, but my thoughts were foggy. "Oh, you are a bit confused, I'm sorry. I gave you a hearty dose of vervain, quite bad for guardians. Leaves you weak and disoriented, and basically powerless. The amount I gave you won't kill you, at least not yet. I'll need your blood if the time comes." I heard a ding, her phone, which seemed remarkably normal considering everything.

Scott's voice echoed through it. "You see this symbol? It's a symbol of revenge. You talk about balance, about saving people... We know what you really want. And now, you know where to find us.

"Well, it's your time to shine Cassandra. We have someone to meet on the way."

I saw the raw anger in Derek's eyes as he took in my state. "You said you were leaving her out of this." He hissed.

She shrugged. "Plans had to change."

-----☾-----

Scott stood frozen in front of me, his golden eyes locked on mine. His stomach twisted as he took me in. I knew I looked like a mess. Blood staining the corner of my mouth, eyes half lidded, barely able to kneel with the ropes keeping mein place.

"What are you doing?" Scott demanded, his voice raw, his eyes flickering between Derek and I.

Derek stepped forward, his own expression unreadable. "This might be hard to believe, but I'm actually trying to help you."

A slow chuckle filled the room, Deucalion stepping closer, his head tilting in amusement. "Ooh! Like brother against brother! How very American this is." His lips curled into a smirk as he turned to Jennifer. "Are you ready, Jennifer? Hmm? Did you gather your herbs? Pray to your ancient gods and your oak trees? Slit a baby's throat, perhaps?"

I flinched at his words, knowing I was the preparation, but Jennifer remained still, her grip only tightening.

Deucalion's expression darkened. "Should we show them why you needed to sacrifice nine innocent people just to face me? Or is it twelve now? Or I suppose ten, given the state of Cassandra in front of me."

Jennifer's nails dug into my shoulder, pain shot through it, sharp enough to make me whimper.

Scott took a step forward, panic rising in his chest. "Let her go."

Jennifer smirked, tilting her head. "Oh, Scott," she crooned. "Don't you see. Cassandra only dies if you don't let me win. If you choose his side, I will have to kill her. I need the last sacrifice. Regardless, it won't end! Not with me. He'll have you kill everyone you love. It's what he does. Cassandra is as good as dead if you're with him."

I shook my head, trying to tell him it was okay, I was okay, I knew what my role was, and I was ready to die to save him.

Deucalion's voice twisted, distorting with power. "They're dying, Scott. Your mother and the parents of your best friends. Kill her now, and it's over. Become the Alpha you're meant to be—become a killer."

Scott's fists clenched. His eyes burned, flickering between gold and something darker. His body trembled with barely restrained rage.

"They're not dead yet," he growled. Deucalian slowly began to shift, his eyes turning crimson. Derek charged forward, but was tossed aside like a rag doll. "This is your final chance Scott." She said, raising a brow. Scott didn't move.

Jennifer sighed dramatically. "You're so stubborn." And then, without hesitation, she raised a blade and dragged it across Cassie's collar bones. The slash was long and deep

I let out a strangled cry as fire bloomed through my body, the pain overwhelming. Blood seeped from the wound, staining the ropes. My head slumped forward as my vision flickered in and out, the world swimming.

Deculain growled, lunging at Jennifer. Scott ran to my side, kneeling. "Cass, Cass." I gave him a weak smile. "Go. Finish this. I'm okay." My voice was softly, my hand on the wound. The mixture of the pain and the vervain in my system was making everything hazy.

"Scott!" Deucalion's voice echoed. I turned, seeing him holding Jennifer. Scott looked at Deucalion. "Kill her."

Scott didn't move. A roar echoed through the distillery, and I saw Scott shift, though this rage in his eyes didn't fade. He held Scotts hands, lifting the claws up. .

"I forgot to tell you something," he said. "Something that Gerard told me." His gaze locked onto Deucalion's. "Deucalion... isn't always blind." He dropped two of the flashbang arrowheads from the Argents' apartment.

Deucalion roared, stumbling back from the flash, all three of them reverting to humans.

Jennifer stood, the eclipse taking its full effect. Scott stood in front of me, and I knew he was trying to protect me, but she tossed him aside like he weighed nothing. She knelt beside me, an almost apologetic look on her scarred face.

"It's a shame it had to come to this." Her knife slashed again, and this time the pain felt different, sharper.

"Vervain." I mumbled, and she smiled, leaving me on the ground as she turned to Deucalion. She lunged for him, burying the knife into his chest. He let out a roar, but it sounded strangled, weak. My vision was darkening, but I was trying to focus as Derek stepped forward.

"He doesn't know," he said.

Jennifer turned to him, her voice distorted with power. "Know what?"

Derek's stare was hard. "What you really look like. He knows the cost of bringing Kali into his pack, but he's never seen the price you paid."

Jennifer stiffened. "No. No, he hasn't."

Slowly, she turned to Deucalion, her face shifting, warping into something monstrous. "TURN TO ME!" she shrieked.

I barely processed the scream that followed. Whatever Jennifer was doing to Deucalion, it was taking everything out of me. My vision blurred and my head dropped, giving in to the sweet release of darkness.

-----☾☼-----

They had won, but they weren't sure at what cost. When Scott and Derek re-entered the distillery, Jennifer was gone. But Cassie, Cassie was still on the floor. Her top was stained with blood, her chest not even moving. Scott's phone rang, Stiles voice coming through.

"Scott?"

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked, his voice tight as he watched Derek rush to Cassie's side.

"Yeah, we're okay. We're all okay. How about you? Is Cassie with you?" Stiles asked.

Scott felt his voice catch. "Yea..Sort of."

"You think you can come get us?" Stiles asked, not catching the shake in Scott's voice. Derek looked at Scott.

"She's alive. Barely. I don't know what Jennifer did, but Deaton can help." He paused, scoping Cassie up in his arms. "You help your friends." He said, before taking off. Scott exhaled.

"Yeah, of course." Scott said,

"Great! Okay. Um, uh... Bring a ladder."

-----♡-----

The parents were safe, the storm had cleared, and we had won—at least, that's what Scott had said. But something was off. Something in his voice had made my stomach twist into knots.

Scott never hesitated. Not like that.

As soon as I spotted Scott, relief rushed through me, but it was short-lived. He wasn't looking at me. His eyes were distant, troubled, his face pale, and he was alone.

"Scott?" I stepped closer, my voice edged with worry. "What happened?"

Scott inhaled sharply, like he was steadying himself. "Jennifer's gone."

I nodded, but something in my chest tightened. "And Cass?" Scott's silence lasted a second too long. The floor dropped out from under me. My breath caught in my throat. "Scott." My voice wavered. "Where's Cass?"

Scott finally met my eyes, and I wished he hadn't. Because what I saw there, pain, guilt, fear, it confirmed everything.

"She's alive," he said quickly, but it didn't calm me at all. "Barely. Jennifer, we dont know what she did to her. She was so weak before the fight even started. Then she cut her, twice, she lost a lot of blood." Scotts voice caught. "And when Jennifer healed Deucalion, the scream Cass made. Something was wrong."

I felt like I was drowning. My vision tunneled, my chest constricting as my pulse roared in my ears. "No. No, no, no." I shook my head, taking a step back like I could outrun the truth. "Scott, tell me she's okay. Tell me she's awake, tell me she's-"

"I don't know." Scott's voice cracked, and for the first time, I saw the panic in his own eyes. "She wasn't waking up, Stiles. Derek, he said Deaton could help, but,I don't know if she's okay. I don't know if." Scott's voice echoed my own panic. Cassie, who got hurt all the time, but always was okay. Cassie wasn't waking up.

"Stop," I gasped. My stomach twisted, bile rising in my throat. My entire body felt like it was vibrating, like I couldn't get enough air. "You were supposed to protect her, Scott! You—you promised—"

Scott flinched. "I tried, Stiles. I tried, but Jennifer - whatever she did to her happened before I saw her." His breath hitched.

I had felt the panic when I woke up alone in the car. I knew something was wrong but convinced myself it was Cassie, she would be fine. "I should've been there," I muttered, voice barely above a whisper. "I should've been there for her."

Scott took a step closer, reaching out. "She's strong, Stiles. She's fighting. But we need to go."

I forced myself to swallow the panic rising in my throat. After everything we had been through? After she had finally kissed me and we hadn't even had a chance to talk about it? If I lost her now, I don't know what I would do.

-----♡-----

My hands shook as I gripped the Jeep's steering wheel tighter, barely aware of Scott sitting beside me. The drive to Deaton's clinic felt like it took forever, even though I was well over the speed limit.

When we arrived,I don't even remember putting the car into park, just sprinting into the clinic.. The bell above the door jingled as he shoved it open, the scent of antiseptic and something herbal hitting me instantly.

Then I saw her.

Cassie lay motionless on the exam table, her face pale, her chest rising and falling in shallow, barely-there breaths. A thick bandage was wrapped around her collarbone, and another one peeked from beneath the fabric of her shirt, the blood staining through making my stomach lurch.

"No, no, no, no—" I was moving before I even realized it, shoving past Scott to get to her side. My fingers hovered over her arm, I was afraid to touch her, that somehow, if I did, I would make it worse, and I would lose her completely.

Deaton's voice was calm, but firm. "She's going to be okay, Stiles."

"She doesn't look okay! She looks—she looks—" My voice cracked, and I swallowed hard, blinking rapidly, trying to find my words. "She's not waking up."

Deaton sighed, wiping his hands on a towel. "She lost a lot of blood, and the vervain weakened her more than I'd like. Her body is fighting to heal, but it's going to take time. It's going to be a long night."

I exhaled sharply. "I'm not leaving," he said, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Scott placed a hand on my shoulder. "Stiles—"

"No," I snapped, shaking him off. "I'm not leaving her, Scott." I couldn't leave her. Not after I had left her before. I wasn't ever leaving her again.

Deaton nodded, unsurprised. "Then stay. But she needs rest, and so do you."

I ignored him. I grabbed a chair and dragged it to the side of the exam table, sinking into it. My hand found hers, gently holding it. The dried blood under her nails made me nauseous.

-----♡-----

The clinic was silent, the dim glow from the overhead lights casting long shadows across the walls. Scott had left hours ago, after failing to convince me to get some sleep. Even Deaton had retreated to his office, giving me space.

I sat holding her hand tightly, staring at Cassie like I could will her to wake up through sheer force alone. Then, she stirred.

It was small, just a twitch of her fingers, but I was on my feet in an instant. "Cass?" I hated how my voice sounded, hoarse, thick with exhaustion and something dangerously close to desperation.

She let out a soft groan, her eyes fluttering before cracking open just a fraction. "Stiles...?"

Relief crashed into me so hard I thought I was going to pass out. I exhaled a shaky breath, my lips curving into a weak, disbelieving smile. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm here."

Cassie blinked sluggishly, her gaze unfocused. "What... happened?"

Stiles huffed out a breath, running a hand through his hair. "Uh, well, long story short? Jennifer went full psycho, Scott did his Alpha thing, and I almost had a heart attack like, fifty times." I swallowed, my voice softening. "You scared the hell out of me."

Cassie's lips quirked just slightly. "Didn't mean to."

"Yeah, well, try telling that to my blood pressure." She let out a laugh but it sounded more like a cough, making her wince in pain.

I hesitated, shifting my weight from foot to foot before finally blurting out, "What are we?"

Cassie frowned slightly, still groggy. "Huh?"

I realized this was probably the worst time I could have asked this, but now that I had, I might as well follow through. "I mean—us. This. The whole, 'I sit by your bedside all night, you kiss me twice, me nearly losing my mind when you almost die' thing." my throat tightened. "Because, Cass, god you're my best friend. And I don't want to lose you to whatever this is if you don't want it.."

Cassie was quiet for a long moment, her gaze searching mine. I felt my heart beat pick up, then, slowly, she reached out, her fingers curling around my wrist, a tired smile on her lips. "It's always been you Stiles."

My breath hitched. "Yeah?"

She nodded, her grip tightening slightly. "Yeah."

A small, breathless laugh escaped me, and before I could overthink it, "Can I kiss you?"

She gave me a look, a hint of the Cassie I knew, teasing and playful. "Yes dumbass, you can kiss me."

I pressed a kiss to her lips before pulling away.

I watched her eyes flutter closed again, exhaustion pulling her back under, but not before she whispered, "Stay?"

I smiled softly, pulling my chair closer. "I'm not going anywhere."

-----End of Season 3A-----